The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Title: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

Author: Abbi Waxman

Publisher: Berkley 2019

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 333

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR; Monthly Keyword - September

Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own...shell.

The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.

When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster! And as if that wasn't enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn't he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.
1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It's going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

Another recommendation from Anne Bogel and I’m completely in love with this book. Nina might be another version of me. At first, Nina is a great quirky character comfortable in her life. I loved seeing her life get up-ended in many ways forcing Nina outside of the box. In some ways, this book is a romantic comedy, but I see it more like a great character study. Just in a light-hearted way. I love Nina’s interactions with her newly discovered family members, especially brother Archie. I would love to read a sequel to this book focusing on Nina’s growing relationships within her new family. I want to see more of Peter and Millie, even Lydia (will she ever come around to Nina?).

Next up on the TBR pile:

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey

Title: Waiting for Tom Hanks

Author: Kerry Winfrey

Publisher: Jove 2019

Genre: Romance Comedy

Pages: 274

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Literary Escapes - OH

Annie Cassidy dreams of being the next Nora Ephron. She spends her days writing screenplays, rewatching Sleepless in Seattle, and waiting for her movie-perfect meet-cute. If she could just find her own Tom Hanks—a man who’s sweet, sensitive, and possibly owns a houseboat—her problems would disappear and her life would be perfect. But Tom Hanks is nowhere in sight.

When a movie starts filming in her neighborhood and Annie gets a job on set, it seems like a sign. Then Annie meets the lead actor, Drew Danforth, a cocky prankster who couldn’t be less like Tom Hanks if he tried. Their meet-cute is more of a meet-fail, but soon Annie finds herself sharing some classic rom-com moments with Drew. Her Tom Hanks can’t be an actor who’s leaving town in a matter of days...can he?

Way over-hyped and too cliched for me to enjoy that much. Annie is a very annoying protagonist waiting around for Mr. Right to canter up on his white horse. I just couldn’t with her constant reminders of waiting for “Tom Hanks.” We get it, it’s the title of the book, you don’t have to constantly remind me. Beyond that, Annie acts more like a 15 year old girl than a 27 year old woman. I just couldn’t get over her immature attitude about everything. And the romance wasn’t that great. Possibly could have been better as a YA novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

NMJ #7: Dear Santa

Title: Dear Santa

Year Released/Rating: 2011

Starring: Amy Acker, David Haydn-Jones, Emma Duke

Directed By: Jason Priestley

Written By: Barbara Kymlicka

Genre: Holiday romantic comedy

Star Rating:  4/5 stars

Where I Got It: Netflix

Summary: Beverly Hills 90210 alumni Jason Priestly takes the helm for this warmhearted romantic comedy about a die-hard party girl struggling to change her frivolous ways. Crystal (Amy Acker) comes from a wealthy family. She loves spending money. Her parent's money. When they decide it's time for her to make something of her life they give her until Christmas to clean up her act. Should Crystal fail to comply, her credit cards will be promptly canceled. Petrified at the prospect of having no money and no boyfriend, Crystal has a flash of inspiration when she finds a letter to Santa from seven year old Olivia (Emma Duke). In the letter, Olivia asks Santa to find her widowed father Derek (David Haydn-Jones) a new wife. He owner of a local soup kitchen, Derek has dedicated his life to helping others. Though Crystal has never set foot in a soup kitchen, she soon seeks Derek out and begins volunteering her time in an effort to get closer to him. Little does Crystal realize that Derek's scheming girlfriend (Gina Holden) will do anything to keep her man to herself. Meanwhile, Crystal remains determined to prove herself, despite the obstacles that stand in her way.

Review: 

Cute little holiday themed romantic comedy. The entire movie was carried by Amy Acker's Crystal.  She could have been a completely vapid spoiled brat, but instead we see a person grow and change throughout the movie. I loved the little moments between Crystal and Olivia. A good movie for a cold afternoon.

NMJ #5: The Christmas Kiss

Title: The Christmas Kiss

Year Released/Rating: 2011

Starring: Elizabeth Rohm, Laura Breckenridge, Brendan Fehr

Directed By: John Stimpson

Written By: Joany Kane

Genre: Romantic comedy

Star Rating:  4/5 stars

Where I Got It: Netflix

Summary: After a spontaneous kiss, a struggling designer ends up falling in love with her demanding boss's boyfriend as she decorates his home for a Christmas party.

Review:

A fun little Christmas movie after Christmas. (Why do I never actually watch these during Christmas?) Sure some of the plot points were clcihes and the dialogue wasn't always great. But I enjoyed this one a lot. It was a nice little light hearted romance romp. I'd add it to the list of feel good Christmas movies to add to your list next year.

Best Bits: 

• [Priscilla leaves town for a few days] Tressa: You do know what this means, don't you? Wendy Walton: That the flying monkeys can breathe a sigh of relief?
• Wendy Walton: It is the type of kiss that, years from now when I am suffering from dementia and drooling in my jell-o - I will be thinking about that kiss.

