It would have gotten 5 stars, if Gemma had not been insufferable in a few parts of the novel, but overall I loved it, and Josh has my heart.

"Love is the best gift I've ever had the privilege to give"

I really enjoyed this book! It was a very solid 4 star read for me, and I couldn't put it down once I picked it up. Like for real, I read this in one sitting. I think that if you are considering picking up this book, I have an important disclaimer before I recommend it: if discussions of infertility/miscarriages is a trigger for you, then this is not the book to pick up as it was described in the book, often in detail. It also has moments of family members saying hurtful things about the heroines physical appearance, including her weight, so keep that in mind too.

Okay, now that is out of the way though, lets talk about what this book has going for it that made me unable to put it down! This book has every trope from friends agreeing to have a baby together, to brother best friend, to guy falls first, to straight up PINING from the male character. Gemma was highkey oblivious, which was a little frustrating at times and is the main reason for the lost star, but overall it was a very fun time. Josh was very sweet, and so obviously cared for Gemma so much. The book also talked about such important topics, like IVF, while also being very lighthearted. The main conflict in the book was predictable (in my opinion) to everyone except Gemma, but that honestly didn't detract from the reading experience. Overall, if you like any of the tropes that I mentioned, I would highly highly recommend this book!


*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for review*

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby caught my eye immediately and it wasn't just the unusual title. I loved how the cover looked like and I thought it would be an interesting read based on the blurb. I went into the book with high expectations and I have to say that the book met them.
Gemma is a single 32 year old woman working for a self-help guru and she tired of waiting for a guy to have a baby, so she decides to do it herself. She doesn't want get a donor sperm so she asks her brother's best friend, Josh to help her out.
The book delivered exactly what it promised. The pacing was perfect and I really enjoyed the characters and though at times I found Gemma a little frustrating I loved her for the most part. The plot was engaging and the pacing was perfect. Honestly there isn't anything to criticise. Overall it is the perfect book for you if you are looking for a cute romance.

This book is funny, heartbreaking, and pretty cheesy— and I loved every minute of it!

Gemma is a 32 year old divorcée who decides she does not need a man to give her what she really wants— a baby. She decides that since she’s known her brother’s best friend almost all her life, and he’s a decent guy, she wants him to be her donor. There is no way she can develop any feeling for easy-going Josh—right?

Gemma’s journey was an emotional rollercoaster in the best way. She is figuring out what she wants for herself in life and going for it herself. Gemma can be super random, funny, and really loves her inspirational quotes. It’s easy to get frustrated with her sometimes, but that just makes her seem more like a real person who makes mistakes and sometimes is afraid to face reality. She definitely grew on me and I wanted her to succeed so badly!

Josh really made me love this story. Even though it was a single POV, we got to know a lot about Josh and why he is how he is. His devil may care smile carries different meanings as he develops a friendship with Gemma. We learn more and more about Josh through the eyes of Gemma which works really well with his character and helps the reader fall in love with him as our hero!

Josh and Gemma’s friendship was everything and I absolutely loved their dynamic. Gemma’s friends were honestly hilarious and I would be sold on reading about each one of them too!

This was such a fun and heartfelt read and I would definitely recommend!

3.5 stars
This book is kind of a wild card for me, meaning not a typical book I would read, but the premise sounded so fun I couldn’t resist.

For the most part I really enjoyed this book. Sometimes romcoms end up not actually being that funny and this book was a good blend of both. I also think this had a well developed supporting cast too.

The only thing I wasn’t 100% sold on was just how clumsy or embarassing Gemma was. Some things were too over the top. I also will warn my more sensitive friends that there is a mature scene and a couple suggestive scenes throughout, but they are easily skipped, if that’s your inclination.

Overall, really fun and a gentle look into infertility and motherhood.

What a cute book! Gemma is facing a crossroads in her life: divorced, childless, and hitting that 30-something age that just makes you itch for more. When she decides to go through fertility treatments with a long time acquaintance, will she get everything she wants? I appreciated this book’s ability to balance romance and universal feelings of never being or having enough. Although at times unreliable and flawed in her own right, Gemma is someone you’ll create a friendship with and pull for to get her own happy ending the whole way.

it was cute other than the main character being annoying and the plot being so random. it had it’s moments but it went wrong where so many books about struggling to get pregnant, the ending felt out of a fairytale suddenly all her friends and her who had been trying to have a baby all had newborns and they didn’t really touch on IVF heavily and the physical and mental toll it can have on people

** I read an advanced copy of this book on netgalley in exchange for an honest review **

'Josh and Gemma Make a Baby' follows 30-something Gemma who after a failed marriage and several dating fails, finally decides to go it alone by having a baby via IVF. However, she decides that rather than choosing a random sperm donor from a catalogue, she'll stay close to home, and selects her brother's best friend Josh (who also took her virginity way back when) for the job. Much to her surprise, Josh accepts. Quirky hijinks ensue.

