This book surprised me in a pleasant way. I like balanced Christian fiction, but don't find many that fit that category. This didn't get sappy, dealt with a life-changing situation in a very realistic and compassionate way. It also let characters with less than stellar personalities be real and behave in ways that still let readers have a bit of compassion for them. I liked it well enough to buy another by the author right away. ( )

Thank you in advance to the author, Christy Hayes, and Prism Book Tours for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required. All words are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by the author.

I didn’t know quite what to expect from this book. I thought this would be more of a YA (Young Adult) read, but it is in the middle.

The cute and whimsical cover drew me in, as well as the description about the two college students who end up pregnant, or rather Kayla does.

But, the pregnancy also has some interesting consequences for Ben. In fact, it might be what he needs.

While this is under “Christian Fiction”, there are elements that could be slightly questionable. While there is no actual “foul” language – there are some derogatory words in the book that describe “promiscuous” women. These are words such as sk#nk and wh@re. This language is realistic for how some women (regardless of age) talk about other women.

As the story revolves around an unexpected pregnancy, pre-marital sex occurs. Though, it is prior to the start of the story. There is also talk of abortion, some physical violence (minor slapping), reference to drug use, and the selling of drugs.

There is also some sex talk, some of which could be of questionable language depending on the reader’s preference.

The story is told from two (2) POVs – Kayla and Ben. Both are seniors in college. Ben is already facing pressure to pass his LSAT test for law. He’s also having issues with his overly controlling girlfriend Darcy.

As soon as Kayla sees the two pink lines, she knows life isn’t going to be the same, and reconciles to tell Ben what happened.

While shocked, they both know that abortion and adoption are not options they want to consider. Ben also realizes his on-again/off-again relationship with Darcy, while long-standing in nature, is toxic and unhealthy.

Yet, Kayla’s pregnancy changes everything for them.

From there, what was once a one-night stand; turns into a journey that they take together despite the odds against them.

While it complicates Ben’s complicated life, it also gives him the push he needs to free himself.

I thoroughly enjoyed the maturity demonstrated by Ben and Kayla as they took an honest look at their situation. They don’t have any answers, but also don’t hesitate to figure things out either. They even go so far as to talk with their friends, and Ben talks with his grandmother.

When it comes to revealing the truth to the families – Kayla’s is somewhat more accepting than Ben’s. Ben’s father and Darcy were two of the most despicable characters.

This isn’t a shot-gun wedding type of romance either. It is one that sees where everything is going and takes it one milestone at a time.

With a pinch of faith, this is a realistic and honest look into unplanned pregnancy along with the impact it has on the mother-to-be, the father-to-be, as well as their families. It also highlights how important strong friendships are in addition to family. Delightful, and a true example of the plans God has for us – even when we’re sure of what we want. And, sometimes it gives us the courage to stand up for ourselves.

The ending was definitely anticipated, as I’m sure I knew where this was going. I also felt like Ben picked out a better career choice for himself. In addition, Kayla also (despite her circumstances) was still promoting abstinence. She even points out her situation to her brother as a reason.

There are a few typos in the story, and I did find a few missing words. At one point there is a lab test conducted that after researching it, the sequence of events was too soon for the test to have been done. However the errors did not completely detract from the story or enjoying it.

Another enjoyable tidbit was that the baby’s due date was sort of set on July 28th, which is also my mother’s birthday. ( )

I received a complimentary copy of “Formula for a Perfect Life” direct from author Christy Hayes in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Kayla was caught inside a pickle of a dilemma without the first inclination of knowing how to extract herself from the excruciating reality of realising that sometimes a one night stand is a forewarning to girls' who might not realise quite what a night like that could entail if the entanglements of an impulsive choice seeks to alter their entire life's course in one act of passion. Thus is the situation we find Kayla inside when we first pick up the threads of her life in the pages of Formula for a Perfect Life - wherein, we are stepping into the shoes of a University sweetheart whose roommates stage an intervention on her return from class. It is during this meeting of the minds where we find that she isn't the first to give into the impulse of taking a relationship further than presumed whilst at school but she's the first girl in their circle whose been caught with the gravity of the choice - where a pregnancy comes calling even if the reality of that situation takes a bit longer to caught up to her emotions!

You truly feel for Kayla in this circumstance - she's not the party girl nor is she the stoic scholar - she's a bit betwixt and between the two, where she toys the balance between being studious and carefree on campus. The choice to be with a bloke that one fateful night was out of character for her and that is something all three of her roommates agreed upon but that doesn't change the facts of course! The hardest hurdle she has is sorting out her heart - how she feels about the pregnancy itself, the uncertainties of pending mumhood and of course, what she feels about the discussion she needs to have with the father whose still walking campus ambivalent to the fact he's fathered a child!

The suffocating future Ben was facing was one you wouldn't wish on anyone - much less a bloke whose barely sorted out his LSTATs and is now being forced to consider the bride he needs to take down the aisle to settle some kind of arbitrary issue with his family and the expectations they have on him. The same kind of story you'd expect from a bloke whose family thinks they can talk him through his life rather than allowing him to choose the kind of life he wants to be living. In some regards, you can see how he and Kayla took one moment of their lives to simply break-free and do something a bit random and reckless. He was in a potboiler of a pressure-box to perform and to excel at a level that no one could handle the weight against if they were honest with themselves.

