expertbooksmuggler 's review for:

Josh and Gemma Make a Baby by Sarah Ready
5.0
emotional funny reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
*I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own!*

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.
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