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🌶️🌶️🌶️
📱🤰🏻📰🎤🏳️‍🌈

Baby Bank is about Mila Torres, a Latinx Pansexual woman. Mila is 34 years old and is told by her doctor that she should think about having children or freezing her eggs because of her age, and she's soon going to be considered "geriatric". Of course, she's been thinking about having a family of her own for a while, so she finds out about an app called Baby Bank, where she can swipe right on potential sperm donors.

In amongst trying to get pregnant, she's also having an internal dilemma at work as a divorce lawyer, because she has a client who is a shady Senator. Ari Elliot, a reporter, encouraged Mila to give her the inside scoop and leak private information calling him out. It gets complicated as Mila develops feelings for Ari, and even more complicated when it's revealed that Ari is her sperm donor's sister.

The book follows Mila on her pregnancy journey, her growing feelings for Ari, the ramifications of leaking confidential files, and Mila's second job as a comedian. I found it quite funny, and heartwarming in the sense of literal found family, and sweet romantic moments, and loved that Mila did what she wanted, so she could start her own family. I really liked Ari, and really felt for her backstory which is just so heartbreaking. This book is well-written, and the plot was interesting enough that I didn't want to put it down.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sarah Robinson for a copy of the ebook. This review is left voluntarily.

P.S. There is an app out there for sperm donors! Did I download it? HECK YEAH.

Mila Torres finds herself in a strange situation as she starts falling for her sperm donor’s sister, who also happens to be reporting on the breaking political scandal Mila’s law firm is working on. This fun sapphic romance has a unique rom-com premise, with quippy dialogue and a genuine story to tell about the magic of queer families and the importance of the right to choose what that looks like for yourself.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title.

Mila Torres is a successful divorce lawyer by day, stand-up comedian by night in Washington, DC. Then she realizes she’s only a year away from hitting the ripe old age of thirty-five & she wants a child right now. This poses a bit of a problem since she’s living Golden Girls style with two of her best friends who work on Capitol Hill and one ornery old cat. That is, until she hears a story from a friend about Baby Bank. A few margaritas later and Mila has swiped on over fifty donors until she finds the perfect match—handsome, successful, brilliant. Now she’s meeting him at a hotel—along with two of her friends for backup—to complete the process. All should have gone smoothly, except when she learns that her donor is the brother of the reporter that Mila has been dodging for months, and that while she originally only wanted this man’s baby, she actually wants his sister, too.
A different book for me & I wondered if I’d enjoy it – I did. It was fun, quirky with very likeable characters. The pace was good & it held my interest all the way through. I loved the humour & often laughed out loud. It covered a range of topics relevant today. An interesting book & a definite rom com
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

This was such a fun read! Mila was actually a very "funny" character, which can sometimes fall flat when a character is a comedian in my opinion. (Although the scenes I found her the least funny in was her standup scenes).

I did love the author's note about not wanting to focus on the "trauma" that the characters experienced and wanting a happy LGBTQ+ story to focus on. I respected this but did feel as though the major motivations for characters' actions was brushed over because of this.

Overall, it was a fun story and an easy, quick read.

Thank you to Sarah Robinson and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've never read anything like this and I really enjoyed it. It was funny that Mila having Ari's brothers baby was never really that big of a deal. They were really cute but I wanted to see more of them together. All of the characters were a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing them in the next book.

I received an arc through netgalley.

We have fantastic Lesbain representation in this book.This is the frist in the series.Mila is a single bisexual woman who wants to start her own family. When she discovered an app where she could swipe right to find a perfect sperm donor, she jumped at the chance. After Mila chooses the ideal candidate, she quickly realizes that she knows her sister, Ari, and she may have feelings for her. This is when things start to get interesting, leading to Mila giving birth. I love that the mother-to-be has real feelings for her little alien invader...no love, no signature movie moments, but depictions of an intense need to defense of what she has done and acknowledgment that she will love time. Finally, a true story about motherhood that I can applaud.

The lawyer/comedian finding her conscience, morally and ethically, is an interesting plot and once she teams up with the decent journalist is swooning? The article was hung on the wall. Application? It just created an even smaller weird little world and I laughed out loud at the little web woven from it.

