Josh and Gemma Make a Baby should have delighted me. This book seemed to promise what I love about romance novels, which is how fun romance tropes can open up an exploration of complex emotional and relational dynamics. And perhaps that is what this novel delivered for some readers. Unfortunately, Josh and Gemma missed the mark for me. I was underwhelmed by the dynamic between the hero and heroine, not least because Gemma really didn't seem to be that interested in Josh's life, or, like, anything about him?

Having said that, I expect this book to find its readers. I can't think of a romance novel that deals with infertility to recommend over Josh and Gemma, which speaks to a gap that think book is filling, perhaps. I can imagine that for readers who have similarly struggled with IVF, following Gemma and Josh through their journey to creating a family may be very affirming.

Josh and Gemma Make A Baby by Sarah Ready
Tags: RomCom; Brothers Best Friend; Second Chance Romance; Infertility Journey

Gemma Jacobs is 32, divorced, and sick of waiting for Mr Right. It’s New Years, and she’s made her resolution – have a baby. She’s an independent women, she can do this on her own – and she knows just who she’d like her donor to be: Josh Lewenthal. Josh – nice guy, easy going, family friend (her older brother’s best friend actually), and the guy she once long ago lost her virginity to. Now she just needs to get Josh on board…

I really enjoyed this book – it balanced being a romantic comedy (complete with the hijinks and heartfelt moments) with covering a serious issue that impacts a lot of people (infertility). I liked the balance of levity and depth and really enjoyed watching Gemma’s journey.

I ended up reading this book over the course of an afternoon, it just sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down. I adored Josh – he was such a fun character to see the layers revealed on and I enjoyed his interactions with Gemma and watching their story evolve. I also had all the feels when he read a certain something at a certain part (no spoilers), but seriously crying. 💕

I laughed, I cried – I just had a lot of feelings. It had a bit of a Bridget Jones-ish romcom vibe at times for me, and as always, I’m a fan of a good slow burn romance. I think fans of romcoms in the vein of Christina Lauren, Abby Jiminez, and the like.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for the opportunity to read an early copy!

FIVE STARS. Is it presumptuous to say a book published in January may end up being one of my favorites of 2022? I loved this story and devoured it in a day. It’s perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez; definitely pick it up if you like movies like What to Expect When You’re Expecting, The Back Up Plan, or When Harry Met Sally. This book gave me all the feels from butterflies and giddiness to heartbreak and longing and everything in between. Pick this book up, and thank me later. Also, say hi to my newest book boyfriend, Josh, for me.

This witty, hilarious, and banter filled romcom is sure to put anyone in a good mood. And the characters an overall plot are so endearing that readers find it easy to dismiss any little hiccoughs they may find along the way. Sizzling chemistry, slow burning romance, and the brother’s best friend trope all work together in perfect balance to create a laugh out loud contemporary romance.

4 bright stars for this heartwarming and hilarious romcom

Jemma and Josh have known each other for ever, he is practically part of her family. So when she decides that she wants to have a baby without waiting for the perfect man to come along, she asks Josh. Just as friends. After all he doesn't take life seriously, so would be perfect as she doesn't want anything more than his help to make the baby. So, just friends.... Anyway, it's a nice read except for the unnecessary over the top cringe worthy scenes that do not add to the story at all, if anything they take away from some great characters and a plot that does not need the slap stick additions

3.5⭐️ maybe? I could not put this damn book down. JOSH AND GEMMA MAKE A BABY is an adult rom-com about a single woman who convinces her brother’s long-time best friend to have a baby with her via IVF following her endometriosis diagnosis.

I highly recommend this story as an audiobook: Erin Mallon’s performance is delightful!

What I Loved:
- Josh. If you like cinnamon roll heroes and the “boy obsessed” trope, Josh is your man.
- Female friendship. There were some really great supportive platonic relationships, and the female side characters were hilarious.
- Though a little corny at times, the writing was captivating and I was hooked from page one.
- The balance between humor and more serious topics. I enjoyed both the fun banter and the poignant discussions around infertility, motherhood, and grief.

