Just like Abbi Waxman previously wrote, we as readers are in for a journey. She usually loves writing about something relatable yet heartbreaking to read. Or sometimes she just likes to write something just for the vibes. It’s always fun to read either way.
Do you know that I just loved how messy yet chaotic Chatty Isra Comes Out of Her Shell was? It was a journey from the beginning. And I enjoyed every minute of it. It may be chaotic and electric for some, but if you are looking to read something for the vibes, then this book is it.
I don’t know how to say it, but you are going to love the little yet sassy dog in this book. He has attitudes for days and literally has the best personality throughout the book. The dog doesn’t hold out to whoever is interacting with him. It’s pretty funny to read.

Geez this was not good. I don't know what to say. I have either loved or felt okayish about most of Waxman's books and this is just very bizarre. I didn't like any of the characters, the book went on forever, and the whole plot (or whatever we want to call it) was a hot mess after a while. I think I was supposed to be like, love or something will lead the way. Instead I wondered why Christa didn't just peace out of the madness of her family or someone actually get mad about things and act like a human being with real emotions.

"Christa Comes Out of Her Shell" follows Christa Liddle. She's part of the famous Liddle family and has been dealing with the celebrity of her family and her missing father. Until one day her father, Jasper, is no longer missing. Christa returns home and finds her sisters have changed, and the guy she always had a crush on, seems to have a crush on her too.

Eh. Christa. She was interesting at first. But I got bored by her and the family drama. I was hoping for some Nina with Christa, and we got none of that. There's a reveal that didn't really work for me. I thought it wasn't well done. Just kind of thrown at readers to be like yes, this was the issue all along with Christa. I really wanted to see Christa get mad, something. Heck the whole book was her being passive by threatening to leave every five seconds. And also being under the sway of her father. It was just....I don't know. I think if Christa had been a teenager, this would have worked better. But at the age she was, her sisters were, and her mother. It just felt very off.

The flow was pretty bad. The book jumps back and forth between Christa and social media posts. And I think at one point we see emails going back and forth.

The setting of Los Angeles seems like a hot mess. I can't see the world we live in being super totes okay with the reveal we get in this book. I think Hollywood sucks, but even I think this was a bridge too far.

The ending. Eh. It didn't read as believable.

Adorkable is the word that pops to mind here. Christa is a great main character, flawed, not healed from her traumatic past, but smart, funny, and a huge science nerd. It was easy to root for her and watch as she, often antagonistically, grows and attempts to stop being her own enemy. Lots of family drama but with a ton of humor thrown in there, a cute romance, animals, and did I mention the science? A very fun, sweet book.

Science nerd Christa has been hiding out on a distant island cataloguing sea snails (although she would never call it "hiding") and has to reckon with rekindling relationships with her mother and sisters after her long-dead famous father.... comes back from the dead. Off the wall yet grounded, Christa's subtle growth and facing up to grief and heartache is satisfying, as is the roaring crush she has on long-time family friend Nate.

What a delightful character is Christa! And the story gave me ... well ...

Let's say an adventurer and TV personality Bear Grylls-type had a kid, or better yet, a whole happy family. And then disappears.

And imagine those kids want completely different things out of life.

Christa has all she wants. A very private corner of the world, and very quiet snails to research. Far far away from her mom and siblings. And her dad-s shadow.

But maybe her dad's shadow is what she's always been. And maybe she deserves a whole lot more. Like love.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell is another fantastic book by Abbi Wasman! Christa grew up both in the spotlight and in the shadow of her famous family. Now all she wants to do is hide, alone, on an island surrounded by snails. When unexpected circumstances force her back into the real world she has to dig deep and come out of her shell!!

After a rocky childhood Christa Liddle has hidden away, both figuratively and literally. She studies sea snails on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Christa’s life is thrown into chaos when her once thought dead dad, was in fact alive and had been hanging out in Alaska all this time. Now she and her family are in the spotlight. When her fathers story starts to develop cracks, Christa fears she will lose herself, her potential relationships, and most importantly, any chance of going back to her quiet life with her snails.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this book, but it ended up being a beautiful women’s fiction book. I absolutely loved Christa and the growth that she went through over the course of this book, it was amazing. I wish I could run away to an island and study literally anything for years so I could escape people, and that is exactly what Christa was able to do. When she’s called back and learns that her father, who was supposedly dead, is in fact quite alive and just ran away from his family instead of facing his problems. This whole revelation throws a wrench in Christa’s life as you can imagine, and she has to pivot into something she isn’t entirely comfortable with. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. The author’s style was quick and witty; it held my interest and made me chuckle. I loved it. I also enjoyed that while romance was present in this book, it wasn’t the focus of this book, rather Christa’s growth was, so that was nice.

