Book 241 of 300 ~ 2024

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Debbie Johnson is a relatively new author that I have been following. It started with Jenny James is not a disaster, and I can't wait to jump into her other standalone books as well as series.

Gemma Jones is a likeable character, and like her friends, you follow through her ups, her downs, and her trials as she manuaveurs through her life and her search for the baby she gave away while dealing with her feelings about her mother.

I read and listened to this at various times. Did both for the last three chapters.

Kudos to the narrator who brings this book to life, making it even more likeable.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook and audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for granting me access to this ARC of Statistically Speaking.

After a rocky childhood with an unstable mother, sixteen year old, Gemma Jones finds herself pregnant while in foster care. Gemma is given the choice to keep her beautiful baby girl or give her up for adoption. Gemma makes the best decision and gives her baby to a family that can care for her and support her.

Fast forward eighteen years, Gemma is teaching high school history. She has a neighbor she considers family, students who adore her and a PE teacher who seems to have a crush on her. While all this seems great, Gemma’s heart and mind are stuck with her baby that she hasn’t seen or touched in eighteen years. Being that Gemma’s baby is turning eighteen, it means she can join the registry to search for Gemma. Will Gemma get to see her baby? Or will she be stuck in a life of wondering whether she broke the cycle by giving her baby up for adoption?

The synopsis of this book along with the eye-catching cover reeled me in immediately. The first part of the book was well-done and I flew through it. However, somewhere along the way the plot was lost and it was hard to get back on track. The ending felt rushed into this big monumental moment. I had high hopes for this book and it left me feeling kind of bummed.

Statistically Speaking was a light-hearted cozy read. The character of Gemma was highly introspective and I kept rooting for her throughout this novel. The supporting characters were integral parts to the story and I love how they were al woven together. I didn’t want to stop reading this one as soon as I started.

This was an entertaining listen. It has all the feels and faces many different topics, including major anxiety. I waited too long to review this after reading, but it had a fell-hood ending after some traumatic events. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for this advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

"""Statistically Speaking"" is a heartfelt novel by Debbie Johnson that explores the emotional journey of a mother named Gemma, who gave her baby up for adoption at 16 years old. Now 18 years later, as an adult teaching at a college, she fears that she might be teaching her own daughter—a student who not only looks like her but also shares the same birthday as her baby. This startling connection forces Gemma to confront her unresolved feelings about the adoption and sparks a realization that she wants a future with her daughter, though she struggles with how to find out if this student is indeed her child.

Gemma’s struggle is relatable. Growing up with a troubled mother and experiencing foster care, she grapples with feelings of inadequacy and possible OCD. Johnson does a great job of showing how Gemma’s past affects her present, making readers feel for her as she tries to figure out her life and heal from her emotional wounds.

The book beautifully captures the theme of family, highlighting how connections can come in unexpected forms. Gemma not only searches for her daughter but also aims to rebuild her relationship with her own mother. This adds depth to the story, emphasizing that we can create our own families and find love in various ways.

Overall, *Statistically Speaking* is an emotional and touching story about love, loss, and finding one’s way in life. It reminds us that every choice we make matters and that healing is possible, even after significant loss.

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own."

Holy moly that ending! A tissue box is required!! A few of the conversations between the parents i found confusing and the “connections” seems far fetched at points. Overall enjoyed the story

This book has something for everyone:
Characters you want as personal friends (everyone needs a Margie in their life!) 👌
Hard topics that are tackled with an unusual amount of maturity and care for others ❤️‍🩹
Truly likable characters (wait…I said that…yes, I adored the friends I made in this book and hated to leave them!).

Do not be fooled by this cover. There are some difficult issues in this book. Gemma, the main character, spent her childhood in and out of the care system, loving and fearing a mother who struggled with mental illness and addiction. She had a baby at sixteen. Her closest allies were a kind social worker and the responsible foster mother who took care of her needs but never loved her like a child needs to be loved.

Now in her thirties, Gemma is a beloved high school history teacher who, from the outside, should have a full heart and full life. She has a wonderful neighbor, Margie, students who adore her, and the possibility of a budding romance. She’s lived in her beachside cottage for a year – the longest she’s lived anywhere in her adult life. Because if there’s one thing she learned as a child, it’s that attachment hurts. But she can’t outrun her past, especially the memories of Baby, the little girl she gave up for adoption almost 18 years ago.

