This was the first title I've read by Sarah Ready. I really enjoyed it. It was a little lighter on the romance than I would have liked and felt like the ending was a little too rushed (I needed one more chapter!) but overall I really enjoyed this book. It really took a deep dive into infertility and IVF and I loved that the main character chose to try and go this route despite not being married or in a relationship. Girl power! I'm definitely going to check out more of Sarah Ready's books

A highly enjoyable romance focused on baby making adventures. 🍼👶 When thirty-something Gemma’s biological clock starts alarming she turns to Josh for the donation of a lifetime. Josh is her older brother’s childhood best friend and Gemma decides he would be the perfect “father” for her baby. The journey these two endeavor is one that takes the reader through a whirlwind of emotions. The interactions between Josh and Gemma are both witty and charming, these two couldn’t be more perfect together ❤️

I stumbled across “Josh and Gemma Make a Baby” while I was searching netgalley for another book. I immediately fell for the cute cover and title, so I requested an ARC and began reading shortly after. Rom-Com is not my main genre to read, but this story seemed so refreshingly different, I had to give it a try.
Gemma, the main character, is a lonely woman. She’s single, feels unwanted and rejected for being overweight. Her new year’s resolution is to have a baby. She doesn’t want a sperm donor, so she decides to ask Josh for a favor. He is her brothers’ best friend and basically a member of her family. At first, Josh thinks Gemma is completely out of her mind for wanting his sperm. But, he changes his mind so.. Josh and Gemma make a baby.
I really enjoyed the beginning of this story, even though there were some scenes I didn’t like. Gemma gets insulted by her family the whole time for being fat and infertile. I rolled my eyes so many times and felt annoyed. Gemma is such a nice character and a lovely person in general, but her family… ugh. Josh seems to be a superficial and silly guy at first. I was pretty impressed by his deep thoughts and maturity after getting to know him better. He seems to be the perfect date for Gemma’s child – and maaaaybe a good match for her as well. But Gemma is basically dating her boss, so things get kind of confusing at times, even though this would not have been necessary. There was much banter and back and fort between Josh and Gemma – also they have a great sense of humor. On the other hand, some situations were just creepy. I don’t want to go into detail but using a phone’s vibration in a park for spicey purposes… really wasn’t expecting that (and didn’t enjoy it!).

The end of the story was pretty obvious, but I liked it. Overall, the story was nice and entertaining, even though some scenes were disturbing and annoying. I learned a lot about infertility and IVF-treatment, which I really appreciate. Infertility awareness is important! However, you might not want to read this book if infertility, miscarriage and body shaming are triggering you.

Gemma has her dream job working for the incredible (and incredibly sexy) self-help guru Ian Fortune. Ian’s motivational quotes helped her through her divorce after she found her husband spread-eagle with another woman. Not only that, but he married that other woman and they have three beautiful children… something Gemma was never able to give her ex.

Gemma has been diagnosed with infertility; her doctor told her it looked like a grenade had gone off inside her uterus. However, she has decided that is is time to take measures into her own hands. She doesn’t need to wait for Mr. Right, she can have a baby on her own. Gemma decides to pursue IVF, but when faced with the decision of using donor sperm or asking someone she knows, she clams up and tells the doctor that she has a partner… her brother’s best friend, who just so happened to take her virginity at 16 and who “never lived up to his potential”.

Gemma and Josh navigate the emotional rollercoaster that is infertility treatment while trying to finally become friends after knowing each other their entire lives. Meanwhile, Gemma’s boss Ian has started to show more of an interest in her. She tells Ian that she’s trying to get pregnant through IVF, but she leaves out the fact that her donor is Josh, because it seems like there’s some college-era bad blood between the two men.

Gemma navigates friendships, relationships, and family dynamics, all while undergoing infertility treatment. Through struggles and loss, she finds the truth and she finds herself through the course of this book. It was really nice to read a novel that so beautifully navigated the difficult but oh-so-common world that is infertility.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This story was absolutely sweet. Gemma is infertile and after being put off love after her husband cheated on her she decides to take her life into her own hands and have a baby through IVF. Who better than her brother’s best friend Josh?

Their journey was very entertaining and well developed. I loved how I learned about what it's like to go through IVF in a way that seemed well researched and wasn’t boring at all.

Going into this story I thought Josh was going to be a cocky, arrogant smirking bad boy but he's an absolute sweetheart and such a goofball. Gemma was also relatable but kind of annoying with all her quotes (If she quoted me in real life we may have had to throw hands) but she was otherwise a pretty good FMC. These two were really good when they were together but not overly mushy.

On the other hand, there is a slight miscommunication trope (I think, not 100% sure if this qualifies) and I know some people don’t like that. The miscommunication wasn’t long lasting however so you may still be able to enjoy the rest of the book. Additionally, some parts of the plot were a bit predictable but I still enjoyed them.

Overall I really liked this book and it was a captivating and quick read.

4.5/5

This book truly made me feel all of the feels! It follows Gemma, a thirty-something divorcee who realizes that the only living that will make her life more complete is to have a baby and so she asks her older brother's childhood best friend, Josh, will be her sperm donor.

I absolutely loved Gemma and Josh's interactions I thought they were so utterly charming. This book was very much centered around Gemma's own personal growth and her struggles with infertility. Watching Gemma learn and grow and awkwardly stumble through life made this book so much better. I will say, however, that I didn't love the Ian plot. I understand why it needed to happen within the context of this book, but I still didn't love it. I did love love Josh in comparison and he is such a good love interest.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This is my first Sarah Ready book & it won't be the last. Very funny. Flawed main characters who learn & grow as the story moves along. A quick one-sitting book with some surprises. And the lime jello references - too funny. Highly recommend.

