May 1, 2019
Introverted Nina Hill, the only child of a single mother, is pulled--both kicking and screaming and passive-aggressively resisting--into a new family and a new relationship. Nina likes "pinning things down," being prepared in advance, and making a daily schedule. After working in the bookstore, she goes home to her cat, Phil, where she reads and bones up for her next trivia contest. Her static, well-regulated life is turned upside down when a lawyer contacts her with news about her father, though her mother had always claimed not to know who he was. Turns out he was wealthy, and he's left her something in his will. At the lawyer's office, she meets the rest of the family, her half-aunts, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, some welcoming and others decidedly not. Nina wants no part of this family. Who cares what her father might have left her? No thanks! And then another intrusion appears in the form of a handsome man, captain of a rival trivia team. He's too showy for Nina, and besides, he knows all the sports category answers, so she pegs him as a nonreader, a big turnoff. Nina wants only to be left alone. But Nina is not all rules and solitude. She has a spark, an imagination, and a sense of humor that make you want to sit with her and observe people over a cappuccino and pastry...while making wisecracks. She of course grows and opens her life to new experiences--her new family and, maybe, the trivia guy. Waxman (Other People's Houses, 2018, etc.) skillfully shows Nina's changing mindset in the hilarious schedules, complete with meal plans and shopping lists, she makes each day. If you love writing plans and sticking to them, you'll love Nina Hill. If you roll your eyes at people who make daily schedules, you'll love Nina Hill, too. Waxman has created a thoroughly engaging character in this bookish, contemplative, set-in-her-ways woman. Be prepared to chuckle.

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May 6, 2019
In this love letter to book nerds, Waxman (The Garden of Small Beginnings) introduces the extraordinary introvert Nina Hill. Nina, who grew up on the east side of L.A. in Larchmont, Calif., has never wanted to leave her hometown. She loves her apartment, with its shelves of books; her cat; and her job as a clerk at a book shop. Filling her time with trivia nights, movies, book club, yoga class, and, of course, reading, she feels she has the perfect life. Then, one day at work, a lawyer shows up and tells her of the death of the father she never knew and the existence of his huge extended family. As Nina gets to know her newfound relatives, who all live in Southern California, she also notices a handsome and charming trivia rival, Tom, who seems to be taking an equal interest in Nina. With witty dialogue and a running sarcastic inner monologue (“Moms of a certain age know dozens of people through various channels, so they have to perform this human form of canine butt sniffing all the goddamn time”), Waxman brings Nina to vibrant life as she upends her introverted routine and become part of the family. Fans of Jojo Moyes will love this.

May 1, 2019

Bookstore employee Nina Hill likes to read--a lot. She also enjoys keeping an uberdetailed planner and not digressing from her schedule, even if it involves doing nothing. Similar to Greta Garbo, she wants to be left alone--by most people. She likes her quirky coworkers, her trivia team members, and her cat, Phil. She doesn't want anything to do with her newly discovered family or Tom, the good-looking sports buff on a rival trivia team. Now seems like a perfect time for Nina to come out of her shell, but is she ready or even able? Waxman's third novel (The Garden of Small Beginnings) is full of pop culture references (bonus points for readers who catch the Men at Work one), and the handwritten planner entries are reminiscent of those in Bridget Jones's diary. However, the third-person narration doesn't really work here--Nina would tell her story better--and the occasional sexual references don't fit the book's innocent tone. VERDICT Will appeal to chick lit fans who enjoy copious rapid-fire dialog. [See Prepub Alert, 1/23/19.]--Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2019
Book nerds will feel strong kinship with the engaging, introverted Nina Hill, who works in a bookstore, plays pub trivia, and loves office supplies. As long as she's got her book clubs and her daily planner, she's happy and confident and hardly ever has panic attacks anymore. Quite satisfied with her life, Nina is thrown for a loop when her father dies (especially since she never knew him) and she discovers she's inherited a family she's not sure she wants. It doesn't help that the best-looking guy she's met in a while is her biggest rival on the trivia competition circuit, and Tom is appealing for more than just his sports knowledge. Readers will be captivated by Nina's droll sense of humor and sympathize with her tendency towards anxiety. But Nina's no wallflower, and they'll cheer her on as she stands up to her new family and steps into a new relationship with Tom. Waxman's (Other People's Houses, 2018) perspective includes a wry narration of Nina's life as well as getting into Nina's head, and it's this style that will continue to build her deserved readership.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)