This book was basically glued to my hands while reading it--it could NOT be pried from me. I had so much fun with this one.

To summarize: Tennessee-born Rosie moves to NYC in the hopes of becoming an author. When she enrolls in a writing workshop, she is immediately attracted to her classmate Aiden, a literary writer, but quickly realizes that he despises and looks down on what she holds dear: romance novels (and perhaps just romance in general). They verbally spar in class at every turn, and finally, their teacher gives them an ultimatum that will make or break their chances of expulsion from the class: they have to write a book together. What could go wrong when forcing a sad literary author and hopeless romantic together?

I loved the dynamic of them writing a book together, and how initially it kind of starts as a "screw you" to write their main characters as caricatures of each other, but it created delicious tension between them expressing how they feel through their story. And there is one scene that will absolutely stick with me in which they write a smut scene together. My GOODNESS. I enjoyed both of them together and was truly rooting for them to get past their differences and just kiss already!!

I think the reason I am lowering to 4 stars is because the ending kind of fell flat to me. I think Rosie's actions near the end were a bit ridiculous for a grown woman, but I get it--the Drama of it all. 3rd act breakups are decidedly not my favorite, but even still, this book was just so much fun and I loved it. Katie Holt will be a new auto-buy author for me.

Thank you @ Alcove Press and @NetGalley for this ARC. The banter in this book is on point. This is an enemies to lovers trope and was so much fun to read. Rosie and Aiden are both writes, rosie romance and Aiden fiction. Aiden does not like romance and so he does not like Rosie, but when their teacher has had enough of their fighting she decides to make them write a book together. This will end bad or so spicy they may go up in flames.

This was such a fun contemporary romance. I love a well done Academic Rivals to Lovers trope.
I got super invested in their story. And I love books about writers and books.
I loved the Peruvian rep. I can't fully explain it but every time Aiden called her Rosalinda it was kind of hot? Tension was high throughout and the slow-burn had a good payoff. The push-pull attraction really sparkles in this debut novel.

New York City is a paid actor in this book and although I didn't realise when I started this book, it was actually quite a festive read so perfect for December/January.

Highly recommend if you are a fan of the following tropes and traits:

Academic rivals to lovers
Top tier banter
Suave male leads
Smart and sassy female leads
Big city life with small town heart
New York Life
Book within a book
Books about writers

I have not read such a satisfying enemies-to-lovers romance in ages. I devoured Katie Holt's NOT IN MY BOOK. This is not only a love letter to the magic of New York City, but also an ode to romance and rom-coms in general. Great execution of so many fantastic romance tropes--and both characters had great depth. NOT IN MY BOOK is such a strong debut. I daresay that anything Holt publishes will be an automatic purchase for me now. Can't wait for her next story!

This was a romance novel that you don’t want to step away from. I found myself stealing away time to read just a bit more during a hectic weekend and Monday. Truly, a balm for the heart of a novel.


Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.


I loved the tropes and the exploration of them through both leads being writers. And Aiden being new to writing romance was an excellent way to take the reader through some of the writing process of a romance novel without feeling as if the curtain had been torn asunder and destroyed any chance of genuinely reading the genre for pleasure.


Aiden and Rosie were lovely leads. Aiden’s backstory was so good for a sad, male lead. Rosie was vibrant and understandable. However, this book is definitely very trope-y and predictable. I am a fan of those books and did enjoy this one, but there is perhaps not as much depth to this book as the description made me think there would be. Also, I loved the development of the plot and the pacing, except for the ending. I hope that the final version is a little longer or more drawn out, as I felt a bit rushed through the last moments.


All in all, a romance I did not want to put down filled with tension and tons of witty banter.

Not In My Book
-forced proximity
-enemies to lovers
-academic rivals
Rosie & Aiden are at NYU together and take writing classes… Aiden is a lit fic writer and Rosie is a romance writer… and Aiden has a personal vendetta against romance. They fight every time they’re in class together & their professor gets SICK OF IT. They have two options: drop the class, or do their final project together. They have to write a book that is both a romance but also has themes of literary fiction. Their professor forces them to go on dates and write a cohesive story together. While going on dates they become friends.. and then more

Rosie is a hard working and intelligent woman just trying to get by in New York. Her passion is romance and she is very vocal about changing the perspective people have on the enjoyment of romance, it’s not a “guilty pleasure” but a valid form of literature.
Aiden is also very intelligent but VERY GRUMPY. He’s jaded and has a tortured past (of course) and takes his anger out on Rosie’s writing.
The book has a cool feature, every chapter ends with a little excerpt from their book together. And they basically write their story. Not in my book is in Rosie’s POV, but you get a lot of Aiden’s thoughts and opinions throughout his chapters.

