What Happened to Nina? – Book Review

Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family’s cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home.

WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?

Nobody knows. Simon’s explanation about what happened in their last hours together doesn’t add up. Nina’s parents push the police for answers, and Simon’s parents rush to protect him. They hire expensive lawyers and a PR firm that quickly ramps up a vicious, nothing-is-off-limits media campaign.

HOW FAR WILL HIS FAMILY GO TO KEEP HIM SAFE?

Soon, facts are lost in a swirl of accusation and counter-accusation. Everyone chooses a side, and the story goes viral, fueled by armchair investigators and wild conspiracy theories and illustrated with pretty pictures taken from Nina’s social media accounts. Journalists descend on their small Vermont town, followed by a few obsessive “fans.”

HOW FAR WILL HER FAMILY GO TO GET TO THE TRUTH?

Nina’s family is under siege, but they never lose sight of the only thing that really matters—finding their daughter. Out-gunned by Simon’s wealthy, powerful family, Nina’s parents recognize that if playing by the rules won’t get them anywhere, it’s time to break them.

What happened to Nina? is loosely based on the real case of the disappearance of Gabby Petito although the characters and events happening in the book are fictional.

Nina and Simon are perfect couple in everyone’s eyes. One day, Nina and Simon goes to Simon’s family’s vacation house for hiking for a couple days. But soon, only Simon returns home with a story that Nina was going to arrive by herself. But Nina never comes back home and her parents, Leanne and Andy are worried and soon start searching for Nina and the truth of what really happened the night Nina seemingly disappeared.

This was an intense and emotional read. The story is told in the POVs of Leanne and Andy, Nina’s parents, Jamie and Rudy, Simon’s parents and Matthew, who is the lead detective set to investigate Nina’s disappearance. Leanne and Andy are going through all sorts of emotions, dealing with Nina’s disappearance and suspecting that Simon might be behind Nina’s disappearance. While Jamie and Rudy, with their money and status start hiring PR firms and expensive lawyers to make sure that Simon is safe. The story also outlines about the community in general–how the community sometimes ostracizes Leanne and Andy, how vicious rumors are spread about Nina’s family. The story is more realistic and how a parents deals with their child’s disappearance, through pain and trauma.

This is not really a thriller–it is really more like a literay emotional fiction. Overall, I actually enjoyed reading this and worth four stars.