The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

“Oh my God, she thought, it's hard to be human sometimes, with the pressure to be civilized lying only very thinly over the brain of a nervous little mammal.”Well this was an odd book. With pretentious characters who learned how to feel and behave from aliens.

Was I supposed to find Nina charming? Because she felt kind of awful to me. It was a painful experience to be in this character's head. She felt like a manic pixie dream girl, the book-nerd suffering with anxiety version. All her traits were screaming: “Aren't I so relatable: introvert, book-lover, sufferer from anxiety, adjacent to a broken home? “But all I could think of was how rude and abrasive she was, from beginning to end. Having a mental condition doesn't give one a pass to be terrible all the time.

Let's take a random example:
“Peter Reynolds, your fabulous gay nephew, and how bizarre is that?” Nina shook his hand, grinning back. She'd always enjoyed the company of gay men, and finding out she was related to one was honestly a bit of a bonus. “I'm Nina, your single heterosexual aunt, which doesn't seem possible.Who thinks like that? Gay men are not an accessory.

She wasn't the only horrible one. At one point her friends makes fun that they need to drink for the kids in Africa and Tom's brother joking a certain family traints is better than a cleft palate. Making fun of people with a genetic disability, so funny, ha ha. I don't know what the author was thinking by writing these kinds of jokes.

“Let's do these shots,” said Carter. “There are sober children in Africa who'd kill for these. We can't waste them.”“I agree. But seeing as you met Rachel and decided to marry her in the space of, like, a month, we're all scrambling to keep up.” “I guess instant attraction is a family failing.” “Better than a cleft palate.” These are just some of unsavory dialogues taking place in this book. They were meant to be witty and funny but I could not find it remotely humorous.

The plot was mostly underwhelming and dragged out. Just like the romance element. She was terrible to Tom most of the time and he kept coming back for more because...she was attractive and small (almost like he had a fetish)? And they had nothing in common. She thought he was a dumb jock who was hot.

And talk about the mother of all clichés, the bookshop she works at is having financial problems and the father she never met just happened to be rich and left her a hefty inheritance following his death. Someone has been watching too many Hallmark movies.

Imagine all the most annoying parts of the internet. People who make their entire personality out of liking one thing. People who care as much about owning books as they do reading them. Kitschy planners that are only for aesthetics. People defending gentrification, making a lot of broad ill-informed references to Africa, precocious children, and people only referring to gay men as ‘fabulous.' Put all those things together, and you have The Bookish Life of Nina Hill! This book takes place in an aggressively white version of Los Angeles and features a character with all of the quirky features of mental health disorders, but none of the downsides (unless you count her daintily fainting from a panic attack).

Past the author trying to fit in every heavily-marketed introvert trope, there's not much to this book. A poorly developed relationship where two people are attracted to each other and then fall in love after like 2 stilted conversations, a confusing lack of understanding that trivia isn't genetic, and people adopting the word family very quickly. The story was easy-going enough that I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't like it.

Listen. The tone of this book is clever, quirky, aware, timely, and honestly an absolute blast. I loved Nina. I loved all the trivia. I loved the pop culture references. I loved the supporting characters. It made me want to work in a bookstore again so badly I was close to running down to my local indie and begging them to hire me on part-time.

It could have been a solid 4 star book. Instead, it BARELY made 3-stars, because HOO BOY, do I have a bone to pick with it.Did Nina need to learn how to roll with the punches and adapt a little and be a less of a book snob? Yes.Did Nina need to learn she would have to make room in her life for a partner if she so chose? Yes.There were many things Nina did throughout the story that could have been criticized. But for some reason, the author chose to write the Dramatic Twist in a way that seemed to penalize Nina for having anxiety.The background: Tom and Nina have been on approximately three (3) dates. In the previous scene, Nina passed out from an anxiety attack after finding out some devastating news, on top of the stressful life-changing factors she already had floating around. Nina is fine now, and she asks to be left alone (in her own home) to process everything.A basic summary of the scene: Nina communicates what she needs. Tom ignores her. Nina tries again. Tom is Offended and still ignores her. Nina breaks up with him just to get him to stop following her around the house and breathing down her neck. Tom leaves (finally).The rest of the book is mystifyingly and infuriatingly dedicated to convincing the reader - through the narrative, the other characters, and Nina's own thoughts - that Nina was in the wrong and that Tom is Totally Justified in being an immature asshole who refuses to speak to her until she makes a Big Public Gesture and apologizes.I can't actually tell you the last time I was rooting against the main couple getting together, but congratulations, Bookish Life of Nina Hill, you made it. P.S. Nina deserves better, and I have a great suggestion on what Tom can do with his bookshelves. :)

I started this at some point last year. I was in a hotel room. I can't narrow it down further. I then forgot about it. But the portion I'd read was pleasant.

