PLOT: 4/5 CHARACTERS: 5/5 WRITING STYLE: 5/5 ENTERTAINMENT: 5/5 OVERALL: 4.5/5 GENRE: Contemporary Fiction
“Do you know the best feeling in the world?” “Uh…” Nina shook her head, despite having some ideas. Liz glowed. “It’s reading a book, loving every second of it, then turning to the front and discovering that the writer wrote fourteen zillion others.”
― Abbi Waxman, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
Summary of The Bookish life of Nina Hill
Nina Hill is a 29-year-old bookworm who loves being alone, thank you very much! As an only child of a single mother, Nina loves spending time with herself. She loves her well-organized life. She has a job at a bookstore, a cat named Phil, an awesome trivia team for the nights when she feels particularly adventurous, and a world-class planner. If it all she doubts that there might be more to explore in life, she shrugs off the feeling and picks up a new book to read.
Her life is definitely sorted.
She plans everything in advance and absolutely hates surprises. But that’s the thing about life. It is always springing surprises on you.
Nina’s surprise is the discovery of her family! A family Nina never knew existed. She finds that she does not just have brothers and sisters but also many nieces and nephews and…well, you get the point. The sudden demise of her father (who Nina never knew existed), and her name in his will means she has to meet her new-found family. And also talk to them. Talk to strangers!
And to make it worse, Tom – her arch nemesis turns out to be really witty, cute, and totally interested in her.
Even though all she wants to do right now is hide in her apartment, drink wine and read books, it’s time for Nina to come out of her comfortable cocoon and face her new family and Tom.
Themes
This book truly captures the essence of being an introvert while also touching on the themes of anxiety, loneliness, and absent parents. Abbi Waxman manages to deal with serious issues in a lighthearted manner successfully.
” Reading isn’t the only thing in the world, Nina.”
“It’s one of the only five perfect things in the world.”
“And the other four are?”
“Cats, dogs, Honeycrisp apples and coffee.“
– Abbi Waxman, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
My thoughts
If you ever make lists even after the task is finished, just because crossing things off makes you feel better – this book is for you.
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is hilarious and charming. Nina’s humour, her love for books, bookstores, and bookish references will make you admire her. She’s one of the most relatable characters (and a cool one at that!)
I mean I’d love to be friends with her because none of us would feel ashamed or anxious to cancel a plan just to stay at home and read.
In the story, Nina’s relationship with her new relatives comes across as quite interesting and worth reading.
The romance in the book is full of witty banter. It is sweet and cutesy. The kind of romance that leaves you with a warm and fuzzy feeling.
Conclusion
Books about bookworms are always a pleasure to read. So, if you are a book lover, you are in for a treat. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is a happy and feel-good book best enjoyed with a cup of hot coffee.
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