I loved this book! I finished it in about 4 hours and had thoughts for every sentence. The book is sort of like an enemies to lovers but in college with authors. The dialogue made me laugh so much and I adored the little date scenes! Our MCs writing themselves into their book was such a wonderful idea and I loved reading it play out! This is a slow burn but it is relatively short so there wasn’t any problem holding my attention. I also really liked Rosie’s family and enjoyed every scene we got with all of them together! This was such a fun book and I would recommend for lovers of Emily Henry and Christina Lauren!!

This book offers a delightful blend of humor and sweetness, capturing the dynamic of a small-town girl and a city boy perfectly. The protective undertones, reminiscent of "hurt her and I'll end you," add an engaging layer to the narrative.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It presents a unique and refreshing story that stands out in the genre. The slow burn, enemies-to-lovers trope is executed brilliantly, keeping me engaged and invested in the characters' development throughout the story. The gradual evolution of their relationship felt natural and well-paced, adding depth to their individual arcs.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book was a truly enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a well-crafted romance with a touch of humor and heartfelt moments.

This was an enjoyable read. It was nice to see how these two characters got their HEA. I look forward to more books from this author.

4/5 ⭐

It's hard for me to believe that this is really her debut! The book has everything I love in romance novels. The banter between the two was fantastic. I found myself grinning throughout, and sure, at times it was a bit too cheesy, but still a lovely love story.

I was so engrossed in reading that I almost finished it in one day. The protagonist Rosie was very likable and charming. She is caring and intelligent, and she had the courage to forge a new path for her future.

I also thought it was cool that she had Peruvian roots! And the spice was nicely spicy.

Overall, a refreshing and exciting debut book! I'm looking forward to more books from her; I'll definitely read them too!

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the banter and writing a book inside of a book was just too notch! I definitely think this one will be a major hit and one of my favorites from Netgalley

Omg, this was such a cute read!!🤩

If you love a good rivals-to-lovers book, keep reading.

Rosie, a passionate Peruvian-American woman, leaves her hometown in Tennessee to chase her dream of becoming a writer in New York. But her plan hits a snag when she finds herself in class with her arch-nemesis, Aiden Huntington, a grumpy and gorgeous writer who despises the romance genre.

Their constant verbal sparring forces their professor to make them collaborate on a novel that blends their genres. As they reluctantly write their intense and steamy story, they begin to truly understand each other.

When a career-changing competition reignites their rivalry, their love story is put to the test. Will they be able to finish their book and save their relationship?

I adored the premise of this book and have never read a romance quite like it.

The whole idea of them having to write a book together and getting a “dual POV” experience, even though the book is mainly from Rosie’s perspective, is brilliant. Because they write chapters together, we get to know Aiden too.

This is the kind of book you can devour in one sitting. I did. It’s that good.

Read if you like:
- Enemies to lovers
- Slow-burn
- Forced proximity
- Writing rivals
- Co-writing partners
- Steamy scenes
- Peruvian FMC

thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!

4.5⭐️ This was SUCH a delight to read. This follows writers Rosie and Aiden, who are in a writing class together but have an overwhelming dislike for one another, as Rosie is a romance author and Aiden can’t stand this. After one too many inappropriate arguments in class, their professor tells them they either have to write a book together or will be forced to leave the class. Throughout this book, you see snippets of the book their writing, which ends up being about each other, and it gives you inside detail about how they really feel about each other, which I found to be such a creative and unique detail that I absolutely loved. This was such a cozy read and being set in the holiday season was just the perfect cherry on top! I love the way the characters interact and the way he really fights for her. I also thought the friend group as well as the family dynamic added a really nice other element. I can’t wait for this to be released so more people can read it

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.

You might be wondering what it's about, so I'll give you a brief description:
Rosie and Aiden are pursuing a graduate degree and have a class together. He writes fiction, and Rosie writes romance. Aiden doesn't believe in happy endings, so he criticizes everything Rosie writes, and in turn, she criticizes what he writes. Everything changes when the professor in charge gets tired of their arguments and gives them an ultimatum: either leave the class or write a book together. Well, you guessed it, they choose to write the book together. So, join Rosie and Aiden as they write a romance book with an unhappy ending and find love along the way because, as they say, there’s a thin line between love and hate🤭

Characters

Rosie: I identify a lot with her, the hopeless romantic. I love romance and romcoms, I create all the scenarios in my head and idealize people based on my idea of love. I love her so much, but the only detail that made me cry a lot was that I found what she did at the end of the book very unfair. If you've read it, you know what I'm talking about. Aiden deserved more chances.

