I stumbled across “Josh and Gemma Make a Baby” while I was searching netgalley for another book. I immediately fell for the cute cover and title, so I requested an ARC and began reading shortly after. Rom-Com is not my main genre to read, but this story seemed so refreshingly different, I had to give it a try.
Gemma, the main character, is a lonely woman. She’s single, feels unwanted and rejected for being overweight. Her new year’s resolution is to have a baby. She doesn’t want a sperm donor, so she decides to ask Josh for a favor. He is her brothers’ best friend and basically a member of her family. At first, Josh thinks Gemma is completely out of her mind for wanting his sperm. But, he changes his mind so.. Josh and Gemma make a baby.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this story, even though there were some scenes I didn’t like. Gemma gets insulted by her family the whole time for being fat and infertile. I rolled my eyes so many times and felt annoyed. Gemma is such a nice character and a lovely person in general, but her family… ugh. Josh seems to be a superficial and silly guy at first. I was pretty impressed by his deep thoughts and maturity after getting to know him better. He seems to be the perfect date for Gemma’s child – and maaaaybe a good match for her as well. But Gemma is basically dating her boss, so things get kind of confusing at times, even though this would not have been necessary. There was much banter and back and fort between Josh and Gemma – also they have a great sense of humor. On the other hand, some situations were just creepy. I don’t want to go into detail but using a phone’s vibration in a park for spicey purposes… really wasn’t expecting that (and didn’t enjoy it!).

The end of the story was pretty obvious, but I liked it. Overall, the story was nice and entertaining, even though some scenes were disturbing and annoying. I learned a lot about infertility and IVF-treatment, which I really appreciate. Infertility awareness is important! However, you might not want to read this book if infertility, miscarriage and body shaming are triggering you.

The audio book was narrated by Erin Mallon. I didn’t know her but liked her voicing from the start. She does a really good job, and I could listen to her for hours – even though I usually prefer reading myself.

I received the audiobook through Netgalley for review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and the narration was excellent. I'm in the minority camp that loves a good single POV, which seems to be harder to find lately, so I loved that aspect. Josh was adorable, Gemma however was so, so very clueless and unobservant that it was painful lol. How do you know so little about someone so involved in your own family? Honestly baffling.

An ARC from Netgalley. Thank you!

Gemma is a woman in her thirties who decides she wants to have a baby. The catch is she doesn't have a partner to have the baby with but then she gets a crazy idea. What if she asked her family friend - Josh Lewenthal?
At first, I wasn't really sure if I was going to like this book, because though the narration was great, the beginning was too slow and seemed like a basic mediocre romance. I am really happy to say that I was wrong. This book isn't mediocre and there are even plot twists that are unexpected. Probably the only thing that really bothered me was the stupid motivational quotes but I get that they were an important part of the story.
I really fell in love with Josh and Gemma, they are very loveable characters which I liked.
As for the audiobook narration, as I said, it was really good, I think that the voice actor really fit the character and I was really happy I got to read this as an audiobook.
This was a very pleasant read and I was happy with the pacing of the book because there were hardly any boring parts. It is a book that's funny but thoughtful, light-hearted but discussing important issues (trigger warning - infertility).
I would definitely read another book from this author.

I received both an e-Arc and audio Arc of this book but chose to listen to the audio Arc which I absolutely enjoyed!! Erin Mallon was superb and she managed to bring the different characters to life without going overboard with changes in tone and voice modulation. She was so easy and breezy to listen to... her voice sounded like a breath of fresh air! The book too was good content wise. I had expected it to be a clichéd rom com about a single woman wanting to get pregnant but there are issues that are addressed here such as infertility, weight issues and judging people by their looks and way of living life.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC and the author Sarah Ready for both the Arcs.

This book is super relatable to me. And I loved every minute of it.
The plot is interesting, the relationship between Josh and Gemma is great and I loved getting to know them and following them on their journey. I hoped from the start that they would get a happy ending.
I also enjoyed both Josh and Gemma as characters. I really liked them and they intrigued me from the start.
All in all, this book was good, a little bit funny and I loved every minute of it.

I enjoyed the narrator as well. They made the listening experience pleasant and I did not want to stop listening.

