Member Reviews

Charming and quirky, Nina Hill is sure to delight readers. Nina Hill, a 29 year old single woman lives in bustling LA. The life she has created for herself is perfectly scheduled and consists of her work at a bookstore and evenings of trivia contests and book club meetings. She hasn't scheduled time for surprises and is thrown off when she find out that she has a large and complicated family that she never knew existed.

It was an enjoyable read and the bibliophile in me appreciated the book references. Nina's anxiety was treated with respect and was an important part of the book. The romance sub-plot was enjoyable, but did not overpower the overall theme of family. I'm looking forward to sharing this book with others!

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This was okay for a while, and occasionally even clever, but it got super-predictable and started dragging on and on, so I skipped to the end (and I was right about all the predictableness). So it all averages out to kinda Meh.

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Nina Hill is the heroine book nerds have been waiting for.

At age 29 Nina’s life is exactly the way she likes it: she’s working in a bookstore, runs a weekly book club, is on a quiz team, and has a cat as well as a few wonderful friends). Her days are planned out and her schedule is booked. Sure, it’s a way of coping with the anxiety of uncertainty and change, but it works for her. Until the day her unknown father dies and his lawyer contacts Nina with the news that a) she’s in this sperm donor’s will and b) she has a brother, sisters, nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. She’s also become rather fascinated with the sexy leader of a rival quiz team (though she suspects he’s a dumb jock who only knows answers to sports questions). Nina’s not sure there’s any room in her schedule for these strangers – or the drama that comes along with them. Maybe, just maybe, breaking out of her shell and letting new people in will make her real life even better than the fiction she loves to read.

Waxman tells The Bookish Life of Nina Hill from an omniscient point of view, giving readers insights into all of the characters’ quirky personalities. Nina herself is a wonderfully drawn heroine that I possibly related to a little too much: she talks to her cat, spends hours upon hours reading, and loves talking about/recommending books to everyone she meets despite her innately introvert nature. The plot of the novel flows well and the events are perfectly placed to reveal just enough at just the right time without overwhelming the reader with too many facts or info dumping (something that Nina herself is often guilty of doing). Witty lines and clever quips about pop culture, and the overall sense of humor with which the story is told, was the icing on the cake, making this one of my favorite reads this year. I highly recommend this novel and cannot wait to read more of Waxman’s tales.

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This book is a very cozy experience. The chicken pot pie of reading, if you will. Book lovers are sure to enjoy it.

Our heroine is Nina Hill. At first glance, we’ve seen her before. She’s a type A book-lover with a cat and some cardigans. We know Her. We love Her. Some of us are Her. But Waxman isn’t afraid to take such a trope and dig a little deeper. Nina’s experience with anxiety is beautifully handled. She’s inflexible and organized to a fault. She constantly experiences the world on the edge of a panic attack. She’s an introvert who enjoys people.

The tone was fun; very Arrested Development meets Gilmore Girls. There’s a dysfunctional rich family, brilliant characters abound, witty repartee, and tons of pop culture references. This is a great read for someone who loves all things quirky.

This book hosts many tiny universes. Nina’s rich imaginary life, work life, trivia club life, book club life, romantic life, and family life. They all work together well and I never felt like there was too much going on at once.

Although I enjoyed all of these facets, Nina’s family takes center stage. Her new, bizarre family dynamic is so captivating. I could’ve spent the whole book watching them argue around a dinner table.

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Nina was such an adorable character, even as she was quite fallibly nerdy. I saw a little of myself in her, though hope I'm not quite that bad ;) I loved seeing the sweet romance blossom and how she began changing rather than keeping to her rigid schedule. I also thought the diary entries that opened each chapter were such a cute touch, and gave a lot of insight to her character!

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I really liked this book. It was lighthearted and really funny at times and heartfelt and warm at others. The main character learns a lot about herself and others. It is a great story.

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I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. I absolutely loved it. It was fresh and funny and sad and the characters were very likeable. I loved everything about this book. I felt a connection to the main character with her love of books and trivia. I love the way it's written and have already looked for more books by this author. Can't wait to read them!

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Amusing and a bit weird at times.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have to say that the title of this book was one of the factors that sucked me in to reviewing this new book. I am a huge reader as many of you know. I have always has my nose in a book. I figure there could be worse things in life…

I saw myself in several instances in this book, however, Nina Hill is definitely the epitome of a truly bookish person. Facts nerd, works in a bookstore, not great with social skills, and overly addicted to schedules.

However, Waxman crafts a story that shows the cracks in this type of personality. Her newly found family has some wonderful characters that help break through some of the barriers. Her friends help with balancing some of her weird tenancies. And then there is Tom. Tom who she is somewhat rude to… but he tries to persist.

Full of snark, wit, awkwardness, and even a bit of heartbreak, this story is a delightful women’s fiction that shows the fabulous talent of the author. Bits and pieces of obscure facts float through. You have to be on your toes when reading this one.

There were a few parts I did not like about Nina’s personality and the constant war with words sometimes got to be too much. Tom was my favorite character and totally saved this story for me. Peter was fun too! plus, there are plenty of other great characters that support this story!

This story is a treat for the mind and is one that you will thoroughly enjoy! Just a delight.

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What a quirky and entertaining book. At one point a laugh burst forth before I could stop it. Nina is different. She's awkward, introverted, likes to be alone instead of around people, is quick witted, blurts out things that maybe aren't quite appropriate. As the book progresses, Nina grew. I found this book very enjoyable, the characters were fun, and I loved the awkwardness of Nina and Tom. This was so worth my time.

