Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own. . . shell.
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 know her…
It’s time for Nina to turn her own fresh page, and find out if real life can ever live up to fiction. . .
Good morning! Many of you may already know that I have the pleasure of being a part of the Comedy Women in Print Prize’s first Shadow Panel, along with four other witt-esque ladies! Last Wednesday, coinciding with Witty Wednesday, I reviewed Nina Stibbe’s Reasons To Be Cheerful, if you missed it or need a recap click here. to read it.
Today I’ll be sharing my thoughts on Abbi Waxman’s The Bookish Life of Nina Hill which *spoiler* I loved! Published by Headline in July of last year, this comic novel is now available in a variety of formats that you can purchase here.
Praise for The Bookish Life of Nina Hill
A funny and uplifting debut novel – Good Housekeeping
Like a conversation with the funniest person you know – just lovely – Katie Fforde
Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful – #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin
Waxman has given us a grow bag full of emotion – witty, uplifting and unashamedly honest, Heidi Swain, Sunday Times bestselling author of Summer at Skylark Farm
The Garden of Small Beginnings is a quirky, funny, and deeply thoughtful book. . . . We’re already dying to know if there will be a sequel – HelloGiggles on The Garden of Small Beginnings
Cosy, life-affirming read – Cathy Hopkins, author of The Kicking the Bucket List
So now it’s my turn to share my praise of this absolutely gorgeous novel! I had been trying to read The Bookish Life of Nina Hill but it was warm and the children wanted to go outside…. in the sunshine! I know, how dare they when I was dying to read this book of promised smiles! Anyways, after a few hours out I finally got the chance to begin this read and dear reader, I finished it the same night and smiled THE WHOLE WAY through! Nina, our bookish heroine, is brilliant – she’s a child of a barely there artist mother, a bookseller and an anxious individual who lives her life in the safe lane with to do lists, plans and routines. I completely identified with her immediately, the way that she finds solace in the literary world, where fictional characters are way better that real life people and when routine plans are all kinds of safe comfort. Nina lives her life her way, along with her cat Phil. Predictable Nina is not expecting her life to be swept up in a whirlwind of unpredictability, where her life turns around 180 and she struggles to catch up with all the changes that come with it. From her love life, to her family life, Nina is set to give us moments where we feel sorry for her, where we smile with her and moments where she’s absolutely kick ass without fear and you’ll be cheering her on.
I truly loved The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Abbi has developed a fictional character that I wished was real and that I could be friends with. A multi-layered individual who is trying to understand the world where she exists, not particularly finding a place to belong because she has her always faithful books but also embarking on a journey (at times reluctantly) to find the place she belongs. The Bookish Life Of Nina Hill is such a feel good, uplifting novel that everybody should read, you’ll find it difficult not to smile, giggle and just feel happy while delving into the life of Nina – even when it comes to some part where you may cringe, it’s fine because it’s Nina! As you continue to read through the chapters of Nina’s life her personal development as a character becomes apparent, driving the storyline is the perfect way! Must read.
So, there you have it, my slice of bookish ramblings this wonderful Saturday morning! Have you read The Bookish Life of Nina Hill? What did you think? Are you backing Abbi as this years CWIP Prize winner? Let me know your thoughts!
until next time,
Happy reading!
The Reading Closet 
This looks like a really cute, fun book! I’m definitely going to check it out! Thanks for the great review!❤️
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