**thank you to NetGalley and publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.


This book follows Gemma and her journey for completing her New Years Resolution—having a baby. She’s 33, a divorcee, has stage 4 endometriosis, and wants to start a family. So she decides to do it by herself, and go to a fertility clinic. Except, she’s not dating anyone, and she doesn’t want to use a donor. So she decides to ask Josh Lewenthal, her brothers best friend, a notorious player, to be her donor for her baby.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book. I love a brothers best friend trope, and a pregnancy trope. This book covers infertility, and I really doubted how much that would effect me. I didn’t love the writing, and I felt like there could’ve been more depth with the characters. All in all, it was a pretty interesting read!!!

I went into this thinking it was a typical cheesy romance but oh man was I wrong in the best way!! This book completely wreaked me! 😭 I literally devoured it in 24 hours! So deep!!
It had me laughing and crying in all the right places. The relationship between Josh and Gemma was so sweet and I loved their banter. It was beautifully written and Sarah Ready was really able to accurately lay out the struggles of infertility that so many walk through (IVF, miscarriage, etc.). A beautiful story of love, friendship, and family. I highly, highly recommend! I can’t believe more people aren’t talking about this book.

A fun and hot brother's best friend romance, which tackled some series topics

Firstly thanks to Roz for recommending this book to me! I enjoyed it for the most part, and it helped me to finally kick my reading slump!

Sarah Ready was a new author to me, and I liked her writing style here, it flowed well and drew me in quickly. The story itself was sweet and predictable, and although a little flawed, it was endearing enough for me to overlook some things.

I was pleased that the book tackled IVF and also miscarriages, but I wouldn't advise reading this if you are infertile, going through IVF or have suffered a miscarriage recently because there are some things which may upset you, and that are a little unbelievable. For example, the being able to book in for the IVF so quickly and easily without having to wait.. on what planet?! Also the main character's lack of knowledge of IVF going in. She knew nothing about it, and did no research, which was irritating! Saying that, it was refreshing to read about discussions on fertility, miscarriages and endometriosis, and some of it felt real, knowing quite a few couples who struggled to get pregnant, and had IVF. There are definitely highs and lows, heartbreak and joy, and it's not an easy road to go down, but I know friends who happily have had success. I was pleased that (view spoiler).

I thought the main characters had good chemistry and steam, with that slow-burn longing which gave me the feels and made me swoon. The romance was sweet, and I adored Josh (why are all love interests called Josh btw?!!). Although he didn't have a pov, I still felt like I got to now him.

Some of the humour was very silly (gold catsuit, boytoy etc) but most of it broke up the emotional scenes nicely.

The friends were likeable, if not a little caricature, and I would happily read about their stories!

Things which soured the story for me was the fat shaming, and was Gemma even overweight?! The infertility shaming, where the whole town seemed to know about Gemma's struggles and judged her for it?! Where her family were really horrible to her about it. I know this can happen, but it wasn't nice reading about it. I had a real problem with Gemma's mum, who was toxic. Interfering and nasty doesn't even cover it! There was a real lack of communication there, and although he redeemed herself in the story, and still feel salty about her treatment of her daughter.

The gross men and community, who made Gemma feel worthless was upsetting, but again, I acknowledge that some people do act like this.

The inspirational quotes, which really could just be copied and pasted from the internet, but played a vital part in a plot twist..

And Gemma...bless her. A lot of people will not like her at all. She was immature, annoying and a bit of a mess! So flawed, insecure and blinkered. She did annoy me at times, but I didn't mind her. She felt like a work in progress, and definitely needed to grow up!

So although I devoured this book, and mostly enjoyed it, I did have a few issues with it, and don't seem to love it as much as others do. However, if you're looking for an easy romance read, and can suspend belief, and go with the flow, this might be for you, it was fun and quite heart-warming in the end.

"Love is the best gift I've ever had the privilege to give."

A huge thank you to Sarah Ready and NetGalley for this eArc. If you are a fan of rom-coms and Christina Lauren, this is a book for you! This book gave me Bridget Jones vibes with my favorite tropes such as slow burn, childhood friends to lovers, and brother’s best friend. The story centers around Gemma (early 30s, divorced female lead) who decided on New Year’s that she did not want to be anyone’s pity date any longer and wanted to have a child of her own. However, given her endometrioses diagnosis, she is infertile and her option is to have IVF. Of course, since she does not have a partner, who else better to pick than her brother’s best friend who is absolutely gorgeous and she has known for 24 years? (Can’t fault her though - I would very much love a Josh in my life too).

