Josh and Gemma are definitely goals and Sarah ready does a great job of giving us fully realized people going through the struggles of their thirties. Gemma wants a baby and whether she knows it or now Josh has always been the guy she can't forget. Josh is not just her brother's best friend.
What killed me about this book is both Gemma and Josh's inability to have a conversation about why they actually want this. It was a book of partial truths and it was irritating because even the readers don't know why they are doing this together.
It was heartbreaking to watch them struggle when a conversation wouldn't have solved the problem completely, but it would've been a little better of a slow build instead of getting all the information in the 11th hour.

I literally lost count of how many times I laughed or smiled while reading this. My cheeks ached! It was so lovely and an easy read. I couldn’t put it down and found myself staying up to read into the early hours (not so great when I have early morning meetings ha!). Love love love

What a great read on unrequitted love and infertility. I loved the characters and the dialogue this was a funny unique romance one of my favorite reads of 2022.

Had a great time reading this as an audio book as well. Made it even more enjoyable. Sent my review in the audiobook but all in all cute and beautiful.

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 book was so stinking cute! I really got into it and I was able to read this one almost straight through!

Gemma is a survivor and she knows what she wants. She hasn't always had the best luck with men- she found her ex hubby cheating on their dining room table- but she is able to bounce back. She landed a job that makes her feel purposeful, she loves her family and she likes her life in general. But Gemma begins to feel that one thing is missing: a baby. So she comes up with a plan to make that happen.

Her plan includes her brother's best friend Josh who also happened to take her virginity many moons ago. Gemma thinks Josh would be a good sperm donor because he's attractive, smart and familiar. After a little convincing, Josh agrees to donate and the baby making fun begins.

I loved Gemma's character for so many reasons. She wasn't perfect and she accepted that she wasn't perfect. She's a little chubby and that makes her relatable and real which I think is fabulous. Gemma is a good human. She tries to be uplifting and positive. She values family and friends.

Gemma's relationship with Josh is a little bit of a roller coaster. They went from not talking to each other for years to making a baby together pretty quickly. It is so sweet how Josh treats her and appreciates all of her quirks. She doesn't initially think that he would be able to be anything other than a sperm donor but she later comes to see his heart.

This was an almost strangers to lovers trope that I haven't really read before. It was refreshingly different. I also appreciate how the author includes a short note about fertility struggles. This book had several messages in it even though it was a light-hearted story on the surface.

Thank you to #netgalley and #swiftandlewispublishing for the #arc of this book! This review will be published today on Goodreads, Amazon and my bookstagram.

A romcom that makes you fall in love with the characters as you’re reading along, I finished this one in two days. Starting February right with romcom, what I loved more about the book was the topic it highlighted and the way the author brought forward the message. Infertility - most often when any one of us hears this word, it’s got a negative connotation. But in a world, where celebrities and well know personalities are choosing alternate options to be parents, why is it that we, as a society, still associate it with a negative connotation.

The story is quite straightforward. Gemma wants to have a baby and due to her infertility diagnosis she’s not able to have one through the normal route. Josh, her brother’s best friend since school is a laid back guy who finds humor in small things. Gemma is ready to start her family but no longer looking for a Mr Right. Gemma thinks Josh is the perfect choice as her baby’s donor. The rest is the story. It’s a cute friends to lover trope filled with quotes, so if you’re a quote loving/highlighting reader like me, you’ll have plenty of highlights by the end of this book.

I loved the concept of starting each chapter with a quote. To add, the illustrations! They just make you smile as you’re reading. It’s like getting small encouraging and happy chits when you open your lunch box. That’s the feeling I got when I was reading through this. What made me give this a 4 star was as the climax was nearing, the author did not rush the story or make it unrealistic. It’s a love story that any one of us could have been witness too and that for me deserves the 4 stars. Overall, a great start to February with the romance genre!

Meet Gemma Jacobs, a divorced 38 year old who because of her endometriosis diagnosis is unable to have a baby without IVF. All she wants is a no-strings attached, sperm donor to make her dreams of having a baby come true.

