This was a fun concept and I loved the idea of a cowritten book and weaving the plots together. However I didn't feel much chemistry between Rosie and Aiden and I found it a bit repetitive when th3 book and cowritten book scenes overlapped

3.50 ✧˖°. 💗


<blockquote><i>"I know you prefer what's in your books, and I pretend I don't want to be like them, but I do. I want to be the person you picture when you're reading and dreaming because you're who I picture every single time. I love you. In light and dark, in romance and litfic. In this lifetime and the next."</blockquote></i>


𓍢ִ໋🌷֒✧ ༘ ⋆｡♡


<b>MAIN REVIEW:</b>


♡︎ such a cute, fluffy romance! I almost loved the banter and the concept of this book. We all love a well written rivals to lovers 🤭


♡︎ the book was very easy to get into and the writing is straight to the point. It was fast paced, felt a little middle paced at the middle but overall fast paced and really enjoyable for a fun romance read


♡︎ I resonated with Rosie ( the main female chase ) the most and dont even get me started on the quotes in this book! and I also appreciate the fact that none of the side characters felt flat like they had their own personalities.


♡︎ really enjoyed it, the start rating was only reduced because firstly there were some spelling mistakes and the writing wasn’t exactly perfect but my friend mentioned that this book is a debut novel so overall still very impressive!


♡︎ i know this is kinda irrelevant but the cover is so cute i keep staring at it 😭


‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.


<i>Thank you to Netgalley, Alcove Press and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review</i>


⋅˚₊‧ 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

I immensely enjoyed this book. I've always been a huge fan of enemies to lovers and this book does it right. Rosie and Aiden hate each other so much that it nearly gets them kicked out of a grad school class and forced to work together. Aiden absolutely has the vibes of the douchebag in college you hated but would probably hate bang if you got the chance. But then we get to see a different side of him and I found myself actually liking Aiden. Both of them have been hurt by love before and they eventually bring out the best in each other. I will say, the third act breakup is insanely predictable but I still enjoyed the grand gesture Aiden makes in the end.

The sex is definitely hot and just this side of kinky. The chemistry between these two characters is off the charts and it does not disappoint.

My only issue with the book is that Rosie, being a romance writer, complains about how nobody takes romance books seriously and Aiden at one point calls it a genre for lonely women and their 9 cats. And, yes, that has been a stereotype for a long time but especially in this day and age romance is one of the best selling genres. Just look at booktok. Nearly everything on there is romance and smut. All the most recommended books in bookstores are romances. So to have that be a plot point in a book that is publishing this year just feels really weird.

This might be the cutest, best-crafted romance I’ve read all year.

If you know me, you know romance isn’t my most-read genre (even though I love it!). I need to be in the right ✨mood✨ and find the right book. And this one, dear reader, was the right one. Perfect one, even.

The main character, Rosie, is my soulmate. We are basically the same person (replace her Peruvian roots with my Mexican ones, that is). She is fun, ambitious, love to defend what she loves and thrives on writing, quiet evenings reading her books, and her friends. I think having a romance-lover as the main character of such a down to earth romance book is a fantastic idea. It proves that romance always wins.

We discover the POV of Rosie’s love interest - Aiden - through the book they are writing together and this is EVERYTHING. I couldn’t get enough. The author uses this concept with genius, creating a layered story full of tension, anticipation and discoveries. This one is person for the people who love to discover the POV of the love interest and realise he fell first. Multiple times I found myself giggling in bed, and I NEVER giggle.

I also loved how realistic this book felt. It’s a romance for romance lovers who think they’ll never find a love as perfect as the book they read about. Because maybe that’s not the point. Aiden is imperfect, but he is trying, he sticks and learns and even if he makes mistakes, it makes him real and tangible. Rosie is the same. Two imperfectly perfect characters who would have never thought they’d end up together, but who did.

The blurb, a romance writer forced to write one with a man who hates them, is genius. And it’s perfectly executed. I loved it with all my heart and I cannot wait to read more by this author.

I loved this book! I read the entire book in less than a day because I couldn’t put it down. I thought it was clever for the main characters writing a romance novel in a romance novel. This was the perfect enemies to lovers book. I rarely give five stars, but this book deserves it. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Katie Holt.

