*CW: infertility, IVF, miscarriage, death of a parent


The fact that I willingly read and actually enjoyed a friends to lovers romance, I—


Not gonna lie, I was mostly attracted to this one because a lot of reviews mentioned that this book made them cry and so I was sold. Did I cry? WELL.


I didn’t know what to expect with this book, but I’m so pleased to have enjoyed it as much as I did! I will say that some parts were a bit silly(?), the kind I didn’t necessarily think were funny but pushed through (lol) and I also don’t know much about IVF and the entire process myself, so definitely don’t take my word on that experience and how well (or not well?) the author wrote it.

Gemma and Josh, however, completely stole my heart and excuse me for being giddy as HECK near the end as I am a huge “comic book nerd” and my heart was a mess!!! Agh, I wish I knew more about these two and where they are now, and I think that just speaks to how much I enjoyed them and this story!


And ok yes, yes I did cry.

I loved this book! Josh and Gemma were great characters! They had depth, were looking for meaning in life, had both been through a hard time and were coming out the other side. They were the kind of characters you root for and hope to do well! I loved watching their journey to love and I loved that it started from a young age. I feel better for having read this book. Amazing!

ARC kindly provided by Netgalley for an honest review!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a great novel, very reminiscent of Bridget Jones's Diary in places. Some of the story was a bit far-fetched and could see some plot twists were a bit obvious, but still a really enjoyable read.

This was a fun romantic comedy with some genuine laugh-out-loud moments. The boy toy bit was fun and brought levity to the book. Some parts were predictable and I found Gemma a bit annoying at times, but overall it'll bring a smile to your face.

Gemma is 32, divorced and is unable to get pregnant naturally without medical help. She is also single.

One New Year's wish turns to an adventure as Gemma makes the decision to have IVF as a single mother but she has a problem- she needs a sperm donor. Gemma sets her sights on Josh (her brothers best friend, and the boy she lost her virginity too), can she convince him?

If you love Bridget Jones Diary, you will love this fast paced rom-com. This story is a great mixture of Bridget Jones mixed with Sex and the City.

I love a rom-com, and this book did not disappoint. There are times when I laughed out loud and also times I got choked up. The writing of Sarah Ready flows naturally and I was able to follow the story with ease.

There are triggers in the book of serious matters such as infertility and miscarriage, however Sarah does cover this tactfully and is able to capture the raw emotion of what some women have gone through and I find this relatable.

Overall, it was a roller coaster of emotions and the story itself takes many twists and turns. I really enjoyed this story, it was a welcomed pick me up after the Christmas Holidays.

Sarah Ready was a new author to me and I love her storyline, I look forward for more stories of her.

Gemma and Josh are both likeable. I loved their witty banter with each other. It also touched a journey of family traditions which I absolutely love. This book had me all the feelings I could feel as a human, it made me laughed so hard and cried so hard and fell in love so hard that I find it difficult to finish and put down the book. I distracted by how heartfelt this book is and it touched a lot positive thoughts. I loved how supporting the character and how vicious people can be.

I definitely love the comic signing convention, it felt nostalgia having gone to a comic convention again and have your favorite author sign it for you.


I definitely love this book. Looking forward to more!

** spoiler alert ** OH JOSH! I can’t even begin with this. I can’t tell you how much I loved reading this book. It was funny, sexy and honestly? EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER WANTED IN A STORY!

“I’ll adopt a three-legged dog from a shelter and name him Tripod” WHEN I TELL YOU I CRIED AND LAUGHED AT THE SAME TIME✋🏼 that too at FOUR in the morning.

Josh has been the highlight for me in this story, sorry Gemma you didn’t come up to my expectations:/ but i loved you too.

I can ramble about this book for a whole year, but right now I gotta go read this book again.

Signing off ;)

I really didn’t know what to expect from this book going by the blurb but I was so taken aback with how much I loved it.

It’s a friends to lovers and sort of (slightly) a bit of second chance love thrown in there too.

