**I Received this ARC curtesy of NetGalley - all thoughts and opinions are my own**

I was pleasantly surprised with this book; at first I thought it was going to be a quick easy romcom but the way in which the characters were portrayed and how they handled hard topics was a breath of fresh air.

I did find Gemma to be annoying/immature at some points while reading, but I genuinely think that this is a book that had such fun side characters (her fertility support group friends) that it made up for her getting on my nerves. This book contained a lot of tropes I personally enjoy and I loved how the reader was slowly able to piece things together and understand that Josh (who I loved) was secretly pining after her for so long!

I won’t lie, the first few chapters had me sceptical to if I would like this however I ended up really really enjoying this book!

I have little to no knowledge of how IVF actually works etc so I can’t say everything is completely accurate in this book but I got so emotionally attached to Gemma and Josh during their process that I was rooting for them the whole bloody time.

Just when you think everything’s going perfectly for them the worst happens. I was heartbroken for them and had tears rolling down my cheeks.

I did love the humour in this book. I found it added that comedy relief you need when reading about something so raw and heartbreaking. I found Gemma really ditzy and Josh complimented her completely. I’ll definitely be recommending this book to fellow romance lovers!

Thank you to NetGalley for the book!

Like many of us, 32 year old Gemma loves her oversized sweaters and tights. Almost as much as she loves working for the inspirational self help guru Ian Fortune.

Unfortunately for Gemma, her mother is convinced those sweaters play a part in Gemma’s perpetual single status and is always trying to get her into nicer clothes.

And after splitting with her husband Gemma has convinced herself that love isn’t in the cards for her despite a strong desire to be a mother.

So she pursues single parenthood through IVF- the only catch? She needs a donor. Enter Josh Lewenthal.

Gemma wants a donor she knows and lucky for her brother’s longtime BFF Josh- she knows him very well or so she thinks. However, she’s about to discover that there is a LOT more to Josh than she realizes.

If you are looking for a rom-com to really make you ugly laugh- this is it. Sarah Ready has tackled the difficult subject of fertility troubles in a way that not only gives you a glimpse into the pain Gemma feels, but breaks that up with witty dialogue and punchy, fun writing.

You will laugh. You might cry. You may also pee your pants (especially if you’ve had kids).

***“I need your sperm,” I blurt out. Josh starts to choke, then he coughs. His face turns red and he hits his chest.***

In regards to tropes- there is, in fact, a miscommunication trope happening in this book. I’ll admit, I’m not a huge fan of this trope and often find it done in a really lazy manner.

Thankfully, this book actually features a well done miscommunication trope and I will tell you why.

Gemma has long suffered loving criticism from her mother who comments on her clothing, her size, her relationships- the list goes on.

You realize pretty quickly that Gemma has been beat down by this steady stream of criticism in addition to her ex-husbands infidelity. You’ll see this in the way she speaks about herself and others.

She thinks she is unlovable and covers up these views of herself with Ian’s positive affirmations.

This view of herself lends a large hand to the miscommunication trope and does a fantastic job of making it feel real and not like two people who have never had an adult conversation in their life.

***I think I need to face the fact that I haven’t learned, not in thirty-two years, to look past my own ideas of people. I never, ever look to see who people truly are. Not even the people closest to me.***

The character growth!

I’ve not raved about a romance book yet, but I think this is one I will go ahead and rave about.

Oh! For my spicy friends- its just one chili pepper.

One word. UNPUTDOWNABLE.

It’s 4:57 am and I’m in tears, this book made me go through a roller coaster of emotions. The topic of this book is something I can really resonated with, as is something I’m quite scared of. We all know someone who lost a baby or is struggling with infertility, so it’s nice to this representation on a book.

This is such a cute story and I simply loved it! Though not a huge fan of romance novels, this book is totally an exception and I simply couldn't put the book down.

Gemma has a perfect life--she has a perfect job, lives in a nice place. But there's one thing--she is infertile. Yet her New Year Resolution was to have a baby...preferably with Josh Lowenthal, who is her brother's friend. Then Gemma label out her plan to Josh and thought he would disagree..but he soon agrees to help her make the baby. The story is all comedic, funny romance with Gemma slowly starting to fall for Josh...