Two rival aspiring writers at NYU in a creative writing workshop. Rosie, a hopeless romantic who lives for Happily Ever after's and Aiden, who writes literary fiction where any story can have tragedy. When they cannot seem to get along, their mentor assigns them with a co-writing project to make them learn to respect each others genres.

I loved the concept of writing a book within a book, I loved their dynamic and banter.
This was a slow burn enemies to lovers.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc copy.

Thank you NetGalley for getting me this eARC!

I'm a big fan of books about books and this sounded perfect to me! And I did really like it! The tension between the characters was well written and the rivals to lovers felt very convincing. It was definitely a good romance.
The one thing I'm not as fond of is third act breakups, but I understand the need to create some conflict. However, I did not like the conflict here and the miscommunication about it. To me, it didn't fit in with the characters personalities either. I just could not see them reacting like that.

I'm still rating this book 4 stars, because I loved the romance and the way they made up and I would absolutely recommend this book to romance fans!!

Not In My Book was ultimately a very sweet and sexy romance and I would have really given it 3.5 ⭐ It's a book that I think many will enjoy but it fell a little flat for me. There were lots a things I really loved about the story. The mouth on Aiden didn't hurt one bit....spicy scenes were spicin' especially from this quiet, broody guy but I was missing the swooniess I have enjoyed with other books. I'm wondering if that would translate better when in audio form with a top tier narrator and that possibly would have elevated the story for me but I didn't connect with the characters or just fall completely in love with them like I have with other MC's in books. I always love a great enemies to lovers romance but this one just didn't hit like others I've read or listened to.

I did really like the relationship Rosie had with her family and friends. Very close and tight knit relationships that seemed genuine and good.

Rival graduate students, Aiden and Rosie are forced to write a love story together in a creative writing class. I'm always one for good banter in an enemies to lovers but this bickering seemed a little juvenile and forced. During the course of the book, their own love story gets written. I actually think this is a very cute concept. I felt like I was reading a book within a book with the included passages that were added at the end of chapters plus we get Aiden's thoughts as well. I was excited when I read the blurb about the story but it just wasn't executed as well as I had hoped for. The scenes with them writing together were actually cute and fun but there were parts of the story that the pacing was off and some abrupt scene changes

Again, I do think it would be great to try in audio form with excellent narrators and would probably be enjoyable to me. It's definitely true to it's word when saying this book is The Hating Game meets Beach Read. Those two books far exceed this story in comparison unfortunately.

PUB DATE December 10th 2025

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Press and Katie Holt for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Overall, this was a cute, easy read and I'll be very interested to see what Katie Holt writes next.

Lots of tropes, but the self-awareness made it way better. Love books about people writing books. Strong showing in the romance category but a little too cheesy for a higher rating.

In the future, I think the author could do with one less sex scene, but overall they didn’t bother me since one was fictional. I was a fan of the Spanish and Peruvian culture references throughout the book as well that seemed to be familiar to the authors own life. Would read more from her in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

Fantastic author! Great pacing and great development for the characters. I was heavily invested in the plot and descriptive settings.

This book was so stinking cute. Some parts of it felt unrealistic, but I think that’s what the author was going for with the plot anyways. I’ve been wanting a cheesy, cutesy, romance books to get me out of my rut and this was it!! The writing was impeccable and I can’t believe this is Holt’s first book. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her future books! Thank you to NetGalley and the author/publisher for allowing me to read the ARC before release!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The things I would do to be able to read this story again for the first time. I have a bad habit of staying up late to finish a book and that’s exactly what happened with Not in my Book. The way the story is told through the POV of Rosie and then we get glimpses of both of of their perspectives and feelings through the characters in the book they’re writing is something I’ve never seen before that I loved (also the open door scene they write together for the book… holy ). As a romance novel obsessed person having the reason why they are so addictive put in towards through Rosie was amazing. The way she described love and wanting to be magical but wanting it to also be real was something I could connect with easily. Anyone who loved Book Lovers by Emily Henry will love this book. I can’t believe this is her debut novel but I can’t wait to read more from Katie Holy!

