This is the first book I've read by the author and it's awesome— a page turner one. Love those some drawings on it, highlighting momentous or impish scenes. And as well as the audiobook, the narrator did a beauty spell voicing the story.

Thanks Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book.

#JoshAndGemmaMakeaBaby #SarahReady #NetGalley #Audiobook #favelinesinthebook

The miscommunication trope was def not it. Gemma is a grown-ass woman who lacks basic communications skills. Don’t even get me started on the part where she bashed her only friends, honestly Gemma was a very frustrating character. The only reason I’m giving it 3.5 was because Josh was an amazing character. He was complex and super fun who deserves to be happy! Also because there were some really funny parts and also some really sad parts and to be able to do that in a Rom-com is hard. I hadn’t read Sarah Ready before this book and she’s giving Abby Jimenez with a lot of miscommunication vibes.

I don’t usually gravitate towards romantic comedies, but Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a wonderful book which brings to light tough topics without making me feel heavy and I enjoyed every second of reading.

Gemma has known Josh for decades. He’s her best friend’s brother and she grew up with him, although she never considered Josh a friend. Gemma decides that ten years after her marriage failed, she can’t wait to have a baby. The clock is ticking and with her infertility, Gemma can’t afford to keep waiting for the right man (who she’s convinced doesn’t even exist) so she’s going to make a baby by herself. She asks Josh to lend a helping hand and donate his sperm, he agrees, and the rest is history.

I thought the interactions between Gemma and Josh were so wonderful. Gemma has such a kind heart and my own heart ached for her during her battles of infertility and trying to find her happiness in a town where everyone knows her business and has an opinion on her life. I will admit, I wanted to give her a good, hard shake sometimes when she failed to see what was right in front of her (cough, Josh, cough) but it was an entertaining journey of discovery.

Gemma and Josh are friends-to-lovers/brothers-best-friend but their relationship is much more than that. Their compatibility was off the charts. They were always there for each other during the tough times, making sure the other was okay and trying to put a smile on their face. Their journey to acquaintances to madly-in-love was a steady journey and one not to be missed.

Overall, Ready handled the topic of infertility with grace and care, and she really did the topic justice. Erin Mallon was a perfect narrator for the book and was a brilliant addition to the novel. This is my first novel by Sarah Ready and after my audiobook finished, straight away I added the rest of her novels to my Goodreads account. Gemma and Josh Make a Baby is a brilliant book.

For my first Sarah Ready book this was a solid winner. I didn’t expect the amount of emotions I felt while reading this story either. There were a few funny moments but there were also those misty eyed ones sprinkled throughout that got me as well.

I really liked Gemma’s character. She was filled with positivity and believed that no matter what there was a bright side to things. There’s one thing she yearns for more than anything and it’s to have a baby. Though it seems impossible with her infertility she won’t let that stop her in fulfilling her dream.

Josh was an absolute dream. He’s the swooniest, caring, patient, and just the most downright amazing guy. He’s there for Gemma and is willing to help her realize her dream and that just solidifies how great he is.

Gemma and Josh brought the feels. They were adorable together and yes at times both were stubborn and get way too much in their own heads, but they realized if not taking a chance now then when? And taking a leap of faith was worth it because it led them right to what they were looking for.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was a heartwarming, sweet, heartfelt, and tender friends to lovers romance that brought the feels. I really enjoyed Gemma’s growth throughout the book and the journey her and Josh took which ultimately brought them together.

TW: Infertility, miscarriage, loss

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a nice book. Not too good, not too bad. It follows Gemma a woman who divorced her husband after horrible situations, one of them being a diagnosis of infertility after endometriosis. It's Christmas and sometimes her family thinks she needs constant arrangement with some random dude. But she doesn't want a random dude, she wants a family. She wants her baby -and she calls her she during most of the book. She knows she needs a donor, so to not choose a random dude from a sperm bank she chooses Josh her neighbor, with whom she was obsessed when she was a teenager. And so it begins.


