3 stars
When i first read the synopsis of this book i was actually really intrigued because the brother's best-friend trope is one of my favorites. The story is told from the pov of Gemma, a quirky and optimistic, quote spouting heroine, who after a bad marriage and years of failed dating, decides to convince her brother's best friend, Josh, to donate his sperm, so that she could start her own family. One thing to know about this book is that it addresses heavy topics like infertility and loss/death, which i haven't seen a lot in books. At the same time, although I understand that this book is supposed to be a rom-com, the way the story goes at addressing the topic of infertility wasn't something I enjoyed. The jabs and jokes made by some of the characters toward Gemma's infertility made it seem like a light-hearted subject at many points in the book. Now, enter our hero Josh. There's nothing sweeter than a guy-falls-first trope and this book delivered on that. The amount of patience, pinning, kindness, and love we learn that he has for Gemma was really heart warming. My only complaint is that I wished to have seen his feelings toward Gemma communicated better throughout the book, so to better understand his relationship with Gemma, since they were said to have known each other for 24 year. I was really satisfied with how the ending tied up all loose ends.

I just love books that are like candy. This was such a sweet and funny read. Josh and Gemma were fun characters and it was different plot than most rom-coms so I enjoyed.

My what a book
I have no words and my heart is hollow as to how beautiful this book was. This is my first Sarah Ready read and it's safe to say she has a fan in me.
I love her writing and how she weaves an important subject that's not talked about or avoided into this book.
So if you're looking for something fluffy, something that will make your heart light then this is your book.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was a book that is perfect when wanting to have a quick and easy read. The book follows a 30 something year old who has been having a lot if many ups and downs in her life so she decides its time to take control of her own life and have a kind on her own. Well not completely alone she decides to ask her childhood friend/ brothers best-friend do be the male doner. The book goes to show the many ups and down with fertility issues and shows how it can be very different for every women. My favorite moments in the book was the women friend group because of just how supportive and encouraging they are for one another. Why the book was not a five star for me was at some moments I was a little board but overall I was I was entertained. If you like a quick, brothers bestfriend, childhood friends story this is the book for you.

To be 100% honest, I read this book in 5 hours and because of that I don’t feel like I wasted my time. There were some things I liked about this story and some things I really hated. I want to start by saying I thought the blurb sounded great! I expected a cute story full of emotion, humor and some romance. I hoped to connect with the main character and really feel for what she was going through. I feel terrible for parents, especially women who are unable to have children. I think the author did a great job tackling such a sensitive topic.

My main issue with this story was Gemma. Right from the start she was so judgemental of others and would think badly of others for their job or because they live with their parents. Even when she didn’t have the full story she still judged them and I didn’t care for that. She was way too obsessed with herself and what she wanted and didn’t care about how it affected others. At one point she goes off on a side character and doesn’t even feel remorse because what she said was true. I don’t care if what Gemma said was true or not, it's how she said it that wasn’t right. Josh’s character was okay. He was way too much of a pushover for me. He let Gemma walk all over him and he never actually sticks up for himself. I wish he said enough was enough and stood his ground but sadly he doesn’t. I also didn’t see the side conflict as being necessary to the overall story. I think if certain characters/events were left out then it would have given more time for Gemma to work on herself. One thing I did enjoy about this story was the bond Gemma and Josh were building from making this baby together. It made me think about how truly special it is to go through something like that with someone.

I’m not sure if I would recommend this one. If the synopsis sounds good to you and you don’t mind a character that might get on your nerves then I’d say give it a try. I know I would have enjoyed this way more if Gemma was written differently because I think this story has good bones.

*Received a copy from #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I always have a hard time giving romance books a 5 star, since we know how they’re going to end, but this book is different.

Infidelity, IVF, and death are not topics you expect to see at the forefront of a romance book, but Josh and Gemma (plus that plastic Ken doll Ian) humanize the story by facing these hardships. Like so many women today, Gemma wants a family, but is unwilling to wait for a man to come her way to do it. In Gemma fashion, instead of a random donor, she proposes the idea of having her brothers best friend, who she loves to hate, to be the donor. What could go wrong??

One POV, love triangles, slow burn, this book has it all!

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this book. Thank you to the publisher for offering me a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

TW: infertility, fertility issues, loss

This is definitely my favorite romance of 2022 so far. I loved every part of it. Josh and Gemma have such a great chemistry. Gemma and Josh grew up together because Josh is her brother's best friend. She also lost her virginity to him and he is known as a huge playboy. She hasn't really seen him in years and they're not close. Gemma is suffering from infertility due to endometriosis and cannot conceive naturally so she looks into IVF. She is tired of waiting for a man and her mom's horrible setups so she is setting out to do it on her own. She just needs some sperm to help her and she chooses's Josh's.

This journey, for Gemma, becomes one of growth, self-love, friendship, love, heartbreak and a chance to find her own happily ever after, maybe even one that has been written for years. I loved Ready's way of writing and the way she build Josh and Gemma up with their chemistry and own issues. There were parts that I was cracking up at and I will NEVER look at lime jello the same way again.

This book was fun! It's by no means a bad book but it was just short of being great.

I think I really was rooting for the characters and I really did enjoy watching Josh and Gemma have a baby while both pretending that they aren't completely and utterly in love with each other. I think this book was slightly lacking in depth of characterisation and certain things that were so fun and interesting needed padding out ever so slightly.

