Phenomenal…I finished this book in a day!! I’m definitely going to check out this Author’s other books! Thanks to NetGalley!

5 every parent’s nightmare stars

This is my second read from Dervla McTiernan, and now I’m more eager to read her backlist!

I was on the edge of my seat with this one. It truly is a parent’s nightmare when your child doesn’t come home.

They seemed like a great couple – Nina and Simon. High school sweethearts, and somehow, they made a long-distance relationship work in college. Simon invites Nina to his parents’ vacation home, and they plan to spend a week together hiking and climbing before heading back to school. But only Simon comes home, he says that they broke up and he left Nina there.

Nina’s parents are suspicious right away because Nina is good about keeping in touch. What happened to her?

We also get the perspective of Simon’s parents and their fierce desire to protect their son. The two families are in attack mode. We also see the detective’s point of view. Overall, the different viewpoints really added to the story for me.

Nina’s family and friends started a campaign for her called “What Happened to Nina” to conduct searches and try to find her. Along the way, there was the horrible impact of social media trolls, and I really disliked how that worked for Nina’s family.

I can’t tell you much more, but let me say that this one did NOT turn out how I expected. I really liked it and read it quickly because I had to know how everything would end up.

I received a free copy of, What Happened to Nina?, by Dervla McTiernan, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Nina and Simon went away but only Simon came home. Did Simon kill Nina? What a story! Not sure if I liked it though. It definitely kept me guessing til the end.

Dervla McTiernan preys on every parents greatest fear…their child is missing. Nina and Simon, age ,twenty,have been in love since they were sixteen. They go to Simon’s wealthy parents remote cabin for the weekend. Only Simon returns. No one knows what happened to Nina. The police are searching for answers but must do so within the law., and they are thwarted by Simon’s parents high price attorney. Nina’s parents’ lives are encompassed by their relentless determination to find her. How far would you, as a parent, go, morally or illegally to find your missing child?
The characters tell their stories in the first person, which helps us to understand their motives and justifications. I was emotionally involved from the very beginning, and read nonstop until the story reached its stunning conclusion.

I think this was more a 4 1/2. It was so hard to put down. The story was told from a different POV in each chapter. It was not hard to follow along. The characters were well developed.
A couple go away for the weekend and only one returns. You know who did it early in the book and you have to keep reading to see what is going to happen next. It was very suspenseful. I just loved all the characters. Even though you know Nina is dead you can’t help but feel for both sets of parents. The story is all over the internet and many lies are told. How can Nina’s family survive this?
This is the fifth book that I have read by Dervla McTiernan and I will keep reading her books. I think this is her best one yet. Well done!
Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for my early ebook copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book.

Fantastic! I love this author. Her writing style pulls you into the story from page one and doesn't let you go. No exception here. You'll want to read this is one sitting. I loved that this was told from multiple POVs - sometimes a book can get bogged down with that, but not so here. And if I didn't already have a reason not to be on social media, this story would make the case for me. Between that and the paparazzi....yikes. A very satisfying ending! Highly recommend.

4.5
I found this book to be really absorbing and the characters were very well drawn. Even though you know the answer to the title question from early on, the way events unfold and how various characters react maintains the suspense. Although what happened to Nina is unfortunately all too common, I did not feel that this was close enough to the facts of any specific case to be exploitative.

Nina and Simon have been dating since they were 16 and now in college have gone to his families Vermont cabin to go climbing for the weekend. He comes back and she doesn't, so What happened to Nina? We actually find out the answer to that earlier than I expected in this novel, so along with being a mystery, this is a novel about how a tragedy as well as social media can effect families and their response to those events.

I found this novel very propulsive and a quick read. Its short chapters, alternating between various points of view, are told in first person, with the exception of the chapters told from the police detectives point of view. I was also happy to read a novel where the police actually did their job well and treated people with respect ! If you are looking for a mystery that is more than just a who done it, give this one a try.

