Despite some scenes straight up coming out of Bridget Jones’ Diary, this book wasn’t for me. I don’t mind the baby trope at all but the relationship between Josh and Gemma was too much. I felt that they didn’t even like each other for the majority of the book and honestly, it was weird she wanted him as a sperm donor. Just not a fan.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready started off really strong, but the more I read the more frustrated I became with the characters. I wasn't a fan of the decisions they were making and they were hard for me to connect to. I just felt like it was missing something. Overall, this wasn't my favorite read but if you are looking for a pace paced romance read, with some quirky characters this one might be for you.

Gemma is divorced and decides she wants to have a baby. She doesn't want to use a sperm donor so she ends up asking her brother's best friend. Will everything work out for Gemma?

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. This was okay for me, it had super sweet moments but just doesn’t live up to my all time favorite romcoms. The concept was something different than I’ve read before, which I definitely appreciated. Overall it was cute but not my favorite.

I really wanted to like this book but couldn’t get into it. I t go oink it’s just not for me unfortunately. The writing style and plot were good.

I received an advanced copy of Josh and Gemma Make a Baby in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift &Lewis Publishing for letting me read this book.

**Trigger warning. This book does mention infertility and miscarriage frequently.**

Gemma wants a baby. She has been divorced and put through the wringer with infertility. The only way she can get pregnant is through IVF. She needs a donor and thinks of someone from her past, Josh. The book follows them going through the process along with things heating up between them. I am one to avoid spoilers so you will need to read the book to find out more.

I really did enjoy the book. I instantly loved Josh and rooted for him the whole way through the book. Gemma is a sweet character but took a little longer to grow on me. I did grow to like her and feel for the struggles she was going through. She really grew as a person over the course of the book. The side characters were lovable with the exception of Gemma's boss, Ian(lol).

I really appreciated that the author, Sarah Ready, put a lot of knowledge into this book and showed the struggles people go through with infertility. It really goes into great length what women and couples go deal with to get pregnant. It is done in a nice way that is not crass at all.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a worthwhile read especially if you like reading books with second chance -ish love and very slow burns. It is not hot and heavy but is a worthwhile read.

finished this in one sitting I enjoyed it THAT much.

*SLIGHT SPOLIERS*

fun rom-com which also manages to explore serious issues - infertility, death - in a respectful way.
overall would 3.5 stars just because the characters did at times feel as though they weren't fully fleshed out, but great for a quick read (especially if you're in a reading slump and need a romance to get you out)

Heart-breaking, poignant and profound. Charming and laugh-out-loud this will definitely be one of your very best reads ever, so make sure you don’t miss it. You'll fall nose over toes for these perfectly imperfect, delightful, unforgettable characters. You'll laugh till you cry and cry till you laugh, and your romantic heart will be ecstatically happy!

full review to come -
but … the cover is adorable and sold me straight away. i did dnf this multiple times only to not pick it up again. i’ve seen so many reviews since and definitely want to give it a second chance!!

This was such a heart-warming book filled with humour and love but also acceptance and healing. It made me laugh, it made me cry and it gave me an understanding of how women feel and their struggles with infertility and treatments.

Josh is almost every girls dream and Gemma is so relatable.

This book gives you everything you need if you love RomComs!

This was such a sweet, heartwarming story. I loved Gemma and Josh. I think the topic of infertility and the challenges couples go through is handled in a sensitive manner. Gemma 's family was adorable. The writing was humorous and breezy.
Though many scenes and situations were tad predictable and often seen in many rom-com novels. It didn't take away my enjoyment of the story.
You get a satisfying and dramatic ending. You also get some great angst.
So go for it if you need a good timepass read with some great humour and feel-good story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was definitely your typical rom com type with a slight difference if you want to add in the wanting to make a baby step. It was a light and fast read for me and I think the characters were great. I did cringe at times with the banter, but it wouldn't be a cheesy rom com without it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy!

Ok so this probably wasn’t realistic in terms of IVF etc, but I really enjoyed it! I wouldn’t recommend if you are infertile or undergoing fertility treatments because it does go into detail but I’m glad that the author talked about miscarriages and endometriosis to raise awareness. Plot was good and I loved the writing, can’t wait to read more from this author!

