Statistically Speaking

This book was so fun! I think we can all relate so well with the main character and her real emotions in this book! The sock drawer...loved this! It was such a great great.

Gemma has had a hard life and finds it difficult to attach herself to people. She had to give up her baby when she was sixteen because she was living in care (foster care).. She has not seen her mother in years and has spent most of her life moving from place to place. She is now teaching high school students and is intrigued by a student who is new to the school. When she discovers that Kate is adopted and has the same birth date as the daughter she gave away, she is intrigued. Statistically speaking is this possible? Gemma finally confides in her neighbor and her co-worker Karim about her past and ask for their guidance as to what she should do about it. Is Kate really her daughter, if not, is she ready to search for the daughter she gave up so many years ago? Will Karim become more than a co-worker? He is interested in Gemma, but can she let down her defenses to accept his love and his kindness? I highly recommend reading this novel to discover if things work out for Gemma.

Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson is definitely a 5-star for me. Why didn’t I know about this author before? The main character, Gemma, is a bit of a mess because of trauma from her childhood. Her growth as a person throughout the book is so well done. She is very introspective. She knows she closes herself off to people, and at first can’t help it and doesn’t want to fix it. She moves away to a new town whenever things get hard. But when she moves to Liverpool, she gradually decides what she’s been doing is not really “living” and she starts to make friends and even has a love interest. The inter-generational aspect of the community she gathers is excellent, and the story is sweet, tear-jerking at times, and wraps up in a very satisfying way. That’s enough review because I have to go buy one of Debbie’s other books!

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

I absolutely loved this book! The female main chapter was so likable and she makes you feel for her too. I really loved the characters development.

This book full of emotions. I can have my sympathy toward Gemma who has those kinds of dark past: pregnant in very young age, didn't have proper childhood life, had problematic mother etc. That's why she has trauma which made her overthink anything.

This book dive deep into Gemma thoughts and emotions, and I love how Karim being super understanding with her circumstances. It's not romantic type of book, but it's show us about how "mature" relationship happen.

At first, it made my emotion drained because of how Gemma think about everything, it gives us lesson: your denial traits can hurt somebody. After the story goes, I love how Gemma's character develop and how she started accept the truth.

I can say, it's heart-warming story about mother-daughter relationship.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

Statistically Speaking is as much a story of coming of age through intense adversity, as a story of Girl Power and friendship with a lovely little romance thrown in. Gemma's story has a heart wrenching start leading to empowering relationships sprinkled with clever humor. An engaging and fantastic read!

Statistically Speaking is a heart-warming and hopeful book about chosen family and not judging a book by its cover.

The red-headed main character, Gemma, has had a difficult upbringing, struggles to make genuine connections and mostly keeps things to herself. Most importantly: giving up her daughter for adoption at birth when she was only 16 years old, which has been haunting her ever since. Did she make the right choice? How did her daughter turn out? Is there resentment? As her daughter will soon have her 18th birthday, Gemma is anxious whether she will try to contact her. When she meets a red-headed student that has been adopted herself and shares the same birthday as her baby, she starts to wonder whether this might be her.

The book at times reads like a journal, being written from Gemma's perspective. Not a lot of statistics though (except for some compulsive keeping count of steps and drinks). So if you're curious about what are the odds of this story, you'd have to do your own research. It is generally a fun read though, and at times a bit sad.

This book is labeled as romance, which is not a genre I typically read, and I wouldn't classify it as such myself. It is much more about the different types of relationships between families and friends, opening yourself up and seeing things from different perspectives.

I received an ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so lovely! I really enjoyed everything about it but I especially liked the way the characters were written. Like I was happy when Margie, Erin or Katie came up. And Gemma was a very relatable character that you like as soon as the book starts.

I loved being on this emotional journey with Gemma and I loved seeing her change and grow and open herself to the people around her who really did love her, even tho she was afraid. I also enjoyed the secondary characters and their stories. I learned a whole lot about adoption and the feelings of mother and child as well as adoptive parents. The novel as a whole was thoroughly enjoyable and kept me turning the pages. I will be recommending this to my readers.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely adore everything Debbie Johnson writes and this heartwarming story was perfect for a holiday weekend in the sun.
33-year-old Gemma is quite content with her life, for the first time ever. After growing up in the care system and giving birth and giving up her daughter for adoption when she was only 16, she has finally found a place that feels like home. She loves her job as a teacher, enjoys spending time with her elderly neighbour and her dog and there might even be a man in her future, when a new student enrolls in her history class with the same date of birth as the daughter she gave up, the same red hair she has and she also turns out to have been adopted… could this be het daughter?


