This was a very in the middle of the road romance for me. I think it definitely had things that worked well but it also had a few things that I really did not enjoy.

On a positive note, the topic of fertility and issues surrounding it was addressed in a way that I think any woman who has had issues will be able to relate to. There were several women in this story that had fertility issues that were discussed at length to really show the spectrum of the issues women can face when trying to conceive. I thought that Josh was a very sweet, genuine character who never tried to push Gemma into a situation that would make her uncomfortable.

Things that I didn’t like about this book mostly revolve around Gemma. She was very inconsiderate and selfish through the majority of the book. She has assumptions about Josh’s career that she held onto even after other characters mentioned that he was very well off in his job. She talks about her boobs constantly, which came off as very self centered. The miscommunication troupe was rampant on her life. I just couldn’t get behind her as a character most of the time.

5/5 stars!

I was pleasantly surprised with this read which I devoured in what felt like no time at all!

Gemma has been through a lot in her early adult years and has decided to make her own path to personal happiness and have a baby on her own via IVF. Josh is Gemma’s older brother, Dylan’s, childhood best friend. He’s always been around; he’s nice and he’s funny. To Gemma, he’d be the perfect sperm donor, so she decides to make him a no commitment, business-like deal. To her surprise, Josh agrees! And that’s where the fun begins!

The writing is amusing and full of banter. I found myself laughing in more places than I would like to admit. There’s plenty of cheesy self-help quotes (which do have their purpose in the story). I also experienced some frustrations about the slow burn romance that felt like we were missing opportunities to engage in! The sort of ‘love triangle’ between Ian (Gemma’s boss) and Josh added some tension, but ultimately was a hiccup in the plot that we quickly dismiss.

I loved the character development and sort of ‘life lessons’ that Gemma went through. She has experienced a lot of awful circumstances and relationships in her young adult life, but she slowly grows into herself and learns to trust and share her feelings again. I also enjoyed how the author allowed us to feel like we were really getting to know Josh alongside Gemma.

Brook, Hanna and Carly were women in Gemma’s fertility support group, who were all going through their own through their own tough time with infertility. They were secondary characters who really rounded out the story and added to the laughs! It would definitely be cool if the author made companion novels with their perspectives/relationships as well!

All in all, a well-paced slow burn romance with plenty of chemistry from a new-to-me author! I will be looking into more of her works in the near future!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.</i>

This is a super cute rom-com with a surprising amount of depth and a detailed look at the joys and sadnesses of IVF, but also has its fair share of humor. I'm not a big fan of the brother's bff trope but it didn't affect my reading experience too much.

So. This is a DNF for me at 20% and I feel awful DNFing ARCs. This was clearly not a book written for me - and that's okay. I thought it was something I'd enjoy (hence requesting the ARC) but ultimately it was just not. With that in mind I won't give it an actual rating - but my current feelings on this are 1.5-2 star.

What I did like - A woman with a stable job decides she doesnt want to wait for a man to become a mother and pursues IVF on her own to have a baby. While single motherhood can be incredibly difficult I love seeing strong independent women recognize that it can also be the right choice for them too. Though of course I know this will end with her in a relationship (and presumably pregnant without IVF) it's just nice to see that conversation.

Gemma also had some funny moments - such as not realizing she joined a video call half naked and hiding from the camera while giving a presentation. the set up was a bit weird but it made me laugh. I think there was likely more of this silly humor throughout and will be enjoyable for those who like the book.

but what I didn't like far outweighed everything to the point I had to put the book down.
- the incesssant reminder that Gemma is damaged goods because she is fat (which... i dont even think she actually WAS fat. just heavier than her mom/sister), divorced and infertile. So just a heads up women if you fit that profile you might as well die? Was that supposed to be funny that everyone thought she was just a dried up hag? It felt very dated and even worse coming from a woman. and it was coming from EVERYWHERE. it sucked.

- I am not a fan of boss/employee relationships so that starting up was a PERSONAL no for me (however - i dont hold this against the book since i know its a common trope. just not one for me).

- the kindle version of this book had really random and out of place drawings that mostly confused me and did NOT add anything to the story. when i say they're random and out of place it was because they didnt need to be there, they messed up the formatting and they weren't used with any consistency. You tell me Josh is on the bed, then you show me a drawing of a bed (without Josh) and add the caption "he was on the bed" like yes i know what a bed is why is this here? I haven't read adult books that contain pictures so maybe i'm missing something with that but it did not work for me at all.

