Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten Review

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           It is rare that a book completely takes me by surprise. Honestly, I was not expecting much from Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten. Judging by the cover, I thought it would just be another fluffy YA novel that is simply good for passing the time. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Although Wherever Nina Lies isn’t the most well-written novel, I found that I enjoyed it far more than I originally expected.

            Wherever Nina Lies follows sixteen-year-old Ellie, who’s older sister Nina mysteriously disappeared two years earlier. Although Ellie’s friend Amanda says that Ellie should “get over it,” Ellie decides to reinvestigate her sister’s disappearance after finding one of her paintings stashed away in a box. This painting leads Ellie on a wild goose chase across the country with her new crush, Sean. Each stop along the way unravels the mystery surrounding Nina’s disappearance, which could be more deadly than Ellie ever imagined.

            Wherever Nina Lies is a surprising novel. Even though it is not the most well-written book, the plot makes the book significantly better. It is fast-paced with tons of twist and turns that kept me interested on each page. Recently, I have struggled to find a book that makes me want to keep reading and reading until I reach the end. I did not encounter this problem with Wherever Nina Lies. The author does a wonderful job of making the book so mysterious that I kept turning the pages to find out the ending (and find more clues to guess the ending myself).

            I actually really enjoyed Ellie’s character. She would stop at nothing to find her older sister, even when everyone told her to stop. I found this extremely admirable, and being a younger sister myself, I connected with the whole sister relationship. Yes, I think that Ellie is stupid for so easily trusting a guy that she just met, but her sheer determination to find her sister no matter what the cost makes her a lovable protagonist.

            The only downfall to the story is that parts of the plot are highly unbelievable. Ellie’s mom does not even call her to see if she is alright. I understand that Ellie mentions that she typically sleeps at her friend’s house every night. However, it seems as if Ellie’s mom would at least be concerned, even if she did receive a call from Ellie saying that she is staying at her friend’s house. After all, Ellie is under eighteen and she does not return to her house for clothes or anything for an entire week. In addition, most of Ellie’s hunches come from guessing and all her hunches are correct. While this does move the story along, it is very unbelievable.

            Despite its flaws, Wherever Nina Lies is a fun mystery that it bound to keep you entertained. I highly recommend it!

 

Disclaimer: I borrowed this book from the library. I am not being compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!