This book was a really creative version of rivals to lovers. Aiden & Rosie are in the same writing class at NYU and have to write a romance novel together for their final project even though they hate each other. I liked the format with little excerpts of the novel they were writing throughout. Great flirty banter is a must for me in a rom com, and this book delivered that! The characters and their backgrounds were well thought out. The story is set in fall & winter in New York which makes this the perfect cozy read. I'm giving this one 3.5 stars because I really enjoyed it but wasn't a huge fan of the mmc and some things just didn't feel real to me. Thank you to NetGalley & Alcove Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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.

For a debut, this is actually SO GOOD. I was obsessed with Rosie and Aiden and the chemistry they have. You can tell that Katie is a romance girlie at heart because all of the very best tropes are present and executed so. well.

So excited to read future works from her!!

Release Date: 10th December 2024

3.5 stars rounded up

<b><i>The Hating Game meets Beach Read in this sexy and hilarious contemporary romance from a debut Peruvian-Tennessean voice.</b></i>

This is an enemies to lovers romance book, which is true to the trope.
Two wannabe writers on a course together, who keep clashing over their feedback of each others work, but Rosie and Aiden start to realise it isn't hate between them, but love never does run smooth with a few bumps in the road reigniting that original clash of personalities.

Great writing style in this debut novel by Katie Holt, keeps you reading and wanting to know what happens next. With a book within a book storyline, great atmosphere and setting and started with great tension, which I felt petered out towards the end.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Reviews will also published on Amazon & Instagram on Publication day

This book is a beautiful love letter to romance novels. I mean, it’s all very meta - a romance writer writing a romance about two characters writing a romance - but it all worked for me. And whew, it was unexpectedly steamy! That Aiden sure has a mouth on him… wink wink, nudge nudge. But it’s a beautiful story, and I loved it. Thanks to Alcove Press for the ARC.

I knew I was going to enjoy this, the description and cover had me hooked, and boy did it deliver! Rosie is a romance loving writer and Aiden is literary fiction snob, they meet in writing class and it's hate at first sight once they learn about their genre preferences and spend 2 years insulting and each other's work. Their teacher gets fed up and assigns them to write a book together a romance with a tragic ending, it's hilarious because while they've been roasting each other all day everyday their classmates and teacher are literally like get a room already! They start spending time together to complete this book and of course as they get to know each other, things escalate and feelings get more complicated! I loved how the book was written, it was evocative and the banter was fire. I loved how we had their POVs but then also the chapters they were writing for the book and this also gave us more insight into their feelings since they basically were writing their love story!

From the witty banter to the slow-burn tension, I was hooked right from the start. The main characters are both so well-written – their personalities clash in all the best ways, creating hilarious and heartfelt moments that kept me flipping pages. And can we talk about the writing scenes? Them passing the computer back and forth and sharing a google document and trading off paragraphs was absolute perfection. The smut scene they wrote on the phone together was 🌶️🌶️🌶️. It’s the perfect read if you’re looking for a romance that’s funny, steamy, and incredibly satisfying.

This book absolutely and undoubtedly undid me. I *loved* the concept and the execution truly was perfection. True enemies to lovers with forced proximity and add in the fact that they write a book together. Aiden and Rosie are my OTP — an acronym that I haven’t used in a very long time.

I absolutely loved this romance! This was a little bit of enemies to lovers, a little bit of rivals to lovers, and then finally, a little bit of friends to lovers. I was worried this book might be all tropes and no plot, but Katie Holt made sure each character was well fleshed out and had their own arc. I loved the main character and the tension between her and Aiden. This was truly a fun read, and I couldn't put it down once I started. If you're looking for a cozy and entertaining romance for the holidays, I can't recommend this one enough!

This was such a cute rivals-to-lovers story, told from the FMC's POV. Rosie & Aiden are in NYU's writing MFA program and can't stand each other. Aiden completely dismisses Rosie because she writes romance & Rosie gives it right back to Aiden. After they disrupt class as they usually do, their professor gives them an ultimatum - drop her class or write the project together.

This has so many great elements - forced proximity, a little grumpy x sunshine. And while this is entirely told from Rosie's POV, Aiden's perspective is still very clear. There are underlying emotions that equate to some great chemistry build-up. And when the spice hits, it hits hard (we love a dirty-talking MMC).

Both Aiden & Rosie's backgrounds are similar but the way they react is different - the opposites do attract here and I love that as they start working together, we get to see their walls come down & their true feelings for each other shine through.

This was such a cute story with great banter & a full gambit of emotions that held my attention until the very end.

💖 Rivals to Lovers
☀️ Grumpy x Sunshine
🫶 Found Family
❣️ City Boy x Southern Girl
📚 NYC College Students
🛏️ One Bed Moment
🔥 Slow Burn
1️⃣ Single FMC POV

What an amazing enemies to lovers story! Rosie and Aiden are both strong writers, Rosie believes in romance but Aiden “lives in the real world” and writes high brow literary fiction. Their bickering in class forces their professor to pair them on a novel writing project that has to include aspects of both their writing. The book is written from Rosie’s perspective, but shows their class project in a dual narrative. I loved watching their love story unfold in both ways, and the paired writing scenes were wonderful. It felt emotional and meaningful and connected to see Rosie write her words and trust Aiden to edit them. I’ll be thinking about their love for a while.

