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100 Days of Cake
Get well soon just won’t cut it in this quirky and poignant debut novel about a girl, her depression, and an aggressive amount of baked goods, as she struggles to simply stay afloat.
Every other senior at Coral Cove High School might be mapping out every facet of their future this summer, but not Molly Byrne. She just wants to spend time (and maybe the rest of her life) watching Golden Girls reruns and hanging out with her cute coworker at FishTopia. Some days, they are the only things that get her out of bed.
You see, for the past year, Molly’s been struggling with depression, and crushing on her therapist isn’t helping. But then again, neither is her mom, who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure her—as if icing alone can magically make her rejoin the swim team of care about the SATs.
So when Molly finds out FishTopia is turning into a lame country diner, her already crummy life starts to fall even more out of her control, and soon she has to figure out what—if anything—is worth fighting for.
Every other senior at Coral Cove High School might be mapping out every facet of their future this summer, but not Molly Byrne. She just wants to spend time (and maybe the rest of her life) watching Golden Girls reruns and hanging out with her cute coworker at FishTopia. Some days, they are the only things that get her out of bed.
You see, for the past year, Molly’s been struggling with depression, and crushing on her therapist isn’t helping. But then again, neither is her mom, who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure her—as if icing alone can magically make her rejoin the swim team of care about the SATs.
So when Molly finds out FishTopia is turning into a lame country diner, her already crummy life starts to fall even more out of her control, and soon she has to figure out what—if anything—is worth fighting for.
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2016
23 people are currently reading
1418 people want to read
About the author
Shari Goldhagen
5 books91 followersAfter serious pursuits of literature at Northwestern (BSJ) and Ohio State (MFA), Shari Goldhagen discovered she had a knack for sifting through celebrity trash and worked as a gossip writer for publications including The National Enquirer, Us Weekly, and Life & Style Weekly. And her articles on pop culture, travel and relationships have appeared everywhere from Cosmopolitan to Penthouse. She has received fellowships from Yaddo and MacDowell and currently lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
April 7, 2018
You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight
2.5*
I have "the mixed feelings", guys. There were some parts of this book that were endearing to me, and then some parts that had me shaking my head. But in the interest of positivity, let's start with the good, shall we?
The Good:
The Golden Girls. It might seem weird that this is my first bullet point, but maybe you don't understand how much love I have for the Golden Girls. (May most of them rest in peace.) Alex won me over immediately by hanging out with Molly in a fish store watching The Golden Girls. What are you waiting for, Molly?
As someone who has traveled (travels, really) the depression path, I think that Molly's situation was definitely well represented. Molly wasn't always fun to be around. She wasn't always a great friend. Because she was going through shit. She'd take some steps forward, and then take some steps back. It was all so accurate, and I liked that the author never painted this rosy picture of what depression looks like.
I truly did feel a connection to Molly. Even though there were so many times that I just wanted to shake my head at her and say "oh, honey" (HIMYM reference, anyone?), I couldn't help but relate and sympathize.
Molly was a swimmer. And we know that I am unabashedly biased when it comes to swimming in books. Molly even talks about swimming in relation to her depression- and both depictions were accurate!
Her family was present. Not perfect, but at least trying, you know? Granted, sometimes I wanted to smack them for some insensitive remarks, but... yeah, they were trying.
The Not:
The Thing You've Probably Heard About. All the other stuff that I didn't like about this book pales in comparison to TTYPHA. I had people straight up ask me while I was reading to spoil them about TTYPHA, because they were so uncomfortable with it. So for you folks who want to know... And for those of you who don't want to know, let's just say that the therapy was not handled in a great way at all, on a lot of levels. There was no redemption for TTYPHA.
Slut shaming. Look, slut shaming is never okay, and in this case, it was just confusing because no one was doing anything that I'd consider to fall into the "slutty" definition anyway. Like, Molly's sister wears... clothes. Like, clothes a girl would wear in the summer to a pool party. And Molly and her friend Elle had a (vulgar) field day dissecting the sister.
Then later, continues with this gem, though Molly finally does moderately defend her sister:
The cake part of the book.... I didn't think it was necessary? Ironically, since that is the book's title. And I am pretty sure that Cait is going to smite me or something for saying cake is unnecessary but... that's what I am saying. There ends up being a "reason", but... meh.
Sometimes her sister was very insensitive about mental health, and flippant about suicide, which really pissed me off. Look, I know she is fifteen and all, but the gravity of suicide is not something to joke about. There is a line that, while I am not certain is in the finished copy (and I really hope isn't, someone go look for me) that made me mad and sad all at once. Molly and her sister are arguing over usual sisterly nonsense, when Veronica spews this abomination:
Well. Then. This isn't the only time V uses suicide to hurt Molly (she later tells her that she should kill herself so they can move on with their lives) but it is definitely inappropriate as hell. I'm not saying it's totally unrealistic that an angry fifteen year old would lash out, but it is a hard thing to read when it is in reference to an actual human being who ended his life. That is the part that upset me the most.
Bottom Line: While it isn't a bad book by any means, and was entertaining, some of the things that bothered me really bothered me, and I certainly can't overlook that. I think this book may be a case of whether you are okay with some of the things I wasn't okay with- and if so, it is a good read, and it does portray Molly's depression fabulously.
*Copy provided by publisher for review
**Quotes taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change.
2.5*
I have "the mixed feelings", guys. There were some parts of this book that were endearing to me, and then some parts that had me shaking my head. But in the interest of positivity, let's start with the good, shall we?
The Good:
The Golden Girls. It might seem weird that this is my first bullet point, but maybe you don't understand how much love I have for the Golden Girls. (May most of them rest in peace.) Alex won me over immediately by hanging out with Molly in a fish store watching The Golden Girls. What are you waiting for, Molly?
As someone who has traveled (travels, really) the depression path, I think that Molly's situation was definitely well represented. Molly wasn't always fun to be around. She wasn't always a great friend. Because she was going through shit. She'd take some steps forward, and then take some steps back. It was all so accurate, and I liked that the author never painted this rosy picture of what depression looks like.
I truly did feel a connection to Molly. Even though there were so many times that I just wanted to shake my head at her and say "oh, honey" (HIMYM reference, anyone?), I couldn't help but relate and sympathize.
Molly was a swimmer. And we know that I am unabashedly biased when it comes to swimming in books. Molly even talks about swimming in relation to her depression- and both depictions were accurate!
"I've always been kind of obsessive about grades and art class and big meets and stuff, but it got to the point where little things like having to pee when I'd already put on both practice suits could bring me to tears, and it just became easier to give up on stuff."
Her family was present. Not perfect, but at least trying, you know? Granted, sometimes I wanted to smack them for some insensitive remarks, but... yeah, they were trying.
The Not:
The Thing You've Probably Heard About. All the other stuff that I didn't like about this book pales in comparison to TTYPHA. I had people straight up ask me while I was reading to spoil them about TTYPHA, because they were so uncomfortable with it. So for you folks who want to know... And for those of you who don't want to know, let's just say that the therapy was not handled in a great way at all, on a lot of levels. There was no redemption for TTYPHA.
Slut shaming. Look, slut shaming is never okay, and in this case, it was just confusing because no one was doing anything that I'd consider to fall into the "slutty" definition anyway. Like, Molly's sister wears... clothes. Like, clothes a girl would wear in the summer to a pool party. And Molly and her friend Elle had a (vulgar) field day dissecting the sister.
"'So seriously, what was up with V's hoochie mama getup?' Elle asks. 'Was she going cock shopping?'"
Then later, continues with this gem, though Molly finally does moderately defend her sister:
"''It's obviously her prerogative'- Elle is still talking- 'but it was like your sister was ready for a Girls Gone Wild audition.' 'I thought she looked kind of pretty,' I say, which is the truth.
The cake part of the book.... I didn't think it was necessary? Ironically, since that is the book's title. And I am pretty sure that Cait is going to smite me or something for saying cake is unnecessary but... that's what I am saying. There ends up being a "reason", but... meh.
Sometimes her sister was very insensitive about mental health, and flippant about suicide, which really pissed me off. Look, I know she is fifteen and all, but the gravity of suicide is not something to joke about. There is a line that, while I am not certain is in the finished copy (and I really hope isn't, someone go look for me) that made me mad and sad all at once. Molly and her sister are arguing over usual sisterly nonsense, when Veronica spews this abomination:
"'With all her baking and worrying that you're gonna Robin Williams yourself, she doesn't really have a whole lot of free time anymore, does she?' V says."
Well. Then. This isn't the only time V uses suicide to hurt Molly (she later tells her that she should kill herself so they can move on with their lives) but it is definitely inappropriate as hell. I'm not saying it's totally unrealistic that an angry fifteen year old would lash out, but it is a hard thing to read when it is in reference to an actual human being who ended his life. That is the part that upset me the most.
Bottom Line: While it isn't a bad book by any means, and was entertaining, some of the things that bothered me really bothered me, and I certainly can't overlook that. I think this book may be a case of whether you are okay with some of the things I wasn't okay with- and if so, it is a good read, and it does portray Molly's depression fabulously.
*Copy provided by publisher for review
**Quotes taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change.
December 29, 2018
This was a huge disappointment for me. I really thought this book was going to be a five-star read, the synopsis sounded like something I had never read before but something I would enjoy. However, it was portrayed so poorly that the plot didn't even matter, not that there was much of a solid plot.
In the beginning of the book, the author categorises people on the swim team and people in AP classes as dorks. Even though the main character describes herself as being a 'dork' too, it rubbed me the wrong way. I myself do not understand how swimming and being bright is dorky. I thought I would brush this off as I hadn't made it very far into the book and I was hoping this would be the only problematic element. Boy was I wrong.