Aiden: I NEED a man like him in my life. He's truly the most perfect and spectacular being; he's my kind of person, really. Once he knows what he wants, he fights for it, and even though he knows nothing about love, he expressed himself very well. He truly won every piece of my heart 😭💗 because I saw a lot of myself in him too. I understand being defensive and rude when someone hurts you and being afraid to open up and get hurt. My baby 😭

So if you're a girlie who loves romance but feels like you're the problem, it will be very easy for you to fall in love with them 🥺

I loved Rosie's friends, and they add a lot to the story. They're the type of group of friends we all need in our lives.
I also loved Rosie's parents. What lovely people, really 🫂

Anyway, please go read this book when it comes out in December. Yes, I know there's still a lot of time left, but I swear the wait will be worth it 💗

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enemies to lovers. Strong friendships. Absolutely adored it.

As a fellow Hispanic, I personally loved how the author highlights Rosie’s Peruvian ethnicity and family values.

I absolutely adored Rosie and Aiden’s banter, their friendship, and their love for each other. Their love story didn’t feel cliche in any way. It felt very realistic and comforting; not every love story is easy, everyone has its challenges.

All in all - a must-read 💕 Was left wanting to know more about their future together♡ Sequel?? :)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
🌶️🌶️

What a fantastic debut novel! This was like a cross between The Hating Game and Beach Read, featuring a sunny FMC, Rosie, and grumpy MMC, Aiden. After their writer’s workshop class rivalry becomes too explosive, they’re forced to write a book together. And obvs these enemies become lovers along the way, and use their writing to express feelings they’re not yet comfortable to say out loud 🥹

I loved the hilarious and savage digs they threw at each other. The writing was excellent and truly did not feel like a debut novel. To me, Katie Holt’s writing had a similar ease to it as Emily Henry or Abby Jimenez, and was filled with humor and heart. The tension between the MCs was delicious, and the slow build up and progression from enemies to friends to lovers felt so natural and unrushed, with every little touch holding so much weight. And I loved that it was set at NYU, my alma mater.

Even though Rosie was a sunshiney romantic optimist, she was not afraid to cut him down and I found it very refreshing. I also loved that she had stretch marks on her thighs, and most of her physical descriptions focused on her wide smile and curly hair. I really enjoyed her group of friends, especially Logan. Would definitely read a book with him as the MMC. Another big plus…Aiden’s dirty talk game was *chef’s kiss* 😚👌🏻

I will say, Aiden does not make book boyfriend status. I do love a grump because when you see how sweet and thoughtful and absolutely gone for the FMC they really are, it just hits harder. All this was true for Aiden, but his defensiveness and mean words cut me too hard. And I needed MUCH more groveling to make up for it.

I was so happy to get this arc from NetGalley and Alcove Press in exchange for my honest review. I would 100% recommend and am very excited to read future Katie Holt books!

I thought this was a good read! It was full of angst! Rivals to lovers and slow burn was great! I feel like I started to get bored later in the book but overall was able to push through and enjoy it anyways

I am absolutely in love. The characters were relatable, the spice was THE SPICIEST, and the conflict felt natural and real. I don't usually read contemporary romances, since I prefer fantasy or historical, but this one?? Too good to put down. Literally. I was up until 4am and I have the eye bags to prove it. I can't wait to recommend it to literally everyone I know.

ALSO, THE FEMINISM!!!! The absolute perfect timing, all the respectful attitude, and the CONSENT???!!! This right here is my new gold standard.

Cute and easy read.

Started off very strong with great enemies to lovers vibes, a nice meta of a romance within romance, all the New York settings, and engaging storytelling.

After a third I was very surprised I still had to read two thirds of a book- to quote that TikTok sound, “is it ever this serious”?, with which I mean, it could have done with some strict editing while still leaving the story intact.
The layers of Rosie as Maxine and Aiden as Hunter but at the same time not, also got a bit stale after a while. Taking away some bits could really tighten things up.

The third act breakup was one of my least favourites I have read. Rosie at times got on my nerves, but the absolute GALL of Aiden to first lie then shrug about never finding the right time (how about every time you jumped into bed with her?) then pretend it was not a big deal??? Even I was ready to never speak to him again. Honestly I did not see how they could back together after this.

Some things that raised my eyebrows:
- please do not say “noodles” about pasta (spaghetti)
- the way Rosie and Aiden kept taking over their class and Ida barely stepping up… girl just kick them out for their disruptive main character syndrome
- the amount of “baby” used in their dirty talk really gave me the ick

At the same time, all the applause to Logan, asking “did you hear that? (…) sounds like a whiny bitch.” YASSSS.

So. Quite a few negatives but still there was something there that made this an enjoyable read!

3.5 stars rounded up for the cover, the punny title, and the romance book about a romance book aspect.

I received an ARC of this book (thanks!) and these are my own opinions.

