Official Review: Next Stop: Nina by Robin Raven

[angelbeats1]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Next Stop: Nina" by Robin Raven.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Robin Raven’s debut novel, Next Stop: Nina, is a unique work of fiction that is sprinkled with hints of suspense and a little bit of romance. It was a relatively quick, but complex read of about 240 pages. This book touches upon many different themes such as depression, suicide, love, art, and time travel. In addition to the themes, this story is centralized around the idea of self-acceptance. After reading Next Stop: Nina, it made me realize how important it is to not let your past, good or bad, define who you are in the present moment.

Constantly disturbed by her traumatic past, 37-year-old Nina Newman feels like she is way past her breaking point. As a child, she was repeatedly abused by her violent father, who was also responsible for the deaths of her older brother, Davey, and her mother. Now as an adult, depressed and suicidal, Nina makes her way into a motel where she can finally give in to her temptations. Fortunately, Nina talks herself into waiting one more day before she ends her life, sets the loaded gun down, and manages to fall asleep.

However, when she wakes up the next morning, Nina knows that something is different. She finds herself transported back in time and into the body of her ten-year-old self. Like any other person, Nina is extremely confused at first, but then she sees it as a second chance; a second chance to save her mother and brother from being violently murdered by her father. Will Nina succeed or will she fail her family for the second time?

I love how the author manages to successfully weave the ideas of time travel and self-acceptance into one novel. I felt like it had just the right balance of both and made this book unlike any other I have read. The protagonist, Nina, was so easy to relate to, but I was disappointed because the author did not provide the readers with a description of her physical features. Similarly, I liked the uniqueness that this book provided, but I felt like the story could have been better developed. I finished the book and still have a zillion questions buzzing around in my head, begging to be answered. The pacing of the novel bothered me a bit because it would jump from one moment to another, skipping over many years and key details in the main character’s life. The awkward pacing made the overall story feel very jagged and uneven at times. The complexity of this book combined with the many unanswered questions left me wondering what in the world I had just read.

In the end, I would rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The story can be quite hard to follow at times, but each page had a new twist to it, which made the book exciting. I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a unique read. The book mentions thoughts of suicide and self-harm which may be triggering to some readers, so read with caution if you are easily triggered by these subject matters.

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Next Stop: Nina
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[zeldas_lullaby]

Wow, interesting and intriguing review. I think this book has definite potential, if the author would develop it further. It is odd that physical appearance wasn't described well enough. But I love the concept, and I hope the author expands upon it. Going back in time and reliving it has always intrigued me. Great review!

[angelbeats1]

Thank you!! Yes, it was strange that the physical appearance wasn't described and it made it hard for me to connect with the main characters. :/

[zeldas_lullaby]

You're welcome!! Yeah, it helps to have a visual.

[RyanS]

Solid review. Sounds like the author took on a complicated beast and pulled off some elements and left a couple of things behind. I'm still interested to pick it up and see if I have a similar reaction.

[ALynnPowers]

OMG, the plot of this story sounds so awesome! I've actually had a dream very, very similar to this where I suddenly wake up as a 10-year-old but with all of the memories of my present self! Why both my subconscious self and the author chose age 10 is a strange coincidence!!! Weird! There must be some deep psychological meaning behind this!

[chytach18-]

I am the one who looks for a "unique read". very well-constructed review, angelbeats. I understand what problems you were facing with while reading the book. I`m not sure, though, if I would be disappointed if there was no physical description of the main character. I usually visualise them. But every reader is different. :geek:

[angelbeats1]

Solid review. Sounds like the author took on a complicated beast and pulled off some elements and left a couple of things behind. I'm still interested to pick it up and see if I have a similar reaction.

Thank you and indeed! I applaud the author for coming up with such a creative storyline, it just needed to be developed a little bit more. You should read it!

-- 03 Oct 2015, 11:39 --

OMG, the plot of this story sounds so awesome! I've actually had a dream very, very similar to this where I suddenly wake up as a 10-year-old but with all of the memories of my present self! Why both my subconscious self and the author chose age 10 is a strange coincidence!!! Weird! There must be some deep psychological meaning behind this!

Spooky! What a coincidence! Right on time as we approach Halloween.
I agree, there must be some meaning behind that. You should give this book a read then!

-- 03 Oct 2015, 11:46 --

I am the one who looks for a "unique read". very well-constructed review, angelbeats. I understand what problems you were facing with while reading the book. I`m not sure, though, if I would be disappointed if there was no physical description of the main character. I usually visualise them. But every reader is different. :geek:

Yes! I´m the same way. I create a little ¨movie¨ in my head as I read haha, if that makes any sense. Not having descriptions led to me having a fuzzy ¨movie¨ and it was a struggle. Most people prefer Blu-Ray movies with sharp images.

[bookowlie]

Great review! The premise of the story sounds interesting. I also like to have a physical description of the characters so that I can picture them in my mind.

[angelbeats1]

Thank you!!

[RussetDivinity]

This is a great review! The book sounds very interesting, too, though it's too bad it was sometimes hard to follow.

[angelbeats1]

Thanks for the feedback!

[Tanaya]

The premise definitely captured my interest, so I was disappointed to see it get only 2 stars. You justify the rating very well. The unanswered questions and the narrative structure you described would probably bother me as well.