I loved the found family, the characters and the humour in the story. As a teacher, I particularly liked the descriptions of teaching as well and even highlighted some sentences. They are absolutely spot on!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I enjoyed it very much!

Gemma had an out-of-wedlock baby at age sixteen that she gave up for adoption. Her mother was drug addicted, and Gemma was in and out of foster care for most of her growing-up years. Nevertheless, Gemma graduated from college and became a history teacher. Now in her 30s, she has spent decades yearning for the child she gave away, but always moving to another town and another job whenever she felt she was growing emotionally close to anyone. Better to be alone. How she overcame her childhood trauma and found a "family" that she could be a part of is what this story is all about. Well written, all the characters are relatable. And it moves nicely to a potentially happy ending.

I loved this book. I found the writing crisp and witty, and felt drawn into Gemma’s poignant and heart-breaking story while admiring her toughness and determination. The book is also full of engaging secondary characters who filled out the plot as well as filled up Gemma’s life. The scene from the yoga studio had me howling with laughter and I loved how it became the start of such a strong female friendship. I also thought King-I-Love-You-The-First was perfect boyfriend material and I liked so many of the scenes where he encouraged Gemma to face her deep-seated beliefs and challenge her comfort zone.

Gemma beat the odds, statistically speaking, to rise up from her childhood circumstances and create a life of her choosing, and I rooted for her the entire way.

The book deals with teenage pregnancy, adoption, foster care, and addiction, as well as the mental health ripple effects and the emotional struggles therein.

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

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and lovable. The pacing was perfect and left you wanting to read more. I can't wait to read more by this author!

Debbie Johnson’s *Statistically Speaking* is the rom-com you didn’t know you needed—sharp, witty, and full of that deliciously awkward charm that makes you root for the characters from page one. It’s a delightful twist on the classic love story, where numbers and nerdiness collide with the unpredictable mess that is romance. If you’ve ever found yourself calculating the odds of finding love and wondering if there’s a formula for happiness, this book will speak to your soul—and make you laugh out loud while it’s at it.

Meet Lucy Green, a statistician who lives her life by the numbers. She’s got spreadsheets for everything—her grocery shopping, her exercise routine, and, naturally, her dating life. After all, why leave love to chance when you can calculate your way to the perfect partner? Lucy’s got it all figured out: the perfect height, job, and even the probability of a second date. But as you might expect, life isn’t so easily plotted out on a graph, and her perfectly planned approach to romance quickly starts to unravel.

Enter Owen Miller, the guy who’s about as far from Lucy’s “ideal match” as you can get. He’s spontaneous, a little bit chaotic, and doesn’t know the first thing about probability theory. But Owen has his own kind of charm—one that can’t be quantified or plugged into a formula. He’s the wildcard Lucy never saw coming, and watching her struggle to reconcile her meticulously calculated expectations with the messy reality of falling in love is nothing short of hilarious.

What makes *Statistically Speaking* so damn fun is the way Johnson blends humor with heart. Lucy’s obsessive need for control and predictability is something anyone who’s ever tried to plan their life down to the last detail can relate to. But it’s the way she learns to let go—helped along by Owen’s laid-back, devil-may-care attitude—that gives the story its real emotional punch. You can’t help but cheer for Lucy as she starts to realize that love, much like life, can’t always be measured or predicted.

The dialogue in this book is razor-sharp, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and a healthy dose of banter that keeps things lively. Johnson’s writing is effortlessly charming, balancing light-hearted humor with deeper, more reflective moments that give the story real substance. The pacing is spot-on, making it the kind of book you can devour in one sitting—or stretch out over a few days, savoring every bit of Lucy and Owen’s journey.

But beyond the laughs and the love story, *Statistically Speaking* has a lot to say about the pressures we put on ourselves to have everything figured out. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best things in life happen when we least expect them, and that true happiness can’t be found in a formula or a set of rules. It’s about embracing the unexpected, the unquantifiable, and learning to trust that sometimes, the best things can’t be predicted or planned—they just happen.

