{Review} Top Ten by Katie Cotungo

Posted by Donna
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017 
Finished Date: August 15th, 2018

Publishers: Balzer + Bray
Genre: Contemporary, Romance 
Source: For Review
Format: eARC 

Pages: 320
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo 

 

Ryan McCullough and Gabby Hart are the unlikeliest of friends. Introverted, anxious Gabby would rather do literally anything than go to a party. Ryan is a star hockey player who can get any girl he wants—and does, frequently. But against all odds, they became not only friends, but each other’s favorite person. Now, as they face high school graduation, they can’t help but take a moment to reminisce and, in their signature tradition, make a top ten list—counting down the top ten moments of their friendship: 

10. Where to begin? Maybe the night we met.
9. Then there was our awkward phase.
8. When you were in love with me but never told me…
7. Those five months we stopped talking were the hardest of my life.
6. Through terrible fights…
5. And emotional makeups.
4. You were there for me when I got my heart broken.
3. …but at times, you were also the one breaking it.
2. Above all, you helped me make sense of the world.
1. Now, as we head off to college—how am I possibly going to live without you?

The Review: I was excited to start Top Ten by Katie Contungo because I’ve read a couple of the author’s other books and have always come away happy. This is no different from Top Ten, I enjoyed it but I definitely thought it could have been better.

Best friends Gabby and Ryan have always had a connection. Their friendship has never made sense to either of them because they are the complete opposite. Ryan is a popular Hockey player and Gabby keeps to herself because of her social anxiety. When one night their friendship changes into something more, this story tells us their story from becoming friends to everything that happens in between being told through their top favourite moments of their friendship. 

I really liked the idea of the story being told through the character’s top ten moments. It was definitely interesting but I have to say it was slightly confusing because the story jumps from different moments in the past in no particular order. So one moment could be from Junior year, while the next could be Sophomore year or Freshman year. It was honestly a little hard to keep track of the story this way. For me I felt like the story would have worked better had they had alternative chapters from past to present. Because in all honestly, it was the present story I was more interested in. 

I liked both characters, Ryan more so than Gabby who struggled with several issues and refused to do anything about it all the while putting pressure on Ryan to deal with his own issues. There was some really sweet moments through the story but also some moments that really made you connect to the characters. 

The ending, really? Can I even say it was an ending? I hate open endings and unfortunately Top Ten provides no conclusion to what actually happens to the characters – did they get together? Did they remain friends? I guess it’s down to each person to decide but after spending the last 320 pages reading about these characters I was really disappointed by this ending. There isn’t even an epilogue. 

Thank you to Balzer + Bray for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

{Review} 99 Days by Katie Cotungo

Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 21st, 2015
Finished Date: January 6th, 2015

Publishers: Balzer + Bray
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eBook

Pages: 384

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

From the acclaimed author of How to Love comes another stunning contemporary novel, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen.

Molly Barlow is facing one long, hot summer—99 days—with the boy whose heart she broke and the boy she broke it for . . . his brother.

Day 1: Julia Donnelly eggs my house my first night back in Star Lake, and that's how I know everyone still remembers everything. She has every right to hate me, of course: I broke Patrick Donnelly's heart the night everything happened with his brother, Gabe. 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 wouldn't quit till he got me to come to this party, and I'm surprised to find 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.

The Review: Molly Barlow has always been friends with the Donnelly’s. She’s grown up in their house and they’re like her second family and the fact that she is dating Patrick – the younger Donnelly – shows how strong her connection is to this family. But when Molly cheats on Patrick with his older brother Gabe, the Donnelly’s and all of her friends hate her. As a way to escape Molly moves to a boarding school but, with school out for the summer, she has nowhere to go other than to return home.  It’s back home she finds that everyone still remembers what she did and Julia Donnelly is definitely trying to punish her by egging her house and leaving notes on her car. All Molly wants to do is keep her head down and reconnect with her friends she accidently pushed away, but when Gabe and Molly start spending time together, it’s there that she realises she has feelings for more than one Donnelly brother and more so when Patrick decides that he also wants to spend time with her to. Once again Molly finds herself in the middle of the Donnelly brothers but can it all end with a happy ending?

