The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman: Review

Two years ago I was blessed to be able to read Abbi Waxman’s first novel, The Garden of Small Beginnings. It was an awesome story that I chose to be in the Best of 2017 category for me. So when I was asked to review her upcoming novel, I had to check it out.

Due for release in July, here are my thoughts on this women’s fiction story.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Publisher: Berkley (July 9, 2019)
ISBN-13: 978-0451491879

ABOUT:
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 by Abbi Waxman Review

I have to say that the title of this book was one of the factors that sucked me in to reviewing this new book. I am a huge reader as many of you know. I have always has my nose in a book. I figure there could be worse things in life…

I saw myself in several instances in this book, however, Nina Hill is definitely the epitome of a truly bookish person. Facts nerd, works in a bookstore, not great with social skills, and overly addicted to schedules.

However, Waxman crafts a story that shows the cracks in this type of personality. Her newly found family has some wonderful characters that help break through some of the barriers. Her friends help with balancing some of her weird tenancies. And then there is Tom. Tom who she is somewhat rude to… but he tries to persist.

Full of snark, wit, awkwardness, and even a bit of heartbreak, this story is a delightful women’s fiction that shows the fabulous talent of the author. Bits and pieces of obscure facts float through. You have to be on your toes when reading this one.

There were a few parts I did not like about Nina’s personality and the constant war with words sometimes got to be too much. Tom was my favorite character and totally saved this story for me. Peter was fun too! plus, there are plenty of other great characters that support this story!

This story is a treat for the mind and is one that you will thoroughly enjoy! Just a delight.

Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free ebook so she could evaluate and use it for this post. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.