4.5 - THIS WAS SO GOOD!! It honestly would've been a 5 star if it didn't have the classic 3rd act breakup. Almost every aspect of this book made up my favorite types of romances, and it was the perfect emotional, angsty, enemies to lovers, book lover book. For a debut author, I was so impressed by the writing and depth of these characters!!

Not in My Book follows Aiden and Rosie, two graduate students at NYU who are part of a creative writing class together. The two get off on the wrong foot, always getting into fights and disrupting class, and their professor forces them to write a book together to stay in the class. The one condition? They have to write a romance with a mix of literary fiction, where there isn't a happy ending. Aiden hates the romance genre and Rosie hates fiction books that don't allow for the main characters to end up happy. The two slowly go from enemies to lovers, to friends, to something more.

One of the things I liked most about this book was the discussion of the romance genre and how important it is in the literary and bookish world. The author did a great job of using Rosie to explain why romance is so important and means so much to so many readers and I really saw parts of myself and the hopeless romantic reader in Rosie. I also LOVED Aiden's character, it was so nice to see a male main character with flaws, who was SHY, working through his own trauma and trying to voice his needs and wants. Aiden and Rosie fit perfectly together, and their banter, chemistry, and tension was just so good.

As per usual, there was a 3rd act breakup that I just didn't love. That is a personal preference and as far as 3rd act breakups go, at least this one was brief. I did see the conflict coming from a mile away, and wasn't thrilled what Aiden decided to do, but felt like the author did a good job wrapping up the book and explaining each characters reasons for their choices. While Rosie and Aiden both hurt at each other at the end of the book, they were able to talk through their feelings and reasons and really communicate well.

Overall, this was a stellar debut, such a great romance, and I truly had SO much fun reading it!! Thank you to Alcove Press for the free book!!

📚 Read if you like: enemies to lovers, writers writing together, books about books, only one bed, grad school rivals, opposites attract
⭐️ Rating: 4.5/5

Thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel out today! I had so much fun reading this one! Rosie and Aiden were such tasty grad school rivals and it was the best kind of enemies to lovers. I was absolutely giddy reading this in the span of like 24 hours which never happens for me. I just could not put it down!

Aiden and Rosie writing a book together is so entertaining. There’s just something about a hopeless romantic and a grump together that makes me so happy. Their banter in real life and the pages they write was so quick and funny. And I loved how they showed their feelings in their writing. Also them writing the spicy scenes together?! 🥵

I laughed! I teared up! There’s a good friend group and family things and so much food! It’s a love letter to romance readers and writers and fans of the genre should absolutely enjoy this! Out today! Read this!

Thank you @netgalley and @alcovepress for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion

The cover told me initially all I needed to know to jump right in and I thank Alcove Press and NetGalley for indulging me in reading this advanced E copy that did not disappoint!

This was a delicious dilemma of a debut in my opinion and I ate it up in all its goodness. Enemies to lovers is an automatic click for me but I always proceed with caution.

Katie wrote a story within a story that was unique, refreshing and ALL the feels! Rosie and Aiden were pure fire off the pages from start to end. I was laughing out loud, rolling my eyes and swooning all through. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and these characters.

I hope this one is on your list and if it isn’t get to it my friends!

Happy Reading!

I really enjoyed this romance much more than others I've read recently that involve books and authors!

Rosie and Aiden are the MCs of this enemies to lovers romance about two upcoming writers. Rosie writes romance while Aiden writes fiction, because of this they are chronically at odds during their writing workshop. To me, the dislike from Aiden is palpable, and after one over the top argument in class, their teacher requires them to write together or be kicked out of her workshop.

As they write, their feelings become much more obvious through the characters of their book. But I love how this writing assignment pushes both characters to expand their comfort zones as well as allows them to grow and be honest with each other!

