God, I love this cover. These covers give me life. Like, I know I’ve talked about this ad nauseum in my I’ve Got You Covered posts, but it bears reiterating how amazing the cover art work being done at Berkley is. Also, it bears mentioning, particularly since this is a review, that it’s not just the cover art that’s good. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill‘s a very atypical sort of romance, and I’d urge you to think of it more as a contemporary novel because stylistically it really doesn’t fit the romance novel genre. BUT omg it’s so cute and funny and quirky and unique, and I loved it so much.

Now obviously, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was specifically designed to draw in readers. Surely we avid readers will relate to a bookish heroine. Honestly, though, I’ve been burned in the past by books about readers. Most of the time, it feels like either the heroine is a tragic stereotype of a bookish nerd (thinks she literally is in a novel and is waiting for Darcy specifically and also cannot function due to awkward) or she’s described as a reader but only ever reads like one book. There are exceptions, of course, like Cath from Fangirl, but often these books raise my expectations only to dash them against the rocks.


The Bookish Life of Nina Hill did not do that to me. Nina’s relatable in a lot of ways, but she’s also not some narrow stereotype of a reader, so there are things about her that differ from my own type of bookishness. Nina’s a bit socially awkward, yes, but she also actively seeks out society; she’s in a trivia team that plays regularly and runs eighty billion book clubs, among other things. She does love being alone, but she also really loves people and spends time socializing most days even outside of work. Nina reads most every genre, which is another thing I found relatable, because not all readers do, and I would so love to join her weekly book club.

As I mentioned, stylistically, this book does not read like a romance novel, which is what I was expecting. Typically, romance novels are in third person if they’re historical or first person if they’re contemporary; sometimes the reverse happens, but I usually find myself wishing it hadn’t. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill isn’t just in third person; it’s in third person omniscient, meaning that the narrator knows what’s going on in more than just the POV character’s (Nina’s) head. That threw me for the first chapter or two, but then I settled in and really enjoyed the voice.

In fact, there’s something about the wry humor of the voice that had me thinking about Pushing Daisies and imagining Jim Dale as the narrator of Nina’s life. This only enhanced my reading experience, so I very much recommend casting him as your mental narrator.


In a lot of ways, I think this book is generally going to be either a massive hit or a bit of a miss with readers. It’s very quirky, with a plot that’s rather difficult to believe, and which only barely comes together at the end of the book. References come at you fast and, as is the danger with references, if you don’t know them, much of the humor will be lost. For example, there are a lot of references to Friends, both stealthy and obvious, one of which actually made me cackle as I read. Basically all of the humor was specifically up my alley, and I was familiar with most of the things being referenced, minus a couple of classics and children’s books, so this worked for me perfectly.

Nina finds out near the start of the book that her father (who she long-presumed her mother did not know the identity of) actually lived in the same city as her (LA) all her life. She finds out when his lawyer contacts her to attend the reading of his will. Nina, who was raised primarily by a lovely nanny while her world-traveling photographer mother circled the globe, also learns she’s acquired a gigantic family of half-siblings and nephews and nieces and grandnephews/nieces. This throws her for a loop, and, while this isn’t in any way an original plot construct, it plays out charmingly, mostly because her whole family is jam-packed with personality and because basically nothing happens in a dramatic way. It’s all very understated and humorous.

Meanwhile, Nina’s been realizing that maybe her enemy from a rival trivia team is actually pretty hot? And maybe she wants to date his face a little? The romance between Nina and Tom is adorably awkward, particularly with everyone overtly shipping them at all times. Her struggle to accept the fact that Tom is not a reader is one I find deeply relatable, because you want to be able to share that joy with your partner but they wouldn’t have the same experience. This story line also ties in to Nina’s struggles with anxiety, and, despite the book being a humorous one, there’s real mental health work being done here.

I loved this book so much. In fact, I immediately bought myself a print copy of it (I read an egalley), which is sitting beside me as I write this. I hope Waxman does spin-off stories set in this same family. Lydia and Lisa, maybe??? HINT HINT NUDGE NUDGE.

Great story. I enjoyed the quietness of the main character and how well she dealt with her new family. I recommended this book to friends.

Are you a book lover? Be prepared to connect with Nina Hill and her bookish life. Follow Nina as she discovers that her simple, introverted life is about to be upended. Not only does she find herself with a family she never knew about but she has a newfound attraction to a fellow trivia nerd. Her quiet, scheduled life is about to be derailed.

Utterly charming! Highly recommended purchase for all libraries, particularly where women's fic is popular.

**I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Nina Hill is the quintessential quirky, fun heroine in this delightfully entertaining read. Nina Hill has a great, bookish life – working in a bookstore, reading to her heart’s content at home, and enjoying trivia with her friends in tournaments. But, when her life gets a tad complicated thanks to unforeseeable circumstances, Nina has to learn how to juggle so many new things in her life.

I absolutely adored Nina and found myself connecting with her on many levels. Waxman crafts Nina as a character who develops so much in the book, readers cannot but help root for her throughout the story. This is a perfect light read, with a hint of romance. Highly recommend this one to those who enjoyed Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple; Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman; and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.