This was a really great enemy to lovers book. We meet the two main characters who are in the same writing class. Aiden hates romance writers and Rosie is a romance writer who loves to argue with him. Their arguments and discussions in class is like foreplay but they are in serious denial. That is until the teacher has had enough and they are put to work together.

It's always different when you get to learn about someone. You realize things about the other person that never even crossed your mind. You really don't know about a person until you spend time with them and learn about them. Why they do the things they do.

They spoke to each other truthfully through the story they were writing together. For some reason it's always easier to let things out on paper or online rather than telling the person in real life. They started to bond with one another the more time they spent together. Their romance bloomed throughout the book but towards the end there were some misunderstandings.

Overall it was a good story. I didn't really enjoy the special scenes of times they slept together but that's just cause it's not my thing. Other than that it was a good story and I was deeply invested.

Not in My Book by Katie Holt

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pub Date: December 10, 2024 (My mom’s birthday!)

Imagine The Hating Game and Beach read had a baby. You would get Not in My Book by Katie Holt. I will try to coherently write down my thoughts, but no promises because this book has left me speechless.

Each chapter ends with an excerpt of Rosie and Aiden’s book and I found myself holding onto those excerpts. The parallels between their relationship and the book they were writing built the slow burn tension perfectly and I sobbed (no joke) for the last 100 pages. The book within a book component was really well done. Their book had a different style of writing than the overall novel which added more dimension. So really there are 3 different writing styles:
1. Katie Holt
2. Rosie
3. Aiden
And I think that it’s clear who is writing when. It also helps that NIMB takes place from Rosie’s POV. A dual POV would not have worked in this instance and would have weighed down the projection of the plot. Instead, we receive Aiden’s perspective through his writing of their book and those excerpts at the end of each chapter.

As someone who lives far from home, Rosie was relatable for me. I also have a close relationship with my family and I always miss them more around the holidays. So that made this one a little extra special to me.

Overall, a 10/10. No notes. Not in My Book is easily one of my favorite reads this year and I think that we can expect great things from Katie Holt.

Thank you to Katie, NetGalley, Alcove Press for giving me an ARC of this adorable story!

This had some truly cute moments; and it was sexy and funny. But overall the main characters were really immature. I kept being distracted from cute / funny scenes by being mad at the dumb decisions they were making. 😂

If the description says “ The Hating Game meets Beach Read” then I am sold. This was just okay. Aiden fell short for me and some of the storyline was frustrating. Overall sweet story though.

If you take a shot every time the author says "Romance", you'll die. But you know what? I loved it! As a debut novel, this really stands strong. The dialogue and banter is incredible and the characters are really well rounded. It had just enough angst to keep it interesting and a really fun premise. I will definitely be picking up future novels by this author for sure.

Not in my Book follows two aspiring authors who are taking a class together. When their opinions on literary and romance novels collide disrupting several classes, the professor makes them work together or get out. Not in my book pushes opposites attract until opposites aren’t so opposite anymore.
Rosie is the sunshine to Aiden’s grumpy. Incredibly optimistic and upbeat she dreams of becoming a successful romance author.
Aiden is prickly, good looking, and believes romance can only end in heartbreak. His ambitions lie in broody literary fiction. It’s no wonder the two of them are like oil and water.
Not in my Book was a cute grumpy and sunshine romance. The banter between Rosie and Aiden was fun but a bit frustrating at times. They were both so unwilling to compromise that it took me away from the story at times. That being said it was still a very enjoyable book.
I received an advance reader copy and am leaving this review of my own volition.

Rosie and Aiden can't stand one another. Rosie is a romance writer who is in love with love. Aiden writes literary fiction and takes himself VERY seriously. When they end up verbally sparring and disrupting their writers workshop, they're challenged to write a book together. This is the chance to work through their differences and come out the other side... or is it just another chance to stab one another in the back?

The suspense and spice in this book were undeniable and the tension between characters is absolutely top tier.

I ended up really enjoying this one. I loved the cover and the blurb and was glad I read it. I think the relationship was fun and I enjoyed getting to know both main characters. I would definitely recommend this book and would probably love it as an audiobook as well.

Absolutely in love and obsessed.

I randomly picked this book up the other night and it CONSUMED me. Rosie and Aiden are an incredible duo and I'm obsessed with their growth and development.

"Not in My Book" follows two MFA graduate students in a creative writing course. They HATE each other (thank god) because he writes literary fiction and she writes romance—of course. They bicker and fight during class so much so their prof, Ida, forces them to work together! WE HAVE FORCED PROXIMITY!!!! They end up working on a romance together and OH MY GOD!!! The steamy scenes they write together? GAGGED! Smut should always be written over the phone with your hot co-author. Just saying.

Wow. I'm getting chills just thinking about this book. I don't know what it was about it but I literally have NO notes. I am in love with this story, these characters, the plot, the book they wrote together?? It was PERFECT! Also there was scenes set during Christmas??? EVEN MORE PERFECT!! I loved her family and the cutie scenes they had altogether. I loved his quirks and the way he revealed his love for her over time. I genuinely need to reread it the second it is released.

I loved the grad school setting, the New York setting, their apartments! Literally EVERYTHING! Katie Holt you absolutely ate and devoured for your DEBUT BOOK??? SLAY!!!!!!

Cannot wait to hear more from this queen and read any upcoming releases she has!!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!