Such a fun read for booklovers! I could completely relate to introverted Nina who didn't want anything in life to disturb her routine of reading. With her coworkers in the bookstore and her trivia team, the literary and pop culture references are flying! The humor and fun characters also contributed to making this a book I didn't want to end.

This book should have been a slam dunk for me: it’s about books and bookstores. I loved Waxman’s debut The Garden Of Small Beginnings: it was one of my favorites of 2017. Unfortunately, her subsequent books have not worked for me.

There were things I enjoyed in this one, such as the world of competitive trivia and the nicer members of Nina’s newfound family, like Peter and Archie. It was interesting to think about how I might react if I’d gone from only having a neglectful mother to a full extended family.

However, Nina never felt like a real person to me. I kept wondering if someone would really talk and behave the way she did. (I also wondered if she was meant to be neurodiverse but the representation wasn’t handled well enough.) She often felt like a caricature and the way LA was depicted felt more like an attempt at satire. There’s a subplot where Nina’s boss at the bookstore elaborately avoids the landlord to avoid paying rent and it annoyed me to no end. The tone for the whole book was too much or not enough but either way, it never quite landed for me.

In terms of the love story, I could relate to the awkwardness of beginning relationships. I thought Nina and Tom could be really good together and wanted to see how it would play out. Unfortunately, Nina changed my mind on that front. I’m not certain why Tom continued to pursue Nina based on the way she treated him. I felt he deserved better, well before she freaked out and broke things off simply because she needed space for the moment.

One of the reasons I loved Garden so much was how clever and hilarious it was. This strived to do the same and there are certainly parts that were funny. However, there were so many, if not problematic, ill-thought-out jokes, starting with a transphobic joke on page 9 and including jokes about Rwandan child soldiers and African stereotypes farther in. It makes me wonder if I missed anything in Garden. We don’t know what we don’t know but that’s not much of an excuse now. That neither Waxman nor anyone at the publisher recognized these lines could be offensive is cause for concern.

A story centered around a bookstore employee is naturally going to mention a ton of books. I don’t know the race or ethnicity of all the authors mentioned but by the time I was three-quarters through, I realized the large majority of the books mentioned in this story were by white authors. In a book that includes a side character stating she won’t date anyone who talks about politics in the first two hours of meeting (holy privilege), this is not altogether surprising. Every part of the publishing industry is still so white, from who works behind the scenes down to what books get the most publicity and wind up in your average independent bookstore. But there are plenty of authors of color out there (and LGBTQ+ authors for that matter) and there’s no excuse for the lack of the bookstore’s curation on that front. This was a wasted opportunity to champion books by marginalized authors, instead of touting the same “classics.”

I did love the character cameos from Waxman’s previous books, especially Lili. She sets a few things in motion and I definitely got a kick out that. It was also nice seeing her with Edward and her girls and knowing things are going well for her.

CW: death of a parent, marijuana use (edibles), ableism (not challenged), transphobic joke, slut shaming, infidelity, alcoholism

You know the feeling you get when you meet a person, or if you’re lucky, a whole group of people that just gets you? That whole, yassss I’ve found MY people feeling?! I experienced it when I found my fellow book bloggers and bookstagrammers and it was the best thing ever, it’s like finding a home. Well, I had that exact warm, fuzzy and safe feeling reading this delightful book! Nina is basically me, if you’re a hardcore bookworm she’s all of us and I absolutely adored every single second of this book.

Clearly I adored Nina as a character, she was so very relatable for me and if I could pick on book character to hang out with for a day, it would be her. Sure, maybe we would just sit quietly and read, but still. But besides her this was chock full of an eccentric cast of supporting characters that made this even more funny and entertaining than it already was. There are also a ton of amazing pop culture references and of course too many hilarious literary references to count, I need to go back and mark my favorite ones, because between the references and the spot on one liners I just know I’ll be wanting to quote this one myself!

Highly recommended as a fantastic summer read, it was just plain fun and exactly the type of book everyone wants to read this time of year.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill in three words: Quirky, Adorable and Wry

This book was such a ball of sunshine. I loved every second of it.

The writing is quirky and threw me off for three whole seconds but I ended up completely loving it. I kinda want all narrators to stop what they're doing and talk to me now. (Just kidding, kinda...) I also loved how Nina's cat had a full personality and complete conversations, it just added to the adorable quirkiness of the book.

