3 out of 5 stars.

Let me preface this by saying I really liked the first of this series, "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby". It's also a book you really need to read if you are interested in this one. There are many characters brought back from the first book, and they are not introduced at all, so the author assumed you've read the first book. Which is fine - it is a sequel after all - but I had to go back through my Kindle archive and refresh myself on who some of the characters were! (Like me forgetting the MC Gemma had two siblings instead of one, so I thought her brother was her brother-in-law for a hot second. Whoops!)

Quick and vague synopsis: This sequel is about Josh and Gemma getting ready to start their "happy forever after" by getting married. However, a traumatic event happens on the wedding day that changes the course of not only Gemma and Josh's lives, but the lives of everyone else around them. It's up to Josh and Gemma to pick up the pieces and figure out how to move on and live the lives they want. Can they do it? Or is the future they imagined for themselves gone forever?

Sadly, this title fell short for me. It is solidly under the "Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should" category of books. The first title "Josh and Gemma Make a Baby" was a sweet tale that had some heartbreaking moments sprinkled throughout. It touched on tough topics that should be talked about, such as infertility and marriage issues. But the first one was wrapped up nicely and I feel it didn't warrant a sequel. There was nothing to really "sequel squeeze" out of it.

There were moments where I teared up, like when we learned the real reason Ian was at the medical center where Gemma had her appointments, but a lot of the storylines felt rather forced and out of left field. The whole plot twist with Ian's backstory really pulled me out of the book. I don't know if that was supposed to be an "OMG!" moment, but it fell flat for me. It felt like a cop-out, like, "See, Ian had his reasons for being the way he was! He's not a bad person!" But like, he is? His history is heartbreaking, yes, but his actions afterward were him and him alone. He took it out on an innocent man. He stole Josh's livelihood because he felt Josh deserved it. I do like how Ian's flawed and is more fleshed out for this story, don't get me wrong, but the way it was portrayed made me feel manipulated.

I think the main thing that really rubbed me wrong was how a lot of the conflicts were simply because Gemma couldn't. Use. Her. Words. I'm not trying to downplay her injury, because oddly enough I've been in a similar situation as Gemma, but it was a mix of both Gemma being too vague with her decisions or thoughts and Josh not being as patient with Gemma as he should be. There are two instances of this: when Ian and Gemma are seen by Josh and the events that happen immediately after, and the final "climactic" event with Josh and Gemma during the family picnic. It's just... Gemma used broad statements and vague words to have Josh believe she chose Ian over him. But like, no? Gemma, use your words! It's like the situation she was in is some big secret that she couldn't tell Josh about? No, Gemma. Tell him. He's an understanding guy, he would understand why you couldn't come home right away. Same with the second instance. She's overcome with emotion that she cries for a few minutes. Understandable, it's a big breakthrough moment. But Josh just up and leaves? He takes that as her ending things there, too. It felt very out of character; for one whole book and roughly 87% of a second book Josh would've sat right next to her and comforted her while she let these tears out. Instead the author tries to create more drama by having him leave and squeaking out another chapter or two for it.

That was unfortunately another issue. This book is a novella masquerading as a novel. It stretched and dragged and could've been more succinct with the same story with fewer chapters and words. That's why I feel this story was not necessarily one that needed to be told. It's the same way I feel about Colleen Hoover's sequel to "It Ends With Us" - it ended pretty well, there was no need for a continuation. It was an excuse to add melodrama when melodrama was non-existent in the first novel.

Even with all of that, I still give it three stars because I do love these characters. Josh and Gemma have dealt with enough crap, can we stop it there? Let them draw their happily ever afters on each other and be with their sweet baby Hope? That would be greeeeeat.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. "Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around" is out now!

Picking up right where we left them, straight away I was into this book. I loved the first Josh & Gemma book and this one didn't disappoint. Funny, clever, sweet with some twists and turns, a lovely read.

Oh, oh, oh!

We pick up after book one. Or a few months. I can't say exactly what happens, but the path to HEA is dropped by a huge heartbreaking event.

I kid yall not, when I kept reading I thought to myself, is this a dream? Is she having a dream? Oh no, it really happened.

It was so devastating. I kept thinking to myself, it's not fair, it's not fair! She had waited so long. But! This could be real-life. It's not all roses.

Still love Nick. Only one complaint is I wish we would have had more of him and less Ian. But to be honest I think this book is more finding one's new self and less of a romance. There are shocks and revelations in this one so hold on!

Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around was a more grown-up installment in the couple's love story. It still has the humor from the first book and the pure love between Josh and Gemma is still there, it's just painted in a more serious light (which is saying a lot seeing as how the first book tackled infertility).

