Not in My Book by Katie Holt is a unique take on an enemies to lovers romance. Rosie and Aiden are rival Grad students in an MFA program at NYU, Rosie writing romance and Aiden writing literary fiction and with little to no patience for the romance genre. Their constant verbal sparring leads to their professor deciding that if the two wanted to remain in her class, they must cowrite a novel that blend both their genres. Rosie and Aiden begin writing together an enemies to lovers novel that mirrors, in many aspects, their own situation and becomes a tool for them to become friends with each other. The author incorporates snippets from the novel that Rosie and Aiden are co-writing, about Max and Hunter, into each chapter, which allows the reader insights into how Rosie and Aiden are thinking and their reasons for acting the way they do and was a writing tool that really worked well in this book.

Thank you to the publisher, Alcove Press, and the author for an eARC of this book in an exchange for an honest review. It was a great debut novel!

Rosie and Aiden are in a writing workshop together and he constantly attacks her submissions. He hates romance novels and that is what she is writing. Things get so bad in class, that they are almost expelled. However, the professor has an option for them to write the novel together. Rosie and Aiden create a love story between Max and Hunter. The more they work on the novel, the more their relationship becomes very close to what they are writing together. Katie Holt uses this approach to help Rosie and Aiden move their relationship forward. I love the concept and the inclusion of their chapters of the novel intertwined with the plot. I recommend this novel; however, be aware that there are several very graphic sexual descriptions in both the imagined and real relationships depicted.

I don't think I've ever been as impressed with a debut as with this one. Katie Holt really blew me away with this book. It has everything, from angst to happiness and rivals to lovers.

While this book is essentially a standard contemporary romance novel, it's execution really took it to another level. In the book, we get to know Aiden and Rosie, but we also get to know Hunter and Maxine, the characters in the book they are cowriting. Aiden and Rosie are both aspiring authors and always try to find flaws in each others writing. When they find themselves stuck in a situation in which they have to write a book together, they create these characters to reflect each other.

"The truth was I liked her no matter what she did, no matter what she said."

As the relationship between Rosie and Aiden evolves, so does the one of their characters. While I love books about books, this one was so special as we also get to read excerpts about the book they are writing. I loved how we got to know their thoughts about each other this way, without them voicing it out loud, especially Aiden's.

“There hasn’t been a second where I wasn’t wondering what you were thinking and if it was of me.”

The pacing of the book was perfect. The writing kept me wanting to continue and I honestly really liked the characters. Overall, I loved this book and I will literally recommend it to everybody. It was also a lot deeper than I expected it to be, which is something I really appreciate in a romance book.

A major thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️.5/🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

This was a really cute book about all things romance. It centres around two writers in New York City, Rosie (from Tennessee) moved to New York after a toxic breakup with a long term boyfriend, because she dreamed of being a romance author and set up taking writing workshops with a beloved writer that she admired. Aidan is in that workshop too, cutthroat and stuck in his ways, he believes that romance is frivolous and writes literary fiction that would make anyone basically contemplate their life choices. It was hate at first workshop review, but that fine line between love and hate turns into something more when they cause one too many disruptions in their writing workshops and their lecturer informs them it’s either try to get along and submit their thesis as a joint project or drop out of the workshop and get the dean to assign a new elective. Ultimately they chose to write the book together and this becomes their love story. This was a sickly sweet slow burn that had you going, “please please please just shut the fuck up and kiss already” and when they finally got together you were like “fuckin’ finally!!”. I liked the premise of this book and way it was set, I love reading about romance readers and writers, I relate so much to the thinking and I love the references to different authors and books throughout. This was an easy and enjoyable read. However, there were some small writing errors and some timelines didn’t add up for me, especially in the later chapters, they’d be doing something and then something else happens and I start thinking ‘how is that possible’. Maybe something to look over. I did love the dialogue and the spice definitely added to the story, I’m usually used to reading dual pov but in this book having everything in Rosie’s was a nice experience because you still got a lot of Aidan though the dialogue and the excepts of the manuscript they’re writing though out the novel. The third act conflict was kinda irrelevant especially since it took so long for them to even get together, I can kinda see why it was done but overall could’ve gone about it another way. This was a nice book and I lovely experience, I definitely recommend.

Swifties unite! A fun read with vibes that will fill the hole in your life now that the Eras tour is on hiatus until the fall!