The main character, Molly, struggles with depression. The portrayal of Molly's depression was the only thing that was slightly good about this book. I thought that Molly's mental illness was dealt with rather well and it seemed raw and real. However, this is coming from someone who has never dealt with depression themselves, but who has family members and friends who do, so my opinion may be somewhat invalid.
In all honesty, Molly seemed obnoxious and I hated her character. All throughout the book she seemed clueless that other people had feelings and other people have problems. The way she treated her sister, Elle and Alex was horrible. She would say nasty things and play around with Alex's feelings. Having depression does not give her a get-out-free card for being an arsehole.
The slut shaming in this book was disgusting. Molly's sister (Veronica) is described as wearing a skirt and a bikini top to a summer pool party in the Florida heat. Normal clothes that girls wear to a pool party...right? Molly and her friend Elle (who is even worse) start slut shaming Veronica. "So seriously, what was up with V's hoochie mama getup?" "Was she going cock shopping?" I was honestly so shocked and disgusted and this was one of the many "wtf" moments I had during the book. What annoyed me even more was when Elle tried to back peddle by saying "Not to be a sexist troll - obviously a women has the right to wear whatever she wants."
What?! This actually made me laugh. It felt like a line the author used to make sure she wouldn't get hate for all the girl hate and slut shaming she crammed into her book.
What was worse? Molly didn't stand up for her sister and joined in with Elle. She then later gets in a fight with her sister and says "You only cock please, don't you, you selfish little slut." This is absolutely vulgar...and to her own sister?!
Throughout the book I counted how many times Molly used the word 'Model-house' or 'Model-*insert room*' because yes, I am petty like that. She used it 25 times. That's 25 times I wanted to chuck this book across the room. Molly describes their new house as being the model house that was used to give clients an idea of how to decorate their new homes. That's fair enough. However, it was used in every single sentence used to describe her house. There was no need for it and it was so annoying!! For example, instead of just saying "I head to the kicthen", she would say, "I head to the model-kitchen". She also made sure to tell us that everything was an upgrade. I couldn't even be bothered to count how many times she did this (TOO MANY TIMES). "The door bursts open with so much force that the knob (a brass upgrade) smashes against the wall". The amount of times she said how every fancy thing was an upgrade just seemed to back up my thought that she was a brat. "I go upstairs and shower under the big brass rain shower head (another upgrade). Everything is going okay-ish until I pull open the double doors of my bedroom closet (yep, another upgrade)." Is it me or is she starting to sound like a broken record/a programmed robot? At first I wondered if it was being used to show how she felt this home didn't feel like her home. This may be the case but it was so overused that this idea flew out of my mind and I just started getting annoyed.
Molly's best friend Elle was a vile character. She was just plain bitchy. She slut shamed her best friends sister and any other girl who hung out with a guy she had a crush on. Example: '"God what is she wearing?" Elle says, equal parts disgust and envy.' She says this about Molly's sister when she is wearing a sundress. A SUNDRESS. Again putting her down and trash-talking her for what she is wearing. I thought she said that women could wear whatever they wanted *cue ironic laugh*. Oh wait, here we go! "I know she's your sister, and women have the right to dress however they want, but she is seriously everything wrong with America". Again the author is adding the famous "I know girls can wear what they want" to make it seem as if what Elle is saying isn't wrong.
She then goes on to throw some girl hate at a character briefly introduced (we don't really know who she is) at a party.
At the party, Meredith seemed really nice to the girls and offered them a drink. However, Molly and Elle continued to bash her throughout the whole book. "Meredith 'Hooters girl' Hoffman? Puh-leese. What is it with these great guys dating completely vapid girls? There's more to a women than how she fills out a tank top." Earlier in the book, Elle was complaining about her "non-existent boobs" and so this seems like a jealous bitchy comment to me. I honestly want to know if the author intentionally made Elle a bitch or if she actually thought she was a good character?!
Elle is also portrayed as being an eco-friendly vegetarian who likes to save the planet, which at first I respected. However, as the book continues, it starts to get a little ridiculous and unbelievable. On page 183 she goes on a rant about how it's wrong to assume animals would have bad grammar if they could talk (regarding funny animal memes and Instagram pet pages). "It's about fur dignity. If dogs and cats could read and write English, why would we assume they'd have atrocious grammar and spelling?"
"So this has been an issue with you for some time? That these animals, after working so hard to become literate, are picked on for petty mistakes?"
"Exactly."
And no, she was not joking. And no, I didn't find this humorous or quirky. It got to the point where it was annoying and down right silly.
Alex is introduced at the beginning of the book as Molly's friend and co-worker at FishTopia. He seemed like a really sweet guy and Molly describes him as being her really close friend. However, as soon as her therapist (who she has a massive crush on) tells her he is immature, she agrees and tells us how much she dislikes him. Wow, what a fake friend. Molly keeps saying how she doesn't want to be with Alex but then in the next chapter she's in love with him. As soon as she sees him with another girl she is wishing she got with him and then she changes her mind and says "Dr.B. was right, he's immature and I shouldn't have wasted a single thought on him. It goes on and on like this and then on the very last page of the book....SHE ASKS HIM OUT AND THEY GET TOGETHER?!
All the characters are so toxic. Her little sister, Veronica, tells her to kill herself. Veronica also doesn't seem to understand what depression is and has a go at Molly for "being fine one day and not fine the next"...that's kind of what depression is? You have good and bad days (Not saying I'm an expert on depression!) I understand Veronica was not being sympathetic but I hated the toxic relationship. I also did not like Veronica's ignorance towards mental illness and suicide.
Molly is in love with her 39-year-old therapist. She is seventeen. Her 'love' for Dr.B. seemed more like an infatuation and less like a romantic crush, this girl was obsessed! The scene with Molly and Dr.B. was disturbing, scary and upsetting. He was completely smashed and kept trying to get Molly, who is underage, drunk as well. Bear in mind that the legal age for drinking in America is 21! Molly also thought it was scary and I was finally relieved that she saw him for who he was. A creepy and vile man who was grooming her for sex (in a nut shell). "You really are a thirty-seven-year-old trapped in a teenagers body-not that it's a bad body, mind you. It's truly a lovely body." WTF?! However, the next day she started liking him again?! "As scary as he was that night, I still miss Dr.Brooks. Does one stupid night when he was sauced negate all of that?" YES IT DOES! HE BASICALLY TRIED TO RAPE YOU! He forced himself onto her and when she tried to leave, got angry and aggressive, using the line "I'm going to lose my licence over this ?" This shows he didn't give a toss about Molly, his PATIENT, and also shows that if he lost his licence, he at least wanted to get sex out of it.
Elle tries to persuade Molly to tell someone and report him but she never does. He gets away with everything and she doesn't tell anyone. The author portrays this as being okay? Portrays an attempted rape on a minor as being okay because the minor had a crush on him? There were no repercussions and Molly didn't seem phased, she also seemed to forgive him. She also thought about him doing it to another girl yet she still didn't want to turn him in.
The therapy sessions were also very unrealistic. However, now I know why. It's because the therapist was an unprofessional creep who told Molly what she wanted to hear. Who got jealous of Alex and told Molly how immature and stupid he was.
The mother wasn't really present within the book apart from when she was baking cakes. The characters weren't very complex and the writing seemed quite immature.
Overall, this was a very poor book and I was so disappointed. I can't even look at the book without making a disgusted face because of how problematic it is! I was hoping for a positive portrayal of therapists, mental illness and family.
In the beginning of the book, the author categorises people on the swim team and people in AP classes as dorks. Even though the main character describes herself as being a 'dork' too, it rubbed me the wrong way. I myself do not understand how swimming and being bright is dorky. I thought I would brush this off as I hadn't made it very far into the book and I was hoping this would be the only problematic element. Boy was I wrong.
The main character, Molly, struggles with depression. The portrayal of Molly's depression was the only thing that was slightly good about this book. I thought that Molly's mental illness was dealt with rather well and it seemed raw and real. However, this is coming from someone who has never dealt with depression themselves, but who has family members and friends who do, so my opinion may be somewhat invalid.
In all honesty, Molly seemed obnoxious and I hated her character. All throughout the book she seemed clueless that other people had feelings and other people have problems. The way she treated her sister, Elle and Alex was horrible. She would say nasty things and play around with Alex's feelings. Having depression does not give her a get-out-free card for being an arsehole.
The slut shaming in this book was disgusting. Molly's sister (Veronica) is described as wearing a skirt and a bikini top to a summer pool party in the Florida heat. Normal clothes that girls wear to a pool party...right? Molly and her friend Elle (who is even worse) start slut shaming Veronica. "So seriously, what was up with V's hoochie mama getup?" "Was she going cock shopping?" I was honestly so shocked and disgusted and this was one of the many "wtf" moments I had during the book. What annoyed me even more was when Elle tried to back peddle by saying "Not to be a sexist troll - obviously a women has the right to wear whatever she wants."
What?! This actually made me laugh. It felt like a line the author used to make sure she wouldn't get hate for all the girl hate and slut shaming she crammed into her book.
What was worse? Molly didn't stand up for her sister and joined in with Elle. She then later gets in a fight with her sister and says "You only cock please, don't you, you selfish little slut." This is absolutely vulgar...and to her own sister?!
