Book Review: "Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" by Abbi Waxman

Christa is a scientist, studying snails on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. It’s a quiet life, but it’s very satisfying for her, since she doesn’t have to interact with many people and she can enjoy the natural beauty around her.

Her peace is upended when she learns that her father, Jasper Liddle, once a famous television star, didn’t really die in a plane crash when she was two. Apparently, he’s alive and well and has been living in Alaska, and 25 years later, he’s ready to make amends with the family he left behind.

Christa has to come back to the U.S., and she, along with her mother and two sisters, are thrust into the spotlight. It’s not a place Christa wants to be, as she’s always had a difficult relationship with her family, and during her teen years, she caused no end of scandals in the press. But the Liddle women, thanks to the machinations of their father’s agent, are expected to play along with all of the insanity around Jasper’s reappearance.

As if that’s not enough, Christa feels a strong connection to Nate, a childhood friend, which is definitely reciprocated. Christa would like to build something with Nate, but she doesn’t want to do it in the spotlight, and she wants to go back to her snails. And when Jasper’s story appears to be not quite what he claimed, she has to figure out what to do with her whole life.

Abbi Waxman has been a favorite author of mine since The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. She creates such quirky characters and imbues them with warmth, flaws, and rich emotions.

While I enjoyed this book, it veered into zany territory more than a few times. There were lots of crazy subplots that never quite got resolved, and I don’t know if the characters were really true to themselves. But it was still a fun read.