Having not read the first book and not being a huge fan of rom-coms, this book was a pleasant listening surprise.

The plot makes sense (even if it's predictable at times), with only a few scenes really being forced. The characters are relatively likable --aside from some of the verbose dialogue-- even though I didn't really get much chemistry from Josh and Gemma. Josh seemed like a lost soul, and his declarations just didn't seem authentic.

Gemma's mom can make a Jell-o mold for my wedding any day, though, and her brother added some necessary strife to the book.


Overall: 3/5 stars

I'll tell my students about: language, sex, trauma, pregnancy

**Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for the free ARC audiobook prior to publication. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I didn't read the first book so maybe this would have worked better for me in a series rather than a stand alone. It felt really heavy, like the black moment was at 10% into the book and then just continued on. I couldn't understand how to relate to a heroine that couldn't feel anything, or love anyone, not even her baby. I also didn't understand why her ex was constantly around even at her care facility, it felt too beyond the realm of possibility and threw me out of the story. I really liked the hero and I loved some of their banter, but I couldn't get into the story. Loved her writing style though.

This was a whirlwind of a story! I honestly had a hard time deciding how I felt about it throughout the whole book.

It’s a good story, and the basic premise has great potential, but there were parts that annoyed me just enough to keep me at a neutral stance.

Keep in mind that I did not read the first book in this series, so I have no idea if it would change my mind on anything or not.

That being said…I hated the character Ian and how a personality type like his was given chance after chance. I know personally I would’ve never given someone like him the time of day, and it always irks me when people like that get away with so much.

We’re supposed to learn how Josh and Gemma navigate a traumatic experience and how they work hard to find their live for each other again, but I felt like way too much time was spent on trying to redeem Ian instead of focusing on them. The idea behind fighting for your relationship and working through trauma is great…but I was a bit underwhelmed and felt like it was a bit too glossed over. It felt a bit too choppy and rushed at times and there was a it too much miscommunication for my taste.

Despite all that, it was still a fun listen and there were some pretty decent spicy sections. The narrator was great too…thought she did a great job with her male voices, Josh in particular. I’d still recommend this if you’re looking for an easy RomCom!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book Title: Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around
Author: Sarah Ready
Series: Josh and Gemma #2
Narrator: Erin Mallon
Publisher: Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC ~ Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Genre: , Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: January 26, 2023
My Rating: 3.2 Stars

I read Book #1 in this series and I really enjoyed it.
Book One starts ~
Gemma Jacob’s New Year’s Resolution:
Have a Baby
All she needs is an egg, some sperm, and IVF.

Ten years ago, Gemma’s husband was caught having an affair in their home on the dining room table.
(Note: I am a big fan of Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich’s on going character, as the same thing happened to her. I was sure this too was going to be a light fun read.)
I was correct as Book One was a fun read. 🤗
In case you didn’t read Book One here is some back info.
Gemma is thirty-two years old ~ she is a positive thinker and energetic has a great career and lives in a darling tiny studio apartment in Manhattan. He is happy however, one thing is missing; Gemma wants a baby and is fine with not having a husband. All she needs is an egg, some sperm, and IVF

Gemma decides that family friend Josh Lewenthal, is perfect for an IVF sperm donor ~ he is intelligent, good looking, and fun. She is not interested in him romantically so there will be no ties.

Guess what? Yep they fall in love so now we have the arrival of their baby as well as their upcoming wedding.
Book One in this series was fun as you know since I went on and on about it!
Book Two not so much.🤔 I went into Book #1 not expecting much and was delightfully pleased.
I had high expectations for this story however, I should have remembered that second in the series typically experiences the - ‘middle book syndrome’..
However narrator Erin Mallon does a fab job performing the characters 😊

Want to thank NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 26, 2023

What happens after happily ever after?

On the cusp of having it all, Josh and Gemma have to deal with the unthinkable.

Josh & Gemma 2 was equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, funny and sad. It was very un-putdownable! I do think their first book needs to be read first to have the whole picture - it may be confusing as a standalone.

I could have used more about bonding with baby and as a family of three (since getting pregnant was such a huge plot point of book one!) and less of a character arc for Ian Fortune.

I loved Erin Mallon’s narration, she is always such a gem.

There could be some pregnancy/birth-related triggers in this book. (But it is a romance/romcom, not a tragedy)

Note that I received an early review and listening copy of J&G2, receipt of which did not impact my review.

