The Bookish Island's Book Review:
100 Days of Cake by Shari Goldhagen
Are there spoilers?
Nope.
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Title: 100 Days of Cake
Author: Shari Goldhagen
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Pages: 339
Published: 2016
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Mental Health,
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Date Read: June 21, 2019
Rating: ★★★☆☆
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.
The Rating:
My Review:
100 Days of Cake managed to end up being a book I read during the Summerathon. One I was very much looking forward to reading and thought I would enjoy it. I mean it is supposed to be about different kinds of cakes being around for 100 days. The sounds like its gonna be a cool story with just that.
But it was so much more than just cake.
It's about a girl going through depression and other mental health problems. Something that we learn started since her father's death. But she isnt the only one who got affected by that.
Her sister held a heavy burden and their mother took to getting everything new in the house and baking cakes with the thought that it was helping her daughter and our main character, Molly.
But Molly wasn't getting the help she needed despite the doctor who was supposed to be helping her out (the doctor along with how a situation was dealt with regarding him is a big part of me not liking this book. I just wish it was treated better). She was still very much weak and trying to keep everything as it was. No change, no drama.
But that all starts to change when the fish store she works at with her friend, Max (who she has feelings for) is about to be gone and the building sold to a couple who want to make it into a restaurant. And on top of that, her friend Elle wants to talk about college and moving out. Something that scares Molly.
There's also a bunch of other things that happen but despite how good the book sounds and just how much potential it had to be great. I felt that there was something missing in the story or the characters. I couldn't ever pinpoint what it was that bothered me. But it did bother me. Enough for me to give it a 3 out of 5 stars. Still, I think it was good.
I should also mention that as a warning there are some uncomfortable scenes that could count as rapey with the doctor. Its a spoiler but I wanted to mention it just so everyone knows that it's there.
