Really enjoyed this book, I found it to be a fairly quick, easy read. A romcom that also highlighted infertility and miscarriage, along with other troubles in the life of Gemma. I think many women could compare themselves to Gemma in some way, she's a relatable, realistic character

Josh and Gemma had a story that hit a little close to home for me and I felt every emotion she was going through. I didn’t really like her at the beginning, even though she was going through a lot, she treated him horribly and I didn’t like it. As the story went on I ended up understanding her more. Infertility is a hard thing to go through and talk about, and she had other issues she was dealing with.
Josh was hard to read at times, but I had the main characteristic figured out. The part about his dad and being an only child was heartbreaking and I felt horrible for him when I found out what the connection to Ian was. He was understanding, hopeful and reliable. There were times that I thought he was too forgiving.
Going from being in each other’s lives to being her donor was a tricky transition and he only hoped she would start seeing him differently. The group of friends she made at the infertility group gave her some advice and hard truths when she needed them most. I really enjoyed this book and would gladly read more by this author. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

It was so cute!! I've always been a big fan of the pregnancy trope, so I loved this. I thought that this was such a sweet, light read that made me smile! I definitely called some of the cute little twists, I would 100% read another book by Sarah Ready.

- It was well written
- I'm a sucker for concepts like this (aka pregnancy trope)
- It was lighthearted and fun read
- Has short chapters and very easy to read. I was hooked from the beginning
-I truly dislike how they treated Gemma like she's a thing just because she have become a spinster or something, there's nothing wrong with that
-I like the quotes from every start of every chapter being inserted into dialogues as well, it's kinda cute concept
-I LOVE JOSH
-I wish they gave us background as to what happened in the garage scene, i.e. what leads to that situation. I'm so curios and bit disappointed that it wasn't tackled that much
-I cried a lot due to some miscommunication trope(s), sad scenes especially the comic scene
-I knew Ian was a devil in disguised
-PAIN

"Love is the best gift any of us has to give."

Synopsis: This is a story about Gemma, an infertile woman in her thirties who wants to have a baby through an IVF, and her brother's BFF Josh, whom she asked to be a sperm donor.

TW: If you are experiencing infertility, miscarriage, body/fat shaming, this might not be the one for you even though the author made it a little bit lighter through Gemma's humor and courage in facing these issues.

It is my first time reading a [author:Sarah Ready|20871147] book, and I actually loved it! Infertility and miscarriage is a sensitive topic for some women, and this is lighter than I expected. Seriously.

I really did not like Gemma. I'm not saying I hate her, okay? It's just that I was kind of turned off in some interactions in this book. She's so insecure and quick to judge people. I know and understand that she has gone a lot of pain: from being diagnosed of infertility, her cheating ex-husband and divorce, and looking herself as a pathetic loser and just shuts off everybody when she is starting to like the company of them. I'm sorry, I just can't forget the scene where he just dumped Josh after having an intimate sex and she hurt her friends! My gosh I'm fuming until now. However, it's nice that she's quirky, careless, funny, and radiates positivity. It makes her a perfectly imperfect. It balances her character.

Josh Lewenthal. Oh my gosh, he's a keeper! He's the reason why I enjoyed reading this book. I found him mysterious and a cool guy with a touch of sweetness and romance. I just wished there was a last chapter with his POV on how he fell in love with Gemma since they were teens, or a glimpse of his comic book to get to know more about him.

Their interactions are so wholesome(?). I mean, it's not the typical romance interactions where there are a lot of spice you know. It was so funny reading how they get turned on and end up laughing and joking about it because something just went wrong LOL! I enjoyed those parts.

I love Gemma's infertility group! They really showed their unique characters in the story and it balanced the whole plot!

I don't wanna talk about Ian, I super hate him!

It wasn't nice reading about the infertility, body and fat shames in this book, especially when your own family sees through it and tell that in your face. It is horrible, but it happens in real life.

I had some dislikes in some parts of this book but this is definitely likable! I actually enjoyed it. This is an easy read and has a heart-warming ending! I actually cried happy tears. I'm happy for Josh and Gemma. It's a happy ending for her family and friends. ♥

I just hope Sarah would also make a story about Brook, Hannah and Carly! They are one of the strongest characters in the story ;)

I would definitely read another Sarah Ready's book!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing, LLC for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. ♥

This book is like junk food in the best possible way - it tastes sooooo good, you want more, you can't stop until everything is devoured. Then you wish for more.😅 Well, once in a while, everyone deserves some good fries!😉

It was so much fun to read! It was, indeed, a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy with hilarious situations and some steamy moments. A story filled with joys and heartbreaks, life goals and New Year resolutions, cluelessness about love, crisis, sad moments, and living in the moment.

