Probably more like 3.5 stars, but not quite four.I have to admire the author's courage in choosing to have a protagonist such as Nick. 25% into the book I really couldn't stand Nick. 30% into the book and I seriously considered giving up on it, because I really couldn't stand Nick.
It was only thanks to sneaking a peek at other reviews (while trying to avoid spoilers), most of which seemed to indicate that things would, indeed, get explained in the end (I did assume of course that Nick had a reason to be the way he was, but after a while I didn't really feel liked I cared any longer), that made me persist. And then slowly I started to not just not-hate Nick but actually get interested in him (and the plot - although, frankly, the plot was pretty much background for me with this book - it was all about Nick), and the ending... I don't want going to spoil anything, so I'll just say that yes, indeed, it did explain things.
Anyway, I suspect I'll want to read the second book, too. I didn't love this one - I didn't even really like it - but it was interesting and decently written (although I found the beginning too choppy for my taste) and I'm rather curious to know what is going to happen next.