This was a sweet romance story with a few twists and turns that drew me in to keep listening. The narrator was wonderful, she did a good job at not just reading the story but telling it.

After listening to and loving Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready last year, I was more than pleasantly surprised to see that Ready had written a sequel. In my mind, I’d already filled in all the blanks of where their story would go after the end of the first book … a happily ever after, of course: marriage, a new baby, happy hearts and a smooth ride. What I didn’t expect was that enormous pothole in the middle of their HEA road!

Josh and Gemma, who’s eight months pregnant, are finally at the altar getting ready to exchange their long-anticipated vows when their world goes sideways and all plans for their future are put on hold. Three months later, the world isn’t the only thing that’s changed. The person Gemma was and how she sees the world and everyone in it has too, and it will be the biggest test of her relationship with Josh yet to see if they can find their way through these new challenges and get back on the road to their happy ending.

I’ve seen some reviewers say this sequel wasn’t necessary, and I get where they’re coming from. Most of us read romance for the “feel goods”, right? If you’re looking for escapism and warm fuzzies, this may not be your book. If you want a satisfying emotional arc that shows a couple having to deal with real-life problems and find their way through them, it’s perfect! I also loved that it tied up from story threads from the first book - particularly a redemptive arc involving Ian Fortune who everyone loved to hate in the first book.

Despite the heavier topics, there’s a lot of warmth, fun and laughs in this story, a surprising amount of emotional depth and a deeper appreciation of what makes commitment and lasting love work! I loved the audio, once again narrated by the brilliant Erin Mallon. I’d strongly recommend reading the first book before this one, as other readers have discovered it’s harder to feel invested in Josh and Gemma’s relationship without seeing their backstory. If Ready decides to keep their story going, I’ll be right here waiting for the next book!

★★★★

To be honest, I did not realize this was the second book in a series when I started it. That being said, it wasn’t really for me.

I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I believe I would have if I had read the first book. I enjoyed the storyline and would recommend this to a friend. Books like this are hit or miss for me, so the fact that I went in blind and still enjoyed it says a lot about it. I felt the emotions of the characters, I was involved in the story, I found myself thinking about reading more even when I knew I didn’t have the time.

I haven’t read the first book so I just met Josh and Gemma. They are in love, about to get married, and almost having a baby.

What Gemma tells herself is stress and fatigue are more than simple headaches. And we have her collapsing in the middle of the wedding. The worst of it is waking up and learning that months have passed - she was in a coma and her daughter is growing up without her. That and when she notices that she can’t feel like she used to.

This book is wonderful!

We have two characters relearning to love each other as Gemma is not the same as before the coma. Every couple has to do this gradually as all of us change with time. In their case, this was much more sudden, and, even with all the change, will they be able to keep loving each other and stay together?

But that’s not all. Gemma is helping someone she hated before, Ian Fortune, to be a better person while he’s making her feel - it’s not love, don’t worry, it’s lots of anger, rage, and frustration. Will they be able to turn all those bad and mean moments into good ones? Will Ian stop being someone Gemma hates and be able to become friends?

I’m so glad I requested this book! You won’t regret reading it!

Just keep in mind two things while you read this story:
- As long as there is a sky above, Josh will love Gemma;
- And everything is better the second time around!

About the narration of this story, there isn’t much I have to say. Erin Mallon did a great job! The rhythm is calm but not boring, the characters sound different from each other and my attention didn’t drift away from what I was hearing. I could feel what the story wanted to tell me and I wanted to keep listening.

4.5*

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around is unlike any sequel I’ve read.
I had expectations going into this book of Josh and Gemma continuing on their journey in a relatively calm/happy way. I was so wrong; and I’m glad I was.

Josh and Gemma seem to be stepping perfectly into the next phase of life together. They are happy, excited, and nervous. But their lives change in an instant. How will they work through this new phase of life? How do they deal when the awful Ian Fortune comes back?

This book was everything I didn’t know I needed in a romance. And the narrator was awesome!

Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Ready for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around by Sarah Ready

Josh and Gemma book 2

Rating: 4 Stars

POV: First person, Single POV

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around through me through a loop. I swear Sarah Ready was trying to make me have a mental crisis.

First off, she gets me crying and about to have a heart attack, because I had to go back to lunch at the most in opportune time. Then we get Ian Fortune, who in the first book I despised with all my heart. Then she has me questioning all my decisions about how I felt about Ian Fortune, so we ended on a "I understand him but he makes me so angry".

