Everybody sit down, because I am about to absolutely rave about this book!! This was everything a romance should be. The author does a fantastic job throwing us right in the thick of the enemies to lovers. I could feel the tension simmering between Aiden and Rosie's desks!
The story had the perfect amount of side plot to keep the character realistic while also focusing on the budding romance happening right before my eyes. The whole idea that they had to write a book together and then they proceeded to write their relationship!
I loved everything about this book, it physically hurt every time I had to put it down. I love the characters, I love the plot and I am so happy I had this arc! Consider me a Katie Holt fan for the rest of my days!!

I loved the witty banter between these enemies-turned-lovers. As the story unfolds, their relationship evolves beautifully, with a satisfying slow burn that reveals vulnerabilities beneath their rivalry. This growing connection strikes a perfect balance between tension and heartfelt moments, making you truly root for them.

This was really fun! I loved the premise and the scenes where they wrote together were super hot. The love interest is really believable and you can see why they fall for one another. There were a couple of icky bits in the sex though (to do with how he talks), although that's a matter of taste.

I absolutely loved this book! I didn’t think I would however I could not put it down. Will definitely be looking for more books from this author.

Thank you!

4.5/5⭐️

Oh my freaking GOD!! This was so cute! And funny. And HOT! Jesus Christ I’m obsessed with this! Academic rivals to lovers with forced proximity due to being forced to write a book for their class together?? And the book they’re writing is a romance that hints about the other??? SOLD! I swear, it got steamy and I was kicking my feet and giggling like a little girl I LOVED this! I can’t wait to put my staff picks sticker on this at work when it releases!

"The minute I saw you, you had me hooked, and I never wanted you to let go. The entire time we were together all I could think was you were better than any dream, any piece of fiction I could ever write.

Aiden (mmc)
Rosalinda aka Rosie (fmc)

I just came across this book in Netgally and I was so pleasantly surprised with this book. My first book by the author and I just cant wait what she writes next. I hope that in the near future we see secondary characters in this book.

I cant believe this is the authors debut novel?! what?! This book was very well written and I felt transported to NYC . I felt that I was walking along Aiden and Rosie in the NYU streets. I loved the storyline, it felt fresh and I'm a big fan of enemies to lovers. The story had a great build up and it had a good ending. I will highly recommend, I think this is a solid read .

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! It’s been months since I was so sucked into a contemporary romance the way I was with Not in my Book.

This follows graduate students Rosie and Aiden, two academic rivals who can’t stand each other, and are forced to work together to write a novel for class. They’re polar opposites—she writes romance, and he writes literary fiction—and they have very different ideas of where their story will go. As they work on the book together, their true feelings about each other start to come through their writing, and we get to see their story unfold in both their book and their lives.

The insults these two were hurling each other at the beginning of the book were incredible, but as they became friends they had so many tender moments. This was also surprisingly spicy.

4.5⭐️

(Side note - I initially knew I had to read this because I the FMC was Peruvian! As a Peruvian-American, it was so cool to see bits of Peruvian culture (mostly food) interspersed throughout the book!)

4.5/5

Thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press for providing me with an Arc in exchange for a review.

This book was really good! I really liked the concept of two enemies having to work on a book for their masters together. It was different and exciting.

Rosie and Aiden are cute together and I'm happy with how their romance played out. I was a little annoyed with Rosie towards the end but it worked out!

The chemistry was off the charts, the story was paced well, and overall, it was a fun read.

I definitely recommend reading this when it comes out in December! don't forget to add it to your TBR.

Rivals to lovers?? One of my absolute fave tropes because the angst is just perfect, and it’s so nice to have two strong leads in a romance book, I adored both Rosie and Aiden 🤎 an amazing debut from Katie Holt.

I absolutely adored this book! An amazing debut by Katie Holt and a perfect rivals to lovers slow burn. Rosie and Aiden are both upcoming authors who’re in the same workshop classes and write the complete opposite genres. They do not like each other at all and cause a lot of commotion by being extremely rude and fighting during their workshops. Their professor is done with their attitudes and only allows them to stay in her class if they co-write a book which include both of their genres. The tension is high, they need to include romance and end up writing a steamy scene (which was HOT) and slowly get to know each other.

I really enjoyed this book, I liked the unique concept of writing the book together and reading ‘a book inside a book’. Definitely add this book to your tbr if you’re looking for a grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, rivals to lovers vibe!

4.5☆ I loved this romance book. As an avid reader, I love a romance novel about writers and books. I really enjoyed reading the snippets of the co-writing between the main characters at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend Not in my Book by Katie Holt.

Not in My Book by Katie Holt is a book I know I’ll revisit whenever I need to escape reality. From the first page, it had me laughing, screaming, and kicking my feet in excitement. The plot is so creative and engaging that I couldn’t put it down, and by the end, I was ready for a reread.

As a Latina, chocolate lover, and terrible cook, I instantly connected with Rosie. She’s funny, clever, and relatable, but the banter is what truly stole the show. I absolutely loved the dynamic between Rosie and Aidan—it was so heartwarming and fun to watch develop. And her friend group? They were just as entertaining and added so much to the story!

