This book had so much potential but ultimately fell flat for me. The forced proximity and enemies to lovers tropes were fun. I also enjoyed the premise of the story and a book within a book. It was the dialogue and communication that had me cringing. I felt like it was juvenile and immature.

I loved this book. Rosie and Aidan had such a great dynamic and their dialogue was funny, witty, heartfelt and angsty wrapped into one. I loved this book and can’t wait for it to hit the shelves!!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC! I loved this feel-good, happy, enemies to lovers, one bed, romance. Give me all the tropes because they work for a reason. 😂 I love the dynamic between these two. I'm also a sucker for a book about writing a book. I find it unique and interesting to get some insight into that world and to see the back and forth between the characters writing the book. This is a first person pov but the characters are writing a book so at the end of each chapter you get to read some of their writing where you get both of their perspectives.

The book was easy to read and pretty quick to get through even for a slow reader. I love the determination of the strong FMC and want her to get the HEA she deserves. My only complaint about this book is the epilogue.. And this is probably more a me issue than an author issue. But I dislike when a book skips very far in advance in the epilogue from where we are. I know that's kind of the point of one but sometimes it feels like the HEA was laid on a little thick. But I would still recommend this!! Can't wait for release day so I can tell all of my friends to read it. 😂

We love a good enemies to lovers and this ticked all the boxes. The premise of this story was so fun and the chemistry between the main characters was so strong.

This book! It started a little slow for me, but by chapters 6-7, I was HOOKED! I seriously couldn’t put it down and couldn’t stop rooting for Aiden and Rosie. This book had my laughing out loud, crying, and literally sitting in the edge of my seat cheering these two on.

A very competently written debut romance novel that I very much enjoyed.
The characters were entertaining, and their banter amusing. Once they settled down to the more serious nature of writing together, the parallels became more apparent. It was slightly frustrating how little the two read into what the other was writing. I particularly enjoyed the co-operatively written sex scene - and would've loved to see the faces of their class mates when they read it aloud to them!

References to current popular literature may date it in future, but I think for the present it feels very fresh and contemporary.

The conflict introduced near the end being a core component in the synopsis does soften the impact a little. Without reading it, there's this sense of dread when it teases it "he didn't ... did he?" and then you discover that... he did. As per usual, better communication would have resolved the tension before it became conflict - but then we wouldn't have much of a story, would we?

Overall, this is one I would definitely recommend.

let me introduce the term "meta-romance": it's a romance writer writing about a romance writer writing a romance novel.
Rosie, from a loving multi-cultural Tennessee background, finds herself in New York a decade later than she should have - her ex boyfriend thought writing Romance was silly, and she should just stay with him and forget about her dream. But now she's single, and fighting everyone who looks down on Romance, including Aiden Huntington -born and bred New Yorker, who writes litfic himself.
Their in-class fighting gets out of hand and they're to write a book together, blending romance and literary fiction.
The beginning was...long. And repetitive. It is spelled out how incredibly good-looking, well-dressed and intelligent Aiden is. How good he smells. If only Rosie didn't hate him so much. On repeat.
But, it was a NetGalley book, so I stuck to it, which I am now glad for. In the book, they are told the book they are writing, is stuck in the enemy-part of the enemies-to-lovers trope. True. So maybe this was just meta? To sort of show what happens if and when that happens?
Anyway, when they fall, they fall hard - no surprises there, because hey-hum they never really hated each other to begin with.
I really liked how chapters ended with parts of the novel Rosie and Aiden were writing. These bits were revealing, and adding to the characters. All very meta.
The scenes of them writing together, at the same time, in the same doc are great - and the one they are writing a spicy scene in was hot. In a very meta way - that's praise.
I really started to care for them and dreading the inevitable fall out, even though it was no surprise what would happen.
The actual fall-out....? Childish. Adults do not, or should not, behave like that. Katie Holt does work hard to explain why Rosie acts the way she does, but really - team Aiden here.

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in return for my honest opinion.

