This is a slow burn with a mixture of ravels and misjudgment. two college classmates get pair together after blowing up at each other. now they have to write and story together that takes both of them out of their comfort zone. with that said there wasn't much that i didn't love about this book the writing was captivating. characters was lovable. the romance was the perfect slow burn that had you wanting to see what was going to happen. the conflict of will they won't they. I could gush about this book but then i might say to much if you love a slow burn romcom about two writers then pick this book up i will say this book does have some adult themes at time.

Not in my Book was the perfect book to get me out of a reading slump. Enemies to lovers in a creative writing class brought creativity to the steamy scenes. I will be adding Katie Holt to my must read list!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

As soon as Rosie and Aiden meet on the same writing course, they realise they are total opposites and can't stop bickering over everything. The problem is, everyone else in the class is sick of it, including their professor, who gives them an ultimatum: Rosie and Aiden need to co-write a book for the end of the semester, or they will be kicked off the course. Reluctantly working together, their bickering becomes banter, and while their protagonists start to fall in love on the page, similar feelings are brewing in the real world.

This was everything I wanted it to be when I saw the synopsis. Enemies-to-lovers who are academic rivals and fall in love while co-writing a book - sign me up right away! Rosie and Aiden's writing styles and preferred genres were complete opposites, and during critiques in class they were particularly scathing. However, reading their different points of view, we see that while they were finding faults, they were using it as a shield for their growing feelings. Honestly, my favourite parts of the book were the scenes that they wrote together, especially when they were romantic in nature. Having them play out what they wanted to say to each other through their characters was sublime. There's a bit of drama I could've done without, but the resolution and ending was worth it all the way!

Cute enemies to lovers book. Fun banter, OK smut. Sometimes the MMC was a little too intense, but overall, I found him likeable. MFC was cute and quirky and relatable albeit a tad juvenile at times. Overall a cute story.

There was so much promise with this book but unfortunately I couldn’t get into the story. The main character was supposed to be in college but she acted like a child. The immaturity took me completely out of every moment in the worst way.
Maybe this was intentional but I just didn’t believe it.

This is a lively debut romance with tropes that include enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity.
The writing is wonderfully engaging, and the chemistry between the main characters (Rosie and Aiden) keeps the story entertaining. I am however not a fan of third-act conflict/breakup which obviously impacts my rating.
Overall it's an enjoyable read for fans of light, trope-heavy romance.

I can't actually believe this is a debut - it was so gooooood!
Aiden and Rosie are in the same writing course, and when their creative differences threaten their academic standing they agree to write a book together. However Rosie writes heartfelt romance fiction and Aiden likes gritty literary fiction where he can kill off a character or two...
Rivals to lovers and more - Aiden is dreamy but feels like a real, imperfect person who makes decisions that seem counterintuitive to a romance book but Katie Holt is so good at pacing and revealing plot points and character motivations that we still love him. Rose is super loveable and I was rooting for her, her writing career and her true romance loving heart from page one.
I really liked this book and even teared up a couple of times - can't wait to see what this author comes out with next :)
4.5 stars

3.5⭐️
This was a sweet and creative romance that I flew through pretty quickly. I really loved the concept of two writers falling for each other while co-authoring a love story—it added such a fun layer to their connection. The way their fictional characters mirrored their real feelings was honestly my favorite part. 📖💕

Aiden definitely had his moments. He was intense and a little over-the-top at times, especially with the things he’d say to Rosie, but I appreciated how his character developed as the story went on. There were scenes where he really pulled through and made me pause. 🤌

Rosie, though, was harder for me to connect with. She felt pretty immature at first, and even though she grew on me, her reaction during the third act conflict totally threw me. The breakup felt unnecessary and way too dramatic for how late in the book it happened 😩—it kind of killed the momentum for me right near the end.