I stumbled across it again during a sorting out of books. I had to start it again.

Anyhow, I related to Nina's social anxiety. I, and a lot of other people, need this to be better understood. I related to those moments the most.

I appreciated the unabashed celebration of geekiness, books, and trivia. These people are my people!

For me, there were too many characters and plot lines for the author to give them the time and justice needed. She wanted Nina to be thrust into a family with tons of members, but because there was no time to deal with all these people, they were just there, taking up a bit of space. Described, even placed on a family tree, with the family tree discussed, but that was all.

One of the plots had this really predictable solution, that the characters even acknowledged as the predictable trajectory. And then that was exactly what happened. So, that felt anti-climatic.

I did not like the romantic relationship. I related so strongly to Nina's anxiety that the “hero” consistently doing things that would have made my anxiety worse, not seeking to understand her struggle, taking really personally her need for alone time, when there is nothing personal about that, made me unable to be optimistic for them as a couple.

The book seemed to portray Nina as being in the wrong for her struggles, expecting her to prove her love by risking public humiliation at the hands of the man who was ghosting her, as a penance. I mean, a guy who ghosts someone with anxiety is not exactly the pick of the litter.

To be clear, this is a pretty lighthearted read, perhaps too lighthearted when combined with all the under-explored plots, and so maybe I shouldn't take the romance seriously. However, I can't help but think people who struggle with anxiety, who already might feel they're at fault, don't need that reinforced by suggesting that the path to love involves a man who cannot allow for respecting his partner's needs.

Okay, she has a firm book night. He gets offended she will not go on a date with him that night. He is literally like the guy on the bus who won't shut up when you're reading because in his mind he isn't interrupting anything. Ending up with this guy is not a happy ending. Sorry.

A panty dropper for me would be him sending over some hot chocolate, a book mark, and a throw, with a note that he can't wait for their future date.

Marry HIM, reader ... Marry him!

Positive things first: this is a reasonably fast read with a number of amusing parts to it, and plenty of snappy dialog. That said, I don't think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if I had purchased it instead of borrowing it from the library.

Ultimately, it was too much like a sitcom in a number of ways: overly zany and/or stereotypical characters getting up to improbable hijinks and into awkward situations, but everything turns out fine at the end, wrapped up nice and neatly with an accompanying laugh track to send us off into a happily ever after. All the relationships felt rushed, shallow, or both, and there were several instances of awkward head hopping between viewpoint characters that made things hard to follow.

I think that as long as a reader goes into the story expecting a sitcom (and all the attendant improbabilities that go with that territory), then enjoyment can be had here. But if one wants something with depth and substance one should probably look elsewhere.

I went into this expecting it to be kind of silly and it was. I am a basic bookish bish though so the theme suited me just fine. Some of it was frustrating, especially when she was daydreaming about the creator of the bullet journal being a woman out to create a prettier planner focused on calligraphy and stickers and I was just yelling about who on the research team let this slide because it was created by a real dude and it was originally supposed to be simple and utilitarian. (Don't get me wrong I love a good Instagram-worthy spread and have so many stickers it's just a personal pet peeve when people don't know where it started.) Bit then on the flip side, the scene with the Inner Animal crowd had me actually laughing out loud and it's been a long time I had that reaction from a book. As a major introvert, I don't believe someone who likes solitude as much as Nina can be as social as she is, but overall I enjoyed the story.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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I think it's entirely fitting to start my post about this book by talking about another book (Nina Hill would approve, maybe even insist on it). I remember a lot of what I read about High Fidelity in the late 90's (I was a little late to the party), was about guys saying to either hand the book to women to help them understand how we think – or to keep it out of their hands, for the very same reason. That resonated with me. I never thought for a second that I was Rob, Dick or Barry, but we thought the same way, we had a similar weltanschauung – their banter was scripted, where mine frequently fumbled – but overall, they were proof that I wasn't the only one in the world who thought that way. It took me less than two chapters to feel the same way about Nina Hill – our tastes differ somewhat, she's more clever than I am, and there's the ridiculous affection for felines – but on the whole, she's my kind of person. In fact, many of the people in this book are – she's just the best example of it.

