Rating: 3.5 Stars
This was a smooth, enjoyable read. The author’s personality comes through very strongly, though I am not sure if this is intentional or unintentional. I found her wit to be charming for the most part, though I wish that the reader had received more insight into Nina’s thoughts. It was fun to see a lot of my own character traits in Nina: bookish, anxious, and obsessed with planners.

The plot felt very formulaic, and at one point a character made an off-handed joke about something that later actually happened. I wonder if this was meant to be a humorous jab at the formula.

In terms of the long lost family storyline, I was not too sold, but I was definitely sold on the characters, which is why this rating hovers between 3 and four stars for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fast moving, had quirky characters and caught your emotions as it related to what the primary character, Nina, was facing. In my opinion it was on the spectrum of "Chick Lit" so it was a nice chance to escape into the emotional world of an introverted, "Bookish" young lady whose world is shaken up. As a librarian, I can think of many patrons that I can happily recommend it to.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit as it was different from what I normally read. So many different aspects of this novel had me drawn to it, from the beautiful cover, to the highly relatable anxiety prone protagonist who loves a good plan, and above all a good book. Nina's carefully constructed world starts to shift in unexpected directions when she learns via the death of a father she never knew, that she has a whole extended family out there waiting to meet her. The book centers around Nina's interactions with her new family, her job at the bookstore and a new love interest. The engaging cast of characters really does make this character driven novel. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each one and reading about Nina's interactions with each one. No story about the love of books is complete with a literary reference or two and this story contains an abundance ranging from the classics to more modern favorites. The only aspect of the story that fell a little flat for me was the love interest. Overall it was a highly enjoyable read that had me laughing out loud and smiling my way through.

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. Although I enjoyed reading The Bookish Life of Nina Hill,I found it was to some large extent a book in need of a editor. Parts of the story are charming and witty, but there is a lack consistency with respect to the focus of the narrative and there are also way too many plot lines (family, romance, career, health issues,...), some of which receive short shrift. The best: Nina's trivia team, her new found family, and her sardonic cat. The least effective is the romantic storyline which feels canned. Nina's mother also makes too brief an appearance for such a key character; that story line remains unresolved.

Quirky characters -- I had to give this book some time before I could get into caring about the characters, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. Would recommend this to library readers. It appeals to different generations, which is always good.

I love books with characters who love books, so I really enjoyed that aspect of this story. It was also nice to have a main character with anxiety issues to give the reader a glimpse of what that is like. The story was cute, but the romance aspect didn't really work well and I got a little frustrated with Nina always needing to be rescued.

I thought this was a fun novel. Everything from the cover to the characters to the writing. I know the patrons at my library will love it, so I've already got a few copies on order. Thank you so much!

Absolutely loved this funny, quirky sort of Nina, a book lover and loner until she discovers she has an extended family of brothers and sisters. Anxiety plagues her but she is a planner and routinized until she meets Tom at a Trivia night, and begins to meet her family members. At times laugh out loud funny while heartwarming,, unique and highly recommended.

Another reviewer mentioned that the third person narrator is what killed it for them, and I wholly agree. Nina's story felt flat and predictable

I wanted to love this book way more than I did but I just found it very slow. This really appealed to me because like Nina I also work at a bookstore but I just didn’t feel a connection to the main character. I did like that the characters had quirks and felt really unique which I think has been a big trend the last two years. Overall it was okay but I’m not in love.

I enjoyed this book as a nice rainy day read. I liked the cover art and the book description intrigued me. I could really relate to Nina and her life. Being bookish and a little socially awkward is something I can connect with. I liked seeing Nina interacting with her new extended family. I wished the romance between Nina and Tom had been better. Felt a little lackluster. Overall a cute read that I would recommend.

Book nerd. Reading snob. Trivia fanatic. So much fun! I can't wait to buy this book and read it again and again - for the days when you need a pick-me-up. The passages with rambling connections make me feel better about my brain! Authors I've never read have just jumped to the top of the t0-be-read pile (no more than 6 at a time, thank you very much). Nina Hill is a great every-anxious-woman with an incredible backstory. The LA, Larchmont setting is intriguing and I just want to spend a day living Nina's life. Bring on the beach reading, again and again!