Throughout the book I counted how many times Molly used the word 'Model-house' or 'Model-*insert room*' because yes, I am petty like that. She used it 25 times. That's 25 times I wanted to chuck this book across the room. Molly describes their new house as being the model house that was used to give clients an idea of how to decorate their new homes. That's fair enough. However, it was used in every single sentence used to describe her house. There was no need for it and it was so annoying!! For example, instead of just saying "I head to the kicthen", she would say, "I head to the model-kitchen". She also made sure to tell us that everything was an upgrade. I couldn't even be bothered to count how many times she did this (TOO MANY TIMES). "The door bursts open with so much force that the knob (a brass upgrade) smashes against the wall". The amount of times she said how every fancy thing was an upgrade just seemed to back up my thought that she was a brat. "I go upstairs and shower under the big brass rain shower head (another upgrade). Everything is going okay-ish until I pull open the double doors of my bedroom closet (yep, another upgrade)." Is it me or is she starting to sound like a broken record/a programmed robot? At first I wondered if it was being used to show how she felt this home didn't feel like her home. This may be the case but it was so overused that this idea flew out of my mind and I just started getting annoyed.
Molly's best friend Elle was a vile character. She was just plain bitchy. She slut shamed her best friends sister and any other girl who hung out with a guy she had a crush on. Example: '"God what is she wearing?" Elle says, equal parts disgust and envy.' She says this about Molly's sister when she is wearing a sundress. A SUNDRESS. Again putting her down and trash-talking her for what she is wearing. I thought she said that women could wear whatever they wanted *cue ironic laugh*. Oh wait, here we go! "I know she's your sister, and women have the right to dress however they want, but she is seriously everything wrong with America". Again the author is adding the famous "I know girls can wear what they want" to make it seem as if what Elle is saying isn't wrong.
She then goes on to throw some girl hate at a character briefly introduced (we don't really know who she is) at a party.
At the party, Meredith seemed really nice to the girls and offered them a drink. However, Molly and Elle continued to bash her throughout the whole book. "Meredith 'Hooters girl' Hoffman? Puh-leese. What is it with these great guys dating completely vapid girls? There's more to a women than how she fills out a tank top." Earlier in the book, Elle was complaining about her "non-existent boobs" and so this seems like a jealous bitchy comment to me. I honestly want to know if the author intentionally made Elle a bitch or if she actually thought she was a good character?!
Elle is also portrayed as being an eco-friendly vegetarian who likes to save the planet, which at first I respected. However, as the book continues, it starts to get a little ridiculous and unbelievable. On page 183 she goes on a rant about how it's wrong to assume animals would have bad grammar if they could talk (regarding funny animal memes and Instagram pet pages). "It's about fur dignity. If dogs and cats could read and write English, why would we assume they'd have atrocious grammar and spelling?"
"So this has been an issue with you for some time? That these animals, after working so hard to become literate, are picked on for petty mistakes?"
"Exactly."
And no, she was not joking. And no, I didn't find this humorous or quirky. It got to the point where it was annoying and down right silly.
Alex is introduced at the beginning of the book as Molly's friend and co-worker at FishTopia. He seemed like a really sweet guy and Molly describes him as being her really close friend. However, as soon as her therapist (who she has a massive crush on) tells her he is immature, she agrees and tells us how much she dislikes him. Wow, what a fake friend. Molly keeps saying how she doesn't want to be with Alex but then in the next chapter she's in love with him. As soon as she sees him with another girl she is wishing she got with him and then she changes her mind and says "Dr.B. was right, he's immature and I shouldn't have wasted a single thought on him. It goes on and on like this and then on the very last page of the book....SHE ASKS HIM OUT AND THEY GET TOGETHER?!
All the characters are so toxic. Her little sister, Veronica, tells her to kill herself. Veronica also doesn't seem to understand what depression is and has a go at Molly for "being fine one day and not fine the next"...that's kind of what depression is? You have good and bad days (Not saying I'm an expert on depression!) I understand Veronica was not being sympathetic but I hated the toxic relationship. I also did not like Veronica's ignorance towards mental illness and suicide.
Molly is in love with her 39-year-old therapist. She is seventeen. Her 'love' for Dr.B. seemed more like an infatuation and less like a romantic crush, this girl was obsessed! The scene with Molly and Dr.B. was disturbing, scary and upsetting. He was completely smashed and kept trying to get Molly, who is underage, drunk as well. Bear in mind that the legal age for drinking in America is 21! Molly also thought it was scary and I was finally relieved that she saw him for who he was. A creepy and vile man who was grooming her for sex (in a nut shell). "You really are a thirty-seven-year-old trapped in a teenagers body-not that it's a bad body, mind you. It's truly a lovely body." WTF?! However, the next day she started liking him again?! "As scary as he was that night, I still miss Dr.Brooks. Does one stupid night when he was sauced negate all of that?" YES IT DOES! HE BASICALLY TRIED TO RAPE YOU! He forced himself onto her and when she tried to leave, got angry and aggressive, using the line "I'm going to lose my licence over this ?" This shows he didn't give a toss about Molly, his PATIENT, and also shows that if he lost his licence, he at least wanted to get sex out of it.
Elle tries to persuade Molly to tell someone and report him but she never does. He gets away with everything and she doesn't tell anyone. The author portrays this as being okay? Portrays an attempted rape on a minor as being okay because the minor had a crush on him? There were no repercussions and Molly didn't seem phased, she also seemed to forgive him. She also thought about him doing it to another girl yet she still didn't want to turn him in.
The therapy sessions were also very unrealistic. However, now I know why. It's because the therapist was an unprofessional creep who told Molly what she wanted to hear. Who got jealous of Alex and told Molly how immature and stupid he was.
The mother wasn't really present within the book apart from when she was baking cakes. The characters weren't very complex and the writing seemed quite immature.
Overall, this was a very poor book and I was so disappointed. I can't even look at the book without making a disgusted face because of how problematic it is! I was hoping for a positive portrayal of therapists, mental illness and family.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2016
Decent read about a teen struggling with depression and the stress of the big “what now” after high school. I thought this was a pretty good depiction of adolescent depression. The main character could be pretty frustrating at times but depression does tend to make situations more difficult.
The gimmick of “100 days of cake” was kind of cute, and the family and friend relationships in the novel felt realistic and fresh. While I did enjoy this book, I also can see myself forgetting about it in a couple days. It just wasn't very memorable to me and that pushed this book a bit into the meh category for me. Still a nice read but I don't think that it's worth more than a library checkout.
Buy, Borrow or Bin Verdict: Borrow
Check out more of my reviews here
Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
June 3, 2023
3.5 stars
A teenage girl who is battling depression fights to save the one constant in her life, the Fishtopia store where she works, before it is turned into a restaurant.
I thought it was a pretty accurate depiction of what depression/anxiety can be like. (I have anxiety issues myself). The constant cake-baking by the mom was pretty amusing, but there is a surprising twist about it at the end that I did not see coming (No spoilers!) And I loved Pickles the hermit crab, Molly’s “support pet”!
Red Flags:
There is some vulgar language, and some scenes of underage drinking. There are some very mature issues that need some adult guidance for even more mature readers (See “Trigger Warnings”).
Trigger Warnings:
Thoughts of suicide, (one instance of a suicide actually carried out before the story begins); attempted sexual assault of a teen girl; issues of depression/anxiety
For very mature readers only, and even then I’d suggest the guidance of adults.
Memorable Quotes:
Pg. 43-“Maybe there is some combination of sugar, eggs, and flour that can make me care about school dances and four-hundred-meter relay times and college applications. If there is, I will gladly eat piece after piece every day of my short type-2 diabetic life.”
A teenage girl who is battling depression fights to save the one constant in her life, the Fishtopia store where she works, before it is turned into a restaurant.
I thought it was a pretty accurate depiction of what depression/anxiety can be like. (I have anxiety issues myself). The constant cake-baking by the mom was pretty amusing, but there is a surprising twist about it at the end that I did not see coming (No spoilers!) And I loved Pickles the hermit crab, Molly’s “support pet”!
Red Flags:
There is some vulgar language, and some scenes of underage drinking. There are some very mature issues that need some adult guidance for even more mature readers (See “Trigger Warnings”).
Trigger Warnings:
Thoughts of suicide, (one instance of a suicide actually carried out before the story begins); attempted sexual assault of a teen girl; issues of depression/anxiety
For very mature readers only, and even then I’d suggest the guidance of adults.
Memorable Quotes:
Pg. 43-“Maybe there is some combination of sugar, eggs, and flour that can make me care about school dances and four-hundred-meter relay times and college applications. If there is, I will gladly eat piece after piece every day of my short type-2 diabetic life.”
July 27, 2018
"...just some days the thought of leaving the house feels pretty much on par with scaling Mount Everest in flippers."
I felt this book did a pretty good job at portraying depression. Or at least I personally felt so.
I could definitely relate to how molly felt, being super overwhelmed and panicky when everyone around her seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do after they graduated, while she had no plans and had no idea what she wanted to do.
I felt this book did a pretty good job at portraying depression. Or at least I personally felt so.
I could definitely relate to how molly felt, being super overwhelmed and panicky when everyone around her seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do after they graduated, while she had no plans and had no idea what she wanted to do.
May 27, 2016
Check out this and other reviews on my young adult book blog, Here's to Happy Endings!
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
"Maybe there is some combination of sugar, eggs, and flour that can make me care about school dances and four-hundred-meter relay times and college applications. If there is, I will gladly eat piece after piece every day for the rest of my short type-2-diabetic life."
Molly is a seventeen-year old girl from Florida who suffers from severe depression. Her mother, on a quest to help her feel better and do something she believes will be therapeutic for Molly, decides to take a challenge that will have her baking a different cake every day for one hundred days. While having all the cake she could possibly eat might cheer up some, Molly isn't sure it will help her. The only thing that makes Molly feel alive and somewhat happy is spending time with her friend, Alex, during their shifts at FishTopia, a local shop that sells saltwater fish. Together they watch old episodes of The Golden Girls and eat take-out from the Chinese restaurant near the shop, and it gives them the perfect chance to spend time together and just hang out, since they rarely get any customers.
Along with Alex, her mother and sister, Molly spends time with her best friend and her therapist, Dr. Brooks (whom she has a massive crush on).
