For readers who:
✨️ love writing, or went to college for writing, or are a writer
✨️ always enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers trope
✨️ can appreciate a slow-burn romance
✨️ like 🌶🌶🌶

Rosie left small-town Tennessee to pursue her dream of writing through a graduate program in NYC. She was determined to prove that romance was a genre worthy of writing, and she knew she'd have to fight with every professor about it's worthiness.
She just didn't realize she'd also have to fight some of her classmates. Aiden Huntington HATES romance, and rips her to shreds every time he shares feedback in class. He's hot - and she has a teeeeensy crush - but God, he's so mean.
After one particularly awful session in which they hurled insults at each other, their professor forces them to write a novel together. And from there, well, I bet you can only guess what happens.


My Thoughts: the first half of this romance is a slow burn, and I loved every minute of it. As their relationship develops and they write together, their characters mirror their own thoughts and feelings. I thought Rosie and Aiden had good chemistry together, so the burn was worth the wait.
The second half is 🌶🌶🌶. Slow burn turned roasting hot.
Throughout the story, as they got together, I kept thinking that situations would the typical 'guy jumps in to save girl' situation, and I really appreciated that the author didn't do that. She created an independent woman who liked to be taken care of but certainly didn't need it.

This is Katie Holt's first novel, and I am already ready for her next one. Probably one of my favorite romances this year.

4.5 stars!

What can I say, I was kicking my feet, giggling, and just having a really great time with <i> Not in My Book </i>. Katie knocked it out of the park with this debut; it’s quick-paced with delicious slow burn and well-rounded characters.

Aiden is our quintessential grumpy MMC who actually has a soft interior, and Rosie is our lovely sunshine FMC who plays by the rules. Their rivalry felt real, and I enjoyed watching their relationship progress through their untitled novel. At some point, I started to look forward to the novel excerpts because I loved how they wrote out their feelings.

I appreciated Rosie’s background as a Peruvian-American. As a Guatemalan-American, I often have similar feelings of not having a “place”. I’m too American to be Guatemalan, and too Guatemalan to be American. I’m happy Katie explored this in her novel and know other readers will resonate with this as well.

Thank you Alcove Press & Netgalley for an ARC!

This is the definition of enemies to lovers, slow burn romance! The tension between the characters was palpable and they definitely sat in the 'will they won't they' phase for a long time, but it made the payoff worth it.

I loved this so much!! The tension was tensioning. Those enemies to lovers vibes always gets me. 😮‍💨

Truly I could not get enough of Rosie and Aiden. Like anytime they were bickering (or not, which was rare), I was kicking my feet and giggling. It was just so good. They’re not perfect people so it was a rollercoaster of emotions.

Rosie is Peruvian and while I’m not, seeing the representation and reading the Spanish dialogue felt like home. Loved her family and the shenanigans they got into.

The only thing that ruined it a little bit for me was the last 10% of this book. It felt TOO dramatic but at the end of the day, it was very Rosie and Aiden. 😂

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I am a real sucker for romances that honor the genre - that tackle the stereotypes head on and celebrate the HEAs. And as someone who went on a date last week with a man who scoffed when I said I read romance this one made me feel SEEN.

Rosie is a Peruvian American gal who grew up in a small town in Tennessee and now is trying to make her way in NYC, pursuing her dream of becoming a professional writer. She is a MFA program where she feels like she is constantly trying to convince her peers, especially smart, handsome and grumpy Aiden that romance is a real genre that is to be respected. Rosie is a hustler - she is pursuing her degree part time, and taking as many bartending waitresses on the side to try to make ends meet. She has formed a tight knit community in New York - her fellow writers, her roommate and her teacher and mentor, Ida.

But nothing takes more of her attention than her workshop - and her contentious back and forths with Aiden. But one day they cross a line, and the only way they are able to stay in the class is if they agree to do their final project, a full manuscript, together. Aiden detests romance and Rosie finds his obsession with literary fiction, especially the sad kind, boring.

While the tension between the two was obvious whenever they exchanged critiques and barbs, their writing chemistry takes it to a new level. They pursue an enemies to lover story, one that (not shockingly) mirrors their own. It is sexy, funny and wildly entertaining. I couldn't put it down.

