My thoughts:
I liked this one. I Ioved that Gemma decided she didn’t need a man to fulfill her dreams of becoming a mom. I do think that if Josh wasn’t already in love with her, he wouldn’t have said yes so quickly or at all. But that’s the romance part of the book. I was rooting for them to end up together the whole time. The only downside for me was all the inspirational quotes from Gemma, so annoying and cringey!

I really enjoyed this book. Obviously you know from the beginning where the story was going, but I enjoyed how it came full circle. It touches on some very heavy topics but I think it is portrayed very well. I really like how the sub characters all played a part, and how certain things came to light, and there didn’t seem to be any lose ends. Overall I thought it was a great cute read with some very funny parts and a great message.

I was a little confused with the pictures throughout, I’m not sure if they will be different in the final copy.

Melli’s Book Breakdown
🤍Brother’s Best Friend
🤍curvy heroine
🤍heroine POV only
🤍TW: infertility
🤍HEA

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for an ARC copy of this book.

What a great way to start of the new year!! This was one of the first books I read this year and I really enjoyed it. It is a great romance book and so much more than that. It deals with the topic of infertility which is not something often featured in romance books. Gemma is in her 30's, divorced and has severe endometriosis. She is not able to have children. Her only option is to complete IVF. She decided to go for it and wants to ask her childhood friend Josh to be a donor.

I love the main characters Josh and Gemma. Their back story is great and Josh is one of the my favorite literary characters in a while. He is sexy but in an adorable nerdy way that is just wonderful! But I also enjoyed how developed the side characters were as well, especially the women from the fertility support group. I found myself so invested in their stories.

A perfect combination of romance, silliness, banter, real life struggle and spice.

Completely recommend this read!

This book is so cute. This book discusses deep topics such as infertility that shared about their experience while keeping it from getting too sad. The characters in this book aren't perfect which makes the story more relatable and the characters are relatable as well. Also the main character whose point of view it was, wasn't perfect. As the reader, you learn things as the readers do. This book was sappy and cute, but it wasn't set in a perfect world. I read this book in one sitting. I would recommend this book to people who want a cute read, but also want a book that they can relate to even if none of these things have happened to them. It is really well written, I could not put the book down.

this was so unfathomably bad it’s not even funny. i’m just going to list off the reasons it was bad and that’s it.
1. Gemma literally forcing a guy into giving her his sperm. like wtf that’s so??? she pounced the guy and was like “hey lol i want a baby and i told the doctors that you’re my partner and that you’re going to give me your sperm so can i have it??” get some therapy jesus christ like i know you want to be a mom but can you deal with your infertility trauma before you try and get pregnant?
2. Gemma continuously referring to her future child as a girl. like it’s a possibility not reality so chill out man. it’s never even addressed like Gemma just refers to her nonexistent child as she consistently throughout the book snd we’re given no explanation??
3. Gemma is the most annoying person on planet earth.
4. What were those drawings. like they were not good. no offense but full offense, Josh is suppose to be this super talented artist and then these drawings that are supposedly by him are just. really. bad. like do you have no concept of depth??
5. there were no babies. i was expecting some babies. there were none. i feel scammed
6. some of the scenes had me resisting the urge to throw my phone across the room. like it was bad. like so bad.
7. it was bad

4.5 stars! What a fun and addicting romcom that hit all my favorite things!

Definitely for you if you enjoy:
- Older brother’s best friend
- Friends to lovers
- Opposites attract

Gemma is at a job she loves with a hot boss she finds inspiring but she’s missing one thing so she’s made a new year’s resolution: she’s going to have a baby. All she needs is the sperm and she knows exactly who she wants to ask. Josh Lewenthal has been a family friend since he moved into town all those years ago and Gemma knows he’s the perfect candidate. When he agrees, they get ready to start the process of making a baby with IVF. Josh isn’t the marrying type so she’s happy to make this easy and business-like but what she doesn’t expect is for him to open up and be the exact opposite of what she thought he was and maybe what she’s always wanted.

📚

This was so fun and heartwarming! I can already tell it’s gonna be one of my comfort reads. I just enjoyed reading Gemma’s quirkiness and Josh’s pining. They were both so funny on the pages and it was just so clear that they adored one another. Just the way I like it.

The plot was predictable and I don’t think the book itself was life changing. For me though, it was all I ever ask for in a romance novel: funny, interesting, sweet and emotional enough to tug at my heartstrings. It just made me happy to already be able to pick up the little moments and feel like !!!!!!! about it. I teared up and really resonated with the book and wanna hug it. I started it and couldn’t put it down. The only reason I did was because I was running on 10 hours of sleep for the past 2 days. Otherwise I would’ve finished all last night. No worries, I woke up and immediately finished it.

