This follow up to Jemma and Josh Have a Baby is not as good as the original.

While I really enjoyed the first book, I did not enjoy the sequel as much. The drama caused from the birth of their child leads to all the drama in this sequel. I don't want to give spoilers but it just felt too forced. Also Jemma's narration is something that didn't seem realistic.

After reading Josh and Gemma’s first book, I was really intrigued to see they were getting another after knowing how their first ended, This book focuses on their wedding planning, end of pregnancy, delivery, and everything that comes after. It’s a more serious and raw book than what I was expecting,

I listened to this story via audiobook with Erin Mallon narrating who I always enjoy. I think listening to this story made it an even better experience for me and the narrator portrayed Gemma’s emotions so well. It is only Gemma’s POV throughout the story, so we do not have a Josh narrator.

After experiencing a sudden health issue during her wedding ceremony, Gemma and her fiancé Josh have their whole lives turned upside down. They have to navigate their new normal both together and individually. Gemma has been affected severely and constantly feels lost in her new situation,

I think this book was well written and focused on important, real life issues when it comes to the “happily ever after.” My biggest issue with the book is the presence of Ian Fortune, Gemma’s old boss that messed with both her and Josh. It felt like he was discussed more than Josh and even though we learned more about why he is the way he is, it still felt unnecessary. I can see why he was added to the story, but he was a constant presence and Josh’s storyline was way more important.

Overall, I liked the book and seeing how the couple dealt with tough issues. Their feelings were realistic and raw, but showed how much they mean to each other. Although there was miscommunication, distance, other people, and various other things that added to their stress, they tried hard to come out the other side. These various outside factors just felt a little too focused on and unnecessary at times for me.

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around was a heartfelt and emotional love story about what happens after happily ever after. I really enjoyed the first book, and couldn't wait to listen to this one. Josh and Gemma have a unique, one-of-a-kind love that is tested throughout this story. Their road to finally finding their ever after was full of obstacles that pulled at my heartstrings in all the best ways.

Erin Mallon narrates this book and is pure gold in her performance. She portrays Gemma perfectly giving voice to her flaws, passions, hesitancies, and love as she sorts out for feelings for Josh after a traumatic injury that puts her in a coma. Erin is also downright swoony portraying Josh's undying love and affection for Gemma. Plus, her performance also helps reveal the many layers of Ian Fortune.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you are looking forward to more of Josh and Gemma's love story including a little baby bundle of joy, then you will love this book. This book will make you feel all the things! I always look forward to more from Sara Ready!

Josh and Gemma are finally engaged while pregnant with their first baby. Well, after a whole lot of drama and banter (read prequel). But on their wedding day, things take an unexpected turn, neither of them realizing that their lives will never be the same again.

I didn't realize how much I was missing the prequel to this book until I grabbed this one. Listening to Erin Mallon breathing life into Josh and Gemma once more, was such a beautiful experience.

I was really not expecting a sequel to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. Honestly this book was very much different from the previous one. While the prequel feel is more of a breezy novel with banter and fun this has a serious twist here it is wonderful to reunite with our favourite characters.

Saying anything at all about this book is a potential spoiler, so all I'll say is go get yourself a copy of this book and the prequel, if you haven't read it yet.

Thank you so much Sarah Ready and NetGalley for letting me listen to an ALC in exchange of my honest review.

This book was absolutely chaotic and I loved every second of it, even when I was nearly hyperventilating from stress. 😂

I loved that we got more of Josh, Gemma, and Gemma’s kooky family. I secretly loved that we got more Ian Fortune (but if you ever repeat that I will start throwing pies. 😉) I kind of have to leave the review at that because everything I want to say is a little too specific and would lead to spoilers, so I’ll leave it at this - if you loved book 1, you’ll look book 2; if you haven’t read book 1, get one it!

When I had the opportunity to read the second book I was excited to read it and see what happened in their life. It’s the same characters with something happening to Gemma. Gemma isn’t able to feel anything emotionally at all. I think we all have this idea in our life that no matter what our partner would stick by us. But, if you state to your partner that you don’t love them anymore, would you expect them to stay?

There were parts where I wanted to scream come on lady feel something! Due to the fact that Gemma couldn’t feel any emotions she strikes up a friendship with Ian!!?! I think that’s the part that really frustrated me.

Thank you #netgalley for the advance copy to read.

