I don't know why I chose this on Netgalley. I don't like tearjerkers. I think I thought it might be one of those uplifting cancer books that is actually a good read, but it turned out to be mostly really depressing and sad. If you like crying, then go for it. If not, I suggest avoiding it. This might seem like a short and harsh review, but for me personally, that's pretty much the crux of it.

The moment i read the details on this book i knew i instantly was going to love it, Emma and Nathan being matched together just was "perfect". This novel was so powerful and painted the most heartbreaking yet breath taking love story. This novel truly captures living in the moment and choosing to make the best out of a situation.

This is a heartbreaking story but so uplifting and one that makes us realise that we must not take everyday things for granted but try and live life to the full. Emma and Nathan meet in a hospital waiting room awaiting a cancer diagnosis. Emma is a quiet, shy librarian who is a carer for her mother. Nathan has an outgoing personality, has travelled the world and is currently a skydiver. They are two totally different people but both facing a struggle with cancer. Before long they realise that they have fallen in love. We then follow their journey as they battle with their illnesses. The strength that they give each other and how they make some of their wishes come true is truly inspirational. I must admit I struggled at times as it brought back some of my personal memories, but it was such a heartbreaking but uplifting story that I had to finish. The last few chapters had me in floods of tears but it was a lovely end to a very special book. One that will stay with me, a must read!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A heartbreaking and challenging story
"99 Days With You. Sometimes the end can be the start of forever" is Catherine Miller's first book, published by Bookouture. In it Emma green leads a quiet life, working at a library and caring for her homebound mother Carole who suffers from multiple sclerosis. On the other hand Nathan Foxdale is a sky-diving instructor who does a lot of tandem jumps. He loves fear and is convinced "that if he wasn't living life to the full, he was in danger of not living at all." The two meet by sheer chance in the waiting room of the breast clinic, are considered partners by the medical stuff and support one another. In the clinic life changes for them through the radical diagnosis that both receive, but it also leads them to love and to the foundation of their charity "Everlasting Acts!".
This book is well written with great and believable characters who are dealing with hard topics (multiple sclerosis, cancer, death, ...). It is also written in a creative style: partially as Emma's account of the events, partially as Nathan's account of the events, and interspersed with entrances from Nathan's diary. The story challenges the readers where they could carry someone else's burden in spite of the fact that it is an heartbreaking story.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#99DaysWithYou #NetGalley

This is an uplifting, but also sad story of Emma & Nathan who meet in difficult circumstances and fall in love. A stunning first novel from Catherine Miller. Keep lots of tissues handy whilst reading this.

This is a difficult review to write.

This book was... fine. It kept my interest for the duration, which, if that is the making of a good book then that it was. However... the whole book just felt off to me. The premise is good, reminiscent of The Fault in Our Stars - just with older characters (but not by much). It felt disjointed in some way - as if this story was written on index cards, and each index card was a scene or chapter, and then the author just lined them up in order and put them all together. I can't really explain it other than that. I enjoyed the dual points of view, and that they were represented in a male/female perspective, almost a he said/ she said format. That being said, I believe that this truly had a opportunity to be a great novel if there had been more detailed scenes - less internalizing by the characters and more DOING by the characters. Was not a huge fan of the ending, with Juliet in the picture, and glossing over how she came to be.

This was not a terrible book but I am not sure if I would recommend it though.

This is a book which touches your heart it is so well written about a disease that effects everyone.
Emma & Nathan meet in a hospital waiting room they are instantly drawn to each other
Emma & Nathan are like chalk & cheese. Nathan is outgoing he is a skydiver has travelled the world
Emma is a quiet , caring librarian who looks after her ill mum.
They soon fall for each other. Both helping the other one through the tough times.
I read this book in one evening it was that good.
Thank you Netgalley.

So much thanks to Bookouture as usual for their kindness in approving me to review this book. Such praise for Catherine Miller what a wonderful piece of work. Poignant, sad and absolutely beautifully written. I defy anyone to not love Emma and Nathan who meet and fall in love in an oncology clinic. Life doesn't stop because the big C comes to visit. This book demonstrates the human traits that appear when faced with our own mortality. Some really funky lessons for the medical teams in how patients with serious illness like to be treated. I personally worked in an oncology clinic but this book pulled on my heart strings. Get the tissues ready but don't miss out on it.

