REVIEW: 99 DAYS BY KATIE COTUGNO.

Title: 99 Days
Author: Katie Cotugno
Series: Stand Alone
Edition: Paperback (International Edition)
Publication: April 21, 2015 by Balzer + Bray
Source: Bought from National Book Store
Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

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.

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I cannot even draft this review without feeling so angst-y and rage-y. I mean, this story? UNCOOL. Cheating is one thing (and that I could tolerate depending on how it would be presented) but it's full of slut-shaming, bullying, double standards and sexism I don't even want to elaborate.

I would have given this absolutely ZERO fucks stars but I decided to give one star for the author's attempt hard work and one star for what it made me feel during the course of reading. Yes, it made do/feel violent things: I pulled my hair, I feared turning the next page and I wanted to slap Molly in the face with a chair so hard she'd come to her senses. It's rare for a book to make me feel that. I was just so infuriated the whole time. This book, I believe, would have ended in such high note but not even a glimpse of empowerment made it through its pages.

99 Days gave me the thrill initially. I have never read a book like this before. I wanted to flail because a cheating trope is something absolutely new to me plus I wanted to know how the story goes. Different people have different takes on cheating but heck, this was waist-deep let down. I loved the first couple of chapters but Molly's --- grrrrr -- stupidity threw everything out the window. I knew it, I knew that at some point she would fuck everything all over again and that was exactly what made me hate this one. Why does she have to make the same mistake? Like didn't she learn from what hell she just went through? And this is all for what? It isn't love, man. It's bullshit, that's what.

I also want to point out how come nobody's hating Patrick and Gabe but naaaa, I don't wanna even go there. I don't wanna stress myself. Also, Molly's mother? WHAT THE FUCK WAS WRONG WITH HER?

99 Days is one of the most horrifying books I've ever read and I wish I could buy some brain bleach from the grocery store so I could bleach mine BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN WANT TO REMEMBER IT. Sorry, I am not that forgiving today.

"Why are you going to let people who are hell-bent on not forgiving you keep you from something that could actually be great?"