This is my first book by Abbi Waxman and I found it to be charming. At its heart this story explores complicated family dynamics and how humans respond to trauma. Christa is such a quirky lovable character and I enjoy how Waxman gives the reader Christa’s unique voice-complete with footnotes. This story also has a romance. True to her nature, Christa tries to deny her attraction to a childhood friend, which makes the story quite fun.
I laughter and I teared up and I laughed again. Thank you To Berkley for the opportunity to read an e-galley via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Romance, and PRH audio for the free digital and audiobook copies of this adorable, zany, heartfelt, and emotional book.

Almost twenty-five years ago, Christa’s father, a world-famous nature-exploration TV show host, died in a plane crash. Although Christa has no memories of him, his legacy has shaped Christa’s life and that of her mother and two older sisters. Now, news has broken that her father has been found alive, prompting Christa, now a research scientist, to return from her Indian Ocean-based snail study to the place she likes the least - her family home in Los Angeles. This time, she has to deal with her mother and sisters, a back-from-the-dead father, the media spotlight, and a new electric connection to Nate, an old family friend. But as questions about her father’s two-decade-long disappearance emerge, all hell is going to break loose.

Christa is one of my new favorite main characters. She is delightfully nerdy, and Nate is delightfully nerdy right back. Waxman wove this smoldering romance through an emotional story of family chaos and frustration. Christa feels a lot of righteous indignation about being let down by her family when she needed them most. There are positive messages about individual and group therapy. What may sound like a hefty book is incredibly light-hearted and funny, focusing on letting go of hate, keeping people you trust, and knowing that those you love will be there for you no matter where you are. There is also an adorably ferocious Weiner dog named Marcel.

I adore Abby's books, so I knew I wanted to get my hands on this one. This definitely not my favourite book, written by Abby, but I did enjoy it. The plot and the characters are unique and make for an entertaining reading experience. The pacing was perfect, and I really enjoyed the banter between the characters. I loved the little island of Voletta, and I wish that it was real so that I could visit it. This book is a unique and quirky read and I think it is perfect for those bookworms looking for a different kind of romance.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for access to this arc.

This is one which I sorta love it and sorta dislike it. Parts had me laughing out loud, or cringing, or upset. Most of the characters pissed me off at times and the one who didn’t piss me off felt too good to be true. But I sucked down roughly 400 pages in two days.

Given her background, I can understand why Christa prefers to be out of the limelight now. As a child and given no choice in the matter, she got dragged into a lot of stuff that she didn’t want any part of. She did finally bust loose and do things that were, unfortunately, caught on camera leading her mother to wake up and get Christa away from it all. As Christa tells mom Denny (Denise) when mom apologizes as she should have done years ago, this all led to Christa finding her passion in marine biology (and I loved the biology stuff!) so it wasn’t all for naught. There were times though when I wanted to shake Denny as she immediately starts committing Christa to doing public things (again!) with no consent from Christa. Mom is mostly good but has her moments.

Christa’s sisters are much older which caused some rifts in years past but they’re acting better now due to intensive therapy. But I felt that there was still a lot of old family drama that had never been quite worked out either. Both sisters also appeared fine with disappearing back into their lives and leaving Christa as the Liddle sister stuck with the machinations of dad and the agent who pulled no punches in manipulating Christa into doing what he wanted.

Jasper Liddle is one of those charismatic souls who can read a room, easily slip into friendships with total strangers but who really isn’t the nice guy he might appear to be. Jasper’s got some “‘splaining to do” about where he was for so many years and once that ugly truth begins to tumble out, I disliked him intensely. Christa, who has no memories of her father, probably has the purest response which has a lot of anger in it.

The romance in the story gets sprinkled into it in various places but I found I liked this the least. Nathan is quite frankly too good to be true. I’d love a man like this in my life but honestly, I don’t think they actually exist. His speech in which he spells out to her just why he thinks she’s the best thing ever in his life is lovely and a great “boombox” moment but I wanted him to finally get a little mad about something, anything in this book which he keeps getting dragged into.