99 Days is Katie Cotungo’s second novel and like her How to Love, I really enjoyed 99 Days. It is a very quick read, one that is fast-paced and easy to fly through and get lost in the story. I find Katie’s writing completely captivating and well written that once I start one of her books I don’t want to stop. It makes me wish she had more novels released so I could devour them to. Honestly, there is just something about 99 Days that will make you love it.

I really liked the main character Molly. Some people may not because this is kind of a cheating book and I know some people are put off by that. In Molly’s defence there are a few technically, so although she’s not completely innocent she’s not completely to blame either. She doesn’t make the best choices at times around these boys and she does let her emotions take over but honestly with two hot Donnelly brother’s running around, how could the girl not fall at their feet. But Molly’s young and it’s in my opinion it’s good for her to make mistakes while she is young. She definitely grew as the story progressed. She became stronger and I believe a lot of that had to do with Gabe and how he pushed her to do what she wanted.

Now for the Donnelly brother’s, I only liked Patrick. As the story progresses you see that everything is not as black and white as it seemed and I really didn’t like his motives. I felt the connection between him and Molly was more based around them growing up together – being together for most of their younger lives. But Gabe on the other hand, I loved. I felt their relationship was more real and open. Molly could be with him and could leave most of her troubles away. So I was definitely TEAM GABE!

I really enjoyed the plot of the story – love triangle and all. It is an emotional read with lots of adventures and fun moments to. The only thing I didn’t really like was how the story ended. I need closure and this provided none apart from a tiny little moment between Molly and one of the boys that left me feeling hopeful but, nothing much more – nothing concrete. It would be interesting to hear other peoples take on how it ended.

In all, 99 Days is a good summer read that will definitely be a hit. And I’m really looking forward to seeing what Katie comes up with next.  

Thank you to Balzer & Bray for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. 

A Review for How to Love by Katie Cotungo

Posted by Donna
Release Date: October 3rd, 2013
Finished Date: September 4th, 2013

Publishers: Quercus 
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: For Review

Format: Paperback
Pages: 400

Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US 

This is a love story. But it’s not what you think. This is not a first kiss, or a first date. This is not love at first sight. This is a boy and a girl falling in messy, unpredictable, thrilling love. This is the complicated route to happiness that follows.

This is real. This is life. This is how to love.

BEFORE:

Reena has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember. But he’s never noticed her, until one day… he does. They fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town, leaving a devastated – and pregnant – Reena behind.

AFTER:

Three years later and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: her daughter Hannah. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again.

After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer again?

The Review: "What you looked like was never lost on me," he says, lacing one arm around my shoulder, pulling me down until my head is resting on his chest. "Nothing about you, my dear, has ever been lost on me."

I hadn't heard of How to Love until it arrived on my doorstep, and as soon as I read the blurb, I was pretty intrigued.  I knew it was something I wanted to read but I had my doubts seeing as I'd never heard of the book before. Well, I needn't have worried because How to Love is a heart-breaking and hope-filled story about two teenagers finding love, at the wrong place and wrong time, and dealing with unforgettable consequences.

Reena and Sawyer's story is a difficult one. Reena has loved Sawyer from afar for as long as she can remember. They're families are close but Reena always manages to keep her emotions in check around him. It isn't until one day that Sawyer finally takes notice in Reena, that things really start to change for them. The problem is, Sawyer is a boy that comes with a lot of trouble. Sawyer, in my opinion, really is a like two separate people. As we go back and fourth in the before and after story, we see who Sawyer really is and why he becomes the way he is. However, despite his problems there's still something about him that makes you as a reader like him and even feel for his situation. When Sawyer returns, you see the change in him straight away. He's grown up, not so troubled any more and he's ready to face the future. I liked the before Sawyer (even with his problems) but I loved the after Sawyer. And Reena, even as closed off as she was, I liked her. I could understand her reasoning's for the being the way she was. With her family being religious, she was kind of cast out of the family whenever they spent time together. It was sad! The only real person she had to confined in was her friend. It was hard to watch her come out of her protective shell but then, I was rooting for her at the same time too. I guess a lot of people could relate to Reena - for a girl of her age and for the troubles that she went through, she held up very well.

One thing that stood out to me about this book was how much I enjoyed how the story went from past to present - I think Katie Cotungo did it very well and the story was written great too. While I was reading the book I just kept imagining it playing out as movie. I for one think it would be a great contemporary movie! It has enough suspense, lovable moments and sad moments to keep you entertained, the characters are lovable and I just really enjoyed this book.