Katie Holt's Not in My Book is a delightful and refreshing romantic comedy that flips expectations on their head. With clever humor, sparkling dialogue, and characters that leap off the page, Holt crafts a tale about love, friendship, and what happens when the rules we live by are turned upside down. This charming, feel-good story is packed with laugh-out-loud moments and tender, heartwarming scenes, making it a perfect escape read

Aiden and Rosie/Max and Hunter are a couple you can't get out of your head. This is a cute and touching story of two writers. It is a marriage of literary fiction and romance, in a very unique and touching way. It is your ultimate enemies to lovers story. What made it intriguing was the way their real love story and fights were written into the story they are working on. It is really sweet that each chapter starts with an excerpt from the project book. It is hard not to feel all the emotions they describe and root for a way for it to all work out. The ending makes the book!

Not In My Book by Katie Holt was a sweet and funny romantic comedy that had me giggling and kicking my feet from the start. The story surrounds Rosie, a self-declared romantic who is in grad school for creative writing to pursue her dream of becoming a romance writer. Unfortunately for her, one of her peers is Aidan, a talented literary fiction writer, who makes his dislike of Romance, and her writing, very well known in their weekly classes. There is so much banter and tension, leading to a huge argument in their class that their professor forces them to write a book together.

Not In My Book was one of the best rivals-to-lovers stories I’ve read in a while. I was giggling every time they went on a fake date for their book and I loved the way Rosie and Aidan processed their feelings and relationship throughout their own writing, and that also includes the spicy scenes. Two writers taking turns writing a spicy scene is a whole new kind of level of foreplay and I was there for it! 🥵

If you are in need of a good rom com or pallet cleanser, I’d definitely recommend Not In My Book! It had a great mix of banter, spice, sweet romance and character development. I also appreciated the diversity rep with a Peruvian-American with a texan accent, which Frankie Corzo does an awesome job at narrating. It was cool to see how both characters worked through their own insecurities throughout the book.

Thanks so much to RB media, Katie Holt and NetGalley for the advanced listener copy!

Loved this meta take on romance books! I thought writing their own love story through the characters in the romance book they are writing together was such a fun way to get their feelings. Frankie Corzo is such a great narrator. He ability to embody both male and female characters is amazing. I also love that she brought life to the Peruvian accents for Rosie and her family. I love a good enemies to lovers and at one point I was worried that some of their sharp words were going to be hard to come back from, but I think the redemption arc was well done.

Not in My Book is a masterful blend of wit, charm, and heart, and the audiobook format truly elevates the experience! The narrator’s performance was phenomenal—every character had a distinct voice, and the emotional nuances brought the story to life in a way that kept me fully immersed.

The pacing was perfect, and the narration enhanced the humor, tension, and heartfelt moments seamlessly. The dialogue felt authentic and snappy, making it impossible not to get swept up in the story. Whether I was laughing out loud or gripping my seat during the more intense scenes, this audiobook never failed to hold my attention.

If you’re on the fence about whether to pick up the audiobook or the physical copy, go with the audio! It’s an absolute treat for the ears and adds so much depth to an already fantastic story. This is a book I’ll be recommending to everyone I know!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this gem early!

What a fun rivals-to-lovers romcom! I loved this concept of two authors who hate each other’s genres having to write a book together. You could cut their tension with a knife! I laughed out loud and swooned multiple times throughout this novel.

Thanks again to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ALC in exchange for my review!

3.75⭐, 2.25🌶️

What a cute and fun debut for Katie Holt! Frankie Corzo was a fun narrarator for this book, and the premise of academic rivals forced to partner and thus fall in love both through their project and in their real experiences was fun (yes, Christina Lauren is the comparison for their project - I thought this was cute, but I also have personal qualms with 'pop culture' references in books)

🩷Enemies to Lovers
📚College Writing Project Partners

I think this book had all the workings for a cute romance, but i just didn't fully connect to it, and I'm not sure I can pinpoint why? I liked both characters, and the plot was a fun idea, but it just felt toooo kitchy? The comparison of the Aiden and Rosie and Hunter and Max was tooo obvious for how much A/R were "in denial." Aiden's stark change of personality at times gave me whiplash, and don't get me started with all the dirty talk that just did not fit. And lets just say - the third act break-ups? Im not sure how two AMAZING writers are so so sooooo bad at communicating with one another. Le sigh.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review.

“Rosie, I can’t do this if we’re going to forget about it tomorrow,” he rasped, backing away from my lips the tiniest bit. “I’ve gotten good at pretending I hate you, but I can’t pretend I don’t know how you taste anymore.”

I loved this so much! Perfect corky romance. It’s basically a book within a book. Such a refreshing and unique story. An enemies to lovers trope and a slow burn love affair. I laughed and cried and felt a hundred other emotions.

