The Unexpected

The funny, charming new novel about friendship, family and parenting for 2024

‘Loved this clever and funny novel’ Anna Mazzola

'A heartwarming depiction of female friendship as a bond stronger than any other' The Times

'Wonderful… all sorts of common assumptions about motherhood and family are turned on their head. It’s brilliant on friendship, identity, longing and resilience' Daily Mail

‘A thought-provoking and unputdownable story about the interconnectedness of female friendship, love, romance and family’ My Weekly

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Kessie and Robin have been best friends since they were small. Now they’ve reached their mid-thirties, and biological clocks are ticking loudly. But Kessie is single, Robin’s partner is ambivalent about trying for a baby, and single parenting sounds almost impossible.

When one of them gets pregnant, the other finds herself helping out to an extent that neither had expected. How far is a supportive friend supposed to go? What do you do when you feel like a mother to a child who isn’t yours? Are there alternative ways to conceive of a family?

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A funny, addictive and poignant novel about what happens when the lines between friendship, romance, and family begin to blur. For fans of Meg Mason and Dolly Alderton.

'Funny and heartwarming' Closer

‘Wiles writes with humour, tenderness and wisdom' Marianne Levy

'An intelligent, thought-provoking, tender and very real exploration of friendship, pregnancy and the changing face of modern parenting' Susannah Wise

'I didn't want this novel to end…offers a brutally honest portrait of motherhood in its joys and despairs. Radiant' Donna Freitas

'This novel reminds us that chosen families are as complicated, messy and thick with love as biological ones' Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

'Original, thoughtful, stimulating and highly readable' Vesna Goldsworthy

Readers love Ellen Wiles

'Absorbed from page one' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A fantastic read. I was completely gripped throughout' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Communicates a difficult topic with incredible insight and poetic language. I became completely absorbed by the characters' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Loved the characters and the way the story was told through them' Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