Book Review: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

"When you care about other people, it takes the spotlight off your own drama.”

--Holly Godlberg Sloan, Counting by 7's

Released in 2013, Counting by 7s is the debut middle-grade book by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This modern tale, a New York Times bestseller, incorporates elements from Sloan's personal experience. The story takes place in modern-day Bakersfield, California, which Sloan claims is "emblematic of the characters" while being frequently disregarded.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life…until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.

My reaction to this novel...

This book is fantastic! It reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant. I had no idea this book would be so good, that I would like it so much. It was incredible. It’s fantastic. The narrative was simple to read and had many endearing characters as well as teachings on loving those who chose to love you and the unpredictability of future. I had a great time reading this.

Actually, I had this book for so long that I had already forgotten it was even there. However, while I was looking for my next book to read, I came across this one and decided to give it a go because I was in the need for something quick and simple. I initially considered that perhaps I wouldn’t like it. This book may be intended for teens, but after I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down and found myself grinning.

Willow was my favorite character. Her thoughts on life and people were interesting to me. She is a one-of-a-kind and amazing child who is fortunate to have parents that unconditionally love and support her despite her challenges and peculiarities. I appreciated her character growth as the story progressed, and I also liked the other individuals she met as they became more and more essential in her life following the trauma she goes through. Even though they all had flaws, I felt all of the characters were fantastic.

I really like story for so many reasons that it’s difficult to put them all into words. It was quite touching, and the author thoroughly defined the personalities to me. Though I did not weep as much as other readers, I felt both sad and happy about this book. I also laughed out loud at the depiction of other individuals and their lifestyles. It’s as if I’ve met them in person. The author’s writing style was stunning.

I suggest this book to anybody who appreciates a compelling novel with various characters and a plot line about coping with being an orphan as well as discovering what it means to be a family.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)