I really enjoyed this book. I learned more about many womens’ journeys with IVF, while still being able to enjoy a romance book. The narrator was good as well.

I absolutely adored this.
The characters are brilliant, as is the writing.
This draws you in so much you can't help but feel all the emotions it throws at you. I laughed and cried and felt warm and fuzzy at different points through Gemmas story.
I was and still am 100% team Josh! I would love to read more from Gemma and Josh.



I voluntarily read/listened to this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ready to move on after her divorce, Gemma is taking charge of her life and pursuing IVF to have a baby. She enlists her childhood friend (and crush), Josh, to help her make her New Year's resolution a reality.

I loved this book so much! It's a slow burn romance that's light and serious with plenty of humor thrown in for good measure. It was impossible for me not to root for Josh and Gemma to have a second chance. Josh's tenderness and love for Gemma are so touching. But, they are not the only wonderful characters in the book. Gemma's friends from her fertility support group add to the specialness of the book.

Narrator Erin Mallon delivers such an enjoyable listen! Mallon infuses Gemma with warmth and wit as she spouts inspirational quotes and gets caught in awkward mishaps. During Gemma's journey to have a baby, you can feel the dual determination and uncertainty she experiences. Mallon does an excellent job of giving each character, male and female, a unique voice as the sole narrator. Once I started listening, the story and Mallon's delivery made me not want to stop.

If you want some joy for the romantic in you, grab this one on January 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the advance listening copy.

This book is amazing . Must read/ listen to. As far as audiobooks go, the narrator does a great job and I was able to really get engrossed in the story and all of the characters

What happens when you want to have a baby but don’t have a partner? You will keep turning the pages to find out as Gemma and Josh’s story unfold. Many different twists and unexpected turns until it finally feels right. The narrator did a great job 4.8 out of 5!

The narrator and this audiobook were great! I loved these characters and this story so much. The characters will make you smile, laugh, cry, and feel all the feels. I definitely recommend!

Gemma is a woman in her early thirties who wants to have a baby but she is not in a relationship. She has her heart set on one man that has been a family friend her entire life to be the sperm doner for her baby. She ends ;up asking him to be the sperm doner and at first her declines. After he thinks on it he changes his mind and agrees to be the doner dad. Gemma initially chose Josh because she felt that he checked all the boxes and she wouldnt want to have a relationship with him. She is also head over heals for her boss Ian. Ian turns out to be a terrrible person. Gemma ends up falling in love with Josh. Josh had already fallen in love with Gemma two years prior. In the end Josh and Gemma end up getting pregnan through IVF and they are deeply in love they also get engaged on new years.

4+ Stars

Gemma Jacob’s New Year’s Resolution:
Have a Baby
All she needs is an egg, some sperm, and IVF


Ten years ago, Gemma’s husband was caught having an affair in their home on the dining room table.
<i>(Note: This made me think of Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich’s on going character, as the same thing happened to her. I was sure this too was going to be a light fun read.) </i>
Gemma is now thirty-two years old ~ she is a positive thinker and energetic has a great career and lives in a darling tiny studio apartment in Manhattan. He is happy however, one thing is missing; Gemma wants a baby and is fine with not having a husband. All she needs is an egg, some sperm, and IVF

Gemma decides that family friend Josh Lewenthal, is perfect for an IVF sperm donor ~ he is intelligent, good looking, and fun. She is not interested in him romantically so there will be no ties. At first Josh, is not interested but then changes his mine.
In the meantime, Gemma has always found her boss very attractive and sure enough they are now dating.
(Hmmm so whose team are you on ~ ‘Team Josh’ or ‘Team Ian’?)

I was counting on this story being a light fun rom/com but it is was more emotional than I thought...
In fact, this was a great read ~ which is something I really did not expect!
My first Sarah Ready and I will read another!!

Additionally, narrator Erin Mills does a great job in performing all the characters!

Want to thank NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC ~ for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 25, 2022

Thank you the Netgalley, Publisher and Author for this audiobook arc copy.
This doesn't affect my review at all.

I just loved loved loved this book.
The audiobook is full of goodness. I loved listening to every second of it.

The audiobook is on point!!
The writing is soooo good.
The emotions are on point.
I've laughed, I've cried, I've felt awkward but more than that I've felt like this is such a comfy book with so much goodness.
The main characters are so nicely flawed and make you wish for more.

The story is practical, of a working lady in her early thirties, which is nice or I'd have had gone all cynical on that but at the same time manages to fit in fairy tales effect and I love it, don't even mind it. What she went through and became I'd say is human nature. Everything didn't fall into her lap and she had to work for it, that I really liked. She felt human; the love, the strength, the anger she felt, the way she realizes and who she is, is just amazing.

About the hero, he is too good to be true. He is fictional I know but hear me out, he shows so much emotions and for a minute I was like damn, if only that were true but things started falling into place eventually. I really like his nature, he is a brilliant character and someone who knows how to live life.

This book made my day happier, made a smile appear on my face and filled me with positivity.

I think this is a really sweet book to end or begin your year with.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My review has ended, I just have to say if Sarah you think for a minute too, do write the story of Carly and her husband, please do, I'd really love to read their story!! Much love.

