This was a really fun romance that takes a sensitive approach to the struggles of AFAB people who have issues with fertility. I really loved Gemma’s character development despite not liking her as a main character. I also really enjoyed Josh from start to finish and I loved the slow reveal of how he really felt for Gemma. The greater cast of characters were also really sweet and I hope there are other books to make this a series.

The narrator for the audiobook was also really fun. I appreciated the intonation and emotive reading. It really pulled me into the story.

This was my first book by Sarah Ready and overall I enjoyed it. I did have a few issues, but it was fun, endearing and a bit predictable.
I listened to the audio and Erin Mallon did a great job narrating the whole book (this book is told completely from the heroine's POV). She has great comedic timing that worked perfectly for Gemma and Josh.

Gemma is the down on her luck sort of gal. She has been married and divorced, isn't "date" material and her family constantly nags on her looks and wants her coupled up. Literally with anyone and the prospects aren't all that hot. And to top it all off, she is infertile. How will she end up with a happily ever after if she can't have kids? It's the one thing she's always wanted.

Josh is Gemma's brother's best friend. He's been the neighbor kid that they grew up with and has always been around and has been considered part of the family. He's just returned home and is living in his dad's basement while making comics. He's the happy go lucky guy. A smile on his face like the world is his playground, there for his amusement. Gemma and Josh may have had a little action when they were teens, but now they are in their 30's and in very different places in their lives. Or are are they??

Since we were completely in Gemma's head, I could see where she was coming from and I felt for her, but man did she annoy me at times. I liked that Sarah Ready took Gemma's character and made her strong on her own. She didn't need a man to be happy and she didn't need a man to have a kid. But the way Josh stepped up and offered his services made me fall in love with him. All his smiles and smirks and being there every step of the way. How can a character that we don't get his POV steal the show for me??

Overall, the romantic in me enjoyed the story and liked the journey these two took to find their happiness. It was funny and cute and a long time coming. That comic killed me in the best way!! BUT, the realist in me had issues with the whole IVF experiences. It was a part of the story that I had to suspend my belief in what happens and how Gemma treated the whole situation. But, with that said, I still liked the story and Erin Mallon really brought Gemma and this story alive. 3.5 stars.

Wow wow wow. I truly had no expectations going into this book and it may be one of my favorite women's fictions novels of the year. This book is one of the most female foward, compassionate and insightful books ive read on a topic that can be really serious and anxiety provoking for some. Ready put all of my worries away and truly created a unique book about the struggles a woman goes through to be pregnant, find love, and find herself and how all of those things don't have to happen together and can happen on the woman's own terms. I loved Gemma and she may be my favorite lead character of 2022. A lot of her fears are fears that in having currently and I truly resonated with her on a level I wasn't expecting even if we are in different life stages. Josh as well is just perfect. He is the so supportive and understanding in a way a main character should be. I hope I find my Josh one day. Overall I couldn't not recommend this book more.

Erin Mallon was also an amazing narrator and truly showed all of Gemmas emotions.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy

Audio book - The narrator for this book was FANTASTIC. Just hire her to do all the books! The tone and inflections were so spot on to convey the range of emotions Gemma goes through on the journey that is this book. The narrator also captures others characters so well even when multiple are talking. The IVF support conversations alone were impressive with a room full of people all carrying different voices. The male voices were also perfect and Josh was swoon worthy, I loved his parts!
Below is my review of the story itself, which was also fantastic!

I loved this book so much, I devoured it in a day! It was equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. It reminded me of the best parts I loved of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne and Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center.

I love how Gemma deals with so much but takes it all in stride and even finds humor in these situations. The comic relief is so perfectly placed not to take away from meaningful moments.

Josh was the best. I almost wish some chapters were from his perspective because Gemma could be so frustrating not seeing all these little hints he gave her about his feelings. Every time he smiled away a moment he was probably hurting it made me want to crawl into his head and get a moment from his perspective.

The IVF Support Group had a fantastic cast of characters and I’d love to see future books based on their relationships and IVF journeys! I think there was some hint of that possibility in this book ;)

I also really enjoyed Gemma's family, they are so quirky and entertaining.

I do wish there would have been more surprises throughout the story, I felt like a lot of the big moments we could see coming from a mile away, but the journey was so fun and hilarious you didn’t really mind that you knew it was coming.

Overall I thought it was a great book and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Fav quote
“Suddenly it hits me. Each of us, all the people in our lives, are like icebergs floating near each other. We only see the top of the icebergs, the faces we show the world , and the rest, all our inner lives and secret fears remain hidden underneath the surface.”

