QUICK TAKE: a fictional retelling of the Gabby Petito murder, but told from the POV of the parents impacted and the lengths one is willing to go in order to protect their children. I found this domestic suspense extremely propulsive and unputdownable, and read the entire book in one sitting. It’s juicy and soapy and twisty, and while I didn’t love how McTiernan executed a first-act twist, I ultimately really enjoyed this one a lot and highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fast-paced slump-busting read...

This one is for all the true crime lovers out there!

Yes, the plot is predictable but the ending was unexpected. I loved how the author told the story and made it interesting. Told via multiple POV’s of both Nina’s and Simon’s family members. It was fast paced and an easy read. I couldn’t put it down!

I love to indulge in true crime as much as the next person, but the depth of each character in What Happened to Nina? made me want to stop altogether. I felt like I got to know these characters so well, that I felt their pain and their anguish. The destruction of two families seemed all too real. Tangible. Like it was happening to a family friend, or even my own family. I appreciate that this thriller made us take a look at ourselves and how we chew up and spit out these true crime documents. How there are videos, comments, theories, suspicions spread around rapidly online. How we all consume these stories and sometimes empathize, but always go on about our days, with little thought to how our consumption affects the families involved. I know this book was a work of fiction, but it really made me look at the situation, and myself, differently. It was probably one of the better thrillers I’ve ever read when it came to character building. I need more from this author.

This was a brilliantly written mystery.
When Nina and her boyfriend go away for the weekend, and Nina doesn't return, her parents refuse to give up searching for her.
The investigation was suspenseful and absolutely engrossing, loved this one to the very end!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Many thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion. “Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family’s cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home.”
That’s a great premise and I really enjoyed this book, reading the first 40% and listening to the rest. The reader learns prior to the middle of the book what happened to Nina, but the story continued to be engaging and kept me guessing how it was going to finish.
This cover is not the best - I don’t think it’s engaging and it doesn’t really represent the character of Nina. I do think the book is worth reading, but I wish the cover better matched the content - we need someone hiking or rock climbing!

Nina Fraser and Simon Jordan have been a picture perfect couple since they were sixteen. After a weekend of hiking at the Jordan’s vacation home, Simon returns home but Nina does not. Simon said that they broke up and Nina was calling a friend to pick her up. Where is Nina? Nina’s parents are frantic and although Simon was apparently the last person to see Nina, he seems genuinely upset that she hasn’t returned home. The police are contacted and a search party is organized. The Fraser’s want Simon charged but without a body foul play can not be established. The Jordans take steps to protect their son who couldn’t possibly hurt Nina.

This novel is told from various viewpoints beginning with Nina and then with the parents and police detective and there are surprising twists and turns. I was puled immediately into What Happened to Nina and the ending was a surprise. If you enjoy mysteries and suspense thrillers give this book a try.

I listened to the audiobook version of What Happened to Nina? not realizing I had an advanced reader copy. I was drawn in from the first sentence. Each viewpoint had a different narrator which made it easier to follow along.

This book isn’t so much of a whodunnit as to how the situation affected the different characters around the missing Nina, who was the narrator of the prologue. We see how her family (mother, stepfather and sister), the suspect’s parents, and the police detective try to figure out why Nina may have disappeared and who could be responsible.

The tension built up as the book went on. As the case gained media attention, we see how it affects those surrounding Nina. The intensity of it left me feeling shaken as the brutality of armchair detectives tear apart those on both sides. It accurately reflected how social media and its trolls can spiral and tear apart people’s lives.

There were several plot twists I did not see coming. Finishing the book, I wanted to read/listen to it all over again.

Trigger warning: discussion of physical abuse by a partner

I’m giving a heads-up to readers who plan to start this book:

-Order your fake nails online because you won’t have healthy nails left after finishing this riveting and heart-throbbing thriller.

-Find great excuses to skip your job, your social commitments, even postpone binge-watching new streaming series; play sick for your husband, kids who demand you cook, clean, do laundry. Once you start this book, you won’t want to deal with anything from the outside world and you’ll go with the flow.

-Find someplace to read where underage adults can't hear you because you will have an urge to curse loudly every time one of the Jordan family members appears in the chapters and presents their narratives.

-Find a firm, strong, stable couch to sit on because you may keep jumping on it as the pressure builds and hits the top. You don’t want to fall back down to the floor at each triggering scene you’re reading.

-Don’t bring any food with you. This book may create stress eating, and without realizing it, you may find yourself already covered from head to toe with junk food packages, turning yourself into a walking trash bag!

-Feel free to work on your best villainous laugh because when you read the conclusion, you may also need to perform it!

I cannot give this book less than five stars! In my opinion, nobody except psychological thriller or true crime fans, riveting mystery addicts, can do that! This book is absolutely fantastic but also disturbing, mind-bending, dark, perfectly developed, and executed!