I found myself really rooting for Gemma and for Josh, they were both really well rounded characters and I felt I got to know their whole story and nothing was left out. Sometimes with friends to lovers or second chance I sort of feel like big gaps are missing in the story but this wasn’t like that at all.

It was a fun and upbeat story about a subject that can be difficult but the author managed to make this story really, really heartfelt but not heavy or sad at all.

I really recommend this if your looking for a sweet romance with a modern take and a ton of heart!

Just to note that the book is heavily about fertility and trying to get pregnant and many problems that women can have with that. So if that is a subject you find difficult to read then definitely give this one a pass❤️

From the blurb…
“Meet Gemma Jacobs. She’s driven, energetic, and a positive thinker. She has a great career working for famed self-help guru Ian Fortune, she lives in a cute studio apartment in Manhattan, and her family is supportive and loving. Her life is perfect. Absolutely wonderful.

Except for one tiny little thing.

After a decade of disastrous relationships and an infertility diagnosis, Gemma doesn’t want a Mr. Right (or even a Mr. Right Now), she just wants a baby.

And all she needs is an egg, some sperm, and IVF.

So Gemma makes a New Year’s resolution: have a baby.

Josh Lewenthal is a laid back, relaxed, find-the-humor-in-life kind of guy. The polar opposite of Gemma. He’s also her brother’s best friend. For the past twenty years Josh has attended every Jacobs’ family birthday, holiday, and event – he’s always around.

Gemma knows him. He’s nice (enough), he’s funny (-ish), he’s healthy (she thinks) and he didn’t burn any ants with a magnifying glass as a kid. Which, in Gemma’s mind, makes him the perfect option for a sperm donor.

So Gemma wants to make a deal.

To Gemma’s surprise, Josh agrees.”

Out January 25th
*Advanced Copy From NetGalley ✨

I received a free copy of this book, but that does not influence my review.

I actually read this book and listened to the audiobook version. I enjoyed both of them a great deal. At first, I wasn't certain that I was going to love the narrator for the audiobook, but I quickly realized that my dislike of the narrator was only coming from the fact that I've been listening to the same narrator for a while and, therefore, I needed to give myself time to adjust to the fact that they were different. Once I became accustomed to the narrator, I realized that I really enjoyed listening to her read the book.

As for the story itself, I loved it. It's been a while since I read a romance that wasn't cheesy. This one was perfect. There was just enough tension there to make me want to keep listening, and it was very sweet while not being overly saccharine. There were so many little storylines and pieces that tied together in this story, that it was never boring. I genuinely enjoyed this story a great deal, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes rom coms and romances.

I bought this book because I liked the cover, and I'm glad I did. This book was a fantastic read. I laughed, cried, and felt their anguish. I cried for them as I read about their journey.

Gemma is such a believable character that I can't help but fall in love with her. She has flaws, which helped me connect with her. Sarah had done an outstanding job in demonstrating how everyone copes with infertility and social pressure. I was angry at Gemma at times when people treated her like she was a criminal for being single and divorced, but I also understood where she was coming from. When you are repeatedly beaten by circumstances, you will succumb to negativity at some point.

Josh, For the first couple of chapters, I was really trying to figure out who Josh was, but there is nothing to figure out because he is an open book if observed with a clear mind and heart. Josh appears to be a happy, carefree guy on the outside, but there is more to him. He wishes to be happy and to make others happy. I understood him so well despite the fact that we never got to see his point of view.

I had thoroughly enjoyed the friendship between Gemma and girls, her family. I am looking forward to read more book from Sarah Ready in future

This was such a brilliant read. I absolutely loved the main characters, they were so likeable and their witty banter was hilarious. I loved the journey they both went through in this book.

