Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around is the sequel to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby - I'm going to avoid detailing the plot so as not to spoil anything for those who haven't read the first book, but I also think it's best to go into the second installment of J&G as blind as possible.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was one of my biggest surprise reads of last year - I absolutely loved the story, I found it unique and hilarious. There were some heavier themes, but for the most part, everything felt very believable. I unfortunately did not feel the same way about the sequel. Besides a fairly unbelievable plotline, the miscommunication between J & G also skirted reality in my opinion. I wanted to shake some sense into every character in this book at one point or another. I think in general, it takes a really strong story to make a sequel to a romance novel seem compelling - when book one leaves you with a happily ever after, you're reluctant to let that reality go in order to have conflict for a second book. At least, that's how I feel!

I am a big fan Josh Lewenthal, and so I did enjoy getting to revisit his character. For me, this is one story that just didn't need to be told.

My Thoughts (Possible Spoilers)
3.5/5
I absolutely loved Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. So, of course, I read Josh and Gemma the Second Time around as soon as I could!! While I really enjoyed it, I did prefer the first book in the series💓 What I really enjoyed about this book, as weird as it sounds, was Gemma and Ian’s relationship. I love the friendship they built and how Ian helped Gemma make her way back to Josh. While I did enjoy the way Sarah Ready wrote this story I do wish we got a little more of Josh and Gemma being a family with Hope. I know they got there in the end but I wanted a little more during the book. I also wish we got a little more of a reason of why Josh and Lisa were thought to be a couple when Gemma woke up. But, like I said I did really enjoy this book. I love all the characters💓 This book made me laugh, made me sad, and made me smile. 10/10 recommend reading this one soon because it is out now!💓

I read the book first.. My favorite couple ever. I really enjoy reading the book and then listening to the audiobook. First you devour the book and so listening slows it down for the little things that you had missed because you were just waiting to find out what happens next.. Perfection!

Funny, witty, sad. I loved the whole book. I would ready more from this author. The narrator was great in implementing the storyline.

This is a follow up to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. I guess I didn’t read the synopsis before I started the book, so I actually didn’t realize for a few chapters. I decided to continue anyway and think it works surprisingly well as a standalone.

I thought it was an interesting storyline exploring the months after the typical romcom ends — though that makes it sound like they’re dealing with maintaining their love through typical, mundane life things. That’s not the case, but I’ll leave it at that.

Overall, perfectly enjoyable.

There was a little too much miscommunication/jumping to conclusions for my liking. I think it also could have gotten to the main plotline a bit faster, but that may be because I wasn’t invested in Josh and Gemma yet having not read the first book.

Thanks to Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy that I could review.

One of my last read is, Josh & Gemma The Second Time Around by Sarah Ready which I rated ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

It’s a sequel of Josh & Gemma Make a baby.
This sequel focused on about the journey of Josh as a father and as an artist; while for Gemma, it’s a her path to recovery & finding herself after being coma for 3 month.

I wasn’t sure why Ian has needed to have a backstory but I guess what did the author trying to point out is that, villains has their own story too. I was annoyed on how Ian acted even at the first book until in this sequel. I feel like this also means that his actions meant that sometimes, out of anger we don’t think rationally and do more harm than good. Because for me, Josh never deserved any bad; He’s a good father and a patient Husband.

I love the writing, how fast paced & the plot is interesting. I’m not a huge fan of gemma in this sequel but I sure did loved Josh.

I gave this book a rate of 3 stars because even though I was bored and annoyed in some parts, I like how it showed me that love isn’t always we expect it to be.

This is a perfect example of why not every book needs a sequel. I read sequels because I want to see more of the characters and the love story that I’ve enjoyed in the first book. I’m definitely not reading a sequel to find out more about characters I’ve hated in the first book.
The title is misleading. It should’ve been called Ian’s redemption story and I was not interested in it 🙄 the whole backstory made me so annoyed it was so UNNECESSARY. I just wanted Gemma to get back to Josh and clear up the misunderstanding.

For someone who’s name is in the title Josh was barely in the story. The book was more Gemma/Ian than anything else. At some point I really thought the author was going to end the book with Gemma/Ian.

When I read the blurb I expected to read Gemma and Josh working on their relationship after suffering from trauma. But this was barely part of the story. This book was just the misunderstanding trope over and over again.

Honestly this book reads like a bad soap opera. If you want to read about Josh and Gemma just stop with the first book and pretend it’s a standalone.

Thanks to netgalley for an advance copy of the audiobook.

