ARC and ALC Review:

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Gemma Jones grew up with adversity. Being raised by a single-mother who struggled with her mental health and addiction eventually landed her in the system. At sixteen she found herself pregnant and unable to care for herself or her baby. Deciding the only option was to place her baby girl up for adoption, she went on to become a successful history teacher. Eighteen years later Gemma finds herself anxiety ridden and unable to make personal connections. Will dealing with her past be the cure she needs, or will it end with more trauma?

Having sold over one million books worldwide, it is evident that Debbie Johnson’s talent had worked its way into the hearts of many.

Statistically Speaking was one of the more moving stories I have read in 2024. While this is a work of fiction, it is rooted in reality. Not only does it speaks to the heartache that accompanies adoption on both ends, it dives into mental illness, and found family.

Gemma’s found family is made up of exceptional side characters. Not only do they help her navigate uncharted territory, they encourage her to step out of her comfort zone (in all areas of her life). I loved bearing witness to this strong group of women, consisting of all ages, as they came along and surround Gemma with both tough criticism and unconditional acceptance.

I had the pleasure of both reading and listening to this book. As an American, I preferred listening to it on audio. The reason being it was narrated by Louise Williams, whose accent transported me to Liverpool, where the story is set. With that being said, I enjoyed both formats.

Special thanks to Netgalley, Harper Muse, Harper Collins Focus, and Debbie Johnson for allowing me to read and listen to this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was a wonderfully emotional, wholesome read. I thought it was kind of lackluster just from predictability in the first 30-40% or so, but as the sort picked up and I realized it wasn’t going quite how I thought, I became really invested in the story and the FMC.

I think Debbie did a great job of writing a relatable FMC, even as someone who couldn’t relate on any of the specifics of her situation, I really appreciated the honesty and vulnerability in her characters.

Debbie does an awesome job of handling quite a few sensitive topics with great care, while also keeping her story and characters believable and true to real life. Would definitely recommend.

Gemma was only 16 when she made the heart-wrenching decision to place her baby for adoption. Now a history teacher, she dreams of meeting her daughter who's about to turn 18. When a bright red-haired new student joins her class, everything changes. Gemma can’t shake the feeling that the young Katy might be her "Baby". After almost two decades of keeping others at arm's length, Gemma has to learn to open up to people, to trust and allow herself to love and be loved.

This was such a wholesome story ! I loved the author's view on adoption and how she succeeded in writing all those characters with such subtlety, depth and ... compassion, without ever resorting to clichés. Each relationship within this story felt organic, genuine and relatable.

🎧 Audiobook : 4.5/5 ⭐️ Loved the narrator's performance and accent !

Thank you Harper Muse Audiobooks and NetGalley for providing this audiobook for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Statistically Speaking is a wonderful story that details real-world struggle, anxiety, and guilt as told through our main character Gemma. She's instantly relatable, a woman who has made choices at a young age that deeply changed the foundation of who she was. She vows to become a better human, constantly striving for perfection, riddled with fear and anxiety along the way. What she finds as she matures, however, is that softness and vulnerability aren't always a bad thing. She leans into the friends who become family and we watch as she opens up about her past to those who love and support her. This book is a slow-burn tale of connection, vulnerability, and strength- one I highly recommend!

This was a heartwarming story. I enjoyed the overall plot, but I did find that it felt a bit drawn out. While I definitely enjoy a long book, I typically want longer books to have a decent amount of character building, and I just felt like the amount of character building growth in relation to the length of the book was a bit lacking. However, the story as a whole was enjoyable. The audiobook was well done and I think that it's probably the way to go on this one!

Gemma is a high school history teacher with a quirk for counting things. She gave up her baby 18 years ago, but now is curious what became of her, since she could potentially be teaching a child that age. She thinks her new student, Katie, looks like her, and could be her daughter, but statistically it would be unlikely. Eventually, Gemma finds not only her daughter but herself.

This book was absolutely adorable!!! Loved the audiobook. The main character was incredible. It was so sweet

This is another fabulous book from Debbie Johnson that sensitively deals with the complex emotional issues as well as the trials and tribulations of youngsters being in care, mental health issues, alcoholism, unwanted pregnancy and adoption.

This is not a predictable story, it's very poignant and heartwarming whilst also touching upon the very real traumas that occur for lots of youngsters when put into care. I instantly cared for the characters and there were twists and turns in the book which stopped it from being predictable and superficial.

