Not in My Book is a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance. I enjoyed the spice! The pacing wasn’t always consistent, and I really wish there was more depth and development to Rosie. Overall it was a lighthearted, enjoyable read.

|| 4.0 stars ||

This was a true rivals-to-lovers slow-burn with all the feels and angst!

<b><blockquote>”There hasn’t been a second where I wasn’t wondering what you were thinking and if it was of me.”</b></blockquote>

The story is about two upcoming authors who are both opposites in the type of genre they like to write and spend most of their college workshops hurling insults at each other. They’re genuinely <i>mean</i> and <i>rude</i> towards each other, and do not hold back. I honestly struggled with this a little bit at first, because aside from her inner monologue acknowledging how handsome he was from the start, I truly could not feel any romantic tension or feelings between them at all. I was afraid their romance was going to fall flat for me. However, I shouldn’t have feared, because once I saw their relationship slowly develop and blossom, I actually appreciated that they started out with so much animosity. They genuinely acted like rivals at first and it was a true slow-burn.

<b><blockquote>”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 the light and dark, in romance and litfic. In this lifetime and the next.”</b></blockquote>

This was not the only reason I appreciated this romance so much though. It was so much more than just that! It was the way I genuinely got so invested in their relationship that I literally felt my heart pang or beat rapidly in my chest whenever something happened between them, good or bad. You know that feeling, when you are so into it that you genuinely have physical reactions to the story? It could be your gut dropping or cramping, or maybe your chest feeling tight, or perhaps even full-blown butterflies in your stomach? Those were the feelings I got whenever one of them said something that really hurt the other person, or if one of them felt deep pain or sadness, but also when they were being insanely gentle and vulnerable and sweet to each other. Their dynamic was so organic and their interactions felt so real to me that I couldn’t help but feel intense emotional (and physical) reactions to all of it!

<b><blockquote>”I’m not yours anymore.”
“Fine. If you’re not mine, then know that I’m yours.”</b></blockquote>

And I don’t mean all this in a way like everything was constantly angsty or emotional between them, because they actually had a lot of really cute and sweet moments as well. I’m honestly pretty hard to please when it comes to domestic scenes, because I tend to find them a little uneventful or even boring quite easily, so you must really believe me when I tell you these scenes were adorable and felt really authentic. It never felt forced or over-the-top; I genuinely felt like these two were having these gentle or cutesy moments together because they loved each other deeply and were the perfect fit for each other, which simply made it incredibly sweet to read. Especially since all of those moments were so nicely written too!

<b><blockquote>”I’ll wait for you, Rosie. I swear it. I’m in it for the long haul. I want all your tomorrows. Every single one you’re willing to give me.”</b></blockquote>

Moreover, I also really liked the unique premise this book presented where we saw fragments of the book that the two characters were writing together throughout this story. The actual book is written from the heroine’s POV, but these fragments gave us a lot of insight into what the hero was thinking too and it was often incredibly swoon-worthy. I always love seeing the parts in a romance where the hero is pining for the heroine, and these fragments gave us that (albeit second-handedly) in a very refreshing and powerful way!

<b><blockquote>The truth was I liked her no matter what she did, no matter what she said.</b></blockquote>

All in all, I was honestly surprised by how much I ended up loving this book. I have to admit that I thought this book would be kind of silly and perhaps even superficial (I’m not sure why, really), yet it felt much deeper and more emotional than that to me. Whether it was the pretty and easy writing, the pleasant pacing, the well-rounded characters, or the angsty, well-developed, beautiful romance; I loved it all!

I am a sucker for stories where people fall in love over writing to each other. I got completely sucked into this rivals-to-lovers romance in which the MCs are grad students who are forced to write a romance novel together. They write a story with alternating perspectives, with characters that represent themselves, write out all the complex feelings that they have a hard time saying to each other in person, and they gradually fall for each other while reading each other's chapters? Be still my heart. It's just the kind of romance I love.