This is perhaps the worst book I've ever consumed. The narration is not well suited and does cheapen the book. However, the book is quite awful with few redeeming qualities. It is so heavy with so many plots, it feels like an AI was introduced to Lifetime movies and then instructed to write a romance novel and this was the result. Every single trope was felt unexplored. None of the characters felt realistic and none of them had any semblance of human reaction to the plot points. The female MC was particularly unbearable. The baby was just a random thought, the mother was incredulous making her 8month pregnant daughter carry a jello sculpture and then took her away from her partner and family to go lingerie shopping. Nothing about this book brought me any iota of joy. I was shocked at the plot and ridiculous details. It was overwritten, under thought, with no research on such serious topics like tbi. Not to mention the horrible body dysmorphic comment at being glad that a coma and emergency c section "did wonders for her figure" and made her skinnier. Awful.

Rating: 2.5/5⭐️⭐️💫

I’ll keep this review short because honestly, there wasn’t much that worked for me. I really enjoyed the first in the series, but this sequel felt entirely unnecessary.

-Why oh why was Ian back and such a main character?? Giving this villain a redemption arc felt so forced and confusing
-Josh is consistently the best character in this series. He did not deserve this storyline
-Gemma’s crazy friends were a big part of what made the first so great and yet they were barely in it this time around
-I enjoyed the message of how love is messy and can change over the years and how that change isn’t always a bad thing.

Sarah Ready is a good writer – she’s fun and engaging and that is what marginally saved this book for me. Personally, this storyline wasn’t my cup of tea, but let me know your thoughts!

Thank you Netgalley, Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of this book!

I’m not trying to be aggressive, but I don’t think there was a single thing I actually liked about this book. I was so excited for this sequel because I loved the first book last year, but this is definitely a case of a book that didn’t need a sequel. Respectfully, it felt under-researched from tiny details to major plot points; I’m convinced the author has no experience with pregnancy, babies, TBIs, or rehab. There was also just way too much happening with too many subplots and “twists.” The meant-to-be-comedic scenes were overwritten and felt like slapstick sitcom comedy that simply didn’t work in a book. There was so much that didn’t work for me here and maybe nothing that actually did. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my (very) honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, but Gemma irritated me a lot. This is definitely a book with a serious topic and one that needs to be talked about more often. Part of reading romance is the feeling it gives you, but what happens when the love dies, and it is no one’s fault? Can you get it back?
On what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, Gemma has complications with her pregnancy and ends up in a coma. When she finally wakes up, life is different for her and her family and she doesn’t feel love the way she used to. Josh promises to love her enough for both of them, how long he can remains to be seen.
She irritated me because she seemed to be more involved with Ian (who I begrudgingly started to understand and like more) than she put effort into her relationships with everyone else. Josh was his same swoony self and my heart broke for him on more than one occasion.
Seeing the heart and work they put into getting to each other and help each other was nice. I think more books need to talk about the heavy stuff more often.
Erin Mallon brings emotion to the character of Gemma. She does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and kept me engaged listening. I received an ARC and this is my honest, voluntary review.

I loved Josh and Gemma the first time around and could not wait for this sequel. And then I got it, and it was not what I was expecting for the next chapter in Josh and Gemma's life together. Completely different feeling, not better or worse, just very different. So, don't go in expecting this to be just more of the same after finishing the last page of Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. This deals with some heavy stuff and shows the deeper level of their relationship. It is for sure worth the read! I still love Josh and Gemma, but this one didn't leave me laughing out loud or grinning ear to ear as much as it pulled my heartstrings and made me just hoping and praying that they would get their HEA the Second Time Around, and since it was still classified a Romance, I was not left without hope! Watch what happens when slap stick romance characters deal with some very hard things.

Gemma and Josh's story continues, this side of their story showed us a different side of each character, their HEA is now on the line, they face a situation they never saw coming and now they have to find a way to get back. It was full of emotions, twists, and simply a way to show us that not everything is easy. The audiobook was narrated by Erin Mallon, and it was a wonderful way to experience this story, I stronly recommend you the audio version.

This isn't a bad book, but I wasn't necessarily excited to keep reading. I really like Ian as a character. The topic was really interesting and I liked reading about it, because I'd never read about eclampsia or when the birth goes wrong and the emotional response that comes with that for the parents.

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around by Sarah Ready is Book 2 in the "Josh and Gemma" Series.

It's Josh and Gemma's Wedding Day with Gemma walking down the aisle and Josh waiting for and watching, no one other than, his beautiful Bride-to-Be.

Everything is picture perfect. Everyone is smiling and happy. Until the unthinkable happens. Then everything changes...

I loved the first book in this series Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. It was a 5 star read for me and I was super excited to hear about another book with these two adorable main characters. Yay!

Early in, I was surprised by the direction of Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around and I can't express why, other than to say I was expecting a different scenario. It felt off enough to me that I never quite connected to the story. Half-way in I was hoping something twisty or surprising would grab me but it didn't. The story felt...predictable.

I did enjoy the socially relevant topics, the continued focus on relationships and family, several characters from the first book making appearances, and I still love the characters of Josh and Gemma.