There are some dark things that swirled through the book such as the power of social media, the hunger of the public for a piece of someone’s life, the price that some people are willing to pay to get what they want, the fact that all the women of the Liddle family have either already gone to or end up going to therapy to deal with the fallout of what Jasper did, the lack of consent for things Christa was made to do and the lack of support her family gave her for so many years. There is also a lot of funny stuff as Christa is an acerbic person who doesn’t worry about filters but yeah, dark places are visited here. The book works more for me as fiction and women’s fiction but less so as a romance. B-

This was fun, lighthearted and a bit quirky! It would make a great vaca read! Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

This romcom was right up my alley and I loved it! I wish we would have gotten a little more story on Violetta because it sounded amazing, but I also loved the cast of characters in LA. Nate was a wonderful book boyfriend.

Christa was quirky and relatable in her awkwardness. I liked how everyone in this story felt supportive and kind, even with their own foibles. It made the events in the story feel positive and fun. The word “rollicking” occurs to me. I would definitely recommend this one for fans of smart romcoms.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I devoured this. I love this author, though I have only read her 3 most recent books, beginning with The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. I read the others for a weekly book club, so I was forced to pause and savor. This one, on the other hand, had no restrictions tied to it and I basically read it in a couple of days.

Christa is forced, by family circumstances, to go back to LA and deal with her family, in crisis mode. It's not where she would choose to be. She wants to be on a remote island studying snails. That's your setup.

Christa is cute and quirky and I love her. This author has a gift for pulling you into her stories. Her main characters tend to be a bit nerdy and hyper focused. But she manages to make them all unique enough that you don't feel like you're reading the same exact book over and over. But you also know exactly what you're getting before you even start reading.

I definitely recommend this one.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell is part romance and part family drama. Christa is happily living her life, researching snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, when she gets a life-changing call. Her famous father, renowned naturalist and TV personality, has returned from the dead. 25 years ago, Jasper Little disappeared in the wilds of Alaska after his plane crashed. The implications of Jaspers return for Christa, her sisters, and her mother, are extreme. From where he has been for the past 25 years, to his former manager's plans for their future, the ground keeps moving beneath Christa's feet. Luckily, there is Nathan, a long time friend. The two have an undeniable attraction, but it is his caring and good heart that made me like Nathan so much. The author Abbi Waxman has done a wonderful job of creating a complex story with real emotion as well as characters that I was rooting for. The entire story, I kept hoping that Christa would be able to get back to her beloved snails.
The ending exceeded my expectations and I will be looking forward to reading what author Abbi Waxman writes next.

Christa is on a remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean studying sea snails when she hears that her famous father Jasper Liddle is not in fact dead.
She was only two years ago when the wildlife TV presenter was believed lost in a plane crash in Alaska.
So as Christa returns home to see her father again and reunite with her mother and sisters, the intrusive press thrust her into the last place she wants to be - the spotlight.
This was an interesting read as we find out where Jasper has been all these years and why Christa has embraced a reclusive lifestyle. I enjoyed the offbeat main character but didn’t find her romance with her childhood crush particularly engaging.

At the heart of Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman is a contemporary romance story with a second chance couple. However, the romance in this novel is surrounded by a lot of dysfunctional family drama with a long lost father coming back to life.

As a child Christa Liddle was forced into the spotlight being the child of a famous parent in her father. That spotlight slowly faded over the years though after her father was thought to have died in a remote plane crash in Alaska.

Now as an adult Christa spends her time on a remote island studying sea snails as far away from a spotlight she could get. That is until one day she get word that the father she thought had died has stepped out of the remote Alaska wilderness alive and well which brings Christa home to her family to sort out the details of this shocking event.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell is the first book I’ve read by author Abbi Waxman after hearing good things. While I did enjoy this first book overall I did have a few nitpicky ideas along the way with the story. First, the main character Christa just felt so young and naive but should be a scientist around thirty years old, if not a little older so that felt a bit off.

Then while I enjoy a good in depth story to focus on I kind of wanted a bit more romance from the main couple over the returned spotlight of the lost parent. I’d definitely give this author another go in the future though with this story coming in at three and half stars for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell is an engaging and enjoyable story. Abbi Waxman creates interesting characters who are sometimes stuck between the past and the present, and puts them into a story that I couldn’t put down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dr. Christa Barnet is a zoologist studying bubble raft snails on a remote island in the Indian Ocean when she hears the news that her dead father has resurfaced 25 years later. Christa was only 2 years old when famous naturalist Jasper Liddle was presumed dead in an Alaskan plane crash. His death shaped the lives of her, her mother, and her two older sisters, and is part of the reason she escaped to conduct her research out of the public eye. But what’s waiting for her when she hurries back to LA and is reunited with her family, along with longtime family friend and teen crush Nate?