Theo was the kind of friend Ben needed as much as Kayla needed her girlfriends - her roommates were a rock of advice as much as Theo was giving Ben the realistic reality he was trying to avoid facing - why Ben thought he could shrug out of the complexity of what this situation was erupting into his life was a bit beyond me but I started to side with Kayla's friends. I felt Ben was owning to the shock of thinking your life's plan was on one set of trajectory and was about to be realigned onto a completely different one; one that wasn't planned and wasn't entirely an expected outcome. That kind of shock takes time and measure to put into prospective and sadly even then, some people take longer to mature into a new set of circumstances; which I felt Ben might fit into himself.

Hayes kept me anchoured into the story - she didn't make excuses for her characters, nor did she overtly bring into the forum of their duress the inspirational messages you might have felt could have been added into the fray of their spiralling anxieties. She was allowing them some space - some time to breathe and feel the weight of their choices - good, bad or indifferent, they had lived those hours together and Hayes was presenting the outcome of what happens when you take one reckless romantic night and wake-up with the consequences of that affair. She openly lets her characters choose their own words and to fumble their own way through tomorrow - in that regard she had my respect because it was a very adult way of presenting a New Adult narrative on what happens when co-ed University students suddenly find themselves contemplating Mr Mom and Mrs Baby scenarios.

I needed a story to pull me back into the joy of reading - Hayes gave me a story which rooted me into her characters' lives, gave me a reason to champion their cause and gave me such an uplift of joy to discover their story to where I felt renewed in the healing grace of finding stories which lift our spirits during moments in our lives where sometimes connecting to stories is one of the hardest obstacles we need to overcome.

I love returning to the world of INSPY and/or heartwarming romances (such as Harlequin Heartwarming) wherein I know I can be greeted by a cast of characters who will give me something to chew on whilst anchouring me into their heart-centred storyline wherein I'll feel refreshed and rejuvenated for having met against the page. How blessed was I then to have sought out this blog tour and had the proper chance to 'meet' my first Hayes novel! It was a wicked brilliant introduction to her writing style and I hope others will pick up a copy to see what I found - adding to their own sought after blisstitude for uplifting fiction during the uncertain tides of everyday life (whilst we're all surviving through a pandemic we never saw coming!).

// This is a quotation of my full review originally shared via jorielovesastory.com

Kayla Cummings stared at the two lines so long her vision blurred.
[Opening line of Formula for a Perfect Life]

I read Ms. Hayes’s edgy new-adult story, Maybe It’s You, last year and really enjoyed watching the spiritual journey of the male lead. So, when I learned her next book was soon to be published, I couldn’t wait to dive into it.

Formula for a Perfect Life is a bit less edgy with a slightly more mature theme yet just as enjoyable. It opened strong and kept my interest throughout. The college-aged key characters are two individuals having to deal with the outcome of their choices, and the unexpected challenges have a huge impact on their futures. I think almost anyone can relate to Kayla’s “before and after” analogy of her circumstances. Though each of us have different life experiences, we all have those moments in life that change us, that stun us and alter our direction.

Kayla is so easy to relate to, and I liked her immediately. She is caught somewhere between youth and adulthood, with no clear path to navigate through the shadowy parts. One moment she’s clinging to her childhood bear, Mr. Snuggles, and the next she is having to deal with the strains of an unplanned pregnancy.

Ben, though he has some disquieting faults, is also easy to connect with. His dysfunctional family is a contributing factor to my sympathies, and his heart is clearly evident.

This story doesn’t gloss over the difficulties or the negative views others reflect on couples finding themselves in unplanned pregnancies. It deals with all aspects reasonably and authentically, good and bad, and binds it together with soft and subtle Christian themes of perseverance, acceptance, forgiveness, and redemption.

#ChristyHayes #ChristianRomance #FPLPrism
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Prism Book Tours. ( )

Christy Hayes tackles a challenging, but relevant, subject in her latest New Adult release. Formula for a Perfect Life is about an unplanned pregnancy and the fallout that occurs for the two families whose lives will change.

As Ben and Kayla deal with the emotions of becoming parents, the decisions they have to make, and their friends’ and parents’ reactions, they learn about each other’s lives and revise their future plans.

Most of the book (all but the final chapter) takes place during Kayla’s pregnancy, and the first third is the mother- and father-to-be coming to terms with their new reality. And of course, there’s opposition from family and Ben’s ex-girlfriend to deal with.

Hayes includes some content that some Christian fiction readers may take offense with. There are the realistic temptations of two people who are attracted to each other and some harsh names used by Ben’s ex to describe the baby and Kayla at different times. But these are also true to this reader demographic.

What at first seems like a disaster, something that will destroy the plans laid out for Kayla and Ben, may just turn out to be a blessing these two never expected.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. ( )