The cover of the book led me astray a little and I thought the book would travel mostly through Gemma’s journey of being pregnant. It instead was about Gemma’s struggle with infertility and I thought that was even more interesting to read. I was sympathetic to it and enjoyed the book a lot more the way it was written.

The side characters were also a great cast and enjoyed reading them in here. I just adored Gemma’s friends from her infertility support group and loved the characters they were individually. The book’s ending was also a little too HEA but I’ll overlook it because it made me happy anyway.

Thank you the Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review. I cannot wait to buy my own physical copy!

Ahhhhh I loved this book so much!!!
It was a perfect mix of angst, fluff, and comedy, whilst also tackling the struggles of infertility.
The author did an amazing job of conveying Josh's POV even though the story was only told through Gemma's.
The concept of this book is interesting in itself but the execution by Sarah Ready was flawless. The writing was so well done it felt as though I really knew the characters.
As well as a romance, I feel like this book placed a focus on Gemma's personal journey too. Realising not everything can be looked at through a (cheesy) inspirational quote and that sometimes there isn't a positive side to everything that happens.
Josh and Gemma's chemistry was undeniable and Sarah Ready really outdid herself with this book.
Definitely one of my favourite reads.
Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for making this ARC available to read in exchange for an honest review :)

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a slowburn, friends to lovers romantic comedy but also has heavy emotions featured on infertility

this was a pleasant surprise...i don't know what i was expecting but i really liked the direction this book went in. it definitely provoked emotions out of me that i didn't see coming.

i loved the scenes between Josh and Gemma, it was so sweet and funny and i really felt that connection in their bonding moments

"𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Josh, is Gemma's brother's best friend and said to be this bad boy, big womanizer. But oh my goodness, this man was adorable and dedicated and just HMMm!
Gemma was unfortunately a bit of a hit or miss especially when it came to herself and her boss, Ian. i wanted to smack this woman so hard because she just didn't put much care into Josh and his life ... and i felt like he was really trying. on the other hand, i think it was purposefully written like that so that Gemma could see her judging ways in the end

apart from the kooky scenes that was a bit out of there, i enjoyed the side characters, the female friendships Gemma made as well as the seriousness to the story

TW for: infertility, loss and miscarriage

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘵 & 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘓𝘓𝘊 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is the romance between Gemma, who is trying to have a baby using IVF, and her brother’s best friend Josh. While infertility is a painful subject to talk about, the author managed this book to be light and fun using Gemma’s fresh humor. The writing style was the kind I could read for hours without an interesting plot, because it kept making me smile. But the story was not boring, so it was twice as good.


The dynamics between Josh and Gemma were goals. I loved them together. Josh was always kidding, Gemma was extremely funny and they were constantly making each other laugh and smile. This way, the hard and stressful experience of trying to get pregnant was easier to endure. I also loved the friendship created between the members of the infertility group. It was refreshing to see a group of women going through a difficult time sticking together, supporting and teasing each other as they have been friends for years.


“Gemma? What’s up? You alright?”
“I need your sperm,” I blurt out.
Josh stars to choke, then coughs. His face turns red and hits his chest.
Oh no. I’ve killed him.
()“You want to have sex?” He looks really confused. “Gemma, you really have to work on your pick-up lines.”


I need Josh in my life, he was so precious without being flawless! Handsome and clever and fun and with the kindest heart. He made comics for a living and there were little drawings throughout the story ‘made by him’. I’m torn because, as I said before, I liked Gemma’s POV, but I felt like I would have loved to see Josh too since unrequited love trope is my kryptonite. He was head over heels in love with Gemma, and she was oblivious and dating OM who was clearly an as*** even if she couldn’t see it. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I saw the twist coming or that I don’t like the OM trope, but I think Gemma was oblivious enough to keep the slow burn without the need of a third wheel.


However, the thing that really bothered me was Gemma was OTT judgmental, and she was thirty-two. Has she not learned anything in twenty years? I loved her POV because she was funny and positive, but there were a couple of scenes where I wanted to slap her in the face, hug Josh and tell him she didn’t deserve his awesomeness. Luckily, she realized it -yes, character development-, and changed it. But the drama-free lover in me was still bothered.


Gemma’s poor judgment and the OM aside, this book was a joy to read. It was cute, heartwarming, unique and so much fun! I spent one afternoon reading it, just smiling and laughing with the characters. And I’ve found a new book BF!!


