The perfect read for fans of Emily Henry’s Book Lovers. Such a fun read, rival writers, great chemistry, what more do I need?

This one takes a few chapters to get into but once you get into it you'll love this rom-com. So much spice and delightful laughter!

If you’re a fan of The Hating Game, you’ll definitely want to add Not In My Book by Katie Holt to your TBR. This was such a fun, heartwarming read that totally delivered on the enemies to lovers vibes.

I absolutely adored Rosie and Aiden. Their banter was sharp, witty, and full of chemistry. Rosie’s inner monologue had me smiling throughout; her voice was so relatable and genuine. One of my favorite elements was how they were paired up to co-write a book, and that the story they were writing ended up reflecting their own relationship. Seeing their emotions unfold through the book within a book concept was such a clever idea.

The tension, the twist that pulls them apart, and the eventual reconciliation…everything played out in a way that felt satisfying and sweet. I will say, Rosie’s mentor/professor felt a bit off to me. Her guidance didn’t quite hit the mark and at times felt more confusing than supportive. And while I understood the emotional reasoning, Rosie’s decision to leave at the end felt a bit out of character…almost like she gave up on herself for a moment. Still, the resolution was touching and made up for it.

Overall, this was a super cute read. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good enemies to lovers romance.

This was just plain fun! It can be kind of meh to read books about authors struggling to write books, but the enemies-to-lovers in this just made the plot so delightful. It wasn't necessarily the best written, but I had a good time watching these characters realize they were in love.

A very cute story !

Like everyone else I loved the quote : « The entire time we were together all I could think was you were better than any dream, any piece of fiction I could ever write ».

I loved the idea of the two characters writing a book together, Aiden isn’t into romance and Katie doesn’t like literary fiction. It makes me think of Book Lovers by Emily Henry !

I loved the ennemies to lovers but not really because they secretly love each other, lots of bickering and the way they communicate with the book they’re writing. The characters are lovable, especially Aiden, grumpy and broody but also the perfect boyfriend material !

The love story is beautiful and sweet but also spicy (love the scene when they have to write a spicy scene and ends up with them being horny) !

This was everything I love about contemporary romance. Swoony & sweet with great tension & characters you’re cheering for.

A bookish plot is always going to appeal to romance readers & having two grad student writers forced to work together made for a brilliant and entirely entertaining forced proximity, enemies to lovers story.

A great read!

This had me real life giggling and kicking my feet at moments. This felt like afresh and fun new romcom concept. For the most part I loved our duo until some of the miscommunication but overwhelmingly I thought the host of characters in the book was great. This was a light and easy read.

This was so cute! It's a good pallet cleanser to read in-between the heavy fantasy or heart wrenching romances. I saw someone mention Romantic Academia and I completely agree, it was so fluffy and had me laughing, blushing, and kicking my feet! I absolutely adored it!

If you liked Emily Henry’s Beach Read, you’ll like this. I’d even say I like this one better. The way the two main characters learned to write together and then started communicating through their book was so so sweet. I’m not a big fan of enemies to lovers, but I do love some grumpy/sunshine.

2.5 stars for the initial plot
The way I was so bored of this story after the second chapter, it was too cliche it felt like I was reading someone’s attempt at a romance novel. The dialogue felt like I was reading a wattpad story, cringe at times and too overdone. The conflict was what upset me the most, because I could see it coming from mile away and the fact that Aiden knew about it and chose to keep it a secret in the name of making his “mother proud” oh brother this guy stinks, not only that but the fact that he literally threw salt in Rosie’s wounds by telling her how delusional she is by being a romance author. All of this after opening up to him about how she thought he perceived her and being vulnerable to want to put herself out there after being hurt. I’m sorry but I would have told buddy to pack it up and never speak to me again. But I really enjoyed the incorporation of diversity in this novel.

It was a really interesting romance. Side note, what a great cover to set up the vibe of the book. Can;t wait to see what she does next

*Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for this eARC; the review is my own*

During the first bit of this book, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue reading it because I struggled to like Rosie. I understand her frustration that he always gave her writing the harshest criticism of anyone else in their class, but her animosity towards him became so excessive that it presented her character negatively more than it did his. The two of them seemed to fight just for the sake of fighting, and it drove me absolutely crazy.

However, I continued and mostly enjoyed it, especially when Rosie and Aiden stopped exhausting so much of their energy hating each other and allowed themselves to be real and to work together. Their chemistry, both as characters and as writers, was great. I liked how they challenged, encouraged, and supported each other. I loved Aiden's protectiveness when he discovered the rock propping open the door to Rosie's apartment building, and I was so happy that he always made sure to walk between her and traffic (my husband does that). Rosie, too, became protective of Aiden whenever his father was involved. They worked well together . . . when they got along.

Although I was glad that Rosie had a group of supportive friends, their little group reminded me a little too much of "the friend group" you find in a lot of teen movies or comedy-heavy rom-coms (does that make sense?). They functioned more as a sounding board or an echo chamber for Rosie and her own ideas. But I loved Rosie's family, and they were written so perfectly.