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Introvert Nina Hill of Los Angeles is perfectly content with her bookstore job, her planner, her trivia team, and living alone with her cat, Phil, thank you very much. Then she learns that the father she never knew has died... leaving her with more family than she could ever dream of. Add in a cute trivia opponent and let's just say Nina's quiet, introverted life is about to get thoroughly up-heaved.

Over the course of the story, Nina learns how to come out of her comfort zone and discover more about herself than she ever knew. Her world has just gotten a lot bigger; she just has to decide if she's ready take on that new, bigger world.

"The Bookish Life of Nina Hill" is a hilarious, relatable read where you never know what will come next or what a character might say. An example: "You saw the invite; the RSVP was yes or no, not yes, no, or send a camel." All of the characters are fantastic and the dialogue is witty. All book lovers will adore Nina and her struggles as a book-lover in a world full of people who would rather watch the movie (or, better yet, have the starring role in the movie). Join Nina on an unforgettable journey full of eccentric family members and scheming friends as she learns to embrace the unexpected and unearth new layers of herself that she never thought would see the light of day.

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Grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for this free review copy. I had such fun reading this book! It was refreshing and crisp - perfect for these gorgeous spring days. The story centers around a razor-sharp witted, completely loveable planner-a-holic protagonist that made me laugh out loud. I loved following Nina's adventures. I also enjoyed the planner pages scattered throughout the book, which inspired me to be more organized and buy a new planner (that I will likely use religiously for the next 3 to 6 days and then promptly forget).

Highly recommended if you enjoy any of this author's other books (especially The Garden of Small Beginnings, which I also adored) or Sophie Kinsella's My Perfect Life

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Abbi Waxman does an excellent job crafting the small world of bibliophile and introvert Nina Hill. This is such a great cozy read for book lovers with a realistic and well paced plot. Very cute and great for fans of Veronica Henry, Sophie Kinsella and Ellen Berry. Would highly recommend!

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This book drew me in with the cute af cover and synopsis, but also, this might just be because I am a curly, redheaded librarian that wears glasses. Draw your own conclusions. But for me, I ended up not really feeling any kind of connection with Nina throughout the book. She seemed a little too much like a cliché of an introvert than a 3-dimensional character. The plot points were fun and moved the story along – Nina learns she has inherited from a father she never met and goes from having one family member to dozens of family members. Then there is a little bit of bumbling romance thrown in. But the resolutions to these and other conflicts in the book feel a little flat to me, because I don’t believe in the character. Abbi Waxman has a witty and fun writing style that suits me, and I would definitely try another of her books again for that reason alone.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was a sweet, feel good book about family. I found myself bored at some parts and found a couple of details unnecessary. Overall, though, it was a fun, quick and easy read.

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First there was Eleanor Oliphant, then there was Annika Rose and now we have Nina Hill. Very relatable character, works in a bookstore and actually schedules “Nothing “ in her planner so she can read!
Laughed out loud, loved Nina’s character. Classic Abbi Waxman- funny, self deprecating, honest.

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I find myself drawn to books that involve main characters that are big readers or booksellers or take place in a bookshop. This had all the things I love. The story line was wonderful. The characters felt like they could be my friends. I found myself rooting for Nina and her family. Will definitely recommend to my bookshop customers.

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Nina loves being a bookseller in LA. She also loves books, her highly competitive trivia team, and her cat. She is completely comfortable with her life. The daughter of a world-traveling photographer, Nina has no idea who her father might be and she is fine with that. Enter upheaval in the form of a lawyer telling Nina her father has recently died and has named her in his will. Enter too many people in the form of lots of family from her father who married multiple times and has children by each. Enter the stress of learning the bookstore may close. Enter a possible boyfriend from a rival trivia team.
Recommend to readers who love their romance with a surprise family, a well-read heroine, eccentric characters, and lots of fun.

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Nina Hill has built a solitary life that suits her. She has an absent mother, a nonexistent father and a transitory love life. To fill all these gaps she surrounds herself with schedules and books. High-grade anxiety appears whenever her well ordered life threatened. Through a strange set of circumstances she finds her world getting uncomfortably crowded. I fell in love with this character. She is vulnerable and strong, practical and hopeful. Nina is neither victim nor hero, she's just a woman trying to get through the day. If my e=reader battery hadn't died I would have read this in one sitting.

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The characters were completely unlike able. The author's forced attempts at humor were a failure. The book was too snarky for my tastes.

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I was intrigued by the book cover and the blurb about The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Nina is an introvert who suffers from situational anxiety. To compensate, she tends to stick to a well-documented routine. She has good friends and is active in the “real” world with book clubs and her trivia team but prefers being on her own in a life she considers complete. Her attempts at romance have failed in the past, and she’s not currently looking for a partner. An only child of a single mother (a globe-trotting photojournalist), Nina never knew her father. At this point, a lawyer appears, telling her she’s mentioned in her father’s will. Suddenly Nina is part of a large, multi-generational family. Then, a cute member of another trivia team asks her out. Nina is forced to come out of her cocoon.

This book is written in a wryly funny voice and filled with literary references, nerdy random bits of information regarding books, TV, movies, and other aspects popular culture. Nina is fully relatable as a character. Though there is a romance between Tom (the trivia guy) and Nina, it’s not the focus of the story, so if you want a “pure” romance, this isn’t the book for you. If you like alpha males, this really isn’t the romance for you as Tom is a sweet, nerdy beta male. I’d call The Bookish Life of Nina Hill chick-lit or women’s fiction light with elements of romance. It was a fun read with tons of lines that were so good I highlighted them on my Kindle:

Nina had a lot of sympathy for Bruce Banner, particularly the version played by Mark Ruffalo, and at least she had Xanax. He only had Thor.

Being surrounded by books was the closest she'd ever gotten to feeling like the member of a gang. The books had her back, and the nonfiction, at least, was ready to fight if necessary.

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