"Anything is possible if you put your mind to it." -Sarah Ready

I found a new author I absolutely love! Sarah Ready's "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby" audiobook absolutely shines! It deals with the very tough topics of infertility and miscarriage with tenderness, grace, love and humor.

A second chance love story between Gemma and Josh, who grew up together and meet again at a "Wieners and Wine" New Years party, hosted annually by Gemma's mom. Gemma is divorced and desperately wants a baby. She is thirty-two and has serious infertility issues. At the party, Gemma humorously blurts out her dilemma to Josh and asks him to donate his sperm for IVF. This hilarious and heart-wrenching book becomes quite a adventure. I loved every minute of it!

"Josh and Gemma Make a Baby" is beautifully narrated by the very talented Erin Mallon. The book/audiobook will be published January 25, 2022. I can't wait to read more from Sarah Ready!

Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, for my free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you net galley for sending me this review in return for my honest review.

3.5 stars

Let me just start this off by saying Erica Morgan is an amazing narrator and I am pretty sure atleast half the reason I liked this audiobook so much was because of her ability to suck you into the story. She gives characters life and I honestly kept closing my eyes and it felt like i was in the book, her voice is calm and soothing but it has enough sass and wit for this book.

This story follows Gemma who is an independent women who just wants a family and if Mr mcdreamy is not there to help her build it she would build it herself. She decides to undergo IVF and when the doctor asked her if she had a partner she lied and told him the name of her brothers best friend. She has not talked to him in 6 years but always saw him at family and friends gathering.

I honestly loved this book I played it all day yesterday and today I couldn’t get myself to stop listening to it because it was so pulling. It has a way of being able to talk about serious topics but in such a light way. Though I kinda felt like the book lost a lot of the momentum it built up around chapter 24/25 like it dragged on and I found myself speeding up the book. And I kinda did get sick of hearing the same over used inspiration quotes and it doesn’t help that I am the most pessimistic person ever.

Overall this book is a quite memorable book because it’s like if Jane the virgin and roomhate had a baby it would be this book and I mean it in the nicest way possible.

This book made me laugh and cry. It brings humor and light to the serious topic of infertility. Erin Mallon was a great choice of narrator for the audiobook.

Gemma has gone through a divorce an infertility diagnosis. She doesn't need Mr. Perfect to have her baby with, she resorts to an IVF donor. Josh has been a family friend for decades. He is smart enough and good-looking- perfect for her baby. When she asks him for some sperm, she doesn't expect him to agree, but the deal is on. A no commitment, unemotional agreement. What she doesn't realize, is that baby-making doesn't work without emotions.

I listened to this book in the audiobook format, and read parts of it, thanks to free e-ARCs from NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC. I loved both versions of the book, and the narration by Erin Mallon was awesome. The book story floated from one chapter to another, and I was impressed by the variation in the male and female voices that Erin had created. The book is basically a light-hearted, cheesy, rom-com surrounded with family and friends, each with their own little storyline that makes an important contribution to the plot. I specially loved Gemma's friends from the fertility group and their backstories and supportive mannerisms. Ian Fortune (Gemma's boss) strikes me as an abominable, horrible employer, and human in general. I hated him from the very beginning and found him very cringeworthy in a bad way. I think it was meant to be this way. I am not sure what to think of the inspirational quotes shared in the beginning of each chapter because I'm not exactly the inspiration person, but as they fit in beautifully with the context of the story my feelings are pretty neutral. The last few chapters were quite a twist and I'll admit, I never expected something like that. Of course, the most important bit of the story that I can't leave out is infertility. This isn't my first time reading a book about someone infertile, and though Sarah Ready didn't quite meet my expectations in that category, I still loved it. This is a genuinely hard topic to write about and the humor and general flow of the plot eased the tension of the main theme. So if you didn't get the point of me writing all this, in one sentence, you need this book.

Rating- 4/5

Josh ♡ Gemma

*Awwwh (swooning)*

❝It was such a cute book. My sweet lord, I fall so hard with the story plots as well as for the characters. They all left a little pieces of themselves to me and I'll cherish them no matter what. Hooked from the first chapter!❞

P.S: I received an ARC of this book as well as an audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book: Josh and Gemma Make a Baby
Author: Sarah Ready
Rating: 4/5⭐
Narration: 4.5/5🎧

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this book as an ARC. I am sharing my review voluntarily. I picked this book because I thought it sounded like an interesting take on the trope of brother’s best friend and hate/friends to lovers. I enjoyed the angle on fertility and the emotional exploration of that and of the desire to be a parent. Josh was a loving, sweet character and it was clear to me as a reader what his motivations were. Gemma was oblivious and so self absorbed to realize what was in front of her and how she was manipulating the situation at times. Gemma was a hard character to root for, she seemed immature and stuck at 23. I didn’t find her epiphany profound and really late In the story. I wish it had been told as a dual POV, it would have been more compelling to me if I wasn’t only getting Gemma’s retelling.