This is the ultimate book for rom-com lovers. I mean that literally, as several scenes and/or lines are lifted straight from Bridget Jones (in such a way that I read it as homage rather than a straight copy): Mother at a post-Christmas party makes Gemma wear an ugly dress and tries to set her up with every man going, charming but clearly awful boss tries to smarm his way into Gemma's heart while also besmirching Josh through shared history. The two protagonists even have an exchange where they shyly assert that they like each other "just as they are."

However it doesn't just feel like your average rom-com copy- the IVF storyline is heartfelt and brings some awareness to the reality of infertility and all the complicated emotions that go with it. Gemma joins a support group and the three women she befriends there are great characters (one of them is so clearly a Natasha Lyonne-inspired Bronx-accented wild-red-haired smart talking lawyer that she jumps off the page) and their different stories give variety and add some conflict to the story as Gemma's rollercoaster of emotions - and developing feelings for Josh - start to take hold. In addition, Gemma's relationship with her mother and siblings is explored as she feels they often underestimate her and pity her for her infertility and spinsterhood.

Josh is also a nicely written character- he does feel a bit bland at times and mostly just smirks and makes sarcastic jokes, but his clear adoration of Gemma warms the heart and it's lovely to see their relationship develop. It's the brother's best friend- to lovers trope done very well.

All in all I really enjoyed this book, though found it quite derivative and like I already knew the story. However Sarah Ready is clearly a talented writer and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

I was given an ARC by Netgalley in return for an honest review

This book was pleasantly surprising. I went in thinking it would be just another run of the mill Contemporary Romance (which don't get me wrong, is totally fine) but a lot of this book touched on some really deep and heartfelt moments.

I will preface this by saying, I am an Assigned Female at Birth Nonbinary person who got pregnant on accident and was fortunate enough to have a very healthy and easy pregnancy. So the parts of the book that focus on the Infertility diagnosis, the IVF decision and everything that happens because of that doesn't hit as close to home as it might others who have been directly impacted. However, it is a testament to this book's writing that it still managed to make me cry and really feel the deep moments when needed, even when it was something vastly out of my wheelhouse of experience.

I really enjoyed Gemma and Josh, as well as the side characters, Gemma's family and friends etc. The characters seemed fleshed out and felt like actual people, which after reading a bit too many books lately with stilted conversations and cardboard interactions, was very refreshing. The chemistry between Josh and Gemma I felt was real. Their interactions made it make sense why they would end up together.

I will say, a lot of the plot is very obvious, as it falls into a lot of the classic tropes. However, I am a reader who actually enjoys tropes when executed cleverly, or with care. There is a fine line between having a well written, enjoyable book that follows classic tropes, and something that seems just formulaic. This book was definitely the former, even if you can tell very early on where a lot of interactions and foreshadowing will lead.

Overall, I think it is great to see a romance novel address a topic that is often not talked about, like Infertility and IVF etc, along with other themes of getting past pain, and seeing past your initial perceptions, and have it not be a dramatic bore to be honest. There were a lot of fun, enjoyable, happy moments, which I think humanizes that experience that the author themselves states affects 1 in 8 people who can get pregnant.

Overall, would definitely recommend for those who enjoy Romance and looking for something a bit different while still hitting the same fun Romance marks that makes the genre fun.

**I was gifted a free eARC of this story from NetGalley for an honest review.**
Trigger warnings: infertility and miscarriage.

As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I was going to consume it in one go and absolutely love it. And I was right! As someone who has looked into the route Gemma attempts to take, I felt a sense of comfort knowing women like myself were being represented in a novel. Of course, this isn't how it always goes, if at all for most SMBC women on this journey, but I really appreciated Sarah Ready's attempt to bring attention to it.

I adored both Gemma and Josh a great deal. I liked their connection, and the fact that they had known each other for most of their lives, but in Gemma's case, there was also so much to learn about Josh too. Gemma has faced a great deal in her 32 years of life. She's been ridiculed, cheated on, suffered from a failed marriage, had constant opinions about her life - both good and bad - and she finally chooses to do something for herself that she has wanted, and that's to make a baby. Of course, she chooses Josh, her brother's best friend to be the donor sperm of said baby, for all the wrong reasons to begin with. As she travels down the fertility route with Josh by her side, you get to see those reasons fall away and her affections for him take over. What I liked most about this is that Gemma is held accountable for her actions later into the novel and she does something about it instead of wallowing. Josh equally is fantastic support, not only as someone who loves Gemma but accepting her choice to make this baby in a non-traditional way. I found his part in this journey to be truly wonderful and made me smile a great deal.

