4.7 ⭐

This was just so heartwarming.

I got the feeling I was going to love this book about 5/10 minutes in the audiobook at the <i><b>ten tiny fingers, ten tiny toes<i><b> quotation. It was just such a sweet -or better bittersweet- image this baby girl beautiful, healthy, perfect.

The humanity in this book was beautiful.
A nice story about everyday life, families, adoption, love.
Love for the family you were given, the family you gave life to, the family you found and built for yourself.
But most of all it's a story about love for one self. Allowing love in your life, understanding that everyone deserves love.

<i><b>«The world feels brighter. And warmer. And safer. And I make a mental note: on this day in history Gemma Jones finally loved someone and felt loved in return.»</i></b>

This book has amazing characters:
: ̗̀➛ the MFC: Gemma is a tall, beautiful, nerdy redhead with a thing for counting things and remembering the dates of everything that's happened in history. She's so determined and precise. She thinks she doesn't need (or deserve) anybody. She's more fragile than she knows.
: ̗̀➛ the Scottish neighbour: such a sweet lady.. I kept seeing Mrs. Graham from Outlander in my mind. She's the first member of the found family. She (and the dog) was the reason Gemma began to put roots.
: ̗̀➛ Karim, also know by the name of King "I love you" the 1st: husband martial for sure. This man loves her so much, he's so patient, he understands how she works, communicates, is always by her side when it matters and knows when not to be too close because she needs her space.
: ̗̀➛ all the other female characters (I won't go in depth with them as not to spoil anything). They are all so powerful and open and strong and fragile in so many different ways.

The story about "baby" broke my heart from chapter 1. Gemma did the right thing giving her baby to adoption but I can't imagine the heartbreak of it all.

Also that <b>ending </b> had me screaming at the audiobook player to just give me a little more. One more scene. Please.

How dare you Debbie Johnson to just leave it like that?
It was awful. It was perfect.


I'll definitely read more from the same author.



Thank you to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to listen to the audio version of this arc. All opinions are my own. ✨📑🤓

Gemma is a high school history teacher. She grew up in the foster care system, as her mother struggled to provide consistent care for her. At 16, she got drunk at a party and ended up pregnant, even though she used a condom. The father was from out of town. She ended up giving the baby girl up for adoption.

This year her baby to turn 18 and it seems there's a chance her baby is one of her students named Katie.. She looks like her, is about to turn 18, and is also adopted. Gemma's never stayed in one location long when there's a problem, she always moves. However, this time, she may just stay and figure out who she is... Regardless of Katie's birth mom's identity. A wonderfully engaging book and you can't help but root for Gemma. The narrator does an excellent job!!

My first Debbie Johnson book and it was a delight.

Gemma is a teacher. Moves often. Has no attachments. All of this thanks to the baby girl she placed for adoption when she was 16. (And maybe her less than delightful childhood.)

Then, she gets to know her neighbor and her dog. She makes a friend. She agrees to go out with a co-worker. Attachments are made and life gets better. Gemma realizes how life can be good with others in it. But she still cannot stop thinking of Baby.

The audio version of this book was very good.

Advanced listener copy provided by Harper Muse but all opinions are my own.

The audiobook is narrated by a lovely speaker whose accent I really enjoyed and thought very authentic (but I am NOT a native speaker, so not sure if I am correct).
The story itself is quite interesting and unusual. The main character had to give up a baby for adoption when she was just a teenager and years later, as a teacher, meets a new student who perfectly matches all the criteria of her now almost 18 year old daughter. She assumes this is her, but doesn't know for sure. She accidentally befriends her mum after a rather entertaining yoga session and kind of uses that to be close to the student. There are some ups and downs along the way and I will not tell you whether her assumptions are correct or not - you will have to find that our yourselves.
There is also a love interest (the PE teacher) who is very charming, but it kind of annoyed me how often he kept repeating that he is "just a PE teacher", as if that meant he could not also be smart. Another thing (that is very much a me-issue as I am a teacher myself) is that it did not feel like college kids but rather younger students when we see how the teachers interact with their students, what kind of activities they do and the assignments that they have. Again, this might be due to differences between different countries, but it just threw me off a little.
There were some really wholesome interactions in this book with very respectful conversations and I absolutely loved that. It shows that there can be romance and there can be drama without the characters being disrespectful.
Another aspect that I enjoyed was the portrayal of the main character's neurodivergence not as something that needs to be hidden, but also not as something that completely defines her. It is just one of several parts of her and I found the display very balanced.
All in all I really enjoyed this book despite some minor aspects. 4.5 stars.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 384 / Genre: Fiction
Audiobook Narrator: Louise Williams
Duration: 9 hours 27 minutes
Release Date: December 3, 2024
🥳#HappyPubDay!🎉

Gemma Jones grew up with a mother on drugs until she was put into the foster care system. When she wound up pregnant at 16, she knew she couldn’t be the mother she needed to be to her baby girl, so she gave her up for adoption. Eighteen years later, Gemma is a successful, but lonely school teacher. And when a tall, red-headed new student, who looks remarkably like Gemma, walks into her classroom, she’s almost positive she’s her baby girl. What follows is a search for self, the acceptance of help from others, and the joy and forgiveness that can be received from family regardless of where they came from.