Funny, Cute, Romantic.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I was very intrigued so I read the premise and then I was hooked. I loved the LGBTQ+ characters and the storyline.

To be honest, I never knew there was such an idea as a baby Bank app. It is certainly a very modern and interesting idea.

I didn't enjoy the moments of miscommunication between the characters. It is just not a trope that I enjoy. The cover really caught my eye which is great.

Baby Bank was a 3.5 🌟 read for me. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Baby Bank is due for release tomorrow, September 19th.

I really did not know what I was getting into when I picked up this book to read. I mean - I did, I read the synopsis - but I had no clue that I'd go through every emotion possible and that I'd be laughing and crying and falling in love. I really enjoyed this read and the world that Sarah Robinson built - the glorious found family mixed with real family. It was heart warming, beautiful and so funny.

By day, Mila is a pansexual, single, high powered DC attorney helping high powered professionals get away with all sorts of nonsense. By night, she's starting to explore her real dream of being a stand up comedienne. She's starting to question not only her job and her own integrity but also her future as lawyer, as a mom. She ends up looking into an app for a sperm donor - which is a real thing!! And hilarity and complications ensue!! Her friends and family are real (fully formed and flawed and just so tangible) and supportive and funny.

I will say that the book seemed to tackle so many topics - perhaps almost too many? Sometimes it felt a little manic. Also, I would have loved a dual POV at times, to see more from the love interests POV, not just Mila's. I thought Ari really was an incredible character and would have loved to see more from their POV. Nonetheless, this was a great read that shares a different stage of life and romance that I thoroughly appreciated.

Thanks so much Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

2.5. Book was not for me. I thought I would enjoy it because of its dealing with building a family in a non-traditional way. I faced this challenge years ago, which resulted in my parenting two adopted children as siblings for my two biological children. However, this book as a disappointment. First of all, the simplicity with which the protagonist arranged to find a sperm donor and become pregnant was unbelievable. And the book was too melodramatic for me. Too many gratuitous sex scenes. The ending was predictable. Do not recommend.

I was really looking forward to this story which, oddly enough, had me putting off my reading. I knew I was setting my hopes too high and didn’t want to be disappointed. While I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, I did enjoy this story overall, it didn’t live up to my expectations.

The characters in this book, even the friends and family who are side characters, are wonderful. There are times I felt Mila was too self-absorbed, yet I could forgive her for it due to everything going on in her life. And while I forgave her for it, it still bothered me when it came to Ari. This story is first person from Mila’s POV so I felt I never got to know Ari as much as I would have liked. In my opinion, that means Mila didn’t get to know Ari as much as she should have. It ended up giving the story an overall feeling of telling instead of showing. This couple has a warmth and connection that is undeniable, and I wanted to see that on the page.

When it comes to representation this book is amazing. From people with uteruses being able to make their own choices to gender and sexuality being accepted no matter what it may be. I almost got upset about a gender reveal party, but it ended up an extraordinary scene.

Some things didn’t work for me in this book that I fully realize are a “me” problem. For a book that features a stand-up comedian, it is quite serious. Most of this story takes place over the 9 months of Mila’s pregnancy. During that time she is in danger of losing her job, which means losing her insurance while pregnant and having to worry about her other bills. There’s also a scandal at her work that causes her to be under investigation. It’s a lot and it was hard for me to find the joy. In my current reading mood, I need more joy in my books. Again, this is a me thing so I’m not reflecting that in my rating. I just want it to be known because I feel if I had gone into this story with that knowledge I would have had different expectations.

Because I found this book to be well-written and loved all of the characters so much, I’m sure I’ll pick up the next in the series once it’s available. I’d like to give this author another try with me going in knowing what to expect with her writing style.

