Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

Publisher: Scholastic, Point
Pub.Date: February 1st 2009
Age Range: 12 and up
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source Of Copy: contest prize

Have you seen Nina?

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.


If you want to read a story that can surprise you, I suggest you pick this one up. Wherever Nina Lies will never be what you expect. Written with an exciting plot and well balanced peace, the book is truly a page tuner.

I admit I didn't really like this book at first. The first few chapters feels kinda depressing and vague and the flashbacks didn't lead to anywhere. But starting from the point when the roadtrip begins, things are more and more exciting. I especially love how the author leads us from place to place where Nina has been, it's smooth, creating a thicker atmosphere of mystery. That, of course, appeals a lot to readers.

One more interesting thing about Wherever Nina Lies is that things don't seem to make much sense in most of the books. I kept wondering why this or that happened or how they occured so fast sometimes it was so confusing. But as the end nears, everything is perfectly explained, accompanied by chains of untold events that would surprise or shock you.

Same with the happenings, the characters didn't impress me especially Ellie. She seems very meak and lost. And her relationship with Sean works out in rocket speed. They fell in love like in 2 days? Sean himself is too nice it's quite blank too. And once again, I was taken aback of how they changed at the end. The book climax was also when the characters had a chance to express themselves the best way. My only complain is that I wish to know more of Nina. She's an interesting person as much as a great sister.

Overall, this book proves that sometimes it's best to read a book until the end even though it doesn't impress you much in the beginning because you will never know how awesome it may turn out later.

Rating: 4/5