99 days with you

What a wonderful and heartbreaking love story.

Emma meets Nathan in a hospital waiting room, both are alone for one reason or another and decide to help each other out. I thought this was such a unique concept for a book. It was very authentic and worked really well.

What follows from their initial meeting is simply beautiful, their journeys through diagnosis and treatment are devastating. Yet each of them are able to learn so much from each other and provide each other with support and strength.

I really couldn’t put this book down as Emma and Nathan truly embedded themselves deep in my heart. Part of me wanted to shout and scream, ‘Why is life so unfair?’
Catherine Miller has not shied away from exposing true heartbreak, the reality of this sort of illness happens to people every single day and this feels like a tribute to all those who’ve lost their lives and everyone fighting cancer.

Despite the absolute pure heartbreak there is such an uplifting feel to the story and a strong message to live every hour as if it’s your last. However, I can assure you that you’ll need lots of tissues.

This is one of those books that stay with you for a long time. You quickly get drawn into the characters lives and care about where the story is heading. I loved Nathan and Emma and how they make plans for making things happen. Having read a little about this book, I had an idea where it would lead and when my kindle broke in the last 15mins or so of the book, my husband was sent on a mercy trip to get a new kindle! I couldn't leave them there all night! I will definitely look for more books by Catherine Miller

I knew from the blurb that 99 Days With You was going to be a tear-jerker. And it was.

Emma and Nathan are two strangers who meet in a waiting room, each there at the doctor's office because of a cancer scare. They embark on a wonderful friendship and find love in one another's hearts and comfort in one another's arms. This is not a lighthearted romance that you'll want to read on the beach. It's intense and it's sad, but Nathan and Emma's friendship-turned-romance is a stark reminder that we need to embrace every hour of every day, because we are never promised a tomorrow.

While there are relations between Nathan and Emma, the nitty-gritty happens off the page so the story is focused on their ups and downs as they come to terms with their respective cancer diagnoses, the progression of their illnesses and how they are able to find joy in every one of the 99 days they know one another.

I received an advanced copy via NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily left a review.

Nathan Foxdale and Emma Green are as different as night and day. Nathan is a skydives and believes that life should be lived hard and fast without fear. Emma Green is sweet and innocent and takes care of her mother who has multiple sclerosis. The only adventure she gets is from the books that she reads. However, the one thing that brings both Nathan and Emma together is a chance meeting in a clinic around the same time they are both experiencing health issues. Both alone and scared they vow to be there for one another no matter the outcome.

99 Days With You by Catherine Miller is an emotionally heartbreaking story and I knew at some point during the course of reading it was definitely going to make me cry. Oh boy, did I cry! Miller writes from the heart and has created a story that is so pure and so sweet on how two different people can find each other and live for the moment which really is a very strong theme throughout this story. It really has you thinking of your own life and how one should live every moment as you are not promised tomorrow. This is definitely something that I have taken from this story and has made me realize to stop procrastinating on the things that I want to. While this story does not have a HEA in the traditional sense, there is closure along with hope for the future.

I really loved Emma as a character. She is such a good daughter taking care of an ailing mother. I don’t know how many twenty-seven year olds would do this. Even in my own family down the line, I can see how healthy members of my family wash their hands of another family member who is sick. I even took care of my uncle’s wife who was sick after he passed away where her own brothers did absolutely nothing. My mother always tells me I have a big heart and will help anyone in need and maybe this is true and this is where I can see myself relating to Emma. Nathan really stole this story for me though. He has such a passion for life and really teaches Emma to not waste a single hour and to do the things that make you happy and to live with no regrets.

I am not going to lie, this story will make you shed tears. It is not an easy story to get through, but it is a story we can all relate to. Although it is a heartbreaking and gut wrenching story, it is also a beautiful love story centered on two people who may not have met otherwise. It was so beautiful watching Emma and Nathan connect, virtual strangers being there for one another in one of the most devastating of times.

99 Days With You is heartfelt and honest with a powerful message that will stay with you long after the last page is read. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. This is a definite five star read for me.

