Mini Review: 99 Days by Katie Cotugno
Author: Katie Cotugno
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Length: 384 pages
Original Publishing Date: April 21st, 2015
Series: Standalone
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that’s how I know everyone still remembers everything—how I destroyed my relationship with Patrick the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. How I wrecked their whole family. Now I’m serving out my summer like a jail sentence: Just ninety-nine days till I can leave for college, and be done.
Day 4: A nasty note on my windshield makes it clear Julia isn’t finished. I’m expecting a fight when someone taps me on the shoulder, but it’s just Gabe, home from college and actually happy to see me. “For what it’s worth, Molly Barlow,” he says, “I’m really glad you’re back.”
Day 12: Gabe got me to come to this party, and I’m actually having fun. I think he’s about to kiss me—and that’s when I see Patrick. My Patrick, who’s supposed to be clear across the country. My Patrick, who’s never going to forgive me.
This book is like watching a train wreck. So bad but so good.
I've read other reviews on this book and I understand some of the hatred of the main character, Molly. But, and maybe I'm just a shitty person, I understand Molly. I get liking people that you have no business liking. So when other readers and reviewers are talking about how she makes the same mistakes over and over again... Well to me that's just realistic character building. We may like to believe that we all would be different than Molly, that we would make different choices. But I feel a real connection to her. Even when I hate her, when I'm yelling at her and her choices, it feels real.
So, /rant over. Let's get down to business.
Positives:
- I love the concept behind Molly's life. Not just her little love triangle thing, but her mom, the author. And how the truth comes out. This creates really interesting conflict between Molly and her mom, and I loved reading that conflict and how Molly processes all of that.
- Cotugno creates a strong sense of location and setting. I could feel the small town, and especially the lodge. There was a very clear image in my mind of what this all looked like, and I really love that in a novel.
- All the characters are soooo messed up. And that makes them so realistic. You literally hate every single character in this book at one point in the novel. Especially Molly. And Patrick. And Gabe. And JULIA!
Negatives:
- I'm a little lukewarm on the ending, but I can't really point to a real reason why. I like that it has some threads of being open-ended and unresolved, but I feel like there could have been a few more clues to what happens in the long run.
So, yes. I approve of this book. I would even go so far as to say that I love this book. There's a lot to love, including (and especially) the fact that you hate everyone and everything in it.
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