I don't read a lot of romance but from what I understand this is a trope, and it had all the elements of it, it has predictable, but not less beautiful. It was a nice read with some beautiful elements showing the ups and downs of IVF a common method for people with fertility issues. What I love the most about this book is the friends Gemma gains along the way. Her personal growth seemed a little bit rushed -girl, go to therapy, please- and I feel the same with the sudden change of attitude of the mother.

But is an enjoyable reading.

I’m a sucker for friends to lovers so I already had high hopes for this one! Josh and Gemma have known each other their whole lives and when Gemma decides she wants to have a baby, she figures asking someone she knows to be the sperm donor makes the most sense. Josh decides to agree, but is it really just a simple business agreement?

I really enjoyed this story and the fact that it wasn’t as simple as just one quick sperm donor/IVF situation and now there is a baby. I appreciated the realness of the topics of infertility, IVF, miscarriage, etc not just from Gemma but from her support group friends as well!

My reason for not giving it 5 stars is because the first half felt so slow, and the tiring style was a lot more telling rather than showing. At about the halfway point I got sucked into the story more and felt like we were “seeing” things more. I also DID NOT like how Gemma’s mom talked to her and could have gone without that.

Overall a really sweet story! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

This was a super cute story about main character, Gemma, and her quest to have a baby - even if that means doing it alone. When she asks her friend, Josh, to be a donor to help her get pregnant, she is stunned when he actually says yes. Through her deepening friendship with Josh and her new friendship with other women in the support group she's joined, Gemma learns so much about having a baby, loving herself, and loving others. There was awesome character development throughout this novel. It was definitely relatable and it handled sensitive topics such as infertility and child loss very gently to try to avoid being triggering.

A cute fun read that sheds light into real life issues in a realistic way. Josh and Gemma make a fun couple.

This is a fun, light-hearted read that made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions! I listened to the audiobook during our daily commutes, and my kids looked at me more than once when those laughs escaped 🤣

While you may not find it be the most perfectly written book and there are a few scenes that may make you roll your eyes - because come on, but I suggest you read this and simply allow yourself the joy of a feel-good story!

Don’t get caught up in the deep opinions that may arise in the depths of your brain. Laugh, love, and be entertained by this story about life, friendship, and finding that perfect someone 💕

Wow this book was amazing and just the type of fun book I needed. I loved it that much I had to finish it in one day. Its such an amazing fun and heartwarming storyline. I found the book very exciting and it shows the highs and lows of fertility treatment from a group of women.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was brilliant she make it such a lighthearted fun filled book. She created such a wonderful sense of atmosphere. She had me hooked to the book from the very start. I loved the varied characters that the author created they were fun, interesting, believable and very easy to like, with just enough information about them. There was quite a few unexpected twists and turns in the book that just made me want to read on to find out what is going to happen next. I was on the edge of my seat. The level of humour has me in stitches and made me feel happy. Plenty of emotions were brought out of me while reading this book, I was even in tears at one part.
I can't wait to read more from this indie author, she is truly amazing and talented.  The highest praise goes out the the author and publishing team for creating such a brilliant page turning novel that you won't be able to put down. 

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo ,amazon UK and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/josh-and-gemma-make-a-baby-by-sarah-ready-ibpa-5-stars under either names ladyreading365 or lady Reading365

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was laugh out loud funny and heart achingly sad. Gemma seems to have everything figured out at the beginning. It’s not perfect but she’s happy and knows what she wants. Her journey and the friends she makes while figuring life out are everything I’d hoped for in this story.
I haven’t read many pregnancy trope stories, but this one is not like any I’ve read before. I absolutely loved this book!
Thank you NetGalley for this audiobook.

TW: TTC journey, infertility, pregnancy loss

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to! It was absolutely adorable and I had so many emotions going through the book.

The audiobook was enjoyable and I really like the narrator. I definitely wished this was a dual POV book with male and female narrators. There were so many times when I just wanted to know what was going on in Josh's head!

I appreciated the realistic view in the life of someone trying to conceive (TTC) in addition to someone who struggles with infertility. It can be an extremely difficult journey for individuals and couples. I loved that there were some side characters who provide different experiences with their TTC. And despite the fact that this book does not go into heavy detail of the experiences and emotions of starting a family, it is still so important to share these stories.

