I devoured this book in just a few days. Gemma and Josh have known each other since they were children, but when they reunite as adults, Josh has a promising career and Gemma has decided to go forward with the IVF plan to start a family as a single mother. Although there is a rocky start to rebuilding their friendship, Gemma and Josh might discover something about one another that heals the past and allows them to look forward to a bright future.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this novel as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will start off by saying the premise of this novel sounded initially very interesting with the potential to be quite the heart-warming romantic comedy, especially because Older Brother's Best Friend is one of my favorite tropes. Unfortunately, it fell really flat in a number of areas. The writing itself is not bad, but it felt stunted and repetitive so many times. I'm a visual reader, so I quite literally <b>see</b> the visuals as if I'm watching a movie. Unfortunately, I rarely saw the visuals aside from some emotional end book moments.

Characters and their established relationships to our heroine Gemma were constantly repeated as if the reader would suddenly forget who her siblings or friends were. (Seriously I stopped counting how many times I had to be reminded about "Leah, my sister" or "my sister, Leah". We get it. Leah. Sister. The sister).
And since the entire novel is told through Gemma POV, we don't really get a well rounded idea that this is actually how Gemma *thinks* and not simply a lack of more professional prose on the part of the author. Furthermore, the book is called <u><b>JOSH & GEMMA</u> Make A Baby</b>, so I would have expected to actually have dual points of view considering that they've known each other for 24 years.

Regarding the secondary characters, my biggest frustration is how many of them felt like one dimensional 90's-era stereotypes that were either completely clueless (but evidently well intentioned?) or just plain mean. And when I say mean, I mean <i>mean</I>. (Does the author even *like* her heroine? We're constantly reminded by every woman around her how terrible she dresses)

One the earliest things that made me start to doubt the book (besides all the fat shaming) is that our heroine suffers from stage four endometriosis, and the "inside of her abdomen looks like a grenade went off" and her tubes are completely blocked... yet she never had any pain and hasn't experienced any severe secondary issues from it in nearly 20 years. Every woman I know that has had to deal with endometriosis has had even a modicum of symptoms that make themselves known early and often.

The second thing that really started to grind my gears was how unbearably self-deprecating Gemma was. It wasn't even funny really and with the amount of side characters making snide comments (or any comments) about her weight it just started to feel like one big, uncomfortable "See?? Fat girls with fertility problems really do get the Hot Guy and the Happily Ever After" which is in all honestly a fine type of story to tell, but the execution of this novel was just downright... embarrassing.

Now the romance.
Is this a romance novel? Because Josh and Gemma don't really interact all that often and when they do their dialogue is so...boring...that my eyelids felt heavy and I had to constantly shift in my seat in order to pay attention. Even the slapstick bits (which make ZERO sense bc if anyone acted like that in a fertility clinic they would obviously be barred from returning--and they do return for more shenanigans). But yes, it is a romance novel that earns it HEA at the end...though with some struggle.

And when you *surprise surprise* discover that Josh has had feelings for Gemma all this time, for one, are not shocked, but also two, again this novel is only in Gemma's POV, to which she's terribly unreliable for most of the first half. We're supposed to believe that Josh has been pining away all these years, writing a comic book about how much he pines for her and yet we really don't feel any of that emotion throughout the first 70% of the book. At that point we get a sex scene...which is really the first time in the book that I felt there was any <i>real</i>emotion written on page, it was the first time I actually saw the book in my mind tbh.

Now the *twist*, the big reveal of our Villain.
I kept thinking to myself <i>'this reminds me of a movie I've seen. Just what was it called...?'</I>
<B>The Waterboy</b>
Yes, you read that right. The twist in this book reminded me of the same twist in the Waterboy. You know which one I'm talking about. With the notebook? Yeah. So needless to say, that was probably the more humorous thing about this novel. But at the same time, it felt uneventful. The drawing in the chapters are cute, and I get they supposed to allude to Josh being an artist, and the quotes everywhere, but it didn't truly connect well throughout the story.

Anyways, the only reason I gave it an extra star is because it only starts to pick up once you hit the conflict and the climax (and epilogue). The writing takes a distinctive turn that feels like the author wrote this part first and then tried to figure it out from there. Which, there's nothing wrong with that, but the tone is not the same in the first and second act and even with the slapstick comedy moments, it doesn't match up. Even if I stop and visually look at the length of the paragraphs, it differs hugely to the beginning where so much was just short and basically written which I guess an attempt to "show" the story, but largely failed as it most just told us what was the story. I completely understand why some DNF'd this so soon, bc I would have too had I not felt obligated to review it.

