My main issue with this book was not that I disliked the protagonist. In fact, if you know me at all, you know I have quite the affinity for characters who you really have to sit with in order to appreciate...the more flawed and complex, the better. So yes, although most of the time, Molly annoyed me to my core, that's not the reason I gave 9 Days and 9 Nights 2 stars.
My main issue with this book was the fact that I did not, on any level whatsoever, feel like I understood the protagonist--her actions, her feelings, her relationships, etc.
I felt that not only Molly, but every single character was underdeveloped, which is especially disappointing, because I DO think Katie Cotugno is capable of writing good characters. In Fireworks, her third novel, I thought she did a great job at portraying flawed, complicated, realistic people--characters I found myself empathizing with, not because I agreed with all their choices, but because I understood what led them there. I was hoping this book would be similar in that aspect, but I was even more perplexed by Molly Barlow than my first go around with her.
One of the main themes in this book was Molly's supposed self-discovery, but just like in 99 Days, I didn't feel like there was even one point in which she was truly honest and upfront with herself. She seemed to be constantly switching back and forth between feelings of overwhelming guilt and borderline spite, which could've been an interesting balancing act to read about, if only she had any ounce of self-awareness, or even just one moment of clarity. Instead, she was emphatically wishy-washy.
I found the romance to be extremely underwhelming and unnecessary. It seemed as if Molly and Gabe's only point of connection was the history they shared, and I never found myself rooting for him or Ian, or really, anybody, because I felt like an outsider who didn't have enough information to feel either which way--or care, for that matter.
I was hoping 9 Days and 9 Nights would at least finish what 99 Days halfheartedly started, and delve further into the theme of double-standards, but instead, it just seemed to follow the exact same formula as it's predecessor, with the addition of sprinkled in terms like "mainsplain", and passing comments about feminism, but never any real exploration into any of these topics, or exploration into much of anything at all for long enough to make you feel something other than pure bafflement. This book has left me positively baffled.
I don't really know how to end this review, so I'm just going to pull a Molly and run away from this madness.