I loved the romance, but oddly enough, I loved even more that this book wasn't necessarily about the romance. I'm always here for a good romance and Tom is pretty amazing as a love interest, but the heart of this book is Nina. It's about Nina navigating all the newness in her life and I loved all the aspects that came along with that. The romance, but also the family and all the changes this presents to her heavily scheduled life.

I loved Nina's family. Watching her meet and learn all the things she had in common with each of them was so enjoyable. I loved that this book focused so heavily on the family because it made it that much more endearing and enjoyable.

This book just had a big smile on my face from start to finish. Nina is relatable AF as the bookworm who prefers books to people and I think her story will resonate in some way with all of us book lovers.

The story is about Nina, a bookstore employee, trivia expert, and book lover. Nina was raised by her nanny because her mother traveled a lot and she never knew her father. So imagine her surprise when she finds out her father not only named her in his will, but also left her with a big quirky family to deal with. The book is about Nina’s life as she deals with many changes that are happening. There is also some romance in the book, while it adds to Nina’s life and her emotions, I wouldn’t say this was a romance book.

I loved the way Waxman made Nina very relatable, even though most of us have never been in her situation. There were moments in the book that I laughed out loud and felt like Nina and I were kindred spirits. I couldn’t wait to get back to reading this book, and every chance I got, I quickly got sucked back into Nina’s life! She makes many bookish mentions, including Book of the Month Club! She has a a whole bookcase with BOTM books, I think she said 120, I would have love to seen those shelves! Overall, I recommend this book to everyone, it was a perfect read for the summer, light, bookish, and a whole lot of fun! I give this book 4.5 stars!

I posted this review on my Instagram page on 7/19. I also posted the book on another post on July 3.

I read The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by @abbiwaxman over the weekend and I loved it! There were several moments that made me laugh but there was one (incredibly awkward) conversation between Nina and her love interest that cracked me up for a solid minute. The heroine is a socially awkward bookworm who prefers the company of fictional characters over people. Same girl.

I knew this wasn't necessarily a romance book so I didn't know what to expect going in but I adored everything about this book. It’s hilarious, sweet, and heartfelt, with a heroine that’s both likable and relatable. The writing is witty and whimsical, with a cheeky third person narrator. I was utterly charmed by the setting, the characters, and the storyline. I highly recommend adding this one to your TBR list

The description of this book caught my attention because Nina sound like someone I knew very well….

Nina is a bit quirky, a bookworm and a happy loner. Being the only child to a mostly absent mother, Nina is use to being alone, and she prefers it that way. Things begin to change for Nina when she finds out who her father is, that she has siblings, and an extended family. For Nina, this is the ultimate curveball thrown her way. She’s overwhelmed and struggling to adjust to having family.

While I did like this book, I thought it was just okay. The secondary characters were their own kind of quirky providing for an entertaining and overwhelming bunch for Nina. I wanted to like this more than I did, and I can't help but feel like this book was missing something.

[Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub #partner]

{BOOK REVIEW}
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
by Abbi Waxman

Don't you love it when you don't know much about a book, but it turns out to be the perfect book for you at that moment?

I enjoyed The Bookish Life of Nina Hill so, so much! Nina is single, lives alone (except for her cat Phil), loves to read, and works at a bookstore. She thrives on routine, using her planner, and being in control of her life. I related to Nina on so many levels and from what I'm seeing around bookstagram, many others readers have as well. I've seen this book described as a love letter to bookworms and I couldn't agree more!

Interspersed between the chapters are pages from Nina's planner and this planner loving girl loved them! What a creative way to gain more insight into Nina's character. Wouldn't it be fun to see planner pages from other popular book characters?!

Abbi Waxman's writing was incredibly entertaining. This is my first book of hers and I will absolutely be reading more! The diaglogue through the novel is clever and funny, very conversational, and delighful to read.

Nina's story is whimsical, hilarious, and so much fun to read! 5 book loving stars from this fellow book nerd!