There is so much I want to talk about, but don't want any spoilers in my review. So I will say this, with this book you will fill all the emotions, Ian Fortune may get you to rethink everything you ever thought about him, and Josh and Gemma get a second chance to fall in love.

Now for the narration: Erin Mallon is one of my favorite authors and she did fabulous narrating this book.

I was unaware that this book was actually a sequel until I was already well into it, but I thought it worked well as a stand alone as well! I absolutely loved this book up until the point where Ian entered the picture. I felt that the plot of the story revolved way too much around this character and giving him a redemption arc. I would have much rather the book solely focus on Josh and Gemma and all the ups and downs they would have experienced while Gemma recovered. I would have enjoyed reading about them falling in love again-the second time around. I felt their reunion was a little bit rushed at the end once they got through all the misunderstandings. Ultimately, however, I did enjoy the book. It was a cute and light read that got me through my first book of the year after taking a few weeks off from reading during the holidays. I am now interested in reading the first book- Josh and Gemma Make A Baby.

2.5 stars
First, I listened to the audiobook version of this story so all comments are based on that experience.
Second, when I applied for the ARC copy, I didn’t realize this was a sequel to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. This book can stand alone, but I feel like I would have had more connection to the characters if I’d read the first one.

Overall, this was a fine contemporary romance. While the description indicates it is a rom-com, I find that a bit of a stretch. This book deals with some pretty serious topics. There is some witty banter, especially between Ian and Gemma who I think had a TON more chemistry than Gemma and Josh, but that’s about as far as the comedy goes.

The characters were very flat to me. Gemma wasn’t super like-able IMO. I get that she goes through a traumatic event at the beginning, but then she literally whines about it throughout the rest of the book. Josh and Gemma were supposed to have this amazing connection, but honestly they didn’t spend a lot of time on page together. I found myself pulling for Gemma and Ian more so than the titular characters.

Admittedly I’m not a huge fan of love triangles or using pregnancy as a plot device, so if I’d known this story contained both, I may not have picked it up.

The writing itself was fine. The dialogue seemed genuine and not forced even if the characters speaking it were obtuse and a little unaware. Femme especially seemed to constantly jump to conclusions which caused major misunderstandings that drug on for several more chapters than necessary. I loved the chapter titles.

The audio narrator was good. I wasn’t annoyed by her male voices, which was nice.

It may seem nit picky, but didn’t we learn our lesson from Twilight that there is no need for blank chapters with just the month as a title? This was completely unnecessary especially at the end.

I probably won’t read the first in this series, but I will pick up another book by this author. I think many people will enjoy this story; I’m just not the intended audience for these particular tropes.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for providing this ARC copy to read and review. All the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading the book.

What a premise! A great story about friends to lovers and the crazy aftermath. A woman wake up from a coma and doesn't seem to feel love, hate and any other feelings. She fights to figure out her life, family, and romantic relationships without crossing any lines.

Learning this was a sequel really made more sense. I enjoyed this story but since I did not know it was a sequel I definitely was feeling confused with some pieces. They kept referencing a past relationship and different dynamics that I did not understand. But overall it did not take much away from the story. The story itself could have been a standalone book but it does make me want to go back and read the first in the series. You root for the couple and feel bad that Gemma does not know how to reconcile her life with the life she knows she wants but does not have the same feelings about.

It is a great story and I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a series or romantic fun duology. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.

I was completely surprised to see this sequel as I hadn’t heard it was coming out and the first one is one of my absolute favorite books! I listened to the audio version and the narrator was wonderful as always. The storyline was so good! I didn’t even read the synopsis when I requested it so I went into it not knowing what to expect. The story was full of laughs, drama, emotion and everything in between. I loved it just as much as the first one!!

This was a cute continuation of Josh & Gemma about overcoming misconceptions and finding your way home again. Erin Mallon does a great job narrating, and sucks you in from the beginning. Made a great road trip story.

Thank you netgalley dreamscapes media and the author sarah ready for an ALC iin exchange for an honest review. This series ia such an emotional love roller coaster i was holding on to my seat seeing where it was taking me. Although i feel for all MC i felt horrible for Josh and his story was one of a fictional story i won't forget. As always the production of this audiobook was expertally done..

I really liked this story and love that it can be read as a standalone! Gemma sufferis a traumatic brain injury and we don’t read a lot about what happens in the time that she is in a coma. When she wakes, she is not sure that she can feel emotions for people and her fiancé, Josh, is hurt. I was confused on why most of the story Gemma was spending time with Ian instead of Josh. I felt like we could have benefitted more from seeing her relationship with Josh grow than the Ian side story. The narration is great and I loved how Josh was patient with Gemma getting back on her feet and getting her memory back.