It's a cute RomCom but make sure to have some tissues on hand. It will take you through an emotional roller coaster... laughing one second and crying the next.

After her ex-husband and his new wife have their third child, Gemma decides she's tired of waiting for Mr. Right. She's ready for a baby of her own. She asks Josh, her brother's best friend, to be the sperm donor. No, she's not in love with him. She's over her high school crush. They're not even friends anymore. So why does reconnecting with him, seeing his protective side, make her feel all sorts of things she never wanted to feel again?

This book is part romance, part women's fiction, and thoroughly delightful. Gemma is relatable, wise in many ways, self-deluded in others. Josh is sweet and so patient with her, giving her exactly what she needs. The quirky side characters add to the fun. The audio narration was very well done. It's a smart, charming, heartfelt story, and about as perfect as a book can be.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the audio ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Talk about a book that took me by surprise! I randomly grabbed this audiobook without reading a synopsis and boy was I blown away.
Gemma is 32 and cannot get pregnant. She is still trying to figure out life after her divorce when she finally decides to start IVF alone. She lists Josh as her sperm donor. Josh is her brother’s best friend.
A story about friendship, love, and IVF. This book had me all in my feels, especially as a 30 year old woman who wants to have kids one day.

It was a very cute and fun read. Very fast paste. The characters had charm and it made me care about them even more. The story was touching . It was realistic and not over the top. Well done

With its quirky title, this book seems like your ordinary romcom. But no. This book gets in DEEP.

As the title and synopsis imply, this story revolves around Gemma, a woman struggling with fertility and her hopes of becoming a mother. She enlists the help of her brother's best friend Josh as her sperm donor and along the way, she realizes a great deal about friendships, her relationship with her family, her views on herself, and of course, love.

I applaud this book for openly talking about infertility through a unique, albeit fictional, female experience. This is the first time I've seen and read a book that approached this topic in a hard-hitting, romcom type of way. It had its funny moments as well as moments where you just want to put the book down and have a good, long cry for 30 minutes straight...which I did.

I listened to this one on audio most of time but I switched to the ebook when I had time to actually sit and read. The narrator did great job in bringing Gemma and her thoughts to life. I must admit that I think my tears were mostly brought on by her delivery.

I also appreciated the cute little illustrations included in the ebook drawn by our hero Josh, who effortlessly climbed his way up my book boyfriends list. That man??? I have no words. He is a gift.

I think it's quit obvious that I highly recommend this book. If you're looking for book that's a perfect blend of women's fiction and romance, this is it. It's so good that I'm now also interested in checking out this author's backlist!

This story was so cute! I loved it from beginning to end. Gemma going on this journey for herself was amazing and Josh… don’t get me started on Josh! He was selfless, caring, attentive, all around fantastic.

This book made me so happy, but also a little weepy at times. The author touches on difficult situations such a infertility, cancer, and divorce. This book will have you rooting for Gemma and Josh the entire time. Even though Gemma was naive for most of the book, I never found it annoying but was sometimes frustrated with her.

Content Warning: This book and subsequently this review, deal with topics related to infertility, IVF, and pregnancy.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is the newest in my collection of recent romances that also tackle difficult topics. Here, thirty-something divorcee Gemma has decided that she no longer wants to wait to have a baby and is going to do it on her own, hopefully with her brother’s best friend, Josh, as her sperm donor. Though Gemma goes into this arrangement expecting this to be fully business, I imagine you can tell where it goes. It is a romance, after all.

I went into this one skeptical, but optimistic. First, I’d like to say that Erin Mallon’s narration of the audiobook DELIVERED. I was so engaged with the way she shared this story that I finished it in a day, and it wasn’t until I sat down to jot down some thoughts after I finished that I realized how much longer my list was of things that didn’t work about this one for me than things that did.