Giving this one ALL the stars because I was beyond excited that a sequel came out!
Josh and Gemma Make A Baby was one of the first novels that I read and recommended within the first month of making my bookstagram earlier this year and I immediately started hoping that one day we would get a sequel and here it is! It did not disappoint! (Although I thought it might at some points, it definitely had some serious, nerve wracking moments!😬) I like that it had some serious subject matter on top of everything else. I even kind of like Ian now. 😂
If you’ve read this far, I highly recommend reading both of these books!

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 liked the first book and I'm quite disappointed with the sequel. I had both of them in audio, and even Erin Mallon's narration couldn't make me listen to this one for more than 45%.

The first book is about Gemma going the extra mile to get pregnant. By the end of Book One she succeeds, and finds a great guy as a bonus. Without any spoilers I can tell that in Book Two Gemma doesn't give a toss about the baby. She has enough on her plate, no doubt about that, but she behaves like a thirteen year old chick whose only worry is to fall for a man and feel the sizzle in her stomach - and below. That poor baby is like a furniture, and neither Gemma nor Josh even consider them functioning as a family, or bonding with the child. Gemma spends more time with her hated ex than her daughter.

This book made me so angry every time I started listening to it that I was fuming.

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for an Advance Review Copy.

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.

The audio book is narrated by Erin Mallon who is one of my favorite narrators. She does an amazing job reading this book. As always her emotions are appropriate for the book and her tone is perfect for Gemma. My disciple of the book had nothing to do with the audio narration.

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 for allowing me to listen to this advanced audiobook

Thank you Netgalley for advanced access to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

A cute sequel, although I did enjoy the first book more. I'd highly recommend reading Josh and Gemma Make a Baby first.

We pick up with Josh and Gemma preparing for their baby to arrive and getting ready for their wedding. When everything goes wrong at the altar their happily ever after gets flipped upside down. What happens when the love dies? Will Gemma find her love for Josh or will Ian be able to jump in and steal her heart? After a true test of their vows will they finally say "I Do"?

Caution: Do not try to read this as a stand-alone! Go read Josh and Gemma Make a Baby, then come back to Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around. This book cannot be fully appreciated without reading the first book.

It’s time for Josh and Gemma’s happily ever after or is it? Gemma Jacobs is about to marry her dream man, Josh Lewenthal, and their baby will be arriving soon. Josh’s online comic series is more popular than ever and Gemma has a new job in marketing. Everything was perfect until the day of their wedding.

I did not read the full synopsis before starting the book. I enjoyed Josh and Gemma Make a Baby so much but I tried to go into this as unbiased as possible. Many times sequels will not live up to expectations put out by a fantastic first book. That is not the case here. While this is a follow up to the first book, the overall feel of the two books is very different. The first book does deal with some serious topics (IVF, infertility), there is still a lightheartedness to it. This book is much heavier and rightly so. I really appreciate the thoughtful and realistic way in which the author presents the difficult situations in both books. This is an open-door, second chance romance.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby did not need a sequel but I’m so glad it got one. The author could have easily just written the second book as a gooey, HEA. While the MCs get what they deserve in the end, the trials they go through make their decisions and motivations so much more authentic. With this book, the MCs are given more defined backstories. Their relationship is given more depth, that would not have been possible without the complications they go through in book two. The author resolved problems and tied up loose ends that I didn’t even realize were left open-ended after book one.

Erin Mallon is a top tier narrator. Her performance of Josh and Gemma the Second Time around is excellent. She also narrates the first book.

This is how you write a sequel! I’ve read and reviewed many books from Sarah Ready and she continues to impress me with each one. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next.

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC!

I was a fan of the first book so I was so eager to read the Followup as well. It was fun this time to listen to the audio version. I think the narrator did a great job, I really enjoyed it. Most sequels can be a tad disappointing, but this one was fantastic.

I liked this one but not as much as the first book. My favorite part was that this book takes a look at what happens AFTER the happily ever after and had great disability rep in the form of life living with a traumatic brain injury.

I didn't love the love triangle part of the plot. I honestly could have done without that and would have rather had more interactions between Josh and Gemma, they seemed to be apart more than together through this whole book.

Great as an audiobook narrated by Erin Mallon! Much thanks to NetGalley and the author for an early ALC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a DNF about 30% in. I just felt this tom com was for me or.my taste. Characters were great but it just didnt please me enough to finish

Okay I’m a sucker for second chance romance stories, and this audiobook was too cute! I loved it! Highly recommend

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.

I also wanted to add that I love Erin Mallon as a narrator. She’s does a great job and she has an excellent male character voice as well. Always excited to see that she is the narrator.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC! I absolutely love this series. This one is my favorite. I hope there are more coming!

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!