Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

Rosie Maxwell and Aiden Huntington don’t just seem to dislike each other… their disdain for each other seems to border on loathing. Rosie, a romance writer, dreams big about grand gestures and all the trappings of a romance novel. Aiden is more pragmatic, a writer of literary fiction and a true skeptic of the romance genre. Both part of an MFA program at NYU, Rosie and Aiden exchange barbs and snipes during their workshop class, constantly providing harsh critiques of each others work, creating a hostile work & learning environment. Eventually, their professor has enough of their bickering in class and slaps them both with an ultimatum: write a book together and fix their attitudes, or they’re going to be kicked out of her class. Will Rosie and Aiden’s disdain keep them at odds? Or will they be able to set aside their differences for their shared love of writing?

This book y’all… it had me in ALL my feels! I loved how self-aware the book was, mixing in the story of the book itself with writing from Rosie and Aiden’s novel. The parallels between the stories were SO STINKING CUTE and created some truly delicious spice. My heart was hurting in the end, but I really, really loved our main characters and their journey!

I recommend this book for lovers of the enemies-to-lovers trope, those enamored with the writer’s plight and those who love a man in a peacoat.

Tropes in this story:
✨ Enemies to lovers
✨ Forced proximity
✨ Fiesty & stubborn FMC
✨ Grumpy, dirty talking MMC
✨ Slow burn

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley, but my review is all my own.

2.5 rounded up to 3 stars

I am so conflicted about this book. It started off strong, introducing us to the characters and I felt the tension between the two of them from the Very first chapter. I was so intrigued, wondering what would happen, why they hated each other. But then at the end of each chapter we get the chapters they write in class, and it was like reading the exact same scene again, and I got nothing from this.

The book I also think dragged in the middle, the pacing felt a little off and at times the writing took me out of the story.

The third act breakup also didn't make any sense to me. I found it quite unrealistic and childish.

However I would read another book by this author. This book just wasn't for me I'm afraid.

Oh my goddddd! This was so so good! I loved the characters and how the fmc was in touch with her culture, the depth given to her character through her friends and work, she was so much more than just a character on a page! The MMC was dreamy and irritating in all the right places and the way they came together through bickering turned banter turned flirting?! I ATE that up!!!

Highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cute read that served as such a great love letter to romance stories. Definitely felt the tension and passion with all the characters in a way that had me invested. The way the book they cowrote worked as a vessel to showcase Aiden's POV was brilliant--can we talk about that sex scene they wrote together??? I need a swooning couch.
There are a couple things that didn't make it a five star read for me and these are all personal preferences :
-The amount of times the word "baby" was used. I can handle nicknames and do not mind "baby" at all, but the AMOUNT of times on a page took me out of the book.
-Sometimes the characters reactions felt a little TOO reactionary. More caricature personality traits rather than feeling like they were true responses that might be amplified slightly to move the story where it needed to go. (ie I get the passion and the "hatred" between the love interests, but the way they behaved in their class was truly appalling and how it happened SO many times was awkward)
Overall, I did REALLY enjoy the book-- those bits right there are me being particular and fresh in my mind since I literally just finished the book. Thank you for allowing me to read this!

Not in My Book by Katie Holt is a hate-to-love romance about two writers in New York. This is Rosie and Aiden‘s story.
 
I absolutely love the concept of this book and Rosie and Aiden are both aspiring writers who study together at NYU. They are in a course together and criticize and tear apart each other‘s work. Their banter is top tier and sometimes over the top and therefore they are forced to work together in order to continue their class.
 
Rosie is from Tennessee, and she came to New York to follow her dream of becoming a romance novelist. I absolutely loved how she saw the best in people and how she is looking for her own hea. She is also half-Peruvian, and I really liked seeing more of that culture.
 
Aiden is the opposite in a lot of ways, and he is focused on literary fiction and looks down on the romance genre. I liked how the book dealt with the stereotypes romance readers and writers are faced with and during the story he is willing to learn more about it. This aspect was done so well and even for that fact alone everyone should pick up this amazing book.
 
I also loved how you get to see glimpses of the book they're writing together and it was perfectly woven into their story. To collaborate, they need to get to know each other and become friends at first. The romance was absolute perfection and from their dates and first kiss and it turned into so much more. One of my favorite scenes was when they went to the Strand bookstore and picked out books for each other and I swooned so much. Sometimes the line between hate and love is very slim and I loved how this story showed that and blurred this line to create this masterpiece of a romance.
 