When Molly and Alex's boss, Charlie, tells them that he is selling FishTopia, Molly is heartbroken - after all, it is the only place where she feels safe and like everything in the world outside the doors to the store is put on hold, and she can just keep spending time with Alex and trying to be happy. So she tries her hardest to come up with a plan to save the store, even if she isn't sure it will work.
100 Days of Cake is a really cute contemporary romance that deals with a big issue - depression. Depression isn't talked about too much in YA books, but it's a very real, lonely, and oftentimes very heartbreaking disorder that affects millions - children, teenagers, and adults alike. I thought the way that depressive disorder and Molly's treatment was portrayed well in this book, and I really give the author a lot of credit for writing this book. I have suffered from depression since I was a young teenager, and this is the kind of book I would have loved to have in my hands to help me feel like I wasn't so alone. While Molly, the main character in 100 Days of Cake has a very caring mother and friends, it isn't the case for everyone who suffers from depression, and I believe this book could be a big help to some of those who aren't quite as lucky to have a support system on their side.
I can't count the amount of times that I laughed while reading this book - the tone was often lighthearted and witty, and it really made the pages fly by as I read chapter after chapter, thoroughly enjoying reading about Molly's life, her thoughts and feelings, and, well...the cakes.
The thing is...this book felt so real. It was a novel full of raw emotions that really lend a voice to what depression actually feels like for the person suffering from it - and those around that person who care. While it was told from Molly's perspective, you get to witness how those around her who care for her (Molly's mother, sister, friend, Alex) feel as well, and because of that, it feels like such a true portrayal of the life inside a teenager who is depressed.
"Maybe Alex was right. My need for everything to stay exactly the same was what screwed things up. If things never change, they eventually decay."
From the very first time I read about Alex and Molly together, it was so obvious that they were perfect for each other. There was such chemistry there and I spent the entire book hoping they would get together. I loved Alex - he was goofy, sweet, and really cared about Molly.
Also, at one point Molly gets a pet hermit crab named Pickles, and Pickles is by far the coolest. He even gets his own little couch! Pickles plays a big part of Molly's life, and is very important to her...making him very important to the story, as well.
There was one part of the book that I thought wasn't the best choice to add to the story, and it involves Molly and her therapist, Dr. Brooks. I don't think that it added anything to the book that was absolutely necessary, and it was probably the only part of the book I really disliked. I managed to get over my dislike for that part of the story, because it was such a good book otherwise, but I just wanted to add that to my review.
100 Days of Cake is a powerful, emotional novel that adds in a bit of humor and inspiration, and has the possibility to really change someone's life. If you get the chance to read this one, please don't miss out on it!
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2016
FULL review and author interview can be found here.
The title, 100 Days of Cake, makes me think of one of those cozy, food related, mystery books I always see in Mass Market Paperback at Wal-Mart or the grocery store. But it's deeper than that. This book is about a young adult with a mental health problem and how she navigates through a world that doesn't really understand what's going on. Mental health is still such a taboo subject and it shouldn't be anymore.
I believe everyone can benefit from reading this book. I learned some things about myself and I think other could learn some things about their lives or their friends lives. Everyone knows at least one person struggling with mental health related issues and if you don't think you know anyone then maybe you are that person and there is NOTHING to be ashamed of.
Molly is suffering. No, she's not dying or anything but she is suffering. But what can you do when even the most mundane of tasks, like turning off the alarm clock or getting out of bed, cripples you? Nothing... But the truth of this book was very on point. The fights Molly got into with literally EVERYONE she loved and cared about were so real. That stuff really happens, it's happened to me and it sucks so much that people just can't understand what you're going through.
Veronica was such a horrible sister. I mean, yeah, she was probably suffering too because of the whole dad situation but saying what she did to Molly? That's just not something that should ever come from anyone's lips.
Elle was a good best friend. She had her quirks... I think it would be easier to name quirks she didn't have , though. But her heart was in the right place. Elle's character was just one of many that has their own personal story interwoven into this book. I loved that it didn't just focus on one problem. It focused on the problems each character had outside of Molly's depression.
The next thing I want to say is probably very trivial but Molly's attachment to the pet she gets is so heartbreaking and real because pets aren't just pets to most people. And this pet helped Molly so much.
This book made me happy, sad, upset and it also gave me a lot of moments of clarity. When Molly did or said something I found myself reflecting on it and realizing a lot of the things she was saying or doing were things I do or have done. I think this is the most accurate and truthful book I have ever read. There is nothing sugar coated, besides the 100 cakes, and Molly is an actual teenage. When YA books are written with no sex, cussing, drugs, alcohol, etc, I feel like it is such a bold-face lie and it's how authors or publishes want to believe teenagers are but they were teenagers once so they should know these portrayals of teenagers or high school are fake and people can't relate to them. This book.... This book is relatable on a very person and painful level.
At the end of the book something happens and really don't know how I feel about it. I know I want to be angry and disgusted because of things that were said to Molly. But on the other hand I also know that the situation in the book is realistic to the situation. There needs to be more awareness about depression, anxiety and other "invisible" illnesses.
There is SO much I want to talk about like Alex, Molly's dad, her mom, the fish store, Dr. B(UGH!).... But I won't spoil anything for anyone. Please go pick this book up. You truly won't be sorry.
On a more personal note. I connected with this book on a level that I never thought would be possible. Just seeing Molly's life made me realize that a lot of the things I have been through are actually the norm for depressed people. The best way I have ever described depression is it feels like im looking at a rainbow but the color is slowing being sucked out of it so when it's done I'm just left with this shades of grey rainbow. Then as the depression starts to back off the colors come back but not in the correct order or even in the same areas.
Overall, I gave the book 5/5 stars.
The title, 100 Days of Cake, makes me think of one of those cozy, food related, mystery books I always see in Mass Market Paperback at Wal-Mart or the grocery store. But it's deeper than that. This book is about a young adult with a mental health problem and how she navigates through a world that doesn't really understand what's going on. Mental health is still such a taboo subject and it shouldn't be anymore.
I believe everyone can benefit from reading this book. I learned some things about myself and I think other could learn some things about their lives or their friends lives. Everyone knows at least one person struggling with mental health related issues and if you don't think you know anyone then maybe you are that person and there is NOTHING to be ashamed of.
Molly is suffering. No, she's not dying or anything but she is suffering. But what can you do when even the most mundane of tasks, like turning off the alarm clock or getting out of bed, cripples you? Nothing... But the truth of this book was very on point. The fights Molly got into with literally EVERYONE she loved and cared about were so real. That stuff really happens, it's happened to me and it sucks so much that people just can't understand what you're going through.
Veronica was such a horrible sister. I mean, yeah, she was probably suffering too because of the whole dad situation but saying what she did to Molly? That's just not something that should ever come from anyone's lips.
Elle was a good best friend. She had her quirks... I think it would be easier to name quirks she didn't have , though. But her heart was in the right place. Elle's character was just one of many that has their own personal story interwoven into this book. I loved that it didn't just focus on one problem. It focused on the problems each character had outside of Molly's depression.
The next thing I want to say is probably very trivial but Molly's attachment to the pet she gets is so heartbreaking and real because pets aren't just pets to most people. And this pet helped Molly so much.
This book made me happy, sad, upset and it also gave me a lot of moments of clarity. When Molly did or said something I found myself reflecting on it and realizing a lot of the things she was saying or doing were things I do or have done. I think this is the most accurate and truthful book I have ever read. There is nothing sugar coated, besides the 100 cakes, and Molly is an actual teenage. When YA books are written with no sex, cussing, drugs, alcohol, etc, I feel like it is such a bold-face lie and it's how authors or publishes want to believe teenagers are but they were teenagers once so they should know these portrayals of teenagers or high school are fake and people can't relate to them. This book.... This book is relatable on a very person and painful level.
At the end of the book something happens and really don't know how I feel about it. I know I want to be angry and disgusted because of things that were said to Molly. But on the other hand I also know that the situation in the book is realistic to the situation. There needs to be more awareness about depression, anxiety and other "invisible" illnesses.
There is SO much I want to talk about like Alex, Molly's dad, her mom, the fish store, Dr. B(UGH!).... But I won't spoil anything for anyone. Please go pick this book up. You truly won't be sorry.
On a more personal note. I connected with this book on a level that I never thought would be possible. Just seeing Molly's life made me realize that a lot of the things I have been through are actually the norm for depressed people. The best way I have ever described depression is it feels like im looking at a rainbow but the color is slowing being sucked out of it so when it's done I'm just left with this shades of grey rainbow. Then as the depression starts to back off the colors come back but not in the correct order or even in the same areas.
Overall, I gave the book 5/5 stars.
May 12, 2016
This review was originally posted on www.125pages.com
I have read one of Shari Goldhagen’s previous books, In Some Other World Maybe, and have her other, Family and Other Accidents, but have not gotten to it yet. I really liked the one I read and I was excited to see that she was coming out with her first YA, 100 Days of Cake. I was not sure what to expect from a story about a depressed teen girl who pretty much only leaves the house for therapy and to work in a fish store. I was afraid it would minimize her mental illness or make it a plot point, but not real. I was very happy while I was reading to discover that Goldhagen treated Molly with dignity and showcased her as real and did not use her depression as a way for a boy to fix her (as I have seen in some other YA reads).
