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3.13 AVERAGE
3.13 AVERAGE
I loved this! One of those books that you race through because OHMYGODWHYISTHATHAPPENINGWHATAREYOUDOING. And I thought the characters and dialogue were very realistic. Loved it.
It's almost 4 in the morning. What a page turner. Seriously. Wow.
-- full thoughts first posted on Rather Be Reading Blog.
There’s nothing like a novel that completely revs you up.
Trust me, in the cause of 99 Days, this is the best compliment I can give.
Molly Barlow is back in Star Lake for the first time since her “scandal” became public knowledge. Her time caught between the Donnelly brothers turned into a best-selling novel by her adopted mother, and the reason she lost so many once-important people in her life. In the wake of this devastation, she runs off to boarding school until senior year ends. Caps in the air and she is back for one more summer, planning to hide for the next 99 days… until she can start fresh at college.
Heavy stuff, right? The complexity within this story knows no bounds, especially as the novel unfolds. Molly’s relationship with her mother is shaky, her old best friend Imogen is avoiding her (and why shouldn’t she since Molly cut her off), and her old close friend, Julia, who also happens to be a Donnelly, is making her life a living hell. This is where my blood starts to boil because even though it takes two to tango, Molly has always been the one taking the brunt when it comes to her Donnelly love triangle. Does anyone key Gabe’s car? Does anyone call Gabe a slut? No, of course not. Enter the lovely double standard because it’s here to stay and made me so incredibly angry on Molly’s behalf. The girl feels guilty enough without having to be reminded of it every five minutes, but why should she be ostracized when Gabe still gets treated like Star Lake’s mayor?
My anger is a testament to Katie Cotugno’s writing. She twists what most think of as a black-and-white situation into something so gray, she’s practically discovered new shades. Love is a messy, complicated thing and I haven’t come across a portrayal of it quite as honest and heartbreaking as this one. When you feel something so intensely for two people at the same time, there aren’t words to properly explain that, especially when the end goal is (rightfully so) supposed to be one person. But how do you shut off your brain or your emotions? The reality is… sometimes you just can’t.
You know that bewildered way you feel after you wake up from a vivid dream? That’s exactly how I felt every time I jumped back into this book. I was in such a zone, and suddenly, I was jolted awake, surprised to realize a whole world was still going on around me. 99 Days was that captivating. Sure, the foundation is Molly caught between Patrick, her first love, and Gabe, this guy she clicks with so well, but it’s so much more than that – the loss of trust she feels with her mom, how much she misses being around the Donnellys when their entire family has been a part of her life for so long, how she had a best friend who stood beside her when things got rough and she took her for granted (everyone needs an Imogen in their lives), and the small realizations we make about ourselves and others as time passes.
There are times in our lives where we have to just follow our hearts – however unconventional that may be – and sometimes we just have to forgive ourselves. Molly may not understand why she is feeling the way she is feeling but at least she was honest with herself about that confusion. Most of all, I love how this book can challenge the most compassionate reader. Everyone makes mistakes; no one is perfect and it confuses me why we put the fictional characters we read about on such pedestals. For all you know, I could be Molly. The person sitting next to you could be Molly. Your best friend could be Molly. We desperately need to shift this conversation away from likability and back to whether or not a book tells an engaging story.
Two fun facts before I say adios: The first time I read 99 Days I stayed up until 4 a.m. on a Saturday night because I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep until I knew how it ended. Second: 99 Days is the first (and only) book I’ve reread this year, and I found it just as sexy, intense, messy, and wonderful as I did the first time around. I haven’t felt quite as passionate about a book this year as I do about this one.
-- full thoughts first posted on Rather Be Reading Blog.
There’s nothing like a novel that completely revs you up.
Trust me, in the cause of 99 Days, this is the best compliment I can give.
Molly Barlow is back in Star Lake for the first time since her “scandal” became public knowledge. Her time caught between the Donnelly brothers turned into a best-selling novel by her adopted mother, and the reason she lost so many once-important people in her life. In the wake of this devastation, she runs off to boarding school until senior year ends. Caps in the air and she is back for one more summer, planning to hide for the next 99 days… until she can start fresh at college.
Heavy stuff, right? The complexity within this story knows no bounds, especially as the novel unfolds. Molly’s relationship with her mother is shaky, her old best friend Imogen is avoiding her (and why shouldn’t she since Molly cut her off), and her old close friend, Julia, who also happens to be a Donnelly, is making her life a living hell. This is where my blood starts to boil because even though it takes two to tango, Molly has always been the one taking the brunt when it comes to her Donnelly love triangle. Does anyone key Gabe’s car? Does anyone call Gabe a slut? No, of course not. Enter the lovely double standard because it’s here to stay and made me so incredibly angry on Molly’s behalf. The girl feels guilty enough without having to be reminded of it every five minutes, but why should she be ostracized when Gabe still gets treated like Star Lake’s mayor?
