What Jane Read Next

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman was another recent summer read. Nina has a well-organised life: a job in a bookstore, an excellent trivia team and a cat named Phil. As the only daughter of an often absent mother, she is used to her own company. But when the father she never knew about dies and leaves her something in his will, suddenly she has a new family. She is left with half-sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews. Which means she’ll have to speak to strangers!

Then her trivia nemesis, Tom, starts paying her attention and wanting to get to know her. All of this puts Nina far out of her comfort zone and into new territory she’s not sure she wants to navigate. For a person like Nina who thrives in her own company and likes making orderly lists and plans, it’s a lot for her to handle. But coming out of her shell might be the best thing that ever happened to her.

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill was a cute, breezy read. It didn’t challenge me or rock my world, but it provided some pleasant reading hours on the beach. To be honest, not a lot happens in this book. It’s very much a character study of Nina who suffers from shyness and anxiety and is a lot braver than she thinks. I did find this book enjoyable but struggled to recall much of it a month after finishing it.

Verdict: A pleasant read for book lovers everywhere.