I liked the plot of 100 Days of Cake. It was unique and really showcased what someone living with depression feels like. There was one plotline with Molly and her therapist that I did not care for, as it just seemed unnecessary to me and I felt like it threw off the heart of the story, but it was a minor dislike. Shari Goldhagen’s writing was on point. Full of unexpected depth and subtle and not so subtle humor, it was fun reading. The pacing has a few minor jumps that were not fully fleshed out, but it was not enough to hamper my enjoyment of the story as a whole. The world created was nice and detailed. Set in just a few locations, each was presented well and made sense in the story. There were plenty of emotions in this read. I particularity enjoyed the interplay of Molly and her sister as they were able to really pull the feelings into a scene. I enjoyed most of the characters. Molly and sister were great and their mom, while not a major player in the book as a whole, had some amazing moments and her quest to bake 100 cakes in 100 days fed into the entire story. I did not care for one character in particular as I found him morally gross, but that is just me
I enjoyed 100 Days of Cake. Shari Goldhagen presented depression in a realistic light. Molly was never fixed or cured, she continued in therapy right up to the end of the book and I loved that. I applaud Goldhagen for her way of treating the mental illness in this book, as it is not a fast fix issue and people do not just get over it. It was nice to see Molly treated as a realistic person with real issues. Now there were a few things I didn’t love as much, but as a whole this was a great read. I hope Goldhagen continues to write with such a true voice and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Favorite lines - We don’t say a word the entire ride home. Some dumb Taylor Swift song comes on the radio, but we don’t bother to change it. Fuck, I am a Taylor Swift song! There’s a guy who loves hanging out with me, and I love hanging out with him. I was too stupid and scared to take it to the next level. And now he’s dating the head cheerleader.
Biggest cliché – Sugar will make it all okay.
Have you read 100 Days of Cake, or added it to your TBR?This book was most likely received free from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I have read one of Shari Goldhagen’s previous books, In Some Other World Maybe, and have her other, Family and Other Accidents, but have not gotten to it yet. I really liked the one I read and I was excited to see that she was coming out with her first YA, 100 Days of Cake. I was not sure what to expect from a story about a depressed teen girl who pretty much only leaves the house for therapy and to work in a fish store. I was afraid it would minimize her mental illness or make it a plot point, but not real. I was very happy while I was reading to discover that Goldhagen treated Molly with dignity and showcased her as real and did not use her depression as a way for a boy to fix her (as I have seen in some other YA reads).I liked the plot of 100 Days of Cake. It was unique and really showcased what someone living with depression feels like. There was one plotline with Molly and her therapist that I did not care for, as it just seemed unnecessary to me and I felt like it threw off the heart of the story, but it was a minor dislike. Shari Goldhagen’s writing was on point. Full of unexpected depth and subtle and not so subtle humor, it was fun reading. The pacing has a few minor jumps that were not fully fleshed out, but it was not enough to hamper my enjoyment of the story as a whole. The world created was nice and detailed. Set in just a few locations, each was presented well and made sense in the story. There were plenty of emotions in this read. I particularity enjoyed the interplay of Molly and her sister as they were able to really pull the feelings into a scene. I enjoyed most of the characters. Molly and sister were great and their mom, while not a major player in the book as a whole, had some amazing moments and her quest to bake 100 cakes in 100 days fed into the entire story. I did not care for one character in particular as I found him morally gross, but that is just me
I enjoyed 100 Days of Cake. Shari Goldhagen presented depression in a realistic light. Molly was never fixed or cured, she continued in therapy right up to the end of the book and I loved that. I applaud Goldhagen for her way of treating the mental illness in this book, as it is not a fast fix issue and people do not just get over it. It was nice to see Molly treated as a realistic person with real issues. Now there were a few things I didn’t love as much, but as a whole this was a great read. I hope Goldhagen continues to write with such a true voice and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Favorite lines - We don’t say a word the entire ride home. Some dumb Taylor Swift song comes on the radio, but we don’t bother to change it. Fuck, I am a Taylor Swift song! There’s a guy who loves hanging out with me, and I love hanging out with him. I was too stupid and scared to take it to the next level. And now he’s dating the head cheerleader.
Biggest cliché – Sugar will make it all okay.
Have you read 100 Days of Cake, or added it to your TBR?This book was most likely received free from the publisher/author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
December 26, 2016
Molly seems to be the only one of her friends and classmates who doesn't know what she wants to do with her future. She isn't able to figure things out and has bigger problems than thinking about college and scholarships. She has a summer job at FishTopia, a fish shop where nothing ever happens, which is enough for her to manage. Molly and her coworker Alex have plenty of freedom and can watch endless reruns of The Golden Girls while they're eating Chinese food in the time they're waiting for sparse customers to show up.
Molly's best friend Elle, is an environmentalist. She's trying to improve the world by eating green and telling everyone they have to recycle. Meanwhile she's extremely loyal and she keeps an eye on Molly. She tries to make sure Molly keeps having a social life and she loves going to Molly's house for a chat and some cake. Molly's mother bakes a different cake every day as part of a project. Molly's younger sister is miss perfect and starts keeping secrets from her sister. Molly desperately wants their old relationship back, she longs for things to always stay the same, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be possible in real life...
Molly is depressed and sometimes it's hard for her to even get out of bed in the morning. Working at FishTopia is something she can manage, but everything else in her life is difficult. She's seeing a therapist and she likes him very much, she might even have a bit of a crush on him. He's cool and introduces her to good bands and movies as part of her therapy. When Molly's safe little world is threatening to fall apart she needs her therapist, her friends and her family more than ever. Will she be all right or will things go really wrong again just like before?
100 Days of Cake is a story about a serious topic. Molly is a teenager who is depressed. It's often hard for her to get through her normal routine and she has a lot of issues she has to deal with on a daily basis. Nothing is easy for her and that's frustrating. She has a crush on her therapist, but she also likes Alex a lot. They're having fun at work and that they watch episodes of Golden Girls together is a fabulous detail. Even though this story is about depression it isn't a heavy read. There are enough funny elements to bring some lightness. 100 Days of Cake is strange and chaotic at times. I love how Shari Goldhagen's writing matches what's going on in her main character's head. Some of those things are dark, but not all of them and I often had to smile while reading this book.
Shari Goldhagen has done a great job writing about mental health issues. It's a difficult topic and she handles it well. I liked Molly from the start, she's got a great sense of humor, has a distinctive personality and she isn't afraid to do some soul searching. Molly is an interesting character with a layered personality. I'm impressed by the way her story turned out. Shari Goldhagen describes many sensitive topics in a realistic and sympathetic way while the story still stays genuine and enjoyable to read, which is a fascinating combination. I loved 100 Days of Cake and highly recommend it, it's a fantastic book.
Molly's best friend Elle, is an environmentalist. She's trying to improve the world by eating green and telling everyone they have to recycle. Meanwhile she's extremely loyal and she keeps an eye on Molly. She tries to make sure Molly keeps having a social life and she loves going to Molly's house for a chat and some cake. Molly's mother bakes a different cake every day as part of a project. Molly's younger sister is miss perfect and starts keeping secrets from her sister. Molly desperately wants their old relationship back, she longs for things to always stay the same, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be possible in real life...
Molly is depressed and sometimes it's hard for her to even get out of bed in the morning. Working at FishTopia is something she can manage, but everything else in her life is difficult. She's seeing a therapist and she likes him very much, she might even have a bit of a crush on him. He's cool and introduces her to good bands and movies as part of her therapy. When Molly's safe little world is threatening to fall apart she needs her therapist, her friends and her family more than ever. Will she be all right or will things go really wrong again just like before?
100 Days of Cake is a story about a serious topic. Molly is a teenager who is depressed. It's often hard for her to get through her normal routine and she has a lot of issues she has to deal with on a daily basis. Nothing is easy for her and that's frustrating. She has a crush on her therapist, but she also likes Alex a lot. They're having fun at work and that they watch episodes of Golden Girls together is a fabulous detail. Even though this story is about depression it isn't a heavy read. There are enough funny elements to bring some lightness. 100 Days of Cake is strange and chaotic at times. I love how Shari Goldhagen's writing matches what's going on in her main character's head. Some of those things are dark, but not all of them and I often had to smile while reading this book.
Shari Goldhagen has done a great job writing about mental health issues. It's a difficult topic and she handles it well. I liked Molly from the start, she's got a great sense of humor, has a distinctive personality and she isn't afraid to do some soul searching. Molly is an interesting character with a layered personality. I'm impressed by the way her story turned out. Shari Goldhagen describes many sensitive topics in a realistic and sympathetic way while the story still stays genuine and enjoyable to read, which is a fascinating combination. I loved 100 Days of Cake and highly recommend it, it's a fantastic book.
dnf
July 3, 2016I honestly hate books with girl-on-girl hate.
Some quotes:
"I know she's your sister, and women have the right to dress however they want, but she is seriously everything that's wrong with America." <- After girl is wearing revealing clothing. That statement is what is wrong with America.
"hoochy mama" <- directed at same girl.
Mentions STDs because of girl wearing revealing clothing.
Some quotes:
"I know she's your sister, and women have the right to dress however they want, but she is seriously everything that's wrong with America." <- After girl is wearing revealing clothing. That statement is what is wrong with America.
"hoochy mama" <- directed at same girl.
Mentions STDs because of girl wearing revealing clothing.
September 12, 2021
Despite the title, this book has very little relation to cakes. The cakes mentioned in this book were the ones Molly's mother was baking in her project of 100 Days of Cake, otherwise, no more because this book solely focusing on Molly's life in juggling between her depression, her family, her friends and her job. 100 Days of Cake really have a good portrayal on how depression feels like. I wish Molly had more understanding family and friends though, not the one who treated her like she's going to break every time they speak to her. What I learn from this book is that, we don't have to decide on an exact time or exact age on what we are going to do with our life. We could just follow the flow, go where life leads us and slowly starts from there. Life is surely not a competition and everyone's timelines are different. I think the biggest thing I admire about Molly is that she tried. She tried even though it's hard for her or even though she knew that it would fail, she still try. And I love Pickles, her hermit crab pet even though he only lived for a while.
