Title: Baby Bank by Sarah Robinson - A Sweet, Cute, and Hilarious Rom-Com

Sarah Robinson's "Baby Bank" is an absolute delight, weaving together humor, love, and the complexities of modern relationships. Mila Torres, a successful divorce lawyer and a stand-up comedian, is living the life of a bisexual elder millennial in Washington, DC. But as she approaches thirty-five, her doctor's suggestion of freezing her eggs forces her to confront her desire for a child right now. Enter the Baby Bank app, an unconventional solution to her predicament.

The heart of this story lies in its hilariously entertaining characters, starting with the mother, Chicky. Her antics and witty one-liners had me bursting into fits of laughter throughout the book. Chicky's unique personality brought an endearing element to the story, creating a lovable and humorous mother-daughter dynamic.

Mila's stepson, the source of both amusement and occasional irritation, adds depth to the story. His lack of etiquette and his interactions with Mila create amusing and touching moments, showcasing the complexities of blended families.

The supporting cast of characters adds life and laughter to the narrative. Mila's Capitol Hill friends, her ornery old cat, and the various comedy shows contribute to the story's charm. Each character brings a unique flavor to the mix, making the reader feel like a part of their close-knit circle.

The romantic entanglements and misadventures provide the perfect backdrop for this heartwarming rom-com. As Mila meets her chosen sperm donor, the unexpected twist of him being the brother of a reporter she's been avoiding leads to humorous and heartwarming moments. The tangled web of emotions and desires keeps the reader engaged, eagerly turning the pages to see how Mila navigates this newfound complexity.

Sarah Robinson's writing style is both captivating and witty, perfectly suited for a romantic comedy. She manages to create relatable characters who feel like friends, drawing readers into their world with ease. The fast-paced plot keeps the story engaging, and the blend of humor, romance, and introspection strikes a perfect balance.

Overall, "Baby Bank" is a sweet, cute, and absolutely hilarious read. Sarah Robinson's ability to craft relatable characters and humorous situations sets this book apart. From start to finish, I found myself deeply invested in Mila's journey, rooting for her happiness, and sharing in her laughter and struggles. If you're in the mood for a heartwarming rom-com with a fantastic cast of characters, "Baby Bank" should be at the top of your reading list. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it to anyone seeking an uplifting and entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. My voluntary review is below:

Let's start with the good. This book does humour very well, which is a great start for a book about an aspiring full-time comedian whose day job is a soul-sucking gig as part of the legal team for a conservative Congressman. I'm not a laugh out loud while reading person, but I did a couple of times reading this book. As a rom-com, this was really enjoyable, funny, and retained my interest throughout.

Now, the things that didn't quite click for me. The biggest of the issues I had was with the romance aspect, which appears to be central to the premise rather than a side note in an otherwise comedic story about a woman changing every part of her life. Ari is an interesting, mature, and complex woman but we don't get to know much about her. She and Mila barely have any conversations on-stage and the attraction between them seems superficial, given that they literally don't know much about each other or spend any time as friends. It's a shame because Ari actually does have a complex backstory to rationalise her trauma and aversion to getting emotionally close to a pregnant woman, but this is almost an afterthought (and none of the reveals about Ari's personal backstory come from Ari herself, since she and Mila barely ever have any conversations).

The second thing that I didn't quite enjoy was the intentional pregnancy. Mila seems to almost decide to get pregnant on a whim, gets pregnant on the first try, and has a breeze of a pregnancy (which also mostly happens off-stage so we can assume it's been moderately uncomfortable at worst). For a thirty-four-year-old woman who is smart enough to be both a lawyer and comedian, she barely gives a thought to how a baby will change her life, the living situation, her career, her support system, or even informing her one living relative about it, which gives the impression of flippancy rather than a serious life decision.

I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been more focused on the comedic aspect rather than the central romance because the former was more successful for me. As a romantic partner, Mila is self-centred, goes from zero to two hundred, and constantly ignores Ari's boundaries and requests to just be friends, which frustrated me about her character and did not make me root for their romance. It is certainly fast, even by queer standards, to literally sleep with someone twice, meet them a couple of times, know almost nothing about their personal life, and want to enlist them into parenthood because you are pregnant.

In summary, really funny at times if you consider it a lighthearted comedy but it becomes a bit frustrating if viewed as primarily a love story because the meat of a relationship is missing and there isn't much personal growth to make the reader root for a well-deserved happily ever after.

The Baby Bank is a brilliantly written, laugh-out-loud Lesbian romance. I loved the characters, the plot line and the fact that it has it's poignant moments.
Sarah Robinson writes great rom-coms, straight and lesbian, and this is a worthy addition to the collection.

I received a free copy of this book thanks to Netgalley, all opinions are exclusively my own.

