I wasn't wowed but this was entertaining enough.

I had a hard time getting over the pretext of why the FMC and MMC had to write a book together and found the FMC pretty frustrating. Her attitude towards romance (and his too honestly) was pretty juvenile which was disappointing since she likens herself to a romance advocate. The book within a book premise was a good way to sneak in a dual POV and it was much needed to get a get a break from the FMC. The reasoning to the fights was silly at best and I was ready to give up on them by the third-act breakup.

It was hard to believe the FMC was in her mid-20s. The behavior of the FMC and MMC in their graduate-level writing workshop class was nuts and I was mortified for them. The initial meanness of the MMC being blamed on him liking her felt really elementary school. I think setting them as 19 or 20 and in college might make more sense.

It's a pretty easy read, and, if you suspend your disbelief better than I did about the premise, you'll likely have more fun.

Thank you Alcove Press for the arc!

5⭐️

Rosie, a small town Tennessean writer moves to the Big Apple to take a chance on herself while going to Grad school at NYU. Her nemesis and literary fiction writer, Aiden, is unfortunately in her workshop course and never has anything good to say about her writing. After a lot of public back and forth fighting, their professor makes them to work together or drop the class. Forced to partner with her enemy to create a love story without a happily ever after, they have to learn how to put their differences aside and open up to each other to finish their book. Rosie and Aiden will need to let down their walls or risk leaving their love story in the books.

It’s a rom com within a rom com! Enemies to Lovers isn’t my favorite trope, but wow did this one make me think otherwise! I couldn’t get enough and refused to put this one down. I LOVE the witty banter between Rosie and Aiden, it was absolutely hilarious. This book had me giggling and smiling throughout. I appreciated how realistic the characters felt, especially their defensiveness in fights. Neither was a perfect person and said the right thing all the time and it felt more relatable. I also loved that the format of the book was divided into seasons! It was such a cozy and romantic read. Including excerpts from their book as they are writing it was such a great inclusion, I truly felt their growing romance and it built up so much anticipation for what was to come for them.

A few times there were some things that happened that you definitely need to suspend your disbelief for, ie Christmas Eve, but I enjoyed this book so much I didn’t care.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with an early ARC in exchange for my honest review!

not in my book / katie holt
✰✰✰✰✰ 🌶️🌶️🌶️

oh my gosh y’all i ATE this one right up!! i can’t believe how good this one was, the slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, second-chance. ALL OF IT!! rosie and aiden getting stuck co-writing that novel was the best thing ever given to them (shoutout to you ida). learning more and more about aiden’s past really kind of gives you a soft spot for the guy. i mean really, how could you not love him?? the ending sort of shocked me, i think that it could’ve gone a different route but it did cause for a HEA which was rosie’s entire purpose in life!! i would say this is probably my favorites where the characters are also writers and talk so heavily about their writing and novels, etc.

thank you netgalley, alcove press & katie holt for this arc🤍

Oh boy.. I really wanted to enjoy this book based on the premise. It had everything I wanted to read about; academic rivals-to-lovers, forced proximity, slow burn. Sadly, the 3rd act conflict pretty much ruined it for me. Up to that point, I actually had fun. I liked the banter, the whole process, and the writing was good. Although, I have to admit that I found the FMC annoying from the get go and some of the interactions between the characters felt childish. But that last part... just no. I really wish the story had developed differently.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Let me get started with saying there is absolutely spoilers up ahead.

This book was stunning. It had such a grip on me that I was trying to sneak a read of it when I was at work.

I fell for Rosie and Aiden as they fell for each other. It had me crying, and I mean sobbing towards then end. I knew there had to be a HEA but I was suddenly so scared there wouldn't be, alas my sad tears ceased and my happy tears fell.

I LOVED the fact that Ida tells them that the characters should at least kiss by half way, and at exactly 50% through we get that from these two. Oh and don't get me started on when she wrote his name when they were trying to write the sex scene.


LOVED LOVED LOVED
10/10 would read, and will read again.

Honestly its perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

This one is for my book girlies!!!

Absolutely loved this book. For once it was refreshing to read a book where the transition from enemies to lovers felt natural. It always bothers me when authors go from “I hate your guts” to “you’re the love of my life” in 5 chapters and expects us to believe they hash out every little issue between them in that timeframe.

Rosie and Aiden were both very easy to root for. I think Rosie really captured the essence of what most romance readers like about romance books without being too cheesy. And while we don’t Aiden’s perspective in the book per se, with the excerpts from their book at the end of each chapter so you can see that he’s not as icy as he seems.

4 stars overall. Comes out in December so make sure to take a break from your holiday romances to squeeze this one in.

I'm obsessed with this book. That all I need

book nerd, I hate you more, mean to work together.
She is all about hope, love, romance. He is opposite - true fiction is general fiction, romance is bullshit.

