A wonderful story with remarkable Main Characters and supporting characters. There were lots of moments that had me chuckling and staying up later to read extra. I began this novel as I entered the hospital to deliver my baby. I read the ebook as long as I could before switching to the audiobook when baby arrived. I’ve continued the audiobook during late night feedings and have loved the storyline. I loved the support group and those characters. Enjoyed the storyline, enjoyed the narration.

This is my first book of this author.
Don't get you fool with the cover , it is a romantic book, with a comedy behind but with this important subject in the plot. Infertility.
So if you are sensitive with this topic, maybe you should skip this one.
Gemma is this woman, in her thirties, who wants to have a baby alone. She is divorced , not lucky in the love department, and working full time in this famed self help company with the guru of the moment: Ian Fortune.
Josh is her best friend brother and childhood friend since forever.They went to school together and he was a constant in Gemma's life.
She has the audacity to asked him to be the donor so she can make her dream come true.
This story has to many things going on:
-support infertility group with three fabulous woman
- the attraction to her boss
- the beginning of a friendship and close proximity with Josh
- Gemma's family with all the crazy stuff that a fun family has
- the infertility clinic and all the hard topics that are attached to it.

All of this made this read so good, I laugh I cried I fell in love with Josh, his manners, his dedication with his dad, his love for Gemma's family, and the way he support her all the way.
Gemma was a strong woman, with flaws and insecurities but with a strong character and true with herself.
I was waiting for the moment Josh and Gemma finally collide, and man! it was so good to read.
I finished this story with a smile on my face.
Thank you netgalley and the author for this arc in exchange for my thoughts

If Bridget Jones had a baby with Pride and Prejudice and The Backup Plan, this book would be it. JAGMAB reads like the quintessential rom-com with the banter, cuteness, drama, smiles and heartbreak. It was easy to see the book play out in my mind as I read it, picturing Renee Zellweger as Gemma and Hugh Grant as Ian Fortune (if you’ve seen Bridget Jones, you’ll know why). Writing a rom-com book is tough because there is a sense of predictability that is difficult to evade. This book is predictable, however, I absolutely did not mind it and still found it enjoyable.

Gemma’s character is flawed, which can be irritating at times and hilarious at others. Her infatuation with lime jelly salad, I will never understand and do not wish to. There were also some scenes in the book that I could see playing out well in a movie but they didn’t translate well in the book. If I hear the term “Boy Toy” one more time, my brain may explode.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a light, cute and sometimes saucy romance book that makes it a perfect palette cleanser for all you rom-com lovers out there!

Thank you netgalley for the audiobook ARC and for the narrator for making Gemma’s mom sound like Moira Rose 🙏🏻

There are potential spoilers in this review.

If it was marketed as a retelling of Bridget Jones's Diary I would have rated this higher. I was so distracted by the similarities of this book and the movie Bridget Jones's Diary that I forgot about the whole making a baby plot.

Side Note: I love Bridget Jones's Diary. It's a movie that I have watched so many times I can quote it.

Similarities:
- Main character who calls herself chunky.
- A mom who keeps trying to change the main character. Dresses her in a terrible dress that is the equivalent of a tacky Christmas sweater.
- Parents throw a "wine and wieners" party (reminds me of Tarts and Vicars party)
- Main character falls for her boss, who seems great but is actually an ass.
- Main character also has a male family friend who she thinks is not great, but he is just misunderstood.
- Boss has history with male family friend, and lies about what happened.
- There is even a part of the book where they say they like each other just as they are. Copy and paste from Bridget Jones's Diary movie.

So basically, take Bridget Jones's Diary change the names, have it set in New York add in a little bit about a girl struggling to conceive and starting IVF and asking her brother's best friend to be the sperm donor and you have this book.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Laughing, crying and totally in love!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby on the outside may look like a typical contemporary romance but it is so much deeper. The characters go through a journey and by the end you are as in love as they are. This is a couple you want to cheer for.

Gemma is a 32 year old divorcee, social media specialist with fertility issues and she wants a family to call her own. In comes Josh, she has known him all her life and is her brothers best friend. They had history in the past but after not seeing each other for 6 years Gemma decided she will ask him to be her sperm donor and surprising her he says yes.