Having read many of Debbie Johnson's books I feel that this was a grittier story than the other books that I have read/listened to by her (that I also loved) I highly recommend to others that they give it a listen too!

en tiny fingers, ten tiny toes”.
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Muse and especially Louise Williams for sending me the ARL copy of this book. From the very first minute, I was all in. 16 year old Gemma giving birth to a baby girl, and because of her home/ family situation, decides to give up “Baby” for adoption. Years pass and Gemma is now a history teacher suffering from anxiety and a need for counting, well almost everything. Due to an unstable and emotionally traumatic childhood, history and numbers give her a sense of security and stability. She finds herself now at what will be the 18th birthday of Baby and wondering if this will finally be the year they are reunited.
This book was so special for many reasons. I appreciate the way anxiety is portrayed. I also suffer from anxiety and the fear of unknown can be too much at times. Having stability is important. Gemma finally allows herself to feel and be loved from the found family she makes. Such a great story of self healing. I loved this so much! Narration, story, characters, all of it!

I really loved this story. Gemma is a hot mess, but a character you can definitely relate to. She hasn’t had a very life and at the ripe age of 16 has to make a huge life altering decision. Gemma gave her daughter up for adoption, to give her a better life that at 16 she cannot provide. The decision she makes sets the stage for the rest of story. Watching Gemma navigate life, wondering if her new student could possibly be her daughter that she gave up for adoption. You watch Gemma, who is used to running and starting over when life gets hard try to be the kind of person that builds a life instead of starting over. This was a good read!

This was not what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it anyway. It was slow to get into, the whole maternity bit wasn't for me, but once I got through that I really enjoyed the story. it's a bit quirky, which I like. The narrator was wonderful, a perfect voice for the story. Also, I've found a new author to read! That is the real bonus here!

Thank you Netgalley for the early listen!

Gemma Jones, high school history teacher, looks like she has it all together on the surface, but things a little jumbled up. She grew up in foster care (her mother was a drug addict), she compulsively moves positions every 1-2 years, and the biggie, she became pregnant at sixteen with no support system and gave up the baby to adoption. Every single, solitary decision is clouded by this. Gemma can't stop picturing and wondering what happened to her daughter. She caries so much shame.

The constant moving has made it impossible to grow roots, but she stays in Liverpool for a couple of years. Gemma starts to build community. But, this is the year baby girl turns 18 and she may find the identity of girl. Will she open up about her past and let her new friends in?

This one was excellent on audio as a single POV, first person tale. Hearing Gemma being so difficult on herself for the full first third of the book was hard! It was fantastic seeing her growth and I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next!

Thank you Harper Muse and Netgalley for the audio arc! Statistically speaking is out now. Grab the tissues.

First off, I really enjoyed the narrator’s voice. So many books can be ruined with the wrong narrator, but the cadence of her voice was just lovely.

I really enjoyed the story as well. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but golly there were lots of tears. There was laughter as well, but this was an emotional journey for me. I am not directly affected by adoption, but the story is told so well that I could feel the emotions of the MC. Thank you for opening my heart to something that I couldn’t have imagined previously.

Debbie Johnson is a new author to me, and I was excited to discover she has so many other books to explore! Statistically Speaking was heartwarming yet a bittersweet story that drew me in right away. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, narrated by Louise Williams, who did an excellent job.

Publication Date- December 3, 2024
#StatisticallySpeaking #NetGalley

I loved this book! It was such a heartwarming read and really explored the foster care system, adoption, and OCD. Highly recommend to everyone! And the narrator did an amazing job!

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.--

Absolutely loved this story of redemptive love, found families, and second chances. The atypical neurodivervent protagonist was a delight, especially considering we share a profession, as teachers. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I’m a sucker for a good adoption story and found family! This was a great palette cleanser and written very well. I was hooked from the beginning and the pace was well done throughout. The narrator was also great. My only issue was that I was surprised the main character ended up becoming a history teacher. Seemed like she would have been a math teacher or in STEM in some way. Also the history club was a stretch…

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

A heartwarming read that suckered me in from the very beginning. The letter that Gemma writes to her baby that is to be adopted out was just beautiful. That set the tone for the rest of the story.

It ticks all the boxes for a fab read.
✅adorable but sexy love interest ✅mother-figure wise neighbour
✅new found bestie
✅emotional back story
✅mystery of who is her daughter
✅quirky counting habit
They all tie together to bring a beautiful story full of angst, love, laughter, sadness, anxiety, friends and family. The adoption side of things was handled brilliantly and I hope all adopted children get a letter like Gemma wrote. I'm sure it would help the process of understanding.

I listened to this on audio and Louise Williams did a wonderful job. I love her accent.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperMuse for the ARC. This review is absolutely my honest opinion.

This was a bit predictable.



Review copy provided by publisher.

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"D he was called, David or Daniel or Dumbeldor. Who knows?" This book had its moments for me. While it was very well written, the story being an interesting look into the eye of someone who gave their child up for adoption for all the right reasons and managed to make a life for themself while never forgetting their child, the book did have parts where it started to feel like it was dragging on and on a bit and then some funny phase the the quote for the beginning of this review would be said and since it made me laugh, I was pulled back in. Overall a good, albeit as mentioned, occasionally slower, story I would still recommend this one for a good sit down, calmer read.