I loved this audiobook! Gemma was missing something in her life and felt it was a baby and since she was considered infertile she knew the only way to get pregnant was through IVF and a donor. At the family New Years Eve party she decides to ask her brother's best friend and the guy she lost her virginity to, Josh, if he would donate to the cause (so to speak) and help her out. At first he turns her down but a few days later he contacts her and a plan is hatched. This was a quirky, lovely, and totally charming story of friendship, true love, betrayal, family drama, and all the joys of medical science. I found myself laughing and even tearing up a couple times through this one. Erin Mallon, the narrator, is one of my favorites and she could read a menu and make it interesting but she had me falling in love with these two and all the other characters along the way. Definitely glad I picked this one!

4.5 Hilarious, Heartfelt & Swoony Stars!

I loved this hilarious, heartfelt and swoony romance! Gemma has a good life with her dream job, and wonderfully supportive and loving family and friends. She is done with men though, after her last failed relationship. All she wants is a baby to love, especially after finding out she may never be able to have one. She is looking for the perfect donor and she has her mind set on her brother's best friend, Josh. He has been a big part of their family for years. He lives with his father, and seems to take nothing seriously. When Josh agrees to be her donor, Gemma can't believe her luck. Josh was so sweet and swoony, jumping right in with IVF appointments, and supporting Gemma through all the emotional moments. Their journey with IVF isn't an easy one, and they learned a lot about each other along the way, changing preconceived ideas about the other. They liked what they learned, and grew closer as their attraction built. But when it seems like it might never happen for them, will they be able to stay together, will their hearts hurt too much? I love Josh and Gemma together! Gemma is fun, and quirky, and loves inspirational quotes, and just wants someone to love her despite all her flaws. Josh was sweet, supportive, and knew when to make her laugh and when to make her swoon. Their story is hilarious, sweet and at times heartbreaking. I loved the way Ready tackled a very sensitive subject matter like infertility and IVF, with such honesty and empathy that makes this a heartwarming and addictive listen. I also really loved all the supportive and quirky family and friends who made this story even more entertaining and authentic.
Erin Mallon did a great job narrating this moving story and bringing it to life. I loved her humor, and her easy ability to make this hilarious, awkward and emotional story feel real and authentic and even more entertaining!

4 stars - ahhhh this book was so sweet!!!!! If you're a fan of Hallmark movies this is definitely right up your alley. There are some romance tropes that really, REALLY give me unpleasant anxiety and author Sarah Ready handily avoided them to give us something sweet and refreshing. Erin Mallon is a great narrator for this book - the perfect blend of sweet and headstrong necessary to embody Gemma's vulnerabilities. Thank you Swift & Lewis and Netgalley for the ARC!

I already read this book and I want to listen the audiobook as well. I am not a fan of aa audiobooks but this one nailed it. Narrater is too good to convey every emotion swiftly and maks the story renewed.

This audiobook was honestly one of the best I have listened to. The narrator was fantastic and really made the story come alive! She embodied Gemma in the best way possible and made me fall in love with the characters. The story as a whole was so quirky, relatable, funny, and a touched on the difficult topic of infertility! This story was predictable but there's something about brothers bestfriend romances that really get me! HIGHLY RECCOMEND!

Never was I ever so invested in a story before as I was with Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. To me this had everything in a romance. A touch of second chance love, humor, a level or seriousness and heartache.
What I love about this book is that it touches the reality of life, but not super depressing about it.
This book is about Gemma knowing who she really is and going through infertility. She went through a divorce; her ex is now having plenty of children with someone else and her mom constantly trying to set her up to "fix her." When in reality, she doesn't want that for herself after another terrible set up at the New Year's party and she decided to set a resolution to have a baby. With or without someone to help her. So, she decides to go through IVF and through some pressure of knowing or not knowing someone as the donor. She randomly chooses Josh, her brother's best friend from childhood.
Strangely enough he agrees, and they set on a journey to make a baby. All the while, she starts dating her boss, joins an infertility support group (which is a crazy and well built cast in itself) and go through the process of IVF. In the journey she gets to know Josh, gets to know herself and understands the amazing support of friends and family.
The only issue I had with this book is the problem moment where Gemma has insecurities and pushes Josh away. To me it was kind of a whiplash, I didn't see enough backstory or story build up to see that attitude come from Gemma. It felt like it was out of character of her and wasn't sure how to handle it. So to me, it felt cringey and glad it didn't last very long.
To me this was a wonderful book that had me wondering the whole time how this was going to go. It had me laughing, smiling and at sometimes wanting to shed tears.

I enjoyed reading this book! It was perfectly balanced between being lighthearted and emotional. I alternated between reading it and listening to its audiobook and Erin Mallon did an amazing job narrating this book.

I adored several of the characters but, if somebody can send a Josh Lewenthal my way, that would be great. No lie, he made me swoon several times.

It’s very predictable (e.g. the New Year’s resolution, the quotes, the big and cringy romantic gesture) and there weren’t any twists that are shocking or new. But you know what? I didn’t need this book to be something new or mind-blowing because for me it was a book I had fun reading. It was easy to read and when I was listening to it, I was very much immersed.