This book touches on some serious topics such as infertility and miscarriage, in such a respectful and important way. It seemed like a lot or research went into this aspect of the book. If you are going through ivf or fertility issues this may not be the book for you. There were some sad wholesome parts but it was balanced out perfectly by the wholesome content, this book was so adorable I nearly cried. It felt quite unique and I especially loved the side characters in the fertility support group and seeing all the different perspectives of what women go through truing to conceive.

Overall this was a fun, sexy, second chance, brothers best friend, slow burn romance, that was a little steamy, a lotta adorable and really unique and educational as well. I loved it so much ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cute, funny, quirky, overall a very pleasant read!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is the perfect comfort read. For those times when your soul just needs some chicken soup in the form of a cute rom-com.
Gemma is a thirty-two-year-old divorcee going through a crisis. She wants a baby and she wants it now. Only one problem: Gemma cannot have a baby without IVF.

Enter stage left: Josh Lewenthal.
The hunky, chick magnet, older brother’s BFF. Gemma thinks she knows Josh, but we’ll soon find out that Gemma doesn’t know much about anything LOL.

This was a quick and satisfying read, I finished the whole book in one day. There were a few scenes that felt a little OTT: the quotes and the fat-shaming by Gemma’s mother (talk about toxic!). And at times I was screaming in my head at Gemma. However, nobody is perfect in real life so it made sense (as frustrating as she was at times).

TW: Infertility, miscarriage, loss.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down. I loved the storyline and the characters. It made me laugh. It made me cry. Highly recommend!

I don’t think I have the words to adequately describe this book, but I’ll try.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is by far the best book I’ve read in a long time. I read it in a day and now I’m super sad I finished it. I laughed, I cried, I loved right along with them. It gave me ALL the feels. From irritation at Gemma’s ridiculousness to swooning over Josh.

At first I was sad that we didn’t get any of Josh’s POV but as it went on I realized that it just wouldn’t work right if we did. We needed to grow right along with Gemma and Sarah Ready made damn sure we did.

This was my first book by the author and it will NOT be my last.

ARC provided via NetGalley by the publisher for an honest review.

We’re told in the synopsis that Gemma Jacobs is driven, energetic and a positive thinker. We’re also told that she has a great career and family and that her life is perfect, but as you read this book, you’ll find that Gemma has a lot to learn about herself.

Having been married, divorced, and diagnosed with endometriosis all before the age of thirty, she seems to be taking it in stride. For her New Years resolution she decides she doesn’t need or want a Mr. Right to have a baby. She can happily raise and love her child as a single mom. Now she just needs a donor and her brother’s best friend, Josh Lewenthal, checks all the right boxes and no one is more surprised than Gemma when he agrees, but little does she know that Josh has a New Years resolution of his own.

I always love a good brother’s best friend romance and this one was unique to say the least. I loved the overall story and for the most part really enjoyed the book. It made me chuckle and I was interested to see where Josh and Gemma went and where Ian fit into the whole story. As the book went on, that all became pretty apparent, but it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.

My biggest issue with the story was Gemma. I found her to be incredibly naive in the world of relationships & men in general for someone who’s 32 years old. Not only that, but she was also incredibly judgmental. When it came to Josh specifically, she seemed to always believe the worst in him. Never thinking that he could make a successful career out of being a comic artist, that his home would be an absolute dump, and worst of all, she was quick to believe someone she barely knew over the guy she’s known for most of her life. I attribute that partially to the fact that her family seemed to shield her from certain topics and because from a young age, they’d been telling her to stay away from Josh and finally at the age of 16, they told her that he “collects underwear for a hobby and pins them to his bedroom wall.”

Since then, Gemma has carried around this mental image of Josh for 24 years that was very inaccurate and she had to learn the hard way not to judge a book by it’s cover, to look a little deeper, and not believe the front that everyone presents.

If I’m being honest, I thought Josh deserved better. He was just the sweetest little being. I loved his character although I wish that he would’ve been more forthcoming about the things he felt and not playing everything off with a joke or laugh when it hits too close to home.

Another thing that was a huge miss for me was how Gemma was constantly shamed throughout the book for her body by her mother and other side characters, but also by herself.

