Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was rather fascinating. Horrible to think of all the truth that is in this story... While I wasn't really a fan of the MC, I think this book is worth the read despite that!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Muse Audiobooks, and the author for the ALC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There are moments in your life when you literally cannot understand how human beings can treat other humans so cruelly and inhumanely. As time passes, I am having those moments more and more. This book absolutely blew my mind and broke my heart, and I am still struggling to comprehend the extents to which people go to ruin, torture, and dehumanise other humans in the name of race. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I did not know things like this have happened/are happening, but reading this book felt like PAIN.

Having said that, I am glad this book exists—it talks about a lot of things, specifically important to the sh*tshow that is the US of A right now! Eugenics, immigration, forced sterilisation, motherhood, reproductive rights, fertility, foster scams, GENOCIDE—this book felt personal, and hence painful.

The choice of two different narrators for past and present was such a smart move; it made the story real—I felt like Carrie was sitting right next to me and telling me her story with Jessa. It made switching between timelines smooth and helped me really connect with both stories. Hearing Carrie Buck’s experience alongside Jessa Gidney’s in 2022 was honestly kind of haunting. It’s crazy how much has changed but also how much hasn’t when it comes to women’s rights and autonomy. This book gave me chills and somehow made me feel hopeful and hopeless at the same time. In addition, it gave me a lot of tears for all of our women—the women of the global majority—us, the ones that have the audacity to have melanin—for all the pain we have been forced to endure—the boxes we have been suffocated in.

It was difficult to write a review for this book.. not because I didn't like it, it's the opposite: the book was so deep and emotional and very heavily themed that I needed some time to put my thoughts together and write a good review! This book tore my heart out and made me want to punch somebody. I am still thinking about this book even three months later..
Some of the themes of the book: challenges of getting pregnant, the holocaust, adoption, being an orphan, miscommunication, reproductive rights, infertility, the Jewish faith, immigration, motherhood, women’s rights… The book highlighted a very real history of women being forcefully sterilized throughout history: Eugenics in the 1920's finding its way into the 2020's.

Jessa is an attorney who is trying to prove herself within her firm and make partners but she also desperately wants to become pregnant. She stumbles upon some information regarding an immigration case that leads her to discovering multiple women have been sterilized without informed consent while in custody. Her story alternates with the story from 1920s, told from the perspective of Carrie Buck, who underwent compulsory sterilization for purportedly being "feeble-minded". There are multiple stories developing throughout this book which are all somehow interconnected.

This book is interesting and sad and inspiring and rage-inducing.

I will definitely recommend this book!

A harrowing story of abuse that many women will connect with and read as a call to action. It was the perfect length without bloviating as many books of all genres these days do.

I very much love the light that was shed on the situation of how much the US still uses eugenics. I was not a fan of the main female character. She is way too anxious and as I read someone else's review it could have actually been the narrator cuz I did listen to this one. It could have been the narrator being too dramatic. Overall it was a good solid story. Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this.
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3.75⭐
* True Events
* Pre-war Eugenics
* Dual Timeline
* Immigration
* Fertility
* Motherhood

Was a little slow for my liking, but definitely worth it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow - this one was so good! It had me beyond angry and restored my feminine rage. I know there have been stories of this really happening in some detention centers and it made me sick to even think about.

I loved a lot of things about this book but I especially loved that Vance and Jessa found a way to coparent without being together in the end. It seems like such a minor plot point but it showed just how much character development we had from Jessa in the beginning. She was finally able to stand up for herself and what she needed and I love that this experience on her own pro-bono case helped her in this way.

The case itself was infuriating to read about and the pre-war eugenics is a spot of history I wish we never had to learn about - it shouldn’t exist. I love that Jessa was able to undo some of the hurt and pain caused by her grandfather to some degree. It was really beautiful watching her care for these women and being their biggest and loudest advocate even when they didn’t want to be their own.

The narrator was amazing! It was my first narrated by her and I think she did an excellent job bringing the story to life. You could hear the emotion in her voice as she portrayed Jessa and that is a true talent.

Jacqueline Friedland’s Counting Backwards is a powerful, dual-timeline novel that bridges the past and present in a haunting exploration of reproductive injustice. In 1927, Carrie Buck became a victim of the American eugenics movement, stripped of her rights and voice. In 2022, attorney Jessa is navigating fertility struggles while investigating a malpractice case—only to uncover a disturbing connection to Carrie’s long-buried story. Both women are forced to confront systems designed to silence them and, in doing so, discover their own inner strength.

