4.5 Stars!

I jumped into this audiobook after hearing a few wonderful reviews without knowing it was book two, but it really didn’t matter much, except I missed out on the building of their relationship. This is my first book by author Sarah Ready. I am ready to sing her phrases for this deeply emotional journey she took me on.

The book quickly opens with preparations for a wedding ceremony between the very pregnant Gemma and her fiancé, Josh. Surrounded by a chaotic supporting cast of characters, you can’t help but laugh as they get ready. In a stunning turn of events, Gemma does not make it to the alter; instead, she wakes up hospitalized, no longer pregnant, and unable to feel emotions.

If you are looking for a warm feel-good book that is nothing but the happy path of a relationship, this book is not for you. This book is an emotional rollercoaster for both Josh and Gemma while she tries to navigate her new way of life and get the pieces of her old one from slipping through her fingers. Dozens of laugh-out-loud moments help ease some of the emotional heaviness of the book. The chemistry between Josh and Gemma makes you long for it in your own life. His complete dedication to Gemma and their new daughter makes the struggle they go through that much more emotional.

While I enjoyed the narration in the end, it took me a while to get a feel for Erin’s pace. I adjusted the speed a couple of times but could never really find a sweet spot; instead, I just got accustomed her style. Erin also did a great job of giving life to many different characters in the book.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, and Sarah Ready for a digital audiobook copy of Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✨✨✨ARC REVIEW✨✨✨
Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around
By Sarah Ready
Release Date: January 26th, 2023
Page 338
Second in the series

I did not realize this was the second in the series (yes I have said that a lot, I read the synopsis and if it sounds good I request it lol). But I read/listened it anyways and I have to say I think it can be a stand alone book as well. There was a bit where I had to put the pieces together but just for a chapter or two. However after talking to friends who read both books, it is recommended to read “Josh and Gemma Make a Baby” before you read this book.

I really liked this book. I will be reading the first so I can fully understand their story but I feel like I understood this book just fine without it. I also really liked the narrator they picked for the audiobook.

Tropes:
Rom Com
Second Chance
Spicy

This was the second part of Josh and Gemma’s story that I didn’t know I needed.

In this second book, Josh and Gemma live through an unexpected change of circumstances that test them individually and as a duo. This is a journey where they learnt about themselves and their communication, still showing their strong connection and intimacy.

I will admit the beginning took me by surprise (also the reappearance of certain characters), but once the story move forward, I was more and more convinced this was a perfect wrap up for Josh and Gemma’s journey together.

Just like the first book, the audiobook was also performed by Erin Mallon, who effortlessly made me dive into the narration and enjoy all the scenes and dialogues.

Overall book: 5/5 stars
Audiobook: 4/5 stars

I’m not sure how I managed to miss that this book was a sequel however here we are! For those who also don’t know this is the sequel to Josh and Gemma Make a baby.

It’s sort of like that film The Vow except Gemma remembers her life, she just doesn’t remember that she loved the people in it. Gemma comes round from a coma she’s been in since her wedding day, with no emotions. Josh and Gemma are now facing a future they haven’t planned for and this story broaches that subject of changed plans in a touching way.

I was confused about Ian Fortune, until I realised I’d missed that there was a Book 1! He comes back into Gemma’s life in an unexpected way (especially, it would seem, for his character) and starts to provoke feelings out of Gemma. She grasps onto that and tries to find a way back to Josh.

I listened to the audiobook of this title narrated by one of my favourite narrators Erin Mallon. Erin’s narrated on other titles by authors like Lauren Blakely and Whitney G so if you enjoy the narration of this be sure to check them out too.

Really great audio for such an emotional book! - Am I ovulating, or is this book a tear-jerker? *Dabs tears daintily as I finish folding laundry.*😭😭😭

Let me be clear... I’m not the type to cry normally. Small humans and dogs are usually the only things that get me? I definitely prefer to cry on the inside.. like Cameron Diaz...

But some books – like this one? You just have to have a good cry as you fold your husband's 56,712 pairs of gym socks and be ok with it. (A note for the trolls – my husband works harder than any man I’ve ever met and is a damn good man on top of it -- so yes, I’m happy to lovingly fold his socks and put away his laundry if he’s just too tired to do it. 🥰)

THOUGHTS:
- Absolutely loved exploring what happens to a person’s psyche when they experience parental abandonment. Society treated mental health as a frivolous afterthought for much too long and this book highlights that we’re JUST now beginning to understand how traumas will affect people.
- Discussions around fertility IVF, miscarriages, difficult pregnancies etc can be very sensitive, but it’s awesome to see a happy romance structured around these struggles! All relationships take work – but especially those plagued by issues that others without experience cannot possibly understand. If you loved Colleen Hoover’s ‘All Your Perfects’ – you’ll absolutely love ‘Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around’!!
- Real couples and real relationships are always so great to read. SO much of the smutty romance world is designed to give us brain candy to shamelessly listen to while we go about mundane tasks, but as I was saying about the sock folding above, it’s the little things and the real things that really make relationships happy and whole. 🖤🖤🖤

FAVORITE QUOTE:
“…. Sometimes things have to get really, really bad before they get better.” – Sometimes they just really do.

