Both writers. Both with different styles. When they butt heads the sparks fly! This is a really cute romance. That has you rooting for them to get together!

The audio book was really enjoyable and kept me engaged throughout!

4.5 Stars! This book was incredibly cute while also containing some spicy scenes. It was meta in the sense that it is a romance book about a write writing a romance book. I loved the references to other authors, tropes, etc. Also, loved the scenes that correlate to what is happening to the actual characters of the book through the characters in their book. I loved the representation of a Peruvian family, with some Spanish sprinkled in. I loved the cute Christmas scenes as well! We all know how all romances go, in fact that is referenced in the book itself, but the author did it in such a fun and new way that it did not feel clichéd. Personally, I do not like spicy scenes, and that is my only critique as I had to skip a few parts but I know others love them. Narrator was great as well!

The way I ate this book up!! I stayed up late last night to finish this audiobook, because it is that good! The banter, the hate, the swoony love story they put into their joint writing project that spoke volumes about their truest feelings, the sexual tension made this book the perfect enemies to lovers romcom. Many readers may not enjoy the third act breakup element, but I absolutely love the drama and the chase, and I felt it was a good fit in this plot.

The narration by Frankie Corzo was wonderful. I would definitely recommend getting the audiobook as well!

I'm so grateful to receive the ALC over Netgalley!

Thank you, RB Media, NetGalley, and Katie Holt, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rose is a hopeless romantic and desperately wants to be a romance author. Aiden is her grumpy classmate who prefers a more general fiction. They are academic rivals, and they definitely can't get along. When a fight in their course gets them in trouble with their professor, they are forced to work together to create a novel.
The summary says it's like the hating game and beach read had a baby, and I completely agree with that. Their is forced proximity, academic rivals, and the banter is actually elite. This book was so cute, and it is true rivals to lovers. You could really feel Aidens' love for Rosie. I definitely highly recommend this book.

OK. So…I’m going all in on this one!

Debut novel? ✔️
Enemies to lovers? ✔️ (Never thought I was a big fan of this genre, but maybe I’m changing??)
Will make you both laugh AND cry? ✔️
Totally different backgrounds and upbringing? ✔️
Want to hate a character, but maybe, just maybe, you’ll have to accept him? Maybe even like him??!! ✔️
College/Post-graduate studies with main characters earning a degree in writing, but with very different genres/writing styles, and opinions ? ✔️

Rosie Maxwell and Aiden Huntington HATE each other. I mean they are arch enemies!! They can’t even be in the SAME classroom when the professor is having the students critique each other! (I mean they can, but someone might get slaughtered!) 😮🫣

It’s hysterical! 😬🤣
It’s also heartbreaking …❤️‍🩹

So, after their umpteenth fight, in front of the whole class, their professor is going to have to expel them! From school! UNLESS, they can prove that they can work together…like adults! 😄😩

This is where the story really TAKES OFF! This is where they both learn to SHINE!! ⭐️

As they go along, writing their story, they actually begin to open up a bit…and this marks a changing point…for them both!

🛑 I’m going to STOP here, so I don’t give anything away…. 🛑

This one had me laughing out loud, and also crying real tears…running right down my face… 😭

Also…. 🛑 **** I’m going to put this as a Trigger/Warning! **** 🛑
They. Are. Writing. Sex. Scenes!!
They. Are. HOT!!!
I. Mean. Smoking…. 🔥🔥🔥
If you’re ok with that, please pick this one up!
And, if this is their debut? Holy crap!!!! 😮😮😮

Thanks so much to #NetGalley, #RBMedia and #RecordedBooks for an ARC of the audiobook!!
***** RELEASE DATE IS IN ONE WEEK….12/10/24!! *****
Look 👀 for it then!!

#NotInMyBook by Debut Author #KatieHolt and narrated beautifully by #FrankieCorzo.

4 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 stars for me, happily rounded up to 5⭐️!!!!

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Aiden’s and Rosie’s emotional depth and growth are what make this story so warm and authentic. Watching Aiden transform from a reluctant collaborator to Rosie’s comfort person was beautifully done, and their slow-burn chemistry felt completely natural. I especially loved the writing-a-novel-together premise—it added a unique layer to their relationship, especially during that spicy scene when Rosie accidentally wrote Aiden’s name. While the plot had predictable elements, it was as enjoyable as watching a good Hallmark movie: cozy, sweet, and deeply satisfying. Their witty banter had me giggling and kicking my feet, and the tension between them was so palpable it kept me turning the pages. Although the book skims over some of Rosie’s deeper struggles with identity as a romance writer, it touches lightly on her cultural background, adding a personal touch. Fans of romance and heartwarming stories will adore this one—perfect for curling up under a blanket on a chilly day!

I worship the altar that Katie Holt writes on. I ate this shit up. It felt so much like the early TikTok romances that I loved reading (ex. The Hating Game) and it made me feel so nostalgic. Not in My Book is the perfect winter-time romance since the majority of the plot takes place during a NYC winter. So atmospheric and lovely. Perfect for fans of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, Perfect Fit by Clare Gilmore, or Daydream by Hannah Grace.

The relationship between Aiden and Rosie developed so nicely. I started the book unsure of how Katie would ever make me believe the two of them were in love because they were constantly bickering like children. I was ready to smack them upside the head and tell them to get over themselves. I should have had trust in an author so well versed in the romance genre, because Katie served up a romance so rooted in classic tropes. I could feel the love and yearning jumping off the page.

The character development that both Rosie and Aiden experience throughout the course of the book is some of the best that I’ve read. They both learn important lessons and come out stronger characters for it.

It did take me a bit to become fully invested just because of how juvenile a lot of Aiden and Rosie's fights were. The first 20% was rough because I was so annoyed by the bickering. But hey, that's why I'm not the author, because Katie ended up pulling it off brilliantly.

I did listen to the audiobook and I have THOUGHTS! Rosie is from a small town in East Tennessee (coincidentally, the same small town I am from). This presented two issues for me. 1.) The fact that I thought that Rosie's southern accent was too much. It leaned really far into some stereotypes that I don't love, and the narrator of the audiobook overdid it, in my opinion. 2.) Rosie mentions a coffee shop in her hometown that doesn't actually exist there. It may be creative license, but it just bugged me a little.

Overall, I did have the best time with this book and can't wait to see Katie grow as a writer with her next book!

I thoroughly enjoyed the banter between the main characters. Side characters helped the story move forward. My only issue was how obvious the last third break up was in the story. Still cute and worth a read. Narrator was fabulous.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

Bitterness and hate sometimes feel like a thin line between love and passion. This love story shows that they can genuinely connect when the characters learn to move past their differences. However, if they don’t work on their communication, things can start to unravel—turning a once-loving relationship into something toxic. It's a reminder of how vital good communication is in keeping love alive!

I love that you have a story within a story! For the author to be crafting two pieces that have to work intandem really had me excited for this book.

The plot and story as a whole was executed perfectly and I couldn’t get enough of Rosie and Aiden! This story was so good and I love how things came together for these two and all the amazing secondary characters. It was a very fun and enjoyable read. Aiden and Rosie had so much to overcome, but they did it together. Of course tons of arguing and angst galore but that just added to the book’s charm.

I liked the book-within-a-book angle of this story. I found myself enjoying the book within more than the actual book, but I ended up loving the ending.

What a beautiful debut! I loved Rosie and Aiden. Katie Holt will go on my must buy list moving forward!

Rosie moved to New York to follow her dream of being a romance writer. She quickly made an enemy in Aiden Huntington, a writer of literary fiction in one of her NYU classes. When Rosie and Aiden are forced to write together, Rosie doesn't know how she's going to make it work. Things quickly turn romantic when these two realize there really is a fine line between love and hate.

The perfect enemies-to-lovers! This trope is usually hit or miss for me because you really have to build the chemistry to make it believable. How can someone go from hating them to loving them so quickly? I believed that Aiden and Rosie truly just didn't give each other a chance at first. Holt made me really believe that these two had potential.

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

I really enjoyed this. I thought the characters had great chemistry and the slow burn build up of them getting to know each other was great.

I did think the jump between real life and their story project got confusing sometimes. It would jump to the story and i wouldnt notice until partially. That made some details confusing.

Also Rosie was so stretched for cash but refused to work weekends because of mean people? Girl come on. You must not be hurting bad enough if difficult customers will stop you from getting more money to fly home.

Also the spicy writing scene was chefs kiss. It was so tension building and they never even touched. So so good!

I was not expecting this book! It was such a great surprise.
This is a:
- enemies to friends to enemies to friends (again) to fake-date to love
- forced proximity: they have to work on a project together and they were making the project about each other, they were writing a romance novel and they were making the story as it's their own.
- insanely attracted to each other
- one bed
- small gestures
- quiet love
Their banter is very funny.
The push and pull, the slow burn, it's so well done.
There are excepters from the book that they are writing at the end of each chapter - it's adorable.
This book has one of the hottest spicy scenes i think i've read! Not because of the spice itself but because of the way it's built, they are writers and they have all this sexual tension between then and they are together writing a sex scene off their characters that are very very based on them - the level of sexual tension and slow burn, but at the same time not slow burn it's through the roof.

Quotes:
"Love is worth fighting for"
"he was better in person then all characters"
"just us"
"i never have to do anything but with you i want to"

Overall, this is a pretty good read, it took me a while to get into. I was starting to get interested around the 20%/30%.

The aspects I really loved were the setting/structure revolving around the romance. Unlike other stereotypical or cookie cutter romances, this particular romance is centered around two aspiring writers in college where they have to team up for a project, even when they hate each other.

I really enjoyed their dynamic of the main characters, I enjoyed their chemistry, and their slow burn romance. I really enjoyed the fact that they both had to work together and they grew into their romance through their project. It felt like they were writing love letters to each other through their projects. I enjoy how flawed each main character was and how difficult it is for them to love each other and their fears. I really understand how real and raw the author wanted these characters to be and feel like. Not only to us but also to each other.

At the end of the day, I really enjoyed this book but I feel like the whole book was written in the slow burn type of pacing which was great because their was still progress with each page but I felt like the ending was rushed. Perhaps the falling action/resolution at the end felt really rushed so I wish the last few chapters were a bit more slow paced and adding more internal monologue.

Overall, it was really good! I highly recommend with you love a slow burn romance in an academic setting & forced to work together by writing a piece together.

I absolutely adored this story! It had all the best tropes - enemies to lovers, forced proximity, opposites attract— with perfect representation of Southern charm and Peruvian culture. The slow-burn romance between Rosie and Aiden was everything I wanted, with perfect banter and emotional depth.
The humor, friendships, and family relationships were also huge highlights. Rosie's friends—Jess, Tyler, and Logan—were some of the funniest, most supportive side characters, and their group chat was a total riot. I loved how they would instantly invest in Rosie’s love life. And don’t even get me started on Rosie's family. I loved how the author represented a Latin mom to the T.
Then there’s the story Rosie and Aiden write together. I won’t spoil too much but trust me—it was easily my favorite part of the book. It wasn’t just a clever plot device—it deepened their connection in such a unique way. The emotional growth, the vulnerability, the steamy moments—chef’s kiss. There were plenty of moments when they would write through their character that had me screaming, “Oh my god, just talk to each other!” But that’s what I ended up loving most about Rosie and Aiden’s dynamic. They communicated the way they felt safe doing, guarding their hearts from getting burned, even if it meant avoiding the hard truths. Their relationship felt so real—messy, awkward, and full of growth.
On the audio side, I really enjoyed the narrator. The Spanish was perfect, and the southern accent was on point. As someone from the south myself, I felt like Frankie Corzo really captured that southern twang during pivotal moments for the FMC.
Katie Holt did an amazing job writing the Latin representation into her love story. It really made Rosie’s story feel authentic and rich. The way she wrote Aiden-the groveling and heart he would put in his own writing and confession was just the right amount for a romance hero.
Overall, this book was everything I expected—relatable, funny, heartfelt, and completely captivating. If you’re a fan of slow-burn romance, great banter, and Multicultural representation this one’s for you. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alcove Press for sharing this ARC audiobook with me in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press for the e-ARC of this book, I absolutely loved it!

Aiden and Rosie are rival classmates in MFA Creative Writing Program. They are forced to write together, blending his literary fiction (sad, realistic endings) and her romance (happy ever after). They banter in real life and in their writing, but really they just love each other. The dialogue is fantastic, and I loved the pacing of the relationships. Overall, this book was fantastic!

I thought this was slow and the FMC was annoying to me. I tried to get into it but it’s a romance that’s nearly 400 pages and I didn’t find the plot to be intriguing enough.

Rivals to lovers/grumpy x sunshine are two of my favorite tropes. Add in a bookish focus and Taylor Swift references and I’m IN. I loved the first 60% of this one. The banter and on page chemistry was great.

My one complaint is that I so wish we would have just tied it up neatly after they got together instead of the extra spice and then subsequent 3rd act break up. I thought the book was wrapping up, but then checked and still had 2+ hours of listening left. I just didn’t feel like the drag out was worth the pay off in my opinion. It also felt like a bit of a bashing of both MCs who I had liked up until this point. Suddenly they both came across as unreasonable and manipulative/dramatic.

I really enjoyed the presentation of the audiobook, but I did get a little confused on whether they were talking as the book characters or as the characters in the book those characters are writing, but that may have been purposeful since the two works are supposed to be mirrors, but I did find it a little confusing in places. I’d get “excerpt from” and wonder how long I’d been listening to an excerpt.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the characters, and I know other people have really enjoyed this one, so it’s possible certain aspects just weren’t for me, but it’s still worth the read/listen!

I really enjoyed this one.
Rosie and Aiden are each other's nemesis in their writing class, with both thinking their preferred genre is better (Rosie with romance and Aiden with literary fiction). Their story starts to evolve when they have to work together on a story incorporating both genres.

The tension between Rosie and Aiden was so fun to read. The way they would argue in class was hilarious, I lived for their banter sessions.
This was a classic grumpy/sunshine storyline, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable. I loved that Rosie was able to get under Aiden's hard shell and pull out his softer side. In turn, Aiden challenged Rosie at every turn and made her strive harder to chase her dreams.

I definitely recommend this one if you enjoy banter and a story with heart. And I really enjoyed the way Frankie Vorzo brought this story to life. It truly was a great listening experience.