The Bookish Life of Nina Hill #family drama #women’s fiction #cute #fictionfriends #duoreviews @JanBelisle @absltmom

There are times when you just love a book, and then there are times when you are just not feeling it. Take a look at two different reviews below and as we spoke of this book, we both agreed that sometimes a book can be a bit too unrealistic for some.

Jan’s review

Charming! Nina Hill is a delightful bookish introvert who I’d love to have for a friend.  Engaging and sweet, with wit and humor, this was a comfort read for me.

I loved Nina’s daily planner at the start of each chapter. She works in a bookstore, has a cat named Phil, and has a rigidly scheduled life with various activities like trivia night, book club, and movie night. Her night of “nothing” is actually a night of reading (I love that!). Although there is a looming love interest that threatens to derail her schedule, her life is perfect just as it is and she is perfectly content. 

The tension in the story comes when her life is thrown in turmoil when the father she never knew dies, and Nina discovers she has an extensive extended family. A large, messy, dysfunctional one.

Witty, light, and fun, this is the perfect summer read for a booklover. I fell in love with Nina! This was a fun buddy read with Marialyce – what better book to read with your bookish friend than a book about a delightful bookish woman.

Pick this one up when you need a feel-good story to warm your heart and put a smile on your face.

·     Many thanks to EW for a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own.

CAUTION: PLEASE DON’T READ THIS REVIEW FOR IT CONTAINS SPOILERS as well as a cranky person!

Marialyce’s review

I do feel like a bit of an ogre here, but this book just did not ring the bells of joy with me.

I know a book’s effect on a reader can often be influenced by mood. Perhaps you stop a book’s reading because at the time of its reading, you are just not feeling the vibe, just not picking up on its theme, and just not really enjoying it as much as you should. Such was the case with me and the book The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Although I did finish it, and liked parts of it, it was just not something I loved.

This is a book that I should have been over the top in love with, but it just felt almost too cutesy to me. While I did like Nina and her obvious love for her job, reading, trivia games, and eventually the erstwhile family she never knew she had, it just felt a bit fake. I just could not wrap my hands around the fact that the family was so accepting of Nina and that although they knew nothing of her, they welcomed her with open arms. (well all  except one of them)  We do know human nature and when money is involved, we often see the claws come out and the family becomes enraged because they feel that they are being short chained out of money they think rightfully belongs to them.. Money does talk and the words it oftentimes utters are vile and selfish. So in my mind this part of the story didn’t reveal reality, or at least the reality I know of.

Another thing that bothered me a bit was the Nina’s father, now dead and never met. He claimed in a letter that he loved Nina, followed her life, watched her from afar,and yet because Nina’s absent mother wanted him to have no contact he followed her directive. It came off as a bit of a cop out on his part. Really, would a man who so looked like he was “there” for Nina have accepted such a place or lack of one in her life.

In essence for me, this was an “ok” story. It’s cute and has an ending that works out perfectly. Please do look at so many other reviews including Jan’s, as they reflect their love for this story.

Thank you to Edelweiss for a copy of this book. Wish I hadn’t been so crabby and liked it more.