Josh right away wins the Best Book Boyfriend award! He was so caring, thoughtful, honest, and supportive. I loved to read about his relationship with his dad. Nothing to fault. Not even a bit! 😍

It took me some time to warm up to Gemma. She was very judgmental, considering how upset she was when judged by others. But do not worry, as good Rom-Com deserves, she redeemed herself (came to senses) and worked her way to a happy ending. 😇

Thanks for providing an advanced copy in exchange for my review!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Format:
Genre: Romance

Publisher: Swift & Lewis Publishing
Publication Date: 1/25/2022

I loved this book so much. This was the first book in a long time to make me laugh and cry. I couldn’t put this book down and when I had to I kept thinking about it. This book was just what I needed after a number of intense and complicated plots. It was lighthearted, funny, and had just the right amount of ups and downs emotionally.

Gemma and Josh are possibly some of my favorite characters, mostly Josh. I was just the right amount of frustrated about the back and forth in their relationship. I usually find it annoying when two characters just aren’t honest and upfront with one another or if they’re in denial. With Gemma and Josh, it really was just the right amount for me. It didn’t take away from the book for me.

The whole we grew up together and my brother's best friend is definitely becoming one of my favorite tropes. I l also loved the whole concept of Gemma just going for what she wanted.

The book also had just a smidge of spiciness to it. I love a good spicy book and this had a good amount, without making it too much for a contemporary romance novel. Sarah Ready is a new author to me and I will definitely be reading more of her books.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book on Netgalley and I am giving my honest review.

I thought this was such a sweet book. I read the entire book in one evening. It tackles issues with infertility when Gemma decides to have a baby through IVF and turns to family friend Josh to be the donor. The two of them quickly develop a really sweet friendship. I really loved the tie in at the end of the book with Josh’s comic strip, I thought it was a really fun touch.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When 32-year-old divorcee Gemma Jacobs decides she’s ready to have a baby via IVF, she enlists the one person she feels not only comfortable with, but no possible romantic attachment to, Josh Lewenthal. Her brother’s best friend and the boy who “took her virginity”, Josh’s current situation in life (lives in his dad’s basement) makes him the perfect candidate to help her make a baby - or so she thinks. But what happens when Gemma realizes there is more to Josh and her feelings for him than meet the eye?

This was a much cuter book and with more depth than I had anticipated going in. To be completely honest, reading books about IVF can sometimes be difficult for me. Having gone through it myself, I’m extremely critical of the way it’s portrayed down to the minuscule details surrounding each and every part of the process. I’ve read some books that have driven me crazy with the inaccuracies, so much so, that even if it was a good book otherwise, I usually wind up not recommending it, nor rating it very highly.

This book, however, was nothing like that. I do not know if the author herself has been through IVF or if she has a close relative that has, but the details in this book were pretty spot on which was very refreshing. The story felt original and the pace of the plot kept me engaged from start to finish.

The characters were extremely relatable and well developed. There were times I felt like I was going through the process right along with them, which again made me very happy that the IVF process was described accurately. And Josh and Gemma, well they just made my romantic heart so happy.

TW: IVF process and miscarriage described in detail.

This book releases tomorrow! Be sure to check it out for something charming and unexpected. I for one will definitely reading more books by this author.

This book was hilarious, devourable, quirky & fictitious, and also felt light in spite of dealing with serious topics..
Having known a handful of people who find humor and feel light during the most serious times of their lives - which enabled them to move on and take the grief in stride, this book felt really well written.
There are laugh out loud moments, dramatic moments, tingle in the heart moments, feel heavy moments and other emotional moments.

"Josh & Gemma sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g........" Read out to know if the baby comes in a carriage...

PS: I would like to know Josh's pov (please Ms. Sarah Ready ;) ) and an extennnnnnded epilogue would be even more welcome (pretty pleaseeee...)

Divorced, struggling with infertility and in her 30’s, Gemma decides she’s done waiting for Mr Right to come along.. she’s going to have a baby on her own. Instead of going down the anonymous donor route, she decides to ask her brother’s best friend Josh.

Well for a start, this book had a couple of tropes that I like:

Brother’s best friend ✔️
Second chance romance (kind of) ✔️

It was funny, sweet but also quite sad in places.
I haven’t had any experience with infertility or IVF but I think the author did a good job.

There were two stars of this book- Josh (absolute cinnamon roll!) and the women at the IVF support group. Together, they totally made the book for me. I liked Gemma a lot less, in fact at times I found her quite annoying and frustrating sometimes.

It’s my first time reading anything by Sarah Ready but I’ll definitely read more from her in the future. The writing flowed really well most of the time and it was easy to read. It dragged a little bit in a couple of places after the 50% mark but it wasn’t a huge issue.

Overall a sweet, entertaining read that I would definitely recommend.

3.75 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

REALLY ENJOYED this book! 5 stars! Flew through the book with the help of the audiobook. The whole time I was reading it felt like I was watching a movie in my head. It was a warm, hilarious, and feel-good experience. If you’re looking for a romcom with less spice but more on the comedic side, this one is for you! Though just a small heads up that this isn’t your average book for smut readers. Josh is a new book boyfriend! In my opinion, he was the star in this book I LOVED him. On the other hand, Gemma is a bit demanding and doesn’t handle the stress that well but still, she contributed a lot to make this book hilarious. Character development was on point. Although in my opinion, I think some scenes could be cut short, nevertheless, I would still recommend this!

