A review by serendipitysbooks
What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan

dark reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 What Happened to Nina? is somewhat of a misnomer because the reader finds out right at the start of the novel what happened to her. The novel really pivots around two main threads. The first is that of her family and their desperate search to find her and then to seek justice. The second relates to Simon, her boyfriend, and his family. As the last person to see her alive, he is clearly a person of interest, and his wealthy influential parents are very invested in protecting his reputation and theirs. The way they use their privilege to slow the investigation and to spread misinformation online was totally rage inducing. I enjoyed seeing this story unfold through a variety of perspectives. It certainly made me think about what I'd do if I were either set of parents. While I may understand their motives, I'd like to hope my actions wouldn't mirror theirs. I also enjoyed what McTiernan has to say about privilege, social media, and justice. It's not new nor revolutionary, but it's an important message that can't be repeated too often. 
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