Well-written and an enjoyable listen! Erin Mallone was an excellent narrator, and completely captivated me from minute 1. Josh and Gemma are having their baby soon and everything is perfect until it isn’t.
I enjoyed the twists and turns that were very unexpected, and I felt that emotions were captured well surrounding the difficult circumstances Gemma finds herself in.

I did not know that this book was a sequel, and only found out when I was halfway through. I must say it’s definitely readable as a stand-alone. I also liked the message that love changes and evolves, and isn’t just a fantasy ideal.

I did feel that the emotions surrounding having a child weren’t captured entirely, however I wonder if this has to do with the injury Gemma sustains.

Overall a good book and enjoyable listen!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC for the ARC audiobook. The opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of the audiobook to review. I really enjoyed the first Josh and Gemma book and this second one did not disappoint. Gemma has been through a lot in her life, both in the two books and before they began. I really loved how the author showed things are not easy and you have to work to get back what you had when tragedy strikes. The plot was enjoyable to read and I like how the author makes you care about a previously unlikable character.

3.5 stars

Going into this I hadn’t realized it was a sequel to a book I hadn’t read yet. Once I realized I decided to read it anyways, and while I missed the relationship building of Josh and Gemma I was still drawn to them as a couple fairly quickly.

I appreciated how the author described Gemma’s panic attacks, but I didn’t love the way they played into the lack of communication issues that came up for Gemma and Josh. I was also frustrated with Josh’s inability to just stick around and try to figure out what was going on, instead of just reacting all the time.

Part of me also felt that the incident with Ian that happens later in the book was somewhat unrealistic and brushed over.

Overall still was very engaged and enjoyed it. I wonder if I’d have different opinions about the trajectory of Josh and Gemma’s story if I’d read the first book ahead of time. But I do still plan to read it now!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publishers for allowing me to listen to this audio ARC!

This is proof that not every book needs a sequel.
I LOVED Book 1, I thought it was fun and original and it had amazing chemistry between the characters. It also dealt with a lot of heavy subjects in a very respectful way.
Book 2 on the other hand lacks all the good things from book 1: barely any josh, only snippets of her friends which were amazing side characters in book 1, a redemption story that really didn’t need to be there, an a soap opera way to deal with a very delicate situation like is eclampsia that just helped to continuously give us miscommunication when there didn’t need to be one.
I finished this book because I kept hoping it would turn great because I truly truly love book 1, but this book ruined everything about it. So do yourself a favor and read Josh and Gemma Make a Baby and pretend is a stand-alone as it should have remained.

Having read and LOVED Josh and Gemma Make a Baby, I was beyond thrilled to be given the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of the sequel. I will say, I dove in head first, ready for what I just knew would be another jewel of a book. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me. I love Josh and Gemma, but this book focused too much on Ian Fortune and not enough on Josh and Gemma as a couple. I missed their fun and witty banter. I missed the steam between them. Huge kudos to Erin Mallon, who once again did an amazing job with the narration of this audiobook. I'm heartbroken that I didn't get the same feels I got from the first J & G book, but that will not deter me from reading more from this author. A huge thank you to Sarah Ready, NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

So... I LOVED Josh & Gemma make a baby, but I didn't need this book, neither Josh nor Gemma. Not even Ian. Nor the baby.
Remember the whole plot of previous book? ...make a baby, well the baby was made and that was it. Then everything went downhill. She couldn't even see when her baby was born.
The sole porpouse of this book was to make MY Josh suffer. And how did we achive it? every time they needed to have a converstion one of them left, the problem is that it wasn't just one conversation, it was all of them.
And remember how we got Ian out of our lifes? he's back. I don´t even know why. To redeem him? Nope.
And all the laughs out loud from last book, GONE.

And the narrators, all the male voices were the same. :(

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC but I won't be re-reading this any time soon (or ever). Let's just pretend that Josh and Gemma make a baby is a standalone and this never existed.