This was cute but it was too focused on the pregnancy aspect and I found the romance lacking - they fucked and pined a bit and then got engaged??? Idk it didn't make me root for them nor did I feel much romance, but it wasn't horrible

Well that was really cute! I read this mostly in one day and loved the overall positive relationships that were in this story. Was there conflict and angst? Well, yeah, but overall, it was refreshing to read a story about lgbtq+ millennials having positive relationships with each other and with other generations. In fact, as the main characters is talking about the lesbian bar and what she loves about the community, it made me smile. Mila Torres/Tori Miles is a single pansexual Latina woman who lives with her best friends while working an awful job as a divorce lawyer, fighting on the side of the wealthy sleazebags. At her annual pap smear, her doctor (definitely not one of my favorites) mentions something that reminds her that she has always wanted to have a baby. She knows she can't afford the usual sperm bank rates when her friends mention the Baby Bank, an app that is pretty much like Tinder for sperm.

Without getting into details, I loved getting to know Mila and Ari, and Mila's friends were a real hoot. I am part of Gen-X, and yeah, this definitely had the feel of millennials, but I had a lot of fun with this one. I laughed out loud several times, and I was rooting for Mila and Ari all the way. I also loved that I was able to relate to Mila's frustrations with her job, her mother, and the general patriarchy that loved to mansplain things to her. But I also loved that Mila loved her mom and while she didn't know exactly where the boundaries were, I loved how their relationship grew stronger throughout this story, mainly because they both loved each other so much and honestly wanted the best for each other. Ari's brother and family were also awesome, and while the author said she made up this story, she said that stories like the Baby Mama Mingle family reunion actually do happen and that just made me smile.

I also really love the theme of families being what you make of them and that they come in all shapes and sizes. I loved how the different mom's (and their families) just embraced Mila, and I loved Nomi and her way of fully embracing and loving her children and their choices.

The only character that was a bit much sometimes was Lukas. I didn't dislike him (there was much I DID like about him), but he didn't always know when to dial it down. I totally loved the TikTok video in the cab though, ha! I was laughing out loud over that scene.

Overall, this book was a bit of fresh air and I would love to read other books in this series. They're each standalone books, so no need to get frustrated waiting to find out what happens next! That said, I think the next book does involve one of Mila's best friends, so that will be fun. I'm hoping we get a glimpse of each of the previous couples in each book.

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

This book is hilarious!!!!! When this author says it’s a romantic comedy, she delivered JUST THAT! Mila is goals, she has her 9-5 lawyer job, and on the weekends or at night’s she’s a comedian, I think that’s so awesome. She was told that after a certain age it will be hard to conceive and that she should have alternatives lined up for the future, she tells her funny AF friends and they suggested this app where you can actually get sperm, GRINGY AF!!!! But she does it. And to add more drama and comedy to this WHOLE thing, the guy she chooses has a sister, and she’s someone she has been crushing for some time but because of their occupations they keep things separate until it can’t be helped, and they feed into their attraction. I feel like I’m running on and on, but this whole book is full of laugh worthy scenarios. I didn’t realize how much of a good laugh I needed. The author did her thing I can’t wait to read more from this author.

I loved the synopsis of this story and knew I had to read it. “Baby Bank” is a fun, sweet and emotional Sapphic book that pulled me in with its great characters and was such a great read.

Mila is a lawyer living in D.C. and after a recent trip to the doctor, has her thinking about her future and if kids are in that future. After thinking about it, she decides yes and goes on the hunt for a sperm donor since she’s going to do it on her own. When one of her friends tells her about an app called Baby Bank, she finds her donor. While doing all of this, she’s being pursued by a reporter named Ari, who wants her help taking down a senator that is trying to pass a bill that is threatening women’s rights. And the two have another connection they weren’t expecting, Ari is the sister of Mila’s sperm donor.

The storyline is full of green flags and makes it even more special. It’s all from Mila’s POV so we get to see her learn and grow as she gets pregnant and realize that she has feelings for Ari. Mila is a pansexual and it’s so great that it had that kind of representation in the book. Hearts not parts. Mila grew so much in the book and I ended up admiring her and what she stood for. She wanted to be a mom and took matters into her own hands to get it done. And also being brave enough to stand up and make sure people knew about that senator. Ari was such a great character and I admired her for who she was as a person. The last few chapters were great and left me with a smile on my face. This is the first book in the series and I hope we get more soon.

