Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eARC of this novel in 2019 in exchange for an honest review. My deepest apologies for my review being so egregiously late.

The experience reading this novel was at times extremely surreal. Our main character Nina is introverted, an only child, a lover of books and animals over people, unable to clearly navigate social cues and situations, meticulously living in the past while trying to stay in the present, and very slowly rearranging her needs as her story unfolds around her.

There were so many moments where experiences I have had as someone who claims to be neurodivergent, and who also experiences daily anxiety, were finally written out on the page in ways I’ve never been able to verbalize or explain to anyone else. Reading about Nina was like looking in a mirror and discovering there are in fact two of us, or more than one of me out there in the world (or in this case a fictional book).

Nina has settled into life and her routines. She might feel lonely at times, but due to her upbringing that’s all she’s ever really known so she doesn’t actively seek out more. The discovery of her father, and thereby inheritance of his extremely large (and semi dysfunctional family) begins to open Nina up to the possibility of more for herself and her life.

Early on in the novel I felt like the descriptive writing and inner monologues were the strongest parts of the story. The dialogue between the characters felt so unrealistic at times that I would long to go back to descriptions and memories Nina would have. As the novel progressed I couldn’t tell if the dialogue itself improved or if I just became acclimatized to it. The change was so drastic that earlier in the novel I thought I’d be giving this a four star rating, but as I reached the conclusion there was not a doubt in my mind that this had jumped up to a five.

This book is smart, and I’m humble enough to admit that it’s much smarter than I am. There were references and words that I had never encountered before. While I knew I, as the reader, am not intellectually in the same league as the author (or her characters) it didn’t interfere with my reading experience whatsoever. There were enough context clues and overall plot points that I just cruised along happily ignoring the words or references that were sailing over my head. Ignorance is bliss, afterall.

If you’re looking for a spicy contemporary romance this novel will not tick those boxes for you. While romance is at the center of Nina’s character arc, the eventual coupling(s) is a series of fade to black and off the page interactions. Imagination is required.

I still loved reading about Nina and Tom, and watching Nina allow herself to open up to so many new people all at once. This book made me laugh out loud multiple times, and I loved seeing all of Nina’s to-do lists and mentally comparing them to my own. If you’re a book lover, an introvert, an only child who always wished for a secret family, or someone who lives with daily anxiety, I think you’ll fall gracefully into this story and meander your way through Nina’s little slices of daily life.

I really enjoyed this light and easy read. I would recommend it to anyone who loves books with a twist.

Oh Nina! Nina enjoys her cozy life working in a bookstore and going to trivia. But when the father she never knew unexpectedly comes into the picture, her life is sent spiraling. Siblings, parents, and feelings are not things Nina is great at. But she slowly comes around, and even becomes open to romance in her life. I enjoyed this sweet book about a book lover. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an unbiased review..

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Nina Hill is a totally loveable bookworm. I found myself routing for her on every page. I would love to walk into the bookstore and chat with Nina to find the perfect book!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. If you like books about found family this is a great choice. I almost don't want to call this a feel-good read because there's some deep family drama going on in this book. However, Nina is so lovable that it does leave the reader with good feelings. This was the first book I read by Abbi Waxman, and I immediately sought out her past work. I've recommended this book to so many people. Such a great read!

"You've Got Mail" vibes in this slightly romantic, witty tale of an intelligent and strong "I don't need anyone" female character recognizing that maybe she does need someone after all...

Nina is fiercely independent, living her life on her own terms. She loves her job at the local indie bookstore, her trivia-obsessed friends and teammates, her small bungalow apartment with built-in book nook, her cat, and her planning journal. With the best intentions, Nina tries to plan as much of her life as possible and that doesn't leave much time for anyone outside of her treasured inner circle. But an incredibly handsome, surprisingly calming, distractingly funny trivia nemesis and an untraditional boisterous family she never knew she had all threaten to trample the house of cards Nina's built for herself. Nina will need to decide what she wants to cross off her planner to make room for the people who care for her, or continue to ignore the love just waiting for her to let them in.

Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed the witty banter throughout this story! My only caveat for it was that it was so witty that at some point it was hard to keep up with or to lose yourself in, kind of like Dawson's Creek for my 90's peeps out there. Almost every character was witty -- a six year old who names a camel Humpy Bogart is funny, yes, but a bit too witty if you know what I mean. I could've used one or two more mello characters to help balance out the personalities. But I was totally enamored with said six-year-old, as I was with every character in the book. Her nephew being four years older than her and an absolute delight to read, her brother showing a protective sibling side towards Nina despite only knowing her for a few weeks, and a love interest who seems to know just how to calm Nina's anxiety yet is still flawed in his own way. I wouldn't classify this as a rom-com, though, as it takes over 100 pages to actually get some significant scenes between these two, but their chemistry definitely put a smile on my face. I also was confused at times because the story is 95% Nina's POV but sporadically we get inner monologues from Tom or a minor character mid-scene and sometimes even mid-paragraph. I would have preferred either Tom getting his own full chapters or to just keep the story from Nina's POV. But overall this was a charming and surprisingly light read given the main character's background and what brings her family together. Definitely summer reading for those looking for something cute, funny, and endearing.

**Thank you, Netgalley and Penguin Random House, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

I loved Abbi’s first book and loathed her second. This one is in between the two. Something about her writing just seems so…forcefully quirky in this one. I wanted to love it but I sadly didn’t.

This is a good one! I'm a sucker for books that involve librarians or book store clerks (dream job!) I could really relate to Nina - I'm also addicted to coffee and reading, and suffer from anxiety from time to time. Unfortunately, I disliked Tom and although the book started out so promising, I didn't care for the second half and was ready to move on to my next book by the time the end arrived. Good, not great, but I look forward to seeing Waxman's writing develop.

This book is a fun title sure to appeal to book lovers and introverts, or even people with their own family drama. I found the children's characters to be a little more precocious than I could find believable, but not so much that it took me out of the story. Overall this was a fun heart warming read.

These is one of the best feel-good books I’ve ever read. I loved the characters and the story. I want to be Nina!

Overall, I loved this one. It's a bit slow at parts, and it does take a little while to get into, but Nina is quite the quirky character and this is a fun read for book lovers (and pop culture lovers, too)! I would have loved to see Nina's relationship with some of her family members be more developed and deeper, but, again, overall this was a delightful read.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This has a great cover, sounds excellent, looks like great writing and I just couldn't get into it. Maybe I will try to listen to it.

This book was so darn adorable and hit me right in the feels. I, too, would rather be surrounded by books than people. I, too, work in a bookstore. Nina is funny, her life has gone from calm and serene to chaos central, and she may have found a boyfriend. I whipped through this book as I do all of Abbi Waxman's book because they are just so hilarious and true to life.

This book was so cute! I could really identify with the Nina character and all of her quirks. Her love for books and social awkwardness felt like I was reading a story about myself, lol. Thus was a cute, fun read.

This books captures what it's like to be a bookworm that's social awkward never related to a character so much in my life 😅

I loved everything about this book, it was a super fast read. I will always love all books about books.

As a librarian (and trivia nerd) this one was a hit for me! I love books about books and bookstores. I loved watching Nina discover her new family, and what that would mean for her previously solitary existence. The romance was endearing without being cheesy. A great read all around.

This book was a struggle. I think beginning I really enjoyed some parts but there was so much time when nothing was happening. I also found myself not caring at all about the family stuff or the bookstore or Nina and Tom. By the last 23% i was reading and skimming because there was just nothing at stake. In the end, not the book for me.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book and I had to DNF it.
I will probably give it another go in the future

A charming story that strongly depicts the reason why we read books, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is a must-read. The exactness of how this novel depicts the personality of a reader is on-point (at least for myself). It was an absolutely tasteful read as it rekindles the reasons why we read. Is it to escape reality? A small cure for our anxiety? Or do we love books so much that we want to share it to the world?