DNF. The protagonist comes off as juvenile. The prose is clunky, overusing sentences that begin with "I." It's all show, no tell. Even the little book excerpts only reiterate what we've already seen in scenes between the MCs. This may have benefited from dual POV instead, but that likely wouldn't have benefited the over-explainitory narration.

I love love LOVE a forced proximity romance! Honestly one of my favorite tropes and this definitely delivered! Such a delightful read with such a believable romance that I found myself not wanting to put this down!

This book was phenomenal! Thank you so much for the arc! I had the most amazing time reading this one!

Not in My Books is the perfect rivals to lovers love story full of banter and steamy moments! We follow Rosie, who is trying to write the perfect romance book for her writing class, but is struggling to start it. At the same time, Aiden, her rival who hates romance as a genre, is being super annoying at every class and hates everything she's writing. Then, in one class Rosie finally gets enough of Aiden's comments and the two of them get into a fight. Ida, the class instructor, commands them to either drop the class or write their book together. So they end up writing a romance book with no HEA, together. The start is a bit rocky, but soon they get the hang of it and the book they're writing is better than anything Rosie has ever written.

We get to see how Rosie and Aiden slowly fall in love, at the same time as their characters also fall for each other. This book is full of warm and cute moments, and I truly loved every page. I adored how we got to see both of the love stories play out, and how writing was such a big part of the book. I adored Rosie and loved Aiden. They have amazing chemistry and I was really rooting for them to end up together.

This was such a cute lovely romance. 4,5 stars. Would absolutely recommend this to everyone!

Not in my book is a cute college romance.
Rosie and Aiden are the opposite and hate each other yet have to start writing a book together for their writing class.
I loved the plot of this book but it honestly fell a bit flat for me. It felt a bit slow and repetitive at times. I loved the beginning but starting when they actually got together I was just not rooting for them anymore. This is completely a me problem but I felt like there was too much spice and felt a bit forced, I wished to see more of their actual dating than only spice after they got together. Without spoiling anything I also really didn’t like that Rosie still decided to go back with Aiden after their break up and to me the ending was just not realistic.
I didn’t have any problem with the writing however I usually like books in books but in this case it was just so repetitive, basically a copy of what was actually going on between Rosie and Aiden.
In the end I don’t think that this was a bad book but it was just not for me personally, however if you love spice totally go for it!!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Writers…
Rivals…
Enemies…

They are in a creative writing class and butt heads at every opportunity. The professor makes them write a novel together as the final project. She only writes romances with a HEA and he only wants to write literary fiction with bitterness. What could go wrong?

This was so good! I loved it! It was spicy and angsty. All the things!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

I will EAT UP an enemies to lovers and forced proximity EVERY 👏🏻 SINGLE 👏🏻 TIME

If you wanted Beach Read but for them to write the book together this is the one for you!!

While this was done in single POV we were still able to see the MMC’s perspective in the book excepts they were writing. I absolutely loved it!!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with a copy of Not In My Book to read and provide my honest review. I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down, I read it in one sitting. Enemies/Rivals to Lovers is one of my all time favorite tropes and it was done so well in this book. The pacing was perfect. The way the Rosie and Aiden’s relationship developed both in their writing and in their daily lives was so incredible. I LOVED that they were writing and living their own love story and the way they used their characters to say what they couldn’t or didn’t know how to. Every aspect of their rivalry to romance was believable. Their banter was perfection. I could feel the tension between them and it was fantastic. I loved all of the sub-tropes sprinkled in and the way they all felt purposeful.

I really thought Rosie and Aiden were both great complex characters. I loved that Rosie was Peruvian and I thought the cultural representation in this book was done well. I found Rosie to be really relatable, as someone who sometimes feels not Latina enough in some settings, but still likes to feel connected to their culture. Although he didn’t feel it himself, Aiden was such a great romance hero. I love the ways he paid attention and really understood Rosie. His gestures were everything and I love that he took accountability. I absolutely adored the fact that we got 2 grand gestures! I cried throughout the last act of this book.

