Book Review : Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

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Wherever Nina Lies
Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten


Product Details
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Point; 1 edition (February 1, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 054506631X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0545066310


Nina was beautiful, artistic, wild . . . and adored by her younger sister, Ellie. But one day, without any warning, Nina disappeared.

Two years later, Ellie can't stop thinking about her sister. Although everyone else has given up hope that Nina will return, Ellie just knows her sister is out there, somewhere. If only Ellie had a clue where to look.

And then she gets one, in the form of a mysterious drawing tucked into the pages of a book. Determined to find her sister, Ellie takes off on a crazy, sexy, cross-country road trip with the only person who believes she's got a chance -- her hot, adventurous new crush.

Along the way, Ellie finds a few things she wasn't planning on. Like love. Mysteries. Lies. And something far more shocking...the truth.

*The book contains interior black-and-white illustrations, since the sister's drawings play a crucial role in the story*

I don't like being so critical when I'm writing a review, but this book just doesn't make any sense. Ellie's sister Nina went missing two years ago, but she never accept the fact that her sister may not be coming home anymore. One day she obtained a random drawing that was clearly Nina's, and she went looking for her. She arrived at a place called Mothership and got to know a stranger. Well, a strikingly handsome stranger, that is. Not long afterwards, she went with this stranger to look for her missing sister. They found clues along the way which lead them to another place, and so on.

The whole story took place in only 5 days. And in less than 5 days time, Ellie had went on a journey with stranger "Sean" to look for her sister, had sex with him in a drunken state, and not to mention falling in love with him. I mean, what is this? I think this is just terrible, and Ellie's rash actions made her to appear immature and childish. When Nina first went missing, her mom didn't seem to care much about her daughter's disappearance. She just acted as if nothing has happened.

I don't like the writer's way of writing. Take a look at the birthday song:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOO YOUUUU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR BELLYYYYYYYYY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUU

I mean, what's up with all the extra O's, U's and Y's?

The ending is slightly better than the rest of the book, but still, it is not convincing. I need more explanation and there is not enough of that. I feel bored while reading this book, and sometimes I just wanted to stop reading right there. It wasn't as mysterious or intriguing as it sounds, and the plot is too unrealistic. I don't feel any connection with the main character Ellie, and I just can't convince myself to care about her efforts of finding her sister. Sorry, but this book is not my cup of tea. The book cover and the illustrations in the book are beautiful, though.

Rating: 2 out of 5

Notes: Wherever Nina Lies has some kissing scenes, sexual contents, violence and profanity. I won't recommend this book, but if you want to read it, make sure you can handle all the negative elements present it this book. This book is oriented towards older teenagers aged 16 and above.

Available on Barnes & Noble / Alibris / IndieBound / The Book Depository

6 creative remarks:

ng said...

awwww.....tat must be awful.....but the title sounds promising.....when i first look at the book, i thought it will be a nice book to read...

Aik said...

Me too. Do you want to borrow it? Maybe you'll think differently about it.

Anonymous said...

i mean really it depends on how much of an open mind you have to books. the extra i's o's and u's are to express the feeling in the book. honestly i don't see anything wrong with it. and the age is really towards 13 and 14 year olds. i wouldnt really recommend it to anyone older because the book is kinda out there.but the plot, think about it, how many books out there would make sense in the real world.its a book. its where you escape to things that won't make sense. honestly it was a pretty interesting book.

Anonymous said...

omg ur such a criticiser this is a good book everybody should read it

shelbs said...

Hi, i am doing a book report on this book and i dont wanna flip through all the pages again just to find where this book takes place could someone be kind enough to tell me?

shelbs said...

Hi, i am doing a book report on this book and i dont wanna flip through all the pages again just to find where this book takes place could someone be kind enough to tell me?