Despite the difficulties in this story, it was refreshing. Odd word, right? The topics weren’t light, but the characters faced them with a genuineness you don’t often find in fiction. There was humor, wit, tears, heartbreak, friendship, forgiveness…all the good feels!

Available now and a perfect read to finish your 2024 or kick off 2025! The audiobook was narrated beautifully by Louise Williams -- highly recommend!

I’m giving this one five shiny stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to HarperCollins Focus/Harper Muse, NetGalley, and author Debbie Johnson for the complimentary advance copy! It was my pleasure to write this candid review.

The book starts out with Gemma reflecting on how her daughter's life must look now, having given her up for adoption when she was born. Her daughter is 17, almost 18, when we start the book, the same age as the children she teaches. She sees her in the her students, until one day she thinks she literally sees her. A new student, with the same auburn hair, same long legs, with the same birthday. Could it be?

In the beginning of the book it really seemed like Gemma would only feel content if she could find her daughter-just to make sure she lived the life she gave her up for. But the book ended up being so much more. She found people who love her, a man who cares for her, and she realized that even if she is missing a piece of herself, she can be content.

Such a great found family book. Not exactly what I was expecting but definitely welcome. I'm a sucker for found family, especially with such a deserving character as Gemma. The first couple of chapters had me sobbing, especially Gemma's letter to her daughter.

This may be something small, but I really loved the time Debbie Johnson took into distinguishing Gemma's counting habits and need for keeping things tidy and orderly from OCD. As someone who struggles with it, it was really nice to hear that and the character not flippantly blaming her counting her steps on her "OCD."

Halfway through, the book went in a direction I wasn't expecting- a big plot point is wrapped up so I was left wondering where it was going to go, worried that this book that I already loved was going to fall flat. But it didn't. It started to address some things that Gemma was avoiding. Like the relationship with her mother. A blooming romance with Karim (which was SO CUTE. King of I love you first).

Since I listened to the audiobook, I have to mention the narrator and how her voice was so lovely. She really let the beautiful writing shine.

Thank you for netgalley for the audiobook.

This was cute. I liked all of the characters. It was nice to read about a teacher who enjoys teaching History.
This novel reminds us how different and unwilling people were around mistakes made by teenagers in the past. There was hardly grace and support from people you need it from the most.

The main character is strong. Making important decisions at such a young age and as an adult. Though she doesn't believe it, her courage shines throughout the book.

I'd like to thank Netgalley for an advanced listener copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is like a cozy hug. We ride shotgun with Gemma as she navigates relationships with others as well as with herself.

We begin with Gemma, age 16, and in the process of giving birth to a child she is utterly unprepared to raise. Her daughter goes up for adoption, and Gemma goes back to her foster parents.

We jump forward almost eighteen years, when Gemma is an accomplished academic who loves her numbers neat and tidy, and who has taken comfort in her ability to isolate herself to prevent the hurt a relationship can cause. It is at this point in life when Gemma begins to open herself up to things she had been missing out on. She is vulnerable, and she draws in a small collective of people, and with whom she begins to cobble together a different version of a family.

The characters are charming, and this was a delight to listen to while I drove into work on chilly mornings.

This was a really good read. The characters were well developed and interesting. I loved the story and the ending. Will recommend.

This is an easy to read story that evokes warm emotions in the reader, because the protagonist is so very quirky and sympathetic.

Gemma is a teacher who loves her work and her students but suffers from anxiety. This is partly related to her inability to let people into her life because of her rough childhood, and the fact that she has had to give up a baby at the age of 16.

Essentially while Gemma believes that she did the right thing in giving Baby away, she has also internalized the message that she doesn't deserve to be happy herself. But she thinks a lot about her child, and wonders if she will ever come looking for her. So when she meets a new student who shares her bright red hair and turns out also to be adopted, Gemma can't help wondering if Katie is in fact her biological daughter...

I am not a big romance reader, so it is a really serious compliment to say that I enjoyed this story a lot. It is emotional, relatable, and does a good job of utilising the trope of found family.

Enjoyable and light romance (or is it a rom com?). As the 18th birthday of the baby she gave up for adoption approaches, teacher Gemma begins to wonder about her daughter and how her life turned out. She also evaluates the effect of the teen pregnancy her own life and relationships, as she finally develops a sense of home that has been lacking in her life for decades.

I enjoyed this book and seeing Gemma grow as a person. It was more heartwarming than heartbreaking. The challenges she faced were real and painful.