Friedland’s sharp legal knowledge and meticulous research bring depth and urgency to this gripping narrative. The novel doesn’t flinch from the trauma its characters endure but doesn’t let us forget their courage. With themes that remain disturbingly relevant today, Counting Backwards is both a reckoning with the past and a call to action. It’s an emotional, thought-provoking read—ideal for book clubs and perfect for fans of authors like Dolen Perkins-Valdez and Diane Chamberlain, who aren't afraid to dig into hard truths.

Counting Backwards
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This cover has so much meaning & fits the book perfect. This was a intense read but really good. I'm so glad I read this story. The Audio was great! This was a heart wrenching novel on a tough subject. It will stay with me for a while.
Thank you NetGalley

Counting Backwards is a book that captured my attention from the very beginning. Told in dual timelines, I was particularly drawn to the past storyline featuring Carrie Buck, which is based on actual events (I was unaware of this prior to reading). The author did a great job connecting Carrie’s story with Jessa’s, taking place in the present. A story of family secrets and their impact on multiple generations, Counting Backwards tackles many important and timely topics including eugenics, immigration, and abuse of power and is one that I’ve continued to think about after turning the final page.

Historical fiction isn’t usually a genre I gravitate toward, but somehow Counting Backwards pulled me in. The topics of immigration, motherhood, and reproductive rights are ones I'm incredibly passionate about, so this book really resonated with me. Listening to the audiobook, which alternates between two points of view, was an immersive experience. The use of two different narrators made it easy to differentiate between the past and present, allowing me to deeply engage with both the storyline and the contrasting struggles of the characters. Carrie Buck's story and the other in 2022 with Jessa Gidney's, felt like a powerful reflection of how much (and how little) has changed when it comes to issues of reproductive rights, immigration, and women’s autonomy.

This book truly opened my eyes to the connections between the past and present, and it raised important questions about where we are headed as a society. It was an eye-opening read that I didn't expect to have such a lasting emotional impact. Even though I’m not typically drawn to historical fiction, Counting Backwards changed that, and I’d highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about these ongoing conversations.

Thank you Harper Muse Audiobooks & Netgalley.

BOOK REVIEW

COUNTING BACKWARDS by Jacqueline Friedland
5 stars

Thank you @getredpr and AUTHOR for the free copy of this book! And to Harper Muse Audiobooks for the audio!

SYNOPSIS: “Inspired by true events revealing America's troubling past involving Pre-War eugenics practices, this emotionally riveting dual timeline novel brings together the lives of two inspiring women while exploring the timely and important themes of immigration, fertility, and motherhood. A revelatory tale of heartbreak and hope, it is an unputdownable story that will stay with readers long after the final page.”

REVIEW: Counting Backwards follows Jessa, a driven corporate lawyer who’s got her whole life planned out—make partner at her firm and finally get pregnant. But when she volunteers to take on a pro bono case at an immigrant detention center, everything she thought she knew about motherhood and control starts to shift. What starts as another box to tick off her life plan quickly turns into a personal awakening, especially as she uncovers disturbing truths about what’s happening inside those walls.

The story flips back and forth between Jessa’s present-day experience and the fictionalized real life of Carrie Buck, a young woman in the 1920s who’s forced into a foster home and later becomes the face of a horrifying real-life eugenics case. Carrie’s heartbreaking journey shows how people in power used junk science and prejudice to justify taking away women’s rights. The connection between her story and Jessa’s case is chilling, especially when you realize how some of these same issues are still happening today.

I was lucky enough to get a complimentary audiobook of this one as well, and it was so well done. Amanda Stribling and Carolyn Jania did a beautiful job with this dual POV narration.

This book doesn't shy away from tough topics, and it is so very timely. It dives deep into women’s reproductive rights, classism, racism, and how those things have been tangled up for way too long. I didn’t always feel totally connected to Jessa, but the story as a whole really pulled me in. It's one of those books that stays with you after you turn the last page, and the author’s note at the end adds even more depth to everything you’ve just read.

A MUST READ.

Publisher: Harper Muse
Pub date: OUT NOW!

First of all, I'm obsessed with this book's cover. And I really enjoyed the story and feel like it's SO important for the current time period we're in. I do think the book was a tad overhyped for me and it didn't totally live up to all the raves, but I still enjoyed it, am very happy I read it, and will definitely encourage everyone to pick it up!

Counting Backwards features a 32-year-old female protagonist whose parents died when she was a child. Now married, Jessa is desperate to get pregnant with her husband Vance, so she can finally feel secure in having a family of her own. She feels it's taking her too long to get pregnant (despite the fact that it's only been a few months and she has had one miscarriage, which while terrible, is quite common and doesn't generally mean anything in regards to a woman's fertility) and though Vance really wants a baby, too, he doesn't understand why Jessa is so desperate for one. He thinks she should stop working her high-powered lawyer job and relax. But when Jessa starts working on a pro bono case regarding an imprisoned immigrant and she learns about medical malpractice happening to many immigrant women, stopping her work is the last thing she wants to do.