NMJ #2: Not Another Happy Ending

Title: Not Another Happy Ending

Year Released/Rating: 

Starring: Karen Gillan, Stanley Weber

Directed By: John McKay

Written By: David Solomons

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Star Rating:  4/5 stars

Where I Got It: Hulu Plus

Trivia:

• The film was financed in part by a crowdfunding campaign on the website Indiegogo, which raised USD$22,660. Additional funding came through the efforts of producer Claire Mundell, who "[patch-worked] a bunch of different sources of funding together, none of whom interfered in any kind of way with the film turned out".
• Stanley Weber replaced originally cast Emun Elliott as Tom, which lead filmmakers to write into the script, Tom's French background and an explanation on how a Frenchman ended up in Glasgow to be a publisher.

Summary: When a struggling publisher discovers his only successful author is blocked he knows he has to unblock her or he's finished. With her newfound success, she's become too damn happy and she can't write when she's happy.The only trouble is, the worse he makes her feel, the more he realizes he's in love with her.

Review: 

As far as romantic comedies go, this one was a winner.  We get just enough cutesy scenes between the two leads to satisfy our romance cravings, but not too many to annoy us.  I loved Karen Gillan's writer to death.  And the inclusion of Darsie was just way too much fun.  Overall, the film felt a little too long (pacing issue) and some of the characters like Willie were a bit too cliche.  But I still enjoyed my time watching this little indie film.

MoM #27: My Fake Fiance

Title: My Fake Fiance

Year Released/Rating: 2009

Starring: Melissa Joan Hart, Joseph Lawrence

Directed By: Gil Junger

Written By: Howard March

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Star Rating: 3/5 stars

Where I Got It: Netflix

Summary: Jennifer and Vince, virtual strangers, find themselves strapped for cash and decide to stage a fake engagement and wedding just for the gifts.

Review: 

An ABC Family movie, but actually a decent one.  I am a little sick of the female lead playing the harpy bitch.  I want to watch a rom-com that switches the stereotypes.  But, this one does have the bright spot of Joseph Lawrence.  He is pretty funny and charming.  I tried to watch an episode of their ABC family sitcom, but good lordy that was painful.  I'll just stick with this random movie.

MoM #18: Sweet Home Alabama

Title: Sweet Home Alabama

Year Released/Rating: 2002 PG-13

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey

Directed By: Andy Tennant

Written By: Douglas J. Eboch, C. Jay Cox

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Star Rating:  5/5 stars

Where I Got It: I own it

Trivia:

• Two dogs mentioned in the movie, "Bear" and "Bryant", are references to legendary University of Alabama head football coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant.
• An entire character (along with a subplot about her) was deleted from the film, when test audiences consistently misunderstood her relationship with Andrew. Erin Vanderbilt (played by Katharine Towne) survives in the finished movie only in a newspaper wedding announcement shown to Melanie during the closing credits.
• Earl asks Pearl to pull the bologna cake out of the freezer when Melanie announces her engagement. This tasty item came to the film as a dish served to one of the (many) script re-writers by his fiancée, who was from Indiana. It is bologna, cream cheese and horseradish.
• Jake's glassblowing shop was filmed in Fayette County Georgia at an old mill called Starr's Mill. The exterior was repainted and the porch was rebuilt for the movie. The bridges were later washed away in a flood.

Summary: A young woman with a Southern background runs away from her husband in Alabama and reinvents herself as a New York socialite.

Review: 

Hands down my favorite romantic comedy.  I love turning to this movie when I need a bit of a pick me up.  I love everything about it: the characters, the story line, the setting, the ending.  Reese Witherspoon is too charming as the fish out of water in her hometown.  And I absolutely adore both the leading men.  The movie doesn't make one the villain and the other the hero.  Instead, we see two different choices for Melanie.  I love the one she picks, but she could have easily picked the other.  And that scene in the graveyard gets me every time.  I end up a blubbering mess.  The movie makes me laugh, smile, and cry.  It's a winner in my book!

Best Bits: 

• Earl Smooter: You can't ride two horses with one ass, sugarbean.
• Jake: [not recognizing Melanie in her sunglasses] Can I help you?  Melanie: Well, for starters, you can get your stubborn ass down here and give me a divorce.  Jake: You're shittin' me, right?  Melanie: I never fully understood that expression, but no, I am not "shitting" you.
• Jake: The only reason I ain't signing is cause you've turned into some hoity-toity Yankee bitch, and I'd like nothing better right now than to piss you off.
• Melanie: Well, you must be Jake's hot date. I'm Melanie, Jake's snotty Yankee bitch wife whom he refuses to divorce.
• Mayor Kate Hennings: [smacks mosquito] One down, a six million to go.  Earl Smooter: Careful, you just killed the state bird of Alabama!
• Melanie: And don't even pretend like you missed me.  Jake: Oh, I missed you all right, but at this range, my aim is bound to improve.
• Melanie: People need a passport to come down here.
• Bobby Ray: You know us Southerns. I mean, the minute the Confederacy died it became immortal.