Written by Abbi Waxman in 2019, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is an adult romantic comedy that follows the slow blooming of Nina Hill, a single bookseller with anxiety who undergoes a personal transformation as she discovers family she never knew she had, acquires a boyfriend, and learns that some aspects of real life can be just as rewarding as fiction. The novel became a USA Today bestseller and received praise from review outlets like the Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly for its distinctly wry narrative voice and biting social commentary.

Born in England to a mother who built a career as a crime novelist, Abbi Waxman initially pursued a career in advertising and eventually went on to write novels herself. Waxman has been compared to the classic English novelist Jane Austen for her wry observations on social life, and her talent for humor is reflected on her website, in interviews, and in her books. Waxman’s first two novels, The Garden of Small Beginnings (2017) and Other People’s Houses (2018), are both praised for exhibiting wry humor, incisive social commentary, and deep themes. This narrative style continues in The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (2019), which returns to a romance plot along with the themes of family and self-growth, and Nina makes a reappearance in Waxman’s 2022 novel Adult Assembly Required, which focuses on a different protagonist to explore the high-stakes world of competitive trivia.

This guide refers to the Berkley paperback edition.

Plot Summary

Written from the third-person omniscient point of view, the novel is divided into sections which are headed by graphics from Nina’s daily planner that show her schedule, meal planning, daily goals, and shopping list. These entries provide a humorous reflection on Nina’s aspirations and preoccupations in addition to framing the action, which covers May and June and takes place in Larchmont, a neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Nina is 29, works at an independent bookstore, and lives alone with her books and a cat named Phil. She is an only child; her single mother is a world-traveling photographer, and Nina knows nothing about her father. Nina enjoys being alone but also has an active imagination and experiences anxiety, so to distract herself, she schedules book clubs and participates in trivia games. Although she finds herself attracted to Tom, the captain of a rival trivia team, she enjoys being single because she prefers the events of her life to be planned and organized.

One day, a man approaches Nina at work and identifies himself as the lawyer for her father’s estate. Her father, William Reynolds, has died and has named Nina as a beneficiary in his will. Nina is astonished to learn that she has extensive family in Los Angeles and tries to find out more about William. Her mother admits that she and William once spent a weekend together, but after she found out that he was married, she asked him never to get in touch with Nina.

Now, Nina meets her nephew, Peter, who is slightly older than she is and works as an anthropology professor. She is startled by the resemblance between them; they have the hair color and share a love for organization and office supplies. Peter is charming and funny and explains the family tree to Nina. William was married three times and has children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His second wife became pregnant around the same time that William had an affair with Nina’s mother, and Nina’s existence has come as a surprise to them all.

When Nina meets her brother, Archie, who is around her age, she begins to grapple with what it means to be part of a family and meet people who are connected to her and share certain qualities and characteristics. She also decides that she might like to date Tom, the captain of the rival trivia team, but when she runs into him at the movie theater one night and has the chance to spend time with him, she panics and withdraws.

She is embarrassed when Tom shows up at the bookstore while she is hosting a book club for elementary school-aged girls, and the girls tell Nina that she needs to work on her flirting skills. Nina volunteers to help one of the girls’ mothers prepare party favors for a wedding, and she is invited to the wedding as a result. Nina discusses Tom with her friends but continues to insist that she is better off alone. On the next trivia night, she argues with the host and as a result, her team is kicked out of the competition. Tom drives her home, and they share a kiss. Tom reports to his brother that he has met a very attractive woman.

One of Nina’s nieces, Lydia, challenges Nina’s right to any claim on William’s property, but Archie reaches out to reassure Nina that the rest of them still want her to be part of the family. Over lunch, Archie reveals that he also is subject to anxiety. Later, Peter brings Nina to meet his mother, who is a veterinarian, and his stepfather. Nina realizes that she feels at ease around these people, and their interactions are bolstered by the things they have in common. As a result, her anxiety seems to be lessening.

She meets Tom at another movie and they go out to dinner after. She enjoys being in his company, finding him funny and sweet. When she attends the wedding to which she has been invited, she notices that Tom is the groom’s brother and the best man. They dance, kiss, and spend the night together at Nina’s apartment.

Nina next meets Millie, her 10-year-old sister, who reminds Nina of herself at that age. One day, she and Tom are enjoying a street festival in her neighborhood when she learns that the bookstore has not paid rent on its premises in months and will be forced to close. Overwhelmed by the news, Nina has a panic attack and asks Tom to give her some time alone. This hurts his feelings, and he stops speaking to her.

When she visits Millie and meets Eliza, William’s third wife, Nina sees his library and finally feels like she is starting to understand her father. The will is read, and Nina learns that while the rest of the children and grandchildren have inherited William’s money, Nina has inherited his favorite car, a Pontiac Trans Am. When Nina picks up the car, she finds letters addressed to all the children and grandchildren in the glove box. She reads hers and realizes that she has several things in common with her father, who knew about her and kept track of her all these years. He also kept a savings account for her which now holds over two million dollars.

Nina delivers Lydia’s letter, and to her surprise, she discovers that she has qualities in common with Lydia as well, including a love of trivia. While Lydia dislikes people, Nina is beginning to realize that she herself enjoys the company of other people as much as she enjoys spending time alone. Lydia motivates Nina to try to win Tom back by making a public declaration at the trivia finals. Nina tells Tom that being with him is as good as being alone, and they reconcile. Nina then tells her boss that she will use her inheritance to buy into the bookstore and keep the business going. The novel concludes with Nina looking forward to her future, being with Tom, and traveling for the first time in her life.