NOTES:
- Second in the series
- A reallll tear-jerker
- CWs: Miscarriage, infertility, parental abandonment

**I received this book for free as an advanced reader copy, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Check out the trigger warnings before reading.

Honestly I loved first book and wanted to know more about the story. Everything is about to change.
At the beginning I didn’t wish we didn’t get more of there story not because it was bad but because it was heartbreaking. Imagine your life is ‘perfect’ and then the worst happens. How would you cope?

Josh and Gemma growth in this story is amazing and I even felt for Ian during this story.

The Audiobook narrator is great and I really enjoyed it. I listened to it in a day!


Thank you netgalley for an arc, all my views are my own.

JOSH AND GEMMA THE SECOND TIME AROUND By Sarah Ready

Josh and Gemma’s lives are turned upside down, and their love and their future together are at risk. They realize their happily ever after isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning and now they have to fight for it.

😊What i liked -

✔ Second Chance/HEA
✔ This book was not what I was expecting it to be.( don't get me wrong, i did enjoy it).
✔ This book makes you feel a whole lot of emotions, but the emotion I felt the most was of fear, sadness and heartache.
✔ I loved how supportive Gemma's family was to her but most of all how they were concerned and supportive of Josh too.( it was heartwarming)
✔ I loved the character development of Gemma, Josh and even Ian. (i was a bit lost with their back story as i haven't read the first book)
✔ I loved the author's writing style and how she manages to put across the emotions, feelings and doubts of every character.

Audiobook Review -

✔ I read this book while listening to the beautiful voice of Erin Mallon. She did such a good job of putting across the emotions and the love.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ I wish I had read the first book before this, it would have made me understand the characters' story a bit more.
✔ I did get a bit frustrated with the miscommunication between Josh and Gemma.


📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
💝💼Romance Lovers
💕Second Chance Trope Lovers


📈My Rating : 4/5

Thank you, Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for a copy.

This was such a page turner! It kept me guessing and I couldn't put it down. I'm intentionally being vague so I don't ruin the plot for anyone. It's worth the anticipation. My heart felt so much through this novel - I cried, laughed and fell in love right with Josh and Gemma. I highly recommend it! Sarah Ready is now on my favorite author list!

This was a brilliant story that I really enjoyed reading as there was never a dull moment. There was always plenty going on. It was extremely difficult to put down and I had to stay up late to finish reading it. I can say this is definitely a page-turning novel. I loved just how much drama this book contains. There was plenty of misunderstanding which made for a very interesting read. There were some great unexpected events and some were very shocking. I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator's voice. The storyline was well-written, fantastic and engaging. I definitely became emotionally invested in the development of this book. This is the second book in the series but it also works well as a standalone. The characters once again were amazing, realistic and relatable. I definitely recommend reading this book as it was so much fun and you were definitely on the edge of your seat.

So much praise goes out to the author and publishing team for creating yet another wonderful story. I definitely can't wait to read more books from this fantastic author.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/josh-gemma-the-second-time-around-by-sarah-ready-ibpa-4-stars under my name ladyreading365

This is the second instalment in the Josh and Gemma series, and bearing in mind I had not read the first book I think this can be read as a stand-alone although to get a more in depth view of the characters and their journey I would read the first book too. This was okay, not amazing, there are some really cute parts and I think the emotional journey and premise of this book is so interesting and unique but I felt a disconnect with the characters and sometimes felt them annoying so I couldn't fully fall in love with it.

I guess it was cute-ish? Overall, it was mostly just “meh “. I think I preferred the guy she didn’t wind up with to the one she did, even though he wasn’t a romantic interest in this. He was a more interesting and complex character.

This was such a cute book! I love the first one and this one did not diss appoint either. It was sweet, funny and heartfelt. Josh and Gemma’s relationship is tested and defiantly holds up. Highly recommended!!

This sequel was really enjoyable to read. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Josh and Gemma again and seeing how their story continued to play out. Through ups and down and through unexpected turns this story kept me invested and intrigued to know what more was going to happen. I really loved the aspect of what happens after happily ever after and this shows that well for these characters.
Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book.

