Josh and Gemma Make a Baby

Gemma is a 32 year old divorcee with no future prospects. Gemma's mom is constantly trying to set her up with men who aren’t a good fit, but Gemma's biological clock is ticking so she decides to take matters into her own hands.

She decides to go through IVF since infertility made in impossible to conceive any other way. Gemma decides to ask Josh Lewenthal, her brother's best friend and the guy who took her virginity, to be the sperm donor. She is surprised when Josh agrees. and figures what could possibly go wrong.

This book is a sleeper. The cover is cute and unassuming and the summary did not do this any justice. This is a light and fresh rom-com with likeable characters.

The story has just the right amount of emotion and does not avoid the hard topics. It addresses them in a way that isn't overwhelming. I wouldn't say this book has spice but maybe we can call it seasoning. This is my first time reading a book by Sarah Ready and I would absolutely check out some of her other books. My only criticism with this book was the sheer volume of cliché quotes. It was overwhelming and distracted from the story.

Obviously, I requested this because of its ridiculous title, even though it did give me false expectations of what the story would entail (Re: pregnancy and baby would be the majority of the story)

Despite the absence of cute babies, I enjoyed Josh and Gemma. I went expecting an entertaining story featuring the awkwardness of asking your brother's best friend to be a sperm donor, and that's what I got.

There were a few bits I could have done without, but my favorite part of this book is Gemma's character growth. She's imperfect, and a main component of the story is her realizing some of her flaws and growing as a person.

But back to the bits I didn't like! A few scenes were over the top but worked and were humorous. However, the big climax to the story with its Public Grand Gestures didn't really vibe with the rest of the story. Or maybe it just made me too uncomfortable.

Other spoilery things I didn't like:-Josh was the source of the trite quotes that I hated. At least he wrote them as a teenager, but still. So cheesy.-Ian was obviously a Wickham. Like, at no point did I think he was a viable romantic interest; he was clearly sleazy.

Audiobook Review: The narrator did a good job but had a bit of vocal fry (mainly dragging out the last sound of words). It was distracting at first, but I gradually stopped noticing it. The female character voices were great, but all the male characters had the same voice.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

This felt like a wattpad story. All of the characters were acting very judgmental, there was a shaming/judgmental quote almost every chapter that I read. The whole beginning with her boss made me so uncomfortable. The way that he kept teasing her at the conference call about seeing her underwear and then never fully acknowledging it when they meet at his office. It also said he would peek under her closed to see if she is wearing his favourite bra... what? And their bonding happens off page and the IVF thing that she confessed to him got resolved without further questioning from him, just a quote and the scene changed. The constant inspirational quotes between the scene changes kept taking me out of the story. All of the characters felt shallow and they felt like caricatures of romance protagonists.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was so good! Trigger warnings for anyone who sensitive surrounding IVF or infertility.

I was nervous as to how this book would approach the topic and was desperately hoping that there wasn't a miracle conception. Whilst that does happen occasionally, it doesn't represent the usual course of IVF and would be discouraging to some readers. HAPPY TO SAY, it didn't do any of that! Whilst I personally cannot speak on the representation of infertility , I thought it was handled well, and with tact. The characters in here mirrored many different experiences with IVF. At the same time, this still managed to be an amazing romance, where the tension between the main characters was palpable. It did get quite steamy at times, which made it even better! The only criticism is the love interests lack of agency, in both professional and personal settings.

The audiobook was well narrated by Erin Malloon, however it did have a slight tinny effect especially when listening at a higher speed.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC for me to review.

rating- 3/5{thank you to Netgalley, Swift & Lewis Publishing, LLC and Sarah Ready for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review}publishing date- 25th feb 2022————————————————“When you realize you love someone and that you that you want to spend the rest of forever with them, you want forever to start right now.”The title and the description didn't really appeal to me as much as the fact that this book was about infertility and IVF treatments. I found [b:Josh and Gemma Make a Baby 59796297 Josh and Gemma Make a Baby Sarah Ready https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639176336l/59796297.SX50.jpg 93060005] on one of my requesting sprees (I get declined for most ARCs sadly, so a spree is a viable option), and didn't think too much before requesting it. I even procrastinated till pretty much right before the archive date to read it. Naturally, I didn't expect to like it.So a three star read was definitely a surprise. The blurb makes the premise sound weirder than it is and the writing style took a while to get used to, but once you do you'll be amused to no end. The banter and the chaotic nature of the plot is top notch. I also like how the problems, and issues faced by infertile women are explored, with an equal balance of humour and romance. Coming to the characters, Josh was an absolute sweetheart. I thought his character was more fleshed out than Gemma's which is weird because the entire story is in Gemma's pov. (maybe it was just me?). I also loved that he was a comic book writer. That's so cool. The whole Grim-Jewel (because GEM. sobbing brb) thing was super cute and different (made the nerd in me, happy). I do think some of the side characters weren't written very well, like Gemma's mum and her family; but I absolutely loved the infertility support group. I would most definitely read a book about Carly, Brook or Hannah if the author decides to write one.Although I loathe Ian; I'm not sure how I feel about all the quotes (there were too many). The illustrations however, were the cutest:) Certain plot points were pretty predictable for instance, I knew the Ian conflict was coming, from almost a mile away. and unrealistic (but then again its fiction. AND romance. So that's acceptable) The plot mostly consists of a feel good romance except for one instance towards the end that could be triggering to some (make sure to look up trigger warnings. I've added a few below).I like that Josh and Gemma didn't get pregnant on their very first try, because that would be way too unrealistic and ideal The humour was silly and weird, boy-toy? really? but had me laughing anyway.Overall, the book isn't groundbreaking or jaw-dropping but will leave you happy and content. It has a few tropes but they aren't blaringly in your face and are eased into the plot. If you want to read a predictable, cheesy romance that'll make you smile then I would definitely recommend [b:Josh and Gemma Make a Baby 59796297 Josh and Gemma Make a Baby Sarah Ready https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639176336l/59796297.SX50.jpg 93060005] !tw // : infertility, IVF, miscarriage, instances of fat-shaming.