This book is an amazing debut novel by Katie Holt. She eloquently wrote two beautifully complex and engaging characters. Rosie is a fun-loving, hardworking, and brilliant sunshine southern Peruvian girl. Aiden is an intelligent, sarcastic, guarded, and grumpy local New Yorker. When these academic rivals are paired to finish their final project, they couldn’t be less enthusiastic. Aiden wants to write a tragic literary fiction, Rosie wants to write a swoon-worthy romance. These two must combine their ideas and make their characters fall in love, and as they do they slowly and gently peel back the layers of each other’s pasts, bearing all their past hurts to each other. The emotional vulnerability and uncovering of their souls throughout the novel is gentle and graceful. The friendship that comes from their unlikely pairing is so lovely. I will say the one thing that would have made this book even better is getting Aiden’s POV. However, I LOVED getting snippets of Aiden’s POV from their novel. I also highly dislike 3rd act breakups (and there is one) but I thought this conflict was so realistic for their characters and I felt their relationship is so much stronger at the end of the book because of the 3rd act breakup.

Slight spoilers:
The MOUTH ON THIS MAN! That is all

Not in My Book by Katie Holt is a debut novel that I received as an ARC. This story is blurbed as being for fans of Book Lovers and The Hating Game.
Now, Book Lovers is one of my favorite books of all time. It is what kickstarted my obsession with Emily Henry, and I even have it on my side table to reread soon. But, The Hating Game??? This is one of my most hated books of all time. I still rant about it with my friends to this day (although, of course, we had to have a movie night to watch the film adaptation). While the premise intrigued me, I was nervous about the comparison since the story could have gone either way for me.  Even so, I knew I wanted to read this one sooner rather than later. And wow, am I glad I took the chance.

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Forced proximity

The Characters
Rosie: She starts off as a bit much—annoying and overly defensive to the point that I found myself cringing at some of her actions (as someone who teaches, if my students fought like Rosie and Aidan, they wouldn’t have lasted as long as they did in class). But as the story progressed, Rosie grew on me. Her passion for romance and her defending the genre hit home, reminding me of countless conversations I’ve had with people who hate on my own favorite books. By the end of the book, I liked Rosie so much more than I did in the beginning, showing Holt did a brilliant job at developing her character. 

Aidan, though. AIDAN. I honestly couldn't get enough of this guy. His obvious pining. His flaws. His VERY OBVIOUS OBSESSION WITH ROSIE. There was so much about this man that I was in love with while I was reading. 

There was one minor...okay major...issue with Aidan that I talk more about below, but as I say there, I am choosing to ignore this victim of the third-act breakup. 

The Writing
If I had not previously known this was Katie Holt's first book, I never would have guessed. The prose is sharp, the humor was great, and there were SO many quotes that I highlighted while I was reading that it was difficult to choose which ones to put in my review.

Now, I read a LOT of dual-POV romances because I feel like it's starting to get challenging to find romances with one narrator. When I first started reading Not in My Book, I was a little thrown off by the single POV. But, man. I can now honestly say I missed it. There were many times that we'd get observations from the narrator about Aidan, and it heightened the tension, making me want to know so much more about him. The lack of Aidan's POV was almost painful but in a good way. I wanted to know what he was thinking and his backstory. I haven't YEARNED for a book boyfriend in a hot minute, and I was literally giggling out loud (my fiancé can attest to this). 

This book is unique, though, in that while there is only technically one POV, we get to see Aidan's thoughts and feelings in his writing. As I mentioned earlier, Rosie and Aidan have to co-write a book together--a romance novel but with a sad ending. Early in the process, it becomes quickly obvious that they are writing about each other. At first, it is yet another way for them to bicker, but it becomes so much more so as the novel progresses. I LOVED the additions of their novel, and let me just say, the SPICE section of the novel (or both novels technically?)?? Chefs kiss. A+. Gold star.