What I Didn’t Love:
- Casual unchallenged fatphobia. This got a little better as the book went on and the MC stood up for herself, but I think the negativity could have been addressed better - especially considering we are led to believe that Gemma is “midsized” or curvy and not fat.
- Gemma, at times. Part of her character arc was that she had to unlearn the misconceptions she had about the people around her, but yikes. She was surely sympathetic and endearing at times, but I would not recommend this book if you don’t like slightly unlikable narrators.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of THE FRIEND ZONE by Abby Jimenez. JOSH AND GEMMA MAKE A BABY was a captivating read to kick off 2022 with!

TWs: infertility, miscarriage, death of a parent, cancer, casual fatphobia

I really liked this book! I thought it was a cute story. Ready used classic tropes like brother’s best friend and even a little bit of a love triangle, but included a fresh new twist of wanting a baby and how that played into the mix.
I haven’t had any experience with IVF or fertility clinics, but I appreciated the way the author pulled in more characters to touch on others’ journeys with infertility.
The story got cuter and cuter and ended with some peak cuteness, but somehow remained grounded into enough reality that I wasn’t rolling my eyes at the ending.
4.25/5
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Still dealing with the aftermath of her divorce and infertility diagnosis, Gemma decides it's time to take charge in her own life. She visits with a fertility doctor and learns that it is possible for her to have a baby through IVF, she just either needs to find a donor or use the anonymous donor bank. She decides the best candidate is her brother's playboy best friend, Josh, who she's known for over two decades. And she thinks he's an even better choice because she has no romantic feelings for him and would never consider him marriage material. To her surprise, Josh not only agrees but decides he wants to be a part of the baby's life.

I really loved this story! I was laughing out loud at the beginning of the book and then found myself tearing up during some of the more difficult moments at the end. Erin Mallon narrated and did an awesome job as always. I was so invested in Gemma's journey and discoveries about herself and those around her. This story is single POV but there were little nuggets dropped along the way that let the reader in on Josh's feelings. I typically prefer dual POV but this story was just woven so beautifully that I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to read others from this author!

CW: infertility, loss of a parent

Growing up, Gemma was obsessed with Josh, her brother’s best friend. Gemma decides to distance herself from Josh after they hook up at Josh’s high school graduation party, and she goes years without being friends with him. A few years pass - they both graduate college, Gemma gets married, and then divorced - and Gemma’s mom attempts to convince Gemma to date Josh. As Gemma is explaining all of the reasons why that’s a terrible idea to her mom, Josh overhears their conversation.

Fast forward a few years and Gemma wants to have a baby via IVF. After convincing Josh to be her donor, Gemma starts to realize that her obsession with Josh might have been dormant instead of completely gone.

Ready’s character development intertwined with an engaging plot, makes for an interesting story. Also, the summarizing of the IVF process was very informative. The only thing I would criticize would be the semi-stereotypical description of the other women who were going through IVF and were a part of the support group.

Mallon’s narration portrays the various characters’ emotions accurately, which adds an additional layer of depth to the book.

I received the audiobook as an ARC (thanks NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing!).

It was an okay read.
Some of the story was a bit predictable but I really enjoyed the characters and how their relationship evolved in a very natural and convincing way. The narrator for the audiobook unfortunately was not as convincing.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This cute little rom-com was the cutest start to my 2022 reads! I really enjoyed the narrator’s work, especially for a one-woman cast. And today was the perfect day to listen, since the book starts and ends on New Year’s Eve!

When I judged this book by its cover, I thought I was signing up for a cutesy baby daddy rom-com. Josh and Gemma ended up being so much more! There was definitely an emotional layer to this book that I wasn’t expecting. I found myself tearing up at some scenes (TW: infertility and loss) and cracking up laughing at others.

Generally I prefer romances with dual perspectives, but SR did an amazing job of showing us Josh’s thoughts through Gemma’s eyes. Josh seemed so sweet and genuine, despite being a bit of a player growing up. I would have liked to see more of Josh’s opinion of Gemma growing up, but there was a twist that would’ve been ruined by his POV.

I will say that I’m not sure how realistic this book was in regards to the discussions of infertility and IVF. Gemma seemed particularly naive on the topic for someone ready to drop tons of money on IVF. She didn’t even realize that it doesn’t usually work on the first round–something I know as someone that has never tried to get pregnant either naturally or through IVF. There were many scenes where Gemma’s mother made her feel unworthy as a woman for not dating, going so far as to shame her body type.