- Kindle Formatting specifically - each chapter has a quote from Ian under the chapter number (and i think always used within the chapter - that part was cute) however on teh kindle most of these quotes were unnecessarily large and frequently cut off due to the margins. Hopefully that will be fixed by the time this is released but it was distracting for me.

Ultimately this book is the equivalent to a Hallmark Movie - you know all the beats, and where it'll go and those can absolutely be fun experiences to just have an easy-digestible-comfort read where you know whats going to happen. Unfortunately - i wanted a sexier story with more likeable characters and this just did not deliver.

I do hope the intended audience enjoys this though.

- thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

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

A huge thank you to Sarah Ready and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this wonderful book!

Okay, let's start. When I say I loved this book with all my heart I mean I loved it so much I pre-ordered a copy just to mark all my favorite parts with stickies (I guess that'll pretty much cover the whole book!). And I've never pre-ordered a book cuz I pride myself on having good self-control but it was a lost battle when it came to Josh and Gemma make a baby!

I always rate the books at the end of my review but heck I'm changing that for this one simply because I'd give it 10 shiny stars out of 5 if I could! I honestly don't know how I'm going to review this without spoilers.

Let's start with Gemma, she's an absolute sweetheart protagonist and I loved her. I think she will resonate with a lot of mothers out there and those who dream of becoming a mother one day. Like everyone else she makes mistakes but she's not above apologizing for them. And that makes her real and I love that. She was a bit oblivious at times and hard-headed. She refuses to see beyond her character assessment of people which more often than not is wrong. Because she's crap at it. And you know who else is oblivious and is terrible at character judgment? Me! So I can relate.

Then there's Josh, he shall forevermore hold my heart because if the sun was a person it'd be him! I loved his character. I loved how his character had so much depth. Honestly, I did not expect him to steal my heart. But I too like Gemma was terribly wrong and now he's my new book husband.

Every character in the book added humor and experience to the plot and I enjoyed that. This book had me laughing, sobbing, and cheering in the two days it took me to finish it. I think there was a night I dreamt this too ;) I was so hooked I could not put it down. The little drawings and the quotes added a little flair and magic to the story. It stole my heart and made me love this more. I know I'm going to reread this quite a few times and it's gonna hold a special place in my heart!

My first ever book by Sarah Ready and I'm already in love with her writing, her characters and all funny moments throughout the book.
From the first chapter I laughed, cried and laughed again. We know the beginning, we can expect the ending, but we cannot imagine what will be going on between the first and last page (or at least I couldn't!). This is definetly a good mix between slow and fast burn with lots of funny and emotional moments - I cried so hard while reading the last 20 pages so you better get some tissues!
If you like single POV you will be very happy with this one! Gemma is an interesting character with flaws, she might seem a bit silly but hopeful at the same time, she loves to use cheesy quotes from self-help guru and her boss Ian Fortune (I have to be honest some of them were really good.).
Josh on the other hand has had a tough life and we might not like him at the start but with every chapter we get to like him more and more!
I'm not sure if there was anything that I didn't like - except for Ian Fortune but that was the whole point of the story. I'm glad that Gemma was able to talk to her mom and say everything that was on her mind. Our parents wish well for us and want us to do the best but sometimes they can't show it in the right way.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a story about exactly that; Josh and Gemma making a baby, except not in the conventional sense.

Gemma, at the ripe old age of thirty two, decides that since she's not found a partner, she'll pursue her dream of motherhood through IVF. With little thought shown on the page and no hesitation from Gemma about making such a huge decision, she goes ahead and books an appointment and lies about having a donor at the ready. At this point, I found Gemma hard to like and relate to because she comes across as flighty and ignorant. Josh is a likeable character but I felt we didn't see enough of him and I struggled with the fact that he didn't call Gemma out on some of the things she said and did.

The book started with some really strong chapters but thereafter I did struggle to stay on track and I just wasn't invested in the characters.

A heartwarming story that has great character chemistry, banter, and a few twist and turns,

Gemma is a divorcee in her mid-thirties who makes a new years resolution to have a baby by herself - as she's tired of waiting for Mr Right. She decides that IVF is the best course of action, and asks her brother's best friend Josh to be the donor. I loved the characters Sarah created and the friends to lovers dynamic between Gemma and Josh.

The title and cover initially drew me into this book, but I will definitely be picking up more Sarah Ready books in the future.