I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. It hit on some hard topics but still made it work. I loved Gemma and her personality. Josh is amazing! Swoon alert lol! I laughed, I cried. I wanted more.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was one of my first reads at the start of the new year and I couldn't think of a better way to start the year. I was unable to put the book down and finished reading it within two days of starting it. There are so many ups and downs that the characters go through before we get a satisfying ending. When leading up to the climax I could feel the tension growing within Gemma. The one criticism that I hold for this book is the attention to detail to unnecessary scenes that don't need the extra details. Definitely recommend this book to anyone that is in a reading slump or needs a quick read.

This was really charming! A few things irked me, that I think were unrealistic. A woman going to a fertility clinic would have likely done a tad more research about the process and/or the doctor would at length discuss the process to include trials and tribulations. But aside from the heroine’s lack of knowledge about how she will achieve her desired baby, the idea is cute and the tropes were on point for me! Gotta love a second chance childhood-ish romance/crush situation. Brother’s best friend- even better! This trope always sets up for cuteness tenderness and this one didn’t disappoint! Overall really happy and thankful for this ARC. It helped me get out of a reading slump!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was a mixed bag for me. I found Josh to be completely likeable and kept wishing there was more of him in the story. Gemma, however, was not likeable to me at all. If we could define those two in one sentence, I would say, “Josh is a giver, and Gemma is a taker”. I wish Gemma could have been shown as being a little less self absorbed so I could have rooted for her and Josh. Instead, I was wishing he would find someone who would treat him the same way he treated Gemma.

I did like how this book explored the struggles of infertility. I also really liked the women in Gemma’s support group. I enjoyed the secondary or minor characters best in this story. I even found the “horrible” coworker, Lavinia, more likeable than Gemma.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
#JoshandGemmaMakeaBaby #NetGalley

“When I was a little kid, I worshipped Josh Lewenthal, now, I couldn't care less about him, I just needed his sperm."

What You'll Find:
✔️Romantic Comedy
✔️Brothers Best Friend
✔️Secret Crush
✔️Fake Relationship
✔️Slow Burn
✔️Single POV

Gemma has it all. Except the one thing she really wants: a baby. Relationships have been disastrous and with a infertility diagnosis she makes a New Years resolution to make her dream come true via IVF. Enter Josh. A laid back, stand up kind of guy. He's been in her life for the last 20 years. As her brothers friend. But he seems like the perfect option to be her sperm donor. And he surprisingly agrees. But once the baby making process begins, it's hard to keep things business like.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was unputdownable. This story was fun, heartwarming and tender. With plenty of laugh out loud moments. There was also a hint of tenderness and emotion that I wasn't expecting but really loved. The entire premise was genius and completely drew me in.

Gemma is practical but a tad on the quirky side. And maybe just a bit quick to judge. I didn't love her at times but then she could make me laugh on the flip side. Maybe she gets it from her mother, gosh she could be awful! I will say that I felt she showed some growth in the end. Josh on the other hand, was her complete opposite. A man of few words. But laid back, with an easy smile. A smile i felt hid alot. I would have loved to have his POV but it definitely wasn't needed to love him. Total swoon.

These two have a history that I would have loved to have more of. But I really enjoyed reading as their relationship grew and evolved. It was more of a slowburn, frenemies to lovers, with some eventual steam that I really enjoyed. The side characters are unique, that's for sure. And speaking of, you know what I really loved... that it didn't have the typical brothers bestfriend drama that I feel is the same in this genres trope. It was so refreshing not that have that! Overall I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend. This is my first time reading this author, and look forward to reading more in the future.


TW/CW: Infertility, Miscarriage

* I received an ARC from Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and given freely.

This book was a wild ride. Parts of it were completely ridiculous and shocking to read. It made me laugh and it made me cry. Be aware that it does handle some difficult subject matter. I really felt for the characters. Worth mentioning this book has a pretty significant amount of spice. It gets pretty steamy. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, and Sarah Ready for the advanced copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was a surprising book for me. At times, it was silly and a little over-the-top like a romantic comedy can be (there’s a whole scene at the clinic with another couple that would never happen IRL, right?!) but at others, it was so sweet. Oh, and there was a scene in the second half of the book that had me sobbing because it was so beautiful.

There is a lot in here about all things infertility and IVF, so if that’s a trigger or sensitive subject for you, please keep that in mind. I do think it was handled sensitively and accurately.

