The bookish life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Headline Review, 2019. ISBN: 9781472266217.
(Age: Adult) Recommended for readers who like quirky books with allusions to novels. Nina Hill is a young woman who is happy with her life. An only child with a mother who travels the world, she has a job in a bookstore, is on a winning trivia team, likes to be alone reading her books and has a cat named Phil. When the father that she has never known dies leaving her with a complete family of half brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews she has to contend with all these strangers. Then Tom, the leader of a competing trivia team starts to show interest and she finds she has to face a new world.
I expected a very light read and was rewarded with lots of laugh out loud moments as Nina prepared her lists of what to do and tried to keep her anxiety at bay, all with a great sense of humour. The descriptions of the trivia competitions were a hoot and the references to many books, including Harry Potter, were fun as well. Adding real depth and interest to the book were the descriptions of how she grew up with a Nanny looking after her as her mother roamed the world taking photos and the way she handled having both a new family and a boyfriend.
This was a feel good book with the added charm of a memorable heroine who is resistant to change but finds ways of letting new people into her life. Older teens would really enjoy it, but there are references to alcohol and sex which might make it unsuitable for younger teens.
Pat Pledger