As soon as I realized that our main character was a swiftie I was all for it, and I love how Rosie is just a hopeless romantic! *Queue "This is Love" by Taylor Swift. This book has forced proximity and enemies-to-lover between Aiden and Rosie and that alone made the whole plot even more fun! I liked how the book storyline was over a longer period of time than average, allowing us to see a better character and plot development for their storyline. Seeing how our parent's relationship can impact the way we and the characters view love was eye-opening. Aiden did not have the same example of love from his parents as Rosie does, and that just gets right under his skin which was so fun to read jeje. The banter was such a fun read and I can't wait to see what else this author will write next!

this was cute and had a lot of potential to be amazing, but unfortunately it fell a little flat. i really liked the plot and how their love story was told through themselves and their characters in their book. i’d definitely read more from this author

This book was such a great read. I love a good enemies to lovers trope and Katie Holt did a great job keeping the banter throughout the book. I think the epilogue started with Rosalinda wanting to strangle Aiden and I loved it. It was a super enjoyable read that I finished in 2 days! I'm actually obsessed with Aiden. A hot, mysterious writer? Count me in!

Absolutely adored this book! Thank you to Net Galley for the early access in exchange for a review.

Rosie is totally drawn to Aiden when she first sees him but later when they learn they have the same writing class he snubs her because she is a romance author. It then turns to an enemies vibe when Rosie feels that Aiden critiques her writing way harder than the rest of her peers. After having had enough of their bickering, their teacher attempts to remove them from class unless they can complete a project together and get along.

As they work together to write a fiction novel they grow to frenemies and start to fall for each other and pour their feelings into the book they’re writing. I was hooked on this book and was up until 2am TRYING to finish it but with 12 minutes left in the book I couldn’t stay up and had to finish in the morning and honestly I’m glad I waiting to be fully awake because the ending was *chefs kiss*!! I’m looking forward to reading my more of Katie’s books!

4.5 stars rounded up. This is a gorgeously written debut by Katie Holt. The interspersing of passages from the novel Rosie and Aiden were writing was a very clever storytelling technique, particularly in revealing Aiden’s thoughts and feelings, since it was a single POV book.

I would say Aiden was 90% an amazing book boyfriend. Some of the things he did for Rosie were truly swoon-worthy. I loved the Christmas in New York scenes. And my heart broke for him when he finally started opening up about his childhood.

However, there were occasionally times where it was hard to understand his behavior, particularly *spoilerish alert* in the final conflict. Though the author tried to explain it, I found it harder to forgive than Rosie did, especially when she apologized to him and I felt she actually didn’t do anything wrong.

But overall this was such a unique and well-written book, and I really enjoyed it! I recommend picking it up when it comes out in December!

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First off, I cannot believe this was a debut book! When I mid-reading, I went to see if the author had other books because I loved this one so much already, and was surprised to see it was her debut. The plot was unique, and I loved the idea of the love story within a love story. This book had me actually laugh out loud, and kicking my feet all giddy at times with how sweet and cute the romance was. I thought the characters were fun and well written, and the dialogue felt so natural, even with the written text messages between characters. I am already looking forward to the next story from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This was such a great premise. I loved the book within a book. In fact, dare I say I liked Max and Hunter way more than Rosie and Aidan. Rosie really got on my nerves toward the end of the story, which is probably the only reason this doesn't get 5 stars. Loved the dual POV, which doesn't always work but definitely did here. Loved the friends! They were really funny and added so much to the story. Loved Ronny Jr (haha) and Aidan's exasperation with Rosie's building. This was so much better than I was expecting. Absolutely recommending this one.

Was ready for a cute rom com but what I got was angst and I’m not mad about it! 😅 I really can’t believe it was a debut novel! Well written! This was a quick and easy read for me! 4 stars! Be sure to grab this one in December 😍

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

Not in My Book was a truly captivating read. The interplay and character development between Rosie and Aidan had me both laughing and crying. While I felt that the side characters and their relationships could have been explored in greater depth, Rosie's parents were particularly endearing.

Aidan occasionally frustrated me with his emotional immaturity, though his character did show significant growth throughout the story. Initially, I was concerned that Rosie's portrayal might reflect negatively on the broader romance book community, but as her story progressed, she became a relatable and multidimensional character.

I’m rating this book 4.5 stars. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I believe there was room for additional elements to enhance the overall narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing this excellent ARC!