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review

Enemies to lovers, grumpy to sunshine.
Rosie and Aiden believe they can’t stand one another— or at least that’s what they think. However, when their professor becomes frustrated and pairs them up to work on a book together, romance begins to blossom.
I enjoyed the chapters that Aiden and Rosie “authored”; they were a delightful touch. I appreciate seeing more diverse romantic stories. This charming and humorous tale is perfect for the holiday season. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrators quite enjoyable as well.

This was a very cute romance. I loved the banter between Rosie and Aiden so much, it made this read really fun while also having some pretty swoon worthy moments. A pretty quick and easy read, I place it at 3.75 out of 5. It was really cute and fun, but it didn’t wow me.

Rosie and Aiden, notorious for their constant bickering and rudeness in their writing workshop, are thrown into a surprising twist when their instructor pairs them up to co-write a story. Collaboration proves to be anything but smooth sailing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, The deep dive into the characters' lives helped me form a real connection with them. The added layer of the story with the story makes it even more captivating and engaging.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was amazing!

I got butterflies almost the whole way through, and I immediately fell in love with the characters and their stories!

I can’t wait to go back and read this again!

I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did! It started a little slow, and I almost DNF’d it — but I’m sooo glad I kept reading. This was one of the cutest romances I’ve read in a while!

I loved that the main characters were both writers — Aiden writing literary fiction and Rosie writing romance. Reading snippets from the story they were co-writing felt like a perfect reflection of their feelings. It was like watching them fall in love on two levels — in their writing and real life.

As a fellow romance lover, I related so much to Rosie and absolutely adored her character. The slow burn was paced just right — I was giggling and kicking my feet when they finally got together! And the HEA was perfect.

To start off… I honestly have no idea how this is a debut novel?! It makes me so excited to share this review and even more excited to see what Katie Holt does next 🫶

This book was SO good. I was immediately hooked from the beginning. This is literally what dreams are made of: enemies to lovers trope edition. I loved the chemistry, banter and tension between Rosie and Aiden - truly palpable. Like seriously- a few scenes even gave me butterflies 🤭 This was the perfect combination of romance, substance and spice. This had one of the best spicy scenes I’ve read this year - and they aren’t even in the same room! IYKYK 🤭🌶️

I love that this was a story inside a story. These characters were so well developed and felt like two very real people to me. I am a huge fan of duel POV in romances but the author did such an amazing job intertwining both the FMM & MMC feelings through their book excerpts that it didn’t even phase me. Whether it’s chasing your dreams or love - these two are extremely relatable and make you want to be brave & hopeful.

I honestly just loved everything about this one & can’t wait for you guys to enjoy it too! Seriously add this to your tbr & thank me later 🩷🤭

what do you get when two writing students who hate each other are forced to write a love story together? you get moments upon moments worthy of kicking your feet & incredible tension.

in not in my book, we meet rosie & aiden, two rival writers who are in the same writing intensive class at NYU. this is academic rivals to lovers at its best. I ate it up, and the new york setting was so perfect for the story too.

beyond the super sweet romance (and trust me, it’s a good one), this book is one of those books that reminded me of why I love reading romance in the first place. so for that reason, this book will hold a special place from now on.

“no two love stories are alike. sometimes you know just after an hour with a person. or it can span decades. the only thing every love story really has in common is that it’s worth it. love is always worth fighting for.”

Wow! What an amazing book! Is there a better trope than enemies (really rivals) to lovers? I think not. I absolutely loved The Hating Game and Beach Read and I can see how this book might be compared to them. It definitely lives up to the hype.

Plus, give me an academic setting any day of the week and I will eat it up.

The tension. The angst. The pining. The yearning. Pure perfection. It is hard to believe that this is a debut novel from this author…it’s that good.

Do yourself a favor and read this one today. You won’t be disappointed.

That moment when they reflect on those early days and get to explain what they really meant with how it got misinterpreted… always hits.