Rosie attends NYU’s writing program. Her main genre is romance. She is a sweet, hopeless romantic. Aiden is also in her class but he hates romance. He is snobby, rude, and arrogant. He is especially rude to Rosie. Rosie and Aiden hate each other and can’t help but bicker and banter in class. They are so disruptive that the teacher forces them to write a book together. Rosie and Aiden now must work closely together for the rest of the semester. Will they continue to hate each other or will they get over their differences?

I loved everything about this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.

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

Thank you Alcove Press and RB Media for my gifted copies. All opinions are my own.

This was an absolute delight of a book. I alternated between the audiobook and ebook because I didn’t want to put it down! Frankie Corzo was a perfect choice for the narration!

Rosie and Aidan are in the same writing class as they work on their MFAs. They are constantly in battle during class and their professor gives them an ultimatum to drop the class or write a book together. Rosie and Aidan can’t help spending more time together as they work on their book.

I loved seeing the parts of their book and how their characters developed as their relationship did. I loved the parts where they wrote the book together especially as they developed a style together. They had such great banter and amazing chemistry.

I really hope we get more books from Katie Holt soon!

I received a copy of this audiobook from netgalley for a honest review.

I loved this story about two rivel writers who have to write together to get the grade. Their fights are so much fun and their path to being together is enjoyable. I even enjoyed how they finally made it work. I loved the insights through the excerpts of the story they are working on throughout the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fun treat to see the book within a book. We got inside glimpses of who they were and how they felt through the book they wrote together. Aidan and Rosie were the epitome of enemy to lover trope. But when is enemy's to lovers really about hate? This one was well done and I really enjoyed it!

Such a cute romance! While to plot was relatively predictable, every second was enjoyable to listen to. All the characters, not just Aiden and Rosie were fun to watch and the narrator did an amazing job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for my ALC of this story.

I absolutely adored this story! Rosie and Aiden had amazing chemistry and the spice was on point. 10 things I loved the most about this book:

-All the love for the Swifties.
-The book within a book
-All the tropes that were hit in the story (Grumpy/sunshine, Enemies to Lovers, One Bed, etc)
-The fantastic character development that made me root for them
-The great story development of both the story AND the book within the book
-That this is a book written for book lovers
-That this is a book written for romance/HEA lovers
-The Christina Lauren comparison
-The SPICE
-The audiobook narrator did such a great job

OK I am going to just say this, this story reminded me of one of my absolute FAVES- Book Lovers by Emily Henry. If you loved that, you will definitely love this one.

"I love you. It's the easiest thing I've ever done"

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for my ALC of this story.

Absolutely LOVED this contemporary romance from a debut Peruvian-Tennessean author!!

Rosie is a passionate Peruvian-American who grew up with not so strong ties to her culture. She leaves her Tennessee hometown to pursue her dream of making it as a writer in none other than New York! Her plans are quickly derailed when she ends up in class with her arch-nemesis Aiden who just so happened to be her ex crush. Aiden is an obnoxious, surly, and completely gorgeous literary fiction writer who has little to no patience for the romance genre, or for Rosie for that matter. Rosie and Aiden verbally battle it out in workshop just about every week until their professor reaches her breaking point. Ready to remove them both from the class she allows them to stay on one condition: they must co-write a novel that blends their genres.
The reluctant writing duo can't help but put pieces of themselves into their accidentally steamy novel, and as they slowly get to know each other. Meanwhile, their manuscript-in-progress provides an outlet for them to confess their feelings and explore their attraction toward each other.

This book was in my top favorites for 2024 🥹
From the mention of local NY restaurants/places I’ve visited myself that made the story that much sweeter, to the family/friend interaction this book warmed my heart. 🩷
There’s a little bit of the misconception trope sprinkled in which I’m not too much of a fan of, but it wasn’t so heavy into the plot so that was a plus in my book! 😆

Definitely a quick warm romance with a sprinkling of spice to top it off, do not miss the opportunity to get your hands on this book and snuggle up to enjoy Rosie & Aiden’s story!

"People say there's a thin line between love and hate. And you know what? They're right."

Romance writer Rosie and literary fiction writer Aiden are classmates in the creative writing program at NYU. They couldn't be more different, and they can't stand each other. When their critiques of one another's writing turn into regular attacks during class, their professor gives them an ultimatum: Either work together to write a book that blends their genres, or fail the class. As the school year progresses, will their feelings for each other evolve into something more romantic as the characters they've created fall in love on the page?

Hmm, my feelings about this book are mixed. It was for the most part really entertaining. There's a lot of chemistry and heat between Rosie and Aidan. I thought the holiday scenes were really sweet and made me long for Christmas in NYC. But for half of the story, they hate each other both in and out of the classroom, and the other half, they can't keep their hands off each other. The shift to romance was so jarring. I feel like the author tried to make the change in their relationship feel gradual and didn't quite accomplish that.

All in all, this was a pretty decent work of enemies to lovers romance. The audiobook was engaging and I thought it was clever how the narrator managed to work in the Southern accent that Rosie is always trying to cover up.

I really enjoyed this fun and comical romance. Frankie Corzo's audiobook narration is outstanding! Her voice brings each character to life with energy, adding layers of emotion and humor that elevates the story.

Publication Date- December 10, 2024
#NotinMyBook #NetGalley

I have been recommending this to everyone I know! This was kinda silly and goofy, all things considered, but the way some of the writing (both literal and within the story) was handled was EXQUISITE. Never have I wanted to be a fly on the wall so badly.

"Not in My Book" by Katie Holt is a debut novella which delightfully captures a enemies-to-lovers romance filled with sparks flying between Rosie, a passionate romance writer, and Aiden, a cynical and competitive literary fiction author. Forced to collaborate on a novel by their demanding professor, these rivals-turned-reluctant-partners find their own lives mirroring the steamy plot they're crafting.

What I liked most about this book is the way in which Holt combines humor and vulnerability, making Rosie and Aiden's journey from bitter enemies to undeniable lovers both believable and incredibly entertaining. The witty banter is sharp and engaging, and the characters are wonderfully flawed and relatable. Aiden's transformational journey from grumpy skeptic to a surprisingly tender romantic is a particular highlight.

The audiobook narration by Frankie Corzo is exceptional! Her voice perfectly captures the essence of each character, bringing their personalities to life with vibrant energy and nuanced delivery. Corzo's performance elevates the listening experience, adding many layers of emotion and humor that enhance the auditive impact of the story.

RBmedia | Recorded Books, NetGalley, and the editorial team - thanks for giving me the opportunity to review an audiobook ARC of this publication!

For more reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads!

#NotInMyBook #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning

4⭐️ | 2🌶️


My thoughts:

Katie Holt’s rivals-to-lovers tale, Not in My Book, is a charming blend of witty banter, sizzling chemistry, and heartfelt character growth. I was fortunate to receive both the ARC and ALC, allowing me to alternate between them for a more immersive and well-rounded reading experience.

The story centers on Rosie Maxwell, a hopeless romantic, and Aiden Huntington, a broody literary fiction purist. When their incessant bickering in a writing workshop earns them the ultimate punishment—co-authoring a novel—they are forced to confront their differences while navigating their undeniable connection.

The concept is as entertaining as it sounds. Rosie and Aiden’s collaboration gives us a meta-twist: their book within the book becomes a mirror of their evolving relationship. Katie does a fantastic job balancing humor and vulnerability, making their journey from enemies to lovers feel natural and engaging. The dialogue is sharp, the pacing brisk, and the characters delightfully flawed. Aiden’s transformation from grumpy skeptic to reluctant romantic is particularly swoon-worthy.

Now, let’s talk about Frankie Corzo’s narration in the audiobook. Her performance takes the story to another level. She captures Rosie’s optimism, Aiden’s brooding sarcasm, and every ounce of tension between them with impeccable delivery. If you’re considering the ALC, Corzo’s narration is a must-hear, it adds layers of emotion and humor that enhance the experience.

While the story is undeniably entertaining, some might find the repeated inclusion of Rosie and Aiden’s real-life moments in their novel slightly far-fetched. However, this unique approach also adds an interesting layer of vulnerability and creativity to their dynamic, showcasing how their personal and professional lives intertwine in unexpected ways. It’s a small price to pay for a romance that’s equal parts hilarious and heartfelt. If you love rivals-to-lovers with a side of creative chaos, Not in My Book is a must-read (or listen).

Long-time rivals Rosie and Aiden have always been at each other’s throats, but after a particularly heated debate in their writing workshop, their professor has had enough. She gives them an ultimatum: work together on a novel that blends their genres or drop out of her class. However, as they reluctantly collaborate, the lines between reality and fiction begin to blur.

This was such a fun rivals-to-lovers romance! I absolutely loved their bickering and petty fights, though I’ll admit they did push it too far at times. But then again, that’s to be expected with this trope, so I didn’t mind too much.

The romance is a slow burn—sweet, angsty, with a fantastic supporting cast of characters you can’t help but root for. I adored Rosie’s fiery personality, though I did find her stubbornness and occasional childishness frustrating, especially considering she’s in her mid-to-late twenties.

Aiden, on the other hand, felt more nuanced. His past shaped him into someone closed off and skeptical of love, but as the story progressed, he revealed a surprisingly sweet side. That said, his character growth was rocky at times, and I found it a bit annoying when he and Rosie kept reverting to square one the moment things got tough.

The story-in-a-story format was fascinating, but I wish they had stepped out of their comfort zones and actually challenged themselves by writing in an entirely different genre. Instead, much of their novel was a direct recounting of their real-life events, which became redundant and repetitive, dragging the story longer than it needed to be.

Despite these issues, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author has a gift for making you feel everything the characters are going through—love, hate, anger—it’s all written so vividly. I was surprised to learn this was a debut, as the writing felt polished and confident. I just wish the late third-act breakup had been handled differently, as it left me a little unsatisfied. That said, I’d love to read more from Katie Holt in the future.

*Thank you to NetGalley, RBmedia, and the author for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*