This book was very reminiscent of Book Lovers with the romance vs literary fiction conversation between writers. The difference is they are emerging authors rather than established writers. The rivalry between the two stemmed from mutual attraction that they tried to ignore but overall sometimes felt mean-spirited. When they are grouped together to pass the classes they put their rivalry aside and got to know each other. The MMC had a tragic backstory (absentee, adulterous, verbally abusive/manipulative father) but with time he warms up to Rosie.

I am SO SO SO pleasantly surprised by this book, I had no expectations at all going in and I fell head first into this story in the best way.

Not in My Book follows Aiden & Rosie, two graduate students who aim to become published authors, but who do this in very, very different ways. Aiden writes deep & dark literary fiction, and Rosie loves a spicy romance with a happy ending. This premise was a bit like Beach Read but the execution was wildly, wildly different and unique. They're later forced to co-write a book in order to stay in their highly coveted writing workshop, and the banter and chaos that ensues from this is SO WONDERFUL and different from other romances I've read.

These two really are incredibly different, but also so well suited for one another. Aiden needs someone to remind him that he can be loved despite his prickliness, and someone who can remind him of how his tendency toward pushing people away is hurting him. Rosie is a hopeless romantic but she also does NOT take shit, she calls Aiden on his crap and never backs down from her own conviction that she's a talented writer who brings a lot to the table. Aiden begins as someone who throws a lot of shade at romance writers but he corrects to fully and apologizes so thoroughly. Their back and forth and chemistry really jump off the page, and seeing as the two are writing a spicy romance... there is a TON of opportunity for tension. The spice is immaculate, both in Aiden & Rosies writing project AND when the two finally come together themselves. I can tell that this author is a die-hard romance fan who has done her research, and I appreciated that so very much.

I've only knocked off a half star here because I thought the final conflict could have been handled and fleshed out a lot better, I didn't really understand Aiden's motivations for lashing out verbally at Rosie the way he did when certain truths are revealed, even though he wrote in from his perspective later. I still was rooting for them, I just wanted either less lashing out or more explanation as to the why.

Thank you SO much to Alcove Press and NetGalley for this gem of a book. Its definitely put this author on the map for me in a big way, and I cannot WAIT to see what Katie Holt writes next!

4.5 stars!

"Not in My Book" by Katie Holt is one of my favorite books of 2024! I absolutely loved this story! It's a New York City enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity (in a classroom!!) (even some only one bed, too!!), epistolary romance for the ages. I swooned HARD for this book and these characters. Rosie and Aiden have some of the best banter I've read all year...it's just terrific! This is one of the best "books about writing books" I have read in a long, long time. I have a hunch there will be a section of readers who think the premise is too meta, but I was connected to it from the get-go. The character arcs are wonderful. These characters feel realistic and lived-in. I loved Rosie's family and friend dynamics, and I loved learning about Aiden's past and his life as details are slowly unraveled. AND THE GOOGLE DOC SCENE?! HOOOOOOOLY CRAPOOOOLA, I am going to be thinking about that scene for years to come! It'll live in my head rent-free, as the kids say. I also adore what this book has to say about how many, many authors and readers are snobby about and look down on romance as a genre. Romance RULES, don't get it twisted. I am running out of ways to say how much I was enamored with this book. You MUST read it as soon as possible!! I devoured this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Katie Holt, and Alcove Press for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

This book was so cute! I absolutely loved the tension and banter between Rosie and Aiden. Watching them slowly admit their feelings through the characters they were writing was so good. I also loved the little snippets of their book and how it matched their real relationship. This was a cute, sweet, spice, and fun read from start to finish.

This was so cute! I love bookish romances and I really wish there were more of them. Thought this was really cozy and I would read more from the author.

I enjoyed the exploration of the genre through the characters. The cover is beautifully drawn and properly conveys the tension between the book's key characters. This book definitely deserves a 5 star rating.

I was not aware this was a debut novel and I would never have guessed from reading this book. I love a good childhood friends to lovers and add in a bit of enemies to lovers and I'm a sucker. Also-- A dual POV has become a BIG favorite of mine over this last year but sometimes I feel like it's hard to really capture two characters with any real depth, but Katie Holt did a fantastic job. The voices felt very authentic and despite this being more of a rom-com feel, there was some emotional grit as the characters started working past their issues. I really loved Aiden's banter. While I didn't start off liking Rosie, I grew to like her quickly. Overall, this book is a solid 4 star for me!