I listened to the audio book and Erin Mallon does a great job, she really brings the characters to life and makes what they are saying and feeling believable. I even started crying in the car because of the emotion she was able to bring to the scene.

The book was a wonderful way to spend the time and will be looking out for more of Sarah Ready’s writing in the future. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

TW: Infertility, miscarriage, loss.

Gemma Jacobs lives the perfect life. She has a great job, lives in a cute studio apartment, and has a loving and supportive family. Well… except for one thing. Gemma really wants a baby, and decides to make that her New Year’s resolution.
After a diagnosis of infertility and deciding that she doesn’t need a Mr. Right, all Gemma really needs is an egg, a sperm donor, and IVF.
That’s where Josh Lewenthal comes in. He is her brother’s best friend. Gemma knows everything about him. He is just the perfect sperm donor.
Gemma and Josh strike a deal and decide to keep everything businesslike, no emotional attachments, just a baby. But how often does baby-making really stays unemotional and businesslike?

When I picked up the audiobook for “Josh and Gemma Make a Baby”, I was looking for a lighthearted, fun read. And I did get that, but I also got a very emotional and complex story. I really didn’t expect to get so invested in it!

Gemma and Josh are really interesting characters. They have so many aspects about them that the reader (and even the characters themselves) can only discover as the story progresses, and that not only affect how the reader sees them, but also how they see each other.

Now, let me talk a little bit about the narration. I think @mallonerin did an amazing job in this narration, and was really able to bring the story to life, by giving each of the characters unique voices that really help to emphasize their emotions.

Thank you to @netgalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, and @sarahreadyauthor for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was very happy to have access to the advanced copy. The book was great. I laughed throughout the book and my heart hurt at moments too. I feel this book could be a film/tv adaptation. I really enjoyed it! 4.5☆

✨ARC REVIEW✨

After some heartbreaking news and a divorce, Gemma has decided she doesn’t need to be in a relationship in order to fulfill her dream of having a baby. It may be crazy, but after weighing her options she decides to ask the man who has been around her entire life, Josh Lewenthal. Since he is her brothers best friend, they aren’t exactly close, but feels less awkward about asking him for help. Josh never saw himself wanting a baby, but with Gemma’s question looming in his mind, and a few changes in his life, he decides he would like to take the chance. Gemma never expects Josh to be so active and willing in the baby making process, but soon, she wants more than just a baby with Josh; She wants everything.

🍼M/F Relationship
🍼Brothers Best Friend, Childhood Friends, Pregnancy, Slow Burny
🍼Funny, Charming, Emotional
🍼Comic Book Writer Hero
🍼Heroine has PCOS and Fertility Issues

Don’t let this cartoon cover fool you, while it could fall into the Rom-Com category, it also will kick you in the feels. This had equally funny and charming moments as it did heartbreaking moments. Gemma is dealing with fertility issues and the challenges of having a baby when her body is working against her. I think I have read too many hate to love stories, because I kept waiting for them to have that kind of relationship haha, but they didn’t at all. Josh was all in, and super supportive for Gemma, along with her lady support group that I loved.

Although this is based around Gemma trying to have a baby, there were a few side plot points that kept the story moving and kept me engaged the whole way through. I listened to the audiobook, and Erin Mallon isn’t my favorite female narrator, but I know what to expect when listening to her and she does a solid job. The comic book aspect was fun, and their big come together moment was adorable. I really enjoyed this, but I cant stress enough that this could be particularly triggering for anyone who is sensitive to pregnancy/fertility.

⭐️4/5
🌶1/5

This one just made me really uncomfortable.

I enjoyed the narration but the plot itself was a bit off. The main character tells us that the guy she’s going to ask to help her make a baby is also the guy who she lost her virginity to at sixteen. Now, that would be fine but I feel like I need a little more context for that to have happened than some passing remark.

Anyway regardless I feel like it was pretty cool to see a book actually talk about endometriosis but at the same time we kind of just ignored a lot of the other side effects and that adopting is well…a thing? I kind of don’t understand the push to have biological children so maybe I should t have even picked this one up but I figured this was more a case of want a baby and lack the person than can’t have one. I think I made a mistake picking it up as it really wasn’t what I expected at all. I didn’t enjoy how people spoke to Gemma about her appearance either, especially her mum. No thank-you!

