Countless by Karen Gregory

3 Stars

I received a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, this book tackles topics such as anorexia and teen pregnancy. I will be discussing those topics in the review. If you aren't comfortable with those topics than I'd suggest finding something else to read.

I thought this book was really interesting. It didn't have heavy romance which I was actually really pleased with. I didn't want it to turn into a 'love will cure you' type story. It kind of did go into that direction but not romantically. Being a contemporary, I was sure that was where it was headed.

I can't speak much for the representation of eating disorders in Countless but I do think it was well handled. I did find it interesting how anorexia was characterised similar to Room Empty by Sarah Mussi. I don't know if that's a common thing but it was a good metaphor for people like me who don't know a lot about eating disorders.

I loved Hedda's character development. It was great to see her changing for her baby and I think that was a lot more accurate than a romantic interest would've been. I know teen mums and I've seen the way their priorities just shift completely for their baby. I really loved seeing Hedda grow as a person and realise a lot of things about herself along the way. I haven't read many books about teen pregnancy but I think the representation in this book was pretty good.

I liked seeing the family relationships build towards the end. I'm a sucker for that. I loved that everyone was getting a much better understanding of each other why they were the way they were. Even though it wasn't completely perfect, it was still  nice to see that development.

I think it was a good book. Again, perhaps confronting and triggering to certain people. I really liked Hedda and I really liked watching her grow as a person. I think it was a really interesting book about something that I hadn't even really given much thought to before. It was not what I expected but I'm actually pleased about that.