The found family! The friendships! The romance!
This book was everything!

The story follows Gemma, a high-school teacher who had given a child up for adoption 18 years prior. And this was the year she could potentially finally get in contact with said child.

I listened to the final chapters of this book in public and I was fighting for my life to not cry...

I loved the characters in this book and the plot was enjoyable!


Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an audio-arc in an exchange for an honest review.

I just finished listening to Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson, and I have to say, it was such a fun and heartwarming audiobook! The story had the perfect balance of wit, romance, and a touch of real-world relatability. The main character’s obsession with numbers and probabilities was such a unique angle—who knew math could weave into a love story so well?

The narrator really brought the characters to life, making the humor and emotional moments hit even harder. I found myself laughing out loud one minute and tearing up the next. Plus, the pacing was just right—never dragging, but also giving me time to soak in the moments that mattered.

If you love smart rom-coms with quirky characters and a bit of an emotional punch, this one’s worth a listen. Highly recommend for fans of uplifting love stories with a twist!

Thank you to Harper for the ARC!

As far as the audiobook production, I thought that was very well done!

When it comes to the characters, I struggled to connect with the main character Gemma and while I thought the plot overall was interesting enough, I really had to push myself to want to continue to pick it up and read it. I will say that the beginning was very well done and hooked me instantly with her story!

While I don't think it was for, I do think this will resonate with a lot of people. I hope it's a big success!

Gemma has mad a lot with her life. But one thing she's always wondered about is the Baby girl she gave up fir adoption when she was 16. She knew with herself in and out of the system she wanted to give her baby the best life she could possibly give her. But it doesn't mean she has spent her life moving from place to place and thinking about what her daughter would be like. Now she's about to turn 18 and Gemma wonders if its possible to ever meet her or wonders if she knew about her. As she navigates this year and the life choices she has to make. Will she finally settle down in one place and give the people around her her whole self? Will she ever know what became of Baby.

This had a lot of ups and downs and going through it with Gemma was hopefully and sad.

Thank you NetGalley for this Audio Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was lucky enough to receive an audiobook and earc from the publisher in exchange for my review.

This was a beautiful story that will make you cherish the small moments of life. I thought this novel was a breath of fresh air. If you enjoy Bridget Jones, I would definitely recommend this book. I also thought that the narrator did an amazing job and I really enjoyed her voice

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. But maybe have some tissues nearby?!

Gemma is a great main character and I enjoyed this quirky audiobook. The adoption elements were particularly heartwarming.

Statistically Speaking had an interesting premise, and an intriguing beginning, but my interest soon plateaued. I felt like too much attention was paid to the wrong things. There was a lot of hemming and hawing about Gemma's adoption/Baby, and the repetitiveness grew tiresome. Although there is some storyline development with Margie and Karim, I felt there was a missed opportunity to delve more into those relationships and Gemma's own personal development, than continuing to let the adoption define her.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Welp, I didn’t expect to be crying over my tablet at the end of this story, but here we are 😢 My gosh, Statistically Speaking really hit me in the feels. An emotionally rich story about a woman, Gemma, coming to terms with her turbulent childhood and her decision to choose adoption for her child 18 years earlier. Having little order and safety during her formative years, adult Gemma thrives on privacy and routine. She doesn’t get attached to people and likes to move frequently to feel as free as possible. But, as the 18th birthday of the child she lovingly thinks of as “Baby” approaches, Gemma finds that the isolated life she has created doesn’t feel secure anymore. As she starts to let people in she realizes that being alone doesn’t save you from pain and that family comes in many forms.

I loved this book. A hearty dose of emotions and turmoil mixed with quirky characters, a smidge of romance, and a lovely bit of humor. Gemma is an amazing MC with a complicated thought process involving myriad coping mechanisms that are both fascinating and upsetting to witness. This book discusses adoption, mental illness, addiction and estranged family openly and respectfully. Very grateful to netgalley and Harper for this ARC. The narration is wonderful!

This was such a delightful romance. Quirky and unique and I fell in love with the characters. The narration was excellent as well.

I loved this book. It was heartbreaking and heart-warming all at the same time. The characters development was wonderful. I was fully invested from start to finish and only stopped listening to sleep. I enjoyed the narrator immensely. I felt as if I was actually listening to the characters themselves. The subject matter is difficult and touchy to write about but I thought it was exquisitely done with so much thought, feeling, and emotion. I will be recommending this title and looking for other books by this author!

Statistically Speaking is a heartwarming and beautiful story about the close bonds between female friends who are always there for each other as they tackle difficult life decisions.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:

Found Family
Adoption and Foster Care
Bit of romance
Trauma and healing
Anxiety
Forgiveness
Self Discovery
Character Driven

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

Williams did such an amazing job with each character’s voice while bringing their personalities to life.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲?

Slow Burn and character driven

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?

If you are looking for a story where you want to hug every character, then grab this sweet story about self-discovery.

Thank you Harper Muse and NetGalley for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

3.5 rounded up - Statistically Speaking follows Gemma, a teacher in Liverpool, as she navigates friendships, love, and family. At age 16 Gemma gave her baby daughter up for adoption. The book tells her story 18 years later as her daughter reaches the age that she could make contact through adoption services if she wants to.

The book is very heartfelt and charming as Gemma learns to accept things from her past and be more open to relationships going forward. I loved the "chosen family" support system that Gemma developed and the strong women supporting women aspect. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was pleasant to listen too.

The end did leave me wanting more though! I was so excited to hear what happened next and it ended! One more chapter to wrap it up would have been perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the ALC for review.

4.75 ⭐

This is my first book by Debbie Johnson, but it will not be my last! I truly enjoyed the audiobook.

I was invested in Gemma's journey, from being a teen mom within the foster care system. I was with her while she put her daughter up for adoption.... knowing it was the best decision but the most difficult. I enjoyed the mental health representation.

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.