Thank you to net galley for the e galley in exchange for an honest review

4.25 stars

I had a really enjoyable reading experience with Dervla McTiernan's latest WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? It was extremely propulsive, and my "just 5 more minutes" would become an hour as I kept reading.

In the prologue, we are introduced to Nina, and we find out she disappears on a weekend getaway with her boyfriend Simon. The book has a rotating cast of narrators: Nina's mother, Nina's father, Simon's mother, Simon's father, and detective Matthew Wright.

The author poses interesting questions throughout the novel that relate to class/socioeconomic status and social media, among others. I found this book extremely discussable.

We do find out what happened to Nina before the halfway point, so I wouldn't say this is comparable to most mysteries and thrillers in that respect because, while it IS propulsive, it's not an overly suspenseful book. And there's not many - maybe one - twist. I did find THAT part very suspenseful. But, overall, I'd say this should be classified as crime fiction instead of a thriller or a mystery.

I found Jamie's character particularly interesting.

This is propulsive, interesting, and worth the read to me - just don't go in expecting a complete mystery or thriller.

I did read an Advance Reader Copy of this novel, and I did notice three problems that I'm going to attribute to it not being the final version. 1) McTiernan is Australian, and she's writing a book set in the United States, and the prologue has several things in it that don't resonate as being in the United States. 2) The voice of Andy in Chapter 17 isn't cohesive with Andy's voice in his other chapters. 3) The novel talks about phone data being able to be recovered via the cloud (not needing the physical device), and then they proceed to go through a lot of work to find the physical device without saying the cloud data couldn't be retrieved.

▪️missing person
▪️young love
▪️social media rumors
▪️investigative

this true crime drama follows a story similar to the Gabby Petito case. the plot was strong, but the pacing felt off to me at times. the investigation (told from POV of detective) kept me intrigued. told from the parent’s POV mostly, I would have preferred the POV of some of the other characters involved.

Thank you to Netgalley & publisher for the eARC in exchange of review.

Nina and her long term boyfriend, Simon, go on a trip, but only Simon comes back. What happened to Nina?

In this slow-burn mystery, we see the after-effects of Nina’s disappearance for Nina’s and Simon’s families. Just how much does the 24-hour news cycle, America’s obsession with true crime theories, and class dynamics come in to play when trying to find out the facts?

This book switches between multiple POVs slowly unfolding the investigation into Nina’s case and the effects on each family. The writing is atmospheric and the story feels realistic. I found the commentary on trial by media to be interesting. I did, however, find it to be a bit too slow and I didn’t find myself reaching to pick up the book.

The ending definitely provides a bit of a payoff, but I think it took too long to get there.

#What Happened To Nina sucked me in from the first page-it was “unputdownable”!

Dervla McTiernan originally made her name as a bestselling author in Australia and New Zealand, but you can’t help but wonder if this book was inspired by the 2021 Gabby Petito/Brian Laundrie case in the U.S..

Nina Fraser and her long time boyfriend, Simon Jordan depart for a romantic weekend away at his parent’s lakefront second property in Vermont which is surrounded by gorgeous trails which the young couple planned to hike-

BUT ONLY ONE WILL RETURN

Simon will claim that Nina broke up with him, and he left her there, per her request but we know from the opening prologue from NINA- that what happened is probably not the tale he is telling…

WE WON’T HEAR FROM HER AGAIN (not a spoiler)

The two families will be pitted against each other—one seeking justice in the disappearance of their daughter, and the other desperate enough to clear their son’s name that they hire the best lawyers and a PR firm that doesn’t care if Nina’s parents are suffering as they start a media campaign that slanders the Frasers by planting wild accusations and conspiracies online to divert attention from Simon.

You will be a fly on the wall…and privy to all the SCANDALOUS conversations and it feels very REAL.