4 Stars because I wanted to give 3.5 and felt mean rounding down.

I liked this book, I really did. I wanted to love it but I don't think I did, and I am struggling to put my finger on why. It could be because it was an easy read, there wasn't anything that completely stopped me in my tracks or made me think deeply, and for me to love a book there needs to be that something extra to cause a full buzz in my brain.

Josh and Gemma are getting married, until they aren't. They have to re-learn loving each other in the face of mass aversion. The plot is easy to follow and the characters are likeable, Gemma's mum being my personal favourite (please can she make me a vegetarian jello sculpture????).

If you're looking for a comfort read, something to get you out of a slump or a read for inbetween the harder books this is perfect.

This was such a good read!

The emotions throughout really got me thinking of what it must be like to have an accident and suddenly, your whole life changes. The frustration, the sadness, the confusion. You go through it all. To love someone with all your heart and the next day, you have your memories but your feelings are not the same.

You really feel for Gemma, you want her to find her way back to her original self. And you feel for her family too.

There’s so many surprises and the story flows throughout.

I read this in one day and would highly recommend for anyone who needs a romantic, teary read.

i was so excited to see where gemma & josh would go from the first book, and i was pleasantly surprized with how this book went. this is the type of second chance romance i love to read; where you are rooting for the couple & getting to see them process their old feelings and the new ones was so beautiful <3

gemma & josh's growth was so amazing to see and get to read because it was done so well within both books !

i loved this read, and i couldn't get enough even though it was heavier, i loved the lightness in the book as well.

I am so thrilled to see Josh and Gemma once again in this second part in their story. I personally loved the first book, Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. The first installment from Sarah Ready is where you follow Gemma’s journey to get pregnant through IVF. Yes, to understand this book, I would recommend you need to read the first book to even remotely understand this book.

What I really love about Sarah’s Ready books is that she has a way to write heart wrenching, down to earth and very realistic stories. Which in ways you can relate and just really feel the journey of the character.

This next book provided a plot twist that had me reeling as to why this happened. Like I said, love that there is a realistic scenario that could have happened in a love story.

But this second book was a slight let down for me. The first book really wrapped up nicely and felt like it didn’t need a second book.

I also struggled to connect to Josh and Gemma in this book. Maybe I am comparing too much to the first book. But the beginning felt slow to start and as the plot unfolds so did the story.

I didn’t care for Ian’s backstory. The rude ex-boyfriend from Gemma’s past. It felt totally left field and was ready to DNF’d the book then and there.

I didn’t see much of Josh in this book. He was traveling quite a bit for work, so you didn’t see him much. There wasn’t much interaction between the two people. When he was there, it was dramatic and I just wish there was more communication between him and Gemma.

Gemma was supposed to not feel love anymore due to the brain injury. She felt love from her baby, parents and maybe her siblings. But not Josh. Just Josh she didn’t feel love for.

I felt that a lot of the first book that I loved so much wasn’t there in the second. I personally would just recommend reading the first one and let it be.

This book wasn't bad, it's just not for me. It feels unnecessary to come in and cause all this trauma. I get that happy endings aren't realistic, but in a world where its mostly doom and gloom i like the escape a HEA brings me. In the real world there are ups and downs in relationships and this definitely highlights those.

Sooo . . . I didn't know this was a sequel so I didn't read book one prior. I think it might have helped me have some more background information, but I still very much enjoyed this as if it were a standalone. I will go read Book 1, however, because I enjoyed this one.

Gemma had a traumatic experience that leaves her not remember how to FEEL (the emotional kind not the physical kind). When she tells Josh she doesn't feel love for him, he's crushed. But they both so hard to find a way back to the place they were. She even struggles with feelings for her daughter, Hope.

The only person evoking any feelings in Gemma is her former boss, Ian Fortune, who we all love to hate. And I won't lie, he grew on me as I went through this book.

This was a beautifully told story of how love evolves and changes, even when you continue to remember how to feel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was super excited when I saw that there's going to be a sequel to Josh and Gemma make a baby but while I really enjoyed the first book, this one was quite disappointing. The entire concept of the book was interesting, but I still felt like this sequel wasn't needed. I felt like I was watching a telenovela, all those big events, traumatic backstory reveal, lots of miscommunication and those spicy scenes one after the other was a bit too much for me personally (don't get me wrong, I can really appreciate a good spicy scene).

Erin Mallon did a fantastic job narrating this book and it made my reading experience much more fun!

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc.