REVIEW for Baby Daddy

A big thank you goes out to author S. Newman Spenzer for sending me an electronic copy of the book to read and review!

TITLE:             Baby Daddy

AUTHOR:       S. Newman Spenzer

GENRE:          Fiction

RATING:        

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I was asked to review this book, however, the premise was very intriguing to me.  

Although this is fiction, I would categorize it in the YA realm, which means that I have read quite a few  of these types of "social" message books, but mostly from the point of view of the female character.  However, this book was entirely different - as it dealt with a young man who makes a tragically horrible decision one night and just how this one serious lapse of judgment can potentially end up altering his life both in the present and in the future.

Deshawn the main character finds himself with a one night stand "what can go wrong?" - famous last words as he is about to discover.  The baby mamma decides that he should be held responsible for his actions and what follows is a poignant, scary and difficult look at the ramifications of teenage sexual encounters, pregnancies and just what it truly means to be a daddy.

I have to say that at times, I felt frustrated both for Deshawn and against him. It is obvious that he finds himself in an incredibly difficult position, with very few options and scared out of his mind (for the most part).  However, it is also a very interesting social commentary on just how much responsibility men (boys) should/can take in situations like these - is it really always the woman/girls responsibility to handle all the hard decisions???? I think NOT!!!!!  Yet, when I see just how immature Deshawn is/can be throughout the storyline, I have to ask myself if I would want this guy as a father right now.

I think the strength of this book is that it shows just how difficult this type of situation can be for the male involved - it is also a very good stepping off point to have these kind of discussions.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.  One caveat, its a good thing this book was electronic because to be honest, I hated the cover of the book.  However, get pass the book cover and you will discover an intriguing, well written story.