*ARC received from the publisher via Netgalley

The novel has an amazing plot. The narrator did a great job.
I'm very thankful to the publishers for providing me this audio book.
The issues such as infertility were described in a very effective manner.
In the end it was a delight to listen to this audiobook.

This audio book is hilarious! I listened to it driving to work and it made me laugh so much.
It seems that everything always goes wrong for Gemma and there are some really cringey moments but that what had me laughing as I could just imagine it happening.

The person that does the voices is incredible. I didnt struggle to hear the difference between the characters and they really brought them to life.

I will definitely be listening to this again.

I immediately did not like this one. Maybe others will but it was not for me. The beginning would’ve been one I read in a bookstore and immediately put back on the shelf

I received an advance reader copy of this book to listen to in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

***AUDIO BOOK VERSION***
Josh and Gemma make a baby is a funny, rom-com which warmed my heart.
Gemma has endometriosis (something I myself suffer with) and has been told she cannot conceive without IVF. But Gemmas time is running out and she desperately wants to be a mother. Gemma goes to a fertility clinic and goes ahead with IVF but she needs a donor. Gemma tells the miserable lady at the clinic she had someone in line so she won't need an anonymous donor- she lists Josh (her brothers best friend) as the donor. Now she has to convince Josh to go through with it.
This book was so lovely, heartwarming, funny, sad and relatable and I loved every second of it on audio. The narrator was perfect for this book and did an amazing job narrating it in such a fun way.
This is the first book by Sarah Ready that I've read and I'm now excited to read her other books.

I'm going to start off by saying that pregnancy tropes are not really my thing. I was quite hesitant to start this book but decided to give it a chance. Within the first 20 pages I was HOOKED!!! Gemma's voice is hilarious and so relatable, it was easy to fall in love with her immediately. I got STRONG Bridget Jones vibes but it didn't feel. like it was an outright copy cat of it. Josh was also one of those MCs that slowly creeps up on you. As I got further into to the book I found myself in pain over how much Josh was clearly in love with Gemma. There was some plot twists that were amazing and only drove the novel along. Also the group Gemma joins full of women also going through infertility was absolutely hilarious. I loved the life long connection they all formed. I am so happy I decided to give this book a chance and will forever be recommending it to everyone I meet. As we get older we forget to lean into scary things because of the chance of being truly, gut-wrenchingly, hurt. Gemma's journey through this felt incredibly personal and like I was going through it with her. Thank you to Net Galley for letting me read this!

Thank you @netgalley for the audible version of this sweet book. Josh and Gemma make a baby is a perfect listen at the beach, in the kitchen, in the car etc. I laughed (and even cried a little). I fell in love with Gemma and her ability to go for what she wants, no matter what. If your looking for an feel good book pick this one up!

Decent story tho a little predictable, but is that why we gravitate to stories like this? It took me quite some time to get into this book. About 1/3 of the book, but once it picked up it was easy to binge. As a mother myself I could not imagine having to not only go through IVF and then to lose the baby on top after wanting her so bad. My heart sunk! And I could feel really what Gemma was feeling! I kinda figured by the end of it they would be pregnant again, tho I want to know what the have !
Over all I had a few good laughs and chuckles but not one I would read again.

This was a fun and romantic comedy! Gemma’s had it and has decided to have a baby on her own. There’s only one thing she needs and that’s a sperm donor. She decides to ask Josh, someone she’s known for years. The only problem with this is that he’s her brother’s best friend. Along her baby journey, Gemma develops close friendships with a group of women. And she gets to know Josh better. Gemma gets herself into some humorous situations. As they work on making a baby, Gemma realizes it’s not a simple process. Other parts of life are involved as well.

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the relationships in this book. I liked the way the romance progressed from friendship into romance but I absolutely loved the support group. The support group women were so fun and I really wish they were a bigger part of the story. I enjoyed their dynamic, especially since its pretty much the epitome of people who would never have anything to do with one another if not for this thing that brings them together. I also wish there was more of the support group because I do wish that the infertility aspect was an even more prominent part of the story. I felt like that was a bit of missed opportunity (maybe missed isn't the write word because it is a big part of the story but there were parts were it definitely felt like that aspect was getting out shone and shoved to the side in favor of other things and since there aren't a lot of books that handle characters who want to get pregnant, especially in this type of a situation, I felt like it could have been even more in focus.)
I have to say that I absolutely hated the "other guy" story line and the constant quotes. I honestly do not see the appeal of a quote machine.
I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration.