A very special thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Alcove Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It's a perfect hit.
This novel has everything I love so much.
From enemies to lovers, lovable characters, forced proximity, great jokes, and it all happens while the book is being created and their tension was on high level.
A wonderful romance, I enjoyed every page.

I would love to read other books by the author.
Thank you for arc❤️

Rivals Rosie and Aiden are forced to write a romance novel together after an incident in their writing class at NYU. Rosie believes that no matter how bad life gets in romance novels, there would always be a Happily Ever After whereas Aiden writes literary fiction with more realistic endings (sadness, death, etc.). As they write together they really get to know each other-- will they end up writing their own love story?

I loved everything about this book, winter time in New York, the chemistry between Aiden and Rosie, the angst, the slow burn!! Rosie was such a well rounded and funny fmc who is also a Swiftie. Rosie's friend group & her family were so wholesome. I also loved all of the food references & learning more about the Peruvian culture. This book had everything I needed in a romance novel & more, so well done!

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Books and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Not in My Book by Katie Holt stars grad students romance writer Rosie Maxwell and literary fiction writer Aiden Huntington. Peruvian American Rosie is diehard and defensive in her passion for the romance genre; whereas, New York native Aiden writes sad boy litfic and always has cynical comments for Rosie and romance in their workshops for their master’s program. Their story is an enemies/rivals to lovers in which their professor forces them to co-write a novel that lives somewhere between their chosen genres, so this manuscript allows them to be vulnerable and explore how they feel about each other.

I had a lot of fun reading Rosie and Aiden’s banter, especially in the context of their writing workshop, where their fights really came to a head. Reading them volley snark and criticism at each other felt like I was watching a tennis match alongside their classmates and their professor. I really enjoyed the way their love story played out on the page (both within the book and within *their* book). As a person who’s worked for a writing degree and sat through workshops myself, it felt a little extra special to be reading two writers fall in love both from the admiration of the other’s writing as well as by co-writing.

<spoiler>
And the shared writing scenes— oh my GOD the co-writing scenes!! Whether they’re sharing digital space on a document in physically separate places or passing the laptop (or phone!!!!!!) back and forth, I almost felt like I was intruding on such a private experience. Similar to the way secrets are revealed during long drives either late at night or during road trips, writing (and sharing one’s writing) is such a deeply intimate and profoundly vulnerable thing— so reading the scenes in which Rosie and Aiden share dialogue within the manuscript felt like such an intensely special way for these writers to bare their souls and their feelings to and for each other. Writing is their tool, their weapon, their craft, and their love language, and I LOVED reading Rosie and Aiden co-write their love story. I was *legitimately* reading one of these scenes while peaking through my fingers over my eyes because that’s how much I felt like I was intruding on such a private moment. LOL
</spoiler>

While I had fun reading this book, I do still have a couple of gripes with it. The beginning in which Rosie tells the reader about her narcissist ex-boyfriend, Simon, felt info-dumpy. I would have liked to have seen the details about that relationship come out more smoothly through conversations with friends or family, especially since the readers learn about it alongside Aiden later in the story. Dumping information about Simon in the beginning made sense to lay the groundwork, but it still felt more tell than show. Additionally, this is a *me* problem, but I happen to concurrently be reading a slow burn enemies to lovers romantasy alongside reading Not in My Book. I am a fan of enemies to lovers, but (while I understand it’s like comparing apples to oranges) this specific contemporary enemies/rivals to lovers hasn’t been hitting in the same way in that my fantasy one has imprinted on me. I guess I just need something a little more high stakes with life or death situations for enemies to lovers to really hit, which I acknowledge— this is a *me* problem to take up with my personal preferences (and my inner mood reader).

This book feels like a love letter for the genre or romance, writers, and especially romance writers, and as a romance reader, I loved reading the shared passion with Rosie and therefore Katie Holt. I look forward to reading more from this author! Thank you, Netgalley and Alcove Press, for the ARC!