It’s not often that a book brings tears to my eyes, but this one really did.

The story of Emma and Nathan is difficult to even do justice to in a review. It’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking, it will make you smile and make you cry.

I loved the characters, they’re so real, and so right for each other. The story flows so beautifully and will draw you in right from the start.

An absorbing and wonderful read. Do not miss this one, it’s truly special. This book will stay with me for a long time.

Fate strikes everywhere. Even in waiting rooms, when your world is minutes from being forever changed. Fate falls on Emma and Nathan in the cruellest way. Love and cancer are not a partnership you would ever expect to build a relationship on. And yet.

Lovely, sweet, and quiet Emma cares for her mother while working part-time at the library. I connected to her straight away. Living vicariously through books and letting days dictate her life without ever taking control, she reminded me of… Well, me. The old me that was changed after a trauma.
Nathan is the complete opposite. Driven by a dream which has been following him all his life, he doesn’t waste a minute, jumping from one extreme life experience to the other. But is it really ‘living’?

The contrast between their personalities is even stronger when they both face bad news, allowing the author to show how differently people react to the threat of a possible shortened life. Both characters made my chest grow heavier as doctors talked and tests were performed. The way they approached their new and scary paths was breath-taking and heart-breaking. Instead of having the characters come out of the book, I wanted to dive into the pages and hold them close. I was happy Emma and Nathan had each other to rely on through the bad and the good times.

99 Days with You is sad. Yes, it is. 99 Days with You attacks the awful C word. Yes, it does. But 99 Days with You does a lot more, too. It lets love blossom in the most unexpected place. It reminds us of the importance of support, mental and physical, when life throws such a huge punch in our face. It makes you think of our role out there. Do you want to leave a trace of your passage on Earth? What makes you think you have lived? You jumped out of a plane? You kissed a million men? You travelled to the end of the world? This novel has an important message. We shouldn’t take life for granted, and we should cherish all those little moments which don’t feel important, because they are important. They are what make us who we are. 99% of us won’t become president or swim with sharks, but it doesn’t mean we haven’t lived life to the fullest.

Catherine Miller creates a garden with this book. A beautiful garden filled with all kinds of flowers. The sad lonely orchid, the unruly row of poppies, the gorgeous sunflowers that make us hope. Reading 99 Days with You is like walking in this garden. You feel the wind on your face. It dries the tears on your cheeks. The different smells take you places, and by the time to reach the gate at the other side, you are a different person. More accurately, you are the same person, with a stronger sense of what is around you. You are thankful for the encounters you’ve had, the rows you didn’t, the kisses you shared. When I finished 99 Days with You, I was grateful. Teary-eyed but happy. Calm and so glad to have followed Emma and Nathan through it all.

One moment can change everything. Catherine Miller whispers in our ear that it is important to live, whatever it means to us. With two characters on borrowed time, she stole my heart and filled it with love and hope.

I recommend this novel if you are looking for a touching and beautiful story about love and life.

It's the little things in life which count the most, aren't they? Feeling the sand between your toes for the very first time. A bar of chocolate being bought for you just because. A little note left on your pillow. Spending 5 minutes outside just dancing in the rain. Little things to one person can end up being massive things for others, and the two people who cement that fact sublimely are Emma and Nathan.

Emma and Nathan meet by chance. An unfortunate, heart-breaking chance which involves an illness which many of us know the devastation of. Cancer. Love has no limit, yet for these two characters, everything now has a limit. I couldn't get over Emma and Nathan's approach to their emotional news. Both people handled it in completely different ways, highlighting the differences between how things can be perceived from one person to another. They may have one thing in common, yet the way it affects each of them couldn't be more different.

Watching the relationship blossom between Emma and Nathan was simply breathtaking. It was intimate. Profound. And of course, incredibly emotional as I 'watched' their lives come together from diagnosis.

'99 Days With You' has a very important message attached to it about living life to the full, to the best of our abilities, and making every little moment in our lives count. Including those all important little ones.