I liked the addition of ending each chapter with an excerpt from their novel, especially the fact that these excerpts were short--it was just enough to make me wish I *could* see more of their novel, and not so long that I got bored with the book-within-the-book like I have with other stories that have a similar setup. The side characters were fun, the language and dialogue were natural and easy to read, and the callbacks to classic romcoms were a joy, especially the When Harry Met Sally references! Katie Holt has a strong debut romance here! I'd recommend this to any fans of contemporary romance, particularly folks who feel they must defend romance as a genre worth reading.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

It's hard to believe this is a book by a debut author! It is well-plotted with a nice pace. The characters were well-rounded and relatable. I hate the judgement given to the romance genre and feel it is completely undeserved and I could feel the author's own passion on this topic.

While I liked Rosie as a character, she sometimes came across as childish. Aidan was someone I loved. His standoffishness is a defense mechanism and he is a man who is willing to apologise when he's done wrong.

Overall this was a fun engaging read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a new adult romance featuring college student authors.

i received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

In Katie Holt's new book, Not in My Book, Aiden prefers literary fiction and Rosie is a long-time romance girl. Their views clash in class with him being her biggest critic. The real battle begins when the teacher pairs them on an assignment to write a novel together successfully. Is the outcome predictable? Yes. Is it still a fun read? Absolutely. Read this quick, perfect for summer reading novel to find out if they manage success!
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to like this more than I ended up liking it. The chemistry was great, but a romance book arguing for romance books is preaching to the choir. No one who picks up this book needs to be convinced to read a romance book, so it feels like there's a significant disconnect between the intended audience and the actual audience.

Not In My Book ❤️‍🔥 Katie Holt
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️
My Thoughts: If you love romance, a good enemies to friends to lovers, both of them love books, forced proximity, and a friend group that makes you wish you were part of it, I highly recommend! This was so so cute and I loved getting a writer’s perspective. It can be hard being that creative and some inspirations can be taken from real life experiences. I loved that they couldn’t communicate at first because it made the hidden truths in their shared writing assignment to be more meaningful. I would have been mortified if my classmates had to witness all that sexual tension too 🤣 Aiden was everything Rosie needed and more. After her poor excuse for a man, ex boyfriend Simon downplayed the type of love a girl like Rosie deserves, Aiden came in and brought more than sparks. He brought the fireworks! I loved this book so much, and it just makes the hopeless romantic in me more hopeful. ROMANCE READERS AND WRITERS NEED TO READ THIS ASAP ❤️‍🔥

3.75 STARS

Okay so to start of, THANK YOU NETGALLEY FOR THIS FREE ARC IN EXCHANGE FOR A HONEST REVIEW

As for the book itself. It took me so long to finish and I hate it bc I have been in a HORRIBLE book slump. I’ve been tired or busy with summer classes or just not feeling it. But I decided that I need to just fucking push through something to kickstart this engine. Did it work? Idk-

I found the conflict to be stupid- I mean like maybe that was just me. I was almost teared up reading it towards the end but I just found the 3rd act break up unnecessary.
We also didn’t get to see any of Rosie’s character development- Aiden had a 180 but Rosie didn’t change throughout the book. She just got more annoying and stuff.

There were also ofc a few spelling errors/holes in the story but I assume those will be fixed.

Great Debut novel tho 🫶🫶

This was an ultimately sweet, sexy, perfectly fine book. There were things I liked about it for sure: Aiden’s dirty bedroom talk was naughty fun. Rosie’s closeness with her family and friends was pure and good.

Unfortunately, I just didn’t get the swoon factor with this one. I could identify the places where I was meant to swoon, but it felt forced and unnatural. Frankly, The Hating Game did this type of enemies-to-lovers *a lot* better in my opinion.

Aiden and Rosie are in a graduate level creative writing class and bicker so immaturely, they almost get kicked out; however, their professor allows them to stay if they write their novel together. Of course, during the course of writing this love story, they end up writing their own. Cute idea, but particularly well-executed.