Sequels are always a bit of hit and miss but this one is really good so let start with it begins with a traumatic injury and it all kinda spirals after that not in the best way but in a it's a real world way because Gemma got a preaclapsia and went into a coma had a brain injury and couldn't feel love or anything really and Ian is back and kinda takes it upon himself to be Gemma friend and she willingly let's it happen cause she feels with him anyways I loved the ups and downs and the miscommunication it makes it feel like real like so thanks for letting me read this one I like the girl who narrates she does good work

I am sorry to say that I will not be finishing this book. My device indicates I’ve listened to 34%. It’s clear I made an error in choosing this book, but it looked like an entertaining departure from my usual habits. Because I have no desire to dim the bright lights shining on both books, I will only say that some of the language and a lot of the just plain silly, we’re more than interests me… (at my age) I now know that I’ve outgrown the Rom-Com genre.
IF you’re a Rom-Com fan, and your Mom and I are pretty similar ? This will probably entertain you.! It was not the just the story, it was a poor choice on my part…. I do appreciate Netgalley allowing me to choose a book as opposed to limiting me to one Publisher or Genre, and I will choose more carefully.

In this follow up to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby, we return to Josh and Gemma’s story which takes a dramatic turn. I enjoyed this novel but found it didn’t have the same spark as the first. It was interesting to find out more about Ian and what makes him tick.

I bounced back and forth in reading the e-book and listened to the audio version. I really enjoyed the narration. As it was the same narration as the first book. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of this book.

A sequel to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. Definitely need to read the first book, you'll miss a lot reading as a standalone.
Overall it was just okay. I found the book to drag a lot. The real life challenge of facing medical trauma and the loss of love from it, and eventual regaining that, was interesting.
I really struggled with this audiobook narrator's speech pattern. It didn't seem natural to me.
I don't think the sequel was necessary, but for those who wanted more of the characters, especially more of Ian Fortune, you should pick it up.

Read/listen if you like:
🥈Second Chance Romances
📕 Sequals
🧠 TBI Rep
🏥 Life After Traumatic Events
♥️ Meant to Be Romances

I don’t know what it is about this couple, but I absolutely adore Gemma and Josh and I was so excited to see there was a sequel and knew I had to get my hands on it.

I loved the after the HEA that this one gives where you see the trials and tribulations of real life playing out for the characters after they chose eachother, because just because you choose eachother doesn’t mean forever, and it doesn’t mean you don’t have to work for your happily ever after and that things won’t happen that won’t threaten your happiness.

Also, it’s probably weird to say, but I really enjoyed Ian in this book and I hope you all read to find out why cause this was oddly a redemption story for Ian 😂

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks for the audio book version of this book. Everything I write is of my own thought feelings and opinions. I am not compensated for my review in any way.
Oh I just love Josh and Gemma. This time Gemma is pregnant. On their wedding day Gemma passes out from complications with the pregnancy and she is in a coma for several months. When she wakes up her ex is in the room Gemma is very confused. It takes her some time to sort out her feelings for Josh and she has to relearn how to live life and how to love unconditionally. I really did enjoy listening to this book. I hope to read another Josh & Gemma book if there is one!

"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵... 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦."

𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙧/𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨: traumatic brain injury, pre/eclampsia, traumatic/early birth, NICU mention, coma

I have so many emotions.

I read the first book this summer when I was very very pregnant, and listened to this one at the 5.5 month postpartum mark.... and words can't express how much my heart broke throughout this book.

Sarah Ready knows how to write about very very difficult topics.

I'm happy to report that there is, in fact, a happy ending to this book, but OMG what a roller coaster getting to that point. It's been a long time since I cried while reading/listening to a book.

Thank you so much Sarah, along with Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley, for letting me experience Josh and Gemma's second go at it... and for my ARC copy of the book and audiobook in exchange for this review! ❤
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I listened to this book at 2x speed, just because I was so excited to listen. The author reeled me in emotionally, and kept me looking forward to every next word. I haven't been this enthralled with a love story in ages.

I came into this book without having read the first in the series, and I suspect that only enhanced my experience as I got to know characters for the first time.

Right away Ready had me feeling the love between Josh and Gemma through the tender, charming, and intimate moments of the first couple of chapters. She definitely set me up for the full shock of the Chapter 3 twist - and boy did I feel that moment hard.

What Ready did best was lean into her characters motivations. I was really intrigued by how she could take an unfeeling/apathetic character, and still find a drive for them to move forward throughout the story. Using Gemma's need to rediscover feeling to show the overall message of how we need pain to feel joy was so cleverly done by this story, and really resonated with me. I finished this book feeling bittersweet about the good and bad of love's early days.