Just when she thought she’d gotten far enough away . . . a life-changing phone call throws an antisocial scientist back into her least favorite place—the spotlight. A hilarious and insightful new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill.
CHRISTA COMES OUT OF HER SHELL
by ABBI WAXMAN
Series: N/A
Publication date: April 16, 2024
Published by: Berkley
Genre: contemporary romance
SYNOPSIS
After a tumultuous childhood, Christa Liddle has hidden away, both figuratively and literally. Happily studying sea snails in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Christa finds her tranquil existence thrown into chaos when her once-famous father—long thought dead after a plane crash—turns out to be alive, well, and ready to make amends. The world goes wild, fascinated by this real-life saga, pinning Christa and her family under the spotlight. As if that weren’t enough, her reunion with an old childhood friend reveals an intense physical attraction neither was expecting and both want to act on . . . if they can just keep a lid on it. When her father’s story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationship, and—most importantly—any chance of making it back to her snails before they forget her completely.
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Praise for Christa Comes Out of Her Shell:
“Abbi Waxman has done it again! I laughed out loud, I swooned, I … unexpectedly learned a lot about snails? (And they’re awesome, by the way). I live for Abbi’s awkward, lovable-yet-socially-anxious heroines, and Christa Liddle is hands-down my new favorite.”
—Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise
"If I could go on vacation inside Abbi Waxman's books, the utterly charming Christa Comes Out of Her Shell would be the centerpiece of my itinerary. Waxman's witty voice, complex and oh-so-loveable characters, and knack for writing romance that's both swoony and sexy absolutely shine in this hilarious, tender story about family, fame, and marine mollusks. I'll definitely be screaming about this one to anyone who will listen!"
—Sarah Adler, author of Mrs. Nash's Ashes
"Waxman displays her usual talent for creating main characters who are wry and great with a one-liner... Christa is endearingly antisocial…and it’s satisfying to watch her come out of her shell as she accepts the chaos of her family and learns to make peace with the past."
—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers who find comfort in Waxman’s likable nerds will enjoy smart and snarky Christa. Christa’s mother and sisters add delightful color and humor as they make clear where Christa’s personality originated, and Christa’s second chance at romance with an old family friend feels natural and genuine and full of heat.”
—Booklist
“Readers will relish this lively take on legacy and manipulation.”
—Publishers Weekly
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abbi Waxman was born in England in 1970, the oldest child of two copywriters who never should have been together in the first place. Once her father ran off to buy cigarettes and never came back, her mother began a successful career writing crime fiction. Naturally lazy and disinclined to dress up, Abbi went into advertising, working as a copywriter and then a creative director at various advertising agencies in London and New York. Eventually she quit advertising, had three kids and started writing books, mostly in order to get a moment’s peace.
Abbi lives in Los Angeles with her husband, three kids, three dogs, three cats, a gecko, a snake, five pigeons, four chickens, and two guinea pigs. Every one of these additions made sense at the time, it’s only in retrospect that it seems foolhardy.
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REVIEW
Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi WaxmanMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I haven't read an Abbi Waxman book since The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. This one immediately caught my attention because it has one of my greatest female character weaknesses: the introverted nerd. If she is socially awkward (even anti-social is acceptable), quirky, super intelligent, or shy...count me in. All of the above? Even better! After many years of reading many variations of this heroine, IT has finally happened. I found one that unlikely unicorn that I don't like. Christa is a contradiction, an anomaly. On paper, I should like her, but for me but all of her flaws overshadowed the things that should have endeared her to me.
Humans talk so much and look at youexpectantly, as if you’d beenpaying attention. Fools.
Christa Liddle grew up in the public eye because of her famous father. He had his own television show, and was co-founder of a copycat beanie baby toy company. He was a charming media darling until he took a flight to Alaska and disappeared. Christa was two the last time they all saw him off in that plane, so his absence is more memorable to her than his brief presence was. The media and internet were like a pack of wolves fighting over the bloody carcass of their lives, but Christa especially got the brunt of their unwanted attention. To lose a father is hard enough, but to try to work through everything emotionally while the world watches your every move is near impossible. She doesn't handle it well as a young adult, and her rebellious ways escalated until one traumatic event sends her running to isolate herself on an island in the Indian Ocean. There, she finds quiet, serenity, and only the snails she's studying as her companions. For four years, she was happy hiding away from her uncomfortable past, but her father had to go and "return from the dead."
From the start, Christa was rubbing me the wrong way. She's prickly, quick to get angry and defensive, pushes everyone away around her, and is emotionally closed off. I'm all for a socially awkward character, but when you throw rudeness into the equation, that's not a good side. Even her "crush" Nate is victim of her sharp tongue, but he can't see past the hearts in his eyes whenever he looks at her. These two grew up together, but there was an age gap as kids. Now, they discover an almost immediate attraction for each other, but I genuinely couldn't see why he was so enthralled with her so quickly. She doesn't spare him much attention, and when she does, she makes sure to emphasize that if they get involved, it will only be a fling until she jets back to her solitary life again. They go on one walk, and one date on the beach and suddenly are supposed to be on the fast track to falling for each other. I never saw any reason why they would feel this way. It all feels very manufactured based on their completely platonic interactions growing up. She never fails to dismiss him like his wants are unimportant when making decisions about where to take her life in the next stage. Even up until the last 15% of the book she's making decisions purely on her own needs making me feel that she hadn't grown at all throughout the book. I felt that he deserved someone who would make compromises and sacrifices for him some of the time, because he was all in, wasn't afraid to express that to her, and he deserved it.
It’s fine, it’s just a fling. We’ll both get over itsoon enough. I had a brief flash of theprevious night, the connection I had felt—and feel—with him. I shoved it down becausethis girl has no time for love.Who even mentioned love?
Aside from the weak romance, the plot was a little out there. The disappearance, assumed death, return "from the dead", amnesia, and cartoonishly one-dimensional villain were very soap opera over-the-top for my taste. This came off as a rom-com rather than a women's fic that you would expect from this author, but without the humor or charm. For me, it really fell flat. There wasn't enough exploration into Christa's broken relationship with her family, and a lack of time spent of mending it. All of that was glossed over in a quick and tidy way, while the chaotic antics surrounding her dad were always the focus.
Personally, whatever story her dad was currently spinning, I never had any sympathy and I wouldn't have been so quick to let him back into the family. It was a little annoying how they just accepted the pain that he put them all through (let's just say that his original version of events didn't actually check out). Even Christa who was the only one giving any resistance, quickly caved and spent time with him without any discussion of the turmoil she suffered because of him. However, ignoring uncomfortable situations and conversations is on brand for her I guess.
“I can’t do this now,” I said,suddenly restless and uncomfortable.“Maybe I should be a strongerperson or something,but all I want to donow is hide.
My problem with Christa is that she needs character growth, badly, and I didn't see it happen. Her big flaw-running from her problems is not addressed. At all. At 90% in the book she runs from her uncomfortable feelings again. Nate shows that he is willing to uproot his entire life and fit his alongside wherever she decides to go. What does she ever do to show him that he is as important to her? I didn't feel any chemistry at all, and I wasn't ever really rooting for them. Overall, more time should have been spent on developing Christa's familial and romantic relationships rather than the OTT drama. While I was a fan of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, this one was a miss for me. Not every book can be a winner, and that's perfectly okay.
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