IVF discussions aside, I really enjoyed this book. Sarah Ready is a new-to-me author, but I’ll certainly be reading more of her work in the future!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was exactly what I needed at the moment.

It was the perfect mix of serious and humor. It also had the perfect amount of romance and drama.

Gemma has decided she is ready to have a baby on her own, she doesn’t need a husband to make her dreams of being a mom a reality. Due to infertility issues she needs to go through IVF anyway. While discussing with her doctor about how to go about she decides that she does not want to use an anonymous sperm donor. Instead she decides to ask her brothers best friend, the boy that took her vCard in high school, because he’s been a part of the family forever and she know s him. However she realizes she doesn’t really know him at all as they begin the process.

4.25-.5 ‘Grimm & Jewel’ stars


Um…I’m almost dumbstruck. Cause I did NOT see this one coming — not even a little!(especially what I consider a middle of the road trope for me - bff’s little sister/older brother’s bff). That was sooooooo unexpectedly good read to cap the year off with.
description

I started using netgalley this past year & tbh none of the new-to-me authors have really knocked my socks off…until now 🥰. I was just browsing the romance ARCs a couple of weeks when the cover caught my eye & the description sounded alright. Not thinking too much of it at first with some other more pressing reads in mind to get to first, but I got to reading it late the night before, expectations thoroughly curbed. You know what? I devoured it in what I’d consider more like a sitting & a half total. It’s been a while since I felt like that with a new to me author.


Josh & Gemma Make A Baby totally gave me the feels 🥰. Such a sweet & swoony slowburn…so funny(like genuine lol. The whole ‘boy toy’ situation is one of the biggest book laughs I’ve had in a long time 😂🤣) & a much more emotional ride than I anticipated. Sure, there’s some angst woven in, but I wouldn’t consider it too OTT. So here’s the thing with the latter, Gemma has been through a lot in her adult life. She’s still a work-in-progress & has some real growing to do as a person to move on from it. Which she does through the book & that part of the journey is bound to have a few potholes & bumps. By the end, each part of it just made that much sweeter when Josh & Gemma reached the start of their life together & the start of their own family.

For a single POV(Gemma’s), SR does a wonderful job letting the reader get to know Josh through Gemma as they get reacquainted & become closer as they fall for each other. That’s not easy to do. Seriously, that doesn’t translate as often as I would like with single POV romance. All that in mind, get ready to fall in love with Josh 😍. He’s one of the most lovable heroes I’ve read all year. Gemma’s so relatable even though it might be a little frustrating when her insecurities rear up at less than opportune times, but it’s honest. After her history, it makes sense emotional intimacy wouldn’t be simple.

The negatives are few in number. Of those few, I’d say there’s only one worth mentioning imo. On their own, most of the inspirational quotes that Gemma loves to use that she’s gotten from her boss(a “self-help guru”) could definitely be cheesy — I’m not about to pretend they weren’t —, BUT there turns out to be a purpose to all the quotes. Nothing else stuck with me much in a negative way.

I’m not trying to imply this “reinvents the wheel” by any means, but for my first Sarah Ready book, (I know I’m basically a broken record here) I am so pleasantly surprised & impressed. Definitely won’t be my last 😊. In fact, I’m gonna plead my case to Ms. Ready — please, please do like a time rewind series with all of Gemma’s new friends (from group) relationships with their hubbies sound intriguing. I wanna read how they met & fell in love too. All 3 were such a likable cast of side characters, Carly, Brooke & Hannah, without sounding redundant in their personalities. Then the epilogues can fast forward to after this one & we can see how everyone is doing. 🤞

I might tidy this review up some later, but for now, let me leave you with if any of the above piques your interest, J&GMAB is definitely worth picking up.

⛔️ Trigger Warning: ⛔️
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[infertility (the obvious if you’ve read the synopsis), loss, miscarriage, sort of a triangle(nothing too heavy or significant happens with OM. no sex on or off page.]

(GoodReads review here >> https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4395263149 )

Story: 3 ⭐️
Steam: 3 🔥 light smut - one scene
Audio: 5 🎧

I thought this book looked and sounded so cute! I ended up not enjoying it as much as I hoped.