I really enjoyed this! What I appreciated about Robinson's novel was how likeable and bubbly all of the characters were. Mila is a full-time attorney, part-time comedian in D.C. who decides to use the app Baby Bank to embark on a solo motherhood journey. Go figure that her romantic interest, Ari, just happens to be her sperm donor!

While I appreciate Robinson touching upon topics such as reproduction rights and gender, it sometimes felt a little too forced. Additionally, I enjoyed this being a quick read but I think there's a lot left unexplored (Ari's background, for example, is only superficially touched upon) and I would have preferred the chapters to include timeframes (such as 32 weeks, for example). Robinson made sure to include information in each chapter as to where Mila was in her pregnancy, but a visual cue would have helped my feelings of abstractness.

That being said, I love the theme of found family and the gaggle of characters supporting Mila on her journey, and I'm looking forward to what looks to be a continuation of these characters' stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mila uses an app to be matched with a sperm donor to get pregnant before her fertile clock runs out, only to find out his sister is the hot reporter she’s been dodging from work. The woman she can’t get off her mind. Nothing can go wrong.

I would say huge trigger warning for people trying to conceive. A 35 year old woman gets pregnant in one shot using an at home kit and sperm from a cup. It’s totally going to be triggering for any person actually TTC when it takes more than one try. That in itself really killed the book for me. She decides one day to have a kid and is pregnant about a week later. Milas character is bad, and selfish and makes poor decisions and she realizes and admits this but is no way changes.

It was cute and easy but actually covered really hard topics.

4.5⭐️

It was my absolute privilege to read this during Pride Month! Thank you NetGalley for offering this book in a bunch of LGBTQIA+ romances for Pride Month helping to celebrate queerness. And thank you for granting me access to this book.

I loved Baby Bank. It was well written, it’s a funny, sexy and smart story, and also touched on several contemporary issues including reproductive rights, queer issues and women’s empowerment!

What’s also exciting is that this is the start of a series, I can not wait to read more books in the Queerly Devoted series!

Mila Torres is a lawyer by day and stand up comedian by night who embarks on single motherhood. Enter Baby Bank app, where she’s able to source donor sperm. Somewhere along the way she finds herself pregnant to her sperm donor as well as in love with her sperm donors sister, Ari. Somethings developing between Mila and Ari at the same time Mila’s pregnancy is blossoming…

This book is about how Family is what you decide and what you make it, and that Parenting comes in all shapes and sizes?

This book plot was well developed, it has everything you would want to see in books.. The character know exactly who they are, they have such a strong female empowerment. The author define the world so well and the writing was so beautiful. I would recommend this book to anyone

Baby Bank (publication date 9/19/23) by Sarah Robinson, is a cute queer sapphic romance that hit home for me--the main character, Mila Torres, is a lawyer, and she wants to become a mother despite the fact that she is still a single bisexual at 35. With her multiple live-in friends assisting her swiping through a known donor app, she chooses someone who is not creepy--seems nice, and smart, even,

We find out that Mila's known donor is the brother of the journalist--Ari--that has been pursuing Mila for weeks for details about the divorce that she's been working on for a conservative senator. So there's some political drama woven in as well. And Mila has a side hustle--she is also known as Torrey Miles, stand up comic, throughout the DC area, because being a divorce lawyer is not funny at all.

Mila and Ari keep running into each other, though if they are seen together it could ruin Mila's career.. But Mila wants to see her, and maybe more, even though she might be pregnant with Ari's brother's baby? How do you date when you possibly may be pregnant? And you think you're in love with . . . the baby's biological aunt?

It is super-cute, hilarious, feminist, and sweet. All of the characters are lovable--Mila has both a found family and is close to her mother, who was a single mother herself.

There is, however, some anti-fat bias throughout, mostly in how Mila describes her weight gain through her pregnancy. I was disappointed that the author chose to include the anti-fatness and it wasn't caught in the editing process--it's otherwise inclusive, with characters of several different ethnicities. But it didn't detract too much from the overall story for me.

This concept was crazy, but a lot of it fell flat. It seemed like every plot that was being thrown around was half developed and never fully resolved. It was a quick read though which was nice, but other than that I felt pretty underwhelmed the entire time.