This book focuses on Christa’s path from unconventional childhood to rebellious teen to renowned scientist. It also examines the relationships between her immediate family, and the different roles she and her sisters are slotted into, both past and present. I especially like the way the author focuses on her mother’s strength and resilience over the years.

The conversational tone makes Christa’s personal journey a lot of fun to read. With asides to the reader, it gives the story an intimacy that it might not otherwise have. And as a romance fan, Christa’s relationship with Nate was one of the highlights of the book. But, this story definitely falls into the category of women’s fiction, not romance. Sometimes it was tough to wrap my brain around how all the relationships truly fit together, but I was invested in the story and had to keep reading.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed hanging out with her and her family, and their version of LA. Christa’s path to happiness and love isn’t immediately straightforward, but I’m glad I read about her entertaining journey.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell combines wonderful characters in heart-warming, quirky story. Waxman has a knack for offbeat stories, humorous storylines with a bit of romance. This book is a sharp, funny take on a dysfunctional family. Its also the second-chance at love for the main character too.

This book is the right amount of cozy!

Thank you, Berkley Publishing Group

4 quirky character stars

Abbi Waxman has a way of creating quirky characters. This was my third book of hers, and she’ll stay on my authors-to-read list.
This time, we have a young woman who has secreted herself away on a remote island researching sea snails. She was part of a famous family growing up; her famous father had wildlife shows. Sadly, those came to an end when his plane crashed.

Her life is thrown into chaos when her father is found twenty-some years later! The whole family comes back together in California. Christa is reunited with a childhood friend, and the romantic sparks fly! There’s some predictable family drama as everyone copes with the return of the missing father figure.

As the truth starts to emerge about the truth behind her father’s plane crash, Christa wants to crawl back into her shell and retreat to the island. The PR machine in Hollywood wants to capitalize on everything and make her a household name.

With a few twists thrown in, I enjoyed Christa’s journey in this one and liked her character.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell
By: Abbi Waxman
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Women's Fiction

Waxman writes with insight, romance, and humor in her book Christa Comes Out of Her Shell. Christa, a marine life researcher who studies snails in the Indian Ocean, finds herself thrust in the midst of family drama. This book will appeal to those who like a fresh and original well-written plot.

Thank you to Net Galley Berkley Publishing Group, and Berkley Besties for a gifted advance reader's copy. My review is my own.

Abbi Waxman's newest novel is a charming story about an introverted scientist who is thrust back into the spotlight after a family revelation rocks her world.

Christa has spent the past four years on an island studying violet snails while trying to maintain her distance from her past life and family. Her father, a famous nature tv presenter, disappeared in the Alaskan wilderness when Christa was two years old, but has returned from seemingly the dead. As Christa and her family deal with surprise after surprise, they also are trying to mend their relationships and bury the trauma from the past.

For readers who love a whip-smart introverted protagonist, they will be cheering for Christa all the way through.

Marine biologist Dr. Christabel Liddle, who goes by her mother’s maiden name of Barnet, has spent several years in the middle of the Indian ocean on a small island studying sea snails. Christa finds this remote place the perfect hideout from her quirky family, humankind in general, and public scrutiny that dogged her younger years. Christa’s father was a famous naturalist, think a Steve Irwin type, who went missing in the Alaskan Wilderness and was presumed dead. When her father, Jasper, suddenly pulls a Lazarus coming back to life move, Christa is once again thrust into that whirlwind of the public eye only this time, all amped up by the more intense social media than when she was an out-of-control teenager.

During childhood, and after her father’s disappearance, Christa’s Mother, Denny, continued to run the family’s nature conservation foundation funded in large part by beanie baby type of toys based on the natural world of animals. Christa was thrust into to the spotlight for several years, again like Steve Irwin’s children, to keep the interest in Jasper Liddle going. When he does resurface, a shark infested media frenzy ensues stalking the family including her older sisters, and Mother as well as a family friend, Nate, who lights Christa’s fire in much more pleasanter ways.