The authorial voice – Nina's voice, too – is fantastic. I seriously fell head over heels almost instantly with them. The narrative is specific, funny, observant, compassionate, and brutally honest – mostly funny. It's just so well-written that I knew (and said publicly) by the end of the first chapter that this was going to be in my personal Top 3 for 2019 – I've had some time to think about this, and have reconsidered. I'm confident it'll be in the Top 5, but I should give the rest of the year a little room to compete. It's one of those books that's so well-written you don't care what or who it's about, as long as you get to read more of that wonderful prose. By chapter 4 – and several times after that – I had to self-consciously stop myself from highlighting and making glowing notes – because if I didn't, I'd end up never finishing the book (I still have a lot of notes and passages highlighted).

Let me try to explain via a tortured metaphor (this is where you see why I blog about books, and not write my own). Say you're taking a road trip, say, to go look at autumn leaves and you know the city you'll be staying in, but know that there are about 18 different ways for the driver to arrive in that city. You know the whole time where you'll end up, but you don't have a clue how you'll get there, what kind of foliage you'll see (hint: it'll be brown, red or orange), what the roads will be like, or what random and surprising things might happen along the way. It's not about the destination, it's the journey – as the fortune cookies and high school graduation speeches tell you. This book is the same way – readers are going to know pretty much where this book is going to end up once they've read a few chapters. What they don't know is how they'll get there, what they'll see on the way, what kind of surprises will be along the way, and how fast they'll get there. It's in these things that Waxman excels – her plotting is pretty obvious, but her execution is dazzling and often unexpected. (I want to stress that this is an observation, not a criticism)

Nina Hill is a reader – books are how she defines herself, the prism through which she sees and interacts with the world. She has a job (bookseller), a cat, a small home with a lot of shelves, a trivia team, book club, a place she exercises, a visualization corner, a fantastic planner and a love of coffee and quality office products. Her life is pretty regimented, but everything is just how she likes it. She also is introverted, prone to anxiety, and averse to change. Nina's smart with a great memory, a penchant for honesty, and highly-developed sense of who she is.

Her friends are essentially the women she works with and the members of her trivia team – all of whom are intelligent, witty, well-read and fun. The kind of people I'd love to hang out with over coffee or wine for a few hours a week.

Nina's mother is a noted and award-winning photojournalist and spends most of her time traveling the world being one. Nina was largely raised by a Nanny (although her mother visited frequently). Nina has never known a father.

Until one day her life changes – a lawyer arrives with some news. Her father is dead. Apparently, her mother discovered he was married and refused to have anything further to do with him. He was absolved of any need to support Nina or her mother as long as he never made contact with her. Which he honored – but made provisions for him in his will.

Her father was a successful entertainment lawyer, and a serial monogamist. He was married three times (one divorce, one widowing, and one marriage intact), had several children and more grandchildren (there are contextually appropriate and helpful graphics to help you understand the family structure). Nina went from being alone in the world to being a sister, an aunt and a grand-aunt in one conversation. She slowly meets various members of the family – discovering similar personality traits, interests and physical characteristics. The family she meets is wonderful – I could easily spend more time with them all. One brother and a nephew (who is older than her) in particular stand out – she gets to know them sooner and deeper than the rest. But many others are on their heels, and even the least-likable among them turn out to be great (with one exception, but that's by design).

While reeling from the changes of learning she has an extended family, starting to meet them, and learning about her father – another thing happens in her life. There's a member of a rival trivia team that she finds attractive, and who just may find her attractive. They have similar tastes and many shared interests, but he seems to know a lot about sports (including what “a Don Shula” is) and isn't much of a reader. But there's something about him . . .

There are three significant child characters in the novel – they're not around much, but when they are, they have a large impact on the plot. They are all pretty unrealistic, talking and (apparently) thinking in ways that are immature, but not how kids talk and/or think. But they're so adorable that you forgive Waxman immediately for these overly-precocious children. It's not a major thing, I just wanted to say something less-than-positive about the book, and this is all I could come up with.

Throughout the novel, Nina learns how little she's really alone in the world and how she might be able to find time for more people in her life – without losing who she is and too much reading time. This is the core of the novel and everything else is in service to this goal. While this is going on, there are plenty of laughs, chuckles and wit to carry the reader from plot point to plot point.

