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The subject matter of this book seemed like a perfect fit to my tastes, seeing as how I identify so closely with the main character, Nina Hill. Just like Nina, I would much rather sit in a comfy chair with a beloved pet nearby curled up with a book and some coffee, than doing most anything else. I would much rather be in these same circumstances than have to make small talk with people. Like Nina, the bubble of my home is my happiness, with my kindles and thousands of book files (in her case, actual physical books on bookcases) at my fingertips. We also know a lot of facts and relate to our pet like they are a real person. However, even though "Bookish Nina Hill" and I are kindred spirits, I did not enjoy this book quite as much as I had hoped.

For a brief overview of this story, Nina lives by herself in a little guesthouse with bookshelves, a comfy chair in the corner, and her cat Phil. She happily works in a bookstore called Knight's Books. She occasionally suffers from panic attacks, and finds comfort in routines, schedules and making daily lists. These cute, handwritten daily lists precede each chapter. Nina is a geek that participates in trivia quiz competitions. There also are several book groups that hold meetings at the store in the evenings. Needless to say, Nina's life is full, and she seems to be quite content with it. Her mother is a successful travelling photographer, but Nina was raised by a loving nanny named Louise. In many ways, Louise seems more like her mother than her biological one. In addition, Nina never knew her father because her birth was the result of an affair. NIna's Mom had an agreement with Nina's father that he would never contact her. However, when Nina's father dies, a lawyer contacts her with the news and that she has an extended family. Nina's life is suddenly stirred up with unexpected people to meet and deal with, with the possibility of an inhertitance.

I thought I was in for a delightful ride as I first delved into the book and periodically found myself breaking into laughter. Now that I think about it, I enjoyed the story of Nina's life by herself more than when she discovered her new family members. That's the part when I began to lose interest. I didn't connect with these other characters, and there were too many of them to follow with any recognition. They became a distraction to the story I was enjoying about Nina's insular life. I also was bored reading about the trivia quiz competitions Nina participated in.

I was initially intrigued by her burgeoning relationship with Tom, an attractive, worthy opponent on the other trivia quiz team. However, I was turned off by Nina's sexual encounter on their second date, when they barely knew each other. In addition, on a later outing when Nina ran into some common friends and was asked about Tom, she couldn't bring herself to label Tom her boyfriend...this after having slept with him. Call me a prude, but I found it bizarre behavior, especially for a "bookish" type that I had been identifying with.

A book that started out so promising for me with unexpected bursts of laughter gradually ran out of steam for me. I know I am an outlier on this, but by the book's end I was ready to read something else.

Thank you to Berkley / Penguin Publishing Group who provided an advance reader copy via Edelweiss.