Jasper’s sleazy long-time agent immediately, and not always ethically, shoves Christa into the main arena with her father to “control the narrative” as facts revealed that the circumstances around the story are less than flattering. Christa has left her comfort zone in the far distance desperately wanting to get back to her quiet science filled life while at the same time, exploring the possibility of a relationship with Nate; the two goals seemingly mutually exclusive.

Adding to the family drama with all kinds of angsty baggage, this story is a wild roller coaster ride of emotion, some deep traumas past and present, while being an amusing skewering of the media which includes every poser with a cell phone ready to record and upload the lives of the rich and famous. What Ms. Waxman does so well is interweave humor with an entertaining portrait of human foibles while exploring some deeper emotional themes, some of which are very dark, and the happy addition of a little romance to lighten the load. Fans will be pleased to be in Christa’s world for a good time.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman took me to the small island of Violetta, a world away from Christa Liddle's highly dysfunctional family in California. The story unfolds as Christa's father, presumed dead for 25 years, returns, and Christa must leave her island and join her family as they struggle to process what's happened.

I wasn't prepared for such a delightful read filled with amusing situations. As I delved into the life of Christa, a researcher of bubble raft snails in the Indian Ocean who is ironically afraid of sharks, the stage is set for a story brimming with wit and humor. The over-the-top narrative kept me thoroughly entertained.

What truly intrigued me in the story was the exploration of the intricate family relationships. The journey of self-discovery that Christa embarks on, and her evolving understanding of her sisters, mother, and 'not-dead' father, kept me engrossed and turning the pages.

Christa is a delightful character with her quick wit and sarcastic observations about the people around her. Her narration of the story was a highlight for me, as I found her perspective and humor to be incredibly enjoyable and fast-paced.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell is the perfect read if you're looking for a fun story full of complex family themes.

I received a gifted galley of CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL by Abbi Waxman. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, PRH Audio, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL follows the titular character. Christa has hidden herself away on an island in the Indian Ocean, studying sea snails and pretty much steering clear of relationships. When she learns that her famous father who was believed to have died in a plane crash when she was young is in fact very alive, she can no longer hide from attention.

Crista returns to her home town to reunite with her mother and sisters in the wake of this shocking news. On top of the family drama, reuniting with an old friend creates unexpected sparks. Through everything the media attention and further surprises in store from her father, Crista can't help for long for her quiet secluded island existence.

I picked this book for a character driven novel reading prompt and it absolutely was that. I loved that the book really centered on Christa, her family, her relationships, and most importantly her own growth and self-discovery. The reasons why Christa is happiest living off on her own come to light and there are a lot of great discussions with her parents and others about her childhood and about some of the trauma she has had in her past. I thought all of this was really well done.

The family drama centering on Christa's father did feel a little bit over the top at times, but it was really mostly there to act as a catalyst for Christa's life and to help push her into making choices about her own future. The drama of it all did add some good discussions and fun as reveals came to light.

There were some times where the pacing slowed down a bit for me, but I really enjoyed this read overall. I have to give a bit of extra credit for the snail pun in the title as well!

Christa Comes Out Of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman is a layered, emotional book. There are many difficult topics discussed yet they are all done in Christa's tone, which is snarky and very relatable.
Christa is an excellent main character, as her whimsy is just as powerful as her determination. Her romance with Nate enhances the story but it isn't the main theme.
Watching Christa grow throughout the book makes the ending very rewarding. I highly recommend this!

I have been a fan of Abbi Waxman's books for awhile, and her new book, "Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" did not disappoint, Christa Liddle is happily living life on a remote island conducting her research on a species of snails, when she is informed that her famous naturalist father, who was believed to have died in a plane crash when Christa when 2 years old, is alive and in Alaska. As she comes back together in California with her mom and sisters to await her father's return, she must cope with her family being thrust back into the media spotlight, which has not been kind to Christa in the past as a teenager.. Unfortunately, the story of her father's disappearance and return is not what it was originally what it was made out to be, as the real truth begins to come out, as does Christa's need to return to her previous quiet and secluded life.

I quickly found myself engaged in this book, and as we get to delve more into Christa's family dysfunction and childhood, it is easy to see how she became the person she is in the present. The family relationships were well-written, as is Christa's budding romance with an old childhood family friend. "Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" was a delightful book, and I will always look forward to new books by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkey Publishing with providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. "Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" is set to be published on 04/16/24.