Maybe I would like this better in audio as I have long believed an excellent vocal narration can elevate the written word for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. All thoughts are mine alone.

#romance #contemporaryromance #arc #netgalley #books #bookstagram #notinmybook #aidenandrosie

4.5/5⭐️This was a really fun read! I enjoyed the dynamic between the main characters and thought the “book within a book” was done in a thoughtful and meaningful way. I enjoyed knowing that the characters also knew about the background I gained from excerpts of their book. Thanks to the author for the arc from NetGalley!

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to read an ARC of Not In My Book.

When Rosie and Aidens rivalry begins to disrupt their graduate writing course, their professor takes a unique approach and gives them an ultimatum, drop the class....or write a book...together. Tensions and sparks fly as Aiden, the lit fic guy, and Rosie the romance girl clash both on the page and in person.

I really loved this book! It was super fun and one I read through quite quickly. Rosie and Aiden had great banter and chemistry, and it was really fun to see them work through this both as themselves, and as their characters in the book. The author does a great job balancing excerpts from their book with the main story. I sometimes struggle with this in a book, as I get a little frustrated to take a detour from the main story, but this was done in such a fun and integral way that I enjoyed it. Fair warning for some who pick this up, these two have a lot of back and forth, a lot of will they won't they, stop and start stop and start. If you like that and feel as though it adds to the tension, this book is for you. If that is not your cup of tea and when you come across it you find yourself wanting to rip the book and yell "just get together already!" well....be prepared to maybe feel like that (and don't rip books!).

Not In My Book by Katie Holt

Genre: Literary Fiction, Romance

"Not In My Book" is Peruvian-American Katie Holt's debut novel.

A kind of blend between Beach Read and the latest contemporary novels full of enemies-to-lovers banter, it follows Rosie, a Latina girl (half Peruvian half American, like KH) in her journey from Tennessee to NYC to make true her greatest goal: being an author, a romance writer.

You know, only one bed, swoon-worthy book boyfriends. Stuff like that.

Her dreams literally shatter when she meets Aiden Huntington: she used to have a teeny-tiny crush on him at the start of Creative Writing workshop before realizing he's... a total jerk.

He despises romance novels & he's her worst critic, leading to fights in class like that which sets motion to the plot.
Ida, the professor/course mentor, threatens to expell both of them... but only if they don't try to get along with each other by... writing a novel! Together!

The start is rocky, but gradually they warm to each other at the point they're dangerously falling into some depths that are quite... sentimental.

...

Not In My Book is everything I like in a romance. First of all, it's books in a book.

It has got a kind of college-school setting, a quirky and tough heroine (maybe too much in some cases), a "cold-but-not-so-cold" hero with a remarkable past (who he tries to forget), lots of funny banter, some spicy moments.

Rosie, the FMC, has also got Latina heritage, and honestly I loved everything about Peruvian traditions: you know, Christmas fatcs, sweets, a few dialogues in Spanish (for me it wasn't an issue since I speak Spanish between the languages I know). What I didn't like was her stubborness and the lack of communication (especially in the ending) between her and Aiden.

Aiden, Aiden, Aiden. What can I say other than you're like a boy I know? Tall, handsome... & who makes memes on me for reading spicy romances (like the puns you do on Rosie?). And that I love you both?

Funny enough, Aiden Huntington is one of my romcoms book boyfriends now. I would have given a try with Aiden if he was real, let's be honest!

Rosie Maxwell you're lucky!

The vibes in autumn-winter NYC were chef's kiss. And also the writing was very approachable even for those who are not from English-speaking countries but lack knowledge of advanced English or are not used to read in a foreign language.

In the end, except for some little details (I don't like the miscommunication trope), it was a worthy and excellent read!
I'm looking forward to read another book by KH.

Rating: ★★★★.5

...

I want to thank Alcove Press for the digital ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) via Netgalley. I'm not affiliated to the author, to the publishing house or any other person/agency. My review is honest and based only on my thoughts/feeling while reading the book.