Some of the things I loved about this book: Josh. He’s a Great Guy (™), both in the context of his interactions with Gemma and generally, and I appreciate that Ready doesn’t make him a secret asshole. I have a big soft spot for the childhood-crush-to-lovers trope (if that even is a trope), but the romance in this book is subtle. I liked that we have a curvy heroine who seems to be generally pretty happy in her body (when she’s able to dress herself), and representation of a divorcee, a character with endometriosis and fertility concerns, and a storyline that doesn’t involve a magic fix. I liked the friends Gemma makes in her support group, and the depiction of a support group as… supportive.

On the other hand, there were a few things here that didn’t work for me. I’m pretty much fully incapable of not overthinking everything, so your experience here may vary. I still enjoyed this book while I was reading it, but some things didn’t sit right with me as I thought about it. There’s a lot of toxic positivity here, from the inspirational chapter titles and quotes Gemma spouts SO FREQUENTLY, to the job where she works, some other spoilery choices, and to the way the concept of New Year’s resolutions is framed. I often found myself frustrated with some issues that occurred seemingly because of Gemma’s lack of confidence or ability to speak up for herself, that didn’t seem to result in character development: the relational conflicts and even an issue at the doctor’s office could have been easily resolved by using words. Additionally, I almost DNF’d this in the first couple of chapters because of the absolutely vile comments that Gemma’s mother makes about her body and casual fat-shaming that occurs.

And the Lime Jell-o. So much Jell-o. How is this book not set in the Midwest?

But my biggest concern is the way Gemma’s fertility journey is portrayed. I don’t have any lived experience with infertility, so I’m not an expert here, but I found Gemma’s rationale for wanting to become a parent a little lacking in dimension, and the way her decision-making was framed seemed to perpetuate harmful views related to the correlation between parenting and biologically birthing a child. The journey from making the decision to pursue IVF to putting the plan into action felt rushed and steeped in privilege, and the lack of continued discussion about the impact of Endometriosis on this process minimized the diagnosis so it felt a little like box ticking. In addition, Gemma’s struggles with fertility seem to be shared openly and derided within her community.

I know quite a few people who loved this book, and again, when I wasn’t thinking too critically about it, I found it engaging and enjoyable. I think that this book will appeal to a lot of readers. I encourage readers with lived experience of infertility to read reviews and consider content warnings before deciding to pick this one up.

Content Warnings: IVF, Infertility, Miscarriage, Body Shaming, Endometriosis, Death of a Parent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for DRC and ALC copies of this book to review. All opinions are my own. Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is available now.

4.5/5

Gemma Jacobs is tired of waiting for good things to come to her and she’s definitely done waiting for Mr. Right. This year she’s determined to make her New Years Resolution of having a baby a reality, all she needs is sperm, her brothers’ best friend’s sperm to be specific.

Gemma and Josh Lewenthal have known each other for 24 years. After a rough patch in her 20’s that lead to fertility struggles and a divorce from her cheating husband, Gemma’s not allowing that to stop her from her dream of becoming a mom. Who better to help her out than her brother’s best friend, Josh, he’s reliable, attractive and an overall good man. As Gemma embarks on her IVF journey with Josh at her side, her boss and famous self help guru, Ian Fortune begins to show interest in her. Between the intense emotions and physically taxing aspect of going through IVF, the last thing Gemma needs is a Love Triangle.

Gemma is a charming, sweet and quirky character that I found myself quickly rooting for. I loved Gemma’s sense of humour, her strength and determination to take her life and happiness into her own hands. There were a few scenes that made me laugh out loud, specifically her work meeting video chat mishap, this scene was hilarious, and perfectly executed in both writing and narration. Josh is equally charming and full of life, he has a great sense of humour and is secretly a rich and famous comic book author and illustrator.

While this book does center around the IVF journey and miscarriage, it’s written in a respectful and compassionate way that also helps to educate the reader on these topics. The way that Josh was so willing to be there for Gemma throughout this book really makes him a top tier hero and I loved how willing he was to stick by her side even during the tough times.

Sarah Ready is a new to me author and a new favourite! Erin Mallon is one of my favourite narrators, she is animated and well versed, her delivery is spot on every time - I will read anything she narrates! I absolutely adored this story, it’s a gem!

Thank you to NetGalley and Swift and Lewis publishing for the advanced Audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review!