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The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

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The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

Written by: Abbi Waxman
Narrated by: Emily Rankin
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About this listen

Instant USA Today best seller!

“Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful.” (Number one New York Times best-selling 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)

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.

©2019 Abbi Waxman (P)2019 Penguin Audio Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Fiction Comedy Funny Witty

What the critics say

“Move over on the settee, Jane Austen. You’ve met your modern-day match in Abbi Waxman. Bitingly funny, relatable and intelligent, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is a must for anyone who loves to read.” (Kristan Higgins, New York Times best-selling author of Good Luck with That)

“It's a shame The Bookish Life of Nina Hill only lasts 350 pages, because I wanted to be friends with Nina for far longer.” (Refinery29)

“The Bookish Life of Nina Hill will put a smile on your face the entire time you’re reading it. It’s a light, fun summer read with a cast of colorful and lovable characters that you wish were real and that you had on your trivia team. This book is the perfect beach read or pick-me-up for a cloudy day.” (Hypable)
All stars
Most Relevant
Good story but the narrator’s voice throws it off. Very plain and flat, needed more animation and I think it would have made the story come to life.

Good but could be better

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Bright, fitting narration tone for a light and relatable look at family, relationships, and personal growth. Many people will see a little of themselves in the characters in this book

Enjoyable and engaging

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I very much enjoyed listening to “The Bookish Life of Nina Hill”. The main character was likeable, quirky and (perhaps strangely) relatable and I found that rapid-fire delivery style was a good match that worked very well. The trivia scattered throughout the book was fun and enlightening and I found myself laughing out loud at times.

Loved it! Lots of heart and lots of laughs

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The only thing I struggled with was when Nina was learning to drive standard. It became obvious that the author didn’t know how to drive standard either and therefore the character teacher Nina lost his believable-ness

This was pure entertainment

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There is nothing wrong with this book. I guess I had high expectations because of the rave reviews. It was perfectly fine. Quick listen, easy to finish. Perhaps slightly lacking in depth? I really have no feelings about it, take that as you wish.

Just fine

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I loved this book and it was very well narrated. Vibrant characters and writing that paints a lovely picture of the surroundings. If you want to listen to something that makes you feel good, this is one for you!

One of my favorite books!

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This book exceeded my expectations. I started it because I thought it was a nice and easy weekend read, but the book offered much more. It was funny, witty, insightful. It perfectly depicts my generation (the "Millennials") and correctly shows that beyond the proverbial organically sourced avocado toast we offer deep substance. The author depicts a complex personality in the main character, Nina Hill, and masterfully interlinks her present life with the layers of history that formed who she is.
It is a great book for so many reasons! There is something for everyone in it (well, at least for most people).

Loved it!

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I enjoyed this immensely. Very engaging. I look forward to more books from this author.

Great story

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This was a really enjoyable read. My only critique would be that the ending felt rushed. This could be because I wasn't ready for it to be over. :)

A few surprises.

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the writing is awful and it was very hard to relate to this character. too many storylines!

meh

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