Although I tend to read a lot of murder mysteries, this subtle mystery of who Gemma’s daughter is plus the search for her mother, not only had me riveted but gave me all the feels as well.

I listened to the audiobook on this one and Debbie Johnson did a great job. I especially liked her English accent.

Thank you @HarperMuseBooks and @NetGalley for my gifted copy.

I enjoyed this book and its look at adoption. Gemma is quite the character, a little quirky and went through a lot! Getting pregnant at 16 wasn’t something she could deal with at the time, especially since she was living with a foster family. This hit hard, but had lighter parts too, including Karim the hot PE teacher. I also enjoyed the female friendships, Erin & Margie were just what Gemma needed.
I highly recommend this book and felt the audiobook was well done & liked the narrator.

I simply ADORED this lovely book! I absolutely could not get enough of it. If it went on for 1,000 pages, I think I would have finished it just as fast and loved it all the same. With memorable characters, laugh-out-loud humor, heartfelt life lessons, and a storyline you won't forget, Statistically Speaking quickly soared to one of my favorite reads this year. I cannot recommend it enough for fans of books like Lessons in Chemistry and Remarkably Bright Creatures; it contains the same quirky charm combined with excellent storytelling as these hits--and deserves the same level of popularity!

Thank you to Debbie Johnson, HarperMuse, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the story and the characters. It was a little slow and dragged a bit at times. A good female led story

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

Debbie Johnson has done it again! I am definitely a fan...

We start off immediately with sixteen-year-old, Gemma, giving birth. Not only is she young, but she is living in "the system" due to her mother's inability to parent her. She makes the selfless, and heartbreaking choice to give her daughter a chance at living a full, happy life. Fast forward to the current timeline, almost eighteen years later.

This was such an emotional story! There are sub-stories besides the main plot of Gemma's baby turning 18. I adored all the side characters and our romantic lead, Karim. Book boyfriend alert! What a kind, and patient man. The friendships established and the "found family" was just so lovely to see. Gemma finally had a strong support system. Her character growth was a joy to watch as she finally let herself be brave and happy.

I wish we had an epilogue! I would love to see years down the road...

Excellent narration!

4.5 stars

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to this arc! I enjoyed it so much. As someone who found her family I thought this story was relatable, real, honest and emotional. I loved the characters and how the author told the story.

I love stories rooted in self-discovery, embracing life’s messiness, mistakes, and complexities while showing the beauty of growth and change. Debbie Johnson’s Statistically Speaking does exactly that, delivering a heartfelt narrative brimming with raw emotion, relatable struggles, and moments of genuine joy.

When we first meet Gemma, she’s a vulnerable sixteen-year-old giving birth to a baby girl. She’s unable to comprehend how she got to this point fully, but one thing is clear: she isn’t ready to be a mother. Her upbringing has been anything but stable—bouncing between foster care and a home overshadowed by her mother’s battles with addiction and mental health challenges. When she holds her baby for the first time, her heartbreak is palpable as she makes the excruciating yet confident decision to give her child a chance at a better life through adoption.

Fast forward eighteen years, and we see Gemma as a teacher in Liverpool, living a quiet, carefully structured life. She’s estranged from her mother and carries lingering scars from her tumultuous childhood. Her anxiety manifests in quirky, compulsive coping mechanisms like counting objects. Despite her challenges, Gemma has built a semblance of stability: she’s formed a sweet friendship with her downstairs neighbour, cautiously entertaining her flirty coworker’s advances, and found a safe routine. Yet, as her daughter’s 18th birthday approaches, thoughts of the baby she gave up resurface, stirring questions about what might have been.

This story is a masterful blend of the quirky, the heartbreaking, the sweet, and the uplifting. Debbie Johnson captures the messiness of life with grace and honesty, tackling sensitive topics like adoption, addiction, and mental health with compassion and nuance. Gemma is a deeply relatable character—flawed but resilient—and her self-discovery journey is touching and inspiring. I found myself equally invested in the lives of her friends, whose stories add layers of depth and humour to the narrative.

Statistically Speaking is an emotional rollercoaster that left me smiling through tears. It’s a delightful reminder that even when life feels messy, there’s always room for growth, healing, and connection.

Don’t miss this gem—it hits shelves on December 3rd! Thanks to my NetGalley and HarperCollins friends for the advanced reader’s copy!

Audioformat 🎧. I have read or listened to a few books by Debbie Johnson and found them enjoyable so when this one became available I knew I wanted to read it.

The book follows the life of High-school teacher Gemma who is currently a successful 30 something with a somewhat secret past; she gave up a baby for adoption when she was 16. Gemma sets out to find the baby girl she gave up.

The book is a little romance, a little about finding oneself and coming to grips with the past.

The audio narration of the is book was excellent however I found the story a little lacking and draggy. It wasn’t a horrible plot/story but there wasn’t anything the drew me in or engaged me in the story.

Overall an average read (but well done in audio) that I give a 3/5.