I simply loved this story! The plot itself is unusual which differentiates from other romance novels I have read. I was a bit skeptical reading this book at first but gradually, I found myself dwell, deeper into the book and got so hooked into the story that I couldn't put the book down! I found Gemma, the main protagonist of the story funny but at the same time understanding and she seems to have a close friendship with her relatives. There were some parts which were hilarious and I really loved those moments! The ending was expected but still, I really like the fact that they ended up together!

Overall, if you like a funny, cheesy romance novel that will make you laugh, then this book is for you--worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I really enjoyed the last third of this novel. The first two thirds were a little hard to get through. At times, the inspirational quotes were a bit too cheesy, and Gemma was somewhat unlikeable. I kept cringing at her word vomit when she’d talk to Josh. But as the book went on, Gemma became a more likeable character. Seeing her love for Josh blossom was very sweet, especially since as the reader I could see that he already loved her.
If you’re looking for a romance with a focus on pregnancy and fertility, then this one is a nice one to read. It’s not quite a must-read, but enjoyable nonetheless.

(Review also posted on Storygraph)

2.5 stars. I really wanted to like this book but our main character Gemma was infuriating. She was shallow, rude and judgemental which was really off putting, especially when the supporting cast, specifically the love interest, was extremely supportive in her journey to get pregnant. I truly hoped this would be a win as I liked how the author discussed infertility and normalized it. After all, it’s a common situation women find themselves in but, unfortunately, it still feels like a taboo subject. However, I couldn’t appreciate and enjoy this novel and its discussion on infertility due to our MC. Hopefully, there are similar books out in the market, like this one, that I’d enjoy more than this, as the premise was promising but the execution left me wanting more.

My thoughts:
I liked this one. I Ioved that Gemma decided she didn’t need a man to fulfill her dreams of becoming a mom. I do think that if Josh wasn’t already in love with her, he wouldn’t have said yes so quickly or at all. But that’s the romance part of the book. I was rooting for them to end up together the whole time. The only downside for me was all the inspirational quotes from Gemma, so annoying and cringey!

I really enjoyed this book. Obviously you know from the beginning where the story was going, but I enjoyed how it came full circle. It touches on some very heavy topics but I think it is portrayed very well. I really like how the sub characters all played a part, and how certain things came to light, and there didn’t seem to be any lose ends. Overall I thought it was a great cute read with some very funny parts and a great message.

I was a little confused with the pictures throughout, I’m not sure if they will be different in the final copy.

Melli’s Book Breakdown
🤍Brother’s Best Friend
🤍curvy heroine
🤍heroine POV only
🤍TW: infertility
🤍HEA

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sarah Ready for an ARC copy of this book.

What a great way to start of the new year!! This was one of the first books I read this year and I really enjoyed it. It is a great romance book and so much more than that. It deals with the topic of infertility which is not something often featured in romance books. Gemma is in her 30's, divorced and has severe endometriosis. She is not able to have children. Her only option is to complete IVF. She decided to go for it and wants to ask her childhood friend Josh to be a donor.

I love the main characters Josh and Gemma. Their back story is great and Josh is one of the my favorite literary characters in a while. He is sexy but in an adorable nerdy way that is just wonderful! But I also enjoyed how developed the side characters were as well, especially the women from the fertility support group. I found myself so invested in their stories.

A perfect combination of romance, silliness, banter, real life struggle and spice.

Completely recommend this read!

This book is so cute. This book discusses deep topics such as infertility that shared about their experience while keeping it from getting too sad. The characters in this book aren't perfect which makes the story more relatable and the characters are relatable as well. Also the main character whose point of view it was, wasn't perfect. As the reader, you learn things as the readers do. This book was sappy and cute, but it wasn't set in a perfect world. I read this book in one sitting. I would recommend this book to people who want a cute read, but also want a book that they can relate to even if none of these things have happened to them. It is really well written, I could not put the book down.

