This was a great book to curl up with a blanket and read . It is a slow burn that is engaging and emotional (at times pulling at my heart strings), enjoyable ( a little bit of everything read).

I am reading this prior to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. Given so I found this story engaging enough to want to go back and read the prior book to find out what happened prior to this story.

This was my first Sarah Ready book. I really enjoyed her writing style and look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

I loved Josh and Gemma Make A Baby so I jumped on the chance to continue their story. However, what made the first installment of Josh and Gemma’s story so great was the way Josh and Gemma were able to banter and smile even during some of the hardest parts of life. This book lacked that which really made it a difficult read.

I kind of thought this book would have been all about how Josh and Gemma adjust to parenthood while handling the struggles of parenthood with the same humor and banter that made us fall in love with them in the first book. Man was I wrong. Instead, Gemma develops life threatening eclampsia, ends up in a coma for several months and when she wakes up cannot feel love towards anyone. —including josh and her baby.

The story is serious and heavy and just felt like too much. Josh obviously struggles with what is going on with his wife and also having to balance his work obligations. Gemma struggles with missing her baby’s first few months and her newfound inability to feel.

While there are some glimpses of the humor and wit we saw in book one it wasn’t enough to make me enjoy this book. My recommendation is to skip this one and assume Josh and Gemma live happily ever after at the end of book one.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

One of my favorite books of 2022 was Josh and Gemma Make a Baby - so to say I was excited a sequel was coming is an understatement! I love the dynamic relationship that Josh and Gemma have, their struggles and how they over. come the biggest of challenges. But this book really throws some cliffhangers! It's heart wrenching and warming all wrapped up in the same story. Loved diving deeper into their relationship - their growth, and struggles are real.
Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC & NetGalley

This is a sequel I didn’t think I needed but now that I’ve read it I’m really happy that it exists. I almost read it in one sitting (alas, real life got in the way) and the story was told with so much heart, tenderness and care that I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time.

In Josh and Gemma Make a Baby we met Gemma Jacobs, a thirty-something divorced woman from New York, who decides to have a baby. Enter Josh Lewenthal, an old family friend and the best friend of Gemma’s older brother, who decides to help her. In Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around we meet Josh and Gemma again, after their happily ever after, when everything should be going great for the two of them. But then, something happens, and nothing will ever be the same again.

I urge you to read this book and I urge you to go in blind, like I did, because there is no way you could guess how the story evolves. And what a story it is! Gemma and Josh are among my favorite literary characters of all time and I will carry them and their story in my heart forever.

”Trust me. Everything I’m doing, I’m doing to find my way back to you.”

From the first book I loved Josh and Gemma dearly, I rooted for them, loved with them and cried with them. This book was no exception. Seeing them go through a rough time and trying to built a new relationship around new hardships was beautiful, it showed what they truly meant to eachother. They got a beautiful second chance and the love declaration was so beautiful to read. I absolutely loved this book and it was an unexpected sequel that gave more depth to the characters

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book! I’ve willingly read and reviewed it. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to see that one of my favorite reads of 2022, JOSH AND GEMMA MAKE A BABY, was getting a sequel. I loved the banter and dynamic between these two characters who each struggled with monumental challenges, but soon fell in love and lived happily ever after. Or so we all thought.

In JOSH AND GEMMA THE SECOND TIME AROUND, readers find out that Gemma and Josh have a few more obstacles to overcome (I won’t say any more to avoid any spoilers!).

The story was, at times, absolutely heart-wrenching, frustrating (haters of miscommunication, it definitely serves a purpose in this book), and heartWARMING. It was so wonderful to be able to revisit these characters, to see how they’ve changed, grown, and adapted. So much so that I immediately want to go back and read its predecessor again just to revisit Josh and Gemma…a second time around.