(Note for publisher: in the Autobiography a different title is used "Love at first Write" - I assume this was a working title. Hopefully the autobiography can still be edited)

I don't know if this is right, but this could be considered a metaromance, and I also liked it because the enemies-to-lovers trope is one of my favorites and Aiden and Rosie had good chemistry.

Non so se é giusto, ma questo potrebbe essere considerato un metaromance e mi é piaciuto anche perché il tropo da nemici ad amanti é uno dei miei preferiti ed Aiden e Rosie avevano una buona chimica.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

When I saw the premise of this book, I immediately came to request it! However, it took me a little while to get into mainly because I felt like the writing and main characters were a little immature. But I was able to push through, and overall found it to be a cute, enjoyable, and promising debut!

I’m always a sucker for enemies to lovers this was no exception! The tension and banter in the story had me obsessed with the characters! I lost track of time reading this book I was obsessed

Fans of Beach Read (Emily Henry) and The Hating Game (Sally Thorne) should give this a read!

Rosie is a idealistic NYC transplant, who comes from a very close knit Peruvian-American family and Aiden, a born and raised NYer, who doesn't believe in romance butt heads in their graduate writing program. As the sparing and tension continues to grow, their professor forces them to work together, blending not only both of their literary genres, but their personalities into one story. Katie Holt was able to capture the enemies to lovers trope so well. The quips between the two main characters, Rosie and Aiden are just perfect, as if these characters were real and you were one of the side characters watching the story unfold.
A perfect blend of laugh out loud humor, tension, romance, and serious/heartfelt moments. If you are a lover of rom-coms, pick this up!

I recently finished reading Not in My Book and I have to say, it was a truly enjoyable read. I was drawn in from the very beginning, and even though I can understand the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover', in this case, the cover definitely caught my eye!

The story follows Rosie and Aiden, two writing students at NYU, who start off with a strong, mutual dislike for each other and each other's work. However, as they work together on a novel their relationship takes an unexpected turn towards mutual respect and eventually, even love.

What I appreciated most about this book was that, despite the changes in their relationship, neither of the characters fundamentally changed who they were at their core. Aiden, in particular, wanted to better himself for Rosie, but he never lost his own personality or integrity in the process. I found this portrayal of a romantic relationship refreshing and realistic.

I also enjoyed the unique storytelling technique used in the novel. Through the book they are writing together, we get to see Aiden's perspective on their relationship, as the main storytelling is from Rosie's perspective, which was a lot of fun and added an interesting layer to the story.

Overall, I highly recommend Not in My Book to anyone looking for a well-written, engaging read. I truly had such a wonderful time reading it and look forward to more from this author in the future

Rosie is a poor student, studying at NYC, trying to write a romance. She loves everything about her classes, except a guy in her class, Aiden, who sneers at romance (because he writes lit-fic) and gives harsh feedback on every chapter Rosie reads to the class.

When their bickering threatens to derail the class their tutor offers them a stark choice, both leave the class and try to enrol in another, or write a novel together. Knowing their chances of being accepted into another class are slim, they reluctantly agree to work together, writing alternate chapters. In an effort to irritate Aiden Rosie's first chapter features a hero who resembles Aiden and gives him a name loosely based on Aiden's surname. Aiden returns the favour and makes the heroine a barely disguised version of Rosie. Their plot is two rival co-workers forced to work together on a presentation.

This was opposites attract to the max. He's a New Yorker, she's from Tennessee. He's rich, she's poor. He write lit-fic, she writes romance. He's cold and distant, she's a friend to everyone. He has a bad relationship with his father, she has a warm and loving family.

I found this a bit disappointing. The conflict was signalled very early on (practically Vegas flashing lights) and frankly there was no need for the subterfuge. Both Rosie and Aiden behaved irrationally and then 'blamed' it on their fight or flight mechanisms. Also I have a very personal ick about a guy in his early twenties calling his girlfriend baby in bed and some of the other things Aiden said just felt unnatural for someone of his age.