I'll be honest: the ad for this book made me somewhat less interested in picking it up, as the tone it set felt somewhat superficial. I decided to give it a read anyway, and was so pleasantly surprised! There is a lot of warmth and heart to this story in addition to the comedy and dramatic elements, and all around it felt like a breath of fresh air. The stand-up comedy segments, which can be hard to do, came off as natural and funny for the most part (I think one early section started out feeling a little forced, but that feeling faded rapidly). I'm very excited for the next installment in this series!

BABY BANK has an interesting premise—a single queer woman decides to get pregnant on her own, and she does so using an app for free sperm. The execution, however, could have used more finesse. Every step of the insemination process goes smoothly—she meets a nice donor immediately, she gets pregnant on the very first try. If you’re willing to suspend some disbelief, it could be a fun story. The big reveal of the MC’s girlfriend’s hesitancy around children comes completely out of left field though, and is so over the top that is loses all intended emotional depth. I’ll be interested to see more books on the subject of queer family-making, but this one left me disappointed.

I was intrigued by the blurb but I wasn't sure anything billed as a romantic comedy would make me laugh, but it did.
The book is told from the view of only one main, who although she says she has been with men, women, trans and non-binary people, in this book she is only with a lesbian. She is very clear she is not a lesbian and does not approve of the "gold star" or exclusivity of some lesbians. The other main is a lesbian.
The book is interesting and anyone thinking of having a baby I recommend it...... I'm just not sure to recommend you read it or avoid it..... I believe it is very honest!!
I didn't see enough of the main's behaviours to see her turnaround as necessary but the information revealed about the other main made sense. I wasn't quite with picnic scene towards the end.
There must be a better phrase out there than uterus havers!!
The bonus scene confused me as it is actually set before the epilogue but appears after the ending. Once I figured that out, it made sense.
3 cos it made me laugh but a younger demographic might enjoy it even more.

"Are you ready for the ride of your life, Tori?"
"Anytime a man has asked me that before, I've been disappointed," I replied with a noncommittal shrug. "But, sure. Let's do it."

This book was at the top of my most anticipated releases this year, and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!


Mila is a single woman in her mid thirties, feeling the weight of her biological clock ticking away and the want to start a family heavy. She turns to technology in the form of a app, much like tinder, but for sperm donors with no strings and a need to keep repopulation alive...
As a lawyer with a good(but questionable firm) and a moonlighting comedian, Mila already has a lot on her plate. but with her biological clock ticking she takes the plunge and finds a donor Via Baby Bank.
*Enter Aston, Sperm donor extraordinaire. He comes with, references, a college degree, and even his own Facebook page for all his baby momma's. What could possibly go wrong?
Finally Meet Ari, Divorced, Journalist and Astons' sister. She has also been hot on Mila's' trail for information about a case she is on. But now it seems she's hot on her trail for other reasons as well...
This could be a recipe for disaster or it could be the best thing to happen to everyone.

This book was so fun!
The representation was great,
there was comedy(And not just from Mila),
Spice,
Found Family,
friendship,
and most of all love.

This book felt just like i was watching a sitcom.
The characters were relatable and well written.
The plot was solid and so fun to read about.
The humor was so perfectly written, with tons of witty banner and ZINGERS thrown in.
There was so much family elements as well, that made you just feel all warm inside.

Sarah really knocked this book out of the park and i cannot wait for more in this series.
Thank you Netgalley, Sarah, and the publishers for the ARC copy.

Baby Bank is a rom-com that follows Mila, a lawyer and aspiring comedian in DC, on her pregnancy journey from deciding to have a child on her own to swiping for a sperm donor on an app called, you guessed it, Baby Bank, to falling in love and having her HEA. There is a lot to love here. It is very funny in a lot of places and the conceit is great: falling in love with your sperm donor's sister. Blessings. Our MC is also charming and likable despite and because of her flaws. The found family aspect of not only Mila's friends but the Baby Bank community she gets involved with is a gorgeous display of love and of a non-traditional support system. The pacing, however, lacked a certain flow. It was slow at the start, highlighting details that didn't quite pay off. Though it looks to be the start of a series so perhaps that's part of the grand plan. The romance also started quite slow, which is totally lovely, except that in this case the ramp up was too steep and truncated to follow and believe. Everything happens, all at once, and it felt choppy instead of exciting.

While I really wanted to love this book, I can't say I did. I did like it, but it just felt like something was missing and I don't know what. I would still recommend this book to my patrons though.