I LOVED reading their banter!!!!
And book in a Book!! Adore.

pefrect book.
but the ending. I'm not sure if I could forgive that, but it's a love story so let it be)

The concept of this book immediately grabbed my attention. A romance centering around a romance book was something I just could not pass up. While the book is from the perspective of the FMC, Rosie, you get snippets of the MMC(Aiden) perspective through excerpts of his writing. I love how this gave a window into how Aiden was feeling during the book.

The plot developed at a nice pace and I really liked how these two grew together through the timeline of the book. It was nice seeing their friendly small moments of doing everyday things together. I think seeing the growth between them allowed you to better appreciate where they end up. I thought the banter and rivalry these two had was witty and very entertaining.

I think the ending was really sweet in so many ways. We get to know so much more about Aiden and his origin in his love of writing. The book also gives a brutal twist that brings the book forward to it's close. I do think that this was a sneaky plot development that I had a suspicion was coming but what a great way to bring about a bit of turbulence before the end! I think my only wish was that the resolution had been a bit longer. More groveling before the very sweet finale.

I really enjoyed this one and will absolutely be recommending to friends once it’s out! I can't wait to pick up my copy in December!

I liked that this was a true enemies to lovers with tension so thick you can cut it with a knife but I did feel like some parts might have been longer than they had to be? I found myself a bit bored at moments. I also don’t know how I feel about the problem they had towards the end? To me that felt a little unnecessary.

I was able to easily envision this book as a hallmark movie lol I loved the little Christmas in NYC

Not in My Book is an enemies to lovers romance about two students in a literature workshop who cannot seem to get on the same page. Rosie adores romance while Aiden has no patience for it, and they are quick to defend their stances.. When their bickering becomes disruptive to the class, their professor gives them an ultimatum. They have to write a manuscript together and it has to be a romantic story without a happily ever after.

This was a cute read. Parts of the manuscript they coauthor are included, propelling the story. If you’re looking for a good enemies/rivals to lovers story, give this one a try.

5-star slow burn romance! ✨

Not in My Book was a perfect slow burn romance that had me giggling, emotional at times, and always excited for the next chapter. It was unputdownable and had me staying up until 2 AM because I couldn’t put it down!

Katie’s writing made me connect with the characters and root for them all the way through, taking me on a heartfelt rollercoaster that I didn’t want to end. 🥹💕🎢

This book is a vibe for anyone who loves:
✨ Grumpy x Sunshine
✨ Enemies and rivals to lovers
✨ Dual(ish) POV
✨ Family dynamics
✨ Forced proximity
✨ One bed (yes, please!)
✨ Academia setting
✨ Taylor Swift references
✨ NYC / NYC at Christmas backdrop
✨ Unexpected spice (in the best way) 🔥❤️‍🔥

Two of my favorite quotes:

💫 “You don’t have to lower your expectations. You deserve more than your highest one. Any guy you’re with should be falling over himself to make you happy.”

💫 “You haven’t said pretty please a day in your life, especially to me. If you want me to do something, it comes with a death threat.”

I loved this book, and it is the perfect book to cozy up with through the holiday season! 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley, Katie Holt, and Alcove Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

THE TENSION in this book was so good. I adored the main characters and felt they were very realistic and well done, did I mention the tension? The fact that they spoke to each other through the book they were writing was so creative and really added a layer to their dynamic. I was sad to let this one come to an end,
This is a true rivals to lovers slow burn that really didn't feel like they were going to ever be lovers in the beginning. When they start writing together is when things truly start to take a turn and I got deep in my feels. However, I could see some people give up or DNF before that point because it takes a second to get there.
Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Perfect Fit has everything I look for in a five star romance, and so much more.

Amazing empowering FMC? Check.

Supportive, caring MMC? Double check.

No third act breakup? CHECK!

Did I mention that @authortarahdewitt did the blurb for this book? So yeah, it has her seal of approval too. 😘

Whenever I stumble across an ARC like this, I feel like I struck gold and want to hoard it like gollum. This book is my precious. 🥹

Believe me when I tell you this is a book you won’t want to sleep on pre-ordering. It is absolute perfection.

My Favorite Quotes:
🚲“Nobody ever gets anywhere interesting when things are comfortable.”

🚲”I want my existence to be meaningful,”

🚲”You have to get through something, come out on the other side of it, before you’re allowed to admit how bad things got.”

🚲”You have to grab the pieces of yourself you want to hang on to and let go of the rest of it, then move forward anyway, the best you can.”

🚲”You deserve to be treated with kindness,”

🚲”It’s always been like this. Anxiety equals productivity. You’re panicking? Do something. Don’t do something about it.
Just do something.”

🚲”I’ve been self-medicating with work ethic.”

🚲”For once in your life, stop worrying what strangers think of you.”

🚲”Which feels like a fate we deserve and a peace we earned.”

Thank you so much to @smpromance, @claregilmorewrites , and @netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review

Not In My Book is an enemies to lovers romance that follows Rosie and Aiden, a romance writer and a literary fiction writer, who are forced to write a book together after their workshop professor is fed up with their bickering during class. However, as they begin to write their part romance, part litfic novel, the lines between fiction and reality start to blur and Rosie and Aiden have to decipher between their real feelings and the ones they are writing on the page.

