I had a hard time getting into the story.
I had trouble understanding the beginning of the story; the first chapters did not seem to me to be coherent.
Spend these first chapters, I joined the story and these characters that I found endearing, realistic....
Nice discovery

J'ai eu du mal à rentrer dans l'histoire.
J'ai eu du mal à comprendre le début de l'histoire; les premiers chapitres me m'ont pas semblés être cohérents.
Passez ces premiers chapitres, j'ai adhéré à l'histoire et à ces personnages que j'ai touvré attachants, réalistes....
Belle découverte

This was an enjoyable read although I preferred the first book in the Josh and Gemma series. This book would have been difficult to follow without having read the first. The book had an original plot and an interesting premise. I felt some of the interactions between characters was juvenile and not very believable.

This is book two of the Josh and Gemma series. Sometimes one enough. I probably wasn't in the right place to read this book as I read it right after finishing a strong contender for my favorite of the year. So I thoroughly acknowledge that it might have annoyed more than normally. Given that it was strong love story between the characters and verge on torture porn a la the tv series This is US, If that's your thing, have at it.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

🦇 Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐

❝ I'm telling you that I love you. In a million little ways, in so many quiet, tiny, little ways, that they all add up to be greater than the biggest love in the whole world. I love you in so many little ways that it almost hurts. It almost hurts to love you.❞

❓ #QOTD If you had a second chance at a lost love, would you take it? ❓

🦇 Gemma Jacobs is ready to start her new life with fiancé Josh Lewenthal and their soon-to-be-born baby. Everything changes right before those two, beautiful words—"I do"—when Gemma has a seizure at the altar. It's not until after she wakes up from a coma (three months later!) that she learns she had pre-eclampsia. Having also suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), Gemma finds she no longer feels the love she once had for Josh. Can their love story survive what happens AFTER happily ever after?

💜 Sarah Ready does a wonderful job at highlighting socially relevant topics. While the first novel focused on the struggles of IVF, the sequel discusses medical subjects like TBI, pre-eclampsia, and the aftermath of nearly losing a loved one. There might have been more emotional enlightenment if we saw part of the story from Josh's perspective, though—namely while Gemma was in her coma.

🦇 Sarah Ready returns to Josh and Gemma's love story in an unnecessary sequel. Unfortunately, this book reads as more of a redemption story for an over-exaggerated villain than a true love story. Nothing is given the full extent of attention it deserves. Gemma abandons her plan to rekindle her love for Josh too quickly, there are few one-on-one moments illustrating the disconnect between her and her daughter (aptly named Hope, which I'm sure triggered a flashback for The Originals fans), and though the novel tries to bring attention to TBI and pre-eclampsia, we don't learn much about either diagnosis. This plot might have worked better as a stand-alone for two new characters, or as a novella from Ian Fortune's point of view. Due to Gemma's diagnosis, she's emotionally distant for most of the book, which keeps us as readers at arm's length. Even the smut feels rushed, with none of the love you'd expect from these characters.

🦇 Recommended for anyone desperate to dive back into Josh and Gemma's story. Don't hold out for any real emotional connection to these characters, though.

📚 Sequel
💜 Second Chance Romance
⚖ Redemption Arc
🧠 TW: TBI, Pre/Eclampsia, Coma, NICU

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I want to preface this by saying that Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was one of those books where I kind of don't even remember the plot, but remember a lot of how I felt reading it. I remember that I found it amazing that Gemma's battles with fertility were the main plot, and how I gushed with Josh everytime I read about him; I remember thinking that it was not a book exactly made for me, but important for someone else. I only remember bits and pieces of the first plot, but I remembered that the first book felt really pure to me, despite all the criticism I then saw on Goodreads and even on here that I actually ended up agreeing. So, it was one of those books where you can't go in expecting something great, but it will be great by itself if you don't expect it to be a work of art.
Now onto Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around: it was exactly the same. I unfortunately have very few time (and mental space) to read during work days, but I found myself liking Josh and Gemma as a company. I'll admit, the plot was a bit weird for me. I thought it would be more focused on Gemma as a mother after wanting to be one so bad - and I guess I got that in a way, but it wasn't really how I wanted it... - or even how they lived with their happily ever after. I was wrong, and I think I'm kind of glad to have been. The author found a really refreshing - in my opinion - way of both giving more background to the characters themselves and also give their relationship depth. I admit I found the whole brain damage plot a bit out there, but then I read it was inspired by the author's mother...and I won't argue with that. I found it weird, but I can't imagine being through that.
When it comes to the book itself I really liked having it as company. I like Ian's redemption and his scenes made me laugh (maybe because I can't even remember what he did in the first book, besides knowing he stole Josh's ideas and etc) and I guess that was something good about reading the second book a year after the first. Maybe for those who will binge, it will be harder to like Ian, I don't know. I just know that I liked him as a person. I liked all of them. Even though I couldn't remember most of the other characters, and I guess this is something to point out as bad, because I remember the girls struggling to get pregnant with Gemma were important to her growth.
As a sequel, I don't know what my opinion is. I liked it as a book, and I liked to read about these characters again, and I appreciate - once again - the author talking about struggles that are not so relatable, but I don't know if it was needed. I liked how the author spun the sequel into not being only about some weird fight and them "second-chancing" again, but about a real, deep struggle and shook them. I liked that Gemma grew a bit and I liked that Josh made me gush once again. I guess I wasn't expecting any of it, but it wasn't bad. I suspect that, in a year, I probably won't remember most of the plot, but I'll remember what I felt, and I think this is the most important thing a book can do. Make us feel and make us relive those feelings through our memories.
I can't ask anymore from a book, and I thank Sarah Ready for the company.

