The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

This is a charming story with a healthy dose of wit that will connect with bookworms and people who struggle with the changes life throws at them.

Nina Hill is a character that many introverted, book loving, sometimes anxious readers will connect with. I know I did. She's a self-proclaimed bookworm with a great sense of humour that Waxman uses throughout to balance out the more serious aspects of the plot (anxiety, introversion, complicated family issues).

I really enjoyed Nina's witty dialogue, observations, and quips as well as the numerous pop culture references. There is a light nod to romance (although I wouldn't have been upset if it had been left out all together) but the story mainly focuses on Nina's struggles with the changes in her life - namely the new family she never knew she had and how that impacts her anxiety and well-planned life. I appreciated that Nina and her new family's initial connections aren't easy-breezy and their bumps and emotions felt believable and I think Waxman illustrates the complicated family dynamics and Nina's struggle with her anxiety well, making this book more than a simple, light romance novel.

Witty, cute and light-hearted (if a tad predictable and a wee cheesy at the end), this is a fun story with some depth that focuses on family and self-discovery with a book store setting, a book nerd at the helm and hilarious banter making this total bliss for introverted book nerds like myself.

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Abbi Waxman

Genre: Romance, Light Read

Type and Source: eBook from local public library

Publisher: Berkley

First Published: July 9, 2019

Opening Lines: Imagine you're 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.

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.