Overall, I felt I'd seen/read it all before, it was a bit clichéd, and I didn't really like Rosie or Aiden.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was like a mix of Beach Read and The Hating Game but not done as well as it could have been. This book was a strange one for me, parts of it I loved like I enjoyed the characters, banter and tension, Then other bits I didn't like, like how quickly it became established that they liked one another, I also don't think the stigma around romance is as prominent as they portray in the book. I didn't buy it. Okay, I am also not in the publishing industry so I have no actual idea but as a reader I just didn't believe it because there is such a huge and open love for it these days, it all seemed a little extreme. I did however really enjoy her group of friend group, their group chat seemed like my own in the way they all chatted.

I did say I liked the characters which I stand by BUT I did find Rosie to be a little annoying at times, but I was able to look past that as I enjoyed the story itself. In saying that I found something about the writing was off for me, parts of it I would be so obsessed and engrossed in it and then other parts I would be bored and start to skim over. The writing just didn't flow that well for me. I also was not a fan of the sex scenes or how many there were. I really am not a fan of such lengthy conversations in sex scenes and I feel like towards the end that's all the book became up until the twist and I got bored.

It wasn't a bad book, just not for me unfortunately. I do think the writing could do with some tweaking, but I would still read another book by this author because I think there is a lot of potential for me to really enjoy one of her books in the future.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*


Omg I loved this so much! this was a perfect combination of romance,humour and dash of spice. absolutely in love and 100% recommend!!

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun read! I enjoyed this rom-com by Katie Holt. It is a book within a book and worked well to get us hooked on the enemies to lovers relationship between Rosie and Aiden as they are forced to collaborate on a novel together. A little spicy thrown in too. Adding a conflict near the end of the book was unexpected but glad it resolved. Would recommend this book.

Thank you to Katie Holt and NetGalley for this ARC of Not in my Book.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars rounded to 5
Not in my Book tells the story of Rosie and Aiden, two competing writers who hate each others genre of choice. What starts off as a bitter rivalry though turns into a challenge when their professor challenges them to write a book together.
As it is Katie’s debut novel, I have to say, it’s beautifully done. I think fans of Julie Soto or Ali Hazelwood would love this book. I will definitely be recommending it to my friends.

Also, the co-writing scene, 🪭🌶️😏🤭🙌

I loved this debut novel. Granted, it is pretty much made for me. Enemies to lovers? Check! Writing a book together? Check! I loved both characters but Rosie was a favorite. She was funny, authentic, and flawed in a super endearing way. The third act conflict can be seen from a mile away, but it fit the storyline well. I understood both points of view, which is not always the case. I hate a third act conflict that feels forced. All in all, I loved this one. Definitely adding this author to my list of ones to watch for. Rounded up from a 4.5 because it’s a debut and the author crushed it. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc.

This book was such a fun ride! I loved the true enemies-to-lovers feeling where the characters really had a lot of animosity for each other and were very much forced to put their differences aside to get through their writing class together. There were unique side characters that added a fun element to the story, but they didn't overtake the story ever. The quips back and froth from Rosie and Aiden, especially in the first 50% of the book were just SO good! I found myself constantly laughing out loud or giggling to myself at some of the things they said. There were also perfect moments where you see the chemistry shine through, and it was a slow burn done well. I will say that there was a lull after the halfway point where I found myself losing concentration here and there because it was starting to feel repetitive, but it definitely picked back up again, and I enjoyed the last quarter of the book a lot. Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

This book offers such a unique storyline that fans of Beach Read by Emily Henry are sure to devour. The rivalry between two writers forced to collaborate on a novel is brilliantly portrayed in Not In My Book. From the moment Aiden and Rosie start bantering, the sparks fly, and their chemistry only grows as the story unfolds. Their witty exchanges had me laughing out loud, and their joint efforts in writing some particularly steamy scenes add an extra layer of intrigue.

Beyond the romance, I found Rosie's exploration of her Peruvian roots to be a heartwarming addition. Her family's warmth and acceptance of Aiden, despite his tumultuous past, added depth to the story. However, while I enjoyed most of the book immensely, I have to dock it a star for a somewhat rushed third act breakup at 91% in. Rosie's moments of stubbornness and miscommunication also tested my patience, although I empathized with her perspective. Overall, Not In My Book is a solid 4-star read that blends romance, humor, and cultural exploration into an engaging narrative.