This was very cute, kind of weird -- but ultimately in a good way. Josh and Gemma Make a Baby follows Gemma, who has been told she can't get pregnant naturally, so she goes to see a fertility doctor for help. She ends up asking a childhood friend, Josh, to be her sperm donor for the baby and I think I can honestly say that I haven't read a book like this until now. Josh was adorable, and his love for Gemma was super sweet, if a bit predictable at times (but also, isn't that what you want from a book like this?). The secondary characters (Brooke, Hannah, Leah, etc) were very fun as well!

I wasn't really sure what I was getting into when I requested this book. I just wanted something fun to listen to while going about household chores. It definitely delivered on that front. While Gemma annoyed me at times, I would say that this would be an enjoyable read for anyone that likes fun, mostly light comedies! It would probably be quite relatable to adult women who are single and dealing with overbearing mothers setting them up on dates every month hahah.

I will say, the whole premise of Ian being famous for a bunch of cheesy inspirational quotes had me rolling my eyes sometimes, but I was definitely able to look past that. Also, the narrator for this one is definitely not for everybody -- her intonations feel quite weird at times, so it may be better for some readers to opt for a ebook/physical copy of this one.

Content warnings: death of a family member, miscarriage, difficulty getting pregnant

Gemma is divorced and when she learns she could get pregnant through IVF, she decides she wants her brother's best friend to be the donor. Gemma is not looking for a relationship, just a baby to love. When she approaches Josh, he says no but later changes his mind. Gemma works for a very popular self-help guru who takes Gemma's breath away. Ian starts to make advances towards Gemma and she is flattered. When Josh and Gemma share the moments of working toward making a baby, she sometimes feels guilty. This is a business agreement but what they experience sometimes feel more like a family. Josh has grown up with Gemma's family, they even had sex on her graduation night, yet she has not seen Josh as someone she would love. The characters in this book are great. The IVF support group adds lots of humor to the book. The experiences in the IVF doctor's office bring smiles and tears. This book shows that you may not know the person you have been around for years. Sometimes you have to share your thoughts and be brave.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I must say I really enjoyed Josh and Gemma. Josh is such a sweet character who just has layers to him which was really nice to see. Gemma has been stuck with the expectations of her family and everyone thinks that since her divorce, she is almost spoilt goods.
I know Gemma's character was written in a certain way, but occasionally I did find her annoying and a bit selfish. Especially the way she treated her friends was uncalled for.
I would say this is a light-hearted fun romance to read, I did really enjoy it.

This book was absolutely funny, while hitting you in the heart, at all the right times.

Emma has the perfect career, cute little studio in Manhattan, friends, family and the ever growing crush on Josh. She's decided that she wants a baby, even though she has many health struggles getting pregnant.
She's divorced, after finding her ex dallying in another.

Josh, the subject of Emma's childhood crush, best friends with her brother, always around the family.
He's a popular comic book author/artist.

Emma convinces Josh that she needs his sperm and this won't change things between them, they'll still remain friends.

But pregnancy hormones start taking over and her feelings toward Josh spin out of control.

She needs him.... and she gets him

I really enjoyed this book, I hope to read others by this author!

I just reviewed Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready. #JoshandGemmaMakeaBaby #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this was a solid story. I laughed and I cried (i'm talking ugly cry) and I finished it over the course of one day! Gemma is a great protagonist who shows a realistic perspective on how relationships in our lives can effect us either negatively or positively long after the relationship is over. She decides at the beginning of the year to go through the process of IVF to have a baby and the author did a lovely job of showing as well as explaining how this is all Gemma has wanted for most of her adult life. She's got the job, she's got a great family, she just wants a baby of her own to love unconditionally. Josh, is an interesting love interest. He's definitely a type that pretends to take nothing seriously, but in reality only takes the important things seriously, the rest doesn't matter. Observing these two characters navigate through the process of producing a baby (along with the other side characters along for the ride) was very engaging. It says in the description that this is book 1, so i'm hoping we'll get more in this universe.

The narrator sounds amazing and I wish I could listen to this whole book but for whatever reason the Netgalley app is really difficult to listen on. There is a weird echo on the audiobooks for me. But I’m going to put five stars because I’m also reading the physical copy and it’s so good so far! Will give a physical copy review when done.