Debbie Johnson has crafted a rom-com that’s as smart as it is sweet, with a heroine who’s as relatable as she is lovable. *Statistically Speaking* is for anyone who’s ever tried to organize their life into neat little boxes, only to have love come in and turn everything upside down—in the best possible way. So, grab this book, get comfortable, and get ready to enjoy a love story that’s anything but by the numbers.

Post on 8/21/24

This book starts out with the FMC giving birth at 16 and then goes to how she lived her adult life in the most controlled way. She was a perfectionist, neat and clean, always counting, and she never spent a moment not thinking about the baby she gave up. She does genuinely feel like someone who has been hurt and will do anything to avoid messy feelings and uncomfortable situations. But, then something happens. She considers staying put in her cute home, with a small group of good friends and she finally opens up to people about a secret she’s been hiding. It’s that moment where things change for her. She frees herself from the burden of this secret and it has a positive chain reaction. One thing leads to another and she finds herself in a better place for it. Here’s too taking chances and moving forward!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for allowing me to read an ARC of Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson, in exchange for my honest review.

So much love! This was a fantastic story. As someone who lives with anxiety disorder/panic attacks, I admire Gemma for her coping mechanisms, and recognizing when she will (and will not) need them.

I would like to commend and thank Debbie Johnson for her brilliant portrayal of this not-spoken-of-nearly-enough-brain-chaos, showing it can be managed and there are people who will understand and love us.

I definitely recommend this book!

Whether Debbie Johnson sets out to write a witty book or a serious one, she nails it. Every. Time.
I love the characters in her books and the relationships they have and the banter between them and I don't know how she can whip out so many in a short time to such a high standard.

Firstly the characters in the book were very human. The way the protagonist was so normal in her unique way spoke to me. Even though we have a completely different upbringing, Gemma's way of coping and owning who she was was amazing. The PE teacher guy sounds like a dream bf. Handsome and funny and caring. Above all, someone who didn't try to change her at all.
Margie, Katie and Erin are the best friends that I've always wanted and I do find myself saying that about quite a few of Debbie's characters! Bill of course was the adorable boy next door.

The book started in a witty way which was funny to think of being a key and traumatic event that was being experienced. We were introduced to Gemma and her coping mechanisms of counting and thinking of fact after fact. Throughout the the book, we learn how Gemma reacts to different scenarios that life throws at her. Some traumatic, some romantic and some even lunatic.

I enjoyed that the story included a romance but didn't start as one. I enjoyed the hard topics written about and how they were tackled with poise, affection and genuine feelings. The ending of course had me crying buckets and there's nothing quite like happy crying to give you a sense of calm and to make your own dog look at you with questioning side eye!

All in all, I loved it. All hail 'Queen Can Write No Wrong'. 5 stars from me!

Thanks so much to Netgalley, Harper Muse and Debbie Johnson for allowing me the chance to read this and write a review. All views expressed are my own

Debbie Johnson writes light "comfort reads" that I thoroughly enjoy, but she also writes books with considerably more emotional depth, such as Statistically Speaking. And this one affected me deeply, even though the protagonist is nothing like me.

Gemma Jones has worked hard to keep herself mostly aloof from others after a fraught childhood--partly with an unreliable mother and partly in foster care--and it has caused her to move around when she feels she is getting too close to someone. But it is her decision to give the daughter she delivered when she was just 16 to a loving adoptive couple that has irrevocably affected her life.

After receiving her degree, Gemma developed into an excellent and popular high school teacher, currently teaching history to students who will be attending university in a year or so. Gemma's daughter would be approaching age 18 as well, and when a new student has similar coloring and the same birthday as her baby's, Gemma can't help hoping that, by some miracle, Katie could be the daughter she had named only Baby. In the meantime, she has somehow added Katie's mother, Erin, to her small circle of friends that includes her disabled neighbor, Margie (finally a character with my own first name!) and the dog that she and Margie share. Then there's Karim, the gorgeous PE teacher who seems to be interested in a relationship with her.

No spoilers here, but I found Gemma to be easy to root for. I became emotionally involved in her struggles to have a meaningful life in the face of her deep regrets and her mild OCD. And I nominate Karim for a place in my own personal list of "best boyfriends" in literature.

My thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

First, this cover drew me in! I love it! Love it even more after walking with Gemma a little bit! Beautifully written! I'd love to display this book on my shelves face out!

Despite many tough setbacks in life, Gemma pretty much has her life sorted- she's got a stable job as a teacher, a handsome love interest, and has even cultivated strong friendships. But as much as she's tried, she's never been able to forget the baby she gave up for adoption when she was 16.

Now that her child has turned 18, Gemma eagerly awaits for her daughter to reach out to her so she can reconnect with her and piece her heart back together. In the process, she also decides to open the door to reconciling with her mother who neglected and abandoned her as a child.

This sweet and angsty novel has plenty of banter, lovely characters, and a beautiful backdrop of seaside Liverpool. Recommended for fans of romance and women's fiction with a lot of heart and humor.

You know a book is special if it makes you tear up only a chapter in without also making you feel as if you're being emotionally manipulated.

I loved this book. I don't really even know how to put into words what I feel about it. Gemma is a teacher who has spent her adult life avoiding making connections with people. And it makes sense, she's had a hard life and has learned that the only person she can really rely on is herself. Raised by a mother with both mental health struggles and substance abuse issues, Gemma spent a lot of time in foster care as a child. At 16, she gives birth to a daughter she knows she can't take care of, and who she gives up for adoption. When the story begins, that daughter is about to turn 18 and could, in theory, come looking for Gemma, who has never really moved on from the loss of her.

Statistically Speaking is the perfect book for anyone who liked Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, or The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. Like those books, Statistically Speaking tells the story of a complex main character learning how to deal with past traumas and open up to a fuller life, and it does it in a way that doesn't feel patronizing or cliché.

Fue un libro doloroso, agridulce, esperanzador e inspirador, lleno de amor.

Gemma era una adolescente que sufrió mucho en su niñez y también en su adolescencia. Su madre era bipolar y adicta, por lo que vivió en casas de acogida. A los 16 años, quedó embarazada y supo que no quería que su bebé viviera lo mismo que ella, así que tomó la difícil decisión de darla en adopción.

Ahora, Gemma es maestra de historia. Tiene una buena vida, o eso podría parecer, pero los sucesos de hace 18 años la dejaron marcada y vive con mucho miedo: miedo de volver a amar a alguien, de no amar a nadie, de volverse importante para alguien y de perder a más personas. Es una contradicción andante, pero se entiende por todo lo que ha pasado.

Su hija está por cumplir 18 años, y Gemma siente tanto miedo como ilusión de que se comunique con ella.

Intenta no acercarse mucho a las personas, pero cuando conoce a Katie, una de sus alumnas que se acaba de mudar, siente una conexión especial, ya que le recuerda cómo sería su hija. El mismo día, conoce a Erin, con quien inmediatamente hace clic y se vuelve amiga. Todo parece indicar que su vida está por cambiar para algo mejor y que finalmente está abierta a dejar que la gente se le acerque. Resulta que Erin y Katie son madre e hija, lo cual está bien, pero Gemma se entera de que Katie es adoptada y que su cumpleaños es el mismo día en que ella dio a luz. Ahora no puede sacar de su mente la posibilidad de que Katie sea su hija. No sabe qué hacer: ¿debería compartir sus sospechas o sería mejor volverse más cercana a ellas para obtener más información o debería alejarse?

La llegada de Erin y Katie, junto con su amistad con Margie, su vecina, su perro Bill y su reciente pretendiente, Karim, le cambiarán la vida para siempre. Juntos pasarán por muchas experiencias y le enseñarán el poder de la amistad y el amor.




"... So that’s why I am writing this. So you can feel better. So you will always know that I didn’t give you away because I didn’t love you, or because you did anything wrong. I do love you, more than I’ve ever loved anyone. It’s weird and huge and really unexpected, how much I love you"


"...I’m going to stop now, and I am going to just say this— you are loved, and you are perfect, and you are going to be brilliant.
I’m sad I won’t be around to see that, how brilliant you’ll be, but I think maybe you’ll be less brilliant if you get stuck with me as your parent. Having a mum around isn’t always for the best if it isn’t the right mum.
Shine on, lovely Baby. I wish all the awesome for you.
Lots of love, Your mum (my name is Gemma, by the way)

PS— I have met you now. You are amazing. The most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and the best thing I have ever done. You will never be mine, but I will be forever yours."







Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

*****Publishing December 3, 2024****

The book begins with Gemma, aged 16, having a baby she is giving up for adoption. Her life is a mess, so she knows she can’t keep the baby! The book fast forwards 18 years later to when Gemma is working as a teacher. She thinks about the baby she gave up for adoption often, especially as the baby will turn 18. Will she decide to try to find her?

This wonderful story is from the first person’s point of view of Gemma. It’s genuine, heartfelt, and you learn all the ways that Gemma has been a statistic and how, statistically speaking, she overcame the odds stacked against her. A foster teen, pregnant at 16, and how she worked hard to create a stable life and job!

This author did a fabulous job capturing all the emotions of what Gemma was experiencing in life! I absolutely flew through this book as it keeps your attention and wanting to know the outcome! It’s a story that stays with you long after it’s finished! It’s one of those books that will spark great discussion, so perfect for book clubs!

Thanks to Harper Muse, I was provided an ARC of Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know how Debbie Johnson does it, but her novels always have me laughing, learning about human nature, and finishing with happy tears in my eyes (I should know better than to finish one of her books in a busy airport).

I immediately loved the main female character from the first chapter. We meet 16 year old Gemma as a 16 year old foster care kid who is having a baby. She knows the best she can do for her infant daughter is to give her up for adoption, but is totally conflicted. She writes a heartfelt letter to her newborn, and it is that letter, that creates such love and respect in the reader for that character.

Despite Gemma’s traumatic childhood and mentally ill mother, she goes to college and becomes a first rate teacher. But the cost of reinventing herself, along with giving up her child, make her an emotional cripple. We meet her as she as at a crossroads and opening herself in her early 30’s as she has never done before.

There is romance, new friendships, multigenerational characters and personal growth. This is one of the most satisfying novels I have read in a long time. Although I would class this as women’s fiction, some of the hallmarks of literary fiction, such as a keen insight into the human condition, are present. This is a wonderful novel!

This book was such a wonderful read for me. It definitely had insights and ideas that resonated with me a lot.

Why in the world did I pick this book up without a case of tissues??

16 year old Gemma is in foster care when she gives up her newborn daughter for adoption, hoping her baby will have a better life. Now a devoted history teacher, she counts the days (and everything else around her) leading up to what will be her daughters 18th daughters birthday.

This beautiful story of a girl who beats the odds and breaks the cycle of generational trauma. As she seeks out her biological child, for the first time in her life she finds her self surrounded by a chosen family she never planned to choose.

Everyday of her life she has thought of her "Baby" and feeling both anguish for giving her away. The gauntlet of emotions here is stunningly conveyed. I swear I cried the entire last 50 pages of this book, tears streaming down my cheeks like a broken faucet crying.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming, poignant and funny. This will be very relatable to anyone who has been through difficult childhood and had learn to stop pushing people away. I could not put this down. If you need a good book that will make you cry with a beautiful ending do not skip this one.

Thank to the author/NetGalley/the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is such a beautiful story! From start to finish I was invested in the characters and their stories. Gemma is the success story you love to root for. As a teacher, I loved that her students were such an important part of her development. One thing I especially appreciated about Statistically Speaking is that the romantic relationship, while present and relevant, was not the focus of the book. Debbie Johnson has created an intoxicating story about relationships (romantic, familial, and platonic), and how it is never too late to find your family. Bravo!

This book was so incredibly heartwarming (yet still heartbreaking) and beautiful.

The book centers around Gemma a woman who has a tortured past and grapples with her inner demons on if she wants to bring the past into her present life. Typically, a runner she establishes strong roots in her community of close people but worries that her past will mess it all up. Her past being giving up her baby girl 18 years ago at age 16 because she knew she couldn’t take care of a baby because she came from a terrible situation herself. She broke a generational curse and lives with that secret for 18 years before she finally lets people in and begins to heal. This book is sad and happy all at the same time. Reading of Gemma’s life as a child is heart wrenching and knowing it is part of the reason she feels so broken.



I was given the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley and Harper Muse.