I LOVED THIS BOOK.

Thank you so much to RBmedia | Recorded Books for the ALC of Not in My Book! These are my honest thoughts!

Okay, I freaking adored this story. Rosie and Aiden are in an MFA program together, and they are RIVALS. Enemies in the most competitive way. They're battling it out, as one does, because they both have a crush and don't know how to communicate that. The premise boasts "The Hating Game meets Beach Reads," and it's SPOT ON IN THAT ASSESSMENT. I loved both those books and was HUGELY EXCITED to read this book. I'm so glad it didn't disappoint.

There are some complex layers to these characters that I appreciated so much. When their bickering becomes too much for their workshop, they have two choices: drop the class, or pair up (and shape up).

Of course, they pair up, so now we've got this forced proximity situation that DAZZLES. They're required to take turns writing chapters and working through their problems prior to coming to class, and in doing so, they're able to take the criticism and shift it into their work in progress. And at the same time, they actually get to know each other.

Things I loved about this story:
- Conversations within their book in their Google doc
- Using their characters to open up
- Forced fake dates for "writing purposes"
- The Christmas vibes in NYC
- Learning to share (like, literally sharing a table, sharing kind words, sharing their history, sharing the burden of work)
- Opening up after loss
- The way this book feels like a love letter to romance in books
- The way this book feels like a love letter to romance in movies
- The way this book feels like a love letter to romance in real life
- THE ENDING *chefs kiss*
- The family dynamics
- The friend group (Rosie) vs the loner (Aiden)
- The rich history of Rosie's upbringing, and how that shapes her story
- The audio, with the excerpts from the untitled work of Rosie and Aiden, the various family members, friends, classmates, mentors - it was all really well done

Honestly, this gets 5 stars just for the feelies, but also the vibes, the execution, the story, the writing, and the performance... it's all 5 stars. Out next week (Dec 10th), so definitely check it out!

I was not expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. While it is your "standard romance novel" there was also something really fresh about it. I absolutely loved getting a glimpse into the actual book that Rosie and Aiden were writing together. If you are a fan of cute, sweet romcoms with a touch of spice, this will be one you should read!

This was a great book. Turned out so much better than I was expecting. You got the grump and you got the "sunshine". They are supposed to co-write a book, one loves romance, the other pretty much hates it. I loved how they had to work together and their banter.
The book was well written and held my interest. It was a bonus that Rosie was from Tennessee and that Johnson City was mentioned , since I live 90 minutes from there in South west VA.
In all this was a cute feel good book. :)

The audiobook was well made and I enjoyed the narrator.

Good narration showing character emotions.

The story starts out slow but with lots of banter/bickering. It’s truly predictable but so sweet and enjoyable. A little spice towards the end.

I 'read' Not In My Book in audio format. The narration was well done, and the transition between characters/chapters/scenes was smooth and easy to follow. The writing was well done to be read as an audiobook.

The storyline is fun and romantic. The characters are likable. And for those who like spice in their reads, this one has it.

Sweet. Fun. Expected.
Full of all the best romance tropes. It was exactly what I expected to read. The audiobook was sweet to listen to. I would read this again and definitely recommend this to other romance fans.

Thank you NetGalley and RBMedia for the audiobook eARC in exchange for an honest review!!

GOLLY I FREAKING LOVED THIS SO MUCH. The relationship dynamic between Aiden and Rosie, the plot, the protectiveness of Aiden, their character development, and just how freaking cutie this book was absolutely killed me!!! I loved this so much and am absolutely obsessed.

Cute romance of enemies to lovers, some spicy scenes that I didn't expect when I got into this book lol but I enjoyed it a fair bit. I haven't read a romance since getting back into YA books so this was pretty good, other than the story feeling a little cringey and slightly childish at times, but that could just be my taste in books. The relationships and friendships were well-constructed, especially through some character building; I liked the support, warmth, excitement and compassion in each of them. I went through a fair few emotions with this book and it was fun to follow along with. 3/5 stars.

Yes. Absolutely yes.

NYU grad students Rosie and Aiden can’t stand each other—or so it seems. As aspiring authors in the same class, their constant arguments disrupt the flow of discussion. Aiden despises romance and makes sure everyone knows it. Frustrated, their professor pairs them up for a project, forcing them to collaborate. What starts as a clash of egos soon transforms into something unexpected: creative magic.

I absolutely loved this book. Aiden’s determination to defy typical writing tropes hilariously backfires as he finds himself living out every single one in real life.

Enemies to lovers? ✅
Grumpy vs sunshine? ✅
One bed? ✅
Miscommunication? ✅
Dramatic third act? ✅✅✅

Read it and then read it again!
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5

Thanks to NetGalley for this delight of an ARC!

Oh this was fun to read. I enjoyed the book and the story line, though while enjoying, I still had time to find certain things annoying.
I loved the Peruvian background of Rosie.
I was annoyed by the constant bickering of both Rosie and Aidan. Their enemies to lovers trope did not feel realistic, as their enemies stage was very superficial and forced. It was more like a childish tantrum of pre-teens, who like each other and select to pull their braids instead of communicating.
The dialog between the main characters was lacking depth or any meaning at most of the times (if always).
The fake relationship was totally unnecessary and out of place.
The daddy issues of Aiden were very lightly touched and not explained well.
Every word of this book was about telling and no showing.
If you are looking for something very quick and very light you may dive in.

**| received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher RBmedia. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely**

This story is supposed to be two adults in their late twenty to early thirties. However, it starts off reading slightly high school with their banter. It is an enemies to lovers and at first I wasn’t into it. As the story picked up I really started to enjoy the relationship between two main people.

I figured out what the problem/ third act was going to be after half way through. I didn’t understand completely how things played out. I also felt like the FMC was unlikable and rash through out the book as well. It was hard to feel sympathy for her character as I felt she created a lot of the issues herself.

There were definitely moments I enjoyed overall but the conflict and how the fmc handled things took away from the book me.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending me an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

Okay. There was a lot here that I loved. Rosie and Aiden are both in a writing workshop, and they can't help but tear each other's writing apart. The rivalry between these two is insane. But when they go overboard, it's either get kicked out of that class... or write a novel together. And, as you can assume, things get wild from there. We have some of my favorite tropes in this which I loved: rivals to lovers, fake dating, one bed. Literally, this was an amazing blend and what we get is perfection.

Rosie has moments when she gets a little too crazy, and I kind of want to smack her at one point. But Aiden was absolutely perfect. There were times where her character development felt off, or rather she took one step forward two steps back, but eventually she got to where she needs to be. I feel like his character arc was definitely better/more defined and well done. There was one scene where they're writing and it gets really hot, and I do mean like HOT hot . I won't say much as not to spoil anything, but let's just say I sat here with my eyebrows raised like WHATTT!!!!!

Overall, I enjoyed the audio narration, the plot, the characters... this book as a whole.

Actual Rating: 4.5⭐️

I truly adored this book I was smiling during scenes and laughing out loud. Rival academics who have to co-write a book she's a romance novelist he's a “sad boy” lit fic writer. The chemistry and the banter work so well and it's spicy in the right way. Thank you, NetGalley and the Publisher for an audio-arc of this book for an honest review.

Another FABULOUS debut romance from a Peruvian-Tennessean author that I will now be automatically reading going forward!! I could not get enough of this enemies to lovers story between romance loving Rosie and lit fic writer Aiden who are in the same MFA program and find themselves forced to co-write a book together or drop the class they both want to be in.

Set in New York City, this book takes place over the holidays, has SIZZLING tension and chemistry between the main characters and an awkward grumpy hero with a secret cinnamon roll heart. Rosie and Aiden reluctantly find themselves becoming friends the longer they work together on the book and readers will NOT want to miss the part where they take turns writing a love scene.

SPICY, full of emotional depth and PERFECT for fans of authors like Emily Henry and Ali Hazelwood. Narrated by Frankie Corzo, the audiobook was also a great listening experience and honestly I just having nothing bad to say about this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio and digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite work for me. While I usually enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers romance, I found the characters in “Not In My Book” unlikable and a bit childish, which made it hard to connect with them. Additionally, the basis of their animosity didn’t feel convincing, which weakened the central dynamic for me.

I also didn’t love the novel-within-the-novel structure, as the excerpts interspersed between chapters felt like a distraction rather than an enhancement to the story.

As for the narration, I found it to be just fine.

That said, I can still see “Not In My Book” appealing to readers who are looking for a lighthearted enemies-to-lovers romcom. I’ll happily recommend it to patrons who enjoy that trope—it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you to Katie Holt, NetGalley, and RBMedia for sending me the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

𐙚 - Enemies-to-lovers
𐙚 - Forced proximity
𐙚 - Academic rivals

Not in My Book delivers a fresh, swoon-worthy take on enemies-to-lovers, blending humor, angst, and palpable chemistry. Rosie, a passionate romance writer, and Aiden, a grumpy literary fiction author, are forced to collaborate on a novel. Their slow-burn build keeps readers hooked as their fictional romance mirrors their own buried feelings. Filled with witty banter, spicy tension, and a love story that leave your heart racing.

Rating: ✰✰✰✰/5

Thank you for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. ・❥・

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the early audiobook copy!

Not in My Book follows rival writers Aiden and Rosie who just can't get along and drive their professor crazy. Their professor gives them an ultimatum: write a book together blending their genres or leave the class. The two now have to work together to keep their spots and maybe they just might have more in common than they thought. I was initially enjoying this book as the tagline says it gives Beach Read by Emily Henry vibes. However, this book goes downhill in the latter half making all the bonding at the beginning a bit pointless. I would say the main issue is the male lead, Aiden. We are shown that he is not this perfect person very quickly as we see his family issues becoming more prominent. Through his relationship with Rosie, we see him kind of evolve but then the third act conflict happens and it's like he reverts to his former self. When he finally made up with Rosie, I felt his apology was very shallow and lacked accountability for his actions. In the end, I think this still was a fun book and some moments had me laughing but it needed work when it came to the relationship.

What lies on the line between love and hate? This book sure does. A story full of brightness, self awareness, love, hate, and all the hallmarks of a modern romcom make Not in My Book a perfect book for anyone who went through romantic struggles in their 20’s. This book is gripping and fresh, while also using its familiar tropes and romcom story beats to make it feel familiar and classic. A definite must read, but be warned, there is some spice thrown in! An extra kudos to Frankie Corzo, the wonderful narrator of the audiobook, who truly put in a Herculean effort to bring life to each and every character.

3 ⭐️ I really love reading debuts and this book had all the making of a swoony romance that is right up my alley but it just didn’t work for me. This is the story of Rosalinda (Rosie) and Aiden, two writers in an MFA program at NYU. They hate each other, always finding ways to belittle and bring the other down, that is until they almost get kicked out of their program but in order to stay they need to work together on a book. He’s a lit fic guy, who doesn’t respect romance and of course, she’s a romance writer who also pines to find true love in her life. I loved that Rosie was 1/2 Peruvian and 1/2 Southern belle Tennessee, her family was super cute and I loved the Spanish sprinkled in, wish there was a bit more but I’ll take what I can get.

I really did want to love this but the dialogue gets pretty cringy. It went from 0 to 100 instalove, they constantly wrote their fictional story almost verbatim and it felt really repetitive to the story. They also felt supremely immature. I guess it also boils down to me hating miscommunication tropes. Just talk! Ugh, I get really frustrated and then where I should be feeling all the gooey feels, I just end up rolling my eyes at the predictability. Third act break ups are my second worst trope, that’s all I will say about that… I wish this book went deeper overall. I also wish we got Aiden’s POV, he was angsty with a tragic backstory and could have gone deeper knowing his side of the story.

I listened to this on audio and I don’t think that worked for me either because it didn’t have that male POV. The narrators pacing was good but I think I would have preferred to read this. Rosie came off a little too whiny and immature in the audio, which might not have been as bad reading it.

I will be recommending this book even though it wasn’t for me because I have a lot of romance purests out there that would go bananas for this type of book. It just didn’t hit the right tone for me. I will read another book by this author in hopes she finds her stride.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have fallen in love with a book once again and no one can stop me.
The premise is about dueling writers in the NYU graduate program. Rosie, the hopeless romantic romance writer, and Aiden, the cynical literary fiction writer, are constantly at each others throats in class until one day their professor had enough. In order to stay in the class they must work together on a book. As they work together and grow closer the book becomes a way for them to communicate with each other.
I loved getting to know each of these characters and their thoughts, fears, and feelings. This book had me literally swooning with how the characters interacted as they grew closer and using the book as a way for them to share their real feelings which was not only genius but worked perfectly into the story itself. Rosie was a character I believe any romance reader could relate to and as you learn more about Aiden his cynicism begins to make more sense becoming relateable in its own way. Their dynamic was funny and sweet while creating a tension that drew you into the story making this book an absolute page turner. They weren’t perfect and didn’t always say the right things but that’s what added to the realness of the characters and situations. I was also pleasantly surprised that there were holiday scenes in it giving me a check mark off for the season reading list! It’s a fun romantic story that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good romance.