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.

It was so exciting to receive an ARC for both ebook & audiobook to review. I was intrigued by the cover and was excited to dig in and see what this book was all about. The sequel to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby took a chance at seeing what happens after the happily ever after. In the first book, Josh and Gemma figuratively walk into the sunset, so in love, pregnant and engaged. The second book takes place right after, just prior to the birth of their child and wedding.
Without getting into too many details and/or spoilers, I will say that there are complications with the birth which later test the meaning of "in sickness and in health." We see Gemma's challenges in connecting with her child, her family and Josh, her realizing that things may never be the same and we feel the pain of what happens when everything goes wrong and the helplessness that comes with her injury.
This book put me through the wringer. Both Gemma and Josh walked their storm to get to their rainbow. We had a similar formula to the first book, but the approach was very different, considering their situation. Ian Fortune makes a bigger cameo in this book and steals the scene for most of his appearances. We get to see the complexity of these characters, how the past has affected their outlook on life, their ability to maintain faith and/or the acceptance to what they consider is their deserved destiny.
This is not your typical romance novel; these characters have to put in a lot of work for their ever after. After meeting these characters in the first book, it was great to see these characters develop, meet and conquer challenges and grow as well.
All in all, Erin Mallon did an excellent job narrating the sequel. She is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators.

josh and gemma make a baby was one of my favorite books of 2022. i honestly was not expecting this sequel. was it a little unnecessary? yes, and i will never forgive sarah ready for putting my favorite couple though that heart wenching drama, but overall it was such a good book. i laugh, swooned, but mainly cried.

Omg.. I died when I knew it was the bool two.. I loved really loved this book. Thank you Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Audiobooks and Netgalley for this audio. I repeat my self I adored it. I was on the edge what happened and how would turned out. The narrator was terrific. Really love the style as well. I was hoping together with both to find the way out and be happy at the end. I was crying when everything felt apart but I was so full of joy when a spark turned back.. piece by piece the story resolved so good.. the second time around will stay for me forever

A fun sequel. I enjoyed the comical elements to an otherwise tough subject matter to deal with. Despite the twists and turns in the story, the end is happy.

I seriously loved Josh and Gemma the Second Time around even more than the first book.

As Josh and Gemma are getting everything they wanted things take a turn for the worse. But they find their way through it all and find themselves back to each other in the best way possible.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook this is my honest voluntary review.

Satisfying follow up to "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby" but not as good as the first. Still a fun, sexy, and emotional story for when you want everything to work out in the end. Audiobook narration was not distracting.

ARC Audiobook from publisher via NetGalley but the opinions are entirely my own.

I love Josh and Gemma. I can’t get enough of their love for each other. I only wish there was more time of them actually enjoying each other in this book. I didn’t mind Gemma rediscovering her feelings for Josh, and I swooned a little every time Josh was so sure of their love, but I wanted to see them happy for more of the book. The narration for this audiobook was done really well!

Full disclosure, I did not know that this was a sequel, but it was still okay to read as a standalone.

There are not enough words to describe how much this book irked me. I really wish I dnf'd because every character interaction, plot point etc. just didn't make sense in the way that none of this was believable! The book title is Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around, but it should've been called Ian and Gemma the second time around. I thought all the time spent learning about Ian and his past was completely unnecessary if we, as readers, are supposed to be watching Josh and Gemma fall back in love with each other. They interacted with each other all of 7 times throughout the book, completely forgetting about the baby that they worked so hard to have and just overall had no chemistry. Don't even get me started on all the medical stuff and memory issues...This was definitely a miss for me

I voluntarily listened to this audiobook ARC from NetGalley

I loved reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me. I love this author snd her writing style.
Thanks to netgally for this arc.

Everything finally feels great. Josh and Gemma are getting ready for their wedding, they have a baby on the way. Everything's how it should be, till moment when Gemma faints at the altar and falls into coma for 3 months. When she wakes up, she doesn't have feelings anymore.

How to act the moment you realize you don't love or feel anything towards your mum & dad, your baby and fiance? Can relationship work out or it's a dead end? Can one person actually have love for both of them in the relationship?

Just like the last book, I loved this one. Yeah, the beginning dragged on a little bit, but the story is so interesting. Even shead a tear or two. In this story you hope for "happily ever after" kind of ending, but also get ready for the worst, because it's not fairytale type of writing, it's very realistic without any clichés. I loved it! 💕

What a wild and crazy ride this books was! If you want a semi-romantic escape, but don't care if it's based in any kind of reality that you know of, then this is the book for you! The characters are barely believable with choices that kind of astound me and yet, really shouldn't. They have some crazy lives, but somehow focus on the most trivial of items to worry about. And don't get me started on the weird-ass reintroduction of Ian, supposed worse boss in the world, is being allowed to just inject himself into the lives of these people, making horrible decisions that affect the plot, throws in the whole "shrug/why not" attitude into the mix. What a bizarre mix of plot points, but bonus, you were a a super quick read, praise be!

Thanks to Swift & Lewis Publishing for this ARC audio via Netgalley!

I haven’t read the first book but feel that this worked well as a standalone.

The characters really pulled me in - I was invested in them and wanted the best for them. There were definitely times where my opinions of them changed and this kept the story moving along and me wanting to know why would come next.
I was desperate for the happy ever after.

The book was very well narrated

The sequel to [book:Josh and Gemma Make a Baby|59796297]

I was looking forward to this one- I even mentioned it in my review for [book:Josh and Gemma Make a Baby|59796297]. But now I wish things had stayed perfect and unknown.

Josh and Gemma's lives are perfect. They are in love, they are having a baby, they are getting married. Then tragedy strikes and their perfect world is turned upside down. They try to fight their way back to perfection, but they may not make it there.