I enjoyed reading this and the twists were fun, the writing was enjoyable, and the characters were fun.

Thank you so much to the publisher Berkley Publishing, @BerkleyPub and Berkley Romance @BerkleyRomance , the author @AbbiWaxman and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Abbi Waxman's newest novel is a charming story about an introverted scientist who is thrust back into the spotlight after a family revelation rocks her world. Christa has spent the past four years on an island studying violet snails while trying to maintain her distance from her past life and family. Her father, a famous nature tv presenter, disappeared in the Alaskan wilderness when Christa was two years old, but has returned from seemingly the dead. As Christa and her family deal with revelation after revelation, they also are trying to mend their relationships and bury the trauma from the past. For readers who love a whip-smart introverted protagonist, they will be cheering for Christa all the way through. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Abbi Waxman has done it again! The first few pages were a bit to get through (though that was likely the sickness plaguing my body more than her writing) but once the groove was set I was hooked! She has family drama (much resolved), friends turned lovers, and a lot of information about various animals. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Abbi Waxman is great at writing quirky, likeable and relatable characters. Christa Comes Out of Her Shell is certainly full of them. What I appreciated most was reading about a family who is in the process of knowing themselves better and coming to terms with past hurts/wrongs. The Liddle family certainly has a lot of baggage to unpack, and when their famous father, presumed dead after missing for 25 years appears back in their life and the spot light, Christa and her family are faced with the decision on how to move forward.

I was looking forward to this one thanks to the cover and the premise, but the writing and humor didn't work for me.

I love Abbi Waxman and the Bookish Life of Nina Hill is one of my favorites so I was surprised when this fell a little short for me. I liked the characters and appreciated the creative premise, I just didn’t find myself that invested. I do think a lot of readers will enjoy this though.

I just love an Abbi Waxman story, I find her characters delightfully quirky, her writing engaging, and her style/stories relatable. What stands out to me with Christa Comes Out of Her Shell is an author also shifting (coming out of her shell?) into a slightly different style (I won't say more mature as that feels less than generous to her earlier books which I love). What I mean is that her style and story here reflect characters at different turning points/encountering different challenges and self-growth in ways that are distinct from Nina Hill for example. That's a great thing because I love an author who can offer different themes and characters to relate to, to find ways to connect with fans as they too change and grow into new roles and challenges.

Christa Comes Out of Her Shell is my kind of character study yet also a story with some twists that add depth and kept me engaged in seeing how the story unfolded. I love the themes of family, of family relationships, and also a charming science-y introvert who can rediscover and uncover new ways to be herself.

Such a fan of this author and I really enjoyed this book!

A cozy, slow character study from Abbi Waxman. It has a bit of a different feel from her earliest novels, but it still brings depth and self-examination to all its characters. The twists were well-placed in the plot, and the secondary characters bolstered the main character without feeling flat.

The writing style is heavily expositional and extremely narrative, which I don’t enjoy. I loved the chapter heading images. That was a lovely design choice. Stopping midway through chapter 2 (6%) but would guess a solid three to four stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

This was pretty cute and definitely worth the read. I didn't think Crista was the most interesting character, she needs some therapy and self awareness. But I liked all the side characters and I would have liked more of them. It was a little insta-lovey for me which is why it was a 3 star instead of a 4 star.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this engaging romance from author Abbi Waxman.

I really liked Christa as a character, and I enjoyed seeing her growth as the story went on! Her romantic partner was so sweet, I really liked them together.

Overall this is about healing past wounds in your family, and finding love where you least expect it!

This storyline was rich, romantic and delightful. Christa is a character worth knowing. This book was filled with wonderfully detailed observations and the characters leap off of the page.

3.8
You know how, for some inexplicable reason, you agree to meet up with a friend you haven't seen in ages and then the two of you get to talking and it suddenly feels as though no time has passed? Christa 100% has that kind of voice. Her story is imperfect, but it's tough to be upset about it.

The main problem I had with this book. was that I was unsure of what it was trying to be and who it was supposed to be for. It was rife with millennial nostalgia (drawing obvious inspiration from Steve Irwin and Beanie Babies as well as the toxic media influence of the early 2000’s) but with a constant onslaught of Gen-Z buzzwords and phrases. I think I would have connected to it much more had I read it as a teenager, so I thought perhaps that was the audience it was geared towards but then a fairly graphic sex scene would pop up out of nowhere and I would get confused about it all over again..

I have read another book that this author wrote and enjoyed it, unfortunately this one missed the mark for me.