9 Days and 9 Nights

Gr 9 Up—This follow-up to 99 Days is the continuation of Molly Barlow's relationship saga. Picking up after her freshman year in college, this is an engaging novel that does not entirely stand alone. Molly has spent much of the past year with Ian, who has helped her to become a calmer, more stable version of herself. Now she and Ian are off on a romantic vacation together. While exploring London, they run into Molly's ex, Gabe, and his new girlfriend. Gabe is the reason for Molly's fractured relationship with her hometown, the reason for her heartache, and the reason for the abortion she had at the beginning of the school year. When Ian invites Gabe and Sadie to join them for their trip to Ireland, Molly and Gabe find themselves thrown together and trying to keep their past a secret. Cotugno admirably fills readers in on the events of the previous novel without simply providing a synopsis in chapter one, but teens who have read 99 Days will likely be more satisfied than those who are not familiar with the complex relationships among Molly, Gabe, and his family. Some humor makes the serious topics more easily digested.