Deeply emotional roller-coaster that will make you really question what comes after "Happily ever after" ... Fun and highly entertaining take on an adorable couple that face some truly heartbreaking true to real life road blocks on they way to their journey. Great reading!

As a reader who loved the first book of Josh and Gemma, I couldn’t read this fast enough! The hardships they go through were a lot heavier than I expected, but I thought the continuation of their story was beautiful. Josh proves he would do anything for Gemma and their love story and I teared up so many times while reading! This is a MUST READ if you loved Josh and Gemma Make a Baby!!!

Unfortunately I got four chapters in before I realized this was a sequel and I hadn't read the first book. I'm sure my reading experience would have been better if I had read the first one, but I flew through this cute book, and enjoyed reading about what happens after the "happily ever after".

The first book wasn’t for me so I also wont be finishing this one. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

The second part of Josh and Gemma series is a continuation of first book that ended with happy ending. From the first page of the second part I felt that it will be even more emotional and I was not wrong. This novel focuses on strength of relationship in the most demanding moment of Josh and Gemma’s life. Gemma due to fainting on the wedding day, heavily pregnant is escorted to the hospital. She deals with loss of feelings that as doctor claims may be only temporary but it may as well last for a long time… I think it’s the toughest experience for Josh. In a second he needs to take care of his fiancé who is in coma, take care of a newborn and at the same time work and promote his comics. He supports Gemma during her therapy and tries to bring back the romance. They both try very hard to work on their future. I loved this novel because it shows not only romance but most importantly the real work and stubbornness to fulfill wedding vows “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death.” I haven’t read such a good romance novel in a long time!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.


This book was ok. I think I prefer 'French Holiday' more than I did this book. I want to throttle Ian for everything; he's a jerk

5 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around is out now 🤍

Awww I just love Josh and Gemma!! I already loved book 1 of this series so much, gave it the full 5 stars, and this one really didn’t disappoint. I loved the depth of this story, there’s so much more to it than your average romantic story. It’s about life, about dealing with grief and dealing with the struggles that love can make happen and it’s beautifully done. A wonderful story! I’ll miss Josh and Gemma (and Hope)!

I was really excited for this sequel. I truly enjoyed Josh and Gemma in the first book and was really hoping to love them the second time around. I enjoyed the way the emotion and tension was written in the book; it fit really well for what Gemma was going through. I loved the incorporation of dates/time stamps and the cute little drawings. I did feel that the book was easily foreshadowed and still unsure if I enjoyed the incorporation of Ian. Overall, I enjoyed it and loved seeing what Josh and Gemma were up to post book 1.

I’m already a huge Sarah Ready fan. Her books are always so much fun, and of course I fell in love with Josh and Gemma in the first book Josh and Gemma make a baby, so obviously I couldn’t wait to see how this story progressed. However, the real star of this show was Ian. I enjoyed it and how it tied everything up in a nice neat bow. If you haven’t read any of Sarah Ready’s books yet, you should definitely check her out because her rom-coms are like a warm hug.

I really love the first book so I was pretty excited and set a high expectation for this sequel. While some people seem to love it, unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me.

The plot is actually quite interesting, while the first book seem to end in a happily ever after way this sequel shows what happens after HEA and it's not as happy as it looks, with obstacles keep coming their way.

Josh and Gemma had to face another obstacle even after ending up being together and waiting for their baby’s arrival.
Gemma has this new condition which is unexpected and I feel scared for her, it’s not easy for her and she’s trying so hard to get back to her old self. But, Josh just kinda disappeared in this story, he’s barely there and that’s what really upset me the most.

Instead Gemma started hanging out with the antagonist character from the first book - Ian which comes as a huge surprise for me. This story becomes more of like Ian’s redemption story instead of about Gemma and Josh trying to save their relationship and learning how to be parents.

I felt pretty disappointed with this sequel. I guess some books just meant to be a standalone and this is one of them.
I keep reading until the end just to see how it ends but the impact this book left me is not as big as the first one.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Medical trauma, mental illness, sexual content

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

If you are looking for a cute slow burn second chance romance this one is for you. This book was cute but it could have used more pizzazz.

3 out of 5 stars.

Let me preface this by saying I really liked the first of this series, "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby". It's also a book you really need to read if you are interested in this one. There are many characters brought back from the first book, and they are not introduced at all, so the author assumed you've read the first book. Which is fine - it is a sequel after all - but I had to go back through my Kindle archive and refresh myself on who some of the characters were! (Like me forgetting the MC Gemma had two siblings instead of one, so I thought her brother was her brother-in-law for a hot second. Whoops!)