I loved the way Not In My Book felt like a love letter to romance as a genre. Often times were made to feel lesser than or not taken seriously as readers for because we read romance, but romance as a genre is so important to so many of us, and it’s incredible to feel validated for loving it. Not In My Book, put into words the reasons that I and many other readers love romance books. The guaranteed HEA is one of my favorite parts of this genre, but its the character development and the journey that makes it worth it. And I think the HEA in this book was well deserved and well done!

Had me in the first half, I can’t even lie. I laughed, I cried, I loved it. This book had a lot of my favorite tropes. Rivals-to-lovers, witty banter, some forced proximity, and groveling.

I loved seeing them work together and communicate their feelings through their book when they couldn’t get themselves to do it in person. Watching Aiden open up and be vulnerable with Rosie was everything I had hoped it would be. While we didn’t get his POV completely, it was nice getting to see what he was feeling from the parts of the book he wrote.

Definitely one that I will add to my shelves.

I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers romances, and I loved Not in My Book so much. The chemistry and banter between Rosie & Aiden was fantastic, and I binged this. So good!

I loved everything about this book! The banter, the tension, the competition, the friends, the romance! It played on all my emotions and I didn’t want to put it down! Aiden and Rosie were the perfect enemies to lovers, kinda forced proximity, kinda workplace romance (classroom setting). Rosie is a romantic and Aiden is a pessimist but they’re forced to work together to write a novel in their creative writing class. All they do is fight and now they have to write a romantic story. It was perfect in every sense of the word. I would definitely recommend this to my romance reader friends!

I can't believe this book is Katie Holt's debut. Anyone who knows me knows that I gave DNF to "Doidos por Livros" and this book presents a similar concept.

Rosie is passionate about romance and wants to find her happy ending. She is completely pink, I love her energy and even though she seems like just a dreamer, she fights for the future she wants.

Aiden doesn't believe in romance since life isn't about happy endings. But with each chapter he shows us the various layers it has and why he thinks this way.

The romance between the two builds little by little, it begins with fake encounters that evolve into something more, until both are unable to deny that after all, not everything is fake.

The story makes us fall in love with them and the story they have to write together, showing us how they use their own feelings to mirror them in the characters in the book.

The ending is predictable but extremely sentimental, I was left with a warm heart for sure.

Katie's writing is captivating and very fluid, I will definitely want to read her next books.

I didn't think I would like this book so much but the truth is that as soon as I finished it, I only thought about starting again.

This book is a charming and witty enemies-to-lovers romance centred around two writers, who are forced to collaborate on a book. I loved that the simmering tension turned into heartfelt chemistry as elements of the main characters real lives spill into the fictional story they’re writing together. I really enjoyed the slow-burn trope and the fact that it is set in New York City adds an extra layer of charm to this romance.

If you enjoy contemporary romance with a blend of humour, rivalries, and heartfelt moments, this book might be a perfect fit!

Thank you net galley and the publisher for giving me access to this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this book was just perfect! such an rivals to lovers, all while incorporating the processes of writing stories.

This story gave me The Hating Game and Book Lovers vibes.
This loath to lovers was amazing!! I loved the hate, the banter, the tension, the spice! It was all just so good. I am not a fan of the third act breakup but this was done so well! I liked how we got to read parts of the book Rosie and Aiden were writing. That added to the substance of this book. I can’t wait to see people discover this book!!

A story of writers writing a story, two characters with a history behind them who hate each other but as they write the chapters of the book they discover who each other is and love every moment together.
A love story that makes you fall in love and get angry with every action of the main characters but always wishing they find their happy ending.

NOT IN MY BOOK by Katie Holt is about a romance novelist. But instead of suffering from writer's block like usual, she is suffering from her snobby litfic classmate that she has to cowrite a book with.

WHY do they HAVE to cowrite a book, you ask? Well, it's some Seinfeld-ass punishment shit, but honestly it's kind of funny. He looks down on romance and is super critical of all her writing samples, she is underwhelmed by his Important Man Sad Endings. Where is the lie, really!