Content warnings in the book: infertility, miscarriage, death.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby follows Gemma, a divorced woman in her 30’s who wants to have a baby. Despite her infertility and her doctor telling her she will never have children, she learns that there is an opportunity for her to get pregnant through IVF. All she needs is a sperm donor.

This is where the love interest, Josh comes into play. Having known Gemma since they were children (and being the best friend of her brother), Gemma asks Josh to be her donor. What follows is a story of friendship, growth, and love.

This book balanced serious topics and fun in a natural way. The perspective shared by Gemma is quite important, and I learned a lot through reading about her and her journey. Despite some extremely cringey scenes and moments, I really enjoyed reading this book. It definitely was 100% predictable, but that didn’t really bother me. I also loved the illustrations throughout the book. I haven’t really seen illustrations in other books in this genre before, and I thought they really added a lot to the story. Reading about Josh and Gemma was a good time, and I will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The overall premise of the story felt very original and I enjoyed the character development. Gemma felt a little hot and cold to me, there were times I really enjoyed her and times I really thought she was awful. But! I loved Josh, though I wished he was a little more forthcoming at times. I did feel that the Ian storyline was a bit random but it worked with the story.. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from the author!

Thank you Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#JoshandGemmaMakeaBaby #NetGalley

I really enjoyed the character build up of this book. A lot of reviews I saw on GOODREADS said that people weren’t a big fan of Gemma’s character but I disagree. I actually really liked her. For someone who caught her husband cheating on her & then got a heart wrenching medical diagnosis, she has an uncanny positive attitude towards life. Her mantra is basically ‘everything always happens for a reason’ & I try to live by the same concept in my own life so I could relate to her on that level. The person I disliked from the book, besides Ian of course, was actually Gemma’s mom! She was so pushy & judgmental. I hated that she called Gemma “overweight” and kept saying that she wasn’t “going to do better” than a frumpy 50 year old pervert guy who she was trying to set Gemma up with. And I REALLY didn’t like the fact that she kept throwing the fact that Gemma couldn’t have kids in her face. I’m sorry, but what kind of mother says those things to their kid? No. She’s awful. Ok, fine that was harsh. She’s not AWFUL. She actually redeems herself towards the end of the book but I stand by the fact that she shouldn’t have said those things in the first place. 🙄

Josh however is not awful. Josh is the furthest thing from awful. He is literally the literary world of romantic comedy’s greatest leading man character. He’s handsome, loyal, a family man who cares for his sick father & likes kids, plus he’s got a great sense of humor throughout the whole book. His whole demeanor puts you at ease & forces you not to take life so seriously which is a freaking blessing.

As for the storyline, I was really gripped from the beginning. I just had my first little one last August & I remember one of my greatest fears was being told I wouldn’t be able to conceive. I think it’s a fear that crosses most women’s minds because there’s a huge difference between not having kids because you don’t want to & not having kids because your body rejects them. That being said, I think the author did a great job conveying the journey, fears, expectations & hopefulness that comes with an IVF procedure for future mamas.

There was definitely a couple of parts in the book that I found kind of cheesy but I feel like that’s kind of a general expectation with any rom-com novel 🤷🏽‍♀️ All in all, it was a cute book & I’d definitely check out another of Sarah Ready’s books in the future.

I read this book in a couple of days; it was the perfect read. I requested this title as I liked the sound of it and I wasn't disappointed! I adored the main characters and their chemistry.
Gemma Jacobs is in her 30's, divorced and works for a self-help guru who she secretly crushes on. She has a great (dysfuncitonal, kooky) family but yearns to have a baby. After being diagnosed infertile, Gemma looks at IVF to make her dream come true - she just needs a sperm donor.
Enter in Josh Lewenthal, her brother's best friend who she has known for over 20 years. He seems like the perfect candidate.
But baby making isn't all just business as the two soon discover!
There are some funny moments and some more serious themes, and the author does a great job of explaining the IVF journey in a sensitive and informative way.
This was my second read of 2022 and I hope that I get to enjoy more fun and fabulous reads like this one. Do yourself a favour and add it to your list of books to read!

This was a cute romance read to help break up the monotony of the winter. I was scrolling through @netgalley when this one hopped out to me because of the vibrant colors. The description sounded cute, so I decided to jump in.

Gemma is in her 30s, recently divorced, and has given up on the idea of marriage and decides to have a baby through IVF. Her donor is going to be none other than her brother’s BFF and childhood crush, Josh.