Catherine Miller, in my opinion, takes a subject which a lot of people are weary of, pulls it back to its bare bones and rebuilds it with her incredible storytelling, and eyeopening emotion a way that leaves me lost for words and breathless. I was spellbound by the sheer beauty of '99 Days With You' and the atmospheric portrayal of life itself.

Go and hug your loved ones. Hug yourself. Buy that pair of shoes. Buy this book - nobody wants to be the most rich bitch in the cemetery who regrets a single thing.

How many times have I told myself to stay clear of books that have a really sad storyline! Do I ever listen to myself?....it would appear not! When I started the story of Emma and Nathan, I just knew I’d be needing a big box of tissues before I’d even got past the opening chapter. Emma and Nathan meet in a hospital waiting room, both there to receive probably the worst news of their lives. Their characters were lovely, but you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmingly sad for them both.

Having received their diagnoses, they also found each other, and they certainly made the most of their times together, knowing that it would all come to an end soon. I mean, how desperately sad does that sound!! And yes, whilst I was blubbering away into my tissues like the big emotional wreck that I was, I also realised that it was just as much a happy story as it was a sad one. They had both found each other at the times in their lives that they needed someone. They shared the good times and the bad times, and showed that even when life looks bleaker than you can ever imagine, the love of another person puts a little ray of sunshine onto the horizon for you to focus and hold onto!

This story isn’t for everyone because of the topic it’s covering, but it was very sensitively written. I have to admit, I did struggle with this book but this was because it resurfaced a lot of personal memories which sometimes are difficult. I do, however, really admire the author for covering such a difficult subject which others may shy away from. It’s an equally heart-breaking and uplifting story that teaches you to live life to the full, as you never know what might be just around the corner. I would definitely recommend, but make sure you have a large box of tissues to hand!!

Am amazing, life reaffirming read that has an essence of sadness at its heart, so very different to any other book I’ve read in this genre and deserves all the applause and accolades that I’m sure are coming it’s way. I won’t say any more for fear of giving the plot away. Very well done to the writer for producing something so special. I look forward to what she comes up with next.

99 Days with You is a very touching story. While giving hope for love, it reminds us to make the most of every hour. Catherine Miller is giving us an important message housed in a lovely book.

4.5 stars

Even if it’s the first book that I’ve read by the author, this story has such an amazing message for all of us. Because we live in a contemporary world full of ignorance and false pretences, we value more the material things and we take all for granted, we easily forget that a second or just a moment can change our lives forever and also we forget to just Live, just find happiness in small things around us.
Such a heartbreaking story but also so fulfilling in a way that only few stories in life can aim that in our hearts and minds.
Both Emma and Nathan had a not so good or happy life but, after a chance encounter in the least expected way or place, they find each other and help to open up to new things and feelings in life because they just want to live a bit something that everyone should have throughout their lives.
Great writing, great characters and a heartbreaking story but so much more than only simple feelings.

In this heartbreaking tale by Catherine Miller, two people find love. However, their love has an expiration date. Emma and Nathan meet in the waiting room of a cancer clinic. They both noticed a significant change in their bodies and are about to undergo tests that will forever alter their lives - and their futures.

Emma lives with and cares for her ailing mother. She works at a library. Working with books gives Emma just enough excitement to get through everyday life. Nathan, on the other hand, leads an exciting life. He jumps out of airplanes for a living. As a sky diver instructor, Nathan lives life fast and hard. Nathan has a recurring dream. He is 27, and will always be 27. So, each and every day is critical to him.

When Emma and Nathan decide to be there for one another throughout this incredible ordeal, two things became apparent: their feelings for one another would grow exponentially, and they only had so much time together. Before they know it, it will be time to say goodbye. How much can they squeeze into their lives?

This novel by Catherine Miller yanked my heart out, stomped all over it, squeezed out any blood left in it, and then carelessly handed it back to me. But, I loved it anyway! I loved watching two people fall in love. I enjoyed watching them share new experiences together. I also loved Emma's relationship with her mother, and also how Nathan treated her mother as well.

I rallied with the pair from the very first page. Reading this book was rather cathartic for me and I felt that this book was a very important read. We never know when it will be our last moment. So, we must make life count. This one-sitting read is one that I will not forget any time soon. I look forward to reading much more by Catherine Miller in the future.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.