Absolutely loved this. The themes in the book were handled incredibly well by the author and so was the aftermath. It was raw, realistic, and enjoyable. Great!

This is a difficult one to review, and I probably wouldn't have if I had not been given a review copy. It is well written, but I found the subject matter so depressing that I cannot imagine reading this book for pleasure. If you like your books very realistic and gritty, you may enjoy this much more than I did.
It is a rather sad tale of a girl who has low self-esteem - perhaps this should be given to teenage girls as a salutary tale or read in schools? I'm probably being a bit unkind with the star rating but I just didn't enjoy it. Sorry.

Interesting take on alcoholism, and an important book for teens good sure! You don't want to miss out on this book!

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this novel, however it failed to engage me for longer than it took to read the first page then exit the epub.

Fantastic read. Humorous and real. Love the writing style

his is a very graphic young adult book which is based on an 18 year old girls battle with alcoholism. I can't say it was an enjoyable read but certainly one that struck a chord and was a real eye opener for me.

Nope, Nina is very clearly NOT OK! But it takes until about half-way through the book before she realises it.....

This is one of the grittiest, most confronting coming-of-age stories I have read. If you have a problem with swearing and candid descriptions of sexual activities, this is not the book for you!

That being said, it is an incredibly clever book, with the main character being someone whom you are cheering for whilst at the same time being horrified by. Nina is one mixed-up girl, and I think that we all know a "Nina", a girl who is spinning out of control and who seems to be on a one-way trip to total destruction. I think this book should be required reading for senior students in high school.

A highly recommended from me :)

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. With thanks to NetGalley and Ebury Press.

Let me tell you, this book was a wild, amazing, emotional rollercoaster. I'm going to tell you right away it's a 5/5 read - I'm speechless. Well, nearly. Let's get right into some of the main reasons why I loved this book to bits! Beware: Mild spoilers as well as sexual abuse and alcoholism ahead.

Although Nina is Not OK is a YA Contemporary, at that it was being very serious and mature. Right from the beginning I loved that the book did not mince matters. It was raw, edgy and, well, explicitly sexual.

Nina makes you feel something. Her feelings and thoughts and her suffering, but also happiness, are written in a way to make you feel it too. It is intense. Additionally, there is so much happening all the time. The reader is not stuck at one particular point in time, although Nina consistently keeps being reminded of that certain event from the beginning. Because so many aspects of Nina's life are being visited throughout reading this book, it makes her feel like she is a real human being, a good friend. Her character development is clearly visible and especially at the end, she is obviously changed.

And Nina is not even the only amazing character. Let us briefly talk about Beth and Zoe. Well, you may think now that since this book has one amazing huge important bad-ass main character, the development for the other ones fell flat. But you guessed right: it didn't. They felt equally real, went through tough stuff and ended up in different places.

Shappi Khorsandi has such an interesting way of writing. It is unexpected and entertaining. She manages to make Nina is Not OK so vivid by being equally plot- and character-driven. It left me speechless on a few occasions, but it made me want to keep reading it forever and ever.

Nina is on a path of self destruction, she unfortunately represents many of the young women today. It is, and it isn't, about our society's booze culture, but it offers so much more. I physically winced at times reading this book, there is so much more to it than I could have ever imagined. I recommend everyone reads this - it could be you one day!!

‘What is doing the thing that wrecks your life, over and over again, if it’s not a slow suicide?’

2017 is turning out to be a year of many pleasant surprises so far…once more I have read a book outside my normal preferences and have been greatly rewarded in return!

Nina is not OK should be one of the biggest book of the year. It should be a talking point amongst teenagers, college students and parents. However, I am very afraid that this book will slip under the radar and its message will be lost mainly because the audience that it is aimed at won’t want to hear what it has to say.

Nina is a typical teenager in that she drinks too much and has regrets the next day. She juggles college lectures, boy trouble and all the fun that comes with being a teenage girl admirably. But if you look closer you will see that Nina had a problem, a serious problem. She doesn’t know when the fun stops and the drink takes over. This leads her into some very unpleasant scenarios and so begins a series of unfortunate events that can only have one result.

‘I don’t tell Beth how desperately I want to hollow out my insides and refill them with something fresh. When you’re this hungover and can’t remember chunks of your evening, it means you’ve had a good time, right?’

The book skilfully deals with Nina’s difficult past, present and future. Early on in the book, Nina is taken advantage of and this night comes back to haunt her. We learn that her father was a raving alcoholic and his legacy hangs over her family. The more we read, the less we know what exactly Nina is capable of and how low she will go in search of another drink. Alcoholism is portrayed in this novel warts and all. There is not Disneyland happy ending but there is always a chance of redemption.