Although cakes play only a miniature part in this book, the title for each chapter (which are names of list of cakes Molly's mother made) really gave me some ideas. I even googled some of the cakes recipes and they're awesome. Maybe I'll try them out sometime.
Although cakes play only a miniature part in this book, the title for each chapter (which are names of list of cakes Molly's mother made) really gave me some ideas. I even googled some of the cakes recipes and they're awesome. Maybe I'll try them out sometime.
January 11, 2023
Very good book. The main character has a good development and this book is like a roller coaster, you never know when something is going to happen out of the blue. So many events happened that were super crazy but made the book very good. I would say give this one a try!
dnf
August 13, 2019Stopped @ page 193.
Molly was super annoying. Depression and other mental illnesses are reasons but not excuses to treat your friends and family like shit, and I hate that no one was calling her out for this. I also hated how Elle was characterized as the annoying 'environmentalist' 'social justice warrior' type which I feel undermines the idea of activism and caring about the environment. (Ironic how this book takes place in the summer and Molly constantly complains about the weather and high temperature but everyone in the book brushes off Elle caring about the environment because the author has characterized her to be what ignorant people think environmentalists are.) But the part that irked me the most was when Molly was listing off things that Elle has been passionate about, like institutionalized racism and cyclical poverty, in a way as if they were 'kooky' abstract concepts and not real things affecting millions of people. White privilege much?
Lots of internalized sexism and slut-shaming in this book, which I know are normal for teenage girls but writing about them without calling them out is just as harmful. The plot itself is pretty boring and I couldn't really determine any important messages about mental health. I also didn't really understand the relevance of the 'cake' theme and I feel like it was just something the author added to make the book quirky and stand out from the rest, even though I didn't see how it tied back to the plot.
Molly was super annoying. Depression and other mental illnesses are reasons but not excuses to treat your friends and family like shit, and I hate that no one was calling her out for this. I also hated how Elle was characterized as the annoying 'environmentalist' 'social justice warrior' type which I feel undermines the idea of activism and caring about the environment. (Ironic how this book takes place in the summer and Molly constantly complains about the weather and high temperature but everyone in the book brushes off Elle caring about the environment because the author has characterized her to be what ignorant people think environmentalists are.) But the part that irked me the most was when Molly was listing off things that Elle has been passionate about, like institutionalized racism and cyclical poverty, in a way as if they were 'kooky' abstract concepts and not real things affecting millions of people. White privilege much?
Lots of internalized sexism and slut-shaming in this book, which I know are normal for teenage girls but writing about them without calling them out is just as harmful. The plot itself is pretty boring and I couldn't really determine any important messages about mental health. I also didn't really understand the relevance of the 'cake' theme and I feel like it was just something the author added to make the book quirky and stand out from the rest, even though I didn't see how it tied back to the plot.
January 22, 2023
This book was a nice YA read. I will say when it got to the part with the things kind of went downhill for me and I was like "What on earth am I reading?". Beside that side-plot, I enjoyed this overall I would say.
May 11, 2016
There are only three things that can get seventeen-year-old Molly Byrne out of bed these days: her job at FishTopia, the promise of endless episodes of Golden Girls, and some delicious lo mien. You see, for the past two years, Molly’s been struggling with something more than your usual teenage angst. Her shrink, Dr. Brooks isn’t helping much, and neither is her mom who is convinced that baking the perfect cake will cure Molly of her depression—as if cake can magically make her rejoin the swim team, get along with her promiscuous sister, or care about the SATs.
Um, no. Never going to happen.
But Molly plays along, stomaching her mother’s failed culinary experiments, because, whatever—as long as it makes someone happy, right? Besides, as far as Molly’s concerned, hanging out with Alex at the rundown exotic fish store makes life tolerable enough. Even if he does ask her out every…single…day. But—sarcastic drum roll, please—nothing can stay the same forever. When Molly finds out FishTopia is turning into a bleak country diner, her whole life seems to fall apart at once. Soon she has to figure out what—if anything—is worth fighting for.
For a book about a depressed girl, 100 Days of Cake is not actually gloomy, and instead consists of adorable moments among the difficult ones. Molly is hovering through her life, unsure of future and basically wanting things to stay the same. She doesn't want the extra burden of expectations or the realization that she is responsible for someone's happiness. Despite the things she does want to do, there are instances where she would rather just lie down in her room and let the world go by - I found this very relatable in the context of her situation. This is a moment in her life that all her peers are expected to build their futures, and she doesn't feel motivated enough.
When one thing after another starts changing, like the place she is working at shutting down, her friend Alex now possibly no longer interested in her, her shrink not really being helpful with her therapy, she feels at a loss. The things she tries to do, like caring for a hermit crab or saving Fishtopia show that she feels motivated about some things. But things don't always work out and she then feels worse after it. And then comes the final nail in her coffin when she learns about her father. Eventually, I guess it takes a change of pace for her to get comfortable and move ahead. Not that there weren't problematic things with the ending (that doctor should have been fired) and some throughout the book (the blatant slut-shaming of young teens), but this book was overall entertaining enough. 3.5 stars.
Received a free galley from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, via Netgalley, for review purposes.
Um, no. Never going to happen.
But Molly plays along, stomaching her mother’s failed culinary experiments, because, whatever—as long as it makes someone happy, right? Besides, as far as Molly’s concerned, hanging out with Alex at the rundown exotic fish store makes life tolerable enough. Even if he does ask her out every…single…day. But—sarcastic drum roll, please—nothing can stay the same forever. When Molly finds out FishTopia is turning into a bleak country diner, her whole life seems to fall apart at once. Soon she has to figure out what—if anything—is worth fighting for.
For a book about a depressed girl, 100 Days of Cake is not actually gloomy, and instead consists of adorable moments among the difficult ones. Molly is hovering through her life, unsure of future and basically wanting things to stay the same. She doesn't want the extra burden of expectations or the realization that she is responsible for someone's happiness. Despite the things she does want to do, there are instances where she would rather just lie down in her room and let the world go by - I found this very relatable in the context of her situation. This is a moment in her life that all her peers are expected to build their futures, and she doesn't feel motivated enough.
When one thing after another starts changing, like the place she is working at shutting down, her friend Alex now possibly no longer interested in her, her shrink not really being helpful with her therapy, she feels at a loss. The things she tries to do, like caring for a hermit crab or saving Fishtopia show that she feels motivated about some things. But things don't always work out and she then feels worse after it. And then comes the final nail in her coffin when she learns about her father. Eventually, I guess it takes a change of pace for her to get comfortable and move ahead. Not that there weren't problematic things with the ending (that doctor should have been fired) and some throughout the book (the blatant slut-shaming of young teens), but this book was overall entertaining enough. 3.5 stars.
Received a free galley from Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, via Netgalley, for review purposes.
June 7, 2016
My librarian gave me an advanced copy of this book to review. At first, I wasn't sure what to expect from it. I didn't know how the author would go about talking about depression, but after I started reading it I love it. It relates so much to people my age, and it explains how people with depression think and feel. The story has a great plot that doesn't give you any boring parts. This book is really great, and I think you could gain a lot by reading it.
August 29, 2016
3.5 stars
The last 100 or so pages was almost a nose-dive into 1/2 star territory, but the ending kind of redeemed it. I'm not super thrilled with the ending, but it ended better than I thought it would at one point.
If you like cake, fish tanks, and/or Golden Girls then you'll probably enjoy this book.
The last 100 or so pages was almost a nose-dive into 1/2 star territory, but the ending kind of redeemed it. I'm not super thrilled with the ending, but it ended better than I thought it would at one point.
If you like cake, fish tanks, and/or Golden Girls then you'll probably enjoy this book.
July 26, 2022
I’m so mad I wasted money on this book. Not only was it filled with slut shaming (in really vulgar phrases too) and the outdated labeling of smart, involved students being nerds, but the handling of the mental illness aspect was awful!
The therapy sessions were not realistic and WHY would you write the therapist being a predator towards his patients?!!! I was hoping this book would shed light on how therapy works and maybe show that it’s okay and safe to reach out for help. This therapist sub plot disgusted me and made me so disappointed.
My point is: a teen struggling with depression could pick this book up, read it, and become scared and disbelieving in therapy and potentially not get the help they need. That’s not okay. Shame on the author!
The therapy sessions were not realistic and WHY would you write the therapist being a predator towards his patients?!!! I was hoping this book would shed light on how therapy works and maybe show that it’s okay and safe to reach out for help. This therapist sub plot disgusted me and made me so disappointed.
My point is: a teen struggling with depression could pick this book up, read it, and become scared and disbelieving in therapy and potentially not get the help they need. That’s not okay. Shame on the author!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2020
This was a pretty boring read. I couldn't go past 114 pages. Even though I'm a young adult myself, I don't enjoy the writing style of this book; it's pretty childish despite the mention of sex in this novel. (Yes I went through other book reviews and it turns out Dr. B asks Molly for sex while both of them are drunk? Wtf????) The slut-shaming in here was totally uncalled for as well. Elle is a big bitch if she thinks she can shame Veronica just for wearing a sundress. And Molly was quite rude throughout the book as well. Her depression is not a free pass to be an arsehole to Elle, her sister, Alex, her mom, etc. I'm sorry my review is so messy haha,,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 29, 2019
I liked this one a lot! It centers around a seventeen year old girl who is clinically depressed. It does a good job of showing how depression can look sometimes. And while it deals with some very heavy issues, it does it in a way that’s not overwhelming or too heavy, but also doesn’t make light of things. It’s a good balance, and definitely a book that may be helpful for some. It also referenced The Golden Girls several times, which was awesome!
May 5, 2022
it’s one of those books where you don’t remember anything that happened in it in a weeks time and in a years time you won’t even remember if you read it or not… it’s a very flat book.
