This book was not what I was expecting. If you're looking for an interesting read that will take you on an adventure than this is a good choice.

I requested this on NetGalley as I found the title and description intriguing.

On first impressions, I felt there was nothing clever or elaborate about the writing, but there was an atmosphere, and a sincerity that I enjoyed. The protagonist, Jess, was grieving the loss of her twin sister, Sophie. Reading through the narrative, I felt very aware of that grief, as Jess relived memories of Sophie. I wondered if her trip to Denmark would help her to find peace.

This was a sad, heartfelt story, but at the same time, it sparked joy to read it. I was sorry to hear that the author of this book has sadly passed away, as I would have liked to read more from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Counting in Danish by Celia Berggreen is a highly recommended coming-of-age story following a grieving, surviving twin on a journey.

Twins Jess and Sophie have always known that their father, Mike, isn't their biological father. Their mother, Laura, told them that their father Per Jacobsen was from Denmark and left before they were born. Jess and Sophie were planning to travel to Denmark and find him. Now Sophie, the more confident of the two, is dead and the whole family is deeply grieving. Jess, who frequently counts to ground herself and fight off panic attacks, is seeing and talking to Sophie. She needs to make the trip to Denmark in her sister's memory to overcome her fears and hopefully find closure.

The writing is very good and does an excellent job capturing the emotional impact that a death and withheld secrets can have on a family. The only character that is really explored in any depth is Jess, and she can be an enigma because of a secret she holds that is eventually revealed. Traveling to Denmark marks an accomplishment, especially as Jess undertakes it without Sophie, that will eventually bring emotional closure for her and the whole family.

The story behind the publication of Counting in Danish is as much an emotional journey and love story as the novel itself. Sadly, author Celia Berggreen lost her battle with cancer before publication. Her Danish husband Kristian Berggreen made it his mission to see the novel through publication and fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a published author. Thanks to Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Celia Berggreen took a simple story and played it out to the end. She took two college kids who were in love and made the story go wild. By not explaining what was happening as Jess's mum when she was seeing her boyfriend (Per) hugging a blond woman. The woman was his sister at the time and she was telling Per his father died. Now Jess and Sophie were born 9 months later and this was kept from Per. 21 years later Sophie died and Jess wanted to find her birth father who lived in Denmark. All this time Jess and Sophie were planning to find their birth father. I'm keeping some details private for now, so if you read this story it will amaze you.