In comes Josh, Gemma's brother's BFF, who has known the Jacobs' family for as long as he can remember. With Josh being recently forced to move back in to his Dad's basement, what could go wrong for Gemma? Josh seems like the perfect no-strings attached sperm donor. He's healthy, fit, nice, and a dependable person. It should be way easier than using some random person on the internet.

This book was so different than any other I have read. I love how it touched on the important topic of infertility. Josh and Gemma had great banter and their relationship and growth was so fun to watch.

However, I did not feel as connected to their story and did not enjoy the fat shaming and immaturity of the main character Gemma. Overall, I did enjoy this read and found it quick and easy to get through.

I had to put this down, it's extremely offensive and problematic and the representation should have gone through sensitivity readers.

Josh And Gemma Make a Baby follows Gemma who works for a self help guru and is trying to have a child of her own. She asks her brother's best friend Josh to be her sperm donor.
The story was interesting and kept me entertained. I also enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters.

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.

What a trip.
It was sweet and funny and cringy and hopeful. I enjoyed it immensely.

The character were sweet and normal and had me rooting for most of them. The infertility issues covered in the story is an issue many people struggle with, and Sarah did a great job on navigating through it with humor, thoughtfulness, and hope.

Thank you NetGallery for the ARC.

I absolutely adored this book! Read it in two sessions- what a laugh! Think US Bridget Jones and you have Gemma in one! She is always either putting her foot in it or else the laughing stock of the party! Lovable characters which you can't help falling for within the first chapters! Joking aside though, there was a serious element to this story; it examines the sensitive side of IVF and baby making; and how difficult it can be for women who are unable to have children naturally. Gemma and Josh are both lovable characters from the off and its lovely following their journey in able to make a baby! I laughed out loud at certain points, cringed at others and genuinely shred tears! Lovely story and highly recommended to all!

Josh and Gemma Make A Baby by Sarah Ready

Gemma may not be married, or even in a relationship, but her New Years Resolution is to have a baby. She also wants the sperm donor to be someone she knows, not someone she picks from a book at the clinic. That person is Josh Lewenthal, her brother’s best friend since childhood. When she asks and he says yes, she is ecstatic. But there is one condition, he wants to be a part of the babies life.

Josh steps up and goes above and beyond to help Gemma in her journey, and the more time they spend together the more Gemma realizes that he might not just be the perfect sperm donor… he might be the perfect guy for her.

⇢ this book was a fantastic mix of humor and serious topics. Gemma and her spewing of positive quotes was absolutely annoying, but I still loved her. And I loved her even more as she grew throughout the book. Josh was a great guy, I do wish he would have tried harder to let Gemma know his feelings. I mean, she’s not a mind reader. Gemma’s family was a little toxic and there was a lot of fat shaming. But Gemma’s new found friends were perfect. There were some extremely unrealistic parts in this book, but honestly it just added to the charm. For a single POV romance, I don’t feel like it was missing a thing which is rare for me. This was my first book by Sarah Ready and it wont be my last.

Such a great rom com, I loved it!

The first half of the book was really slow, at some point it made me wonder who everything would tie up. The second half was a lot faster maybe too fast. The whole plot got revolsed in a handful of pages, but the happy ending made it better

I loved this book. I loved Josh and Gemma and I loved the storyline about ivf. I didn’t think someone would be able to write a romcom about this topic but I feel it’s important to have a book about it. As someone who has not experienced ivf necessarily, I suffered multiple miscarriages and obviously had my concerns regarding my own future and plans to visit the possibility of enduring ivf and I have a special place in my heart for any woman going through this. Gemma has a lot of funny situations she goes through and it keeps the reading on their toes and loving her through the entire book. This book may be triggering for some people that may not be able to, or want to read about their own situation. Other than that it’s a must read romcom!! There’s not a ton of steamy scenes so don’t read this expecting that.

4 1/2 stars

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I started it. I thought it would be a light and easy rom-com. Even though there were some more relaxed moments where I chuckled, it was a pretty serious book. There's a great deal of detail regarding infertility and the related treatments. Even though I was fortunate enough to not walk that path personally, I have several friends who've been through it so I was familiar with a great deal of the information. However, it's possible that some readers may be put off by the extent of detail included in the book about fertility treatments. I think you could get the point across without including so much specific information. But, that's just my personal opinion.