The author, Shappi Khorsandi, is a stand up comedian by trade and does bring some of her trademark humour to this story. But overall, the narrative is brutally honest and uncomfortable to read. Nina’s drink problem leads her into several compromising positions with men of all ages; some of these are nice and some are predators of the worst kind.

‘I’m jealous because I don’t know how to be the girl that guys want to love and protect. What is wrong with me?’

In many ways this story is a tragic tale of a young life wasted. But, this is a very necessary story that needs to be told in a era when sex sells, our every move is documented and drink and drugs are marketed as the only options for having a good time.

The more I read and became immersed in Nina’s story, the more I admired Khorsandi’s writing style. In places, her writing put me in mind of Eimear McBride’s novels. The only difference being that Khorsandi’s tone and style aims more towards a younger audience.

I really admired how the disjointed and shameful prose that depicts Nina’s drunken adventures was bleak and harsh to read. I sometimes felt as disorientated as the character was while drunk. Khorsandi’s use of dialogue was also very accurate and believable with the exchanges between mother and daughter the most powerful to read.

For me though, this novel seriously questions the relationship that we have with alcohol in our culture today. The facts are simple. The consumption of alcohol results in bad decision making, illness, mood swings, lack of energy, bad body hygiene and reduced mental capacity to say the least. Yes it helps us to relax, but at what price? There are several ways that one can relax without simultaneously causing harm.

A good sign of an impressive read is that moment near the end whereby the reader feels like that they have gone on an emotional and life-changing journey with the main character. I felt this way after I read Nina is not OK and it made me think about my own attitudes towards alcohol. This may be a book that could slip under the radar, but the excellent writing and strong message are vital if we are to move on as a society. Read it, tell your friends and help spread the word.

Would I recommend this book to a friend?

Yes but this is a very tough read and not for the faint of heart. As Nina spirals out of control her behaviour becomes more and more degrading to both herself and those around her. Hers is a journey that is not easy to read about but an important one to say the least. Read this book and you will probably think twice before drinking your next glass of wine.

This book really surprised me. It's not that I didn't expect it to be good, but more, upon reading the first few chapters I wasn't a massive fan of our main character. Not liking the main character is very off-putting when reading and in many cases I have ended up DNF'ing the book, but not with Nina is Not OK. I was really interested in the plot of this book and it kept me gripped because I haven't read a great many books that deal with alcoholism and I feel that Khorsandi dealt with it very well and I really enjoyed her writing. The more I read, the more interested I was and slowly I started to care for Nina. Nina really developed as a character throughout this novel and near the end you really cannot help rooting for her. Aside from Nina, this book also has many other brilliant characters who I really enjoyed; I especially loved Alan, Beth and Trish.

I also really enjoyed the ending of this book, it left me feeling really happy and satisfied.

This book is terrific. I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it and am so glad I read it. Nina is almost 18 years old, she attends college. She lives with her mum, stepfather and young stepsister Katie. The family are about to move to Germany, but Nina wants to stay in Britain. Nina's father was an alcoholic and died when she was nine. Her grandmother, on her father's side, committed suicide. Straight away we can see that Nina does not have a normal life. Her first serious boyfriend Jamie has also moved to America and found a new girlfriend. So Nina drinks, she drinks so much alcohol that she starts to forget what's going on in her life. Nina must admit she is an alcoholic or her life will be even more devastatingly unhappy. Her journey is sometimes shocking and we can only read on to discover if she manages to turn the corner. A brilliant read.

Quite different to my normal reads, with a 17 year old central character. Enjoyable is not the word to describe it as the subject matter relates to every mothers worst nightmare as a teenager spirals in alcoholism some years after the death of her father who was also an alcoholic.

What Nina gets up to while under the influence becomes increasingly disturbing, and how those around her deal with things and provide support makes an interesting read.

Dealing with complicated family relationships, teenage friendships, first love and broken hearts, this is a coming of age novel that will appeal adults and young adults alike. Probably not one for Granny!

Thank you to Netgalley for an early read in return for an honest review.

Interesting read, I will have a review posted on ibooks on release week!

Absolutely loved this. Broke my heart and pieced it back together. A moving tale about how life throws a wrench in the works sometimes and you just have to go with it. Written so well! Tough going, dealing with some tough tough concepts but bravo for writing about them.

D. N. F
I personally didn't find Nina relateable and I found that I couldn't obsorb myself in the story.