Ellie misses her big sister Nina who disappeared two years ago. After finding a clue she embarks on a road trip with a guy she meet at party connected to her sister. The plot flows nicely, but the writing style was a bit rough. While I enjoyed the book there was something about it that I didn't like. Mostly I think it was my inability to connect with Ellie or any of the other charters and I like to be able to connect to something. Overall though this was a great story that teens will enjoy. ( )

Ellie just can't give up. She can't give up the life she had when her sister was part of her family. She can't give up the belief that her sister is somewhere out there. She can't give up the belief that if she found her, Nina would be happy to see her.

Ellie's sister Nina has been gone for two years now and everybody seems to have given up hope that she will ever return. Everyone except Ellie. When Ellie finds a picture that she knows is Nina's the search is on. If she can just find someone who saw Nina after she left home she knows that she will be able to find her. Things seem great except for the fact that nobody wants to help Ellie search because they know it is a lost cause.

That is, until Ellie meets Seth. Seth knows what Ellie is going through and he is more than willing to drive her across the country on a wild goose chase for Nina. His reasons seem perfectly normal to Ellie and she finds herself beginning to feel something for him but everybody seems to warn her away from him.

Is Seth hiding something from Ellie, something that could put her in danger? Is Nina out there somewhere, alive and well, just waiting to be found? Will Ellie figure things out before it's too late?

Wherever Nina Lies was actually a really good book. I was skeptical going into it but I was very pleasantly surprised. The story was way more shocking and gripping than I ever expected. It kept me up pretty much all night reading.

The story was good but it was kind of unbelievable. Everything just seemed to happen to quickly and easily. I mean, in today's society you would have to be pretty dumb to get into a car with a guy you barely know and drive across the country with him. Ellie and Seth just seemed to meet magically and everything ended up working perfectly for the story. I understand that the author doesn't want us to have to read a huge book but a little more details about their meeting and maybe something a little more likely to happen would have been better.

Overall, I really did like the book and if you can get past the unbelievable parts, it gets really good. I wouldn't call it one of my favorites but if you like mystery, romance, secrets, and lies give it a shot. You might just find yourself a new favorite book. ( )

Ellie's sister Nina went missing two years ago, and ever since she's been lookign for her, even though her friends and her mother think she should just give it up. When she finds a clue that might lead to more information, she decides to follow it, and meets Sean, who agrees to help her with her search. They go on a road trip, following clur after clue, but soon Ellie thinks Sean may know more than he says. ( )

When she was fourteen, Ellie's sister disappeared. Bescause Nina was a wild child, everyone assumed she was doing her thing would come home eventually. But she didn't, and now it's been two years - Ellie is still dealing with the loss. She is sure Nina is out there somewhere, and when she finds one of Nina's drawings in an old book, she is sure this is the clue will lead her to her sister. Ellie's best friend is hesitant to help - she's seen Ellie's disappointment too many times. But handsome stranger Sean knows well what it's like to lose a loved one, and when he meets Ellie at a party, it's not long before the two of them are roadtripping to Nebraska to find Nina together. Part Romance, part mystery, part thrill-ride, Wherever Nina Lies is a well-crafted adventure that will suck you in and keep you on your toes. While I did have problems with some of the plot twists, and the improbability of some of the events, overall, Weingarten's writing outshines the directional flaws, and Ellie is a truly sympathetic character. Wherever Nina Lies is ultimately enjoyable. ( )

It’s been two long years since Ellie’s older sister Nina has disappeared. Pretty much everyone has given up any hope that Nina will return, but not Ellie. Ellie can’t bear to think Nina, her sister whom she loves and idolizes, could be dead. Ellie desperately wants to find Nina, and when she stumbles upon a portrait of her, drawn by Nina, she’s certain she’s found her clue. With the help of a hot and mysterious stranger named Sean, Ellie sets off on a seemingly wild-goose chase for the whereabouts of her sister. But Ellie isn’t prepared for what she learns along the way, regarding her sister and her new love interest Sean. In this suspenseful and fast-paced debut, readers will be swept along with Ellie as she journeys and finds love, lies, and the strength of sisterhood.

I was immensely impressed with this solid debut novel. Weingarten shows a mastery of her skill with words, especially when manipulating the plot. Ellie’s cross-country escapade was filled with humor and lust yet also disappointment, anticipation for the next clue, confusion, and danger. I like how the story strings the reader along nicely and then twists nearly completely around. In the back of my mind, I think I expected part of the outcome of Ellie’s journey, but I was still shocked when it actually happened. I also really liked the development of both Ellie’s and Nina’s characters. Ellie is easy to relate to, especially in her sisterly affection, friendship dilemmas, and thoughts of self-preservation, and this increases the reader’s sympathy for her as well as interest in her story. The reader gets to know Nina mainly through Ellie’s memories and thoughts of her sister, and it creates an image of a wild yet thoughtful girl anyone can love. Some of the minor details of this novel, though, were not as well executed as the plot and development of the major characters. There were some details that never completely added up. Also, Ellie’s relationship with her best friend Amanda seemed strange at times, and their problems seemed to magically disappear at the end of the novel. Other than these few aspects, Wherever Nina Lies was an extremely well-written and enjoyable story.

Wherever Nina Lies is very impressive for a first novel, and I hope Weingarten plans to write more novels especially if they’re as good as this one. Readers will see this novel as a hybrid between two fantastic novels, How to Be Bad and The Year My Sister Got Lucky, and will not be disappointed in this fantastic story of mystery, romance, suspense, and, most of all, sisterhood.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com ( )