Thank you Alcove Press & netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I love a good enemies to lovers story! I would actually say they're more academic rivals than enemies but it was still good regardless! I think the banter between Rosie and Aiden was so fun to read. This book gave major The Hating Game vibes, but I enjoyed this book way more!! I feel like Rosie and Aiden were both unable to fully comprehend their feelings for each other at the very beginning which steam rolled their academic rival. They were both so attracted to each other that the only way they knew how to process their emotions was through bickering and hating each other 😂

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed "The Hating Game" as well as "Beach Read", I think this book is a perfect mix of the two!

Absolutely no shade, but something about the peacoat was giving me the ick!! I just couldn't picture it 😂😂😂😂

Tropes:
- academic rivals
- enemies to lovers
- "it's been you since the beginning"

Not in my Book: ★★★★☆ (4)

Pub date: available now!

I cannot express how much I love this book! It made me giggle and squeal in the break room at work and go to bed at 3 am because I needed Rosie and Aiden to kiss already!!
Academic rivals turn to lovers through a project that has them writing a book together, but it turns into an outlet where they confess their feelings for one another instead, but using the characters names of course!!!
I cannot recommend this book enough! I loved the Peruvian representation and mentions of Rosie's traditions and culture.
The banter was too-notch! Both characters are hilerious and you have no choice but to root for a happily ever after.
Thank you to the author, Alcove press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this happily every after!

A fantastic debut from Katie Holt! I felt like I had butterflies the whole time I read!

What I loved about the book:
1. The enemies to lovers was done fantastically. From the very beginning their back and forth was FIRE!!! It was so fun watching them go from brutal enemies to begrudging partners to “friends” to lovers. I felt like the progression from enemies to “friends” was rather quick, which made sense since they were communicating better, and it made the pacing of the story very nice.

2. I loved how they wrote a lot of their complicated relationship into the book they wrote for class. It was fun seeing a scene play out between their real life characters and then a similar scene play out on the pages that showed maybe a new perspective or some internal monologues.

3. I was not expecting the amount of steam and spice in this thing, but I WAS NOT MAD ABOUT IT! We got quantity and quality, both far surpassing what I was expecting walking into this book. And that dirty mouth on him…phew!! Thank you, Katie Holt!

When they wrote their first sex scene in their book together, I was literally shaking with butterflies. These were the giddy tummy butterflies, but the butterflies were on speed and fire!

And then when he took care of business and no one else ever had??? The way he supported her through that and had to keep working at it (unlike a lot of times this gets brought up in romance books), it made the release that much more sweet.

4. I enjoyed the familial backstories we got for both MCs. While wildly different, their backgrounds definitely shaped the people they became.

5. I loved how much each of them were feminists. It’s always super sexy when the MMC is a self-described feminist!

What I wasn’t a fan of:
1. There were a couple characters I felt were just thrown in and then weren’t sufficiently fleshed out to the point where I wondered what their purpose was. For example, Rosie’s roommate came up occasionally but she didn’t really serve a purpose to the plot and she wasn’t brought up enough to warrant anything memorable about her.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and Katie Holt for the opportunity to read a copy of this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

4.25 stars!

Ok this one was pretty freaking stellar! I love a good enemies to lovers and this one was made even better by the fact that they were academic rivals.

Rosie and Aiden have chemistry in sides and the tension is palpable. The spice is just spicy enough that it doesn’t detract from the amazing plot. I loved the fact that they were coerced into working together. The scenes where they are writing together are so stinking cute, but also pretty steamy!

This one takes you on a whirlwind of emotions that will leave you wanting more, but this story gets wrapped up pretty flawlessly so you aren’t left wishing for more.

Oh I LOVE THIS. The tension is great. And the layers of the characters. PLUS the fact that they are writing a book together about each other in order to break down their walls. Such a brilliant plot. Such great romance. Absolutely loved every minute of this and could not put it down.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley (THANK YOU) and I am leaving this review voluntarily.