Well, I think this audiobook has somewhat solidified my dislike of romcoms. This entire book is wrapped up in the title. No need to read it. It’s a friend to lovers trope that involved vibrating cell phones and lots of green jello. Gemma wants a baby. Josh donates his sperm to the cause. Will they fall in love? Of course. The end. Hope I didn’t ruin it for anyone. If you like a totally predictable love story that didn’t have a lot of com in the rom com, this one is for you. On a positive note, the narrator did a great job.

Thank you to @netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was a very enjoyable and well written romcom. What sets it apart from other books was how much it explored infertility and IVF. It was a very slow burn but the best part of the relationship between Josh and Gemma was their friendship and their banter. The park scene was hilarious. I laughed and cried throughout the book but loved the last quarter of the book the most. Some of the topics are hard to read/listen to so please keep the trigger warnings in mind.

One thing I did not like about the book was how Gemma was treated and portrayed. It was really frustrating at times to hear her family and friends call her things like overweight and frumpy. A huge theme of the book was Gemma’s appearance and never in a good way. It wasn’t just criticism, it was full blown mean and it came from almost all of the characters. I definitely think the book would’ve been just as good without all of judgement against Gemma.

I enjoyed the narration and the interaction between the characters. It was very easy to follow the dialogue in scenes with big groups which not all narrators do well.

TW: Infertility, miscarriage, IVF

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook.

5 stars

After a disaster of a first marriage and an endometriosis diagnosis, Gemma decides to take things into her own hands and seek fertility treatment. She believes her brother’s best friend Josh would be an ideal sperm donor but perhaps not for the reasons you may think…

Josh and Gemma make a baby was an absolute gem of a book. This felt like Bridget Jones with a little more depth. I had never heard of Sarah Ready but will definitely check out her other releases.

Not many books make my 5 star favourites shelf but this has got to be one of them. It’s also the first time an audiobook has hit the top spot for me.

Brilliantly written characters and narrative, told with laugh out loud humour and gut wrenching emotion combine to make this a perfect read.

I have to say the love scene was one of the most original ones I’ve read purely because it felt so real to me.

Ready was adept at showing the flaws of all her characters and it made it more realistic than your run of the mill romance. Several circumstances in this book were deeply personal to me and Ready handled the sensitive topics like endometriosis, fertility and death expertly.

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced audio copy of this book

This was a great slow burn romance that I enjoyed listening to.

The book starts off in a way that makes the main character seem very likable from the beginning. I was already intrigued after just the first chapter and could not wait to continue listening.

I really liked the representation of the topic of infertility and the struggles a person might face due to it. It is always great to broaden representation and this book is a step into the right direction. The topic was explained for the reader and at the same time the author managed to focus on the character development and the romance.

The characters chemistry was great and I liked how they got to know each other better. It is so true that people often evaluate others very fast and often do not take the time to get to know the other one better. So I really loved that the book was filled with those thoughtful messages.

However, I have to admit that the main character Gemma started to annoy me at some point since I had the feeling her character development not only stopped but went backwards. This changed again later when she evaluates her own behavior and seeks forgiveness from the people she hurt. And even though this part wasn’t my favorite, I think that it represents reality because we often do things we know we shouldn’t do.

So all in all this was a great audiobook and I enjoyed listening to it. It made me laugh out loud and the story was filled with cute messages about life for the reader. The narrator read the story perfectly and it was easy to listen to.

Bless my nerd loving heart this book is perfection!

“I have never regretted the doing (Josh)” and I will never regret reading this book!

Josh and Gemma Make A Baby starts off a little shaky and I wasn’t too sure what to make of Gemma but once things get rolling oh boy you are in for a treat!

Gemma is a hot mess of a woman but with good reason! She’s stuck in her life and feels she’s at a good place but learns soon enough that couldn’t be further from the truth! Through new friendships and some family blow ups Gemma realizes she’s been wrong. Through her discovery she realizes that everything she had needed has been right in front of her!

I loved how Josh and Gemmas relationship grows! They start off as acquaintances and quickly grow to more! More importantly though was Gemmas growth! Her amazing pink uterus friends and hilarious family really help her to see the error of her ways!

I was fortunate enough to read or rather listen to an early copy thanks to NetGalley! The narrator Erin Mallon did an amazing job reading the story and switching from one character to another. The authors beautiful descriptions really came to life!