#bookphoto #greatreads #bookobsessed #bookaddict #booksofig #IGreads #booksarelife #totalbooknerd #flatlay #plannernerd #wcw #bookreview #bookrecommendation #5starread #AbbiWaxman #TheBookishLifeOfNinaHill #booklover4ever

I expected to like The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. What I did not expect was to relate so well to Nina. At times, it was like I was reading about myself. For example:
-Find people and situations exhausting ✔
-Prefer the company of books to people ✔
-Need to be alone most of the time ✔
-Terrible panic attacks and anxiety that require several days alone to recover ✔
-Planning everything ✔
-Can't drive a stick shift ✔
See? Wow. I adored the story. The dialogue is so freaking witty and sharp. Every character is likeable in some way, and each one is distinct with heart and substantial personalities. Nina is an awesome heroine. Just a girl trying to figure out life one planner page at the time. With a judgmental cat. I was surprised to learn that anxiety is such a big part of her life. The author addressed the subject with sensitivity and respect, for which I am grateful as an anxiety sufferer myself. Her world is thrown into chaos due to unforseen circumstances, but how Nina responds ultimately reveals her inner strength and true character. This story is amazingly well written, insightful and entertaining. I loved the book and culture references sprinkled throughout. I laughed. I cried. Everything about this book is delightful, and it's a fun read. Abbi Waxman is definitely a new favorite for me!

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman is an enjoyable read.

Nina is quirky and fun. She thinks and talks in terms of movie and book references. Nina likes to read and spend time alone then one day she discovers that she has a family she never knew about. The family is huge and quirky also. Nina doesn't do well with change. The new family and new boyfriend send her into an anxiety downward spiral.

This was a fun read with interesting characters. I enjoy books about bookstores and this one did not disappoint.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Humor
Women's Fiction
Release Date: July 9, 2019

This is my first time reading this Abbi Waxman and I really enjoyed this book. From the moment I started reading I was hooked! Nina is my spirit animal and I loved her character so much!

“Nina worried she liked being alone too much; it was the only time she ever fully relaxed . People were … exhausting. They made her anxious.”

Exactly! Nina gets me 100%!!

As I read this story I found myself laughing out loud several times. Nina is an anti social bookworm whose life has just been turned upside down. I could relate to Nina because I don’t like change and I prefer to plan everything out and know what’s going to happen the day before it happens.

Throughout this story we see Nina slowly evolve and I couldn’t help but root for my fellow bookworm! If you’re looking for a cute and charming story with a cast of vibrant characters look no further! This is a book that once you start reading you won’t be able to put down until the very end.

A cute story by finding parts of yourself you never knew you lost. On occasion Nina seemed a little too much of a caricature at some points, but overall I enjoyed it.

Nina Hill lives by her planner. She dies by her planner. Nothing gets in the way of her planner.

Nina Hill is an only child, raised mostly by her nanny as her single mother has a career of her own. Nina loses herself in books. When she grows up, she works in a bookstore and plays trivia with her friends. She receives word that the father she never met has died. Along with this revelation come several siblings, nieces, nephews and other family members, some of whom resent Nina. Her simple, structured, comfortable life is about to change. Along with this whole new family thing, she meets Tom at a trivia match, and he wins the match. Her romantic life gets a lot more interesting.

Nina, it turns out, is subject to panic attacks, thus the extreme structuring of her life. She seems to believe if she can control everything, she can keep the panic at bay. She learns that perfection is not possible and may not even be the desired outcome.

This story will appeal to a number of people - those who enjoy books and being bookish, those who like trivia contests, those who like surprises in their lives.

A very high 4 stars from me! Let’s say 4.5 😊 A feel-good, entertaining read with a little steam. If you like a good chick flick and/or you like to laugh, this book is for you!
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I REPEATEDLY caught myself smiling while reading this book. It was the most delightful read and I literally laughed out loud on multiple occasions! Filled with wit, fun references, and a lovable main character, I enthusiastically encourage you to meet Nina! She is a total booklover and there are lots of literary references- honestly, some I got, and some I didn’t! Also, not spoiling anything, but there’s a little surprise at the end that is total perfection! The writing is brilliant and I haven’t wanted to highlight so many good quotes in a book since reading Beartown (this book is nothing like Beartown outside of that!)! Huge kudos to Abbi Waxman on a fantastic read!

Thank you #partner Netgalley and Berkley Pub for my gifted copy.⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣

A book about a woman who loves to read and obsessed with planning? Count me in!

