Cute and funny, but quite predictable. Just a happy little feel good story. I didn't love it as much as The Garden of Small Beginnings, but I loved all the book references and related to Nina's character a lot.

Nina works at a bookstore and she has a full schedule of reading, taking care of her cat and work. She really is happy doing just those things.


Nina resisted the impulse to pull out her imaginary blaster and blow the woman's head off, and got a microflash of the bit in Terminator 2 where his silvery head splits in the middle and waves about. Liz was always telling her to be warmer to the customers.

An introvert and pop culture references....yes, please. *forwarned that I'm breaking the rules and posting some quotes from this one because I do as I please*

Anyways, as I was rambling about. Nina loves her life. She evens gets out occasionally to do a team competition of quiz nights. That's exciting. Plus, there is a cute guy there.

Then Nina gets a visit at work and finds out that she does in fact have a dad. (Her mom had always said she didn't.) He is dead but still.
Nina had grown up thinking she had just her nanny and her absentee mother...now she finds out she has lots and lots of relatives.
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.



So now she must wade into the whole "having a family" thing.


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.

This book is just pure fun. I LOVED Nina. I related to her book nerdiness and it's fun and fluffy. So much goodness.
"Reading isn't the only thing in the world, Nina."
"It's one of the only five perfect things in the world."
"And the other four are?"
"Cats, dogs, Honeycrisp apples and coffee."

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Books about book people is a subgenre that I am always excited about, and yet always enter into reading with extreme trepidation. Despite the fact that the authors are often self-professed book lovers (it's hard to imagine an author that isn't), people like us often come off in these stories as eccentric to the point of caricature. Thus was the attitude I went into the story of Nina Hill, and I'm happy to report that I inhaled this book over the course of a few days.

Nina loves books, sure. But while they are a large part of her life, they are not the only part. Especially once her long lost father dies and she finds that she has inherited a huge family - brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and even great nieces and nephews (what can we say? Dad got around!). Her once quiet life has been shaken up, and even more surprisingly, Nina doesn't completely mind.

I identified with this character so much. Her need for quiet and isolation meeting up with her previously unidentified need for a social life and action. The difficult waters of wanting to be settled in your late 20s, but only having so much say in the whole dating thing because it's not up to you alone. The conversations with her pet. I adored it. The work drama, family drama, and personal life drama balanced each other out and kept me up reading way past my bedtime. I can see this being a popular pick for book clubs, as well it should be!

I received this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I LOVED IT! The story revolves around the life of a 29 year old "spinster" who loves books, works in a bookstore, has a cat, and loves planning. She has really bad bouts with anxiety and never knew who her father was. Her mother is a famous photographer who works all over the world.

Another thing Nina Hill, our heroine, really likes to do is go to trivia contests. There's a rival team with a team captain that is just so interesting. She eventually meets him and they go out, but I don't want to give too much of the story away.

It's a book about book lovers and book readers, so if you love books, my guess is you'll like this book.

This is a fun & quirky read that I could hardly put down. As an ex-bookstore owner I feel like I'm part Nina, part Liz and all -around book nerd. If you are a bookworm like me, and I assume you are, you will love this book. This will definitely be a recommendation for my bookclub.

My hat's off to you, Abbi Waxman! This book is utterly charming, witty, and funny. When I was forced to step away from it to live my life, I couldn't wait to get back to reading. The story was fun, and all the characters were so smart. I want to move to that neighborhood and be a part of the Knight's community. This book is like Eleanor Oliphant meets Liz Lemon. I can't say enough good things. This will be one of those books that I come back to when I need to feel good.