What a delightful book! Just what was needed during these challenging times we are living. A feel good, quick paced book that makes you want to get to know Nina, her friends, her family and her bookstore! I already miss them!

i enjoyed this book, but it has been a long while since i have read this, and i do very much apologize for that. but this one just wasn't that enjoyable for me, even though i did somewhat enjoy it.

This would be a great book club pick or a light-hearted fast fun read. It really wasn't the kind of book I particularly gravitate to, but it was a fun reading experience.

If you too are a type 1 personality type who enjoys making dates with books over making dates with real people, then you will adore Nina. I don't know that I have ever related to a character more and found myself laughing at the characteristics that I recognized in myself.
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Beyond the character of Nina, I really enjoyed the overall plot as Nina came to the realization that she enjoys the company of others after all. It's a fun, charming read that every bookworm should pick up!

“𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘯; 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦.”⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This book was so fun! It was a great rom-com. Just the right amount of comedy, romance, and drama. I really related to Nina, which doesn't happen too often. She was my type of person though.⁣⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟰/𝟱

I totally identified with the main character, Nina, in many ways! Books, planners, cats… that’s me in a nutshell. While it was easy to relate to her, there were still quirks that made me want to convince her to step out of her comfort zone every once in a while. Overall, I thought the plot was fairly fast paced and provided enough detail to be able to keep up without it slowing down the story. It was really interesting to get to know Nina’s extended family along with her, and I found it easy to root for her and her happiness the entire time! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Ok. Ya’ll know I LOVE book covers. Fun ones. Glamorous lady ones. Beach ones. Absurdly gorgeous ones. I LOVE BOOK COVERS.

And that is why I hit the button on Netgalley to read more about Nina Hill and to request it. Because THAT is a book cover. It’s a bit nerdy. It’s a bit bright. It’s A LOT of fun.

What I Liked:

The cover. I think I devoted an entire paragraph to my love for this cover so I won’t repeat myself 🙂

Nina. If there was ever a character that was speaking some of my love languages (books, planners, cats) it’s Nina.

All the lines I made highlights of in my Kindle copy. I’m reading in the pool, saving lines and laughing so hard that I almost dropped the Kindle in the pool.



What I didn’t love (or worked mostly, but didn’t work completely for me)

So about 3 sentences back- I spoke of Nina speaking my love languages. I did love this character. She was memorable in a quirky way.

BUT….

Ok so I know she’s fiction and I know that some of her behavior is exaggerated for this book. I know that. I also know that part of the point of the book was for Nina to learn to open up and loosen up and maybe be a bit less plan obsessed.

I also know about the thrill of a “nothing” night ( in college, Thursday night was “party” night and while my roommate and I did go out- we did Must See TV first- Friends, Will and Grace and ER.) So when the guy asks her about going out and she doesn’t want to give up her “nothing” night- on one hand, I TOTALLY understood that. But on the other hand, I wanted Nina to relax and deter a bit from her planner.

Again, I totally understood Nina’s wishes. How she needed that night. But… it just gave me some feeeeeelings.



Bottom line: If you love books about book people, have a planner that you LOVE, and want a book with a quirky heroine who will quickly charm you and steal your heart- The Bookish Life of Nina Hill will be your jam.

Nina Hill lives a perfectly adequate life. She works at a lovely local bookstore, is a wiz at trivia, and even has time to schedule reading into her well organized life. Sure Nina has never known her father and the only member of her family is her globetrotting mother, but she has been just fine and who really has the time for that anyway? Nina is doing just fine... until she finds out she has a dad plus a whole new wild family and this incredibly gorgeous man is interested in her. Its all messing up the orderly life she has planned!
Abbi Waxman has written a book that every introverted book lover will enjoy reading. The characters and relationships are varied and realistic with just a splash of romanticism mixed in. It is an entertaining read that makes you want to find your cozy chair and a cup of tea.

As someone whose conversational style was once described as “throw random facts at the other person until they think one of them is interesting” (I am better at not doing this now, but still not an expert) I found this pretty charming and relatable.

I did not enjoy this book. It had an annoying "Look at me, I'm so quirky!" protagonist, and a plot full of logical holes. The plot points could all be described as low hanging fruit, and same goes for the pop culture references and witticisms. I also did not appreciate the portrayal of anxiety in this book. Overall, I found it banal and contrived.

This is a really lighthearted and cute novel. As a true loner, I appreciated Nina’s inner monologue a lot. This is a perfect book to curl up with on a gloomy day or during a stressful time. It’s a feel good read and I love that.

Such a fun and enjoyable read. Before I got to reading this book one of my friends recommended it to me. I had forgotten that I had it and I was so glad I did!

Complicated family dynamics are a personal favorite and Abbi Waxman nailed all of the elements in this fish out of water story! A new auto-buy author for me and a title I will widely recommend.

There's a lot to love about Nina Hill, especially if you're a book lover. Nina's life is complicated, but she is well written, likable, and charmingly awkward.

This is a book for the bibliophile in your life. Nina is smart, funny, prone to going on fascinating tangents - well, at least she things they are fascinating. This light-hearted contemporary alternates between bibliophilic and hard hitting, as too many life events decide to invade Nina's introvert time all at once. This is a definite read for anyone who loves books, cats, and time alone.