Quick and vague synopsis: This sequel is about Josh and Gemma getting ready to start their "happy forever after" by getting married. However, a traumatic event happens on the wedding day that changes the course of not only Gemma and Josh's lives, but the lives of everyone else around them. It's up to Josh and Gemma to pick up the pieces and figure out how to move on and live the lives they want. Can they do it? Or is the future they imagined for themselves gone forever?

Sadly, this title fell short for me. It is solidly under the "Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should" category of books. The first title "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby" was a sweet tale that had some heartbreaking moments sprinkled throughout. It touched on tough topics that should be talked about, such as infertility and marriage issues. But the first one was wrapped up nicely and I feel it didn't warrant a sequel. There was nothing to really "sequel squeeze" out of it.

There were moments where I teared up, like when we learned the real reason Ian was at the medical center where Gemma had her appointments, but a lot of the storylines felt rather forced and out of left field. The whole plot twist with Ian's backstory really pulled me out of the book. I don't know if that was supposed to be an "OMG!" moment, but it fell flat for me. It felt like a cop-out, like, "See, Ian had his reasons for being the way he was! He's not a bad person!" But like, he is? His history is heartbreaking, yes, but his actions afterward were him and him alone. He took it out on an innocent man. He stole Josh's livelihood because he felt Josh deserved it. I do like how Ian's flawed and is more fleshed out for this story, don't get me wrong, but the way it was portrayed made me feel manipulated.

I think the main thing that really rubbed me wrong was how a lot of the conflicts were simply because Gemma couldn't. Use. Her. Words. I'm not trying to downplay her injury, because oddly enough I've been in a similar situation as Gemma, but it was a mix of both Gemma being too vague with her decisions or thoughts and Josh not being as patient with Gemma as he should be. There are two instances of this: when Ian and Gemma are seen by Josh and the events that happen immediately after, and the final "climactic" event with Josh and Gemma during the family picnic. It's just... Gemma used broad statements and vague words to have Josh believe she chose Ian over him. But like, no? Gemma, use your words! It's like the situation she was in is some big secret that she couldn't tell Josh about? No, Gemma. Tell him. He's an understanding guy, he would understand why you couldn't come home right away. Same with the second instance. She's overcome with emotion that she cries for a few minutes. Understandable, it's a big breakthrough moment. But Josh just up and leaves? He takes that as her ending things there, too. It felt very out of character; for one whole book and roughly 87% of a second book Josh would've sat right next to her and comforted her while she let these tears out. Instead the author tries to create more drama by having him leave and squeaking out another chapter or two for it.

That was unfortunately another issue. This book is a novella masquerading as a novel. It stretched and dragged and could've been more succinct with the same story with fewer chapters and words. That's why I feel this story was not necessarily one that needed to be told. It's the same way I feel about Colleen Hoover's sequel to "It Ends With Us" - it ended pretty well, there was no need for a continuation. It was an excuse to add melodrama when melodrama was non-existent in the first novel.

Even with all of that, I still give it three stars because I do love these characters. Josh and Gemma have dealt with enough crap, can we stop it there? Let them draw their happily ever afters on each other and be with their sweet baby Hope? That would be greeeeeat.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. "Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around" is out now!

Picking up right where we left them, straight away I was into this book. I loved the first Josh & Gemma book and this one didn't disappoint. Funny, clever, sweet with some twists and turns, a lovely read.

Oh, oh, oh!

We pick up after book one. Or a few months. I can't say exactly what happens, but the path to HEA is dropped by a huge heartbreaking event.

I kid yall not, when I kept reading I thought to myself, is this a dream? Is she having a dream? Oh no, it really happened.

It was so devastating. I kept thinking to myself, it's not fair, it's not fair! She had waited so long. But! This could be real-life. It's not all roses.

Still love Nick. Only one complaint is I wish we would have had more of him and less Ian. But to be honest I think this book is more finding one's new self and less of a romance. There are shocks and revelations in this one so hold on!

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around was a more grown-up installment in the couple's love story. It still has the humor from the first book and the pure love between Josh and Gemma is still there, it's just painted in a more serious light (which is saying a lot seeing as how the first book tackled infertility).

The reader really gets to know Ian in this book which I LOVED. His true self comes out more, and it was satisfying to see his fall from grace. While I don't necessarily want a third installment of Josh and Gemma's story, it would be great to have one about Ian! His villain origin story was a bit convoluted, but it was still fun to learn more about him and see a bit of growth.

I appreciate the fact that the author isn't afraid to tackle tough subjects. We don't often get to see the couple in a RomCom after they get together, and Sarah Ready handled it perfectly. Josh and Gemma don't pretend that love and marriage means they get a happily ever after or that life will be picture perfect after they say, "I do." I know books are an escape from reality, but it's nice to see characters who can embrace reality with it being depressing or boring.

I was given an e-ARC of this book for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity!