This was such a fun surprise! Not in My Book is a cozy, rivals-to-lovers romance set during a writing retreat, where two completely opposite authors, Aiden and Rosie, are forced to co-write a novel. Their constant bickering and clashing styles make for hilarious, tension-filled scenes, but the real magic happens when their fictional story starts mirroring their own. I loved the concept of them expressing their real feelings through the book they were writing, it was creative and added emotional depth. The banter was sharp, the chemistry was strong, and the pace kept things engaging throughout.

the unfolding of the book Rosie and Aiden were periodically writing included alongside their very own HEA story was such a unique and fun idea for a romance novel!! i lovvvved the Christina Lauren vibe and references. and the slow burn was perfect for the true feeling of academic rivals-to-lovers; whereas, some enemies-to-lovers are too insta-love, too fast. a problem i found with the audiobook itself was trying to distinguish where narration ended and their manuscript started. it took a few chapters for me to understand that’s what had been happening. unfortunately, a second problem i had with the novel in general was their fights continuously turning back to Aiden dogging what Rosie loves most (writing, reading, and believing in romance). it was especially grating in their third-act breakup, as if he wasn’t painfully aware her ex would berate her for that exact thing. aside from that, i had a really fun opposites *do* attract time!

thank you to NetGalley, RBmedia, and Katie Holt for providing this audiobook!

A solid and enjoyable debut! I was a bit wary going in—it’s tough to pull off enemies-to-lovers without it feeling forced—but Rosie and Aiden’s slow-burn friendship and banter won me over.

The audiobook was well-narrated and paced, though the “story within a story” format sometimes made things confusing. Since Rosie and Aiden were writing fictionalized versions of themselves, the line between their dialogue and their characters’ (Maxine and Hunter) often blurred. The excerpts also felt repetitive, echoing scenes we’d just read—I'd have preferred a straightforward dual POV.

The steamy scenes weren’t really my thing. Aiden’s dominant bedroom persona felt out of step with his otherwise sweet, slightly awkward character, and the clichés (“good girl,” etc.) just didn’t work for me.

The ending drama was my biggest issue—it felt unnecessarily overblown and made Rosie seem immature. For a grown woman, her reaction came off as unrealistic and frustrating.

That said, I still had fun reading it and would check out future work from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Give me an enemies to lovers trope any day! Such a cute romance featuring grumpy x sunshine and set in the literary world. I listened to the audio format and really enjoyed this way of reading. The narration was great and I would definitely recommend.

*many thanks to RB Media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

This audiobook was so freaking cute omg! I loved the whole premise, and the whole rivals to lovers thing made it hard to put down!

I love it. It was a cute romance stories. I love rivals to lovers story. Katie did an amazing job and the narrator too. I will read another Katie Holt book.

Rosie and Aiden, classroom enemies, are forced to co-author an assignment for their creative writing seminar. This is a classic romcom of grumpy meets sunshine with the added bonus of being set in the literary world. I particularly enjoyed the classroom settings and the co-writing scenes. I have thought about sections of this book long after reading it.

Katie Holt provides excellent commentary on romance books and culture's snobbish view of the genre. If you are a fan of romcom stories you will certainly love this one!

I read this on audiobook. I enjoyed the audio for the most part--the voice actor's representation of Aiden was a little too bro-ish at times.

As a writer, I love seeing a behind the scenes look at MFA programs. This was very voicey and fun with interesting looks at biracial women's experience in the arts.

The banter brought to life by the narrators is amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed how the main characters mirrored how their relationship was developing in the book they were writing and therefore carried their banter through to their book. I didn’t want this to end!

Maybe I'm just a very petty person, but that third-act break-up would've been the END for me. There's no forgiving after what he said. First you lie, then insult her as a writer? I'm sorry but you're out.
That's a same because the rest of the novel was very fun and would've been a good 4/4.5 stars for me. I was a bit skeptical at first of the guy's disdain for romance because you can dislike the genre and have criticism about it, but berating it, and any type of romantic plot lines as much as he did? Yeah, no, that smells like misogyny to me. We got an explanation as to why he thought romance didn't exist, and I thought "ok, whatever, he has daddy issues, fine". Then the ending. Honestly it ruined everything the author had built up until then, the cute moments they'd spent together, the chemistry they had, the very meta element of the novel they were writing together that was honestly pretty cool, after what he said at the end, I lost all sympathy for him and just wished this would end there, that Rosie would move on and forget his sorry ass. But this is a romance so. 3.5 stars

🎧 Not in My Book by Katie Holt – Audiobook Review

Just finished Not in My Book and I can't stop smiling! 😍 This enemies-to-lovers romance between Rosie and Aiden is everything. Their chemistry is off the charts, and the slow-burn tension had me hooked from start to finish. 💕

Narration:
Frankie Corzo absolutely nailed it. Her voice brought Rosie to life with all her fiery optimism and passion, while also capturing Aiden's brooding complexity. The dual narration added so much depth to their dynamic, making every scene feel vivid and heartfelt. 🎧

Audio Experience:
The pacing was perfect, and the transitions between banter and emotional moments were seamless. I was completely immersed in their world, and the book-within-a-book structure added an extra layer of fun. 📚

Overall Thoughts:
If you're a fan of enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romances, and witty banter, this audiobook is a must-listen. Frankie Corzo's performance elevated the already captivating story, making it an unforgettable experience. 🌟

📚 Tropes:
💘 Enemies to Lovers
🖋️ Writers Writing Together
🔥 Slow Burn Chemistry
🗽 New York City Setting
📖 Book Within a Book

📌 Hashtags:
#NotInMyBook #KatieHolt #AudiobookReview #EnemiesToLovers #SlowBurnRomance #BookWithinABook #RomanceBooks #BookRecommendation #Bookstagram

I loved the banter between the two but I feel like I was missing something that's what stopped me from 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters were relatable and funny. This book was so entertaining and had me smiling the whole time. Thank you for the ARC!!!

this was a really fun enemies to lovers in an academic setting. I love the hispanic aspects of this. . I really loved the writing and the characters. Rosie and Aiden's dynamics was interesting and fun. the slow burn was done well, the combination of their relationship development and the development of the novel they were writing. overall it was a great story!

THIS BOOK!! What a fantastic debut from Katie Holt. The story was engaging, and the chemistry between the MCs was off the charts. I found myself unable to put it down and finished it in two sittings. I loved the elements of Peruvian culture that were weaved into the story, especially with Rosie being from the South and moving to New York.

I will say - this was a five star read until the third act conflict. I wasn’t a huge fan of how that went down and felt I would have enjoyed it more if it went a different direction.

The audiobook narrator was fantastic, and I’m so glad I chose to listen to this book!

Overall, I highly recommend and do foresee a reread in my future. I can’t wait to hear more from Katie Holt soon!

Super cute story that I had been excited to receive an arc for! The narrator was great and the story was very enjoyable. I will absolutely seek out both the author and narrator again in the future.

I love me a good bookish romance. These characters are swoon worthy and I loved their chemistry. I think the audio version was so well done and the narrator did a fantastic job. I will be recommending this one to my friends.

I received an ARC of the audiobook from NetGalley and I as excited to dive into this enemies-to-lovers romance. While this book had a decent start, it ultimately did not work for me. It was a little confusing with the book-within-a-book as the two leads essentially had phone/messaging sex while co-writing a sex scene with their fictional-but-based-on-themselves lovers. I also just don’t like the nickname “baby,” so that’s a personal dig on the book. This book was just ok- unfortunately promise that just didn’t deliver.

I’ve been following Katie on socials before she even got published, and I have to say, I’m so proud of how far she’s come! It's incredible to see her journey, and this book is such a solid reflection of her hard work.

Now, onto the book lol I was absolutely hooked. Aiden and Rosie’s enemies to lovers dynamic had me grinning the entire time. The banter? So fun and witty. I was living for all their playful jabs and moments of tension. It was the kind of chemistry that kept me turning pages, even when I should’ve been doing other things. There were some moments at the end that felt a little over the top, but honestly, it didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the book. I was still totally invested in their journey, and seeing them work through their issues was so satisfying.

As for the spicy scenes, they were okay! Definitely added to the steaminess of the story. I did find myself skimming through some of them, just because they felt a little much for my taste, but that's personal preference. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book overall!

Katie really nailed it with this one, and I can't wait to see what she writes next <3

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for the audiobook ARC!

I was going through a rough patch in my personal life and was not in the mood to read for a while. When things started to get better, I started to read again, and this was the first book I finished. This book is a good example of the enemies to lovers trope, and it definitely helped improve my mood. I enjoyed the writing style.