I was realy into this and liked the set up and the chemistry but then the story turned and it just didn't seem realistic and lost me

I had heard great things about this debut and decided to pick it up. I am thrilled that I did! I fell right into this enemies-to-lovers story and loved every second. In this story, we have Rosie and Aiden. Both are in an intensive writing class at NYU. Each week, when it comes time to critique classmates' writing samples, the derision comes pouring out of these two. Aiden can't stand that Rosie writes romance, which he sees as unrealistic. Rosie thinks Aiden's lit fic is stuffy and boring. The arguments reach a crescendo until their professor tells them they are being kicked out unless they agree to write their novel together.

I loved every second of these two. Ever since Emily Henry's Beach Read, I have not been able to get enough of reading about writers. Rosie and Aiden are the perfect example of what I love about this trope. The discussions they have around writing, genre, and their craft are fascinating and engaging. The chemistry is off the page. Holt builds the tension perfectly and manages to have Rosie and Aiden remain true to themselves and their beliefs while somehow coming together to co-write and more. The banter is great. There is a visit to The Strand (IFYKY). There is Peruvian family on Rosie's side and a literary genius on Aiden's. There just wasn't anything not to love in this book. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down.

I'm officially obsessed with this new author and cannot wait to see what she puts out next. In the meantime, I'm glad to have this on my shelf for whenever I need to laugh or swoon. Highly recommend!

It pains me endlessly to say that I didn't love this one. It's not terrible for a debut, and the potential was definitely there, but the execution fell a bit flat for my taste.

The premise was quite appealing and there were really well written sections, but for the most part the dialogues and so-called banter came across as childish.
The fmc, especially, is so immature and self-righteous, I couldn't stop rolling my eyes at her running commentary and the way she makes hurtful assumptions about the mmc but then has the gall to act surprised when he gets mad or hits back.

The meta-book aspect of this story is great, tho, and I was honestly more invested in the development of the novel they write together than the "real" protagonists.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was unexpectedly perfect winter read. It was a great blend of cozy and comfort. Unexpected because I didn’t realize most of the book was set during the winter months.

I thought this book was really well done, especially when your characters are writing a book together. I really enjoyed how the main story and the writing assignment were woven together and how the characters worked together as well. However the assignment kind of fizzled out about the last 20% of the book. I see why it did but I was attached to that story just as much as the main story so I was a little sad it sort of faded away.

While I fully enjoyed this book and highly recommend it I will admit I didn’t feeling the ending was as well crafted as the rest. The attitudes and reactions between characters seemed childish and yet they came back together so quickly. I suppose I wanted a bit more to it than just a quick wrap up to the whole thing.

Omg this was so so cute?!

Rosie and Aiden are rivals at their writing class and their rivality goes a step too far, leading their teacher to force them to write together for the semester. Through this forced proximity, they get to learn about each other (and obviously fall in love).

It’s very inception-like but it works very well. It gave me the best feeling of being giddy and smiling while you can see them slowly falling for one another (and also wanting to shake them to make them realise it sooner because it is a slow burn). I loved that despite being a single POV book, the excerpts from Rosie and Aiden’s book gave us some insight on Aiden’s mind, helping us understand him better before Rosie (who clearly wasn’t reading between the lines).

*I received an ARC of this book, this is my honest opinion*

3.5⭐️3🌶️

Contemporary romance
College romance
NY setting
Academic Rivals
Rivals to lovers
Writer MCs
Peruvian FMC
Slow burn
Deception



The premise is rivals in phd are so disruptive and childish in class that they are assigned a co-written project and I loved it! The tension and banter is realistic for people who argue and obsess over their angst, but because of the level of unprofessionalism it felt a little juvenile. I had to keep reminding myself that they were over 25 and in their MFA program. I think the single POV was definitely the best choice, thank goodness. If this book had been dual POV it would have spoiled so much.

The fact that the writers are writing themselves into their project seems really stereotypical… but I found it a little repetitive to read the project excerpts of the same moment from the project. I wish that it had given glimpses into moments we didn’t see on page instead. But it was an interesting use of POV shift.

I love when NY as a setting make an appearance as more of a character.

There was a lot of Meg Ryan movie references and parallels. As a lover of Meg Ryan, I approve. It wasn’t overdone, but it was palpable.

Thank you NetGalley and Aclove Press for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was such a cute fun story. I loved these characters. They made me mad a few times because I was like come on you know you like each other.
But this definitely was a fun and quick read. I recommend this book for a light read.
I enjoyed how the book was written between them. Because you got to really see how they felt. I don't want to give to much away. But I think being co-authors was a great idea from their teacher. This would make for a great movie or mini TV show.