I thought this was a really sweet book! I fell in love with the main characters and would highly recommend

Loved it. Enemies lovers set in a true literary backdrop with excerpts from the MCs co-written novel that made it feel really special. It didn't go too deep with any of the side characters or the plot, but the romance development was solid.

Set in an MFA program in NYC, Rosie and Aiden argue and fight in their creating writing workshop. Rosie writes romances, while Aiden writes literary fiction and hates romances. After a particularly bad class, their professor gives them an ultimatum: they have to co-write their class project together, a romantic story without a HEA, or leave the class.

While on vacation, I got to read this in one day and loved it. Since they base their characters on themselves, the story they are writing propels the plot in fun and interesting ways. The love of romance novels comes through as well.

Tropes / themes:
Dual POV
Rivals to lovers
A book within a book
New York City at Christmas
Slow burn
Grumpy x sunshine
One bed

Rating: 5 / 5

Open door / spicy!

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to review this ARC!

Cliché book tropes will hook me every time because the promise of a grumpy mmc x sunshine fmc who hate each other but are forced to work together? Yesss please! Also, the cover is super cute so how could I resist🤭

‘Not In My Book’ tells the story of Rosie Maxwell (a romance writer) & Aiden Huntington (a litfic writer), two NYU students who share a creative writing class. Given their dislike for the other person’s preferred genre, the two are constantly bickering; and after an ultimatum from their professor, they agree to cowrite a book that blends both of their tastes. The plot intrigued me and things started off strong, but unfortunately began to fizzle out for me around the halfway mark.

Rosie was ambitious, strong-willed, and enthusiastic about what she did; however, I didn’t see much development from her over the course of the book. Her character felt 2D and her whole personality seemed to revolve around Aiden. All her thoughts and most of her conversations led back to him, and it got annoying as I struggled to connect to her. I kept forgetting that she was 26 y/o because her actions and inner dialogue made her come off as much younger. As for Aiden, I wasn’t the biggest fan. He’s rough around the edges—which is fine—except he was unnecessarily mean for no good reason. I didn’t understand his reasoning for acting so cold towards Rosie… Sure he doesn’t like romance, but did he really have to be so harsh just because she did? I’ve always felt weird about the “I liked you and was only mean to get your attention” thing.

My favourite component of the book was probably Rosie & Aiden’s cowriting experience! It was a great idea to have excerpts from Rosie & Aiden’s book at the end of each chapter; it was like an outlet for them to express their feelings, and I liked how we got an idea of what was going on in Aiden’s head through the whole thing. It facilitated a lot of cute moments (the restaurant date, bookstore run-in, Christmas), but also, since Rosie & Aiden were basically “roleplaying” the characters they were writing, some scenes got repetitive. When it comes to the actual romance, I felt like Rosie & Aiden had more chemistry as enemies than they did as lovers. The instant lust they felt after “hating” each other for so long was unrealistic. There were many moments that I know were meant to be swoony, but for some reason didn’t feel genuine.

The third act was incredibly rushed, and Rosie & Aiden’s breakup is what really got me. Long story short, Rosie applied for an opportunity to win some much needed money and Aiden essentially blindsided her by stealing that opportunity (despite being well off). And instead of taking responsibility and apologizing, what does he do? He gaslights Rosie, accuses her of being jealous, and goes back to degrading her love for romance. Character development where? Straight out the window! The worst part was his sad excuse for an apology. It was lowkey narcissistic.

Overall, this was a pretty solid debut novel! Definitely one to pick up if you’re looking for an easy, lighthearted read💕

This was so cute. It had a little Hating Game vibe but I loved Hating Game so I didn’t mind that. I do hate third act breakups and they do have one.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the complimentary copy of this ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this! Such a cute romance and so well written, I absolutely flew through it! So easy to read and so enjoyable.

3.5 stars

I love books where the characters are writers or involved in the publishing industry, so when I read the blurb, I was looking forward to reading this book.
Rosie and Aidan are rival Grad students who are forced to write a book together for their writing class. Rosie has always loved romance and dreams of being a romance author. Aidan on the other hand writes LitFic and doesn't take the romance genre seriously.

I enjoyed the enemies to lovers and academic rivals aspects to the book and feel they were done well. I also really liked the way in which the author incorporated the character's manuscript into the book.

I did find that the book felt really long, which I think was due to some pacing issues (It's not an especially long book, just probably longer than it needed to be). I also didn't enjoy the third act breakup/conflict. I don't usually mind this in books and obviously they are more often than not a given in romance books, but I feel this one just felt a bit forced and unauthentic to the characters.

Overall this was an enjoyable read for me. Not quite a 4 star read for me, but definitely better than a 3 star. I would definitely recommend this book to others and am keen to read any future books by the author.