The spice in this book was amazing, and I did not expect Aidan to be like that! It was such an amazing surprise. When Rosie pointed it out, I was like, “Omg girl, same.” I also loved how we indirectly got both points of view—such a unique and creative format that kept me hooked.

Aidan, the love interest, was perfect—he added depth and charm to the romance, making it all the more enjoyable. Katie Holt’s writing is witty and refreshing, and this book is a must-read for any romance fan. I can’t wait to dive back in!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

Not in my Book by Katie Holt

Not in my book by Katie Holt is a contemporary romance that follows two academic rivals as they are forced to write a manuscript together.

Rosie Maxwell has always loved love, after splitting from her controlling ex she finds herself determined to secure her dreams. Aiden Hunter is the antithesis to romance. Opting to writing more serious literature capturing topics of grief and hurt.

When they are forced to team up in order to stay in their NYU writing class they find themselves becoming friends as they soon learn the true nature of each other, and maybe you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

I really enjoyed this book! I think having two very strong leads isn’t often done in a romance book and in some ways I wish this book were dual pov as I’d love to know what was going through Aidan’s mind during certain points of the book.

I think their romance and coming together came across very natural. They were bound to have disagreements or be scared away at certain times. Now *slight spoiler* I didn’t like the 3rd act break up. I did predict the way in which it would happen quite early on but I think he didn’t redeem himself enough. As much as I loved Aiden and I’d have loved to know more about his childhood I think he got let off too quick! Maybe that’s just me. I do like a quickly resolved 3rd act breakup as they do stress me out in books but I don’t know I just feel like something was missing there. Maybe we could have had her read the manuscript after Ida’s call out of curiosity and then Aiden turns up? I don’t know. That being said I still really really enjoyed this book and I’m rating it 4 stars.

Not in My Book by Katie Holt is an adorable romance about two aspiring writers in a writing workshop who argue constantly. They became so disruptive in the workshop their professor gave them the option to collaborate together on writing a book or be removed from class. Strong personalities, overcoming past trauma, & falling for each other through their characters makes this book an excellent story.
Thank you, #NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book, with all thoughts and opinions being my own. This is my first Katie Holt book it won't be the last. If you're looking for spunky characters, a little drama, passion, & a whole lot of swoon, then I recommend adding this wonderful romance story to your TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! This book comes out on December 10, just in time for the Christmas season. :)

I love an enemies to lovers, I love romance books set in NYC, & I love books about authors. Because of all of that, this book was the perfect vibe for me. Not to mention the heroine being a romance reader like myself.

Rosie & Aiden are writing students that are always feuding in class, to the point where they are assigned to write a novel together to force them to get along. While being a pretty straight forward enemies to lovers story, the characters were also to explore career, grief, & family in a touching way.

The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me was that the pacing felt a little off from me from time to time. While I loved every journey these characters went on, there were a few times I felt like the book could be wrapping up just to see that I had quite a bit of the story left to read.

Wow... just wow! This book was beautifully written and had me hooked from the start! This book has diverse and well developed characters that help build and show that. Rosie and Aiden are school rivals. In the same MFA program they started as rivals the day that Aiden dismissed Rosie as a writer since she writes romance. Despite Rosie's instant attraction to Aiden (and that darn peacoat) she won't let him win and it means war. They're bickering and need to one up another causes enough strife in their program that their professor gives them an ultimatum.... write a manuscript together or leave the class and potentially the program. Rosie and Aiden reluctantly decide to call a cease fire for the sake of their education. As they write their story they find that the characters are a little too familiar. As they work together and write, they're bickering and snide comments slowly begin to turn into a friendship... with a LOT of tension. Rosie can't ever see Aiden liking her, because she will never give up on romance and Aiden doesn't believe in it. But maybe he just hasn't experienced it and is willing to bring his walls down for Rosie. After all, their characters are simmering with desire for one another... why wouldn't it work for them? This book gave so much angst and tension and is a true enemies to lovers novel. I loved the banter and the character development, it was wonderfully written.

I loved this story! I was smiling, kicking my feet and giggling! This is enemies to lovers and we are given exactly that. What made this book different is that they are both in a graduate program in NYU. They argue all the time in class to the point that other students feel they are getting entertained. One time they take it too far and they are forced to write a book together. That's where the magic happens. It was so fun watching two people write a book when they claim to hate each other. The chapters they write and the relationship they build both in the book and for themselves is such a great story.

I DNFed this book. I could not get into it. The characters were not likeable to me. I gave it 1/5 stars. I’m sure it’s good, but it was not my cup of tea and I’m very particular about my books!

A bit of slow burn unexpectedly but the romance within romance was cute. Loved the cozy vibes and Taylor Swift atmosphere. Rivals to lovers done well!rosie was very liked and versatile.

Wow! Aiden and Rosie couldn’t be more different from each other, and this is what made this story so compelling. The constant banter and bickering was everything! This was your typical perfect academic rivals plot and I’m obsessed with it.