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Sep 03, 2017samcmar rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I was super disappointed by Katie Cotugno's 99 Days. It was one of those books I had high hopes for given how much I adored How to Love. Top Ten is closer to How to Love for me, as I found myself engrossed in it. I can understand why other reviews DNF'ed this book -- the style of going back and forth between Ryan and Gabby's perspectives at different points of their lives can feel a bit jarring. Cotugno's writing is beautiful, but the reader is just completely dropped into Gabby and Ryan's friendship without build up. The timelines go back and forth, and it can feel a bit confusing. I, however, embraced what the author was trying to accomplish with the writing, and I loved the message she was going for. Gabby and Ryan are awkward. They suffer from social anxiety. The are best friends, though Ryan is in love with Gabby, and Gabby has a crush on a girl. Gabby is learned to embrace her bisexuality, but she doesn't want her relationship with Ryan to take a hit. All their messy feelings make so much sense and it's easy to feel empathy for them. Cotugno provides us with two main characters who are messy, thoughtful, and you get the sense that there is so much that us unclear surrounding their friendship. I even loved the sloppy, confused romance in this novel. You get the sense that there is so much emotion and inanity of teen angst and love. Top Ten is just such a unique experience for a contemporary novel, just in terms of how it is written. It's not going to gel with every reader, but I found myself engaged from beginning to end, and I feel like regardless of my feelings on 99 Days, I'll still read anything Katie Cotugno writes just for the experience alone.