This book had me laughing and crying at the right places. I love how Sarah touched the heavy topic of infertility and illustrated how difficult the journey is for a woman undergoing IVF with emotional depth and sensitivity. Other than the romance aspect, I enjoyed witnessing Gemma’s personal development as a character. If you are looking for some spice, there is very little in here but the humor and interesting plot will keep you hooked. It is a sweet, funny rom-com that I devoured in 3 hours and has become one of my most memorable reads.

One small error is that DI stands for donor insemination rather than Donor husband.

I rarely give romcoms 5 stars because they’re usually too predictable and cheesy for me. However, Josh and Gemma Make a Baby deserves 5 stars! I loved this story immensely! I haven’t laughed out loud this much while reading in a long time! This was such a sweet, heartfelt story. I loved the infertility awareness. I loved Josh’s comic books. I loved Gemma being curvy. This was just a perfect romcom! Thanks to Netgalley for the arc - I will be buying a physical copy of this book when it releases!

I didn’t start out on the best foot with Josh and Gemma Make a Baby.. What really irked me was the fat-shaming throughout the book. Gemma is often called chubby, which is always on a list of things that make her undesirable. She’s told over and over again that she’s not good enough, and of course she believes those things. But she also talks about being curvy and other characters call her thin, and it feels not good to be a fat person reading this book. Because she’s not a fat character. She’s not chubby. Just look at the cover of the book. I love a good romance book with fat MCs, but this isn’t one of those.

The thing is, I liked this story. It’s not quite friends-to-lovers, and not exactly enemies-to-lovers, but it’s a similar type of trope, and I enjoyed it. I liked the progression of the plot, and I liked the development in the story, but more than anything, the fat shaming was hurtful.

On a steaminess level - this book isn’t super steamy. There are a few mentions of steamy moments, and there’s a unique scene that wasn’t similar to anything else I’ve read in a romance novel and that was a fun scene. But on the steamy scale, this probably tops out at a 6.

So go into this one for the plot and the character development, but don’t expect the sex scenes to blow your mind.

Josh and Gemma Make A Baby surprised me with how much I loved it! The subject matter of infertility and IVF is a hard one to do well - to really capture all the emotions of it in a sincere and nuanced way - but Sarah Ready knocked it out of the park. This was a super quick read because of the great chemistry between Josh and Gemma, the hilarious depiction of fertility treatment, and the endearing supporting characters. I found the inspirational quotes to be grating, though they did end up serving as somewhat of a plot device.

Content warnings: miscarriage, infertility, mentions of previous adultery

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

I tend to avoid books involving pregnancy/babies because more often than not, there is messy ex drama or someone decides to keep their baby a secret because why should the father deserve to know? and I'm just not here for it. But something about this book lured me in and I am not upset about it.

Gemma is a 32-year-old divorcee with health issues that make it difficult for her to conceive a child. Fed up with her meddling family who can't help but point out her flaws any chance they get, she decides to take matters into her own hands and become a mom all on her own via IVF. There's a key ingredient needed in the baby-making process, however, and instead of choosing an anonymous donor, she asks longtime family friend Josh if he would be interested in donating to her cause.. Little does Gemma know that Josh has been pining for her for years.

The best part about this book was Josh. He was so patient and kind to Gemma, even when she may not have deserved it. Gemma was hard to like at times. She came across as a judgy bitch more than once but by the end of the book, I couldn't help but root for her. I also could have done without the Ian storyline. But otherwise, this book was delightful. I couldn't put it down and definitely stayed up way too late in order to finish it.

I stared this book as audio and finished reading it. And I must say I loved it. It is just a sweet love story. And Josh is to die for.
It is 4.5 stars.

I wasn't Gemma's biggest fan at the beginning of the book. She was a bit judgmental but I also felt bad for her. Towards the end of the book once everything started to tie together I fell for Josh. Everything he did for throughout the book was amazing. I gave this book 4 stars because I was struggling to get through the beginning. The book definitely got my attention towards the middle.

2.5/5 stars

I can't believe I'm not rating this book 5 stars. Looking at the cover and at the synopsis, I thought I was gonna love it. I'm really sad I didn't, but at the same time I think it was inevitable.

The story follows Gemma, a thirty-two year old who wants to have a baby, but has infertility issues and doesn't have a partner; so she asks Josh, her older brother's best friend, if he will agree to donate his sperm for her IVF treatment.
Yet, I think this book doesn't focus on any of these things. Her infertility is never touched, the subject of her marriage and cheating ex is just mentioned, the IVF and baby-making part is almost like in the background.
Gemma and Josh's relationship doesn't make any sense, I didn't understand
why they got together. And, to be honest, I think this has to do with how the two were written. Gemma didn't feel like a thirty-two-year-old woman, she was very childish and I didn't like how she thought of her friends; Josh was... there. I feel like there were many situations where the author could have explained Josh's character and background story, and doing so would have made Josh way more interesting.

