Waiting on Wednesday: 10 Things I Hate About Pinky & You Say It First

10 Things I Hate About Pinky
(Dimple and Rishi #3)
by Sandhya Menon
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Publication Date: July 21st 2020
Publisher: Simon Pulse
ISBN: 9781534416819

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The follow-up to When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something about Sweetie follows Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date—with disastrous and hilarious results.

Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny-tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe.

Samir Jha might have a few . . . quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady.

Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions (aka boyfriends) she’s made, she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy, Samir—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they'll never forget. (Goodreads)

I absolutely LOVE the Dimple & Rishi series, and I am SO excited for this third book!
I still need to read the novellas as well, so I'm hoping to read all of these together!

You Say It First
by Katie Cotugno
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Publication Date: June 16th 2020
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
ISBN: 9780062674128

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Meg has her entire life set up perfectly: her boyfriend Mason is sweet and supportive, she and her best friend Emily plan to head to Cornell together in the fall, and she even finds time to clock shifts phonebanking at a voter registration call center in her Philadelphia suburb. But everything changes when one of those calls connects her to a stranger from small-town Ohio, who gets under her skin from the moment he picks up the phone.

Colby is stuck in a rut, reeling from a family tragedy and working a dead-end job—unsure what his future holds, or if he even cares. The last thing he has time for is some privileged rich girl preaching the sanctity of the political process. So he says the worst thing he can think of and hangs up.

But things don’t end there.…

That night on the phone winds up being the first in a series of candid, sometimes heated, always surprising conversations that lead to a long-distance friendship and then—slowly—to something more. Across state lines and phone lines, Meg and Colby form a once-in-a-lifetime connection. But in the end, are they just too different to make it work?
You Say It First is a propulsive, layered novel about how sometimes the person who has the least in common with us can be the one who changes us most. (Goodreads)

I think it has been a while since I read a book by Katie, so I'm super excited to check this new book out. It sounds like it's going to be a very interesting read, so I'm super curious to check it out.

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

My Thoughts: 9 Days and 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno

9 Days and 9 Nights
(99 Days #2)
by Katie Cotugno
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Publication Date: May 1st 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 272
ISBN: 9780062674111
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss

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The irresistible sequel to the bestselling 99 Days.

Molly Barlow isn’t that girl anymore. A business major at her college in Boston, she’s reinvented herself after everything that went down a year ago . . . after all the people she hurt and the family she tore apart.

Slowly, life is getting back to normal. Molly has just said “I love you” to her new boyfriend, Ian, and they are off on a romantic European vacation together, starting with scenic London. But there on a Tube platform, the past catches up to her in the form of Gabe, her ex, traveling on his own parallel vacation with new girlfriend Sadie.

After comparing itineraries, Ian ends up extending an invite for Gabe and Sadie to join them on the next leg of their trip, to Ireland. Sadie, who’s dying to go there, jumps at the prospect. And Molly and Gabe can’t bring themselves to tell the truth about who they once were to each other to their new significant others.

Now Molly has to spend nine days and nine nights with the boy she once loved, the boy whose heart she shredded, without Ian knowing. Will she make it through as new, improved Molly, or will everything that happened between her and Gabe come rushing back? (Goodreads)

I’m always super curious when I discover a new book by Katie Cotugno, and I immediately added 9 Days and 9 Nights to my TBR the moment I discovered it. (I think it’s the pretty covers that always reel me in to her books!) Little did I know that this book was actually a sequel to 99 Days, which I read a few years ago and thought was an interesting read. Once I figured this out, I was even more curious to start the book, and I have to say that I think I enjoyed this book even more than the first book!

9 Days and 9 Nights takes place about a year after the ending of 99 Days. If you’ve read the first book, you’ll know it’s full of lots of drama and angst. I’m not a huge fan of drama, but I psyched myself up for it anyways before starting this book, expecting that’s what we’d get in this story, but that wasn’t the case at all. While there was a little in the book, it was pretty low-key, and that made this book a much more relaxing read. The storyline for the book was both entertaining and adventurous. I really love travels books, as they always make me want to visit wherever the characters go. I think I love the setting for the book the most, which starts out in England, and travels over to Paris. I adore books set in Paris, and I’m determined to actually visit there myself one day. The descriptions were perfection, and I particularly loved following Molly as she explored the area.