Ideally, the author needs to tone down so much of the side character action (Carly and Theo can stay though, the rest really aren't worth so much screen time) and work on the relationship between Josh and Gemma, because when they are together, they <b>shine</b> but everyone else, especially so many people being so rude to Gemma so often diminish that. And quite frankly we deserve to be in Josh's head. He's a good guy. This book has so much potential but many of the scenes and storytelling need to be revisited. As a romance lover I can appreciate the end (and the entire ridiculous convention scene) but as a whole, it didn't feel like much of that scene was earned in comparison to the rest of the book

boooooooy, do i love the friends to lovers/childhood friends to lovers trope. it just hits me in all my feels 🥰🥺 and it's a brother's best friend? AND the love interest is a sweet boy? SOLD

Gemma, i love you, you sweet, oblivious (so friiiiiigggggggin oblivious) girl. although there were plenty of times that i wanted to throttle her, she learned to not be such a judgey and unaware individual. HOW CAN YOU BE SO BLIND???? like dude, you don't know your brother's best friend is famous? get out of here. also the quotes. i wanted to chuck this book at one point or another because dear god, she just could not stop quoting that dweeb, Ian. if you can get past all the quotes in the first 80% of the book, i promise they make sense at the end and it's actually adorable. which brings me to my next topic ...

Josh. i love you, more. i would have seen and known that you loved me that whole time if you could just give me a chance instead. his whole comic with Grim and Jewel. okay 😭 just be more precious honestly. and selfless. he's everything a book boyfriend should be.

i love how this book talks about infertility and sheds some light on the topic!

TRIGGER WARNINGS for miscarriages (in detail). infertility and body shaming.

side characters. i loved the whole friend dynamic between Gem, Brook, Hannah and Carly. if Carly could get her own book with Theo, that would be *chef's kiss*

did this book have a bunch of situations that wouldn't happen to one individual in a year? yes. did i enjoy this book anyway? yes.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher & the author for kindly sharing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75🌟 thank you netgalley & swift & Lewis publishing for this eARC! a fun, fast paced read for rom-com lovers! I loved the premise of this book; a woman who wants to take charge of her life and not wait for her happily ever after to come to her.

in the beginning, I had trouble believing that Gemma’s family and the people surrounding her spoke so negatively about her. i really preferred the second half of the book, where we got to explore the relationship between Josh and Gemma, whether it was a friendship or more. there are quite a few twists and turns along the way, and i think ultimately, Gemma learned from her past to be better.

cute & fun read overall!

I loved that this book tackled the current struggles that people go through to make a baby in modern times. However, I feel like this book isn't for someone who is currently struggling with infertility, miscarriages, or any type of fertility issues. I thought this book handled the balance of the emotional heaviness with the silly scenes very well. Gemma was definitely a flawed character and was a bit annoying....however she felt like SUCH a work in progress. I thought this book had more depth than originally shown. Overall- a solid read!

4🌟 valentines day is upon us so let me review a romantic comedy.

Gemma wants a baby and has decided to do ivf. Josh is her brothers best friend and has all the attributes Gemma is looking for in a sperm donor. As he finally agrees to be her donor, the toad to parenthood isn't that smooth.

I honestly liked this book how it managed to incorporate the grief of infertility and the longing for a child with so much humour. I honestly have no idea. This was one of those books I picked to read after a lot of serial killer based novels, but it just surpassed my expectations. Gemma is our protagonist and what a character she was. I went from laughing at her plight to crying my eyes out completely. She's the kind of character I instantly imagined fitting into my social group in real life. He relationship with her family is written so well, even her mum trying to pimp her outvyo old rich men she feels her mother has no faith in her but u feel its her mother's lack of faith in others.

Infertility is a tricky subject to bring humour to, and honestly, if I hadn't read it myself, I wouldn't believe it. Even her appointments at the clinic are hilarious, especially a certain comment about the toilets in the lobby. I'll leave that one there.
If you do find this subject triggering, I would skip this one. Even though it is a light read, its core story is about the struggle to get pregnant.

The description of laces and people is done so well. As a scene nearer the end of the book, I felt like I was in the room! I truly am in oar of the author and their amazing power of the written words
The prose in general is so well constructed. I honestly couldn't fault it. I opened the book and closed it several hours later. I was so engrossed I honestly love a captivating book. Plus Josh's storyline was as interesting and engaging as Gemma's, as well as super funny. his motivation if any and why would he risk his relationship with his beat friend, I found myself tearing up alot when it was appropriate also.

In conclusion I moved this book it's a typical room romcom style we have girl we have boy, there's an obvious love story and predictable in the direction the book takes . I was a great book and worth 4 stars . Just be mindful if you have had any fertility problems this may be triggered by reading so please read with care.

Thank you to the Author, the publisher and Netgalley for the digital advanced copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

Perfectly binge-able read! I am a sucker for friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers books that I can listen to while I am at work, on a run, or cleaning the house. Josh and Gemma's quirky relationship totally did it for me. I found myself rooting for them from the beginning (assuming what was to come). I am a sucker for finding out how the obvious character matchup will unfold, especially on Valentine's Day.

What a truly lovely Romcom of a book.

The story is all from Gemma pov as she navigates being divorced, and single and assessing what she wants next in life. The male lead Josh seems so likeable and the chemistry sparks across the page. I loved the friend group and having a story centred around a topic that affects so many couples. It has a classic line of romcom moments, missed moments, comedy accidents, interfering parents, the sleezy boss and a this one a love of lime.