The characters felt kinda real but everything else just fell flat.
I can relate to the main character bc mental issues, dead father, sister who tells me to k*ll myself, ghosting the men who confess they like me..etc etc
so that was cool I guess
idk… very flat. 100 cakes and they never made one that sounded appetising. Where is the chocolate cake???
The characters felt kinda real but everything else just fell flat.
I can relate to the main character bc mental issues, dead father, sister who tells me to k*ll myself, ghosting the men who confess they like me..etc etc
so that was cool I guess
idk… very flat. 100 cakes and they never made one that sounded appetising. Where is the chocolate cake???
January 30, 2017
Honestly, I thought that this book was amazing! I could relate to some of the things that happened in this book. Though it was slightly weird that her and her therapist had a thing, but with the get well soon with depression, and just not knowing what to do. Just being a teenager! This book would be really good for a teenager who could relate going through hard times, and everything. :) I guess?
April 22, 2021
Three stars, eh? Not bad, not good? Read it at the beginning of quarantine and it got me out of a reading slump, but definitely wasn't the best book and DEFINITELY didn't live up to it's synopsis.
May 4, 2016
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
What can I say about this book? The first thing I want to say is that I didn't feel as emotionally invested as I should have felt. And considering this is a book about depression, I didn't feel much towards the main character, good or bad.
The thing that attracted me to this book was the title: I LOVE CAKE! I was really hoping there would be more cake. I was kind of annoyed that Molly's mom thought she could cure depression with cake, but that motivation becomes clear towards the end of the book so I got it. Every chapter had a different cake as the title, but some chapters would have NO descriptions of the cakes at all and definitely no cake eating. That was a bummer. It was amusing to see Molly's mom make all these horrendous cakes because she was an awful baker. But seriously, what a waste of sugar.
One thing that really annoyed me was Molly's friend Elle. God she was annoying. First of all, she insisted on yelling at perfect strangers about the environment or whatever. She was the stereotypical hippie vegan and I thought the author exaggerated her opinions just to make her annoying. But the one thing that pissed me off was her treatment of Molly's sister, Veronica. If Veronica was in a bathing suit or sundress or whatever, Elle would freak out and call her a slut. There were numerous STD jokes and stuff that were just stupid. First of all, Veronica was FIFTEEN. Second of all, her ONLY "crime" was wearing something that was revealing. At one time, she said "I know she's your sister, and women have the right to dress however they want, but she is seriously everything that's wrong with America."
REALLY?
A girl wearing a sundress is EVERYTHING THAT'S WRONG WITH AMERICA?? Insanity! Elle would say some sexist remark about STD's or she could call Veronica a "hoochy mama" but then she would immediately say girls have a right to wear whatever they want and she would mention being an opponent of rape culture. I think Elle needs to reevaluate her opinion on rape culture because her remarks are EXACTLY what people mean by that phrase.
The whole crush on the therapist thing was just weird and creepy. It is very common for patients to experience transference with their therapists, but it is the THERAPIST'S job to remain professional and deal with those feelings. The problem was that the therapist confided about personal problems to Molly and he crossed all kinds of professional boundaries. He was pretty much the worst therapist ever.
Do you know what I did love about this book? Molly's obsession with GOLDEN GIRLS!! Jeez, I freaking love that show. I own the entire series on DVD and I have seen every episode dozens of times. I can usually figure out which episode it is within the first two minutes of the show. I loved how much Molly watched it and how she actually named some of her favorite episodes. It made me want to watch that show right now.
I also thought the author wrote depression really well. Molly has a lot of anxiety and self esteem issues and days where she just hates everything so much that she couldn't get out of bed. The struggle is real people. Oh and she has a hermit crab, which is AWESOME. I just loved Pickles. I was not a fan of Alex and the whole romance thing. There was no chemistry and I didn't understand why he was into her. He kept asking her out, but she kept rejecting him. I really wish they had just remained friends. It was better that way. Alex was a nice enough guy and he was very patient with Molly. Like I said, I just wasn't feeling the chemistry. What I did appreciate was that the romance was NOT seen as a cure-all for her depression. I HATE books that have that message about mental illness. I thought the fact that she was depressed and anxious with or without Alex was very realistic.
All in all, the book had a couple of good points but also some stuff I didn't like. It's an okay book, but I wouldn't recommend that you rush right out and buy it or anything.
What can I say about this book? The first thing I want to say is that I didn't feel as emotionally invested as I should have felt. And considering this is a book about depression, I didn't feel much towards the main character, good or bad.
The thing that attracted me to this book was the title: I LOVE CAKE! I was really hoping there would be more cake. I was kind of annoyed that Molly's mom thought she could cure depression with cake, but that motivation becomes clear towards the end of the book so I got it. Every chapter had a different cake as the title, but some chapters would have NO descriptions of the cakes at all and definitely no cake eating. That was a bummer. It was amusing to see Molly's mom make all these horrendous cakes because she was an awful baker. But seriously, what a waste of sugar.
One thing that really annoyed me was Molly's friend Elle. God she was annoying. First of all, she insisted on yelling at perfect strangers about the environment or whatever. She was the stereotypical hippie vegan and I thought the author exaggerated her opinions just to make her annoying. But the one thing that pissed me off was her treatment of Molly's sister, Veronica. If Veronica was in a bathing suit or sundress or whatever, Elle would freak out and call her a slut. There were numerous STD jokes and stuff that were just stupid. First of all, Veronica was FIFTEEN. Second of all, her ONLY "crime" was wearing something that was revealing. At one time, she said "I know she's your sister, and women have the right to dress however they want, but she is seriously everything that's wrong with America."
REALLY?
A girl wearing a sundress is EVERYTHING THAT'S WRONG WITH AMERICA?? Insanity! Elle would say some sexist remark about STD's or she could call Veronica a "hoochy mama" but then she would immediately say girls have a right to wear whatever they want and she would mention being an opponent of rape culture. I think Elle needs to reevaluate her opinion on rape culture because her remarks are EXACTLY what people mean by that phrase.
The whole crush on the therapist thing was just weird and creepy. It is very common for patients to experience transference with their therapists, but it is the THERAPIST'S job to remain professional and deal with those feelings. The problem was that the therapist confided about personal problems to Molly and he crossed all kinds of professional boundaries. He was pretty much the worst therapist ever.
Do you know what I did love about this book? Molly's obsession with GOLDEN GIRLS!! Jeez, I freaking love that show. I own the entire series on DVD and I have seen every episode dozens of times. I can usually figure out which episode it is within the first two minutes of the show. I loved how much Molly watched it and how she actually named some of her favorite episodes. It made me want to watch that show right now.
I also thought the author wrote depression really well. Molly has a lot of anxiety and self esteem issues and days where she just hates everything so much that she couldn't get out of bed. The struggle is real people. Oh and she has a hermit crab, which is AWESOME. I just loved Pickles. I was not a fan of Alex and the whole romance thing. There was no chemistry and I didn't understand why he was into her. He kept asking her out, but she kept rejecting him. I really wish they had just remained friends. It was better that way. Alex was a nice enough guy and he was very patient with Molly. Like I said, I just wasn't feeling the chemistry. What I did appreciate was that the romance was NOT seen as a cure-all for her depression. I HATE books that have that message about mental illness. I thought the fact that she was depressed and anxious with or without Alex was very realistic.
All in all, the book had a couple of good points but also some stuff I didn't like. It's an okay book, but I wouldn't recommend that you rush right out and buy it or anything.
February 16, 2020
I loved this story. I felt that it portrayed depression pretty accurately. I liked how it dealt not only with how Molly was handling her depression but how the people around her were dealing with it. I also liked the 100 days of cakes that occurred to try to help Molly deal with her depression. I loved the characters and their relationships with each other. This is definitely one of my new favorite books.
May 27, 2018
I liked this book.
July 3, 2020
Rating: 4.5 stars
"Honestly, there's a part of me that wants so much-maybe more than she does for her to be right about this. All those self-help books and empowering websites worked for her- they helped her get series about the hair salon and find a dweeby boyfriend with a good job, and live in a house that outwardly reflects the inner success- so maybe this could work for me too? Maybe there is some combination of sugar, eggs, and flour that can make me care about school dances and four-hundred meter relay times and college applications. If there is, I will gladly eat piece after piece every day for the rest of my short type-2-diabetic life."
Thank you to Netgalley and Athenum Books for giving me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is only my second book dealing with depression so I’m still learning about it and how it is written in books. Having said that I think Goldhagen did an amazing job of not only making you see how much depression had changed Bryne’s life but how it had also changed her family and friend's lives as well. How they had to watch her go from this super good at everything girl to one that dropped all her AP classes and stopped doing in extracurricular activities.
The person that we see this has the worst effect on is her sister. Not only does it make her angry but it also shows how she had to grow up fast because of certain things that she found and then had to keep a secret.
I loved how close of a friendship Bryne had with Elle and how even though Elle was really into being vegan, and saving the world she would change her opinion for a little while if she thought she could make Bryne happy or keep her from freaking out. Elle never lost patience with Bryne when she could have multiple times. She was a fantastic plan and even went along with Bryne’s plan to save fishtopia because she knew how much it meant to her. Everyone needs a friend like Elle in their lives.
Then there is Alex who Bryne works with at Fishtopia except instead of working they spend most of their time together watching Golden Girls (an amazing show if I do say so myself) and eating takeout from the place across the street. That is until the owner comes in one day and tells them that Fishtopia is closing causing Bryne to have a freakout and start trying to find a way to save it.
This was really nice to see happen because we see Bryne really put her all into saving it and she gets everyone around her to pitch in and we see her as what I assume she was like before she got depression.