The biggest flaw of this book? Everyone is so judgemental. Seriously. Except for Josh..or am I too biased and missed it? Naaah, definitely not Josh😌

This is not my normal genre of reading but I must say Josh and Gemma were… cute!
After a lot of disappointing relationships and an infertility diagnosis, Gemma isn’t interested in really finding Mr Future, she just wants some sperm for her New Years baby.
Here is where her brothers best friend Josh enters. This no strings attached business like transaction is agreed upon and thus begins the story of Josh and Gemma- making a baby. But as most of us may know, it’s hard to remove emotions when you’re in the thick of becoming parents.
This was a quirky, at times funny, emotional, and pretty multi leveled book. The topic of infertility was very much present throughout the full story and alot of times although accurate, it seemed Gemma was a bit naive about how it worked. This could be triggering for some people.
This book is expected to be released on January 25th 2022.
Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook advanced! The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.

Josh and Gemma make a baby
This was my first Book by Sarah Ready and I really enjoyed it! listened to this on audio and even though I’m still not sure how I feel about listening to novels, this made me laugh out loud many times. It was also sweet and sad and loving.

What I liked:
- The narrator was excellent and really kept me engaged through the whole story
- The doctor’s obnoxious comments. I’d be sitting there listening and thinking, did they just say that?! And I’d proceed to laugh out loud.
- The topic of infertility including the ups and downs of IVF
- the hilariously charming girls in the support group
- Josh. Of course Josh!!
- The relatability of the main character. Her clumsiness and random comments when she’s nervous kept me entertained throughout

What I didn’t Enjoy:
- the constant motivational quotes. I know that was the point as her boss is a Guru and all, but it just annoyed me to keep hearing them.

Overall this is a funny, heart warming (some times heart breaking) story that you won’t be able to put down. Thank you Sarah Ready and NetGallery for this eARC!!

This book was fun, and at the end, somewhat poignant. I have to confess I found a few scenes unbearably annoying (there's a description of wieners falling between breasts in a ridiculously tight outfit and other similarly cringe-worthy moments), but the sweetness won out over the corny, and I'm glad I stuck with it. The end almost cries out for a sequel and I think satisfied readers will clamor for one.

I am so glad that I got to listen to this audiobook because I loved both the story and the narration!

Gemma Jacobs has a great career being responsible for the social marketing of the famous self-help guru Ian Fortune. She has idolized her boss, because he and his books have helped her during a very difficult part of her life. She used to have a happy marriage until she caught her husband cheating on her at their own house. That came after they found out that Gemma could not have children. He now has a happy family with the woman he cheated on her and their children. That has been a lot for Gemma to digest, but Ian’s quotes and books have helped her get over the whole situation. Thankfully Gemma has moved on and she is happy with her studio apartment in Manhattan, her dream job and her very supportive and loving family. As long as her mother doesn’t interfere with her love life, trying to match her with every bachelor she knows!

She is happy, but she is not full. She misses one little thing. That one that she cannot have. Which is nothing more than a baby. So she decides to have one. She makes it her New Year’s resolution.

Josh Lewenthal is a laid back, relaxed guy, the absolute opposite of Gemma. He is her brother’s best friend and someone she knows since childhood. He is a nice guy, more or less, funny, she guesses and healthy, at least from what she can understand. He is therefore a good candidate, if not the perfect sperm donor. Because yes, Gemma has decided that she needs an IVF! So, she just has to make a deal with Josh and make it all happen!

Gemma is such a relatable character! One you can clearly connect to! I may not be the self help or inspirational quote person, but Gemma is and she is doing it really good! It was pretty clear that these quotes helped her break the surface again and not stay on the bottom of the lake. She might be overthinking things, but aren’t we all when anxious? She was a pretty amazing character and I rooted for her, unlike her mother who thought she knew what her daughter needed and make all the wrong moves, criticizing her about her looks, her weight, her clothes and always trying to fix her up. I was so glad when the two of them finally had a chance to discuss honestly and her mother really heard Gemma and supported her!

Josh was also an incredible character! He was supposed to be Mr. Charmer as a teenager and that made Gemma think he’s superficial. But he was so much more and he still was a handsome man, focused on his goal. I loved his New Year’s resolution and how determined he was to achieve it!

Apart from those two, there were many side characters that really added to the story. For once, Gemma’s boss who I disliked from the very first moment. I saw that one coming, so I’m glad I didn’t like the guy! Gemma’s colleague and her new friends from the infertility support group where very likable and supportive and helped Gemma evolve as a character. She really needed that and I’m glad she actually did!