Really really good book. It saw me madly reading each chapter even when I should have been asleep a because I didn’t want to put it down. I cried along with them and laughed out loud at other points.

A book I would recommend and would actively search out others from the same author.

This was a sweet and funny rom-com.

Gemma really wants a baby and after years of trying to find the right man she has decided she's ready to do it on her own. Only she will need someone to help her out with the conception so she sets her eyes on Josh, her brother's friend who has been a part of her family for 20 years. Josh has had a turn of luck and agrees to Gemma's plan.

Everything should be easy with no complications and completely business like, however things such as this rarely go to plan. Soon Gemma and Josh are falling for each other and hoping this never ends. Things definitely get complicated along the way with a while cast of characters that infuse humor into the situation.

I spent the entire book hoping these two could make it work and build a family together!

Hi! Josh And Gemma Make A Baby by Sarah Ready is a standalone romantic comedy book with a surprising depth to it. It was complete with funny moments, emotionally charged ones and romantic ones.

I expected it to be an easy, quick read but while it was quick, it managed to give the characters and story quite a bit of depth. All-in-all, I would say this is a 3 star read. While I enjoyed it, I had quite a few criticisms with it too. I won’t lie, it was a bit difficult to get into at the beginning.

Why you should read this book

*This book is told only from Gemma, the female protagonist’s point of view. She is a well-rounded character with plenty of flaws like every human and is likeable. Josh, on the other hand, is a character you will definitely fall in love with. This is a largely character-driven story so they would pretty much be the main reason to read this book.

*The representation given to infertile women is worth noting as is the accurate representation of social stigma surrounding it.

*Of course, this remains a rom-com so a lot of the story is lined with humor and at some places, dialogue that makes you laugh out loud. I did love how there were emotionally charged moments too, with vulnerabilities, grief and human flaws. It set this read apart from a surface level rom-com that is only designed to crack a few smiles.

Criticisms

*I will say that there were questionable moments in this book. There were also parts I was not able to enjoy at all and Gemma randomly quoting self-help quotes in conversation was definitely one of them. You don’t sprout such things to strangers in a perfectly normal conversation??

*I will add that this book took the story from slightly predictable to very obvious at times. I also wanted to scream at Gemma’s stupidity, naivety and judgmental behaviour (all on different occasions).
All-in-all, this was a decent read but not one I loved. If any of the above reasons for reading this book appeal to you, this might be a read you would enjoy picking up.

I am a sucker for a good pregnancy trope. However, this book went above and beyond my already high expectations. Reading a book where something serious is discussed can sometimes be a bore but somehow this author was able to include infertility struggles without making it the basis of the entire novel. The balance between fun and serious was perfect. A quick and easy read that guarantees laughs.

This book was adorable! I absolutely love Josh and Gemma!
It gave me butterflies, especially all of the will-they-won’t-they moments.
While there were a lot of tropes used that made certain plots predictable, I really liked the spin this book took! It took commonly used tropes and made them seem realistic and sweet! It also had a very good message in highlighting the struggles of IVF that so many couples have to go through, even if the book’s main couple’s journey was a little more unconventional. It didn’t have any of the pacing issues that so many romcom books seem to have, and I think that Gemma and Josh’s journey was perfect for them!

I had trouble with all the cheesy quotes and the smarmy boss. (Not to mention, it bugged me that no one seemed to care about the ethical and power-differential Issues in That datIng scenario. I get he’s a bad guy but where is HR?) But the Josh part of the story was really sweet and I loved the connection he had to her family.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I laughed, I cried, this was such a beautifully written, fun, emotional story. Josh and Gemma were both amazingly brave and wonderful characters and I loved reading about them both. I loved how they were both there for each other and the ways they learned on each other for support. Their banter was flawless while reading and had me cracking smiles so much while I was reading! I was bummed when I saw the book was coming to an end. Thank you SO much Netgalley for this ARC!

This was an overall cute, feel good read. I enjoyed Gemma and Josh. I had mix feeling about Gemma. There were many times I found her entirely unlikeable with the way she treated Josh, and her friends, but she redeemed herself her near the end of the story. I also loved Gemma's family. They were real and relatable and so supportive. The type of family that the entire neighborhood knows, and makes their children friends apart of the family. Again, this is a nice, quick read.