I really liked following Gemma’s journey through IVF and I felt her cheater made some huge growth throughout the book. Josh was absolutely precious and genuine and was hands down my favorite character. I loved watching their relationship develop throughout the book. This book does tackle the topic of infertility and has some very emotional parts, so a definite trigger warning there. This book held my attention, made me tear up, and laugh.

There were some elements I didn’t like. I didn’t like how everyone kept talking down to Gemma and calling her things like “frumpy” and “chubby” and insinuating that she’s undesirable because she dresses a certain way. I also didn’t like all of the cheesy quotes that Gemma kept spouting throughout the book. At times it was a bit much and felt like reading a Hallmark card.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you’re looking for a light romance with an original plot!

Thank you @netgalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

This book was absolutely fab. I was utterly gripped and it contained a beautiful romance as well as the joy of seeing Gemma grow in confidence as she realised how strong she was. It was great to see a nice focus on the importance of friendship, both Josh’s friendship with Gemma & Dylan’s family, and the friendships that Gemma developed at her fertility support group.
Despite the occasional face palm at how Gemma couldn’t seem to see through Ian Fortune and took what felt like forever to realise Josh’s feelings for her were even stronger- the story developed at a great pace. It was funny, sad, romantic, sexy, and all round entertaining. I’ll be looking up more books by Sarah!

2.5

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

From the cover to the synopsis, I was drawn to the story. I've been craving (no pun intended) rom-coms lately so I thought, why not? Unfortunately, it didn't exactly work for me.

I liked Sarah's writing style and the pacing was OK, but I couldn't connect with the story or the characters – except for Josh, he was great. I wish authors would go beyond the six pack, broad shoulders kind of guy, though – don’t get me wrong, they work for me, but it’s 2022, we should have more diversity when it comes to MCs (maybe I’m also not looking hard enough since I usually read 3/4 romances a year). Since I’m talking about characters, Gemma was too naïve for a 32-year-old woman living in NY, plus I don’t like the miscommunication trope and it was there. The side characters were one-dimensional and didn’t add as much as they could have.

The plot was interesting and explores a topic I’m not familiarized with, the romantic scenes were sweet and well-written, but something was missing. Plus, some things would NEVER happen in real life (I’m looking at you boy-toy passage).

I will give the author another chance because, as I said, I liked her writing and hopefully she has another story that will fit me better.

#JoshandGemmaMakeaBaby #NetGalley

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange of an honest review. I requested this book because the cover and description sounded cute, but unfortunately I didn't vibe with it and after about 40% of the way through I've decided to DNF. The writing is solid and I think the concept is strong that if you're interested you should definitely consider picking it up. However, I did not find myself connecting to the main character and at almost halfway through the book still had not felt any chemistry between the romantic pairing. Maybe it's slow burn and would pick up soon after, but I'm not invested enough to continue.

Additionally there were a few other reasons that it did not work for me. First is Gemma - the book's main POV character - she's divorced, perpetually single, and due to surgery and endometriosis she believes that she will not be able to have children until she considers IVF. My problem with her however is that she's constantly referring to herself in a negative way. She mentions she's chubby, which is perfectly fine, however there is always a negative connotation associated with it like "dumpy." Second, in the first half of the book she's currently having a secret romantic relationship with her boss, which gives me the ick because of the power imbalance there and the fact that it's insinuated that he's only interested in her for her body - specifically her boobs which he accidentally saw on a video call. Finally, I found the writing at times to be juvenile. A romance does not have to be smutty to be good but I HATE when authors use cutesy phrases like "made my lady parts tingle."

Gemma has gone through a divorce an infertility diagnosis. She doesn't need Mr. Perfect to have her baby with, she resorts to an IVF donor. Josh has been a family friend for decades. He is smart enough and good-looking- perfect for her baby. When she asks him for some sperm, she doesn't expect him to agree, but the deal is on. A no commitment, unemotional agreement. What she doesn't realize, is that baby-making doesn't work without emotions.