A thoroughly enjoyable story of an introvert who finds her personal sphere wildly expanded by the discovery of her paternity. And I loved the reappearance of a character from The Garden of Small Beginnings.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Nina has the perfectly planned life until an unexpected death leaves her with more than she ever imagined.

With a fun cover and interesting synopsis, this book should have blown me out of the water. It didn’t. I wanted to love it so much so perhaps my expectations were a little too high going into this novel. That’s not to say it’s a bad story. With delightful interactions between characters and a focus on relationships (romance, friendships, family), it reminded me a lot of Pride and Prejudice. It’s very much a slice of life story set in a charming suburb of Los Angeles.

My biggest issue with The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is the point-of-view. Written in third person omniscience, it did a poor job connecting genuine emotion and personal drive to the characters. I knew most of the character’s inner thoughts, but their personal journeys never came close to engaging me. Not connecting to any of the characters, including the titular Nina, meant I never really connected to the story.

tl;dr A shallow slice-of-life story with not enough emotional impact to keep me truly entertained.

I received a digital copy of this book from a Net Galley. I could relate to Nina as a lover of books and their stories. Trivia is also something that is of interest. Add in a romance and a large family and the unexpected for a fun read. Highly recommend!

Let’s start off by saying this is a quick, chick-lit read. Nina is the only child and has never known her father... until he dies. She finds out she has quite the extended family, the problem is she is an introvert who has no time for things not in her “schedule." Also, she meets a guy. I didn’t really identify with Nina’s character. I was hoping for another “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.” This is not it. I didn’t find Nina’s life or verbiage indicative of an introvert. I also couldn't reconcile her sex life with her personality. I found most of the book enjoyable once I got used to the writing style (sort of rambling). Overall I’d give it a 3 out of 5.

I was drawn to this book because of its beautiful cover, and the contents are just as nice. I enjoyed the quirky cast in this character driven novel. Not much happens, but you really get to know the main character, Nina. The planner pages at the beginning of each chapter are a nice touch!

I was very excited to see that Abbi Waxman had a new book. I love that she keeps returning to this small town but focusing on a different main character. It's fun to see her previous characters show up. As a person who suffers from anxiety, I think Waxman handles it in a very realistic way.

Writing: 4.5/5 Plot: 3/5 Characters: 4/5 Pleasure reading: 5/5

Fun book with a capital F!

Nina Lee Hill is introduced to us as the “spinster of this parish and heroine both of her own life and the book you’re holding in your hand.” The parish in question is Knights — an independent bookstore in Larchmont Village (a quaint neighborhood in central Los Angeles) and her place of employment. She is a delightfully interesting character — an anxiety-ridden Millenial with a super-active brain who thinks of books as “medication and sanctuary and the source of all good things.” A surprise bequest from a father she didn’t know she had coupled with an obnoxious but attractive trivia competitor form the scaffolding of the simultaneously modern and Edwardian plot of this ultra-literary, romp through a central LA I never knew existed.

Funny, intelligent, and clever writing coupled with an array of engaging and quirky characters make this book what it is. Great dialog and banter and even … grammar jokes! The literary references range from Harry Potter to Chinua Achebe, Dickens and Austen to SF biggies Gaiman and Stephenson, Star Wars to Flowers for Algernon. I even discovered some new “classics” — a rare occurrence for me. Part Eleanor Oliphant, part Jane Austen, a great, fun, read that will leave you gasping on the floor from too much lol-ing.

Delightful Quotes:
“Grilled cheese in any form was her spirit animal.”

“Nina might battle crippling anxiety once or twice a week, but she also worked in retail, and rudeness is the special sauce on the burger that is the Los Angeles shopping public.”

After sputtering the phrase “Cool Beans” at the object of her affection … “At this her brain threw up its metaphorical hands and curled upon its stem like a pissed off hen.”

Quotes about Los Angeles:
“Whenever Nina was stuck there, which was rarely, because she would rather have filled her ears with flaming dog turds than go to the West side…”

“Sartre said hell was other people, but that was only because the 405 hadn’t been built yet.” <— my favorite!

Quirky. Intelligent. Hilarious. And seriously introspective. Nina has everything planned, order rules, until it doesn't. I couldn't stop reading, or laughing. Absolutely wonderful. Please give us more Ms Waxman.