I liked Josh ok, but I wasn’t a fan of Gemma. She got better at the end but through most of the book she was judgmental, selfish, and irritating. I think that’s where my disconnect was with the story. It was also a very slow burn. The book goes over so many serious life events but attempts to lighten this with some humor that at times felt forced and out of place.


CW/TW: infertility, IVF, pregnancy loss, loss of parent

Thanks to NetGalley and the suit her/publishers for an early copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

There is so much to like in this story. There is a really likable cast of characters--grumpy but so nice man, supportive but misguided family, weird self-help guru, some unlikely friends and a woman who is trying to take charge of her life. If you like found family, 'dating the brothers best friend', enemies to friends to lovers, and a slow burn that doesn't feel *too* slow, this one might be for you.

It's funny. Like really laugh out loud funny. It's also very sweet, a little sad and just overall good to read. For a while I thought it was just a fun read, nothing too deep. But I was wrong and it did end with some serious moments, conflict and even more. I'll definitely be looking into other works by this author!

I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator was great. I really enjoyed listening and just getting sucked right in.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audio copy of this book.

Josh and Gemma grew up next to each other and have periodically had a thing for the other.... unfortunately those times never overlapped. Gemma is now 32, divorced, infertile, out of shape, and looking for something more. She's always wanted a baby and decides that now is the time-- she doesn't need a man to fulfill this need in her life. She'll do IVF and have a baby on her own. There's only one problem. She needs a sperm donor. Who better to step up to the plate than her childhood neighbor who is best friends with her brother? Thus ensues a sweet love story about second (and third) chances and creating a family in whatever way will work for you.

Gemma is a fun main character who has a lot going for her besides Josh and IVF. She makes new friends, has a career she loves, and has a family that truly loves her. Sometimes I felt like she was a little.... TOO obtuse, but that didn't really detract from the overall cuteness of the love story and Gemma's spunkiness. She is smart, driven, and knows what she wants. I love seeing that kind of heroine in any kind of story, so I was prepared to forgive her some of her other faults.

Josh was such a sweet love interest, and I adored the pining. I mean, he wrote a webcomic for years about being in love with her-- come on! My one gripe with him is that he never said or did anything to let her know about his feelings. I know that miscommunication is a huge trope in the genre, but we couldn't even get a TRY?

There's also a subplot of a potential romance with Gemma's boss and his connections with Josh that are really interesting. It added some color to a romance that could have been average and really elevated the overall story. I was *really* into this story and listened to the entire 9+ hour audiobook in one day.

The audio narration was superb and I would definitely recommend the audio version.

I really enjoyed this book. I learned more about many womens’ journeys with IVF, while still being able to enjoy a romance book. The narrator was good as well.

I absolutely adored this.
The characters are brilliant, as is the writing.
This draws you in so much you can't help but feel all the emotions it throws at you. I laughed and cried and felt warm and fuzzy at different points through Gemmas story.
I was and still am 100% team Josh! I would love to read more from Gemma and Josh.



I voluntarily read/listened to this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ready to move on after her divorce, Gemma is taking charge of her life and pursuing IVF to have a baby. She enlists her childhood friend (and crush), Josh, to help her make her New Year's resolution a reality.

I loved this book so much! It's a slow burn romance that's light and serious with plenty of humor thrown in for good measure. It was impossible for me not to root for Josh and Gemma to have a second chance. Josh's tenderness and love for Gemma are so touching. But, they are not the only wonderful characters in the book. Gemma's friends from her fertility support group add to the specialness of the book.

Narrator Erin Mallon delivers such an enjoyable listen! Mallon infuses Gemma with warmth and wit as she spouts inspirational quotes and gets caught in awkward mishaps. During Gemma's journey to have a baby, you can feel the dual determination and uncertainty she experiences. Mallon does an excellent job of giving each character, male and female, a unique voice as the sole narrator. Once I started listening, the story and Mallon's delivery made me not want to stop.

If you want some joy for the romantic in you, grab this one on January 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the advance listening copy.

This book is amazing . Must read/ listen to. As far as audiobooks go, the narrator does a great job and I was able to really get engrossed in the story and all of the characters