I loved the unravelling and realisation in a the end. Really enjoyed this frothy romance.

Book was via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. If your looking for a light but cute read this is definitely for you!

Loved the dynamic between the main characters, it was such a cute, fun, romcom read. Recommend if you need something to kick you out of a book hangover!

This is such a cute read! If you want something light to read, or you're in a book hangover and don't know what to read next, pick this one up. You won't regret it! Its a super cute book for.sure!

3.5-4 stars -- Enjoyed this light-hearted, relatively low-angst read. I could definitely identify with the premise of the story and Gemma's predicament with infertility. It was easy to root for her and Josh throughout the book and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop from long-time acquaintances to more. There were several times I wish I had gotten Josh's POV so I better understood his actions. I don't mind single POV books but in this one it felt like pieces were missing because of it and it really would have enhanced the storyline to have a dual POV narrative. There were also moments where the pacing felt a little slow, more so in the first half of the book. Overall I enjoyed this and am looking forward to future books from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute and quick read about a woman who decides to take charge of her desire to have a baby, despite not having a partner since her devastating divorce years prior. When looking for a sperm donor, she remembers a family friend that checks all the boxes, not realizing that there is more to this guy than she realized. We follow these two through their ups and downs and through Gemma's efforts to create the future she has always dreamed about.

4⭐️

Cute, but very cheesy. I loved Josh & Gemma - but I really disliked the entire inspirational quote aspect to the novel. I cringed every time I read one and whenever Ian was involved in the storyline.

I loved the childhood best friends to lovers/slow burn romance trope. I think it was beautiful that the story showcased the different infertility struggles that couples can encounter, as well as the benefits of seeking a support group.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah!!! (i can call you Sarah right?) I absolutely adored this book! If I can read a book in less than 3 hours because I can’t put it down, then I know it’s a great book. I loved the female and male leads and I loved the side character and want their stories too! the female character had flaws that made her relatable but also made you want to shake her to get her act together. I loved her relationship with her new found friends and her family. There was genuinely only one character to be disliked in the book (okay maybe three looking-at-you-gold-leotard -couple) The quotes were delightful and I couldn’t help but yell at the female lead when she didn’t know what I knew!! This book also really gracefully approached the subject of infertily and IVF in a way that was real, educating, and understanding. Read this book, you won’t regret it.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a hilarious and heartfelt romantic comedy. It was such a quick read and I wanted to start it over again as soon I finished the last page. I really liked how Josh and Gemma's friendship forms - even though they both hold back a lot from each other at times. Their banter is funny and adorable. And it was really great to see infertility and the highs and lows of the IVF process explored. A lot of the side characters, especially the women of the support group, were amazing (not Ian, though). I did find it hard to believe that a social media marketing manager would be so disconnected at times - like never Googling Josh to see what his comics were or how so many successful people knew him and not realizing what was happening at the company she worked for after she left the conference. Definitely excited to read more from Sarah Ready. Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the chance to read this novel.

Alright, how to start reviewing this one…? Overall, I liked the ending better than the first two thirds of the book. It kind of redeemed itself because it made me tear up and the epilogue was cute.

However. This book also had some issues besides the fact that it just didn’t really work for me, personally.

First and foremost: fatphobia. We hate her. And in direct extension: our heroine got shit on by everyone in this book and their mother. I don’t enjoy reading about a character that isn’t fully developed, but gets the short end of the stick every single time by every person. It just makes me feel like an emotion needed to be invoked by the reader because of the bad shit, not because they’re particularly relatable or are their own person.

Secondly, none of these characters were developed well. They kind of read like caricatures to me.

Thirdly, the main thing that bothered me about the first chunk of the book was that it had overly “quirky” moments. It was just too over the top. I mean, the “phone sex”? The fight in the fertility clinic? Frankly too ridiculous. Especially combined with the very serious topic this book is dealing with.

And while it dealt with a lot of difficult topics, I felt, certainly at the first chunk, it could have been handled better. I think that in the latter part it was handled better. I teared tf up, which made me bump up my star rating up from a 1 to a 2 stars.

Also: miscommunication trope alert. Not a fan of that either. [If Josh had just come out and told Gemma about his feelings earlier, we wouldn’t nearly had to have gone through as many misunderstandings!]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher making this eARC available to me in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a cute and beautiful read. It was definitely an emotional journey.

Gemma is a 30 something year old women. She is sick of waiting for mr.right to just come along one day and wants to control her destiny/future. She wants a baby and has made it her New Years resolution to have one. She is going to have the baby via IVF. She doesn’t want to go the donor route being that she is single, so she pitches the idea to her brothers best friend, Josh.

I loved this book so much. I love both Gemma and Josh personalities. I highly recommend this story. It is one of best rom-coms I’ve read.

So much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really love the dynamics if gemma and josh. A non perfect prefectly written book about the ups and downs of infertility, ivf, and love. It was a little predictable at a couple parts but it kept me hooked until the end. Definitely would recommend this book.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a great book! I really love how heartwarming this book made me feel. This book is full of life lessons and many things about our society that are happening right now all over the world.