Book Review: Counting to D by Kate Scott

Title: Counting To D
Author: Kate Scott
Publication: Feb. 11, 2014, Elliot Books
Format: e-ARC copy, 206 pages
Source: Elliot Books through Edelweiss (Thank you Edelweiss and Elliot Books)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indie Bound | Kobo

 Synopsis:

The kids at Sam's school never knew if they should make fun of her for being too smart or too dumb. That's what it means to be dyslexic: smart, and illiterate. Sam is sick of it. So when her mom gets a job in a faraway city, Sam decides not to tell anyone about her little illiteracy problem. Without her paradox of a reputation, she falls in with a new group of highly competitive friends who call themselves the Brain Trust. When she meets Nate, her charming valedictorian lab partner, she declares her new reality perfect. But in order to keep it that way, she has to keep her learning disability a secret. The books are stacked against her and so are the lies. Sam's got to get the grades, get the guy, and get it straight--without being able to read.

Misfit Review:

*I've been provided the copy by the publisher to give an honest review. I am not compensated monetarily for this*

When I started the book, I expected it to be a really light and fluffy read. Yes, it was fluffy but it wasn't light. It was probably the maths' fault!

Knowing that everyone else could read and I couldn't made me angry and frustrated and scared. So I did math. I did math to prove to everyone that I wasn't stupid.

Counting to D is a story of Samantha Wilson or Sam, who is dyslexic. She cannot read and write properly but her ability to understand numbers and diagrams makes her somewhat of a genius! She moves to Oregon after living almost all her life in Atlanta with her friends. Now she must learn to adapt to her environment all over again, stay on top of the class and keep , while also hiding the fact that she's actually dyslexic. 

I think Sam is the type of character who over analyzes things to an extent. She's an honestly wonderful girl it's just those times where I got really bored of her thinking her dyslexia is her defeat. I commend people with this disorder who still live daily, normal lives and get things done. Sam believes she can't get things done with her dyslexia and only numbers are the only things that understand her.

Lissa is the bitchy sister. Kaitlyn's words rattled in my head. Could a popular girl be nicer than a nerd? I'd never seen that story on TV.

Other characters of the book were a total hit and miss. Nathan is a wonderful guy, really. But I found his character rather weak and sometimes, I'd rather not read about him. I wanted more of Graham and Lissa as antagonists. They were intimidating, yes, but they didn't really have enough plot in the story to even have me get intimidated by them as well. I wanted Sam to be challenged through them, but somehow, they got the best of her in the short amount of time. 

Kaitlyn on the other hand was really entertaining. The shift in her personality was quite a shock to be honest, but we all know she's a sweet girl under all that popular facade. Miles and Haroon were really funny, not much of them were written in the book but it was totally worth it. They were nice additions to lighten the mood.

One weird thing I wanted to have happened was for Sam to have ended up with Eli. It was the connection I kind of received from them that got to me, but alas, the truth hurts.

"So tell me, Samantha, why are you trying so hard to put yourself inside the box?"

The story line is light and well-constructed though at times some of the parts were getting shallow. What I enjoyed reading most was Sam's relationship with her Mom and Dad. There was drama far more different than her dyslexia problems and I enjoyed that. I wish it was outstretched and played out more.. Just a little...

"No, it makes you human. Everyone wants to be appreciated."

All in all, I enjoyed reading this novel. I appreciated Sam's efforts to learn, how she just wants to be a normal teenager with friends and go to a college. The writing style was not out there but definitely satisfying. Though I hate numbers, I really like how it was incorporated to Sam's relieving of her anxiousness. And finding out that the author is also dyslexic, I bow down with all of my heart! Great job on a debut novel!

About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Kate Scott lives in the suburbs outside Portland, Oregon with her husband Warren. Kate was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child but somehow managed to fall in love with stories anyway. COUNTING TO D is her first novel. When Kate isn't writing, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, camping, and spending time with her friends and family. Kate also spends a lot of time doing math and sciency things and is a licensed professional engineer.

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