The most important part of a good story in my opinion however is character growth. And despite all of this, Gemma did grow as a person. She learned to see her judgmental ways and stood up for herself to her mother about the way she’d been treating her and talking to her over the years.

On another note, I’m not the most overly positive person so Brook was a welcome character that I greatly related with whom gave me some good laughs.

I love the group of friends that Gemma eventually cultivated through her IVF treatments. Having never gone through IVF or trying to get pregnant, I can’t say much on that aspect of the story due to my limited knowledge of the subject, but I would say to be aware that this book will have triggers such as miscarriages and infertility.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

❤️Josh and Gemma make a baby👨‍👩‍👧

This was a really good read! I flew through it in 48 hours (in amongst holiday things) and really enjoyed the story. There are a lot of elements to this rom com and they come together nicely. There is humour and sadness and love! What more can you ask for!?

Gemma is 32 years old, with a divorce under her belt as well as significant fertility problems. Some of the people around her aren’t the most supportive and she comes to realise that Mr Right isn’t going to just arrive - she needs to seek out her happiness. She wants a baby. She wants a baby with Josh Lewenthal, family friend and nice guy. Nothing romantic, purely contractual. Or is it!?

Thanks to @netgalley and Swift and Lewis Publishing for an ARC of this one. It is out on the 25th January!

TW: miscarriage

With thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Publication Date: 25 January 2022

This is a delightful read, it’s poignant, heartfelt and lighthearted all wrapped in one.

Gemma is in her early thirties - she hasn’t had the best love life and she’s not able to conceive in the usual way. Her Mum is constantly trying to play matchmaker and trying to “fix her!”

Gemma’s fed up of waiting for Mr Right and makes the decision to have IVF to start a family of her own on her own. Her philosophy being that, “each of us steers our own ship of destiny by following the stars in our heart.”

It’s an overwhelming process and an accidental box tick leads to Gemma running with the idea she has a partner. She says Josh when prompted to give a name, who she’s known her whole life.

It was a great start to the story and I couldn’t wait to see what Josh’s reaction was going to be, surely he wouldn’t agree to such a crazy notion?!

The characters are relatable and very likeable. I instantly warmed to Josh, there’s a vulnerability to him and the way he always wears that same smile to cover up what he’s feeling inside. I quickly saw that Josh has been misjudged by Gemma, who sees him as a bit of a play boy not taking anything seriously; even though their lives have been intertwined they don’t really know each other on a deeper level. The real Josh is a super talented and successful graphic novel writer, he looks after his seriously ill Dad whilst being the most supportive and caring person to Gemma.

It touches on societal expectations/pressures and those we place on ourselves. The perception of the “normal” family and the judgement it attracts if you deviate from that. It gets you thinking about what’s important, it’s easy to get caught up in our day to day goings on and take things and people for granted. There can be an inclination to get into a negative mindset about things and I love that Gemma decides to make herself happy and go after what she truly wants.

It’s thought provoking on many topics - another being the way we can judge people without really knowing who they are or why they do the things they do. As Gemma discovers, “we’re like icebergs, we only see the top, the faces we show the world, and all our inner lives and secret fears remain hidden beneath the surface.” Gemma realises she needs to take a deeper look and when you do the rewards are so worth it. As the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover, and it’s great to see Gemma putting that into practice eventually!

I loved the chemistry between Josh and Gemma, how they tease each other - there’s a playful back and forth. There’s a definite connection there - they are affected by each other’s touch and there’s the lingering looks. It’s so natural and easy between them, which makes you wonder how far their relationship can develop. There’s also a deeper connection and I enjoyed seeing them opening up to each other. Josh’s observation that if anything happens to his Dad they’ll be no one left who knows him on such a level was really heartfelt and you can see the aloneness that he’s worrying about and why having a family of his own is such an appealing proposition.