This is a typical rom-com, and whilst the overall story is heartwarming and endearing, I did appreciate the angstier moments and the heartbreak that comes along with infertility. Even though it was ridiculously tough to navigate the hardships in this novel when in the moment, I'm grateful to the author for putting them in there. Because this is a topic around something that affects so many women around the world and isn't talked about enough.

The only "complaint" I could have over this story is Gemma's sheer oblivious and judgmental behaviour. Although she rectifies it (a little too smoothly in some ways, I think), and I liked that she comes to realise how awful she's been to a whole lot of people, I just found it a little off-putting how easily she bounces back from it and how accepting everyone is. I don't know if that was wholly realistic enough for me. But it's such a small flaw in an overall cliche yet wonderfully written romance.

Apparently I like the brothers best friends trope and I am not mad at it. The last 3 romances I have read have been this trope and this one is by far my favourite. I devoured this one so fast and I was so invested in it, it was wild.

I loved this book so much I don't even know where to start! Our main characters were great. Gemma and Josh just seemed so realistic and I enjoyed both of them so much. Their growth both apart and together was so enjoyable to watch. Gemma did have her moments of being annoying and naive but to me that was the stuff that made it realistic. It wasn't extreme and hard to read like some books I have read recently. It was enough to be believable.

Another thing that's been similar is the role the brothers best friend being a dominant presence in the family and having a rough upbringing which is why they are so involved with the family. I really like this aspect and I really liked the family dynamics as a whole in this book.

This book although a romance, it covers some heavier topics most predominantly infertility. I love the support group she is apart of and their whole journey together as a friendship circle. It really delves into the struggles and ups and downs of the ivf journey they all go through together. You get a good wee insight into each of the ladies in the group too and I really enjoyed that added aspect to the book.

To me this book was just a great book all round and it gave me the ending I had hoped for. I 100% recommend this for romance readers but just to be aware of the content surrounding infertility.

I loved this book the character development of Josh. The banter and that they took a real issue that women face and made it fun. Gemma's journey to motherhood was eye opening for me I've had friends that have gone through it but it was so much more in this book. I won't ruin the book for others but I highly recommend you pick it up also solely for Josh's comic timing. He knew just was to say to Gemma when she was worried.

I started this one & while sweet, it has a few too many triggers of mine to continue reading. I DNFed around 10%. I think other people would like this one, just unfortunately not for me.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

**thank you to NetGalley and publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.


This book follows Gemma and her journey for completing her New Years Resolution—having a baby. She’s 33, a divorcee, has stage 4 endometriosis, and wants to start a family. So she decides to do it by herself, and go to a fertility clinic. Except, she’s not dating anyone, and she doesn’t want to use a donor. So she decides to ask Josh Lewenthal, her brothers best friend, a notorious player, to be her donor for her baby.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. I love a brothers best friend trope, and a pregnancy trope. This book covers infertility, and I really doubted how much that would effect me. I didn’t love the writing, and I felt like there could’ve been more depth with the characters. All in all, it was a pretty interesting read!!!

I went into this thinking it was a typical cheesy romance but oh man was I wrong in the best way!! This book completely wreaked me! 😭 I literally devoured it in 24 hours! So deep!!
It had me laughing and crying in all the right places. The relationship between Josh and Gemma was so sweet and I loved their banter. It was beautifully written and Sarah Ready was really able to accurately lay out the struggles of infertility that so many walk through (IVF, miscarriage, etc.). A beautiful story of love, friendship, and family. I highly, highly recommend! I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about this book.

A fun and hot brother's best friend romance, which tackled some series topics

Firstly thanks to Roz for recommending this book to me! I enjoyed it for the most part, and it helped me to finally kick my reading slump!

Sarah Ready was a new author to me, and I liked her writing style here, it flowed well and drew me in quickly. The story itself was sweet and predictable, and although a little flawed, it was endearing enough for me to overlook some things.

I was pleased that the book tackled IVF and also miscarriages, but I wouldn't advise reading this if you are infertile, going through IVF or have suffered a miscarriage recently because there are some things which may upset you, and that are a little unbelievable. For example, the being able to book in for the IVF so quickly and easily without having to wait.. on what planet?! Also the main character's lack of knowledge of IVF going in. She knew nothing about it, and did no research, which was irritating! Saying that, it was refreshing to read about discussions on fertility, miscarriages and endometriosis, and some of it felt real, knowing quite a few couples who struggled to get pregnant, and had IVF. There are definitely highs and lows, heartbreak and joy, and it's not an easy road to go down, but I know friends who happily have had success. I was pleased that (view spoiler).

I thought the main characters had good chemistry and steam, with that slow-burn longing which gave me the feels and made me swoon. The romance was sweet, and I adored Josh (why are all love interests called Josh btw?!!). Although he didn't have a pov, I still felt like I got to now him.