I think that while this book had a lot of promise, it failed to deliver on said promise. I loved both the characters, but I felt that they were both a little flat and they didn't show much growth or development. For me, the characters are the make or break of a story and I didn't quite love these guys as much as I wanted to. The plot itself was great - loved how fast-paced it was and how there was (usually) never a dull moment.

Josh And Gemma Make A Baby was a feel good, funny and heartfelt story about a woman wanting something important to her and having the perfect man in mind to do so.

Gemma was a strong, independent, slightly stubborn lead, and Josh, her brother's best friend, was the perfect love interest. This was a cute, light read with strong character development and I would highly recommend.

A cute and charming story of a girl wanting to have a baby because “time is running out” and trying to convince her brothers best friend to be the sperm donor. This book drew me in extremely quickly and for the first half of the book I couldn’t put it down.

I loved that the book talked about infertility and IVF and it seemed to be pretty accurate as to how the process is aside from the fact she got an appointment next day. There were some pretty good laugh out loud moments and I thought the main characters had good chemistry, but Gemma was definitely annoying and immature at times. There’s some good steamy scenes but also some awkward ones.

Overall I liked the book, but felt very letdown by the buildup of Josh and Gemma’s relationship. There was nothing foreshadowing that Josh had fallen in love with her before her proposition so it didn’t seem believable, and even more, I felt like the discovery that they should be together was somewhat rushed.

Gemma has had enough of her family trying to set her up and people of her small town pitying her for remaining unmarried and not having any prospects. She has always wanted a family of her own and realizes that she does not need to wait for a man to do so. She decides to try to have a baby and with none other than Josh Lewenthal, her brother's best friend, a person who has always been there in her life and whom she has considered a perfect person ever since her teenage days.

This book had my attention all through the end. I really liked it. The interaction between Josh and Gemma were pretty cute and they had good chemistry.💗
I liked the growth and realizations Gemma's character goes through and her overall development as a human.

It shows the journey of a couple going through IVF and it's difficulties and the toll it takes on women and relationships. Reading made realize how much I would love to have a baby or babies someday.🥰

I loved Josh💜. He is the perfect considerate and sarcastic boyfriend every girl wants. I liked how we slowly got to know him better with time. I really liked how his character is neither indifferent to her existence nor has he always been in love with her. It was a go-between, which was refreshing and more realistic.
I totally adored the cute illustrations through out the book.

This is a fast-paced, feel good, hilarious, heartfelt romantic comedy, which totally deserves your time. So go read it!!♥️

I absolutely loved this book! Josh and Gemma are both such lovable characters. The concept of this book is something I have never read before and thats what I loved most about it. It was different than any other romance book with pregnancy book which makes it really stand out.

I received both an e-Arc and audio Arc of this book but chose to listen to the audio Arc which I absolutely enjoyed!! Erin Mallon was superb and she managed to bring the different characters to life without going overboard with changes in tone and voice modulation. She was so easy and breezy to listen to... her voice sounded like a breath of fresh air! The book too was good content wise. I had expected it to be a clichéd rom com about a single woman wanting to get pregnant but there are issues that are addressed here such as infertility, weight issues and judging people by their looks and way of living life.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Swift and Lewis Publishing LLC and the author Sarah Ready for both the Arcs.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a sweet, heartfelt, and at times an emotional read. This is the first book I've had the pleasure of reading from Sarah Ready and look forward to reading more based on this one. If you enjoy a cleaner romance then this one's for you!

I don't know, I just didn't connect with this book at all. Gemma's supposed loved ones were mean to her. She makes assumptions about Josh being a loser because he's living with his father. The office romance. Ugh. No.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I was excited to read this book. I thought the premise of a woman not waiting for a man and taking her own future in her hands was great. I appreciated Gemma's desire to have children and wanting to make that happen for herself.

I loved the relationship between she and Josh. He was so caring towards her and was also seeking the love of a child. I did not think it was realistic that Gemma did not know he was a world known comic book writer, instead, she thought he was just lazy.

I think this book should have taken place in London. That was how it read. The characters, setting or humor did not portray the USA at all, it would have been much more charming in the UK. Reading it just felt off to me, could have also been the way certain words were used.

I would have also liked to see a woman in the support group who was using a random donor and doing it herself. Gemma's story did not turn out that way and it would have been nice to see a woman alone going through this stressful process.

Overall, it was a sweet book. I enjoyed the happiness it brought, but was it a standout? Not really.

This is the first book I've read from NetGalley. It was funny and emotional. I enjoyed it so much and finished it in two days.

I like the energy between Josh and Gemma. The dialogues were cute and not too much drama. I like the girls and how they support each other.
I like that it took a very hard and emotional subject for some women who have hard times about and gave that a soft view.

Thank you for the ARC.

This book did not stand out to me. I remember reading it fast, but I cannot tell you anything I read. The fact I didn't DNF it is a good sign, but I cannot tell you what happened in this book.

I loved this book! What a fun, if sometimes predictable, romance. I read this book in one sitting and felt like I was smiling the whole time. Likeable characters that you root for from the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.
This book was adorable! I loved every moment of it. This book was so heartfelt and I loved the characters so much.