I think the chemistry between Gemma and Josh was obvious and palpable which was fun but the Ian plot was really jarring and the coincidence of it all was just a bit too convenient and rich for my tastes. I think certain things that could have had a more emotional impact were almost skirted over which again calls back to the fact that this book could have been helped with just a bit more depth. I also think some plot points were weird to me but had to be present for the book to work? Certain things Gemma doesn't know about Josh just had me very ???.

This book was fun though and it was enjoyable, the flaws mentioned earlier did stop it from a 4 or 5-star rating but it did not stop my enjoyment of the book. Bright parts were Josh and Gemma's baby Dr appointment (how every single one managed to be outrageously hilarious I do not know) and Gemma's support group members ( I personally think the book would have been a whole lot better if there was a whole lot more of them in the book!)
I would actually recommend this book. I think for the right person this could be the perfect 5 star read, and I also think this would be the perfect book companion for a spring city break.. While it's not perfect, its not terrible and was still a fun read! I'm unlikely to add it into any Best of ... lists or re-read but it was fun!

My first Netgalley ARC read -- and it was amaaaazing!

Honestly, I haven't laughed so much from a book before. There were plenty of funny scenes that left me feeling happy and giggling inside. I was smiling from ear to ear while enjoying this book, even though it dealt with a serious topic -- infertility & IVF. IVF affects many couples and it does not ring pleasant experiences. Ms. Sarah Ready did a phenomenal job bringing light to this topic and making it a fun, enjoyable experience.

Even though I thought I would easily predict the ending, I was in for a surprise!

Went into this with a rom com mindset as the cover makes you believe it will be light and fun. Topic and heart of the book is actually not a light topic and a little heavier than I was expecting.
If you are wanting a typical rom com this is not that but it is a good book and will recommend to customers. But with the warning that it is not a light reading as the cover leads you to believe.

adorable read! i was rooting for josh the whole time. it was a bit predictable but also had me second-guessing my predictions. i would definitely re-read this one!

This was a do-not-finish for me. The author, right off the bat, begins by describing each character in the worst, most stereotypical fashion. The main character's ex-husband's new wife? She had many children and must have saggy breasts. The doctor she is consulting for IVF? He's 5'2" and is as wide as he is round. I thought it was misogynistic but it's actually just terrible to everyone. I was too offended to continue.

This was a cute book, but it took a little longer than usual to get invested. Josh and Gemma were both relatable characters

Absolutely loved this tale of finding your own path, discovering what was in front of you the whole time, and challenging your own expectations. Great characters, stories, and chemistry!

I loved this book! I read it in a few hours and couldn't put it down.

It made me laugh and cry. The characters are very relatable and likable. This is a book i'd read again, it would also make a really good romantic comedy movie.

This book was cute!!

I liked this book. There were some parts in the book where I was a bit thrown off by the comments of others, but I liked it. One part I had an issue with, was how everyone was so concerned with Gemma’s fertility issue. I felt that was unnecessary as it’s nobody's business but her own. But I did like Josh; I thought he was cute, I just wish he was more honest with Gemma; there was a bit of miscommunication. Overall I thought it was an adorable book, and the ending was cute!

This book was a lovely surprise! I wasn’t sure at the start, but Gemma & Josh and the whole cast of characters won me over.

Sweet and funny but also deep and emotional. I teared up several times- all the feels.

Trigger warnings: infertility, personal loss, body shaming.

Thank you to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was a huge and delightful surprise to me. Gemma really wants a baby via IVF, and she wants her brother's best friend to be the donor for it. I expected the typical lighthearted romantic comedy, but with the heavy topics scattered throughout it definitely brought me to tears in so many moments. This is seriously such a wonderful story and while the infertility topic can be tough, this book handles it sensitively and accurately.

The way this book hit me emotionally really surprised me!
Gemma wants a baby via ivf and wants to use her brothers best friends sperm. I definitely thought this would be typical ROM com but had some really serious parts that left me sobbing!

As this book title suggests it touches on the subject of infertility and is serious when it needs to be but has some funny moments too.

Thank you to both the author and publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced copy of Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready. I was nervous going in to this delightful little rom-com considering the subject would rest primarily on the plot point of infertility, but I was so pleasantly surprised with the writing. Ready handles a serious and delicate topic with care and nuance which, as someone who struggled for a solid couple of years to initially conceive in my early twenties, I greatly appreciated. Wanting a child and not being able to have one really does make you a bit psycho on the best days. My only real nitpick with the story was that everyone eventually did conceive which is not the way reality always goes and could potentially hurt a reader if they’re unknowingly hit with that tidy little ending. All in all, I felt it was an adorable book; lots of humor without turning a serious matter into a joke or dismissing the pain surrounding choices of whether or not to try whatever it takes to conceive a child, and when to know when to surrender the hope. I’m very fortunate enough to have not had to get all the way to IVF intervention and to have carried three of four pregnancies to full term with healthy children who are now basically grown, but I also have a healthy appreciation for what it feels like when bouncing babies are everywhere except in your womb or arms and the recognition that not everyone has that luxury, though, again, I feel the author handled that with the care it deserves in this writing. I will definitely recommend this one (with minor exceptions) to other readers.