Nina Hill is in her late-20s and lives in a little guest house with her cat, Phil, works at a local bookstore, and competes in pub trivia with her friends. She doesn't have a lot of family--just her mother, who's in China, and her former nanny, who lives across the country. She reads a lot and organizes her life to help manage her anxiety. She's quirky, but not overly so. I liked the character right away, and also really enjoyed the Larchmont neighborhood as a setting for the story.
Nina's quiet life is upended by two competing and messy new things: she meets a guy she really likes (he's on a rival trivia team, but doesn't seem to be a reader, which is a problem) and finds out that contrary to what her mother told her, Nina did have a father and he did know about her, but now he's dead. He also had a lot of money and put Nina in his will, alongside the various children he had from his three actual marriages, his ex-wives, and the grandchildren and great-grandchildren he had. So Nina has a giant new family to meet and deal with while trying to figure out how she feels about everything. This story really checked all my boxes and I loved reading it.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book for an honest review. I actually requested the book because of the title and cover

This book started a bit slow for me. The first 30% or so took me 3 days which is unusual for me. The last 70% took me less than a day.

Oh Nina how I could relate to you. She loved books and loved being alone. But Nina comes to realize that being alone isn’t the only way to love. She discovers that we all need others and our alone time in smaller doses.

Several quotes from the book that made me want to shout out "That is me!":

" She refueled during the day by grabbing moments of solitude and sometimes felt like her life was a long-distance swim between islands of solitude."

".... and bought a new planner in the middle of the year and started over, so what?"

"Oh my God, she thought, it's hard to be human sometimes, with the pressure to be civilized lying only very thinly over the brain of a nervous little mammal."

Any reader and lover of books will love all the references to other books. I repeatedly giggled with different thoughts Nina had and felt like I could totally related to her.

This book will definitely be on my favorites list of the year.

I received the advance e-ARC of this book, and completely loved it. Nina Hill is my much-younger spirit animal. All the literature references were icing on the cake. Love, love, love.

⭐️ Review ⭐️
Nina Hill is an introvert. She loves routine, tends to be a little anxious, and she’s most comfortable hanging out with her cat and a good book. Not that she’s antisocial—she has plenty of friends and is part of a trivia night team—but she feels like her life is already full. She doesn’t need anyone else. .
Enter a father she never knew she had, along with several half-siblings and relatives, as well as a potential suitor, and it’s no wonder Nina is feeling a little overwhelmed.

This is a smart, funny, character-driven novel told with Abbi Waxman’s signature voice and humor. It took me a few chapters to settle into the rhythm and get to know Nina, but then I was hooked. If you like books, literary references, random nerdy bits of information, loveable but sometimes prickly heroines, sweet love stories, and quirky characters, this is the book for you!

Have you read anything by Abbi Waxman? Does this sound like something you’d pick up? I have a feeling a lot of #bookstagrammers will relate to Nina 😊.

Releases July 9, 2019 and will make the perfect vacation read this summer.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @berkleypub for a free electronic copy in exchange for an honest review!

Nina Hill is a somewhat introverted bookseller who lives a very structured and routine life. She grew up without a lot of family, so discovering early in the book that she has a huge family she didn't know about throws her for a loop. I definitely found the book charming and loved the descriptions of Larchmont (a neighborhood in LA) but at times felt like the book was trying to tell two stories. There was Nina struggling with her new family, and also Nina struggling with her anxiety but it often didn't feel cohesive. The book also talked a lot about how Nina liked to be solo and didn't really like social situations but it seems as if she always had a lot of friends and activities and events going on. I would have liked it if the character development talked about for Nina was actually reflected in her actions, instead of the author just telling us. All that being said, it was a charming read that does a nice job exploring family and friendship amongst people who loved books.

Yet another book with awesomely quirky characters... I love it! Nina Hill is the most comfortable when she's alone in her apartment reading books. In essence she is my spirit animal. This to me was such a feel-good book. I loved watching Nina evolve throughout the story, witnessing her eventual breakdown, and then seeing her pick up the pieces. I recommend this to all my bookish friends who are all about the bookish life.

This book had all my favorite things in it...reading (of course), book clubs, cats, trivia, planning, etc.

Nina grew up as an only child, not knowing who her father was. She was an introvert, worked in a bookshop, and had everything scheduled to the minute. Her world is turned upside down when she finds out her real father passed away and she has a family (and a big one at that).