Some dialogue in this book is written in Spanish without any English translation. This didn't bother me since I can speak and understand enough Spanish to know what was being said. I can imagine, though, that some readers might get frustrated at missing out on what's being said. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to use translation apps (or even google) to figure that out.

This book fits in the same vein as Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Sarah Ready, and Kate Robb (though hers aways seem to include some magical realism). If you like those authors, you'll probably like this book. It was a bit predictable at times (I knew from early on what would create the fissure in Rosie and Aiden's relationship), but I don't necessarily mind predictable.

Novel has unique structure, which includes excerpts from the characters' joint manuscript, adding depth to their relationship development. The chemistry between Rosie and Aiden is palpable, with their evolving dynamic kept me engaged. Minor pacing issues and a somewhat predictable plot, overall fun quick read.

Not for me, unfortunately. This was a DNF at about 60%. This isn't a bad book by any means; I just wasn't connecting to it. I really enjoyed the idea of getting to hear or male main character's perspective through his writing, and the banter between the female main character and her friend group was so much fun! I also really enjoyed how dedicated the female main character is to writing romance, and how the importance and relevance of romance books was a key theme in this.
The romance aspect of this dragged on for me though, and our couple would have a positive moment together and then backpedal for no reason.

2.5 stars

overall a solid read, and one that i finished over two days.

the story follows Rosie Maxwell, a 26-year-old grad student, who is a romance lover and writer in NYC. in class, she often butts heads with another grad student, Aiden Huntington, a literary fiction writer and hater of romance. these two bicker and disrupt the class so much so that their professor assigns them to co-write a novel together in an attempt for them to get along.

the main reason for my low rating is the fact that i didn't connect or relate to either of the characters, and i didn't find either of the characters delightful, especially not Aiden. if this novel taught me anything, it taught, proved, and reinforced the fact of how little empathy men have and how selfish they are. i also found Rosie extremely two-dimensional and too stereotypical of a romance lover; that stood out as her sole defining personality trait, as she is so obsessed with happily ever afters and refuses to accept anything less than a perfect love story.
i found the ending distasteful, and i honestly cannot see Rosie and Aiden truly being able to continue in their relationship. (these two would pop up in one of those tiktoks of "couples that break up after the epilogue.") Aiden's actions and words near the end are so telling of how he views and treats the people around him, it's disrespectful and sickening.
additionally, this is a contemporary romance novel, having so-called enemies at the grown age of 26 is utterly ridiculous.

this is not a story i would see myself returning to, but it was still an interesting one to read.

thank you Netgallery & Alcove Press for this e-arc!!

"Not in My Book" by Katie Holt delivers an emotionally resonant ride through the world of literature, rivalry, and romance. Rosie, a determined Peruvian American, finds herself entangled with her once-crush, Aiden Huntington, in a class that challenges them both to step outside their comfort zones. The dynamic duo must collaborate to blend their literary worlds, transforming their hostility into something potentially significant.

Rich with Swiftie appeal, Holt's novel captures the essence of an "enemies to lovers" narrative but with a lighthearted touch. The storytelling balances an emotional depth with romantic undertones, crafting a journey that's both swoony and compelling. Despite some predictable elements, the cliche nature doesn't detract from the enjoyment; rather, it enhances the comfort and charm inherent in the story's progression.

Holt successfully weaves pieces of the protagonists into their shared writing project, allowing readers to vicariously experience their evolving relationship. The competitive undertones and the potential for personal growth make this book a delightful exploration for any romance-loving reader.

*Not in My Book* is a lively debut romance that plays with classic tropes like enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity. The writing is quick-witted and engaging, and the chemistry between the main characters, Rosie and Aiden, keeps the story entertaining. However, some readers found the third-act conflict predictable and felt that a few character moments didn’t fully align with their personalities. The “book within a book” structure also caused a bit of confusion for some. Despite these minor flaws, it's an enjoyable read for fans of light, trope-heavy romance.

An enemies to lovers novel. If one loves a good slow burn novel, this book is it. Characters, writing and the plot keep the reader interested.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌶️🌶️

“𝑵𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏, 𝒉𝒖𝒉?”
“𝑵𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍,” 𝑰 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒍𝒚.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓.”

classic enemies-to-lovers, but instead of work place romance, we're looking at older individuals in a master's writing class. did i know how this was going to go? yeahhhhh. but did i love it anyways?? hell yeahhhhh!

this is a slow burn. much like the books that the characters are working on together, the real love story happening between these two writers is playing out in real time. utilizing their own story to write their classes book is not only clever, but also sexy.

absolutely eat this up every time. go read this!

Not in my book was a surprisingly adorable , easy to binge romance that I really enjoyed.! Very reminiscent of the hating game but with rival writers which made the hateful banter all the better. I wish that this book had deeper moments with topics discussed to break up the flufff but overall this book had me kicking my feet and giggling throughout