this was so unfathomably bad it’s not even funny. i’m just going to list off the reasons it was bad and that’s it.
1. Gemma literally forcing a guy into giving her his sperm. like wtf that’s so??? she pounced the guy and was like “hey lol i want a baby and i told the doctors that you’re my partner and that you’re going to give me your sperm so can i have it??” get some therapy jesus christ like i know you want to be a mom but can you deal with your infertility trauma before you try and get pregnant?
2. Gemma continuously referring to her future child as a girl. like it’s a possibility not reality so chill out man. it’s never even addressed like Gemma just refers to her nonexistent child as she consistently throughout the book snd we’re given no explanation??
3. Gemma is the most annoying person on planet earth.
4. What were those drawings. like they were not good. no offense but full offense, Josh is suppose to be this super talented artist and then these drawings that are supposedly by him are just. really. bad. like do you have no concept of depth??
5. there were no babies. i was expecting some babies. there were none. i feel scammed
6. some of the scenes had me resisting the urge to throw my phone across the room. like it was bad. like so bad.
7. it was bad

4.5 stars! What a fun and addicting romcom that hit all my favorite things!

Definitely for you if you enjoy:
- Older brother’s best friend
- Friends to lovers
- Opposites attract

Gemma is at a job she loves with a hot boss she finds inspiring but she’s missing one thing so she’s made a new year’s resolution: she’s going to have a baby. All she needs is the sperm and she knows exactly who she wants to ask. Josh Lewenthal has been a family friend since he moved into town all those years ago and Gemma knows he’s the perfect candidate. When he agrees, they get ready to start the process of making a baby with IVF. Josh isn’t the marrying type so she’s happy to make this easy and business-like but what she doesn’t expect is for him to open up and be the exact opposite of what she thought he was and maybe what she’s always wanted.

📚

This was so fun and heartwarming! I can already tell it’s gonna be one of my comfort reads. I just enjoyed reading Gemma’s quirkiness and Josh’s pining. They were both so funny on the pages and it was just so clear that they adored one another. Just the way I like it.

The plot was predictable and I don’t think the book itself was life changing. For me though, it was all I ever ask for in a romance novel: funny, interesting, sweet and emotional enough to tug at my heartstrings. It just made me happy to already be able to pick up the little moments and feel like !!!!!!! about it. I teared up and really resonated with the book and wanna hug it. I started it and couldn’t put it down. The only reason I did was because I was running on 10 hours of sleep for the past 2 days. Otherwise I would’ve finished all last night. No worries, I woke up and immediately finished it.

The cover of the book led me astray a little and I thought the book would travel mostly through Gemma’s journey of being pregnant. It instead was about Gemma’s struggle with infertility and I thought that was even more interesting to read. I was sympathetic to it and enjoyed the book a lot more the way it was written.

The side characters were also a great cast and enjoyed reading them in here. I just adored Gemma’s friends from her infertility support group and loved the characters they were individually. The book’s ending was also a little too HEA but I’ll overlook it because it made me happy anyway.

Thank you the Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review. I cannot wait to buy my own physical copy!

Ahhhhh I loved this book so much!!!
It was a perfect mix of angst, fluff, and comedy, whilst also tackling the struggles of infertility.
The author did an amazing job of conveying Josh's POV even though the story was only told through Gemma's.
The concept of this book is interesting in itself but the execution by Sarah Ready was flawless. The writing was so well done it felt as though I really knew the characters.
As well as a romance, I feel like this book placed a focus on Gemma's personal journey too. Realising not everything can be looked at through a (cheesy) inspirational quote and that sometimes there isn't a positive side to everything that happens.
Josh and Gemma's chemistry was undeniable and Sarah Ready really outdid herself with this book.
Definitely one of my favourite reads.
Thank you NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC for making this ARC available to read in exchange for an honest review :)

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is a slowburn, friends to lovers romantic comedy but also has heavy emotions featured on infertility

this was a pleasant surprise...i don't know what i was expecting but i really liked the direction this book went in. it definitely provoked emotions out of me that i didn't see coming.

i loved the scenes between Josh and Gemma, it was so sweet and funny and i really felt that connection in their bonding moments

"𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩, 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪.”