Some of the humour was very silly (gold catsuit, boytoy etc) but most of it broke up the emotional scenes nicely.

The friends were likeable, if not a little caricature, and I would happily read about their stories!

Things which soured the story for me was the fat shaming, and was Gemma even overweight?! The infertility shaming, where the whole town seemed to know about Gemma's struggles and judged her for it?! Where her family were really horrible to her about it. I know this can happen, but it wasn't nice reading about it. I had a real problem with Gemma's mum, who was toxic. Interfering and nasty doesn't even cover it! There was a real lack of communication there, and although he redeemed herself in the story, and still feel salty about her treatment of her daughter.

The gross men and community, who made Gemma feel worthless was upsetting, but again, I acknowledge that some people do act like this.

The inspirational quotes, which really could just be copied and pasted from the internet, but played a vital part in a plot twist..

And Gemma...bless her. A lot of people will not like her at all. She was immature, annoying and a bit of a mess! So flawed, insecure and blinkered. She did annoy me at times, but I didn't mind her. She felt like a work in progress, and definitely needed to grow up!

So although I devoured this book, and mostly enjoyed it, I did have a few issues with it, and don't seem to love it as much as others do. However, if you're looking for an easy romance read, and can suspend belief, and go with the flow, this might be for you, it was fun and quite heart-warming in the end.

"Love is the best gift I've ever had the privilege to give."

A huge thank you to Sarah Ready and NetGalley for this eArc. If you are a fan of rom-coms and Christina Lauren, this is a book for you! This book gave me Bridget Jones vibes with my favorite tropes such as slow burn, childhood friends to lovers, and brother’s best friend. The story centers around Gemma (early 30s, divorced female lead) who decided on New Year’s that she did not want to be anyone’s pity date any longer and wanted to have a child of her own. However, given her endometrioses diagnosis, she is infertile and her option is to have IVF. Of course, since she does not have a partner, who else better to pick than her brother’s best friend who is absolutely gorgeous and she has known for 24 years? (Can’t fault her though - I would very much love a Josh in my life too).

This book had me laughing and crying at the right places. I love how Sarah touched the heavy topic of infertility and illustrated how difficult the journey is for a woman undergoing IVF with emotional depth and sensitivity. Other than the romance aspect, I enjoyed witnessing Gemma’s personal development as a character. If you are looking for some spice, there is very little in here but the humor and interesting plot will keep you hooked. It is a sweet, funny rom-com that I devoured in 3 hours and has become one of my most memorable reads.

One small error is that DI stands for donor insemination rather than Donor husband.

"When you realize you love someone and that you want to spend the rest of forever with them, you want forever to start right now."

𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆:4🌟/5

🇷 🇪 🇻 🇮 🇪 🇼:

Before that, I want to thank netgalley, author and the publisher for giving me this e-arc.

This book follows Gemma, who suffered in infertility. As her dreams to have a family and after being cheated by his ex husband, she decided to make a baby through IVF procedure. As of this, she decided to choose Josh, her ex boyfriend aka her brother 's best friend for his sperm in order for her to get pregnant.

First, i would love to talk abt the plot. I actually adore how the author actually discusses on a very sensitive topic - infertility. I dont really sure if the methods in this book is accurate but I sure of one thing, it give a glimpse on the procedure of the IVF, it also discussed on the importance of family support, the hardship whereas some couple tried it for many times for it to stick but end up failed. It very raw and an eye-opener

Gemma, a divorcee and she got a trust issue with a relationship after being cheated by his husband and she decided to have a baby alone. She is so strong and independent, I respect her for that but her character are too judgy at first, its hard to like her character AT first but her character development throughout the book is amazing. At least, she realized on it and ask for forgiveness. It hurts too when she condemn her friends and also Josh.

Josh, he is so sweet and he works as cartoon creator. The way he loves Gemma from the very beginning. Ahh. So cute. He LITERALLY making comic abt her but she doesn't even realised that because she doesn't read it. He even makes a comic for their unborn child. 😭♥️. The proposal scene also AHHHHHHH. I LOVE IT. its very sweet ♥️

Last but not least, you should give this one a shot if you never read this kind of topic; IVF and infertility. Its a great read ❤️

I rarely give romcoms 5 stars because they’re usually too predictable and cheesy for me. However, Josh and Gemma Make a Baby deserves 5 stars! I loved this story immensely! I haven’t laughed out loud this much while reading in a long time! This was such a sweet, heartfelt story. I loved the infertility awareness. I loved Josh’s comic books. I loved Gemma being curvy. This was just a perfect romcom! Thanks to Netgalley for the arc - I will be buying a physical copy of this book when it releases!