The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

**ARC Provided in exchange for an honest review**

Title: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
Author: Abbi Waxman
Publication: July 9th, 2019
Read: June 2019
Format: Digital
Rating: 3 Caffeinated Stars

Goodreads Summary:

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.

My Thoughts:

I wish I loved this book as much as I loved the description. When I read the description, I know this book was going to be perfect for me. I related so much to Nina, and within the first few chapters, I was prepared to give this book Five Caffeinated Stars because it was incredibly witty and fun. I loved the banter that Nina and Liz had, and I understood Nina’s anxiety. Unfortunately, this book didn’t live up to the first few chapters.

After a couple of chapters, I just stopped feeling that connection to the book. As much as I should have related to Nina, I just couldn’t. I never felt the link to any of the characters because we never really saw/experienced their emotions. We were just told how they felt, which didn’t give me any connection. Though I didn’t find a kinship with the characters, I did enjoy them. There were plenty of witty comebacks & it was fun to see them interact.

Something that I loved about this book was the story. It felt unique, and I appreciated many of the plot points. I will say that at times, it felt as if the author took the easy way out of any of the conflicts. I would have liked to see the characters overcome their obstacles. There is something beautiful about seeing character growth, and I didn’t see much of it in this book.

Though I didn’t love this book, I enjoyed it. It was a quick read that kept me entertained. The characters are interesting, and the plot was fun. If this book sounds like something you would love, I say give it a chance. There was great potential in this book, but with a lack of connection with the characters, it just wasn’t my favorite.

Did my review convince you to buy this book? If so, here are the links to buy your very own copy!

Amazon*, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Goodreads

* I am an Amazon Affiliate, what that means is that I will receive a portion of the sale if you use my link. This in no way affects your price.