Published by Penguin on 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Family & Relationships, Fiction, Friendship, Women, Women's Fiction/Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance
Pages: 352
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
"Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful."--#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin
The author of Other People's Houses and The Garden of Small Beginnings delivers a quirky and charming novel chronicling the life of confirmed introvert Nina Hill as she does her best to fly under everyone's radar. Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own...shell.
The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book. When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all--or mostly all--excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster! And as if that wasn't enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn't he realize what a terrible idea that is?
Nina considers her options. 1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.) 2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee). 3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)
It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It's going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was utterly charming, relatable, and filled with laugh-out-loud moments. I suspect many readers will see parts of themselves reflected in Nina. This is one of those books that I had read in two sittings which is an accomplishment when you have a toddler. I found Nina’s story to be engaging; filled with colorful characters and behaviors that reminded me of myself and people I know.
I enjoyed the narrator’s voice in this book. While very similar to Nina, the narrator truly seemed like a character in its own right to this reader. I found the random switches to Tom’s, the love interest, perspective a bit jarring at first. It was cute to see Tom’s side an how equally flustered he was with his interactions with Nina. Their romance was truly adorable. Their trivia adventures had me laughing out loud.
I enjoyed the familial aspect but expected it to be a bit more complex. Don’t get me wrong, I adore this book and can’t wait to get my hands on a hard copy so I can highlight my favorite parts, but looking back it seemed to focus more on the relationship. I wish we had more instances of Nina interacting, or avoiding interacting, with her newly found family. The ending wrapped up a bit more quickly than I would have liked but I still absolutely adored this book and plan to reread it before the end of the year.
I have seen The Bookish Life of Nina Hill compared to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and I think that is a fair assessment. I found Nina’s book to be a bit lighter while discussing mental health but I loved both approaches these books took. I can hardly wait to get my paws on a hard copy so I can reread Nina’s story. I highly recommend it!
**I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Berkley Pub for sending it!