I am a big fun of Sarah Ready and will always be . She wrote a gem . I couldn't have expected that plot .
We find Gemma and Josh one day before their wedding and everything is great , she is 34 weeks pregnant and looking to start their new family . While they are about to get married she collapse and 3 months later she wakes from the coma she was . She had pre-eclampsia when she was pregnant and that caused her to have eclampsia so the coma . From the moment she wakes up she doesn't feel anything . Because she doesn't want to hurt Josh she is comes with a plan to fall for him for the second time . I loved her journey to find herself , her love for Josh , her baby . I even liked how Ian's characher was written , I would like to read his own book in the future .
I received this book from netgalley and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

I have been looking forward to reading this book since Sarah announced its impending release some months ago. I LOVED Josh and Gemma Make a Baby (like, 5 star loved), though much to my disappointment, I did not have the same experience with this book. My overall feeling is that it was simply unnecessary to continue Josh and Gemma's story on page. Quite honestly, it felt like it was about Ian more than it was about Josh and Gemma, the namesakes of the book. It seemed like there were wayyyy more Ian and Gemma scenes than there was Josh and Gemma. I certainly did not jump on board the Ian Fortune redemption train, no matter the story Sarah gave him. I will always appreciate the time and effort an author takes to bring a story to life, but unfortunately I just did not jive with this one like I hoped I would.

I loved book one; I loved book two as well! I love Josh and Gemma. This book was a rollercoaster. I sent my friend a gif from Anchorman of the “IM IN A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION” because that’s how I felt. I have more to say about the plot but spoilers so I will keep them to myself. Loved it and will recommend on my Instagram closer to the pub date!

I’m going to be honest here. I wasn’t that excited to read this book because I felt like it wasn’t necessary; the way the first book ended was perfect, so why a second book.

BUT, once I started reading it, I realized how much I missed Gemma and Josh, their love for each other and their banter.

I didn’t expect the book to take such a turn. But it was soo good. It was amazing to see Gemma learn how to love Josh in different ways. And their interactions with their baby? So adorable!!!

Overall, it was a great experience ❤️

Thank you Sarah, Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book!

For every broken heart there is a captivating journey. Sarah Ready takes emotions on the ultimate wild ride with Josh and Gemma. From quirky romance to haunting love story, what develops into wrought iron finds itself teetering on broken glass. The beauty of storytelling is not the story itself, but the way it makes you feel. Through every bump and bruise, there is always a glimmer of something beautiful. Josh and Gemma: The Second time Around takes life by the heart and exposes it's soul.

Cannot wait to read the Followup sequel to one of my favorite books. It’s such a great premise to see what happens after the fairytale.


The highly anticipated sequel to romcom Josh and Gemma Make a Baby.

Everything is about to change.

Gemma Jacobs has life figured out. She’s upbeat, positive to a fault, and the master of her own destiny. She has a wonderful career in social media marketing, lives in a trendy apartment with her fiancé Josh Lewenthal, and is pregnant with their much-loved baby.

Her life is wonderful. Absolutely perfect.

Except…

What really comes after the happily ever after?

Josh Lewenthal is laid-back, fun-loving, and always finds the humor in life. He writes a wildly successful web comic series, and can’t wait to marry Gemma—the woman of his dreams.

His life is amazing. Terrific.

Except…

What happens when everything changes?

Suddenly 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.

They confront a devastating separation, the return of world-infamous Ian Fortune, and the question of whether or not their love can truly survive when everyone says...it’s already gone.

Captivating, gripping, and full of unexpected twists and turns, this love story yanks you into what happens after the happily ever after.

3.5 Stars Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around was a fantastic sequel to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. Ever wonder what came after the proposal and the happy ever after? Real life, change, and challenges. 34 weeks pregnant with their baby, Gemma is about to wed Josh. At the altar Gemma suddenly falls ill and passes out. Gemma wakes up having been in a coma for the past three months and delivered her baby daughter, who Josh named Hope. She had developed pre-eclampsia and her coma was the result of the eclampsia. Josh never gave up his belief that Gemma would wake up and come back to him, but when she woke up Gemma wasn’t able to feel any emotions and accidentally blurted to Josh that she didn’t love him anymore. Battling a traumatic brain injury from the eclampsia, Gemma is determined to recover her ability to feel and fall in love with Josh again.

This was a wonderful story of recovery and second chance love. I loved the theme that love changes over time and due to unforeseen circumstances, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the effort. I also appreciated that there was no “magical” fix to Gemma’s lack of emotions, like kissing Josh. Instead, her brain overcame the TBI as it healed itself. I love Josh and Gemma’s love story!

I didn’t realize this was a sequel so that’s my bad. However, I understood the most characters without having read the first book, which is a good thing, and the premise was intriguing. I thought that the amount of coincidences was a little out of control even for a contemporary romance, which made me roll my eyes each time something happened. I think I wish each of the characters had more depth to them as well. The characters had too much stuff in their backgrounds to make them truly believable. Overall a decent, quick read but not my favorite of all time