The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: July 9, 2019
Synopsis: 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.
Disclosure: ARC provided for an honest review. #partner
I am an introvert who can social for periods at a time. Reading The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman was like getting reacquainted with a long lost friend. When I found out the synopsis of a book-loving person who grew up with a book always in her hand, I knew that I had to read this story. I had to get to know Nina Hill and understand why she is how she is.
Nina Hill grew up following her mother, a world renowned photographer. As her mother traveled the world absorbing the world, Nina traveled inhaling books. It was the constant in her childhood. Raised by a single mother, Nina has grown up to be a woman of her own choosing. She is a bookseller for Knight’s, attends trivia at her local bar, and has everything that she has wanted, revolving books. But her father, whom she didn’t know about until recently has written her in his will, leaving behind a plethora of family. They’re local, and they’re ecstatic to meet her. Her perfect world is unraveling as we speak.
Nina is that old friend that you need, who will tell you all of the best things and support you with the worst. It was interesting to see the extent of her introvert-ness. It was fascinating to see how much I connected to her. But as I was reading, I fell in love with her story, her dreams, and heartbreaks, and just knew that I saw myself in her. I loved this story for that connection alone. I related to Nina on so many levels.
And Tom? Oh, once you meet Tom, you’ll understand.
I loved this story for the ups and downs, because that is life. I loved this story for the amount of interesting and surprising characters that I met. And mostly? I loved that it was realistic and in-your-face. Because this life is about how messy life is, but also how beautiful it can be.
I enjoyed this so much, and I hope you do as well.
*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*