The reader really gets to know Ian in this book which I LOVED. His true self comes out more, and it was satisfying to see his fall from grace. While I don't necessarily want a third installment of Josh and Gemma's story, it would be great to have one about Ian! His villain origin story was a bit convoluted, but it was still fun to learn more about him and see a bit of growth.

I appreciate the fact that the author isn't afraid to tackle tough subjects. We don't often get to see the couple in a RomCom after they get together, and Sarah Ready handled it perfectly. Josh and Gemma don't pretend that love and marriage means they get a happily ever after or that life will be picture perfect after they say, "I do." I know books are an escape from reality, but it's nice to see characters who can embrace reality with it being depressing or boring.

I was given an e-ARC of this book for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity!

Loved the first book but this really didn’t do it for me. I found every scene with Ian annoying and ended up skimming the last 50ish percent.

I really enjoyed this book! I read the first one a while back so when I saw this I just had to request it. It was such a good add on and conclusion to Josh and Gemma’a story. So well written and I felt all the emotions! Sarah Ready has yet to not impress me as I’ll 100% be reading any future books.

When I finished Josh and Gemma Make a Baby I wanted more. I wanted more Josh and Gemma's moments. I wanted to see them with their child, so when this book was annunciated I was exiting, but also a little scared.

After reading this second book I have to say that unfortunately I am not really happy.
I think that the book has a lot of drama for nothing. I wanted Gemma and Josh together, but he was practically a secondary character. In this book a lot of space was given to a redemption arc of a character that was in the first book and I have to say that I don't really enjoyed it. Don't get me wrong, I found this part interesting, but I would have liked it better if it was in another book. A separate story to the one of Gemma and Josh, they had their problems and this one was just unnecessary.

I can't talk a lot about the plot, because the author didn't share it, so no specific word from me. I think that the topic choose by Sarah Ready is something interesting and new, but personally I didn't like the way it was used.

At the end I give this book the sufficient because I liked some scenes and I was invested in what was happening, even if not always in a good way. However this is not what I wanted for Gemma and Josh or what they deserved.

This book was more than what you think it is going to be. I enjoyed this story as it was an interesting look at when everything doesn’t go as planned. This couple are so perfect together and it has taken them years to get where they are but as real life shows us, all relationships have their ups and downs. This story shows how hard you have to work at it sometimes, don’t take love for granted and be grateful for what you have.

I felt many emotions with this story. It was a little sadder than expected, but overall a great plot with interesting characters. It’s sweet how Josh and Gemma find their love for each other a second time. I gave this book 4/5 stars and I would recommend to other readers. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THANK YOU NET GALLEY AND PUBLISHER FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO READ THIS. That being said, rating and feelings are my own:

I did not realize this was book two in the series so I was very confused. I need to go back and read Book one for more understanding

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

“Don't think that just because one thing is the truth that something else can't be as well “

The story opens with Josh and Gemma's wedding that didn't quite go plan... You watch the couple deal with the aftermath and how to come back together. I was invested in the story from the end of the prologue!

I really loved both Gemma and Josh. Super lovable and easy for us to empathise with their situation and really root for them. Baby Hope is the cutest to gonna lie!
There were also some spicy moments which were fun!
I do not vibe with Ian – he’s a jerk.
Erin Mallon was a fantastic narrator!

“…. Sometimes things have to get really, really bad before they get better.”

What to expect in Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around
- Real-life problems
- Lovable characters
- Cute moments and sad moments
- well-placed humour
- Satisfying emotional arc
- Happily ever after
- Great audio narration

I’m going to be totally honest; I did not realise this was a sequel until I was about halfway through, but no joke, it didn’t take anything away from my enjoyment of the book. I do think I’ll go back a read book one though as I’ve heard its even better than this one.
I do recommend this book even if you haven’t read book one. Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around is a great romance book with hard hitting subjects and a love that defies it all.

Trigger Warning:
Traumatic Brain Injury, Premature birth, Miscarriage, infertility

Thank you NetGalley for this #gifted copy!

I thought the sequel to JOSH AND GEMMA MAKES A BABY was okay. I'm not sure it was necessary. It certainly had it's moments of drama, but I'm not convinced we needed a sequel.

I adored the first book for the author's unusual concept for a romance. I loved Josh and Gemma. After reading the sequel, I still love them, but sigh, I think sometimes a romance story and it's happily-ever-after should remain secluded in the first book.

There are a lot of medical pregnancy issues, a coma and someone being hit by a car and I don't know... the story felt forced at times. I am a big fan of love triangles, but I wasn't in this story.

The plot involving Gemma's head trauma is certainly an important one, but I think this particular story ventures more into women's fiction than romance. Although the spice was definitely there.

Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Louis Publishing for an e-copy of JOSH AND GEMMA THE SECOND TIME AROUND.

I rate JOSH AND GEMMA THE SECOND TIME AROUND three out of four stars.

We left Josh and Gemma in a good place in the first book. Things were finally coming together. I liked the concept of this second book. It was interesting and the turn of events took me by surprise in the beginning. Things wavered a bit in the middle but I still liked this one. I'm not sure if it was needed but their love has certainly been solidified by the telling of this story. As far as a happily ever after one just never knows with Josh & Gemma!

Josh and Gemma are finally engaged while pregnant with their first baby. Well, after a whole lot of drama and banter (read prequel). But on their wedding day, things take an unexpected turn, neither of them realizing that their lives will never be the same again.

I didn't realize how much I was missing Josh and Gemma Make a Baby to this book until I grabbed this, though I was really not expecting a sequel. Honestly this book was very much different from the previous one. While the prequel feel is more of a breezy novel with banter and fun this has a serious twist here it is wonderful to reunite with our favourite characters.

Saying anything at all about this book is a potential spoiler, so all I'll say is go get yourself a copy of this book and the prequel, if you haven't read it yet.

Thank you so much Sarah Ready and NetGalley for letting me listen to an ALC in exchange of my honest review.

I haven't read the first book, so the caracters and peoples were completely new to me, but I'm glad. I realised that I don't really like the falling in love stories anymore, I prefer the we're together and we're having issues. I liked that part, it's human, it has really strong emotions going through.
Josh is a lovable person and I respect the patience that he has.
Gemma... She wasn't my favorite at all.
Ian. I liked him even though he's a jerk.
The main problem I had while reading is the baby. It's not realistic that a 3-4-5 month old baby does nothing all day, Hope is just not real.

I really enjoyed the first book. It was light hearted, comical & romantic. This one gets heavy quickly and although it was a happy ending, I found the overall flow to be slightly depressing. If i had gone into the book expecting something different from the first one perhaps I would have been better prepared for the twist.
Still good writing but if you're thinking you'll get a funny continuation of Josh & Gemma's story, you're going to be disappointed.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher and also the author for this ARC copy of the book! I really enjoyed it it was a short and fun read even if you hadn’t read the first one you still understand what was happening.

I was so excited to read the sequel to Josh and Gemma Make a Baby, and really enjoyed this second book,
JOSH AND GEMMA THE SECOND TIME AROUND.

While I didn't quite enjoy the sequel as much as the first book, I appreciated being reunited with these beloved characters, and thought the audiobook was great!

Pregnant and so in love, Josh and Gemma are preparing for their upcoming wedding until things don't go as planned.

*many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This was the second part of Josh and Gemma’s story that I didn’t know I needed.

In this second book, Josh and Gemma live through an unexpected change of circumstances that test them individually and as a duo. This is a journey where they learnt about themselves and their communication, still showing their strong connection and intimacy.

I will admit the beginning took me by surprise (also the reappearance of certain characters), but once the story move forward, I was more and more convinced this was a perfect wrap up for Josh and Gemma’s journey together.

Just like the first book, the audiobook was also performed by Erin Mallon, who effortlessly made me dive into the narration and enjoy all the scenes and dialogues.

Overall book: 5/5 stars
Audiobook: 4/5 stars

JOSH AND GEMMA THE SECOND TIME AROUND By Sarah Ready

Josh and Gemma’s lives are turned upside down, and their love and their future together are at risk. They realize their happily ever after isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning and now they have to fight for it.

😊What i liked -

✔ Second Chance/HEA
✔ This book was not what I was expecting it to be.( don't get me wrong, i did enjoy it).
✔ This book makes you feel a whole lot of emotions, but the emotion I felt the most was of fear, sadness and heartache.
✔ I loved how supportive Gemma's family was to her but most of all how they were concerned and supportive of Josh too.( it was heartwarming)
✔ I loved the character development of Gemma, Josh and even Ian. (i was a bit lost with their back story as i haven't read the first book)
✔ I loved the author's writing style and how she manages to put across the emotions, feelings and doubts of every character.

Audiobook Review -

✔ I read this book while listening to the beautiful voice of Erin Mallon. She did such a good job of putting across the emotions and the love.

🤔What could have been better -

✔ I wish I had read the first book before this, it would have made me understand the characters' story a bit more.
✔ I did get a bit frustrated with the miscommunication between Josh and Gemma.


📚Who Should read :

👶Beginners
💝💼Romance Lovers
💕Second Chance Trope Lovers


📈My Rating : 4/5

Thank you, Sarah Ready and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for a copy.