The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

Instant USA Today bestseller!

“Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin

“Meet our bookish millennial heroine—a modern-day Elizabeth Bennet, if you will… Waxman’s wit and wry humor stand out. She is funny and imaginative, and “Bookish” lands a step above run-of-the-mill romantic comedy fare.”—The Washington Post

“Abbi Waxman offers up a quirky, eccentric romance that will charm any bookworm…. For anyone who’s ever wondered if their greatest romance might come between the pages of books they read, Waxman offers a heartwarming tribute to that possibility.”--Entertainment Weekly

The author of Other People’s Houses and The Garden of Small Beginnings delivers a quirky and charming novel chronicling the life of confirmed introvert Nina Hill as she does her best to fly under everyone's radar.

 
Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own...shell.
 
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.

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Published Jul 9, 2019

352 pages

Average rating: 7.16

193 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

AbbeyLileTaylor
Aug 29, 2023
10/10 stars
I wish I could give this book an infinite amount of stars.
jenmay
May 22, 2025
7/10 stars
This was the second time I read this book. I liked it much better the first time. Fairly witty writing.
JL Reads
May 14, 2025
10/10 stars
I loved this book! Several GREAT quotes.. “Surely her purpose in life wasn’t simply to read as many books as possible.” Wait what? “I guess I left the window open, there’s rain all over my face.” Unfortunate Gaiman name drop though. Book #42 in 2025
wardbunch
Mar 26, 2025
10/10 stars
Fun romp through Larchmont, California. Great for a lover of all things books.
Sharon Gray
Dec 30, 2024
6/10 stars
It was cute and sweet and pretty predictable. I liked Nina and her life at the bookstore. Without giving any spoilers away, I was not happy with how they handled anxiety and mental illness as it related to her relationship. People with anxiety don't need rescuing, and that was what the ending felt like to me.

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