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the advance audio book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley, Swift & Lewis and Sarah Ready for my audio copy of this ARC for reviewing!

I enjoyed this story very much! The narrator really kept me going, she did a very good job, and the writing style was very beautiful!
The characters are so easy to love and root for, the plot was intriguing and well done.
I wasn't there for the love trianglish thing that happened, I wasn't there for the tiny steam scenes, I would have done without them actually, even the drawing on each other part, it didn't do much for me.
But I did like the relationship between Josh and Gemma, and each of them separately with Hope, and each of them separately with Gemma's brother, and Gemma's with her mother.
I was very supportive of Gemma's friendship with Ian, but only the friendship bit.
I might be to blame for this, but I didn't know this was a sequel, I didn't mind that, or feel like I have a lot to catch up with actually, most the important stuff were mentioned in short here and there throughout the story.
I recommend this very much and I will be going back to the first book!
#joshandgemmathesecondtimearound #SarahReady #SwiftandLewis

I still love Josh and Gemma and their dynamic. I freaking LOVED the first book. I still really liked this follow up story but gave it four stars because I didn't go head over heels like I did with the first one.
The first quarter of the story was kind of difficult for me. It deals with preeclampsia and traumatic brain injuries and it was difficult for me in the beginning to listen to this part. No fault to the author at all but just hit a little to close to home from my personal life. However, I did like the theme of finding love again and how love looks like lots of things and not just this one big thing that we imagine it to be. Still love this story, I definitely think that its worth the read especially if you liked the first one.

I really love this couple and their story. I enjoy the emotional rollercoaster with just the right amount of angst. I also truly enjoyed Ian's villain story. I would defiantly read a book with him as a MC

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around
By Sarah Ready
Format: audiobook 🎧
Pub. date: January 25/23

What if you had everything going for you; the love of your life; expecting the baby you have longed for. Then everything changes. Gemma was so excited to be marrying Josh and was expecting her baby soon after until her world fell apart leaving her to start over again. Having woken from a coma Gemma needed to not only, relearn life skills, but also learn to love her family, baby, and Josh again.
This audiobook was so enjoyable. Not only are Josh and Gemma great characters but the addition of Ian Fortune made for much fun banter and heartfelt conversations. Needless to say the narration by Erin Mallon is exceptional making this book one for all lovers of of romcoms.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the opportunity to review this early release audiobook.

2.5/5

While I can't say that "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby" was my favorite read of last year, there were some components that I liked, plus the narration by Erin Mallon was great. The story had a nice ending and I thought it would be a standalone. Until I logged in to my NetGalley account and saw the sequel.
Now, let's talk about the said sequel. Erin Mallon did a fantastic job again, so kudos to her! I wouldn't say that I hated the sequel, but I did find it unnecessary. Josh and Gemma are happy, Gemma is pregnant, and the couple is about to get married but something happens and changes everything. It's a difficult time for everyone, especially for Gemma and Josh, who need to find each other again. The problem I had with this book was that there was no enough of Josh and too much of Ian. Seriously, I feel like Gemma interacted more times with Ian than with Josh and sometimes I felt like the romance was between them and not between Gemma and Josh. He even got his own backstory, and to be honest, I didn't care.
Anyway, it wasn't awful, but also I don't see the point of it.

**Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.**

This was such a beautifully told, deep yet sexy and contemporary and relatable story.

I missed the first instalment in Josh and Gemma’s story, but that didn’t get in my way of enjoying their second chance romance. Gemma and Josh are on the cusp of their wedding, like legit standing at the front ready to take their vows. And then tragedy befalls them. Oh and did I mention that they are expecting the imminent arrival of their first born child?

This is a second chance romance that shows us how hard it can be to come back from trauma with the same person you lived through it with. And yet, it’s their history, their true love that will eventually bring them back together.

I am also totally on board to read the first book in this duology even knowing most of what transpires. Love this authors style and her ability to really go deep on this.

I listened to the audiobook version during my commute and read the digital copy simultaneously. I love Sarah Ready’s writing style, and I was a big fan of Josh and Gemma Make A Baby. The author definitely makes the reader fall in love with them as a couple. The narrator was excellent and pulled the reader into the story.

I enjoyed reading Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around, but I felt as if too much focus was on the redemption arc and not enough on Josh and Gemma’s relationship struggles.

While the book could stand alone, I think it would behoove the reader to read “Josh and Gemma Make a Baby” prior to reading this novel to get more of a background knowledge and help you to root for the titular couple.