Review by Alex- Wherever Nina Lies

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

Nina was beautiful, wild & adored by her younger sister, Ellie. But, one day, Nina disappeared.

2 years later, everyone has given up hope that Nina will return, but Ellie knows her sister is out there. If only Ellie had a clue where to look.

And then she gets one, in the form of a mysterious drawing. Determined to find Nina, Ellie takes off on a crazy, sexy, cross-country road trip with the only person who believes she's got a chance - her hot, adventurous new crush.

Along the way, Ellie finds a few things she wasn't planning on. Like love. Lies. And the most shocking thing of all... the truth.

First off, I'd like to ponder on the title. I think there's two different ways to look at it. It could be Wherever Nina Lies, as in, where she is lying in the ground, dead. Ellie doesn't know. Or it could be Wherever Nina Lies, as in she doesn't tell the truth. Intersting, right? I have to say, I do love the title.

Wherever Nina Lies isn't really what I expected. It was more. It's a dangerous book that can often be creepy and thrilling. I rushed through parts just to figure out what happened. And then I slowed down towards the end because I didn't want the story to be over. It's that good.

Ellie herself as the main character, I didn't find very memorable. But then, I felt like I became Ellie in a way, seeing through her eyes and feeling what she feels. When she was happy, I was happy. When she was scared out of her mind, so was I. So I really feel the the author did a good job with Ellie, if I was able to relate to her and become her.

Nina, for the most part, isn't actually real and there in the story. But it feels like she is there the whole time because Ellie feels like that. Nina is the sort of character and person one could get addicted to, the person everyone wants to be or be with. She's an artist. She's crazy and fun. She's an extraordinary character to read about. Sean is really great too, it seems. He's different, absolutely, but also romantic, handsome, and rich.

The search for Nina is spontaneous and wild. Ellie first finds a clue in her city, and Sean, the boy who she has a crush on, joins her in the road trip of a hunt. They find clues that lead to the next clue, hopefully piecing together the mystery that is Nina.

What happened to Nina isn't the only shocker in the story. Sean is mysterious and his past and involvement in the story is a surprise. Or at least, it was to me. It wasn't what I thought. The climax of the story is heart-pounding and intense and I was pretty much holding my breath for all of it. And while the truth about Sean is a surprise, it's not a complete 180 twist. It slowly creeps up on you like the worst of nightmares and the best of twists.

Wherever Nina Lies is a mystery, a cautionary tale, a romance, a story of relationships, a thriller, and much more, all rolled into one. I don't really know what else to say, but that Wherever Nina Lies is really really absorbing and amazing. I couldn't put it down. It's Lynn Weingarten's first novel also! I'll seriously be on the lookout for more books by this author. :)

I'm so close to giving Wherever Nina Lies 6 shelves. It's really so close. But the book's just not quite enough to be 6. It should be 5.5 at least though. As I said before, maybe there should be half shelves. But think of Wherever Nina Lies as 5.5 shelves instead of the 5 I give.