Anais by The Bookish Scorpio

Loved this book! Such a fun academic rivals / enemies to lovers.
Both characters were relatable and dealt with real issues some people can connect with. Loved the side characters as well.
The plot was nice and well thought out, I especially loved the snippets of the book they’re writing together. I found that an interesting and creative way to convey the emotions that the FMC and MMC weren’t able to tell each other.
Overall loved this book and would absolutely recommend to anyone who loves some tension and amazing banter.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the advanced reader copy.

*contains a spoiler
This was a delightful and ambitious (writing a book within a book!) debut. While there were some debut-style issues, especially at the end--(there are several questions that never get answered, like does Rosie ever return to NYU's MFA program (and if she does, how long does it take her to get through it, while paying her way)? Does she go back to living with her friend Alexa?--the book has captivating main characters and fun secondary characters and the New York setting brings lots of life to what the characters do.

This book reminded me so much of a book I adore, which also contains a book within a book — Talk Bookish To Me by Kate Bromley. I remember wanting to read more of the book that the FMC was writing, the good thing here is that Rosie and Aiden's book is very close to their real story so I don't have to keep on wanting for more.

This book is listed with only 320 pages but I feel like it was more than that. I kept feeling that I've been reading for such a long time only to check and find out I haven't even made much progress. Some of the chapters were quite long and I truly believe some of the scenes and dialogues could have been shortened.

There were a few spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes I noticed throughout the book, so that needs to be fixed. Also, I wish all the Spanish dialogues provided translations. I could understand a little but I still get annoyed and develop a headache whenever they speak Spanish, so what about those with zero knowledge on the language?

The story was very predictable. I was able to guess the next scenes like 90% of the time and I saw that conflict from a mile away. I love The Hating Game and Beach Read and I wish I could love this book as well but I guess it didn't live up to my expectations. Overall, it was an okay read. Maybe it just wasn't for me.

✨ Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review ✨

Devoured this in a single day because I loved it so much. With Christina Lauren being one of my favorite writing duos ever the theme and plot for this book was an instant hit for me. Highly recommend reading it.

When the description said this book was similar to The Hating Game, I knew I wanted to read it. I was not a fan of Rosie in the first few chapters and was a bit disappointed in how childish some of her behavior was, especially for someone in grad school. As the book progressed and her character developed, she grew on me. Experiencing the uncertainty of what someone else is feeling and not trusting yourself to fully open up is something I think most people can relate to, whether they realize it or not. One of my biggest pet peeves in RomCom books is when the couple finally gets together and the male starts in with pet names- "Baby" and "Sweetheart" make me cringe. There was a lot of build up to the relationship, but it led to a rushed ending. I would have liked to see more of the resolution and their life together after the conflict. The epilogue was the type of ending you knew and hoped was coming- well done.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read and I would check out the author's future books.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I ate this up!! 5 stars!!

Academic rivals, enemies to lovers, banter galore, slow burn....what more can I ask for?
The pace was great! I love that the main characters were writers. I also loved having hispanic representation.

I ate this up and left no crumbs!

This was fab! Enemies to lovers is my fave trope. Give me all that angsty goodness!

I loved the characters (Rosie's personality kicked ass). I loved the romance (Serious steam). I loved the start (I laughed out loud at their antics).

I saw the end plot twist coming a mile off (How many times can one person say "I didn't think it was that important to you?"). I couldn't tell you what either of them looked liked (apart from the fact that she has curly hair and thigh stretchmarks and he has nice forearms). "Baby." Just ew. Adrian was so not a 'baby,' kinda guy. It didn't fit.

The writing blew my small gripes out of the water and, overall, I was very very very happy with this book.

2.5 stars.

It’s a super short & quick read (240 pages) that reads like a Taylor Swift/Travis Kelcie fanfic, I found the writing and the general story line reeeaally hard to get into. The characters had the potential to have a lot more depth however, it ended up feeling very rushed & the spicy scenes were okay.

The story had a lot of potential but it just didn’t hit the mark!