Like the first book, I chose the audiobook narrated by Erin Mallon, who once again, nailed the voicing magnificently. Her narration of both audiobooks is one of the best things about this series.

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around was a book I liked but didn't love. Although I do recommend this book to those who enjoy Rom-Com's, this wasn't a good choice for me.

And just in case you're wondering if the bedroom door is open or closed with this one, it's OPEN fairly wide!

3.5 stars rounded down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC, and Sarah Ready for a free ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.

A sweet and touching romance. An after “happily ever after” story for Josh & Gemma.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

It definitely had some cute moments and it had some heavy moments. It touched on some important topics and outlined relationship struggles after the first book. The tone and pace I felt lacked at some points throughout the book but a solid story.

The audiobook narration was pretty good. The narrator’s voice range was great and I think it definitely added to the story overall.

Some explicit content and triggers present. Only read what you are comfortable with and if this after happily ever after seems like the book for you be sure to give it try. I recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

⚠️cw: grief, trauma, TBI⚠️
I adored 'Josh and Gemma Make A Baby', so I was excited to read this next instalment. The book picks up on the eve of Josh and Gemma's wedding. Gemma is 8 months pregnant, and though she should be the happiest she's ever been, she's feeling out of sorts. The book follows their journey after their lives are turned upside down by a traumatic event, and they have to work to keep their HEA.
I personally loved the idea of reading what happens next because real life doesn't stop when you find 'the one'. I won't spoil the plot, but I must warn readers. If you're looking for a light, fluffy romance, this is probably not for you. That doesn't mean there aren't some absolutely gorgeous moments - Josh Lewenthal is as devastatingly swoon-worthy here as in the first book (I absolutely lost it at the nursery, the drawing scene, and the illustrations) - but this book is FILLED with drama, a lot of which broke my heart. I spent most of the first half in tears, which is a testament to the writing. Gemma wouldn't be Gemma if she didn't let misconceptions get in her way, but in fairness, she has a lot going on in this book. My small critique is that there's no mention of the birth, and I found the idea of Gemma being left alone early on a little odd. Still, these were small niggles. There's a subplot which involves Ian Fortune, and, damn it. I kind of... don't hate him anymore!
If angst is your kryptonite (it's mine), you will be treated to a deeply moving story about people dealing with a potentially devastating medical emergency, and the emotional aftermath as life and love have to be rebuilt. Heartbreaking but ultimately beautiful.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥
Emotional Rating: 💓😟🙈🥰💔😢💔😢🤦🏻‍♀️😬💓💔😢😍💓🥰

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to give an honest review on both the eARC, and Audiobook (which was read with such emotion by Erin Mallon)*

*** I have uploaded the same review to Amazon UK but am awaiting moderation***

Favourite Quotes:

“...I don’t want you to ever doubt that I love you. I promise you, as long as you’re here and there’s a sky above, I’ll love you. If you ever doubt it, just look up.”

“Everyone can say it’s meant to be when things are good. Being in a relationship is easy when there’s plenty of money, or everyone’s healthy, or everybody has a job. But when somebody gets sick, or you go broke, or someone’s in trouble, that’s when you know whether your relationship is built on sand, or something stronger.”

I really enjoyed this continuation of Josh and Gemma's story. The first book will always have a special place in my heart!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"This may not be the life you want but it's the one you got. Live it!"

Josh and Gemma The Second Time Around by exceptional author Sarah Ready is the sequel I didn't know I needed to experience.

I loved the first book, Josh and Gemma Make A Baby. It was endearing, funny and romantic while dealing with IVF issues, being single and wanting to be a Mom and death of a parent. This sequel interrupts the happily ever after of the first one.

Gemma, eight months pregnant, and Josh are standing at the altar when a catastrophic event stops everything including their love story. Though it's not the cause of their problems, the changes in Gemma reminded me of suffering from post partem depression; where you feel an emptiness that is so devastating lonely you can't express yourself to others.

I was in awe of narrator @mallonerin performance of Gemma's confusion, fear, and loneliness. But as in the first book, it's Josh who makes me hold my breath when he deals with his emotions. I just cried when he told Gemma, "You can hurt me more than anyone else on Earth, that when I give you my love I'm trusting you not to hurt me."

Another favorite exchange was:
Gemma: "Everything I'm doing is to get back to you."
Josh: "Just don't get lost along the way."

There is also a redeeming arc for the villain in the first book, Ian. He provides quite a lot of humor but his backstory will break even the hardest of hearts.

Gemma's jello mold loving Mom is also back with her own little side plot. The writer has taken the happily ever after we expect and poked it with a bit of reality. In the end it's an exploration that you can have a happily ever after just not necessarily the one you thought was your happily ever after.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publishers via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of this story and how after finding love a person still has to put in effort and work because happily ever after doesn’t just happen. Josh and Gemma were sweet characters and I loved how they worked to keep their relationship and put in the effort needed instead of giving up.