There were a lot of interesting characters in this book, including a few we know from the previous book, but a few new ones as well! Molly and Gabe, obviously, are back in the story, but we also get to catch up with Imogen, who is a particular favorite of mine from the beginning, and it was fun catching up with her. Molly and Gabe both felt a little like strangers in this story, like, completely different from the people we followed in the first book. Granted, both had been through a pretty emotional time both in the last book, and during the year in between, so I guess that was expected. They surprised me both in this story, and that was not at all what I expected from them.

Overall; 9 Days and 9 Nights was an interesting sequel to 99 Days! I think I enjoyed this book more than the first book, or maybe I just liked it in a different way than the first book, I’m not sure. Regardless, this book would make a great addition to your summer TBR, so if you don’t already have it on your list, add it today!

Waiting on Wednesday #311 - Puddin' by Julie Murphy & 9 Days & 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno

Puddin'
(Dumplin' #1)
by Julie Murphy
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Publication Date: May 8th 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
ISBN: 9780062418388

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It is a companion novel to Dumplin', which follows supporting characters from the first book in the months after Willowdean's star turn in the Clover City pageant.

Millie Michalchuk has gone to fat camp every year since she was a girl. Not this year. This year she has new plans to chase her secret dream—and to kiss her crush. Callie Reyes is the pretty girl who is next in line for dance team captain and has the popular boyfriend. But when it comes to other girls, she’s more frenemy than friend. When circumstances bring the girls together over the course of a semester, they will surprise everyone (especially themselves) by realizing they might have more in common than they ever imagined. (Goodreads)

You guys! I am SOOOOO excited for this book! I loved Dumplin' when I first read it, and I plan to re-read it again next month before I start Puddin', and I can't wait to read both of them! If you've not yet read Dumplin', read it! Then check out Puddin' as well!

9 Days & 9 Nights
by Katie Cotugno
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Publication Date: May 1st 2018
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
ISBN: 9780062674111

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The irresistible sequel to the bestselling 99 Days.

Molly Barlow isn’t that girl anymore. A business major at her college in Boston, she’s reinvented herself after everything that went down a year ago . . . after all the people she hurt and the family she tore apart.

Slowly, life is getting back to normal. Molly has just said “I love you” to her new boyfriend, Ian, and they are off on a romantic European vacation together, starting with scenic London. But there on a Tube platform, the past catches up to her in the form of Gabe, her ex, traveling on his own parallel vacation with new girlfriend Sadie.

After comparing itineraries, Ian ends up extending an invite for Gabe and Sadie to join them on the next leg of their trip, to Ireland. Sadie, who’s dying to go there, jumps at the prospect. And Molly and Gabe can’t bring themselves to tell the truth about who they once were to each other to their new significant others.

Now Molly has to spend nine days and nine nights with the boy she once loved, the boy whose heart she shredded, without Ian knowing. Will she make it through as new, improved Molly, or will everything that happened between her and Gabe come rushing back? (Goodreads)

Ahhhh, I am SO curious about this sequel to 99 Days! I read that book a few years ago, and I'm really curious to see what's up for Molly in this story. I think I may have to re-read the first book before starting this, so that should be fun as well!

Those are my picks for this week!!
What books are you excited to get your hands on??

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

My Thoughts: Fireworks by Katie Cotugno

Fireworks
by Katie Cotugno
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Publication Date:April 11th 2018
Publisher: HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9780062660244
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: For Review

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From Katie Cotugno, bestselling author of 99 Days, comes Fireworks—about a girl who is competing with her best friend to become the new pop star of the moment—and all the drama and romance that comes with it—set in Orlando during the late-'90s boy-and-girl-band craze.

It was always meant to be Olivia. She was the talented one, the one who had been training to be a star her whole life. Her best friend, Dana, was the level-headed one, always on the sidelines, cheering her best friend along.

But everything changes when Dana tags along with Olivia to Orlando for the weekend, where superproducer Guy Monroe is holding auditions for a new singing group, and Dana is discovered too. Dana, who’s never sung more than Olivia’s backup. Dana, who wasn’t even looking for fame. Next thing she knows, she and Olivia are training to be pop stars, and Dana is falling for Alex, the earnest, endlessly talented boy who’s destined to be the next big thing.

It should be a dream come true, but as the days of grueling practice and constant competition take their toll, things between Olivia and Dana start to shift . . . and there’s only room at the top for one girl. For Olivia, it’s her chance at her dream. For Dana, it’s a chance to escape a future that seems to be closing in on her. And for these lifelong best friends, it’s the adventure of a lifetime—if they can make it through.