Still, there was something really charming about the banter, the romantic tension, and the slow shift from enemies to something more. I didn’t fully fall in love with it, but I can definitely see others enjoying this one, especially if you're into author romances and a little emotional chaos mixed with the sweetness. ✍️💘

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC! 🫶📚

Rosie Maxwell is a romantic. Plain and simple, she loves romance books and happily ever afters. She writes them after all.
Aiden Huntington is a realist and at times a pessimist. He writes literary fiction and has no patience for romance.

Both Rosie and Aiden attend NYU for the creative writing program, after constantly verbal sparring and hurling insults at each other during class, their professor gives them the ultimatum to either leave class or cowrite a novel together to blend their genres.

As Aiden and Rosie begin to work on their novel together, they begin to learn more about one another. Their feelings transcend into their writing and could be the catalyst that they need to end their feud. Can Rosie and Aiden finish their novel and let their feelings for each other come to life or will they be stuck in the pages?

I am a total sucker for books written about books/writing. Katie Holt did not disappoint with this one at all.

The chemistry between Rosie and Aiden was palpable. They were the perfect example of one of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers. The BANTER!! I was literally giggling and kicking my feet. However, this was the slowest burn EVER!! Every time I thought Rosie and Aiden would take one step forward they would take three steps back. At times I was ready to throw my kindle across the room because I was frustrated with both of them. But that usually means you’re enjoying a book right? Haha

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am excited to see what else Katie Holt has in store. If you’re looking for a book about books, enemies to lovers and a slow burn..then you’re in luck with this one.

I’m going to be honest, this took me a while to get into. At the beginning I really didn’t like either main character, but I did grow to love Aiden. Rosie felt a bit immature at times for me but I loved them writing the book together!

2.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for this eARC. All thoughts are honest and my own.

I enjoyed the first 200 pages or so. I liked the writing and the characters. Rosie and Aiden's dynamics were interesting and fun. The side characters were also likable.

I hate when you read a book and you can tell it's a self-insert. I don't know anything about the author but based on the main character's story and the small about me section I read about the author, it's sadly pretty obvious. Despite that, I didn't hate it and I found the premise pretty interesting. I did find the "banter" between the female main character and love interest to be disappointing though - they are grown adults and I hate how for the sake of the "enemies" or rivals to lovers part the author had to write them out to be so immature. I don't remember half of this book but I do remember at one point skipping two chapters and picking it back up just to still know everything that was going on. So yeah. For contemporary romances this was not memorably bad but it wasn't memorably good either. It lies in the middle for me so it's more of a 2.5 rather than a straight up 2 star read.

Thank you netgalley for accepting my request for this book. This book has-
Enemies to lovers
Hidden crush
Book lovers
It is a “Hating Game” meets “Beach Read” steamy contemporary story but better than both of these. Rosie left her home to pursue her dreams to become a successful romance writer. In her writing workshop class she met her ex crush, nemesis Aiden who detests romance and thinks literary fiction is the best. They both get on each other's nerves always and that's what is becoming alarming to the professor. That's why their professor made them work together by writing a book together. How could a happy ending romance meet literary fiction? But they need to do it if they want to continue this workshop. It turned out they were writing about themselves.

This one book has two stories. Yes, you heard it right. One is by this writer and the other one is by Rosie and Aiden. Isn't it a tough job to write two stories at once? But it seemed perfect because Rosie and Aiden started to write about themselves and continued their quarrel in their own book. Who knew they'd get their own love story from this? Who knew they'd pour their feelings for each other in that book? I love love love this. This book is soooo good. It's one of my favourite books now. I loved Aiden so much, Rosie too and her family.

Not In My Book
Katie Holt

‘I couldn’t do heartbreak again. I knew what would happen if I let us get carried away on this couch. I’ve seen this film before.’

I adored this book and the book within a book was such a fun addition to this storytelling. The New York back drop added to the appeal for me.

‘Words were the deadliest weapons Max and I had. We learned how to sharpen them and wield them with extreme efficiency. And when it was time to strike, we did it to kill. But I don’t think either of us realized how deep the wounds were until the knife had already been dug in.’

Filled with cute and easy to love characters. Pacing was great, everything flowed easily and was a breeze to read.