Nina Hill is an only child. She was mostly raised by her wonderful nanny because her mother works as a professional photographer which requires a lot of travelling. She never knew her father until a lawyer appears one day informing her that her wealthy father has just died and she is included in the will. She has to meet the family she never knew existed and on top of that, she starts to develop romantic feelings for a guy.

I found Nina very relatable. Well she is a hardcore bookworm. She works at an independent bookstore and lives in an apartment with floor to ceiling bookshelves together with Phil, her grumpy cat. She is in a trivia team and hosts various of book clubs. She loves planning and organizing. You can probably guess who is her favorite character. Yes. Monica Geller. Nina is socially awkward and loves being alone. She also suffers from anxiety attacks which affects her relationship towards other people. We get to see how she reacts to unexpected events in her life and how she handles them despite of her anxiety.

I thought the writing style was delightful. The secondary characters were eccentric and fun to read as well and I appreciated the strong female friendships. I wanted to know more about each and every one of the family and how their relationships with Nina develop. Honestly, I was more focus on the insta-family story line than the romance part. I personally didn’t feel any chemistry between Nina and Tom right from their very first encounter. I thought the romance in this book felt flat and cringey at times. Tom, the love interest, was an interesting and a nice guy but there was one incident that he acted like a jerk and it annoyed me.

There were so many things that I loved and enjoyed in this book but somehow I still feel like it’s lacking. The story really started strong but I lost interest towards the end. This was probably one of those “it’s not you, it’s me” kind of read for me.

Overall, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was still a fun, light and humorous summer read.

Want to make your inner book geek squeal with book nerdisms and popular pop culture references? Then this book is for you!

Nina Hill is me and I am Nina Hill (except for the hidden family part). The book is entertaining, funny and the pop culture references are great! Definitely read the book, recommended read!


Nina Hill works at a bookstore (dream job!), has a cat and participates in trivia quizzes for fun. But all hell breaks loose when she discovers that she has an entire family which she didn’t know of. Plus she has an eye on the rival team leader in trivia, but all this is increasing her anxiety and she has to deal with all of it.

This is by far one of the most relatable books I have ever read. There is no avoiding loving the character of Nina Hill. She is an introverted bookworm who loves being home, staying in her comfort zone and talks to her cat way too much (I don’t have a cat but I talk to my horses and birds way too much), even so she has a packed schedule with events and friends and an amazingly full life. It’s just one of comfort. When she is forced out of her comfort zone life gets a lot more interesting, if a bit more anxiety inducing. Overall I really enjoyed this book. I loved all the characters, I loved the awkward situations Nina finds herself in and I think the character development was done very well. The only thing that kept from a 5 star read for me was that I wanted a little bit more of the family aspect of things. I was left feeling like I missed out on a portion of that story line. Still a fantastic read that I highly recommend to all my introverted bookworm friends.

Title: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
Author: Abbi Waxman
Publisher: Berkley
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"The Bookish Live of Nina Hill" by Abbi Waxman

My Rationalization:

I enjoyed reading "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill" maybe because I am too a book reader. When it looks as though Nina has her life all placed out with 'detailed planner, small circle of friends, book clubs, trivia nights and working at Knights Book store something will happen that will give her cause to wonder what in the world is going on? It seems as though Nina has an inheritance from a father she didn't know of plus a family of 'complicated siblings, nieces, nephews, and multiple stepmothers." The main question is why had Nina's mother not told her of her father? To make matter even more complicated she meets Tom who was her trivia nemesis where there seems to be some interest. How in the world will she handle all of this? Will her life be too full to squeeze him in?
Oh, by the way, did I tell you Nina suffers from 'Anxiety?'

I found this read fascinating with its witty humor along with Nina's thought pattern. However, the reader will have to keep up because there will be lots of characters...Louise, Liz, Mr. Meffo, Phil [cat], Polly Lisa, Eliza, Millie, Archie, Leah, Tom, Peter and I am sure I have left out a few others that will add to this interesting story.

