Pages:
372
Publisher:
Quercus
Release
Date: 7th
May 2015
Edition:
UK paperback,
purchased
Last
year, Molly Barlow did something terrible. Then, her mother wrote a bestselling
book about it. And so, everyone in their hometown found out that Molly cheated
on her childhood sweetheart, the love of her life, her best friend, with his
brother.
And
now, Molly has ninety-nine days to endure before she can escape to college.
99
days of being the most hated person in town.
99
days to heal the hurt she’s caused.
99
days to figure out what she wants and who she loves.
Katie Cotugno’s debut, How to Love, was my favourite book of
2013 so I was rather nervous about starting 99
Days. But it was just as full of life, flawed and lovable characters and a
difficult, sticky love story.
After escaping to Arizona for a
year at boarding school, Molly is back in Star Lake for her last summer before
college. And she’s got a lot of baggage and a lot of resentment. Two years ago,
Molly slept with the older brother of her childhood sweetheart and all was
revealed when her mum wrote a bestselling romance novel about it and then
opened up about the story’s origin in People
magazine. The slut-shaming that Molly received was enough to make my
stomach turn. Such double standards. Even Gabe himself admitted that she was
getting attacked while he was barely scathed.
Molly faced her old school
friends, total strangers and her former best friend calling her a ‘slut’ or a ‘dirty
whore’ and it was awful. It took Molly until the end of the novel to finally
realise that yes, she had done wrong, but the Donnelly brothers were equally
wrong in their actions over the past two years. She took ownership of her
actions and she fought back and I was so pleased to see it that I almost fist-pumped.
Molly took her story back for herself and it really made the ending. Some avenues
were closed to Molly, Gabe and Patrick and the summer is over, but there’s
still a possibility for Molly and the Donnelly brother she truly loves. Maybe.
Katie Cotugno writes about love
in all its difficult, contrary, confusing intensity. The strain that the novel
and interview put on Molly’s relationship with her mum, the necessity of
friendships, the tangles of first love and second love, the distinction between
loving someone and being in love with someone. Every incarnation is
blisteringly real and I couldn’t help but get involved with these characters.
I adore Katie Cotugno’s writing,
characters and gritty love stories. She’s earned herself a spot on my auto-buy
list and I can’t wait to fall in love with whatever she writes next.
Sophie
Really want to read this book!
ReplyDelete