I wasn’t a fan of Ian, he came across as arrogant and fake. I was shocked to find out about the Josh connection and knew my initial thoughts were right!

I can’t talk about this book without mentioning the motivational chapter headings - they were such a nice touch and really fit in with the story!

I absolutely loved the support group and the meaningful friendships made there. They are such a diverse set of characters but when you break it down everyone has the same worries and feelings and they resonate with each other. It was fun to get to know the gang and I enjoyed the way the deeper issues came to the surface.

Josh and Gemma go on a crazy journey together and although Gemma could have done this on her own she appreciates having someone there for support and to go through it with her. Gemma’s feelings towards Josh change towards the end of the story and she wrestles with whether or not to share her feelings. I felt for her as it’s a scary thing, once you say how you feel you can’t take it back and it’s the most amazing feeling when it’s reciprocated, not so much when it’s not which can ruin an already great friendship. Plus, there’s the added complication of the impact it can have on their plan to have a baby together.

Gemma also misjudges her family and it’s lovely to see her realisation that she’s not alone in this in any way, there’s so much love and support for her there she just needs to let them in.

It was a real turning point when she recognises she deserves more at work, it was great to see her confidence grow throughout, and her knowing her own value and breaking out of the box she’s been put into. It’s so easy to let others dim your light and ability to thrive, and when she reclaims it back it’s a joy to see.

I breezed through the chapters to follow the journey Gemma and Josh go on both individually and together. I loved the ending and the revelations in the last few chapters. The comic book connection was a great addition and I could picture the scene at the convention playing out in a movie!

Overall, it’s an uplifting, feel good read with humour, heart and positivity throughout. It’s a pendulum of emotions, from heartbreakingly sad at times to a ray of sunshine on a winter’s day. There’s Bridget Jones’s Diary vibes at times so fans of that will love this!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a warm, fun, emotional, and engaging story about friendship, love, and family. It takes a sensitive approach to the struggles and practices of families specifically AFAB people who have issues with fertility. It was a fast read with quite a bit more depth than other romcoms. There were some predictable plot points but Ready made the in-betweens fun so much so that I didn’t mind that it was predictable.

It was an enjoyable read with great writing and I cannot wait to read more of Ready’s work!

Sarah Ready was a first-time author for me and she did not disappoint with Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. I wasn’t able to read this book as quickly as I wanted to (life forever getting in the way of my tbr!), but I picked it up at any opportunity I could and struggled to put it back down again.

I had no idea what I was in for with this book, having never read the author before, however I was immediately presented with engaging and endearing characters, light-hearted humour and the sensitivity needed to handle such an important subject. I normally shy away from books which have ‘second-chance romance’ vibes, and had the blurb have mentioned Josh and Gemma’s history, I may not have requested the ARC; this being said, I am so glad I gave the book a chance and the development of their relationship from their previous encounter made the story so much richer.

Gemma was such a strong, independent character to read about and the fact she was taking control of her own destiny to have a child, had me rooting for her from page one. I cannot write this review though without acknowledging that Josh carried this book! I like my literary men either dangerous and dirty, or charming and head over heels for the heroine. Josh absolutely fell into the latter for me, and he brought a real light-hearted feel to this slow burn romance.

For everything I loved about this book, I held back from giving 5 stars as I would have devoured Josh’s POV. He was all-in with Gemma from the start, even when she couldn’t see it for herself! Reading Josh’s POV would have given me all the fluttery feels that he would have been capable of creating.

I love how this story progressed, and the relationship between Josh and Gemma moving from friends, into lovers and finally into parents. This was both fulfilling and enjoyable to read. I have already added some more of Sarah’s books onto that ever growing tbr of mine!

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC and Netgalley who provided a read-now download of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Read this is one sitting l, no seriously I did not get up from my chair until I finished this one! I appreciate how realistic Gemmas journey to having a baby was, how real women can relate to that struggle. The plot twist at the end had me over to moon! How did Gemma not see that one coming? Such a sweet untraditional love story