Thank you so much to Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and NetGalley for the ARC! <3

How did I get so lucky to read two amazing five star books in one day?? Both of which I need to gratefully thank Net Galley for the ARCs of! I didn’t have any expectations for this romantic comedy going into it today… and it completely blew me away! The author was sooooo hilarious and had me laughing from the first chapter! Gemma is a woman that is trying to take control of her life and her own happiness so regardless of not having a partner she decides she’s going to have the baby she’s always wanted. We follow Gemma as she reaches out to a family friend to give her a little help. Every chapter had me laughing out loud! But it wasn’t all laughs this book also deals with serious conversations around infertility and how 1 in 8 women struggle with infertility. I shed quite a few tears as I was reading as this topic was so sensitively and well addressed along with the grief that follows unfortunate miscarriages. I highly recommend this book for those that love romantic comedies that are heart felt and still bring on the tears! Keep an eye out for release January 25th, 2022!

4.5☆
I absolutely loved this book! It was such a cute romcom that discussed a really important topic in a really amazing way! I really enjoyed the writing and the characters were amazing except a certain Ken doll🙄 Gemma and Josh deserve everything and I'm so happy about the girls on the support group! They really made the book. Took of half a star for some awkward and cringe moments. All in all, highly recommend this one! One last thing, if you expect a lot of spice this is not the book for you!

I loved this book!!!!!!!!!!!! These characters are so refreshing and charming that you can't help but fall in love right alongside of them. Sarah Ready is a new author for me and I have got to check out her previous books now.

I was unprepared for how much I enjoyed this book!! I was up until the early hours of the morning to finish it because I could not put it down. In her 30's and single, Gemma decides she is done waiting for The One to begin her family. Rather than find an anonymous donor to father her child, she asks an old acquaintance and crush Josh to help her. They begin the IVF process, and though she begins dating someone from her professional circle, she begins to realize that the man she's been looking for may have been around all along. The book deals heavily with infertility, the realism of which I cannot speak to personally. This book still often mixes humor with the grief and struggle though. There were some descriptions and scenes that I personally felt to be a little too crass and unnecessary, and a few threads I would have like to have been more concluded, but overall I was hooked on the story! It was my first book by Sarah Ready, but it won't be my last.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed a free copy of this book, which I received from the publisher and NetGalley. Any views expressed above are my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for the ARC.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby has a great premise that allows for a lot of laughs, but also a lot of emotions. Gemma is a positive, upbeat person working her dream job with famed self-help guru Ian Fortune. She has overcome a painful divorce and an infertility diagnosis. However, now Gemma has made a New Years resolution- have a baby. And she knows the perfect guy to help - Josh, her brother’s best friend and her complete opposite.

Unfortunately, as much as I like this premise, this was not the read for me. We start right away with everyone around Gemma, including her own family, being almost unrealistically mean to her. It was really hard to read all of the fat-shaming comments and a town full of people judging a woman for being infertile. This completely took me out of the story and there was not a lot that could be done to fix it for me. I think this plot had a lot of promise, but side characters very much took away from the story.

Sadly, this was a miss for me, but I will look for the author’s future work.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were three things that stood out to me in this novel. (1) the sense of security and independence Gemma holds upon herself. Her mother constantly put pressure on her to pursue a relationship by setting her up with guys at dinner parties. Gemma, however, didn’t let that get in the way of starting her own family. Although she went for Josh to ask him to be the donor, she made it clear that if he wanted to stay i on the sidelines he was more than welcome to. (2) the banter between Josh and Gemma was so humorous and enjoyable to read. (3) I loved how the author used this book as a way to spread awareness for women who struggle with infertility. Infertility is such a common thing upon women and I don’t think many people know how much of an impact it has on a women and a partner if she does in fact have one. Overall, I give this book a 4.5 star rating and I will definitely check out more of Sarah Ready’s other works.

My actual rating is 4.5/5

So how to even start? I absolutely loved this book and I think everyone else should too.
Josh and Gemma make a baby is a story about family friends who decided to have a bay through IVF and as you could imagine is not an easy process, add family, work and love life and you have a recipe for an incredible story. This was my first Sarah Ready book so I did not have any particular expectations yet somehow she managed to blow any expectation I had. Infertility and IVF is such a personal hard subject to talk about that I imagine could easily be done is so many bad ways. Sarah Ready painted a picture that was not perfect and the journey to maternity is not, but still managed to make it beautiful and emotional. Though I can not personally relate I found my self so many times in Gemma's shoes wondering what I would do in her place.

The characters made the story. I love every single one of them (except one but NO SPOILERS). Josh Lewenthal is my new literary husband, no man can compete with him. Gemma is absolutely remarkable, vulnerable yet strong. But not only them, the "secondary" characters still managed to steal my heart.

An absolutely must read, emotional, beautiful, funny and respectful story. Anyhow if you need be I'll be reading every other book Sarah Ready has published.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I love the pregnancy troupe in romance novels or that I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about infertility and IVF, which I wish was talked about more. Also Josh Lewenthal? One of my new favorite love interests.