Suz's Reviews > What Happened to Nina?

I am late to the party with this author! I flew through this quickly, with excellent narration by a full performance cast.

Nina is at the cusp of an amazing life, loving the outdoors, completely happy within herself, she is smart and confident, just beginning to realise the perilousness she’s facing with her boyfriend Simon. A smarmy guy who presents it all on the outside, the reader instantly learning through fabulous writing that he is not the all-star boy he purports to be.

He had ingrained himself, knowing Nina’s family since age 5, clearly so good at this role, only now her family needing to sort out fallacy from fact. The threading of this into the story arc was remarkable. I loved a twist regarding Nina's younger sister, a clever addition and extra reason to become incensed.

Nina is missing after a climbing trip and a weekend away at Simon’s family home, he returns, she does not. His is a wealthy family, in contrast Nina’s is hardworking, salt of the earth, the type of family you want to be immersed in.

Nina and Simon are rock climbers, Simon does something so chilling to her, this sets up the perfect storm. Simon’s family is equally as snaky- a calculating, cold, and mean mother, a ruthless father, unloving toward his wife, absent from the family, intent on making millions. The only issue this couple bond over is the zealous commitment to protect their son, and the lengths at which they will go.

Simon’s mother and her constant internal mocking of Nina’s mother’s appearance took my breath away – tension and venom portrayed to despise. One meticulously groomed, the other a wholesome woman completely happy in herself, unkempt without a care in the world about her looks. This worked well in creating the acute divide.

This contrast affords the merciless PR smear campaign against the grieving family, creating a social media witch hunt snowballing at an alarming rate, successfully drawing the trolls, and removing the spotlight of their own evil.

What transpires is the unstoppable quest of a desperate family, taking matters into their own hands, ignoring the crazies and finding their own answers. The ensuing results showing precisely how far these two families will proceed with life altering results in carrying out their quest to protect their own.

I couldn’t put this down, it was a perfect read, and wonderful example of exactly what to do in holding the reader in the palm of your hand. Nothing to fault and everything to love. It will be in my top reads of 2024.

I listened to this via the Libby app and the library at which I work.