Big thanks to my friends at NetGalley and Alcove Press for gifting me this ARC! Not in My Book, the debut by Katie Holt, is out in the world on December 10th is such a delight!!

This is a delightful read that I would recommend to anyone who loves a sweet and sassy rom-com. This creative romance blends rivals/enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, and forced proximity with a charming Southern and Peruvian flair, all set against the festive backdrop of New York. This book is highly quotable, and I found myself rereading certain moments and appreciating the thoughtful dialogue. Fans of classic romance tropes will wholeheartedly enjoy this read. There were times that Rosie's stubbornness felt exhausting, but I guess at the end of the day, it only added to the satisfaction I felt when Rosie and Aiden finally embraced their feelings---do you ever read a book and think, "shut up and kiss already...," Okay, then you get it. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book and hope you do too. Oh, and the holiday themes sprinkled throughout the story make it the perfect cozy read for December, with its scheduled release date aligning perfectly with the festive vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read and review this title early.

I'm gonna do my best to be coherent because I just finished this and I LOVED it and I don't think I can be normal about this book. It's got enemies to lovers. It's got SO MUCH ANGST. It's got two characters who think they hate each other collaborating on a romance book about two characters who totally definitely are not just stand ins for them. I am OBSESSED and I will absolutely be reading ever single thing Katie Holt writes!!!

Full review posted on my bookstgram: @fadhee.reads 💌 and also on goodreads! What a perfect romcom indeed!😍💖 The banter between the MCs were so good! Thankyou to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for this wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review!💞

This book has me torn--so many things I liked but also so many things I disliked.
I hated one thing: that the book got so spicy it was too graphic for me. Luckily this was not throughout the whole book, but enough that I might not have finished it if it wasn't a NetGalley arc that I'd agreed to review. I liked the premise of two authors in a writing program coming together to share their preferred genres to write a book together. However, I found their bickering went on long enough and in a way that it was less fun and more annoying. I also found that the book they wrote together felt like it was all romance and Aiden learning to write romance and Rosie didn't seem to learn anything.

One of the hardest parts for me was the way Aiden treated Rosie after they had become friends and lovers. I didn't understand it at all. BUT then the author gives him the chance to explain himself. My initial reaction was not to believe that was a believable excuse, but this is where I believe Holt is a good author, I began to wonder if I was being to quick to judge someone with a different life experience than my own. Maybe this is a normal coping mechanism for some. Because of this, I am rating the book higher than I planned to.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #AlcovePress for my ARC of this book

This was such a fun read! I def picked up on the hating games/Beach Read vibes. I would reccomend this to my romance reader friends. 4/5 stars!

I don’t typically review books I did not enjoy, but I felt like I should with this one. The premise is amazing: two aspiring authors who are typically at each other’s throats during their college course are forced to write a book together. Academic rivals and forced proximity are amazing.

I did not end up enjoying it though and it was simply because the writing/content was not for me. I’ve been on a kick of sweet/clean romance so this just did not fit the vibe I’ve been enjoying. If you like academic rivals and spicy books this should be good for you!

Is romantic academia a genre? Because it should be. We all love dark academia, so why not cute fluffy academia?

This book really took me by surprise. There are so many well-loved tropes in here that many of us have come to admire (enemies to lovers, a book within a book, grumpy/sunshine, etc) and this author really melded these into a unique story that kept me reading.

Not only do you get the story of the two main characters, you get the story of the book they are writing as well. Speaking of characters, each one in this book really had a unique voice. They felt fleshed-out, like an actual person that exists in the world.

I loved the difference in class and opportunity this book had as well. Overall, I feel that this book has some down-to-earth points on real world issues. I don’t generally love the discussion of modern political and social issues in books, but this author handled these in a matter-of-fact way that was by no means preachy. I feel like many people could take a note from this book when it comes to different perspectives and goals from people of different classes.

It also made me personally happy to see the author and characters defend the romance genre. So many people look down at romance, but it’s loved my so many people. #justiceforromance

I enjoyed this book a lot. It included many of the tropes I enjoy, but was able to put a fresh and original spin on the overall story. Highly recommend to anyone needed a contemporary romance.

𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 .𐦍༘⋆

this book was really good!
this was exactly what i needed from this book. super fast paced, easy to read & there is nothing i enjoy more than a good academic rivals to lovers story!

i loved that the characters felt like real people, flaws and all. i really enjoyed the topics that this book discussed with the characters’ family & their drives for being in the program.

i did think that the third act breakup that lead to a pretty big decision in the fmc’s life was a bit dramatic and blown up, though i can understand why it’s something someone else would do, it just felt a little out of character for our fmc in my opinion. i loved they way it was all patched up in the end though it was really cute.

i also got my hands on the audiobook and i must say that frankie corzo did such a beautiful job of bringing this book & the characters to life.

For fans of the rivals to lovers trope!

I am so impressed by this debut novel. I think Holt nailed the dynamic between Rosie and Aiden. These two could not stand each other in the beginning which I think Holt portrayed nicely. They were rude and mean to each other but not so much so that it would be unforgivable. I liked their banter and how their romance developed slowly. The slow burn here was well done and definitely had me screaming at these two!

A very enjoyable romcom!

DNF. The protagonist comes off as juvenile. The prose is clunky, overusing sentences that begin with "I." It's all show, no tell. Even the little book excerpts only reiterate what we've already seen in scenes between the MCs. This may have benefited from dual POV instead, but that likely wouldn't have benefited the over-explainitory narration.

I love love LOVE a forced proximity romance! Honestly one of my favorite tropes and this definitely delivered! Such a delightful read with such a believable romance that I found myself not wanting to put this down!

This book was phenomenal! Thank you so much for the arc! I had the most amazing time reading this one!

Not in My Books is the perfect rivals to lovers love story full of banter and steamy moments! We follow Rosie, who is trying to write the perfect romance book for her writing class, but is struggling to start it. At the same time, Aiden, her rival who hates romance as a genre, is being super annoying at every class and hates everything she's writing. Then, in one class Rosie finally gets enough of Aiden's comments and the two of them get into a fight. Ida, the class instructor, commands them to either drop the class or write their book together. So they end up writing a romance book with no HEA, together. The start is a bit rocky, but soon they get the hang of it and the book they're writing is better than anything Rosie has ever written.

We get to see how Rosie and Aiden slowly fall in love, at the same time as their characters also fall for each other. This book is full of warm and cute moments, and I truly loved every page. I adored how we got to see both of the love stories play out, and how writing was such a big part of the book. I adored Rosie and loved Aiden. They have amazing chemistry and I was really rooting for them to end up together.

This was such a cute lovely romance. 4,5 stars. Would absolutely recommend this to everyone!

Not in my book is a cute college romance.
Rosie and Aiden are the opposite and hate each other yet have to start writing a book together for their writing class.
I loved the plot of this book but it honestly fell a bit flat for me. It felt a bit slow and repetitive at times. I loved the beginning but starting when they actually got together I was just not rooting for them anymore. This is completely a me problem but I felt like there was too much spice and felt a bit forced, I wished to see more of their actual dating than only spice after they got together. Without spoiling anything I also really didn’t like that Rosie still decided to go back with Aiden after their break up and to me the ending was just not realistic.
I didn’t have any problem with the writing however I usually like books in books but in this case it was just so repetitive, basically a copy of what was actually going on between Rosie and Aiden.
In the end I don’t think that this was a bad book but it was just not for me personally, however if you love spice totally go for it!!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Writers…
Rivals…
Enemies…

They are in a creative writing class and butt heads at every opportunity. The professor makes them write a novel together as the final project. She only writes romances with a HEA and he only wants to write literary fiction with bitterness. What could go wrong?

This was so good! I loved it! It was spicy and angsty. All the things!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

I will EAT UP an enemies to lovers and forced proximity EVERY 👏🏻 SINGLE 👏🏻 TIME

If you wanted Beach Read but for them to write the book together this is the one for you!!

While this was done in single POV we were still able to see the MMC’s perspective in the book excepts they were writing. I absolutely loved it!!