“I'm in it for the long haul. I want all your tomorrows. Every single one you're willing to give me,"

Rosie, a die hard romantic and idealistic who moved to NY from Tennessee to persue her writing dream. Her plans are derailed when she ends up in class with her archnemesis and ex-crush, Aiden Huntington - an obnoxious, surly and gorgeous literacy fiction writer who doesn’t have any patience for romance or Rosie.

My mouth parted in surprise. "You would suffer
through Midtown for me?"
Aiden smiled and nodded. "Yeah, Rosie. I would."

‘Aiden was right, though—I did live in a world inside my head. But it was because I liked it so much better. In my made-up world, I was everything my soulmate wanted, and my soulmate was real. He existed and he was waiting for me and he loved me- flaws and all.’

Not in My Book 📓
— Rivals, writers and a manuscript !

★★★★☆ (4/5)

This was so fun to read. The idea of two totally different writers being forced to co-write a romance? Instantly got my attention. Rosie writes heartfelt, swoony love stories. Aiden thinks romance is “beneath him.” Obviously, chaos follows.

Their dynamic was everything — so much banter, so many little moments where you can feel their walls cracking. Watching them write together was honestly the best part. The scenes where the lines between the characters and their characters start to blur? I was obsessed.

The story moves fast, and the academic setting made it even better. It’s witty, slightly dramatic, and really satisfying to watch unfold. There were a few slower moments, and some of the side characters could’ve used more depth — but overall, I didn’t really mind.

It’s not a heavy read, but it’s definitely clever, sweet, and fun. The concept worked so well, and the tension between Rosie and Aiden made me smile more than once.

Would I reread? Maybe!
Would I recommend it? Yes, especially if you love enemies-to-lovers and anything about writers.
Would I read more from Katie Holt? For sure — this was a strong debut.

It took me a while to warm up to this book, but in the end I’m glad I stuck with it. It’s a great college rivals to lovers, opposites attract story.

I thought there was great chemistry between the main characters Rosie and Aidan. Their banter was great, a fun mixture of insults and arguments that border on flirting. And I loved seeing the tension between them build to something so real and inevitable.

The thing that kept holding me off from loving it at the beginning and that I continued to struggle with throughout was the heavy emphasis on the writing workshop. Sometimes it felt like the plot and the romance got a little lost in all of that. And I didn’t love how the excerpts from Rosie and Aidan’s piece were almost directly mirroring what was happening to them in the book. It felt like I was read the same thing twice in a row which was in my opinion unnecessary.

Overall, I feel like the strengths in the book outweighed those weak spots. I had a good time with it and I look forward to reading more from Katie Holt in the future, especially considering this was her debut novel!

Some parts annoyed me, but overall, this was pretty cute. I love an enemies-to-lovers story and this actually felt like enemies at the beginning.

Were they childish at times? Yes.
Was the ending a little much? Yes.
Was it still pretty cute? Also, yes.

I loved having the story set in NYC (we even got Christmas in the city!!!) and the Latin American representation (alfajores really are the best). It was cute how they had to write a novel together and basically put themselves into their romance novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

it's giving very much lovers-to-rivals. a little bit cheesy and cliche, but hey.. it's romance! i thought it was done well.

thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book. i received this book as an ARC. all thoughts and opinions of this book are my own, and i leave this review voluntarily.

This a witty, spicy enemies‑to‑lovers romance set in NYC’s MFA workshop scene—complete with cheeky banter, steamy co‑writing sessions, and a heartfelt look at the romance genre itself. I enjoyed the chemistry between the main characters and the banter. The slow-burn is well done and makes you want to keep reading. The only part I struggled with was the predictability and the third act conflict. Rosie was a bit immature for my taste so that also irked me a bit. Not in My Book is a clever, entertaining read for fans of rom‑coms and writing‑in‑workshop humor.

I was not a fan of this book. The characters seemed way too childish to be the ages that they were portrayed and I was more annoyed by them than invested in their love story.