Interspersed with Jessa's narrative, we get the real life (though fictionalized) story of Carrie Buck who was the first person involuntarily sterilized under Virginia's eugenics laws in the 1920s. At first, I was confused as to how the two stories would come together, but as the book went on, it started to make more sense. And then when I read the author's note is was all super clear. Carrie's story is so sad and I had no idea about her until Counting Backwards.

I think Jessa annoyed me a bit in how focused she was on having a baby and I definitely understand why Vance felt like she wanted a baby more than she wanted him. But I also hated the way Vance treated Jessa for much of the book. They just didn't seem like an actual real couple and this is the main thing that took away from my enjoyment of the book.

That said, I really did enjoy the novel and it truly opened my eyes and encouraged me to do more research into many of the topics, especially eugenics. Given that the topic of immigration is very much in the news right now, Counting Backwards feels really relevant. I think the content of the book is so important- even though the book is fiction and historical fiction, these things are really happening as we speak. And I think most people have no clue. Fiction can often be one of the best ways to educated people and I highly recommend that everyone read this book!

4 stars

Counting backwards is a dual timeline story of Jessa, a lawyer in 2022 and Carrie Buck, a woman who lived in the 1920s and ended up being the test plaintiff in a lawsuit about involuntarily sterilizing women who the state decides should not reproduce.

Jessa is at a crossroads in her life, she's trying to get pregnant and it's time for her to make partner, when she takes on a pro-bono client who is an immigrant detained illegally. She learns that her client has received a hysterectomy without her consent and starts researching the practice more broadly. Over the course of the novel we see the impact that this case has on her life and watch her priorities change and develop.

Carrie's story in the novel begins with her being taken from her mother as a 5-year-old and placed with a foster family who forces her to be a kind of indentured servant. Her story continues and we see her become the test case for the trial.

Their stories intersect in an interesting way and leave room for reflection on what is and isn't different today. I did find the plot to be quite predictable, which is why I'm not rating it higher, but the book was engaging and makes an important point.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was very effective. The voices and accents for the two characters were very distinct so I always was very clear who was talking.

TW: Fertility, racism, pregnancy loss, holocaust references

Thank you to Harper Muse Audiobooks for an advance listening copy.

Incredible listen! This fiction story about two women both with their own struggles with having children has you feeling like it could be non-fiction. The events that occur in history are starting to happen again especially with women’s rights. We seem to be going backwards and this novel captures it so well and pulls on your heart strings. I love how the author focuses more on the women in this story than love lives. Making them the main focus and really getting their stories across. Absolutely love this book!

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

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. Between the writing style & the storyline I just didn’t vibe with the book.

A powerful story told through dual timelines — compelling, intense, and emotionally gripping.
Inspired by true events, it’s even more shocking and thought-provoking.
An unforgettable, heartbreaking rollercoaster that keeps you hooked from the first page.
This is exactly the kind of book I love — one that lingers long after the final chapter.

This might be one of my favorite historical fiction reads this year. What makes this story even more chilling is that Carrie Buck—the woman whose story is interwoven into the novel—is based on a real person at the center of a Supreme Court case that still stands.

Counting Backwards follows Jessa, a lawyer grappling with her fertility struggles while juggling a high-stakes pro bono immigration case. When she uncovers medical abuse at a detention facility, her journey takes an even more personal turn as she confronts a buried family secret that ties her to America’s dark history with eugenics.

I enjoyed Jessa’s evolution. Watching her confront hard truths—about the broken systems her great-grandfather had a hand in creating, but about her marriage, career, and identity—and having to redefine what those things mean for her felt so authentic.

This book also further proves that men with podcasts = red flag

Thanks to Harper Muse Audio for the advance listen!

Counting Backwards is a gripping, emotional novel that links a present-day legal battle at an ICE detention center to the true story of Carrie Buck, a young woman at the heart of a historic eugenics case. Through dual timelines, it explores reproductive rights, justice, and the lasting impact of systemic abuse. Powerful and thought-provoking, it’s a story that lingers long after the final page.

Thank you Harper Muse and NetGalley for the ALC. Rating 4.5

Wow. This book hit me hard. As someone who has struggled with pregnancy loss 7 times in the past 5 years, I was apprehensive when I got through the first few chapters. Now, wow. I do wish there was more of Carrie’s story and maybe a final report on the case but overall I really felt connected and it forced me to really educate myself