Overall, Not in My Book is a love letter to romance books and I’m completely obsessed with Rosie and Aiden‘s book and more than highly recommend it. 5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

This is definitely a love story for lovers of romance novels! I have mixed feelings about it - I loved how they fell for each other through writing together, but ultimately I didn't like the main characters enough to get invested.
This book is for you if you love enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, tropey romances about romance writers

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rosie and Aiden both attend NYU's writing program. Rosie is a romantic girl struggling to pay for school, while Aiden hates romance. The two often argue during their workshops when their professors force them to co-write a book for their final project. I could not put this book down! Aiden and Rosie go from enemies to lovers. Their story is a slow burn that keeps you on your toes. Katie Holt knocked this one out of the park! Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute, witty rom-com, was so much more realistic and enjoyable than the Hating Game, really perfected enemies to lovers in that I understood why they argued and were not as friendly and enjoyed their relationship blossom.

ʚɞ ✧˖° thoughts

I really like the excerpts from Rosie and Aiden's book. It made me feel like I was reading a book within a book, which to me that aspect was cool as heck. I have to admit that the PLOT TWIST definitely threw me off. I wasn't at all
I'm expecting one if I'm being honest. I wasn't a huge fan of Rosie. She acted much younger than her age. It was very immature, considering she was in her twenties. The sex scenes weren't for me, I couldn't get into them. I feel like the way they talked during was really weird, and it did nothing for me. It was extremely awkward.

I liked the book writing scenes the most. They were fun, raw, and honest. The writing process was interesting to see. I loved how they basically were talking to each other through the characters of Max and Hunter. I feel like the story was much longer than it needed to be for what it was.

✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚ side note

Overall, this is a cute book, but it could've been executed differently it had a lot of potential. I won't let this discourage me from Katie's future reads because, for a debut, it was worth the read

Love love loved this book. I don’t always love when the characters progress through love letters/notes etc, but I loved how the author weaved in parts from Rosie and Aiden’s book. The chemistry was palpable and made me believe in their connection.

The enemies to lovers trope is my favourite one and the author did a fantastic job!

A really fun read. Quite cliche in a way I enjoyed. Characters had great chemistry and I loved their growth.

This one is definitely my favorite Romance of 2024 so far. The banter was perfect. Both main characters were lovable and infuriating in their own way, which gave both POV and equally enjoyable aspect. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and learning to accept yourself and your partner. I love the emphasis on how important Romance novels are and how they are perceived as a lesser genre of literature. This book gave me all the good feels. And made me want to watch for a bookish man in a peacoat.

Loved this! Totally could feel the tension between the two characters in this classic enemies to lovers story! Would recommend.

Rosie is a Tennessean living in NYC attending NYU for her MFA. Life would be sweet if it weren’t for Aiden, literary fiction writing heartthrob, who tortures her and shreds her romance stories in their writing workshops. These two enemies and their very intense dislike for each other comes to a head one day in class and their mentor makes them work together to get past their differences. Let’s just say they eventually work it out.

Whew! This was a hot one. Rosie and Aiden have an extremely contentious relationship at first, and it defines the “enemies” in enemies-to-lovers. I love that they have to work out their ire for each other while having physical feelings. Her friends in NYC are fun, and the timeline of how they work out their novel as partners is a trip. When they hit the “lovers” part of their status, you better hold on to your hat - it is pretty spicy. The whole thing is pretty meta, as it involves a book within a book, and the whole book is about writing - and it works. A quick read full of fun characters, but perhaps most importantly, the two main characters have endless chemistry. The Southern & Peruvian angle was super cool as well. All in all, a really good book, and it’s lovely to see romance writing as a genre championed throughout!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I LOVED this book! this was the prefect book for a romance lover. The angst between the characters was so good. I loved all the tropes combined! I really loved how the author combined the book writing plot into the story!! Interested to see if the author writes another book.

So this book about a Peruvian-American girl that loves romance and happily lives in her delulu world? Was this book written for ME?! Thank you, Katie Holt for the Peruvian representation. Everything, from the alfajores to Inca Kola to midnight Christmas, was a depiction that I didn't think I would ever get to read in a mainstream romance book. I laughed, gasped, and cried during this book.

What an outstanding debut novel. When Rosalinda and Aidan are forced to collaborate on their final project together, they have to mesh their writing styles, beliefs, and personalities. It's very enemies to lovers with a slow burn and spice that pays off. Even though the book was written in first POV, we got a glimpse of Aidan's real feelings through his writing. His writing was so honest and personal, it was like looking into his journal. The unfiltered thoughts put to paper can create some of the most romantic moments in romance books (looking at you, Yours Truly).

I think a lot of romance book girlies will relate to Rosie. Romance is a genre that is overlooked as solely a "guilty pleasure" with unrealistic expectations. A lot of the angst comes from Aidan looking down on romance as a genre, which Rosie takes as looking down on her. I liked that she never tried to change her goals and defended romance. She had the backbone to defend the things that truly mattered to her, but that didn't mean that some of the criticisms didn't hurt.

I am giving this book a 4.5 stars instead 5 stars because some of their fighting and insults were really childish. It really went hard on the "enemies but secretly obsessed with each other" to the point that it felt unrealistic. I also wish we got a tiny bit more insight on Aidan's past relationships - we got lots of info on Rosie's ex but did Aidan ever try to find love before? Some more insight would have helped flesh out his pessimism towards love.

2.5 ⭐️

This was billed as a mix of Beach Read and The Hating Game. I can see those two books in this, especially The Hating Game. The book follows enemies Rosie and Aiden, who are paired up to write together by their professor after their sniping at each other goes to far. It was a cute book, but had potential to be better. Here's why it didn't work for me:

- It's tiresome when the MMC is mean to the FMC just because he likes her. I'm over reading that even in YA romance novels, let alone adult ones.
- There are snippets of the book they are writing together throughout. What happens is exactly what later happens with Rosie and Aiden. I felt like I was reading something that I had already read. Almost verbatim.
- The third act breakup added some needed drama, but their reactions, especially Rosie's, were so over the top.

I did like how Aiden was all about Rosie and the little things he did for her and vice versa (no OW/OM drama). Overall, it could've been better executed.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars🥰

i am so grateful for this arc. it was such a unique plot, the romance was everything i want, and it made me feel ALL the feels. I loved the bookish aspect of it. the enemies to lovers had me turning the page alll night and i am just so in love with these characters. AND THE INTERNAL DIALOGUE WAS SO GOOD!!!!

rosie + aidens relationship was such a rollercoaster of emotions and vibes and i ate up every second of it.

“She commanded attention from everyone she met, even if she didn’t know it. She was often larger than life, fearless.”

releasing 12/10/2024 & it would be a mistake not to snatch it up 😭🫶🏼

Thanks to NetGalley & Alcove Press for providing me an e-ARC!

**1.5 stars** With contemporary, steamy romances on the rise, “Not in My Book” by Katie Holt is described to fit this description. This unfortunately fell short on its promise of being a “sexy and hilarious enemies-to-lovers romance” and was a melting pot of the general TikTok/BookTube/Bookstagram beloved troupes.

The story centers on Rosie, an MFA student and romance writer, who finds herself thrust into a writing workshop alongside her literary fiction nemesis, Aiden. Their constant bickering and competitive spirit test the patience of their professor, who issues a drastic ultimatum: co-write a romance novel together or get kicked out of the workshop. Forced into collaboration, Rosie and Aiden discover an unexpected spark as they write their steamy romance.

The writing style leans heavily towards young adult, feeling more suited to Wattpad than a published novel. Contemporary romances tend to have writing that is often over-the-top and very cheesy but this one overdid it. Our characters are in their early to mid 20’s and they act as if they’re still in highschool, even going as far as to bring up references from their time as middle schoolers. There were also many side characters that did not contribute to the storyline and reading their text messages only cluttered the narrative. Additionally, the unrealistic portrayal of life in New York City is jarring. Rosie, a broke NYU graduate student, lives comfortably in a charming NYC apartment on a part-time job. It simply doesn't add up.

At the end of each chapter, we get an excerpt of their collaborative novel which basically is foreshadowing their eventual romance. This repetitive approach forces the reader to essentially experience the same story twice.

Readers who enjoyed Hannah Grace’s “Icebreakers” and “Wildfire” will enjoy this. It doesn’t take a lot of brain power but it did have me cringing because it was so corny. Sadly, this was not my cup of tea.

thank you to netgalley and alcove press for the advance copy of this book!

i was shocked to realize that this was katie holt’s debut novel. it is clear that she is a true lover and enthusiast of the romance genre, as well as all of the intricacies that make a great romance novel. while this book includes several tropes that one can find in countless other romance novels, the author introduces them all in a refreshing way that allows this to be a stand-out in the genre.

our main characters, rosie and aiden, begin as academic rivals in a writing workshop at nyu. while rosie initially admired aiden from afar, their rivalry begins when aiden continuously targets rosie’s writing and judges the romance genre as frivolous. their in-class arguments escalate to the point where their professor gives them an ultimatum: either they jointly write their final manuscript for the workshop, or they will both be kicked out of the class for all of the disruption they have caused to the other students. after a begrudging agreement to work together, their conjoined romance/literary fiction work is born. what initially begins as a distant story of two rival coworkers quickly transforms into a clandestine outlet for rosie and aiden to grapple with their developing feelings for each other as they spend more time together. as they reach the end of the novel they must come to a mutual agreement: will their characters (and themselves) face the tragedy that is emblematic of aiden’s genre, or will they get rosie’s happily-ever-after?

this was such a fun book to read and the author has made a fan out of me. i will be reading her future works, and would recommend this one to any romance lover out there!