It opens with the POV of Nina Frazier, a 20-year-old, sweet girl next door but also tough, hardworking, a grade A student, a perfect daughter, and an accomplished climber, dating her childhood boyfriend Simon since she was sixteen. They’re from the same town, but their families are polar opposites. The Jordan family is wealthy, prestigious, focused on appearances, while the Frasers are from the middle class, running their inn: a family business they all work together to make ends meet. Nina’s mother, Leanne, comes from a broken family, she's tough, resilient, a hard worker, while Simon’s mother, Jamie, is a trophy wife conducting a side business by selling her designer clothes online; they couldn't be much different, pretending to be civil with each other for their children’s sake.

In the beginning of the story from Nina’s narrative, we understand that after Nina and Simon, a picture-perfect couple, started their long-distance relationship, Simon becomes controlling, suffocating Nina, monitoring her every move, even becoming physically harmful. When they plan to spend time alone together at a new house Simon’s family bought near Stowe, Nina is forced to cancel her shift at her mother’s inn, which creates an argument between mother and daughter.

Nina still questions their relationship, and during their hike, an incident occurs that pushes her to the decision she’s been postponing for so long. She is adamant to break up with him when they are having dinner. Unfortunately, Nina’s narration ends here.

Afterwards, we find out that Simon returns back to his family home alone, telling people that he and Nina broke up because she was cheating on him and he left her in their house.

But there is something missing from the story. In any condition, Nina might have called her parents to drive her home. She never disappears into thin air without informing them. Her jacket, eyewater, and a few belongings are found at the Stowe home, but the security cameras show no indication that she left the house, and her phone has been inactive since Friday night.

What happened to Nina? Did she run away from her abusive boyfriend or her strict mother who forces her to spend her entire spare time working in the inn? Or did something happen to her?

We read from both family members’ POVs, including Jamie and Rory Jordan, who will go to great lengths to prevent their son from going to jail, and the Fraser family: Leanne, Andy, their fifteen-year-old daughter Grace, who will do anything in their power to find out what happened to Nina.

Police officer Matthew and his young colleague Sarah Jane are also adamant about finding out the truth, and the cyberbullying, troll attacks are also added into the complex equation as the narratives keep changing to address the culprit by manipulating the haters as the pressure builds until things get escalated. Could justice be served before anyone out there takes matters into their own hands?

Some books leave traces in your soul, and this one is actually one of them. I highly recommend it to anyone addicted to great thrillers!

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for sharing this unputdownable psychological thriller’s digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I absolutely loved this book. A college girl is missing after spending the week with her boyfriend. It follows the investigation and tells the story of the girls parents and the boyfriends family. It also shows what a family with money and influence can do to destroy the other family. This was a great mystery.

Thank you thank you to William Morrow for the ARC! I absolutely loved this book!

I initially looked over this book because I thought it was a true-crime book so if you've thought the same, let me clarify that this is a FICTION THRILLER with a true-crime feel!

This is my second book by Dervla McTierman and while I enjoyed THE MURDER RULE, she really knocked it out of the park on this one! There were a couple times my mouth was wide open and the last sentence of the book made me want to scream; I'll never forget it!

This is the story of a teenager named Nina who never returns home after a hiking trip with her boyfriend, Simon. Since it's in SO many other reviews, I'll also mention that YES there are similarities here to the Gabby Petito case and that YES it still is worth reading even if you think you know what will happen: you don't ;)!

My favorite part of this book was that it was told from many different perspectives: both of Nina's parents and her sister, both of Simon's parents and a police office on the missing person's case! All of these characters had their own reasons to act in the ways that the did and some of them were more unhinged than others and I was THERE FOR IT!

The more I think about the psychology behind how this book delves into the mindset of every character, the more I'm blown away by McTiernan's plotting and writing. The ending especially has my mind SPINNING! There is nothing better for me than a final sentence of an already amazing book that really makes your jaw drop, and WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? delivered that for me!

Bravo to Dervla, I can't wait to see what you do next!

Inspired by the Gabby Petito case, "What Happened to Nina?" tells the story of a young woman who disappeared and her boyfriend who was immediately under suspicion once she went missing. The chapters are told from various POVs - the missing woman's parents, the boyfriend's parents, and the detective investigating the case. I really enjoyed this one and it was a fresh take on a very newsy situation.

I picked this one up because of all the hype on Bookstagram. This is more of a family drama than a mystery or thriller. That said, it kept me interested, even though we find out pretty quickly what happened to Nina. I hate the cover though... Why is she even holding a balloon?

You will find it impossible to stop reading this book. I know I did.!

Nina Fraser and her boyfriend Simon Jordan leave for a weekend of hiking at the Jordon family's second home in Vermont. It is acres of a bucolic wonderland with a lake, woods and great climbing right on the property. But Nina never returns from that weekend, Simon claims that she broke up with him and that instead of coming home then with him, she wanted to stay at the house on her own. This is highly unlikely due to the fact that she did not have a car, the house is isolated and she reached out to no one.

The story is told from multiple POVs. Nina, the Frasers, the Jordans, Nina's younger sister, Grace, the detectives., and social media. With the families now pitted against each other and Simon the last one to see Nina alive, the Jordans hire a cut throat PR team to plant seeds in social media from which lies and conspiracy theories flourish. They don't care how this destroys the Frasers, most especially Grace who cannot even attend school any longer.
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This could have been just another thriller, but with the addition of the venomous social media that we all have come to know, it was much more like something straight from the headlines. We are privy to the most private of conversations within the families, hearing just how far they are will to go to for their children., What lines will they cross without hesitation? We are also given access to what the detectives are thinking and doing. What are they holding back? It is this "insider" insight that makes this story gripping, but what really sets it apart is the use of social media as a weapon. The planted lies and the viral toxic attacks that follow create a visceral reaction. A fresh twist in the genre that brings what could be a familiar story line into a whole new, extremely timely dimension. This will bring an even greater level of scrutiny to anything you see on social media or the internet again!

The only bad thing about having just finished the latest Dervla McTiernan book is knowing you now have to wait for the next one!

My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A quick and easy read that keeps you engaged right up too the end. This was the first book I've read by this author, but will be checking out more from McTIernan 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What happened to Nina is all but a verified conclusion from the beginning of the book, so not a spoiler. What happens to everyone else (the good, the bad and the ugly) in the aftermath of a crime involving a missing person is the focus of this novel. Even though as a reader you think you know well this ripped from the headlines scenario, it’s different and more complicated when confronted with the realities of the killing of a college girl by her boyfriend in a world governed more by money and the effects of social media than by the morality of right vs. wrong.
What I liked best was how the characters are developed and my reaction to them. There are a few in the deliciously love to hate category, but most evoked a relatively neutral or unsympathetic response until fairly late in the book when I started to develop some unanticipated empathy for the victim’s family. Interestingly the victim stayed in the neutral zone.
On the negative side, the title sets up misleading expectations and the cover is so boring that it would never have attracted me to pick it up.
Fortunately I had seen the author interviewed and knew what the book is really about which piqued my interest, so there was no disappointment.
The multiple points of view are the key to the book’s success. The reader has pivotal knowledge thot characters do not. This structure kept the story moving and really promoted character development. The writing style is direct, precise and left no doubt as to perspective.
Thank you to the author, Dervla McTiernan, for another thought provoking read, to the publisher, William Morrow and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC.

The story begins with Nina telling us that we already know her story. She mentions her relationship with her boyfriend, Simon, a boy she grew up with and then fell in love with when she was 16. He becomes controlling, and sadly, that goes too far when they go on vacation together. Nina's mom is concerned when Nina doesn't respond to her texts or calls, and when she doesn't return from the vacation, her concern deepens. However, Simon's parents are very wealthy, and wage a campaign against Nina's family to protect their son. Yet, Nina's parents decide to fight back. When the law doesn't help them, they realize that they must get justice for Nina in their own way.
This is a powerful story of love, loss, and what a family will do for justice. Although I knew what happened to Nina, how her parents handled the situation was a surprise. I also liked how her younger sister, Grace, recognized Simon's faults and was able to stand up for herself. An interesting story and a warning to people in abusive situations - get out, before it is too late!

We find out what happened to Nina fairly early on, what we read about is how far different people will go to uncover or hide the truth. I enjoyed the story being told by various people. Nina’s parents and sister, Simon’, his parents, and the police. Their emotions….the grief, the worry and the questions were so well written that my heart ached for Andy and Lee, and maybe even a little bit for Jamie. The lengths Simon’s parents would go to shift the story away from him were truly horrific, at point a character said no one believes the facts anymore, and it certainly held true in the campaign against Andy. While it’s impossible for this story to have a happy ending, it was satisfying.
Written my one of my favorite authors, I’d like to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins for an advance reader’s copy, it will definitely be on my suggestion list for our library board.

'What Happened to Nina?' by Dervla McTiernan is an absolute yes! Fast-paced intriguing - everything you want in a modern crime novel.

In the book What Happened To Nina by Dervla McTiernan, Simon and Nina have been dating for four years and although things have been harder since they went away to different colleges they’re still together or at least they were. It was spring break and the couple went up to his families new vacation home while they were there Nina thought it was just the same old same old with Simon always wanting her to coddle him and his emotions she knows he’s been abusive in the past but after allowing her to fall on a duel climb she knows what she hast to do. Simon returns with a story to tell saying that she broke up with him for another guy he left the home and she was to get a ride with a friend but only him and his mom believe that or maybe just his mom because no one that knows Nina does. In the book we follow Jamie Simons mom and Leanne and Andy Nina‘s parents as they grapple with what happened one set of parents are devastated and the other are busy doing damage control. Unfortunately that involves ruining public opinion about the missing girls parents. I found this to be a pretty good book and I like that even some of those related to the accused were still written as like a book people caught in a terrible situation there were really good characters in this book and I found the momentum moved swiftly to make it an all-around great book. I want to thank William Morrow for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate most of my review.

WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? That's the big question here. Nina goes away for the weekend with her boyfriend...and never comes back.

I thought this was a fun, fast read and really enjoyed the dual perspectives. However, I wish we had been kept in the dark a little longer about Nina's ultimate fate. And a small thing that bugged me - I didn't think the cover art of "Nina" looked anything like how I pictured her in my head reading this book - the small, yet strong and scrappy, outdoorsy, athletic climber who charmed everyone she met.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.