That said, I believe the author did a nice job of connecting the reader with the characters. I did find myself caring a great deal about Gemma. She'd been through a great deal and had a scumbag for an ex-husband. And of course, you just had to root for Josh. All throughout the story, I knew that there would be more to Josh's story and there is....so get ready. He's deeper than you think and it's worth the wait. He was by far my favorite character.

I'll just say this book was such a fun treat.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Gemma Jacobs is the assistant and social media whiz for a super-sexy, eminently quotable, lifestyle guru Ian. She has a great job, her own studio apartment, and her biological clock is ticking. Problem is, she’s got stage IV endometriosis and some other issues, and her cheating ex-husband basically left her because she couldn’t get pregnant. After another attempted setup (hilariously) gone awry by her well-meaning mother, Gemma decides to ask long-time family friend (who oh yeah, by the way, happened to deflower her then went off to college and never called) to use his (pretty good) genes for her IVF experiment.

Josh says no at first, and then reconsiders. While he has always been a fixture in her life (sort of like a houseplant), she’s never really thought of him as long-term partner material (okay, she outright denied any interest, citing him as a loser for living with his dad, failing at a career and relationships, and struggling to make ends meet as a web comic artist). Gemma is perfectly willing to make this a contractual-only obligation, but Josh, whose father is dying, has a vested interest in creating a some semblance of a family… and sometimes when he looks at her, he smolders.

Josh not only agrees, but starts accompanying her to awkward medical appointments and leaves his, erm, deposit, with the clinic. Meanwhile, Gemma starts dating the self-help guru Ian, who is finally showing some romantic interest in her (but…but…they WORK! together!) and joins an infertility support group that meets in a dingy rat-and-cockroach infested (maybe) NYC comic store basement.

Gemma is curvy, funny, and can’t see the forest for the trees. She is judgemental to a fault. The ladies in her support group are caricatures of a wealthy socialite, a tough lawyer, and a hippie, each with a heart of gold, and each dealing in their own unique way with their struggles to get pregnant (no trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel, but a very warm author’s note at the end reminds the reader that this is Gemma’s take on infertility and IVF and every woman going through this has her own experience). Some ladies may find this painful to read, while others may welcome a story of what someone else is going through to become a mother.

Gemma’s humor–sometimes dark–is balanced with the sunny, pithy quotes from Ian. Josh is a wonderfully drawn character, self-deprecating and saying the real honest thing and then passing it off as a joke to seem not TOO vulnerable.

The plotting is little see-through, with literally every other character asking Gemma if she’s read Josh’s online comic about Grim and Jewel (yet)… but it makes for a satisfying conclusion. And, the writing is really GOOD, and vivid: in one pivotal scene, I could almost taste the slice of pizza as the protagonists ambled in the cold through a New York neighborhood.

I received an advance reader’s review copy of #JoshAndGemmaMakeABaby from #NetGalley.

Unfortunately I got 48% though and couldn’t finish this one. Honestly the writing isn’t bad at ALL and I would definitely try something else by this author, but the events that happen are honestly so ridiculous I can’t read this. The comments from other characters set alarm bells off first thing - she’s 32 and her MUM is setting her up with 50 year old men? And comments on her infertility? And weight? It seems everyone in this book has an opinion on Gemma when literally she’s a normal woman I don’t get it? And her boss is a famous life coach guy, don’t worry it gets mentioned about 80 times.



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4463700225

4/5 ⭐️
2/5 🔥

At about the 30% mark for this book, I thought “this is cute, but not blowing me away.” This is probably due to the fact that Gemma’s character works for a self-help guru and she spits out his quotes every other sentence - a little too much for cynical me!

But the second half of the book is what made this a 4 ⭐️ read for me. Once I got to that halfway point, I knew I was going to have to finish it in one night. The romance was a slow burn, which I normally find frustrating but it worked so well here. And Josh was swoon 👏 worthy. 👏 Gemma’s character was complicated and messy, and at times I wanted to shake her and say STOP SAYING YOU’RE FRIENDS. But her journey with her infertility and relationships was so real, I couldn’t help but root for her. And the side characters in the fertility support group were so fun!

I’d recommend this book to anyone that’s a fan of Bridget Jones’ Diary!