I went into this book expecting something predictable and thankfully that wasn’t the case.

I personally enjoyed the book but did find myself frustrated with these characters! This felt like a true enemies to lovers but the wait was worth it.

I loved that this felt a little like a book within a book and the premise/execution was unique and not like a lot of books I’ve read lately.

I was not a fan of the confrontational piece at the end but I would never read books that even hinted at third act breakups if that didn’t limit like 90% of all romance reads. But that said it did just feel off and I would have personally preferred something a bit different.

In general this book exceeded my expectations and was a fun read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this book! I finished it in about 4 hours and had thoughts for every sentence. The book is sort of like an enemies to lovers but in college with authors. The dialogue made me laugh so much and I adored the little date scenes! Our MCs writing themselves into their book was such a wonderful idea and I loved reading it play out! This is a slow burn but it is relatively short so there wasn’t any problem holding my attention. I also really liked Rosie’s family and enjoyed every scene we got with all of them together! This was such a fun book and I would recommend for lovers of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren!!

This book offers a delightful blend of humor and sweetness, capturing the dynamic of a small-town girl and a city boy perfectly. The protective undertones, reminiscent of "hurt her and I'll end you," add an engaging layer to the narrative.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It presents a unique and refreshing story that stands out in the genre. The slow burn, enemies-to-lovers trope is executed brilliantly, keeping me engaged and invested in the characters' development throughout the story. The gradual evolution of their relationship felt natural and well-paced, adding depth to their individual arcs.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was a truly enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a well-crafted romance with a touch of humor and heartfelt moments.

This was an enjoyable read. It was nice to see how these two characters got their HEA. I look forward to more books from this author.

4/5 ⭐

It's hard for me to believe that this is really her debut! The book has everything I love in romance novels. The banter between the two was fantastic. I found myself grinning throughout, and sure, at times it was a bit too cheesy, but still a lovely love story.

I was so engrossed in reading that I almost finished it in one day. The protagonist Rosie was very likable and charming. She is caring and intelligent, and she had the courage to forge a new path for her future.

I also thought it was cool that she had Peruvian roots! And the spice was nicely spicy.

Overall, a refreshing and exciting debut book! I'm looking forward to more books from her; I'll definitely read them too!

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the banter and writing a book inside of a book was just too notch! I definitely think this one will be a major hit and one of my favorites from Netgalley

Omg, this was such a cute read!!🤩

If you love a good rivals-to-lovers book, keep reading.

Rosie, a passionate Peruvian-American woman, leaves her hometown in Tennessee to chase her dream of becoming a writer in New York. But her plan hits a snag when she finds herself in class with her arch-nemesis, Aiden Huntington, a grumpy and gorgeous writer who despises the romance genre.

Their constant verbal sparring forces their professor to make them collaborate on a novel that blends their genres. As they reluctantly write their intense and steamy story, they begin to truly understand each other.

When a career-changing competition reignites their rivalry, their love story is put to the test. Will they be able to finish their book and save their relationship?

I adored the premise of this book and have never read a romance quite like it.

The whole idea of them having to write a book together and getting a “dual POV” experience, even though the book is mainly from Rosie’s perspective, is brilliant. Because they write chapters together, we get to know Aiden too.

This is the kind of book you can devour in one sitting. I did. It’s that good.

Read if you like:
- Enemies to lovers
- Slow-burn
- Forced proximity
- Writing rivals
- Co-writing partners
- Steamy scenes
- Peruvian FMC

thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!

4.5⭐️ This was SUCH a delight to read. This follows writers Rosie and Aiden, who are in a writing class together but have an overwhelming dislike for one another, as Rosie is a romance author and Aiden can’t stand this. After one too many inappropriate arguments in class, their professor tells them they either have to write a book together or will be forced to leave the class. Throughout this book, you see snippets of the book their writing, which ends up being about each other, and it gives you inside detail about how they really feel about each other, which I found to be such a creative and unique detail that I absolutely loved. This was such a cozy read and being set in the holiday season was just the perfect cherry on top! I love the way the characters interact and the way he really fights for her. I also thought the friend group as well as the family dynamic added a really nice other element. I can’t wait for this to be released so more people can read it