Throwback Thursday: Nina is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi

Throwback Thursday is a meme created by Renee at It’s Book Talk to share old favorite books rather than just the new shiny ones. This is a great idea to bring back to life some much-loved books. Please feel free to join in.

My choice for this week is: 

 

Nina is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi 

 

Published July 28, 2016 by Ebury Press

 

Goodreads Description:

Nina does not have a drinking problem. She likes a drink, sure. But what 17-year-old doesn’t?

Nina’s mum isn’t so sure. But she’s busy with her new husband and five year old Katie. And Nina’s almost an adult after all.

And if Nina sometimes wakes up with little memory of what happened the night before, then her friends are all too happy to fill in the blanks. Nina’s drunken exploits are the stuff of college legends.

But then one dark Sunday morning, even her friends can’t help piece together Saturday night. All Nina feels is a deep sense of shame, that something very bad has happened to her…

 

My Thoughts:

I read this book a couple of years ago but it’s one that has definitely stuck with me.

This novel is about seventeen-year-old Nina and her struggle with addiction. She drinks so much that sometimes she even blacks out. Her mother and her friends are losing patience with her.

Nina is trying to get over a break-up and drinking seems to help her forget, at least for a little while. But her drinking gets worse and she starts making some dangerous choices. Everyone is worried about her, but Nina thinks she’s fine. But one night things go way too far and even Nina knows it.

Nina can be hard to like at times, just like many addicts.  Generally, addicts in the throes of their addiction don’t treat people very well. They will often lie and manipulate in order to get what they want. Nothing is ever their fault etc. I feel like the author definitely succeeded in showing how a teenage addict could act.

**Warning** There are some brutally honest and graphic descriptions of situations that may upset and/or trigger some readers. However, I didn’t feel like the author was trying to sensationalize these situations but trying to show the reality of what was happening in Nina’s life.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”

Literally painful to read at times. The writing is authentic and accurate. The author tackles so many of the issues that our children are going through today. Drugs, alcohol, sex, school pressure, social media, relationships, and more.

Shappi Khorsandi is also a comedian and although there were many dark issues in this novel, there were also some incredibly funny parts too that helped balance things out.

This is definitely one of my favorite books and I’d love to read it again.