I know I probably should have seen the part about her dad coming, but I didn’t probably because I was trying to figure out how her mom had all this time to run her own business and bake complicated cakes all the time. Granted she wasn’t doing much else besides those two things because she was terrified her daughter might do something extreme so it was understandable.
For me, the only reason I didn't give this book five stars was the fact that it had an inappropriate sort of relationship with an adult. I just wasn't comfortable with that part of the book personally.
This book does contain slut-shaming quite a bit which got to be annoying after a while, considering they weren’t doing anything to stop the person they were shaming from wearing/doing what she was doing when they could have. There is also some crude language at times, but I think this made the novel seem more realistic.
See reviews first on my blog
"Honestly, there's a part of me that wants so much-maybe more than she does for her to be right about this. All those self-help books and empowering websites worked for her- they helped her get series about the hair salon and find a dweeby boyfriend with a good job, and live in a house that outwardly reflects the inner success- so maybe this could work for me too? Maybe there is some combination of sugar, eggs, and flour that can make me care about school dances and four-hundred meter relay times and college applications. If there is, I will gladly eat piece after piece every day for the rest of my short type-2-diabetic life."
Thank you to Netgalley and Athenum Books for giving me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is only my second book dealing with depression so I’m still learning about it and how it is written in books. Having said that I think Goldhagen did an amazing job of not only making you see how much depression had changed Bryne’s life but how it had also changed her family and friend's lives as well. How they had to watch her go from this super good at everything girl to one that dropped all her AP classes and stopped doing in extracurricular activities.
The person that we see this has the worst effect on is her sister. Not only does it make her angry but it also shows how she had to grow up fast because of certain things that she found and then had to keep a secret.
I loved how close of a friendship Bryne had with Elle and how even though Elle was really into being vegan, and saving the world she would change her opinion for a little while if she thought she could make Bryne happy or keep her from freaking out. Elle never lost patience with Bryne when she could have multiple times. She was a fantastic plan and even went along with Bryne’s plan to save fishtopia because she knew how much it meant to her. Everyone needs a friend like Elle in their lives.
Then there is Alex who Bryne works with at Fishtopia except instead of working they spend most of their time together watching Golden Girls (an amazing show if I do say so myself) and eating takeout from the place across the street. That is until the owner comes in one day and tells them that Fishtopia is closing causing Bryne to have a freakout and start trying to find a way to save it.
This was really nice to see happen because we see Bryne really put her all into saving it and she gets everyone around her to pitch in and we see her as what I assume she was like before she got depression.
I know I probably should have seen the part about her dad coming, but I didn’t probably because I was trying to figure out how her mom had all this time to run her own business and bake complicated cakes all the time. Granted she wasn’t doing much else besides those two things because she was terrified her daughter might do something extreme so it was understandable.
For me, the only reason I didn't give this book five stars was the fact that it had an inappropriate sort of relationship with an adult. I just wasn't comfortable with that part of the book personally.
This book does contain slut-shaming quite a bit which got to be annoying after a while, considering they weren’t doing anything to stop the person they were shaming from wearing/doing what she was doing when they could have. There is also some crude language at times, but I think this made the novel seem more realistic.
See reviews first on my blog
June 14, 2021
There were a TON of problems I had with this book that can't be addressed without spoilers, so let's dive right in:
March 23, 2016
I have one word for you. Cake. Because from that delicious, albeit a little squashed, cake on the front cover, to the cake-patterned title page to the chapter titles, this book made me crave cake so very much. But 100 Days of Cake is not all light, fluffy mocha-cream icing. No, under that layer of sweet goodness is a heartfelt story of family, resilience and one girl's determination to be well, despite everything that is thrown her way.
100 Days of Cake challenges readers to consider the way in which mental health impacts not only the survivor but those around them, especially their family and friends. The fallout and the effort to face each day effects everyone. It's a team effort, and this is slowly revealed to both the reader and to Molly as she learns to reach out to others and to let the people around her reach out to her.
Molly is in therapy for her depression, though she doesn't want to advertise this fact to the world. She spends her summer holidays working at FishTopia with the handsome and comfortable Alex, avoiding her sister, and tasting the copious amounts of cake her mother is baking. If she can just continue to avoid thinking about anything college related, she just might survive the summer.
Molly is a likeable heroine. She is honest about her depression and reflective about how this is impacting her life. And yes, sometimes it feels like Molly needs saving from herself. I can understand her hanging onto familiar things and hiding behind others, but she could really work on her communication skills!! Of course, that's something she learns over the course of the summer through a series of mixups.
Her's is not the best therapy relationship to be portrayed in YA fiction (in fact it's more like an example situation for when things are going really, really bad), but it feels realistic and considers some common pitfalls in therapy relationships. Instead, the real saviour of this book is Molly herself, with the support of her best friend Elle, her mother and her sister.
I enjoyed this book. It is a frank, honest and often humorous insight into depression, love, family and cake.
The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find more reviews on my blog Madison's Library.
100 Days of Cake challenges readers to consider the way in which mental health impacts not only the survivor but those around them, especially their family and friends. The fallout and the effort to face each day effects everyone. It's a team effort, and this is slowly revealed to both the reader and to Molly as she learns to reach out to others and to let the people around her reach out to her.
Molly is in therapy for her depression, though she doesn't want to advertise this fact to the world. She spends her summer holidays working at FishTopia with the handsome and comfortable Alex, avoiding her sister, and tasting the copious amounts of cake her mother is baking. If she can just continue to avoid thinking about anything college related, she just might survive the summer.
Molly is a likeable heroine. She is honest about her depression and reflective about how this is impacting her life. And yes, sometimes it feels like Molly needs saving from herself. I can understand her hanging onto familiar things and hiding behind others, but she could really work on her communication skills!! Of course, that's something she learns over the course of the summer through a series of mixups.
Her's is not the best therapy relationship to be portrayed in YA fiction (in fact it's more like an example situation for when things are going really, really bad), but it feels realistic and considers some common pitfalls in therapy relationships. Instead, the real saviour of this book is Molly herself, with the support of her best friend Elle, her mother and her sister.
I enjoyed this book. It is a frank, honest and often humorous insight into depression, love, family and cake.
The publishers provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Find more reviews on my blog Madison's Library.
January 19, 2017
*Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars*
Synopsis:
Basically, this story follows a girl named Molly who was suddenly taken under by depression. Her mother thinks baking a slue of cakes will fix the problem. Molly just wants to keep working at FishTopia while watching reruns of Golden Girls with her coworker Alex.
Cover Art:
First off, the hardback book itself is gorgeous! The typography and layout of the inside was beautifully done. The cover artwork, along with the actual name, drew me in instantly. And guys you have to look at the back of the dust jacket…AMAZING!
Review:
I loved how Goldhagen handled such a weighty topic as depression. All the side characters were likeable and understandable, but most importantly I could relate to Molly. From someone who has been on both sides of the spectrum, trying to help family members cope with their depression and having to cope with my own, I thought there were a lot of realistic moments in this story.
However harsh some moments may seem, the argument between the sisters (if you know what I’m talking about), that’s what life is like when tackling a mental illness (yes, from both sides). You say things you don’t mean, and something as irrational as trying to fix someone’s brain by baking a ton of cakes makes perfect sense to you.
I read this book in one sitting, and this held my attention from beginning to end. Molly’s FishTopia world with Alex, the Golden Girls, and lo mein was such a comfortable place to be in. I loved every minute I sat with them in front of that ancient TV.
Reason for Rating:
I wasn’t a fan of the sexual connotation and language. Call me a kid, but I love books that don’t use profanity (although, I give the author a BIG thumbs-up for not putting a sex scene in it!). But the main reason I docked this book a whole star was the story thread with the therapist. That storyline was the only thing in the whole book that I thought wasn’t handled well, or rather at all; which makes me sad because I loved so many aspects of the story. What happens between Molly and the therapist sort of tainted the story for me.
Overall:
100 Days of Cakes was one of the few stories where the journey was much more satisfying then the ending. I was quickly sucked in and experienced painfully, beautiful barrage of feels.
Synopsis:
Basically, this story follows a girl named Molly who was suddenly taken under by depression. Her mother thinks baking a slue of cakes will fix the problem. Molly just wants to keep working at FishTopia while watching reruns of Golden Girls with her coworker Alex.
Cover Art:
First off, the hardback book itself is gorgeous! The typography and layout of the inside was beautifully done. The cover artwork, along with the actual name, drew me in instantly. And guys you have to look at the back of the dust jacket…AMAZING!
Review:
I loved how Goldhagen handled such a weighty topic as depression. All the side characters were likeable and understandable, but most importantly I could relate to Molly. From someone who has been on both sides of the spectrum, trying to help family members cope with their depression and having to cope with my own, I thought there were a lot of realistic moments in this story.
However harsh some moments may seem, the argument between the sisters (if you know what I’m talking about), that’s what life is like when tackling a mental illness (yes, from both sides). You say things you don’t mean, and something as irrational as trying to fix someone’s brain by baking a ton of cakes makes perfect sense to you.
I read this book in one sitting, and this held my attention from beginning to end. Molly’s FishTopia world with Alex, the Golden Girls, and lo mein was such a comfortable place to be in. I loved every minute I sat with them in front of that ancient TV.
Reason for Rating:
I wasn’t a fan of the sexual connotation and language. Call me a kid, but I love books that don’t use profanity (although, I give the author a BIG thumbs-up for not putting a sex scene in it!). But the main reason I docked this book a whole star was the story thread with the therapist. That storyline was the only thing in the whole book that I thought wasn’t handled well, or rather at all; which makes me sad because I loved so many aspects of the story. What happens between Molly and the therapist sort of tainted the story for me.
Overall:
100 Days of Cakes was one of the few stories where the journey was much more satisfying then the ending. I was quickly sucked in and experienced painfully, beautiful barrage of feels.
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