For the audio format, I listened to it on 1.25x because I found it too slow on 1x. There wasn’t even a distortion to audio sped up. The narrator is talented and did a great job portraying a multitude of voices and personalities. I listened to this in about a day and it was a well mapped out story with a aspects that challenged my biases and notions.

Let me say this is not the typical book I would usually read a rom com , especially a rom com about a single woman going to desperate measures (IVF) to have a child. But it was a "Listen Now" option on Netgally and I had just finished a very gruesome thriller, so I was looking for polar opposite. I was expecting lots of eye roll moments and a totally predictable plot. As my grandfather says I have only been wrong once in my life, then I realized I was mistaken.
But wow, this was a great read!
The book started off typical rom com/Bridget Jones Diary feel. Gemma a 32 year old divorcee whose whole family is desperate for her to date, namely a guy with the typical jerk name "Butkiss" Other typical tropes, she is slightly overweight, in love with her gorgeous boss, and had a thing with her brothers best friend in high school (Josh, yes the Josh in the title....not too much of a spoiler there) The reader is allowed to get inside Gemma's brain where we quickly learn she makes it her New Years resolution to have a baby. When I heard that I was like, okay this is silly, why would a single woman who is barely making it want to bring a child into the world (on her own terms) not in a stable secure marriage as it should be. (Sorry if that offends you, but that is just what I believe) but as this new to me author continues the story I couldn't help but fall in love with the ever so loving Gemma.
Next, Josh enters the book (again it was a little to random at first why she chose him to be her "donor" ) . But by the end of the book it was perfect!
Without giving away too much detail or spoiler. The reader goes along with Gemma and Josh to the process of "Making a Baby" through IVF, where you meet her eclectic bunch of friends at an infertility support group, an annoying couple that involves a gold leotard and lime jello.
Josh and Gemma's chemistry was adorable!
But just to warn you, this is not a straight up rom com you were expecting. There are some very emotional parts (If I were an crier I think I would have cried) but it will tug at your heart, have you rolling on the floor laughing and begging for a sequel to this book.
The only reason it was not a five star was it was a bit steamy, a little cheese and slightly unbelievable. But I am sold on this author and will most certainly check out her other books.
Thank you Netgally for this advanced copy audiobook, I received nothing in exchange for this honest review.

I'll admit that this book initially drew me in because of the bright and beautiful colors on the cover. In this story we meet Gemma, a woman with severe endometriosis who's unable to conceive on her own. Shortly after her diagnosis (which occurs off page before the story begins), her husband leaves her. Therefore this book focuses on Gemma's journey as a single thirty something who wants to have a family. Josh is a man who never seems to take anything seriously as far as Gemma is concerned, but the convenience of her next door neighbor and brother's best friend has her reconsidering his availability to be a suitable partner and donor. This story reminds me a bit of the Ann Perkins and Chris Traeger relationship trajectory Parks and Rec. Both Ann and Chris and Gemma and Josh have a shared history together, tension between them, both women are single and want a family, both men are uncommitted and voluntarily agree to help these women start their family. This book adds a lot more light on the effect that infertility and trying to conceive has on different women in Gemma's support group. We also see the ups and downs of trying to start a family with a medical history. I appreciate stories that infertility and difficulties conceiving, since it is so common place but rarely talked about.

This book handles topics of grief and fertility with care and has some goofy, light moments along the way. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

A funny romantic comedy - nothing more, nothing less.

If you want an entertaining, laugh out loud book, and you are not annoyed by inspirational quotes, you will have a great time reading or listening to this book. The audiobook is narrated by Erin Mallon, who is as amazing as ever.

The plot is not ten a penny and the main characters are lovable. Even though Gemma acts like a naive teen in some situations, and I was rolling my eyes every now and then, I truly envy her supportive family. This book gives exactly what it promises: an easy-going and fun read.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Swift and Lewis Publishing and IBPA for an Advance Review Copy.

I absolutely loved it. The relationships were top tier. Gemma’s family even though they tried to fix her a little was still an awesome family to see. Josh has my heart even with his web comics. I wish we could see more into Josh 15 train of thought, but I do think that even with out it we get to see quite a bit of his feelings. Even though Gemma was oblivious to his body language we as readers can still tell. The foreshadowing was more obvious than I like usually, but I still loved it. The support group was one of my favorite plot lines. The audiobook itself was also good. Erin Mallon has a great steady voice. I recommend this book to anyone even if you have no desire for a kid. I know pregnancy tropes are not everyone 15 favorite but this one is different because she is actually want to have a baby it's not unexpected like most books.
I also sent an image of what I posted to my book clubs to the author Sarah Ready in her Instagram DMs.

Funny and lighthearted read, even around a topic as personal as infertility
I really enjoyed this author and her writing! She had a great ability to make me laugh one moment and cry the next. Infertility is such a deeply personal subject, one that I've shared in my life; but the author's ability to keep the story going, to shed light on the fact that it isn't all consuming and there is still life beyond the struggle was refreshing!
I absolutely loved Josh and Gemma! I am so happy they decided to take this journey of new life together and that they figured out what true love really meant. You'll love hearing more about this couple and their journey!