Member Reviews

Well-written thriller. Great for those who enjoy figuring out how the puzzle fits together. Multi-character perspectives handled deftly.

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Nina, a young woman who spends most of her time working at her parents' inn, doesn't return from a trip with her boyfriend, sparking a missing persons investigation. Told in alternating POV chapters from Nina and her boyfriend's family members and the police officer investigating her disappearance, this is really a book about how far parents will go to protect their children.

I found the mystery aspects gripping and found the multiple POV style very effective. The reader knows who is lying, and can put together clues from multiple sources. The prologue from Nina's perspective was critical to getting us invested in her disappearance, but Nina fades from the narrative a bit as the story turns into a struggle of family vs family. This feels a little like the real life story of Gabby Petito combined with elements of the movie In the Bedroom. The emotional story is almost hard to read at times, as Nina's family deals with their grief, anger, and desperation to find her. It's much more about Nina and Simon's family than it is about Nina and Simon, which is fine, but the summary doesn't really communicate that. What Happened to Nina is the hashtag Nina's friends use to solicit information online, but this book is much more about what happens after Nina goes missing than it is about what happened to Nina.

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Holy cow! I got this this morning sat down to read it and finished it three hours later with my heart pounding. This was such a well written book. Social criticism ant its finest! . Well done Dervla well done.

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Wow!! This book! It takes the story of a missing young woman and delves deeply into the feelings of the families and their response one another and the outside world. It also exposes how often the media and bloggers are not portraying an accurate narrative. I was unable to stop thinking of the characters and every chance I could get would return to reading. The author’s talent is reminiscent of Anna Quindlen. Yes — Anna Quindlen!! She writes the behaviors, settings and inner thoughts with such relatable and realistic details you feel as if you are there. I didn’t want the book to end but end it does and with a worthy finish!!! After I closed the book, I immediately looked up the author and ordered an earlier titles of hers, The Ruin. Can’t wait!
Read What Happened to Nina!!

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I just finished What Happened to Nina by Dervla McTiernan. I basically read the book in one sitting because it was so riveting!
Nina and Simon have known each other all of their lives. They fell in love when they were sixteen and everyone thought they were the perfect love story until the two of them go on a vacation and only Simon comes home.
What happened to Nina?
I highly recommend this title! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this digital ARC.

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Twenty year old Nina and long term boyfriend Simon have been together since high school and are making it work though they are at different colleges. They are both in their New Hampshire hometown for a school break when the two go to spend a weekend away, climbing and hiking at Simon’s family vacation home in Stowe. Simon comes home early from the weekend, claiming that he and Nina broke up. Nina does not return. Nina’s family is frantic, where is Nina? Meanwhile Simon’s family is doing whatever it takes to protect their son.

Shades of Gabby Petito in this book which may be geared toward young adults but actually mainly focuses on the parents of both Nina and Simon as they try to search for/shield their respective children and the author does a good job of making all the parents fairly relatable as they all go to incredible lengths. The only thing missing is a picture of the real Nina which is never really apparent here, but maybe isn’t really necessary, as the book isn’t so much about that. This definitely kept me interested and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter,

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Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ecopy of What Happened to Nina?

I'm a fan of Dervla McTiernan's other books, so it was no surprise that this gripped me right away. The story reminded me so much of the Gabby Petito case from a couple of years ago, but it definitely brought it's own originality and twists, especially towards the second half of the book. It was a great look into true crime obsession, the speed that rumors fly and take root online, and how far one might go to protect those they love, no matter their faults. I highly recommend this for crime fiction lovers.

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A girl who we know has an abusive boyfriend disappears. Her parents want answers, the boy’s wealthy parents want it to go away, and the police are stymied. The tension goes up….and up.

This is a powerful collective character study. The question isn’t who done it, it’s how will the uncertainty be resolved. I found it an absorbing and powerful novel that leaves us with a moral quandary.

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