I loved this book! I know when a romance is good if 1) makes me cry or 2) makes me feel like there was an elephant sitting on my chest. And this book made me feel both. Even though this was a contemporary enemies to lovers romance, the enemies part actually seemed real. The qualms Rosie and Aidan had with each other made sense with the plot of the story and for the characters. My favorite part of their romance was the banter. The way Rosie would insult Aiden and then in her inner monologue compliment him was a treat to read. Holt did a great job creating tension between Rosie and Aiden, even when they weren’t in the same room (if you know you know…)

Though this book was very fast paced, spanning over a whole school year, every single character was fully fleshed out. I would recommend this book to any one who dreams of having their own enemies to lovers romance or a writer who is longing for love they write in their own books.

Omg, this book is amazing! From the moment I read the blurb, I knew I had to read it and it did not disappoint at all!!

Aiden and Rosie are two graduate students and arch-nemesis forced to write a novel together. As they slowly get to know each other and use their novel to explore their feelings for each other, the lines between reality and fiction start to blur. It was fun to see their characters mirrored in the novel they were writing and I loved the build up in Rosie and Aiden’s relationship.

I couldn't stop reading and grabbed at my kindle every chance I got. I really liked the characters and the way everything was structured. This book was adorable and swoon-worthy! I was hooked right from the beginning - the banter, the tension, and the lovable side characters had me devouring this book in one sitting. I'm looking forward to read more from this author in the future.

If you enjoy rivals-to-lovers with some humor and lots of romantic tropes, this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

This was a true enemies to lovers novel. 2 grad school students in the same writing class that constantly bicker about their respective writing genre choices, when the teacher finally had enough and said either they drop the class or write together. It was a fun and engaging read. I found myself not able to put it down! I would definitely recommend this book!

In Not in My Book by Katie Holt Rosie Maxwell and Aiden Huntington are exact opposites who can't seem to see each other eye-to-eye because they completely hate each other. It all started with their different preferences for the kind of books they write. Aiden wrote literary fiction books but Rosie preferred romance books with happy endings. Aiden never missed a chance to berate Rosie in every lesson that Ida their teacher was presiding over, and Rosie came to loathe him as well. It became so bad that the class could only witness their unpleasant insult exchanges until their teacher could not take it anymore and so she had to find a way to make this work. The only way she could think of was to put the two enemies on the same side for the class to find much-needed peace The only way she could think of was to make them write the same book, and if not, they had to quit her class, which they could not afford to do. So they take on the difficult task of trying to work together to avoid being kicked out of class.

I like the high level of hate the author has managed to put between these two main characters; it leaves the readers wondering where this huge line of hate will lead them, making them anticipate what will happen next. The level of anticipation is likewise being heightened by the twists and turns of the story, When the readers think that now things are so bad and it is all over, the author takes a different path. Also, with the characters being writers of books whose endings should be different, readers were left wondering whether it would be a happy ending or otherwise and this makes the book exceptionally charming.

I did not like the level of profanity in the book, but the book is still interesting.

I rate this book, Not in My Book by Katie Holt, 5 out of 5 for the above reasons.

I recommend the book to those readers who love enemies-to-lovers stories. They will like this one in particular because the author has heightened the level of hatred between the main characters, They will then judge for themselves whether 'there’s indeed a thin line between love and hate.

Format: Ebook
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Release Date: 10th Dec 2024

📚Enemies-to-lovers
📚Opposite attract
📚Intercultural romance (Peruvian vs American)
📚Grumpy-Sunshine
📚Dual POV
📚Fiction writer MMC - Romance writer FMC

The description perfectly captures it: this story is *The Hating Game* meets *Beach Read*—two of my all-time favorites in one book! I was destined to love it.

I adored how Rosie and Aiden’s story was intertwined with their book characters, Max and Hunter. It was beautiful, fun, and romantic. I loved every aspect of their journey from enemies to friends to lovers. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down.

However, I did feel that the story fell a bit short during Rosie and Aiden’s third-act breakup. It could have been handled more maturely, and the added drama felt unnecessary.

Despite that, this book is one of my most interesting and unique reads of the year.

I loved this so much! Such a refreshing and unique story. An enemies to lovers trope and a slow burn love affair - just my type of books. I laughed and cried and felt a hundred other emotions.
Thank you for this arc & wonderful love story!!

This book was so good. Their dynamic, banter, the tension building periodically, it all kept me in the edge of my seat. Reading those tiny details showing that he was obsessed with her before they started the book together? amazing. A romance book about writing a romance book was not in my bingo card for this year, but Lord, am I happy I got to read it.
I think the author giving tips in how to approach a slow burn romance for their "assignment" was so funny, but it worked out in the long run, moreover when the enemies to lover started, and their book started forming as their love story. Completely and disgustingly cute, and I am living for it.
I ended up emotionally stunt after finishing the story.
I cannot put into words how good this book was, how it immerse me in their story and everything felt so natural, flowing like a nice breeze in the Tennessee mountains, not like some fictions books that sometimes feel forced.