February is practically over and I’ve read ONE romance. WTH. ⁣
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⁣Josh and Gemma Make a Baby starts out with a New Year’s Resolution- Gemma decides she’s going to have a baby. Only problem? She needs a sperm donor! She settles on her brother’s best friend and neighbor. Of course, sparks eventually fly and things get super complicated. ⁣
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⁣I was blessed with all three of my babies thanks to IVF and found much of this book incredibly relatable and true to real life… Only problem? It was a little too realistic and brought me back to some super stressful times in my life. ⁣
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⁣Overall, this wasn’t a bad read and the audiobook was fantastically narrated, but it missed the mark just a little. It felt overly long and drawn out! ⁣
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⁣Three stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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⁣Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for a free copy of this audiobook in return for my review.

This book is super cute. It kept my interest from the beginning and I loved the self awareness the main character comes into. Would definitely recommend. Note- does deal with infertility, so if that is a sensitive topic for you, you may want to think twice before reading it. However, it was a great book!!

I thought it was going to be a lighthearted, fun read but it ended up being so much more. It was lighthearted and fun, with a lot of depth and tough topics as well. I did not like Gemma for most of the book but she had so much character growth and I enjoyed watching her transformation. Josh is probably every girls dream guy! There were parts that made me laugh and other parts that brought tears to my eyes. Overall very enjoyable!

I listened on audio and thought it was well done. One female narrator told the story through Gemma’s perspective. She did great with different characters and I felt the emotion in her narration. Would trcoo]mend on audio!

Gemma Jacobs is successful at her job, is upbeat, has a loving and supportive family and she wants a baby. Gemma is also a divorcee, infertile and a bit overweight. She is not looking for a partner or husband, but someone who will donate his sperm for IVF. She is looking at Josh Lewenthal, her brother's bestfriend and neighbor. He is handsome, smart, laid back, caring and has just returned home to take care of his ill father. Where this decision leads is at times humorous, angsty and sad. Both Gemma and Josh have feelings they need to understand and share, as well as Gemma coming to grips with some repressed emotions so she can become the best she can be.

I loved Gemma. She is strong and independent. She knew what she wanted and went after it. At times she is naive, and doesn't realize who Josh is, or that he is even famous. She also doesn't realize when she is being used. Her family are a hoot, especially her mother. She is so busy trying to set Gemma up, that she doesn't listen to or understand what she really wants. Josh is a sweetheart. He has such a great sense of humor and is a truly caring and good man. I wanted them to get together so badly. There were some scenes that had me laughing out loud (at the fertility clinic especially) and others where I was yelling at Gemma for not seeing what was going on. I will never think of my phone in the same way again.

Some of the themes/issues discussed in this book deal with infertility, body shaming, IVF with its successes and failures, judging others, plagiarism, and grief (death of a parent). All this is wrapped up in a rom-com with great characters. The audiobook narrated by Erin Mallon was one I thoroughly enjoyed and listened to in one afternoon and evening. Her voices were wonderful wit emotion and expression. It definitely added to my enjoyment of this story.

I enjoyed this but it wasn’t exactly exceptions. It was inevitable but not boring which is just perfect in my opinion. I did however hate the males voice (in the audiobook) and it was super off-putting and the quotes really made me cringe. I also hate the wording of ‘making love’ and the last few chapters felt a little unnecessary. With all that said I did enjoy it and was a typical heart warming womens fiction/romance novel.

This was a super cute friends to lovers romance novel, it was full of heart and humour!

It had all the qualities of a good hallmark movie, the big family that come together for every major holiday.

Gemma had been, what can I say, a little unlucky in love, and decides with her biological clock ticking she needs to go it alone and looks at having a baby via IVF.

So when her family gather at New Years and everyone writes down their New Years resolution to be read out anonymously, as a family tradition, Gemma pops down to have a baby.

Like at all family events, Josh is there, he’s Gemma brother best friend, he too has his resolution read.

Could Josh be the key to helping her make a baby?

The journey to make a baby found Gemma making some unexpected friends which were an awesome addition to the story.

I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good romcom.