Book Review- The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.

When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They’re all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She’ll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It’s a disaster! And as if that wasn’t enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn’t he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.

1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It’s time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn’t convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It’s going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

Imagine you are a bird. You can be any kind of bird, but those of you who’ve chosen ostrich or chicken are going to struggle to keep up.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is a book that was written for book lovers. There were so many bookish moments that I think many of us will relate to from the dream of owning a bookstore to feeling most relaxed when reading. There were moments when I felt that Nina Hill was a bit of a book snob, but it made sense for her character.

As you can see from the first line, the narration of the story is unique. It is told as though the narrator realizes that there is someone reading Nina’s story. It was compelling, even though I found it distracting at times. There were moments where it took me out of the story.

The highlight of this book was Nina herself! I loved all of the bookish and pop culture references that she made and the fact that she was a trivia buff. It made her very interesting to read about. That fact that she was an introvert who suffered from anxiety was also appreciated.

Another highlight for me was her family, particularly her brother and her nephew. It was fun to see them get to know each other and support each other. I also enjoyed the female friendships that Nina had with the women that she worked with- that is always refreshing to see!

The romance was sweet but I felt it was more in the background, which was something I actually appreciate. The book was more about Nina and her coming to understand that she can be happy letting people in to her life.

One thing that bothered me was the way that the children where written. Every child in this novel is highly intelligent and mature beyond their years.  I think the author was trying to show that reading at a young age is connected to intelligence, but I thought she took it too far and it become unbelievable.

Yes! If you are reading this review I assume you are a book lover; therefore, I think you will appreciate The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. There is so much to relate to in this story and it is so much fun to read!

Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.