Nine Days by Joelina Falk Summary

Nine Days by Joelina Falk follows Lily Reyes, a 20-year-old college student battling depression who accidentally leaves behind her goodbye notebook. Colin Carter, the captain of St. Trewery's hockey team, discovers it and asks for nine days to show her that life is worth living. The contemporary romance explores mental health, healing, and finding hope through human connection as their relationship deepens over those transformative nine days.

Joelina Falk is a German romance author born on April 5, 2002. She writes contemporary and dark romances that don't shy away from emotional depth and difficult themes. Nine Days, published in February 2022, launched her Unfrozen Four series, which currently includes four novels centered around hockey romance. She has also written the Tartarus Club series and NY Sweethearts series, with her work gaining significant popularity on platforms like Goodreads.

Nine Days is ideal for readers who enjoy emotionally intense contemporary romance with mental health representation. The book appeals to fans of hockey romance, slow-burn relationships, and stories about healing through connection. However, it contains triggering content related to depression, suicide ideation, and childhood trauma, so it's best suited for mature readers seeking raw, realistic portrayals of mental health struggles alongside hopeful romance narratives.

Nine Days offers a powerful exploration of depression and recovery wrapped in a compelling romance. Readers praise its raw authenticity in depicting mental health struggles, the protective hero dynamic, and the emotional depth between Lily and Colin. The book balances heavy themes with moments of hope, tenderness, and healing. With strong ratings on Goodreads and a devoted fanbase, it's worth reading for those seeking emotionally resonant stories that handle difficult subjects with sensitivity and care.

The story centers on Colin Carter's nine-day challenge to convince Lily Reyes that life is worth living after discovering her suicide preparation notebook. Each day, Colin takes Lily on outings and creates moments of joy, connection, and vulnerability. This time-limited framework builds urgency and emotional stakes as their relationship evolves from strangers to intimate companions, forcing both characters to confront their pain, fears, and growing feelings for each other.

Nine Days features Lily Heaven Reyes, a former figure skater struggling with depression, and Colin Carter, the hockey team captain who becomes her protector and love interest. Supporting characters include Aaron Marsh, Lily's twin brother and Colin's best friend, who is protective yet dealing with his own family issues. Winter Varley serves as Lily's dramatic best friend whose complicated relationship with Aaron adds tension to the group dynamic, creating an interconnected web of relationships.

The "unalive journey 101" notebook is Lily's personal journal containing her thoughts, feelings, and farewell letters to loved ones as she prepares for her planned death. When Colin discovers this notebook at the hockey arena, it becomes the catalyst that sets the entire story in motion. The notebook provides intimate access to Lily's inner struggles and serves as both a symbol of her despair and a bridge to potential healing through Colin's intervention.

Nine Days offers a raw, realistic depiction of depression through Lily's daily struggles, panic attacks, and feelings of worthlessness. The narrative avoids clichés by showing how mental health impacts all of Lily's relationships and includes professional help like therapy and medication alongside personal support. Depression is central to the plot rather than a subplot, with the story sensitively addressing Lily's planned suicide and emotional preparation while emphasizing that healing requires understanding, patience, and comprehensive support systems.

Figure skating represents Lily's former identity and joy before depression took hold, serving as a powerful metaphor for recovery and reclaiming life. Her return to the ice symbolizes hope and overcoming fear, with her performance of a difficult Lutz jump marking a pivotal turning point in her healing journey. Skating also connects Lily to other characters, including her brother Aaron and Colin's sister Eira, highlighting themes of support, resilience, and the possibility of rediscovering lost passions.

Nine Days features several impactful quotes that capture its themes.

"Beauty is also within the darkness. It's within misery and solitude, even if it's masked" explores finding meaning in suffering.

"You're living on a floating rock filled with water and you're expecting life to make sense" addresses life's inherent absurdity and uncertainty.

"The true art in life is to see beyond the pain" emphasizes perspective and hope, encouraging readers to find light even in difficult circumstances.

Yes, Nine Days contains significant triggering content that readers should be aware of before reading. The book deals extensively with depression, suicidal ideation, suicide planning, and childhood trauma. Joelina Falk provides a complete list of trigger warnings on her official website at www.joelinafalk.com/nine-days. Due to the sensitive nature of these themes, the book is recommended for mature readers who can handle raw mental health content and emotional intensity.

The romance between Lily and Colin evolves from resistance and misunderstanding to deep emotional and physical intimacy over their nine days together. Colin respects Lily's boundaries while gently encouraging vulnerability, creating trust through consistent presence and acts of kindness. Despite Lily's plan to die, feelings of attraction and care develop organically, leading to moments of tenderness that complicate their arrangement. The time constraint adds urgency and emotional stakes, making their evolving bond central to Lily's journey toward choosing life.