To find out how this will all work out for Nina you will have to pick up "The Bookish Life Of Nina Hill" to see how this story will all turn out. It will be a funny and witty story all-around that will keep you turning the pages to see what's coming next. I would highly recommend this novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to my friends @netgalley #partner for my advanced copy of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. I wish this was a physical book because isn’t that cover just 😍😍😍.
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This book released today and is a cute and hilarious story about Nina Hill, a introverted bookstore employee, with a witty personality and love for all things books! 💗📚
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The child of a single working mother, Nina was raised by her beloved nanny. Nina has never had the desire her mother had to travel the world. Instead, she chooses to just open another book and lose herself.
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Nina spends her days working at a bookstore and her nights taking part of bookclubs and an awesome trivia team.
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However, one day Nina’s whole world changes when she discovers that a father she never knew she had has died leaving her in his will, and that she has a whole family she never knew existed.
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This book is a story of self-discovery and embracing change and is told in such a hilarious way. I just fell in love with Nina’s character. She is a character we can all relate to and I found her very endearing.
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Raised by a single parent and used to her routines, Nina likes structure and tends to get overwhelmed easily when things don’t go according to plan. She loves her books and the random facts she learns from them. I love how she uses her planner and plans everything, including her free time, and even likes to write down things she has already done just to cross them off her list. That’s my kind of girl!
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I interpreted Nina as fun with just the right mix of quirky thrown in and for that reason I thought of her as a friend we would all want to have. Her intentions were always well-meaning, and to those let in her circle, her heart was huge!
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#bookstagram #book #read #reading #bibliophile #suspense #bookworm #arc #love #bookaddict #pool #bookphotography #bookbabe #booksharks #booksparks #bookreview #bookaholic #igreads #bookblog #mybookfeatures #readersgonnareads #booklove #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram

I was giddy when I saw the synopsis for this book. There were so many things that appealed to me that I absolutely HAD to read it.

She's an introvert.
She's a book lover. (Particularly Pride and Prejudice which is my favorite classic novel.)
She works in a bookstore.
Did I say she's an introvert?
She sounded delightfully brainy/nerdy.
The cover is so cute I can't take it.

With so many things that I love, I figured this character is going to be unbelievably relatable. When it comes to Nina, any book nerd will find plenty of things to fall in love with. I can promise you that. What I wasn't expecting was the author's level of humor that charmed me at first glance. That was an added bonus that brought the story up to a whole new level. Nina's brain is a highly entertaining thing to explore. A little neurotic and a whole lot lovable. Her dry sarcasm paired with a blunt tongue were unexpected when you first meet her. Because of her unassuming appearance, people would often underestimate her only to find out she's as sharp as a tack and quite formidable.

Nina is on the verge of moving into her 30s and though there's nothing wrong with feeling a need for solitude, her head is a bit of a mess. Okay, more than a bit. She has anxiety, her mind races all of the time, and she uses a rigid schedule and activities to keep herself feeling in control of everything. For me, I didn't feel that her feelings and actions always matched up. Her constant, daily social groups contradicted what an introvert would genuinely want to do. On top of that, we were told that she could only take social interaction in small doses. Yet we never really see her have any anxiety in any of her clubs/groups and I felt we should have seen some signs in order to be consistent.

Finding out that the father she never knew has passed away came as a huge shock. But what turned her world entirely upside down was learning that she has a long list of blood relatives who are alive and well. Even worse? Now she's going to have to meet them all. Family is a tough area for Nina because she grew up with an absent mother and no father. She had a wonderful nanny who raised her, but her mother's selfishness and disinterest took its toll on her. Nina isn't feeling sure about letting new people in her life who could shatter the security she's built around herself. I really enjoyed seeing her relationship grow with Peter and seeing her grow more confident with her new family. I was so disgusted by her mother for taking away Nina's choice to know her father. Yes, he was far from perfect, but that doesn't excuse what she did.

Tom was a wonderful guy and I loved him right from the first scene. I thought it was adorable how they met through opposing trivia quiz teams. He was impressed and maybe even a little intimidated by her vast knowledge and it was cute to see them get nudged together by their friends. However, their relationship isn't a strong part of the story. It's quite slow burn between them but I didn't feel as if I was missing anything because the heart of he story is really about Nina finding herself. Her internal dialogue and self-exploration was so intelligently done that the romance doesn't even feel necessary. Not to say that I didn't care about them together, but it wasn't the main focus. What I enjoyed most about Tom as her love interest was his acceptance of her as she was learning and growing. The only thing he demanded was that she made him a priority, which is as it should be.

I really loved this author's writing, and without a doubt will be reading more from her in the future. I recommend this to any bookworm looking for a character that they can identify with. It's the kind of light read filled with laugh-out-loud moments to put a huge smile on your face.