My anger is a testament to Katie Cotugno’s writing. She twists what most think of as a black-and-white situation into something so gray, she’s practically discovered new shades. Love is a messy, complicated thing and I haven’t come across a portrayal of it quite as honest and heartbreaking as this one. When you feel something so intensely for two people at the same time, there aren’t words to properly explain that, especially when the end goal is (rightfully so) supposed to be one person. But how do you shut off your brain or your emotions? The reality is… sometimes you just can’t.
You know that bewildered way you feel after you wake up from a vivid dream? That’s exactly how I felt every time I jumped back into this book. I was in such a zone, and suddenly, I was jolted awake, surprised to realize a whole world was still going on around me. 99 Days was that captivating. Sure, the foundation is Molly caught between Patrick, her first love, and Gabe, this guy she clicks with so well, but it’s so much more than that – the loss of trust she feels with her mom, how much she misses being around the Donnellys when their entire family has been a part of her life for so long, how she had a best friend who stood beside her when things got rough and she took her for granted (everyone needs an Imogen in their lives), and the small realizations we make about ourselves and others as time passes.
There are times in our lives where we have to just follow our hearts – however unconventional that may be – and sometimes we just have to forgive ourselves. Molly may not understand why she is feeling the way she is feeling but at least she was honest with herself about that confusion. Most of all, I love how this book can challenge the most compassionate reader. Everyone makes mistakes; no one is perfect and it confuses me why we put the fictional characters we read about on such pedestals. For all you know, I could be Molly. The person sitting next to you could be Molly. Your best friend could be Molly. We desperately need to shift this conversation away from likability and back to whether or not a book tells an engaging story.
Two fun facts before I say adios: The first time I read 99 Days I stayed up until 4 a.m. on a Saturday night because I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep until I knew how it ended. Second: 99 Days is the first (and only) book I’ve reread this year, and I found it just as sexy, intense, messy, and wonderful as I did the first time around. I haven’t felt quite as passionate about a book this year as I do about this one.
I hated nearly every character in this book. That does not mean I wasn't super invested in finding out how it ended. But .... it just wasn't what I was expecting and I guess it was super frustrating to have no likable characters.
2.5 Stars
The thing about this book was that 99% percent of the characters were insensitive assholes. And I get that every story about love needs conflict, I really do, but by Day 75 of this 99 Day-long book, I was so done with everyone. I think I finished this book just to see if everyone finally got what they deserved. And while I appreciate the light the author is trying to shine on society's double-standards, it just wasn't enough for me.
The thing about this book was that 99% percent of the characters were insensitive assholes. And I get that every story about love needs conflict, I really do, but by Day 75 of this 99 Day-long book, I was so done with everyone. I think I finished this book just to see if everyone finally got what they deserved. And while I appreciate the light the author is trying to shine on society's double-standards, it just wasn't enough for me.
I think it took me a total of maybe 3 hours total to read this - I couldn't put it down once I started! This was one of those where even as I realized I was nearing the end (after all, the book is called 99 Days, and the chapters are labeled by day), I couldn't decide what I wanted to happen. I appreciated this story because while it wasn't my personal life experience, it felt so like what I used to hear other people describe - it felt authentic.
(Edited to add: I'm really, really surprised reading all these reviews. Yeah, cheating is bad, y'all. But it happens. And uh... friendly reminder... books are fiction, so... not sure why people are so worked up. Regardless, my four star review stands.)
(Edited to add: I'm really, really surprised reading all these reviews. Yeah, cheating is bad, y'all. But it happens. And uh... friendly reminder... books are fiction, so... not sure why people are so worked up. Regardless, my four star review stands.)
The characters were more than a little annoying; and although I sympathized with the character for the first half of the book, her decisions confounded me and I could not relate to her at all. Still a decent read, but only marginally.
I have one word to describe this book: meh. I really didn't like the ending.
It was hard for me to like this book. I understand that not every book should have a likeable main character, that girl characters get criticized when they aren't "nice." However, I couldn't get into the relationship with Gabe because of how much Molly thought about Patrick, and I didn't like Patrick because he was never really presented as kind. Both guys were just props for Molly's issues, so I didn't feel invested in any part of the book. And it's hard for me to cheer for cheating. I don't understand how she could agonize over lying, and then just do the same thing again. No character development, nothing to root for.
The story was very well written and kept me hooked, though the main character was definitely flawed. I’m at a toss up between 3 and 4 stars, but the book was so well written that even though I didn’t love all of the content, it deserves 4 stars.
I didn't like this at all. It was just bad, start to finish. Bluh. Full RTC.