This story was funny, clever, and heartwarming. I laughed at loud at some of the dialog (and I rarely do that). Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book for reading a reviewing.

Coming your way with a scheduled release date of 7/9/19. I really enjoyed this story and Nina (and her cat Phil). What’s not to love (and envy) in a character whose life revolves around her love of reading AND she works at a bookstore? Used to (and most comfortable) being alone, Nina soon has her hands full with an extended family she knew nothing about and a new boyfriend. It’s one of those feel good type of stories you don’t have to over analyze and just enjoy.

Nina Hill is happy with her bookish life. She works in a bookstore, is on a trivia team, and doesn't have to deal with tons of family. Things are planned out perfectly. Until they aren't...

I love Abbi Waxman's style of writing. Very witty. It flows, but also has a crisp cadence. With lines like, "Worm me." You won't be disappointed.

Delightful! Whether you're a librarian, bookseller or just an everyday, run-of-the-mill book lover, you'll adore this book!

Bookish, introverted, Nina Hill has a job, a cat named Phil, and a very full schedule. She likes to know ahead of time what's happening each and every day and she's constantly updating her day timer. She has no time for a boyfriend or for family, which is fine since she has little of either. Daughter of an unmarried, international photographer and raised by a nanny, Nina lives a quiet life in a pocket suburb of LA, filling her days with her job at the bookstore and planning bookclubs, and leaving her evenings free for trivia nights and reading. She has a full, happy life until she meets a cute guy on an opposing trivia team followed close on the heels by the death of a father she's never known and introduction to a family of sisters and brother, nieces, nephews and great nieces and nephews. Her world is turned topsy turvy and Nina doesn't know what to do. A fun, fast read, and a great choice for bookclubs. #TheBookishLifeOfNinaHill #netgalley

This was my first book my Abbi Waxman and I thought it was the perfect book to read on a cozy winter afternoon. I enjoyed getting to know the main character Nina, who was perfectly comfortable with her routined and predictable daily life as a quiet introvert.. I thought Nina had a great sense of humor and it was fun to read her reflections when realizing she has a large and loud extended family she never knew about previously.

It was the perfect mix of family dynamics mixed with someone who loves the schedule and the tidy order of her life. Lots of laughs and lighthearted struggles made this easy to read and I look forward to reading more of Waxman's writing in the future.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nina is an introverted bookish type that is comfortable in her present life. Then she gains a family of outgoing and introverted when she discovers who her father is.

Nina has a great sense of humor and comes up with some quick remarks that made me laugh out loud.

This is a wonderful sweet read with family issues and a love interest.

If you are considering this book stop and go buy it. Really it’s that good. You will not regret it. It’s the so good you don’t want it to end but you can’t put it down kind of book. It will win you over by the first chapter. Or even the adorable chapter title. Or the planner on the first page. As you can see I adore this book. Nina is as adorable and quirky as they come. The term Book Boyfriend has become popular but there needs to be a term for book BFF because Nina would be mine and you would want her to be yours.

Nina is a loveable bookworm who enjoys her friends but needs quality reading time. She also loves planning and carefully laying out her week. Her life is about to get messy and complicated though with an expansive list of new relatives she never new existed from the father she never knew. Plus there’s this guy who could be interesting if they ever actually talk.

This book is absolutely charming. The author writes every part of it so well. Each chapter has a fun heading and a planner entry. Even the minor characters are adorable or even laugh out loud funny. One of my favorite parts is one such minor character paying her daughter in gummy worms after a bet. The book is just layered with fun moments. It’s a very quick novel that never lingers long and will leave you wanting more. I am now going to buy up the author’s previous books because I loved this one so much. Do yourself a favor and buy it now

Nina Hill lives a quiet life surrounded by books she loves and facts she relishes. When her life takes an unexpected turn in the form of new faces who suddenly want to build relationships, Nina is forced out of the stacks and into the worlds of a family she was unaware of and a trivia rival who wants to be more.