Set in evocative 1990s Orlando, New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno’s Fireworks brings to life the complexity of friendship, the excitement of first love, and the feeling of being on the verge of greatness. (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...
I was super curious to get started on Fireworks by Katie Cotugno, especially after reading her previous book, 99 Days, last year and really enjoying it. I had the pleasure of meeting Katie not too long ago, and she's such a fun person, and it really reflects in her writing!

The first thing that had me excited to read Fireworks was that it was set in the 90's. That was my era! The decade of boy bands and pop star girls. I fully expected to be completely immersed in memories of my childhood, but this book actually read just like any other contemporary novel, just minus the modern technologies. Not that there was anything wrong with that; it's always interesting to see someone else's version of the past. The book is filled with lots of drama, and the end took a bit of an unexpected twist that I didn't see coming, (but should have expected). It was also a really quick read. I read it in just a few hours time!

It was interesting to read the story from the main character, Dana's, perspective. She wants nothing more than to get out of her small town, and when the opportunity arrives to have something more, she totally jumps on it. I didn't really care for her best friend, Olivia, who seemed really great at first, or her mom, who made me cringe more than once. But I did like Alex, who is in a boy band, and who is really pretty awesome. I think he was my favorite character in the story. *grin*

Overall; Fireworks was a quick, interesting read. It's a definitely a book have on your spring and summer reading lists. I still need to read Katie's How to Love, which I'm hoping to get to soon, and I'm also excited for her next book, Top Ten, which is set to release in the Fall!

Waiting on Wednesday #275 - Top Ten by Katie Cotugno

Top Ten
by Katie Cotugno
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Publication Date: October 3rd 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
ISBN: 9780062418302

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From Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of 99 Days, How to Love, and Fireworks, comes Top Ten—the top ten best moments in the best friendship—turned potential romance—between a couple who should have nothing in common.

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? (Goodreads)

A new book from Katie Cotugno? Yes, please!
I think the main character has already won me over, just by reading the summary.
Introverted and anxious, that sounds just like me,

and I'm sure we will get along just fine. Haha!
Super excited to have this one my TBR!

**"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine,
that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.**

Review: 99 Days by Katie Cotugno

99 Days
by Katie Cotugno
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Publication Date: April 21st 2015
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 384
ISBN: 9780062216380
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary
Source: Edelweiss

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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. (Goodreads)

99 Days is a book about facing your mistakes, and learning to start over. When Molly’s mom turns her biggest mistake into a best-selling novel, Molly’s first instinct is to run. After being away at boarding school for the past year, it’s time for her to return to her small town for the summer, to face the past she left behind, and the biggest mistake she ever made. 

It’s not often that I read a book where I felt both sympathy and insane frustration for a main character. That’s exactly how I felt about Molly while I was reading this book. There were SO many decisions that she made throughout the story that made me shake my head, or really, made me want to shake some sense into her. But then, in a way, I kind of get why she did the things that she did. Not that I agree with them at all, but I get it. Otherwise, I love how strong her character seemed to be. While all that was going on around her, when everyone blamed only her for what happened, she stayed headstrong, and didn’t let anyone bring her down. I always find that admirable.

All of the characters in the book are very well written. No one is perfect in this story; a few of them are super far from it, but they are all interesting nonetheless. I think Gabe was my favorite character in the whole book, and even he had many flaws. There are also characters in the book that you are REALLY going to hate, or at least I did. I didn’t appreciate at all how some of the girls treated Molly. Yes, she made a few bad choices in the book, but I don’t see how that was any of their business at all, and it made me SO angry how they treated her.

I’m not a huge fan of drama, but in this book, it was addictive! And it wasn’t just the drama, this whole book was addictive. Even while was reading it and thing how completely wrong so many things were as I turned the pages, I still couldn’t stop reading the book. It was this really weird type of intense, one that was, at times, uncomfortable.  And I just HAD to know how it was all going to end. Also, I really enjoyed the writing style for the book, and that each chapter was written for the specific day in Molly’s life. I really enjoyed the ending of the book as well.

Overall; while this book made me super uncomfortable in parts, I still really enjoyed reading it. I liked that the book was different than what I expected, that the characters and decisions made were so imperfect, and that the storyline was so realistic. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from Katie Cotugno soon.