Mila has always wanted to be a mom, but it hasn’t happened yet & she’s reminded that her time to become a mom is running out when she goes in for a routine checkup at her OB. After leaving the appointment Mila decides to take matters into her own hands & downloads the baby bank app which matches you with potential donors. However, this isn’t the only thing Mila has to worry about. A reporter named Aria has been hounding her to talk about a client she’s been representing in a divorce. It turns out Aria is her sperm donors sister! This book had me laughing so much! I really love the diversity in this book & the themes it has on found family. 4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley & the publishers for the ARC
*all opinions are my own

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Mila Torres is living two lives - by day a successful divorce lawyer and by night - comedian Tori Miles. Everyone knows but her mom. At age thirty four - she has a her annual GYN appointment and he advises her that she should think about freezing her eggs because she is approaching geriatric status for pregnancies. Pondering her choices as she does want to become a mom, Mila decides that there is no time like the present to get knocked up. She is currently not in a relationship and is discussing this with her BFF's. One of these friends tells her about Baby Bank. An online app where you can find the sperm you want for a much lesser price. After swiping for a while, she lands on the man she thinks would complement DNA.

Along the way, a series of events happen that lead to Mila getting pregnant on the first try and Mila needs to navigate pregnancy and a possible new relationship.

This book reinforces that family is who you surround yourself with - it is not always blood related.

This was a fresh novel with really fun and bubbly characters. It gives the book a lot of life and humor that reminded me of rom-com I watch. Ari's character is more mysterious because the book is written in Mila's POV only. I was glad to see a strong independent woman going on the motherhood road alone.
The pace is fast and I read chapter after chapter smoothly.
There was a lot going on : Mila's pregnancy, her issues at work regarding her disclosing confidential informations to Ari, her passion for comedy, and of course her story with Ari. The author also brings up topics like women's rights for reproduction, societal notion of gender.
It felt like I was in an all you can eat buffet, chose too many dishes and ended up not properly enjoying each one of them. The ending is sweet but went like a whirlwind, I didn't realize how Ari went from one stand to another.
That was a light and enjoyable read, but my brain was a bit overwhelmed.

Ps: bonus scene is there twice

Hilarious, fast paced, loveable characters made Baby Bank a lovely way to wind down after a long day. Thank you Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

The premise of this book sounded so fun and different. Sadly, it feel short. It is hard to believe our main character is in her mid-30s. The decisions she makes throughout left me shaking my head. With her having this comedy side to her, I was hoping to be laughing out loud. There was almost too much happening in this book that made it very difficult to actually explore the issues/complications. The book felt rushed and left me with too many questions. I am very grateful to NetGalley for my very first eARC. I really wanted to love this one!

4.5 stars!

This was such a great book! The plot turned out to be very different from my expectations, but nevertheless, it was damn good.

The characters are quirky and fun, a great depiction of middle age. There was easy banter, genuine connections and a lot of feelings, which all make for a fantabulous character driven story.

I found the story to have a good flow that kept me hooked- the single sitting kind. However I sometimes found bits hard to read which I ended up only sieving through. There were instances where I laughed out loud and I bookmarked my ebook on multiple occasions.

Now if you do read this novel (I insist that you do) make sure you read the bonus scene which was hilariously put AND the author's note- an insightful reflection into the making of the book.

I recieved a complimentary e-ARC from the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Segments touched upon in this review are subject to change in the final copy.

Things I liked:
the found family aspect
older female protagonist
made me laugh out loud a bunch

Things I dislike:
lack of character backstory/rushed character development

I give it 3 stars. Wouldn't read it again, but might read the other books that come out in the series

Interesting, attention grabbing read. Swiping for sperm is a bit bizarre, but in today’s world anything is possible.

This book was a really good surprise for me. I don't known what I expected, but this book was so much more than I've could ever imagined!
I loved every single one of the characters and I really love the concept of the book.
I never really read books that talked about motherhood journey, normally they're pregnant by the end of the book or the child is like 3/4 years old.
I loved how Mila an Ari story developed, I loved the insta attraction, and all the complications that happened afterwards. I loved how their relationship goes from "hook-up", to friends, to wifeys 💓.
Ari character was my favourite, I loved how se put Mila's needs first even though sometimes it was complicated for her, and I liked how she set some boundaries for their situationship, so they could have time to figure out what they really wanted.
Mila's character was a mess, and I liked it that it felt so real, all the emotions she went through, the "ohmygodwhatimgonnadowithmylifenow", the relationship with her mother! The fact they talk about therapy so openly.
And I really loved the fact that I could learn more about the LGBTQ+ community.
This was a book I didn't think a needed until I read it.
Can wait to September to buy the book so I can go in this amazing journey again!

Can wait for. 2024 for the second book!

Thanks so much netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
I will post this review on Goodreads and in September in my bookstgram account.

I absolutely loved this book. My main takeaway was the importance of who you surround yourself with. There were many sweet and funny movements making it a fun read. Definitely, a book that I would recommend to others.

My only critique, mainly a personal preference, was the ending it just felt a little rushed. I really did enjoy the bonus scene and the little meta moment when they were talking about having a book written about their lives.

What a fantastic book! I love that there is representation for the lgbtq community in this, which doesn't happen often in romance novels and should.