This book follows Gemma who made a new year resolution to try and have a baby of her own. The story follows her as she tries to convince her brothers best friend Josh to be the sperm donor for her baby. He agrees to it but of course it isn’t smooth sailing from there on out. Because of this difficult journey Gemma has to go on they recommend she joins a group of ladies that are also trying to have a baby and the people in that group are just amazing. I would have loved to read more about them but this was Gemma’s story. They all just have such different personalities and their story’s to how they got there are all every different and it was nice to see that there isn’t one “right” way to have a baby.
What I really liked was the chemistry all the characters have even if it was just friendship it made sense. Of course, there was lots of tension between Gemma and Josh as making a baby together isn’t as simple as it seemed.
It was a super enjoyable read and I’ll definitely pick up future books by this author.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had a surprising amount of depth for a book in this genre. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

Bridget Jones-esque without the cringe.
There were many things I enjoyed in this book. First, the main characters had realistic backstories, careers, personal interests aside from the romance plot, that gave me reasons to root for them from the start and made their interactions really pleasant to follow. The progression of Josh and Gemma’s relationship was realistic for two kids who grew up in one another’s vicinity without ever being friends and then try to find a way to act around each other as adults. Moments of banter, awkwardness, emotion, and hilarity ensue.
Second, this book has some truly laugh-out-loud moments. The humor lands every single time, whether it’s used to amp up the stakes of a scene or deflate tension. Gemma has a slightly self-deprecating humor that is never too dark or cruel and makes her a rather likable MC.
Her struggle to create the family she’s always dreamed about was touching. It will speak to many readers who are going or have gone through the same: the steps she needs to take to get IVF (and her emotional state at each stage) were very real.
In that struggle, Josh was an unexpected but soon essential ally. I loved how–unlike many love interests in contemporary romance–he was a truly kind, sensitive person and was presented as such from the start. None of the “asshole with a secret heart of gold” trope here. If anything, Gemma’s obliviousness, in contrast, felt too far-fetched to be believable and made her look like the (involuntary) asshole more often than not.
That would be my one complaint about this book: our heroine is. So. Damn. Oblivious. It took a huge effort to suspend my belief and accept the fact that 1) a woman considering a family friend to be her sperm donor would go in without obsessively reading every page with an instance of his name on Google first–thus getting in the deal *without knowing anything* about the guy except that he’s *always been there.* and 2) said woman could work for the same employer for over seven years (and very closely at that) without hearing even the slightest whiff of gossip about him. For instance, if my boss had a reputation for being a douchebag and/or a major sleazeball, I would *probably* have gotten a sense of it sooner than seven years in. Several times in the book, a character starts to reveal some important truth to Gemma and she either interrupts them or they’re interrupted and she never tries to go back to what looked like a juicy bit of info. I’d guessed the future plot twists five minutes in, and then it really annoying to read about Gemma missing the clues lying right under her nose. That made Gemma seem uncannily oblivious and naive.
(The book was also very white and heterosexual. I don’t think it had any non-white, non-cishet character. Hard to believe that it would be the case for anyone living in a big city, let alone NYC. So, you’ll need to be able to suspend your disbelief and accept that a thirty-year-old woman can spend a decade in New York never crossing paths with a person of color, and surviving the NYC life while being naive and oblivious.)
Fortunately the ending was so sweet it made up for the above weaknesses. There were some sad moments but they brought all our characters closer together. Gemma’s family is so lovable and supportive. The last chapter gives everyone the HEA they deserve. It left me with a warm, satisfied feeling – all you want from a romance!
Romance readers will enjoy <i>Josh and Gemma Make A Baby</i> for its humor, banter, and sweet acquaintances-to-friends-to-lovers romance.

**Thanks to NetGalley and to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC. for an ARC in exchange of an honest review!**

DNF at 5%.
This is me being insufferable, but I just can't do it. I've barely started reading this book and it's already riddled with issues that I can't look past. To be competely fair this probably won't bother anyone but me, but here they are anyway:
1. Our narrador, Gemma, mentions one instance when she was sixteen where her sister tells her to stay away from Josh, our love interest, and Gemma obviously ignores her and obviously faces the consequences, which includes the fear of being pregnant. But they didn't do anything sexual. Why the fuck would she think she's pregnant???? This girl is sixteen and doesn't know basic sex ed????
2. Throw away fatphobic comment.
3. Gemma supposedly works in marketing. She says she posted a picture of a cat with the quote "if you can imagine it, you can do it" slapped on top of it on social media, and it apparently got "nine bazillion likes." As a girl constantly on social media I can promise you this wouldn't even get five likes.
4. The writing style is super personal and constantly reads like Gemma is talking directly to you. Made me sick to my stomach.