What I didn’t like was the fat shaming even though it was not so clear Gemma was overweight. It might be because the whole town, including most of her family, were total jerks shaming her for infertility, as if it was her fault, as if she was responsible her ex-husband cheated on her. On the other hand I know how small town people can be and that many people think this way. It suited the story well, because not everyone is perfect, and we all make mistakes and the important thing is that we understand that and try to make up for them.

Erin Mallon is officially one of my favourite narrators! I recognized her voice as soon as the audiobook started. I had forgotten who the narrator was until that moment. She made the experience of listening to this slow burn story even more delightful. That’s definitely one of my criteria on selecting my next audiobooks!

This book is expected to be published on January 25th 2022.

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.

Gemma is tired of waiting for things to happen, so she is going to make it happen. She is going to have a baby on her own. She asks her brother's best friend, Josh, to be the sperm donor. Shockingly, her agrees. As they traverse the world of IVF, she starts to have feelings. Real feelings- not the infatuation she had for him as a kid.

I'm surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It tackles a serious topic- infertility- yet is not overwhelmingly heavy. It is funny, the characters are mostly likeable, there is personal growth, etc... I couldn't put it down! (My ARC is labeled "Josh and Gemma Book 1" and I really hope this is a series!)

Erin Mallon narrates the audiobook and is her usual self. She is one of my favorite narrators!

I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a heartwarming, hilarious and enjoyable read! I devoured this book and now Sarah Ready is going to be an instant buy author for me now! Definitely grab some tissues, you're going to need them!

Gemma Jacobs is thirty-two, divorced, has trouble trusting others and realizes that she really does not need a man in her life. What she really needs is a baby; someone to love and love her back that will not let her down or leave her. After an infertile diagnosis that left her feeling as if she will never have the child she has always wanted went to a doctor and was stunned to find out that IVF will give her the chance to conceive, but all she is missing is a donor. Who could possibly check all her boxes and treat this as a business agreement like she wanted? Why did she have to tell her doctor that she had an amazing partner ready to get this process started?

Josh Lewenthal, her brother's best friend and the boy who took her virginity all those years ago. He was a heart throb back then, but now he is a grown man who is still sexier than ever. Gemma knows that he would be the perfect donor and hopefully he will go along with Gemma's business deal that they can have this baby with no strings attached. Although, in the business of baby making can you really protect your heart from falling in love when you clearly told yourself you could not fall even if you wanted to?

* I definitely recommend the audiobook, it was a fantastic and enthralling listen that drew me into the story and had me laughing out loud while I cooked dinner, ran errands and cleaned the house! Although, I definitely do not recommend cutting onions for dinner while listening to this book because I was a hot mess in the kitchen and my significant other and cat were left concerned and questioning my sanity*

TW: Infertility, miscarriage, loss/grief

A special thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review!

One word. UNPUTDOWNABLE.

It’s 4:57 am and I’m in tears, this book made me go through a roller coaster of emotions. The topic of this book is something I can really resonated with, as is something I’m quite scared of. We all know someone who lost a baby or is struggling with infertility, so it’s nice to this representation on a book.

I have been on an audiobook kick and was excited to try out a new author to me, Sarah Ready. This slow burn love story ended up being pretty predictable but I did really appreciate how author Ready incorporated "real life issues", especially IVF and infertility in general. I am big fan of author Abby Jimenez who also does this with her contemporary romance novels and its very welcome in this genre that can sometimes feel out of touch with reality.

I did find some problematic issues with this one, particular the body shaming of Gemma's character which ended up being a big turn off for me personally, and some of the ways infertility was discussed.

Overall, this book wasn't my favorite but I would be open to reading another one of her books in the future. I also loved the audiobook narrator, Erin Mallon, who really helped bring this story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing for my gifted review copy.

Gemma, 32, divorced, working for a self-help guru, decides to have a baby. When the doctors said that she can't get pregnant the natural way, she started weighing other options. She mingles with her boss, Ian, while asking her brother’s best friend, Josh, for his sperm.

Trigger Warnings: Failed IVF, heartbreaks, rejections, and more importantly, this book will make you crave a pizza and the lime sorbet or dessert with lime in it all the time.

The story revolves around Josh and Gemma. Gemma thinks that Josh, 33, is no one special. Josh lives with his dad and creates web-comics. Later, she discovers that she does not know many things about Josh. She knew that he is brilliant, cool and always around. But there are layers to him.

The more you get into the story, the more you will start liking the characters, especially Josh. I am about 75% in at the time of this writing and I still don’t know who Josh really is and why people know him. Genna doesn’t have a clue either.

This was an emotional rollercoaster at times hilarious, and sad others.

The quotes from the beginning to the end were cringeworthy until the very twist at the end. There are no spoilers here.

As I was listening to this audiobook, I couldn't help but imagine this book turning into a movie someday. It was a heartwarming and light read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a pre-published copy of Josh and Gemma Make a Baby