Enjoyable romance story. Some of the banter between the characters became too much at times. The things they said too each other seemed unnecessarily harsh and I feel like might be hard to come back from to repair the relationship. But overall the development moved smoothly.

Not in my Book was so good. The banter and development in Rosie and Aidan's story had me sobbing and laughing. The side characters and their relationships could have been more in-depth, but Rosie's parents were the cutest.

Aiden sometimes frustrated me, though, as he was in the emotional range of a toddler, but his character was well-developed throughout the story. Initially, I also had reservations about how Rosie was displayed, as it made the rest of us in the romance book community seem like Rosie. However, as her story went on, you connected with her, and she felt like more than just a character in a book.

I rate this book 4.5 cause although I liked it, something needed to be added to the story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Alcove Press, for this excellent ARC!

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Not in My Book by Katie Holt is an enjoyable romcom that shines with its character development and witty banter. Rosie’s journey is at the heart of the story her move to New York City to pursue her dreams is full of ups and downs, and her determination through all the challenges makes her incredibly relatable.

The chemistry between Rosie and Aiden is electric, starting off as pure animosity and gradually building into something deeper. Their banter is sharp and entertaining, and the tension between them crackles from the very beginning.

The writing flows smoothly, with a great balance between humour, heartfelt moments, and tension.

The pacing is spot-on, allowing Rosie and Aiden’s relationship to develop naturally while also weaving in their creative process as they co-write a novel.

Overall, it’s a charming and well-crafted read that keeps you engaged from start to finish.

This was a good romance book following two writers who write in different genres and are forced to write one book together as part of their writing workshop. The romance was enemies to lovers and i liked the romance book within a romance book idea but it was getting confusing to follow since the characters in their co-written book were so similar to the MCs, i wasn't able to distinguish them. The writing was simple and easy and readable so very approachable. I would still look forward to more books by the author.

Romance isn't my jam, particularly contemporary romance, but I do like to read outside my comfort zone at times.

"Not in my Book" is quite meta, in that the protagonist, Rosie, is an aspiring romance novelist, who loves the genre, she is attending a creative writing class in New York. Also attending the class is Aiden Huntington, with a strong jawline, green eyes and perfectly combed hair that looked incredibly soft, who writes literary fiction and is contemptuous of romantic fiction.

"It's a contemporary romance, right?
Right.
So how much tension could there really be? We live in an age of instant gratification. The only tension nowadays is whether your thumb will swipe left or right."

The hostile banter between the two disrupts the class and causes, their professor to hit upon the idea of getting the two rivals to work on a book together. Through the characters in their book, Hunter and Max, the two writers can express their feelings for each other, which change from antagonism to a blossoming romance. Their professor also suggests for homework that the two writers go on a "fake" date as Max and Hunter to inform their writing better. "Just focus on not killing each other so we can hear all about it next class."

Rosie is a Peruvian-American from small-town Tennessee, struggling to survive in NYC. Aiden is "hot" almost a foot taller than her, the typical unrealistic male of romance novels. Rosie is struggling to control her feelings for him "I got a whiff of his cologne somehow warm and sharp. I pretended I didn't love it." and later "I wondered how his lips would feel on mine. I hated how he made my mind stray from anger to lust so quickly." Both characters have a stubborn streak, after all if the enemies became lovers too soon no-one would care and we are invested in the two central characters. I feel the secondary characters like the classmates and Rosie's family could have been better developed.

I enjoyed the exploration of the genre through the characters, I wasn't sure at first how I would feel about a romance writer writing about a romance writer. Jess, one of the classmates remarks that Rosie and Aiden's relationship is a "lot like a romance novel", which Rosie vehemently denies. This is a slow burn, forced proximity rivals to lovers novel. This is not a closed-door romance and there are a couple of steamy scenes.

New York is a suitably romantic setting for the novel, many famous rom-coms have been filmed there. I found the story entertaining and I didn't have to suspend my disbelief as much as I'd been expecting. I did find there to be a lot of eye rolling by various characters.

Thank you to Alcove Press and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My rating 4.5 rounded up to 5

4⭐️.

I really enjoyed the premise and delivery of this book. The development and growth of the twos relationship is told thru the book they are writing together. I thought this was really smart as it did a great job conveying that they had a difficult time caring openly vulnerable but thru the chapters that they could be be brave and express their feelings.

I will be keeping an eye out for other books by this author and would be willing to read from them again.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.