The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman | Book Review

Blurb at the back of the book:

Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, an excellent trivia team 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.

So, when the father she never knew existed dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! She’ll have to: Speak. To. Strangers.

And if that wasn’t enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny and interested in getting to knows her…

It’s time for Nina to turn her own fresh page, and find out if real life can ever live up to fiction.

Characters in the Book:  

Main Protagonists: Nina Hill; Tom: Her Arch-Nemesis (for trivia nights); Peter:  Nina’s Nephew; Archie: Her half-brother.

Notable Characters: Candice: Nina’s Mother; William: Nina’s Dad; Lydia: Nina’s Nephew; Millie: Nina’s Sister.

On the Entire Book:

The book starts with Nina having a regular day. Nina works at a bookstore where she hosts different book clubs on different days of the week. She is a trivia freak and participates on various competitions that take place every weekend. She is a fighter and stands for what is right! It was a quite calming journey amidst all the fantasy books I have been reading. I enjoyed the family drama I got to see in this book, because that is literally something I rarely read. It had an aura of positivity and love and affection. It was such an warm book, I used to feel really cozy and fuzzy while reading it.

I was not blown away by the story, rather I felt immersed in it. I love Nina, the girl who is exactly like any book lover you see in your day to day life. She is a girl I could relate to on many levels, her love for books, and her love for a quiet and simple life, the fact that she was anxious all the time. She is funny, witty and sarcastic when required. She loves books and works at a bookstore! What else does someone need? This is exactly what Nina feels too. I love the way she takes life one day at a time.

This is a very regular and very simple retelling of every book lover’s life. This is the sole reason for me to fall head over heels for the book. Every time Nina spoke her heart out, she made me feel connected to her. The book was easy to read, relatable and had its own little suspense. You can find some real good tropes in this book like: Enemies to Lovers, found family and meant to be. I loved the ending of the story as well, it felt just and it was not stretched. The book flowed over its course and made me eager to read it, I did not feel it becoming monotonous at any point of time. This book was such a cute book. I could not part with it.

Quotes I loved from the Book:

• It also meant she thought of books as medication and sanctuary and the source of all good things. Nothing yet had proven her wrong.
• Being with you is as good as being alone.
• If you’re not scared, you’re not brave.
• Being surrounded by books was the closest she’d ever gotten to feeling like the member of a gang. The books had her back, and the nonfiction, at least, was ready to fight if necessary.
• Tomorrow would be better. At the very least, tomorrow would be different.
• Life will throw you major curveballs, but it’s rare you can do much more than duck.