Book Review: 99 Days by Katie Cotugno

About the Book

Title: 99 Days

Author: Katie Cotugno

Published: 2015

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Amazon: Check it out!

Personal Rating: Weak at the knees ✮✮✮✮

Discovery

We start off with our protagonist, a young high school graduate Molly Barlow, who arrives back to her home town of Star Lake from graduating boarding school. Molly's mother, a best-selling author named Diana Barlow, had written a book called Driftwood about a young girl named Emily who basically cheated on her boyfriend with his older brother. 

The idea of this book was coined from a night of pain for Molly after her and her boyfriend, Patrick Donnelly, had a fight which ended in Molly having a regretful night of bliss losing her virginity to his older brother Gabe Donnelly.

Most of the book is entirely about how Molly copes with the name calling and dirth looks she gets from all the high kids in town. Once she returns, her only "friend" who seems to treat her with any sort of warmth is Gabe.

Charm

The most enjoyable moments from this book were the inner monologues trying to wrap her head around the fact that both Donnelly brothers are tugging at her heart stings and playing her like a fiddle. Since Molly ends up dating Gabe throughout the majority of the book, it seemed to good to be true. Gabe's warm nature and easy-going nature is what makes Molly loosen her guard and let her enjoy her time at home before going off to college. 

On ther other hand, I feel like the back and forth between Patrick trying to push at her and pull at her through the memories of their childhood and history of their relationship, is pretty toxic but is something that most teenagers dream of (maybe me included) in a backward sort of way.

Molly does reconnect with her former best friend Imogen and Patrick's new girlfriend Tess whilst taking a position at the Lodge working for a divorced mother of two looking for a fresh start.

Disfavour

One of things that stood out to me throughout this whole book is the relationship between Molly and her mother. The mother-daughter dynamic never seems to be the main focus other than the fact that she basically ruined her daughters life and whywrote about Molly's deep dark secrets. Diana's excuse really was that shes a writer and she takes real life experiences and stories as inspiration and that's what she does, as justification which is actually really sad.

Sentiment

I have to give props for the great writing of Katie Cotugno. I am a sucker for YA romance novels and something about this book makes me want to read it again after time has pasted. However, as far as the story goes in my final opinion is that I really enjoyed the ups, downs and internal battles with loving one Donnelly brother and falling in love with another one all while being tormented by their closet lesbian sister.

My final thoughts is that if you love a cute and angsty love triangle with lots of twists and tugs at the heart string then I highly recommend this book to teenagers or young adults alike.

*Side note - I am eager to read the second instalment 9 days & 9 nights so stay tuned!

- L x