I probably would have rated this higher if it had been a standalone story and not a continuation of Josh and Gemma's story. It was all just so unnecessarily cruel and heartbreaking. Life happens and isn't perfect, but reading is also a form of escapism. Sometimes I want characters to stay in their happy bubble.

Erin Mallon narrates the audiobook does a great job as always.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Gemma and Josh broke my heart and put it back together. This book made me gasp out loud and go teary. As someone who recently narrowly avoided pre eclampsia this was slightly jarring to read at first so major trigger warning to any readers who have been through pregnancy and/or birth complications.

An unexpected pregnancy complication turns Josh and Gemma’s world upside down. They navigate it with the unwanted and unexpected help from Ian, of all people! Their journey back to love tracks with what we learned about them in the first book and the layers of Ian’s story left me rooting for him to get his happily ever after too. I love how Gemma has the support of her mom throughout and that we get to see her moms vulnerable side too.

This book was well written, funny, romantic and at times suspenseful as we went through Gemma’s journey. A satisfying conclusion to Josh and Gemma!

I read the first book with low expectations and ended up unexpectedly enjoying it. However, this book seemed to suffer a little from second book syndrome.

For the pros, I loved the narration of this book!! I loved seeing Josh and Gemma and the evolution of their romance. I loved some of the twists and turns too.

In terms of cons, I don’t think a sequel was really needed. This was okay, but nothing mind-blowing. I, of course, love Josh and Gemma and their dynamic. This book follows the typical romcom formula, but it’s not as funny as the first one in my opinion. This didn’t have that lightheartedness and levity which helped take away from the darkness. The result was a book where the spotlight was on the struggles - it just felt too heavy.

It’s definitely a difficult read, so I like to imagine Josh and Gemma just lived happily ever after in the first book.

Having not read the first book and not being a huge fan of rom-coms, this book was a pleasant listening surprise.

The plot makes sense (even if it's predictable at times), with only a few scenes really being forced. The characters are relatively likable --aside from some of the verbose dialogue-- even though I didn't really get much chemistry from Josh and Gemma. Josh seemed like a lost soul, and his declarations just didn't seem authentic.

Gemma's mom can make a Jell-o mold for my wedding any day, though, and her brother added some necessary strife to the book.


Overall: 3/5 stars

I'll tell my students about: language, sex, trauma, pregnancy

**Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for the free ARC audiobook prior to publication. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I didn't read the first book so maybe this would have worked better for me in a series rather than a stand alone. It felt really heavy, like the black moment was at 10% into the book and then just continued on. I couldn't understand how to relate to a heroine that couldn't feel anything, or love anyone, not even her baby. I also didn't understand why her ex was constantly around even at her care facility, it felt too beyond the realm of possibility and threw me out of the story. I really liked the hero and I loved some of their banter, but I couldn't get into the story. Loved her writing style though.

This was a whirlwind of a story! I honestly had a hard time deciding how I felt about it throughout the whole book.

It’s a good story, and the basic premise has great potential, but there were parts that annoyed me just enough to keep me at a neutral stance.

Keep in mind that I did not read the first book in this series, so I have no idea if it would change my mind on anything or not.

That being said…I hated the character Ian and how a personality type like his was given chance after chance. I know personally I would’ve never given someone like him the time of day, and it always irks me when people like that get away with so much.

We’re supposed to learn how Josh and Gemma navigate a traumatic experience and how they work hard to find their live for each other again, but I felt like way too much time was spent on trying to redeem Ian instead of focusing on them. The idea behind fighting for your relationship and working through trauma is great…but I was a bit underwhelmed and felt like it was a bit too glossed over. It felt a bit too choppy and rushed at times and there was a it too much miscommunication for my taste.

Despite all that, it was still a fun listen and there were some pretty decent spicy sections. The narrator was great too…thought she did a great job with her male voices, Josh in particular. I’d still recommend this if you’re looking for an easy RomCom!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Ready, and Swift & Lewis Publishing for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Book Title: Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around
Author: Sarah Ready
Series: Josh and Gemma #2
Narrator: Erin Mallon
Publisher: Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC ~ Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)
Genre: , Women’s Fiction
Pub Date: January 26, 2023
My Rating: 3.2 Stars

I read Book #1 in this series and I really enjoyed it.
Book One starts ~
Gemma Jacob’s New Year’s Resolution:
Have a Baby
All she needs is an egg, some sperm, and IVF.

Ten years ago, Gemma’s husband was caught having an affair in their home on the dining room table.
(Note: I am a big fan of Stephanie Plum, Janet Evanovich’s on going character, as the same thing happened to her. I was sure this too was going to be a light fun read.)
I was correct as Book One was a fun read. 🤗
In case you didn’t read Book One here is some back info.
Gemma is thirty-two years old ~ she is a positive thinker and energetic has a great career and lives in a darling tiny studio apartment in Manhattan. He is happy however, one thing is missing; Gemma wants a baby and is fine with not having a husband. All she needs is an egg, some sperm, and IVF

Gemma decides that family friend Josh Lewenthal, is perfect for an IVF sperm donor ~ he is intelligent, good looking, and fun. She is not interested in him romantically so there will be no ties.

Guess what? Yep they fall in love so now we have the arrival of their baby as well as their upcoming wedding.
Book One in this series was fun as you know since I went on and on about it!
Book Two not so much.🤔 I went into Book #1 not expecting much and was delightfully pleased.
I had high expectations for this story however, I should have remembered that second in the series typically experiences the - ‘middle book syndrome’..
However narrator Erin Mallon does a fab job performing the characters 😊

Want to thank NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for granted me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 26, 2023