I think the main issue with this book was that the author put the focus on things that didn't need it. I think she wasted a lot of pages on characters and plot that were unnecessary.

I did like Gemma's support group friends, though.

Heartwarming and unputdownable! I was not expecting to love this book so much but it was delightful! I love Gemma’s character and how perfectly imperfect she was and Josh is totally swoon worthy. The storyline was cute and I love that it brought awareness to infertility and IVF. There was some laugh out loud moments mixed with some tear jerker moments. It was exactly the read I was needing right now. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Net Galley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for providing this ARC.

I didn't know I needed this story until I finished it. It is some of the warmest, most heartfelt fiction surrounding a difficult topic. The way that Ready handles this topic, as well as the growing relationship between Josh and Gemma is nothing short of amazing.

I loved the characters and their stories. I loved the interactions between Josh and Gemma. I could feel the frustration, fear, anxiety, and grief that Gemma went through during her trials with IVF. I loved her group of friends that showed her that love is good and wonderful to have in her life.

This was such an amazing book. I loved every second of it.

This was a slow burn romance that had all of the romcom trappings, but at the same time, explored the serious subject of infertility and IVF. After yet another year of her mother's heavy handed matchmaking and barbs from most of the people in her home town about her infertility, Gemma, who just wants to finally be a mom, resolves to start the new year pursuing IVF and having a baby on her own. The only problem is that she needs a sperm donor. The idea of using an anonymous donor doesn't appeal to her. Instead, she decides that the perfect donor would be her brother's best friend, Josh, who's been a fixture in her and family's life since they were kids. What could possibly go run with such a plan? Plenty, as it turns out.

Gemma was that particular kind of romcom heroine who can't seem to get out of her own way. She successfully worked as the social media manager for a self-help guru, yet whenever she got nervous, she started babbling and often said or did the wrong thing. Consequently she often found herself in awkward situations. Josh, meanwhile, was a sweetheart of a guy who had some rough personal issues he was dealing with, but hid them under a smiling, lighthearted exterior.

I’m sorry to say that the romance didn’t completely work for me. I was frustrated with Gemma, because even though she meant well, she was quite self-centered and oblivious to anyone else’s feelings through most of the book. I didn’t understand what a nice guy like Josh saw in her and really wished he’d wise up and find someone who would treat him better. However, the book does end on a high note, with at least some indications that Gemma was realizing that she needed to change her approach if she was going to be successful at love. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

If you’re a lover of romance novels, this one is just oh so cute. I laughed out loud and even shed a tear of happiness. I truly enjoyed all of the friendships and relationships in this story and feel that everything wrapped up very nicely.

I happily predicted the ending based on the New Years resolutions placed at the beginning of the book, and I screamed when it actually happened 🥰

Run, don’t walk! Go get yourself a copy of this book.
I listened to the audio and still had all these feelings of happiness, which is unusual for me 😊

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

TW: infertility/going through IVF

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. 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.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Josh and Gemma Make A Baby is about well… I think the title is pretty self explanatory. Gemma has known she is unable to have a child naturally since her twenties and shortly before her first divorce. She decides that she wants to start a family and chooses her brother’s best friend as the sperm donor.

And then hilarity and romance were promised.

Except every scene without Josh in it was painful to get through.

Why does Gemma’s entire town know about her fertility issues? And why do people treat her like she has the plague because of it? And why does she ALLOW them to? Her mom continually sets her up on dates with LOSERS because she literally believes Gemma is like a 1000 year old car no one wants to buy. And Gemma ALLOWS this. There’s a line her mother says to her that’s one part body shaming and one part ageist and Gemma agrees with her. What’s worse is that Gemma judges every one else just as harshly and it makes her extremely unlikeable. She thinks Josh is some comic book loser who lives in his dad’s basement - meanwhile he’s super successful.

And please please don’t get me started on the scene in a public park with the vibrating cell phone. I think this is the worst thing I’ve ever read in a book.

To the author’s credit - Josh is extremely charming and cute. I just wish the rest of the book was.

(And okay, we get it already! Gemma is always wearing chunky shoes.)

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

When I saw this book on NetGalley I was instantly interested. The cover and title were absolutely screaming *my type of book*.
Josh was such a sweetheart and without spoiling it, I'm a sucker for the type of hero he is.
I loved the little moments from early in the story that come full-circle in the end.
I'll definitely be looking into more from Sarah Ready after this!

this book was very cute

I thought I was funny and had a cool concept. thought I was very predictable, but that's not a bad thing it felt confusing kind of knowing what will happen, it was written well and had so beautiful quotes and I loved the little drawing in the chapter

overall I was an ok book very average and a good one to get you out of a reading slump or you want a fast read that doesn't take too much out of you this is perfect.