Thank you Net Galley and Harper Collins for the audiobook version in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book by this author that I've listened to, and I have come to the conclusion that I really like the way Debbie Johnson tells a story. Her characters are fully human - flawed, quirky, funny, and ultimately so relatable. Her stories are women-centered without feeling fluffy or superficial. They are deep and thoughtful while being simultaneously humorous and handled with a light touch that helps you reach a conclusion without hitting you over the head with overwhelming sentiment or sentimentality.

This one was particularly fun because of the math. It was also particularly poignant because of the adoption angle. I have stumbled upon several stories with that as a major theme lately and have really enjoyed the thought-provoking considerations of such a complex issue that has largely remained outside of my personal bailiwick.

I thoroughly enjoyed this listen. The narration was excellent and perfectly suited to the story. I think it's time to explore her back catalog!

Narration: I liked the narrator for the story. She did a wonderful job bringing the character to life and voicing each of the characters throughout the story.

Story: I liked Gemma, but I did find her to be a bit whiney initially. It felt like the author was over explaining Gemma and her life in the beginning of the story, but it is important information for the overall context of the story. The other characters were truly wonderful and added to the story.

Gemma has had to make and live with hard decisions and the author writes her in a way that readers can empathize with her. However, for me personally, I think because I don't have the same life experiences I can't truly understand what Gemma is going through. For me I understand why Gemma has these thoughts and feelings, but I wasn't able to connect with the story or character as much.

Check TW: absent parent, foster care, adoption. These topics are part of the story and the author gives enough information to tell the reader what Gemma's life was like.

This was a heartwarming story and may be helpful to someone in the same position as Gemma.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Statistically Speaking is a heartbreakingly, beautiful, realistic, character-driven story of women helping each other find their strength on their lowest days. It’s a multigenerational story about found family, friendships, brutal truths, forgiveness, self discovery, healing, and hope.

The FMC, Gemma, is an over thinker with high anxiety who finds safety and comfort in statistics, specific dates, facts, and numbers which help keep her ‘fictional anxiety’ brain calm. Due to a traumatic childhood, she has a hard time trusting people, but, rightfully so, also craves love and acceptance. As a child, she was raised in a foster home because her mother was dealing with mental illness and addiction. At the age of 16, she became pregnant and made the hard decision to give her baby up for adoption, fearing she would turn into her mother, so she felt adoption was what was best for the baby. Now, many years later, still trying to deal with her past, she finds herself consumed by the “what-ifs” and wanting to know more about her child. I originally chose this book for its adorable cover, but the story inside was so much more.

The story was so realistically true that it was very easy to connect with the MC and the plot. As a teacher, many things she said and described were very much on point in the current world of education.

The narrator’s voice was clear, easy to listen to and understand. Williams did an amazing job with distinguishing between characters, especially considering that the story was heavily character driven, and really brought the story to life.

Thank you to @netgalley, @harpercollinsfocus, and @harpermusebooks for the #gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved Gemma’s endearing quirks and her personal growth through the book. I think this book was a really beautiful portrayal of relationships and how much work it takes to strengthen them. I loved that it didn’t focus on just one type of relationship, but all of the relationships she held with others as a mother, daughter, friend, partner, and professional. I loved the way Gemma remained steadfast to the love of her daughter and how she knew that she did the right thing, and yet was still so in love with her “Baby.”

I thought I had the storyline figured out within the first 35%. I really love how the book was not exactly as I expected, but also not that different that it would be unbelievable.

Gemma gave birth to a beautiful baby girl at the age of 16. She put the baby up for adoption and has continued to love and thing about the baby ever since. Now, it is 18 years later, and Gemma's baby would be the same age as the kids Gemma teaches which has Gemma considering what ever became of her baby even more than normal.
Overall this is a really sweet book about hard choices, friendship, chosen family, overcoming adversity and beating the odds. This would be a great choice for book clubs as there are so many different topics that could be discussed.
I listened to the audio version and felt that the narrator, Louise Williams, did an excellent job.

Thank you #netgalley and #HarperCollins Focus for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A moving women's fiction story about Gemma, a young teen mother struggling to survive growing up with a mentally ill and drug addicted mother and who chooses to give her baby daughter up for adoption. Then later when Gemma has her life more in order and is doing well as a high school math teacher she tries to connect with her daughter once she turns eighteen.

This was good on audio, and blended humor and heart seamlessly while tackling some tough topics. I thought the neurodivergent (OCD) rep was well written and overall really enjoyed this. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

WOW. i started this book earlier today, and it immediately captured my heart. 5 stars all around for the found family, the beautiful writing, the romance subplot, the subtle humor, the cute dog, and the wholesome feeling. i’ll be thinking about these characters for a long while :’)

thank you netgalley & harper muse for the arc of this audiobook!

I'm a sucker for a good found family story, and this did not disappoint. I loved the neurodivergent representation with Gemma, and the fact that this wasn't a straightforward story. There was so much nuance and care taken with the characters. The bond between Gemma, Erin, Katie, and Margie was friendship goals, and I would absolutely die for Margie. The narrator was great, and I devoured this audiobook very quickly. There were a few bits that dragged on for me which stops this from being a five-star (and some of the pacing confused me), but overall I really enjoyed reading this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.