It's a good thing that I stopped quoting from ARCs (I almost never got around to verifying the lines in the published version), because this post would either never be completed or would be so long that I'd be the only one who'd read the whole thing. I had to stop myself – repeatedly, actually – from highlighting great lines. Particularly comments Nina made to others (or the Narrator made on her behalf) about books and/or reading. Book memes are going to be mining this novel for years – you've seen 357 variations on the Tyrion lines about reading, or the 200+ takes on “Books were safer than people anyway” from The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Folks, Nina Hill is going to bury both of them.

According to Goodreads, I've read 122 books so far in 2019. If pressed, I'd easily say this is better than 120 of them, and might tie the other (it's a lot more fun, I can say without a doubt). Your mileage may vary, obviously, but I can't imagine a world where anyone who reads my blog not enjoying this novel and protagonist. It's charming, witty, funny, touching, heart-string-tugging, and generally entertaining. I don't know what else to say other than: Go, go read this, go buy it, expect it as a gift from me (if you're the type to receive gifts from me, I'm not buying one for all of you on my wages, as much as I might want to).

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post – thanks to both for this great opportunity!!

The title. The book cover. No reader worthy of the name could pass up this book.

Summer is a perfect time to read this little story of a young woman, working in a failing independent bookstore, who suffers from anxiety and, most importantly, loves to read.

Nina lives her life around her books (as, I might add, one should), and it's these bookish parts I love best. She meets a fellow and there's instant chemistry but she almost ditches him because he's not a reader. She has thoroughly organized her bookshelves, we learn, and she always visits a library first when she goes on vacation. She finds a kindred spirit in her newly discovered sister, and they quickly become good friends over books.

A fun summer read for the bookishly inclined.

My Rating = 4.5, Not 5.0!

Pros = Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction (2019)
Avg Rating close to 4.0
Main character works in book store (I use to work as a P/T libarian)
Funny dialog including with her cat, Good Characters

Cons = Main character just a bit “Snippy” with new man when he was trying to help (Could have
toned it down)

I know I have an unpopular opinion once again, but hear me out. This book wasn't bad. I'm sure there are people who will enjoy it. I just wasn't one of them. The biggest problem of this book, in my opinion, was the main character. God, was she annoying. I get that she didn't have the best childhood, to put it nicely. But there's just no reason to treat people around her like that. She always ignored people who tried to help her or wanted to hang out with her. And I can't stand people who think that their taste in books is superior to others'. Nina is one of them.

“She looked up at him.
“Do you read books?”
He frowned. “Sure. Occasionally.”
“Good books?”
“Well, books I think are good.”
“Have you read Jane Austen?”
“No.”
“Kurt Vonnegut?”
“No.”
“Truman Capote?”
“No.”
His face was blank, but she could see he was getting vaguely irritated by this line of questioning.”

Come on... I would ignore a person if they told me something like that. I guess we should crown Tom for being so patient with her. And for carrying the entire book on his shoulders, it must be hard.
Also, the synopsis made me think that we will see Nina communicating with her family A LOT. Guess I was fooled, it's fine.

I received the digital arc from Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.

Nina is a bookworm who works at a bookstore.
She loves to read, adores facts, enjoys quizes and has all her life planned out.

Obviously, her plans get disrupted by the discovery of her large family and love.

This book touches briefly some sensible topics like anxienty and childhood emotional neglect.
I felt that some characters were a bit too unrealistic and that the story was a bit rushed and all over the place.

Overall it was a very entertaining read - 3,5 stars

So nerdy and quirky and whimsical. The characters in this book are all really well written with their own voices. Such a refreshing and different bookish chick lit. It was kind of like a bookish and cutesy Eleanor Oliphant, which I also loved. I guess I'm a sucker for the adult coming of age books. Because let's be real.. we're all always coming of age. This book has so much packed in here but it was so well executed. Nothing felt unfinished to me.

Abby Waxman is extremely quippy and even breaks the fourth wall (is that a thing in books?), but it never gets cheesy. I get cheesed out pretty easily, so I'm super impressed.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was a funny, light-hearted story and very much catered to the introverted and modern book lovers. Nina is quirky and witty and her internal dialogue had me laughing out loud quite often. She was relatable and I enjoyed her story as she navigates a new large family and a budding romance when all she really wants is to curl up with her book. The romance was on the light side and I thought it was...okay. It didn't make my heart race or make me feel butterflies, but it was kind of sweet. I also thought the end felt a bit rushed and too many things just seemed to ‘work out' robbing the story of any real climax, but having said that it was still a fun ride and was a good summer escape read. I don't think there is anything deep here and it definitely feels more like a bookish rom-com than anything else, but that's not a bad thing and if books, introversion and humour are your thing, then I think you'll enjoy it.