Gemma grew up in care because her mother struggled with mental health illness and addition. At 16 she had a baby. The story takes place 18 years later. Gemma has become a successful teacher with a stable life. She has some quirks that help her manage everyday life, which I enjoyed. But, she does not have any real relationships. She moves a lot and keeps people at arms length. And now, she is ready to let people in.

The catalysis seems to be the emotional weight she is carrying as the baby she gave up for adoption reaches her 18th birthday, Gemma is struggling and finds friendship in a group of unlikely people. Gemma has to learn to be a friend, to be vulnerable, and to let people in. One of these characters is a love interest, and she needs to learn to how to build a relationship with him too.

I found the book a bit repetitive in the middle. I understood Gemma's motivative and felt the internal monologue about Gemma's past struggles and her self-doubt dragged on too often in the middle as Gemma was finding herself.

i really enjoyed this story. you follow a young woman who hasn't had the easiest life. at some point in her life she had to give up her child for adoption and she keeps hoping that her baby didnt have to go through what she went through. nearing the 18th birthday of her child, we read about her thinking more about this child, and follow her process through finding contact. i think this is a beautiful story, its real, and is well written. i also enjoyed the characters, and the added aspect of found family.

the audiobook is really good. the narrator tells the story in a way that makes you forget youre listening to an audiobook.

thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

Statically speaking by Debbie Johnson - Gemma hasn’t had it easy. At 16 she was in foster care and pregnant. The hardest thing she ever did was giving up her baby.. years later, a school teacher and still keeping people at a distance, but when a girl with long red hair just like hers enters her class and she was adopted.. Gemma goes into a tailspin.

This book was so good. It had so many layers of personalities that the book felt like a 3D model of what a found family looks like. It must be so jarring to meet a person and not know if they are your child. It was gut wrenching but so heartwarming at the same time. I felt Gemma melt my heart with every single page.

It was really character driven and some of the characters were really quirky. I really enjoyed it. I loved how it all played out too.

4 stars

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job! I loved the author’s writing style of taking the different timeline/pieces of Gemma’s life and bringing them together to form a cohesive, interesting story. It was an easy to get caught up in read with depth- highly recommend!

The beginning of this book started strong with some good female friendships. I thought this book would go one way, but ended up going another. There was some romance in this book, but liked the beginning more for the lack of it. I thought this wouldn't be a romance book and was a welcoming change from previous reads, but when her relationship started, I started to lose interest a bit. While statistics is in the title, this book isn't as data focused as I thought, but rather historical events/dates and OCD tendencies. Overall, there was some great character growth in this book which really contributed to the story. I enjoyed the audiobook due to the accents, otherwise I would have forgotten it took place in England at times.

Gemma is a high school teacher who gave up her daughter for adoption 18 years ago. She wonders whether her daughter will ever contact her. She also knows that she made the right decision because she was in foster care and her mother was an addict who had trouble keeping Gemma. She was 16. As a result of her upbringing and giving her daughter up for adoption, she doesn't stay in one place very long and doesn't form emotional attachments. She lives in Liverpool and her downstairs neighbor and her dog become her family. There's a gym teacher who likes her and a student in her class that could be her daughter. Will Gemma run away again?

I really liked this book. It was a good story and the characters were very well-developed. I loved Gemma and her reactions to everything life throws at her. I really felt what she was feeling. Debbie Johnson is a good writer and she told a very good story. The audio book is fantastic. The narrator did a wonderful job with the voices and characters. They all felt natural and realistic. If you enjoy really good fiction with a bit of romance, you will enjoy this book.

I absolutely loved this heartwarming story about self-discovery and creating a family of your own choosing. It reminded me a bit of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, with its blend of humor, emotion, and deeply touching moments. I laughed, I sniffled, and I cried—more than once! Pro tip: don’t read this in public unless you’re prepared to tear up (and definitely have some tissues handy).

The yoga incident had me laughing for a solid three minutes—I might’ve been just as bad as the kids!

The narrator truly brought the story to life, embodying each character with so much personality and depth. She made the experience even more engaging and memorable.

If you're looking for a book that will make you laugh, cry, and ultimately feel more connected to the human experience, "Statistically Speaking" is an absolute must-read. Highly recommended for anyone who loves character-driven stories that celebrate the families we choose and the journeys that shape us.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I really enjoyed this one