Nina Is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi

From Goodreads

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 legend.

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…

A dark, funny - sometimes shocking - coming of age novel from one of the UK’s leading comedians. NINA IS NOT O.K. will appeal to fans of Caitlin Moran and Lena Dunham.

My thoughts

My thanks to the Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this an 8/10 or 4 stars.

Nina is most definitely not OK. In fact she's far from it. Nina is 17 and likes too drink, her best friend at times is drink. Unfortunately, Nina is often to be found drunk and hungover. Her memory the morning after the night before, isn't as it should be. Her friends can sometimes help fill in the blanks BUT sometimes it's not enough.

Nina is a likeable character, her drinking habits left a lot to be desired though. She appears to have a lack of confidence in herself, she's still young and lacks the experience that someone older has had in relationships and life. She is a huge worry for her Mum and family. Her Mum is very frustrated with her actions and the repercussions they often have on the rest of the family, but it would appear that Nina's drinking might have been bred into her. We can all control our own actions though and this is something that she needs to learn to do.

This is very much a coming of age story and I think it should be made a compulsory read for mid teens, it might make them think a little about the whole concept of drink and how it makes people act. How you can soon be taken advantage of whilst under the influence of drink.

It's a very hard hitting read and at times isn't an easy read due to the subject matter and events that happen. It is however a read that I can thoroughly recommend to others. It would also make a great reading group read.