Josh, is Gemma's brother's best friend and said to be this bad boy, big womanizer. But oh my goodness, this man was adorable and dedicated and just HMMm!
Gemma was unfortunately a bit of a hit or miss especially when it came to herself and her boss, Ian. i wanted to smack this woman so hard because she just didn't put much care into Josh and his life ... and i felt like he was really trying. on the other hand, i think it was purposefully written like that so that Gemma could see her judging ways in the end

apart from the kooky scenes that was a bit out of there, i enjoyed the side characters, the female friendships Gemma made as well as the seriousness to the story

TW for: infertility, loss and miscarriage

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘵 & 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘓𝘓𝘊 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby is the romance between Gemma, who is trying to have a baby using IVF, and her brother’s best friend Josh. While infertility is a painful subject to talk about, the author managed this book to be light and fun using Gemma’s fresh humor. The writing style was the kind I could read for hours without an interesting plot, because it kept making me smile. But the story was not boring, so it was twice as good.


The dynamics between Josh and Gemma were goals. I loved them together. Josh was always kidding, Gemma was extremely funny and they were constantly making each other laugh and smile. This way, the hard and stressful experience of trying to get pregnant was easier to endure. I also loved the friendship created between the members of the infertility group. It was refreshing to see a group of women going through a difficult time sticking together, supporting and teasing each other as they have been friends for years.


“Gemma? What’s up? You alright?”
“I need your sperm,” I blurt out.
Josh stars to choke, then coughs. His face turns red and hits his chest.
Oh no. I’ve killed him.
()“You want to have sex?” He looks really confused. “Gemma, you really have to work on your pick-up lines.”


I need Josh in my life, he was so precious without being flawless! Handsome and clever and fun and with the kindest heart. He made comics for a living and there were little drawings throughout the story ‘made by him’. I’m torn because, as I said before, I liked Gemma’s POV, but I felt like I would have loved to see Josh too since unrequited love trope is my kryptonite. He was head over heels in love with Gemma, and she was oblivious and dating OM who was clearly an as*** even if she couldn’t see it. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I saw the twist coming or that I don’t like the OM trope, but I think Gemma was oblivious enough to keep the slow burn without the need of a third wheel.


However, the thing that really bothered me was Gemma was OTT judgmental, and she was thirty-two. Has she not learned anything in twenty years? I loved her POV because she was funny and positive, but there were a couple of scenes where I wanted to slap her in the face, hug Josh and tell him she didn’t deserve his awesomeness. Luckily, she realized it -yes, character development-, and changed it. But the drama-free lover in me was still bothered.


Gemma’s poor judgment and the OM aside, this book was a joy to read. It was cute, heartwarming, unique and so much fun! I spent one afternoon reading it, just smiling and laughing with the characters. And I’ve found a new book BF!!


I kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book. It hit on some hard topics but still made it work. I loved Gemma and her personality. Josh is amazing! Swoon alert lol! I laughed, I cried. I wanted more.

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was one of my first reads at the start of the new year and I couldn't think of a better way to start the year. I was unable to put the book down and finished reading it within two days of starting it. There are so many ups and downs that the characters go through before we get a satisfying ending. When leading up to the climax I could feel the tension growing within Gemma. The one criticism that I hold for this book is the attention to detail to unnecessary scenes that don't need the extra details. Definitely recommend this book to anyone that is in a reading slump or needs a quick read.

This was really charming! A few things irked me, that I think were unrealistic. A woman going to a fertility clinic would have likely done a tad more research about the process and/or the doctor would at length discuss the process to include trials and tribulations. But aside from the heroine’s lack of knowledge about how she will achieve her desired baby, the idea is cute and the tropes were on point for me! Gotta love a second chance childhood-ish romance/crush situation. Brother’s best friend- even better! This trope always sets up for cuteness tenderness and this one didn’t disappoint! Overall really happy and thankful for this ARC. It helped me get out of a reading slump!

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby was a mixed bag for me. I found Josh to be completely likeable and kept wishing there was more of him in the story. Gemma, however, was not likeable to me at all. If we could define those two in one sentence, I would say, “Josh is a giver, and Gemma is a taker”. I wish Gemma could have been shown as being a little less self absorbed so I could have rooted for her and Josh. Instead, I was wishing he would find someone who would treat him the same way he treated Gemma.

I did like how this book explored the struggles of infertility. I also really liked the women in Gemma’s support group. I enjoyed the secondary or minor characters best in this story. I even found the “horrible” coworker, Lavinia, more likeable than Gemma.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
#JoshandGemmaMakeaBaby #NetGalley