Book Review: "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill" by Abbi Waxman
“The Bookish Life of Nina Hill” by Abbi Waxman
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.
Rating (out of 5): 4
Review: This book was like sitting in a comfortable chair (the one that Nina describes will do perfectly) with your beverage of choice, a blanket, and a good book. Abbi Waxman is clearly an anxious bookworm (as am I, so no judgment), or knows a lot of them, because she characterized Nina perfectly. Nina likes books, her day planner, her quiet time, her trivia team, and her cat. She’s willing to include other people in her bubble, but it usually has to be on her terms.
And then! plot twist! Nina’s long-unknown father dies, and she gets visited by a lawyer that tells her she has a giant family (William Reynolds was prolific) and maybe an inheritance? At the same time, she meets Sporty Tom at Trivia (his team name, “You’re a Quizzard, Harry” brought me such glee), and her introverted existence is called even more into question.
This story is, at it’s core, about Nina learning how to be a well-rounded human — she’s convinced herself that she doesn’t need anyone, but over the course of the novel, that is frequently called into question. I loved reading about her getting to know her family, and the stop and start nature of her relationship with Tom. It all felt really real, like Nina could be an actual human being, working in a book store in Los Angeles right now.
This book was witty and endearing, thoughtful and relatable — a delightful love story, believable family drama, and a bookstore that I would really like to visit. Also, while there is some romantic adult time, it is only alluded, too — not explicitly described. My time on Bookstagram have taught me that there are eggplant warnings for the intensity of sexy times being described, and honestly, I can’t bring myself to do that. Let’s just say, it’s mild here.
All in all, this was great - a good book vacation from some of the heavier stuff I was reading. Abbi Waxman creates a friendly world that I wanted to inhabit, and it definitely makes me want to find a trivia team around here to join! There are some predictable “twists” and some over-the-top antics, but it’s still a pretty calm and cute romance for 2019.
Trigger warnings: anxiety, parental death, trivia that will fill your brain
TL;DR: A cute and quiet romance that reads like a millennial “Pride and Prejudice,” complete with loud and crazy siblings and colorful friends.
If you liked this, try these:
“Well Met” by Jen DeLuca (my review here!)
“Evvie Drake Starts Over” by Linda Holmes (Moira’s review here!)
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