It's a fun, slow burn antagonist to lovers, even if their book is a just barely fictionalized version of their own relationship (cmon guys!). Most chapters end with a snippet from their work, usually from the point of view of the book-within-a-book's male main character, which is kind of fun, since the (real) book is single POV. I'm not explaining it well; it's very meta, but it's fun.

WHAT A DEBUT.

I honestly didn’t know what I would think about this book when I picked it up but it was absolutely a case of right book, right time. I devoured this in one sitting and the lack of sleep was so worth it. I loved the vibes and the NYU setting was great. I think their should be more college romances and this was fun to get a glimpse into writing classes and all of the holidays in New York.

The enemies to lovers trope was ACTUALLY enemies. I struggle to find this in contemporary books and oooo boy, these two brought the heated content. I loved that it felt true E2L but you could see those tiny little moments bringing Rosie and Aiden closer and closer together.

It is very meta with me reading a book about two characters who are writing a book that is basically about them too. And honestly, this usually bugs me a lot, and for whatever reason it didn’t here??? Big nod to the fact that I couldn’t be bothered because I was too engrossed in how the romance was playing out.

My little .25 issue was with the spice. It just wasn’t for me. The plot > spice, but I did think it was still a little much. I appreciated how much of a slow burn it was at least.

This does follow a true typical romance book with a third act that could make you cranky. I think with the whole atmosphere of the book already setting up for that, it didn’t frustrate me as much as I expected. I actually leaned into it and enjoyed waiting for that grand gesture.

It’s swoony and heated and charismatic. I loved this debut and will definitely read whatever Katie Holt writes next.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Romance
Language: moderate
Romance: 3-4 open door
Content Warnings: loss of a parent (recounted)

3.75 rounded up. This book says it’s recommended to lovers of Beach Read and The Hating Game. I would agree. At first, this almost felt too similar to Beach Read. Two rival writers, one writing romance, one writing literary fiction. Both seemingly looking down on the other’s genre. The difference lies in Aiden and Rosie being in a current MFA program at NYU. Their coursework and public scuffles in class pits them against each other. It’s a true enemies-to-lovers story. The real twist is when the two are assigned to collaborate on a project to overcome their constant bickering. Attraction between them has been simmering the whole time, but it’s in this assignment that they become unlikely friends and eventually more. There was a lot to like in this debut including one of the most unique open-door scenes I’ve ever read (they’re co-writing it in a Google doc and it was… *fans face*), but I had a few things that just weren’t my taste. Number one: the sheer volume of open-door chapters and the type of language used in them was beyond my comfort-zone. These scenes were more reminiscent of authors like Elle Kennedy and Tessa Bailey than Emily Henry or Sally Thorne, in my opinion. This is not a bad thing, but the former authors are ones I’ve decided are just not for me. I think the intimacy could have packed a bigger punch with less frequency. The second thing was that Aiden and Rosie are sometimes downright mean. I know it’s an enemies story, but I just don’t vibe super well with the insults as foreplay trope. Other than this, I still enjoyed this debut. I really liked Rosie’s family and all the friendships made in the writing group, their nights out, and their group texts. And without it being a strictly holiday book, we also get Christmas and New Year’s Eve in New York City.

The bottom line: I think this was a good debut for the right romance audience, especially lovers of the enemies-to-lovers trope and comfortable with some choice bedroom talk, if you get my drift.

Ugh I just loved this sweet and swoony rivals to lovers romance. It reminded me of everything I love in a romance book. It also made me think of one of my favourite movies - 10 Things I Hate About You. There are more than a few moments they list what they hate about each other 😂
The hate tension between Rosie and Aiden is just perfect. Their banter and developing relationship made me not want to put the book down. In fact I didn't, I read most of the book in one afternoon. I won't spoil the ending, but I loved it. This was a great first book from Katie and I'm hoping to see more in the future.

Two books in one! This is a bickering rivals to lovers rom com featuring two people- Rosie who writes romance and Aiden who write literary fiction-forced to work together. Their banter is good and it's fun to read the novel they produce together. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a light easy read for a lazy day.