This FAST PACED story unfolds from the alternating first person POV’s of Nina’s parents-LeeAnne and Andy, and from Simon’s parents, Jamie and Rory, but not from Simon.

An additional POV is that of Detective Matthew Wright as he tries to solve the case.

How far would you go for your child?

This is my second read from the author after being introduced to her work when I read another of her standalone books-“The Murder Rule”, and it definitely DOES NOT disappoint !

Highly recommended!

I need to make time for her popular Cormac Reilly series soon.

Expected publication date: March 26, 2024

Thank You to William Morrow for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

I was not sure what I was getting into when I started this one. The description sounded so much like the Gabby Petito case that I was afraid this story would be pretty much "been there, done that" for me. Well, I was most certainly wrong! Yes, there are a lot of similarities, but this author still makes a fascinating and suspenseful story. Nina goes on a trip with boyfriend Simon. Only Simon returns home. He becomes the obvious suspect in her disappearance. What follows is a gripping story told from the POV's of both Nina's and Simon's parents and also the detective working the case. We learn pretty early on what happened to Nina. The story is more about how everyone involved is affected and also how cruel social media can be. We also see firsthand how a mother's love comes through in protecting her child. Right or wrong. I loved this one and could not read it fast enough! I will definitely be looking up this author's other books!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Dervla McTiernan and William Morrow for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and other retail and social media sites upon publication.

Highly recommended. The title is a little misleading, as we know (or suspect) fairly soon what happened to Nina. The real question is why it happened and how it affected both her family and the murder’s.

What Happened to Nina is an intriguing story of what a missing child (a college student) can do to the lives of her family, friends (including a serious boyfriend of 4 years) and townspeople. Of course, there is police involvement, TV and internet connections, lifestyle differences between people with money and those of the working class and all kinds of sadistic behavior from “model” citizens. The writing alternates with chapters of the major characters and, once started, it was difficult for this reader to put down. The novel is thought provoking and one cannot help thinking about what he or she would do in a similar situation.
I recommend this book to all readers who enjoy this genre and thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to its publication.

Thank you William Morrow books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book! Though the mystery of what actually did happen to Nina is revealed to us early on there are so many more twists and rec herrings! I read this in its entirety in one sitting. Also, the best last Line of a book.... EVER

What Happened to Nina is a beautifully written, can't-put-down thriller. Nina and her boyfriend Simon spend a week vacationing in Vermont - climbing, hiking, and relaxing. However, at the end of the stay, only Simon returns home. Where is Nina? What happened to Nina? Simon explains that they broke up and Nina needed space; however, Nina hasn't contacted anyone, her cellphone is off, and her credit cards haven't been used. Nina's family go to the police to investigate. While outwardly it appears that Simon's family is cooperating, they are putting all of their money (and they have a lot) to ensuring that Simon stays out of trouble and their reputation stays pristine.

What Happened to Nina is well-written and unique. The story is told through multiple POVs and is fast-paced. The book not only examines how far parents will go to protect their children but also how dangerous social media and the court of public opinion can be. Once I started this book, I could not put it down. I will definitely be recommending What Happened to Nina and will be reading more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow, and Dervla McTiernan for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

First, worth mentioning, if you closely followed the Gabby Petito case, this book may seem familiar. The plot was undoubtedly heavily influenced by the real life events (everything doesn’t go down the same, though, so it’s still absolutely worth the read!)

I loved that we got POV chapters from almost all the major characters in the book, it was interesting to see the same events from a bunch of different perspectives.

I really enjoyed this book and McTiernan has cemented herself as an autobuy author for me, I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

What Happened to Nina? will be on US bookshelves March 26

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Dervla McTiernan has done it again. Written an absolute page turner of a book with an ending that is all a reader could hope for. This is the story of Nina, her boyfriend Simon and what happens after Nina does not return from a week trip they went on together. It’s also the story of their families, the towns folk, social media and the conclusions people jump to. The story feels so real that I wonder if it is based on a true crime.