I listened to this book in the audiobook format, and read parts of it, thanks to free e-ARCs from NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC. I loved both versions of the book, and the narration by Erin Mallon was awesome. The book story floated from one chapter to another, and I was impressed by the variation in the male and female voices that Erin had created. The book is basically a light-hearted, cheesy, rom-com surrounded with family and friends, each with their own little storyline that makes an important contribution to the plot. I specially loved Gemma's friends from the fertility group and their backstories and supportive mannerisms. Ian Fortune (Gemma's boss) strikes me as an abominable, horrible employer, and human in general. I hated him from the very beginning and found him very cringeworthy in a bad way. I think it was meant to be this way. I am not sure what to think of the inspirational quotes shared in the beginning of each chapter because I'm not exactly the inspiration person, but as they fit in beautifully with the context of the story my feelings are pretty neutral. The last few chapters were quite a twist and I'll admit, I never expected something like that. Of course, the most important bit of the story that I can't leave out is infertility. This isn't my first time reading a book about someone infertile, and though Sarah Ready didn't quite meet my expectations in that category, I still loved it. This is a genuinely hard topic to write about and the humor and general flow of the plot eased the tension of the main theme. So if you didn't get the point of me writing all this, in one sentence, you need this book.

Rating- 4/5

It's safe to say his is my first RomCom of 2022 and I may binge a couple of Sarah Ready's books in the near future. This is just a possibility.

JOSH AND GEMMA MAKE A BABY is as contemporary as they come. Gemma Jacobs, our protagonist and narrator manages the social media of self-help guru Ian Fortune and constantly quotes her boss; text messaging is favored over calls, somewhere in the mix comics come into play and support groups are sprinkled in there too.

Gemma is infatuated with her boss, a man that in the last seven years has never noticed her... But who would? She's a 32 year-old divorceé that is perceived as lacking of a fashion sense and self respect, to say the least. Her mom has been trying to set her up with a variety of "elegible" men and that only increases the idea of Gemma not being worth it. Enters the scene Josh Lewenthal, family friend for what seems to be Gemma's entire life and also Gemma's first crush, as the little-sister-in-love-with-her-older-bronther's-best-friend trope demands, naturally.

They're not as close though. Until Gemma decides to include him in her New Year's Resolution.

I'm the first to say that romance and "fluffy" literature is not my strong hat, this novel is reminiscent of Bridget Jones' Diary in the sense that Gemma is being constantly set up by her mother, the somewhat love triangle presented (I don't see it as such) between who she wants, who she thinks she wants and her; however, Gemma has already come to the realization that she doesn't need a man to get what she wants. She wants a family and she knows whose kid she wants to have: hers.

As for the baby part: IVF, miscarriage and motivations to pursue (or not) pregnancy and general grief are discussed, lightly, but they're there.

Gemma has been unlucky in love, and with an infertility diagnosis, decides to take matters into her own hands. With the help of her brother's best friend, Josh, Gemma decides to have a baby via IVF.

This book has many funny moments, and some steamy moments. (You'll never look at a lime Jell-O mold the same way again!) I love Gemma's growth throughout the book. It is told from only Gemma's POV. I would have liked to have seen Josh's POV, but because of a certain plot twist, I can understand why it just comes from Gemma's POV. As someone who has not gone through IVF, I cannot speak to how accurately this book addresses it, but I felt that the emotions were authentic.

TW: infertility, IVF, miscarriage, loss of parent, divorce, self-image

Thank you Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review. This book is out January 25, 2022.

3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Once I got into the meat of the book, I was invested and wanted to see Josh and Gemma together. Josh is a good person, and Gemma shows character growth over the course of the book. I read this one in two days.

I like the friendships among the women in the support group and how Gemma and Josh both speak fondly of how they remember her family from when they were growing up. I also like how the family connections grow stronger again at the end of the book.

Kudos to the author for taking on infertility and IVF. These topics aren't always openly discussed.

I struggled with the beginning of the book. Whether intentional or not, this book has aspects that heavily resemble Bridget Jones's Diary, especially at the beginning. The 32-year-old "slightly chubby" MC, her relationship with her mother, the first scene with the phone call and nosy coworker, and her parents' New Year's party and many of the details and interactions there feel like they were pulled from Bridget Jones's Diary. Ian is also a Daniel Cleaver-esque character to me.

The comic relief scenes with the other couple at the fertility clinic were not really my humor (although the painting part did make me snicker).

Ian felt like a flat character to me.

Overall, once I hit what felt like more original content, this was a good romantic comedy that took on some heavier themes. I would read it again.

Tropes: Brothers best friend, pregnancy, love triangle

Trigger Warnings: infertility, miscarriage, terminally ill parent, grief, divorce/infidelity, some fat shaming comments