The Plot
Based on the rest of my review, it might be obvious that I absolutely adored this story.  It seems like this novel was about to be one of my top reads of the year, right? Well, I still think it technically is (I mean, four stars does mean I really liked it!), but there was one thing that happened during the third-act break-up scene that made me drop a star. 

There are so many things a person can do that are forgivable. It's a part of life. We make mistakes. We live, and we learn. Now, I am typically not a fan of the third-act breakup in romances, and this book is yet another example of why. So many times, something happens that feels too unsalvageable. I'm sorry - my sweet Aidan said WHAT?? It felt so out of character, and the reasoning was....not good. I am basically blocking out this entire interaction because it would've ruined so much of the book for me. 

Overall Thoughts
Not in My Book was exactly what I needed this week. The same week I needed my own escape from reality (let's just say coffee does not mix well with a laptop screen), I happened to choose a book where the main character loves to read romances to escape from reality. Rosie and Aidan’s journey is heartfelt, funny, and entertaining, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for whatever Katie Holt writes next.

Rosie and Aiden are forced to write a romance novel together for a writing class in which they are always bickering.
I have read this rivals to lovers romance being compared to The Hating Game meets Beach Read, and I agree. While I loved the latter, I DNFd the former because of the annoying and immature enemies to lovers with bickering that's meant to be banter but really isn't. I really liked you and wanted you to notice me, that's why I was suck a jerk? Please... Also, I don't like a romance novel where a character (and a main one at that), not only makes fun of romance novels, but makes fun of people who read them. I don't like that this much time goes on during the third-act break up. One month?!?! What I did love, was the steamy scene both main characters wrote together. I was a fun way to work in some really good spice in a super original way in alternating voices. I really only started enjoying myself at about the halfway mark (which, honestly, is way too late), when both MCs decide to stop fighting and call a truce.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was so fun! It felt a little long at the end but I did really enjoy it.

Rosalinda is in her MFA program at NYU for writing. He nemesis Aiden is in the same class as her. When one day their bickering becomes too much, their professor, Ida, forces them to write a book together for the class. Rosie is a romance novel writer and lover where Aiden hates romance. Now they have to figure out how to write a romance without a Happily Ever After.

Aiden and Rosie’s banter is great. It was fun to see how their banter was interwoven into their novel. Each chapter ended with a snippet of their fictional novel which I loved. I also liked how they didn’t pretend that their characters weren’t them. I also loved learning more about Peruvian culture. Rosie is half Peruvian, as is the author, and her culture plays a lot into the story which was interesting.

The other neat part of the writing was the insight into how to write a novel. I liked how Rosie talked about romance novel tropes and different parts she felt needed to be included in their novel. It was also fun hearing them critique each others works.

The one thing I didn’t love towards the end was it felt very Nora Ephron cheesy rom-com inspired. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a cheesy rom-com, but this felt like she was quoting a 90’s movie that I had already seen. I also got a little annoyed with Rosie at the end.

The entire book centers on Rosie being a romantic and seeing the world through rose colored glasses, but towards the end of the book it comes off more immature and annoying than it did at the beginning. I don’t know why, but it just started to grate on a nerve.

If you are a romance novel love and someone who loves enemies to lovers you will enjoy this book. It’s a really cute storyline and the characters have great banter. I loved watching them grow and basically having two books in one!

*4.5

I wasn't sure about this book at first but it flowed so well. They had just the right amount of time to hate each other before they started actually learning about each other and becoming friends. The way they learned to write together was fun and I enjoyed it. The whole christmas with her family was adorable and I loved it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Rosie and Aiden’s sort is the ultimate enemies-to-lovers! The premise of them falling in love while co-writing a romance novel is both clever and heartwarming. The way their dynamic mirrors the characters they’re writing was amazing! Overall, it’s a charming and enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend!

what a ride 👀
there is a thin line between love and hate.

Rosie and Aiden have been at each other's necks ever since their first lesson together. Aiden hates romance novels and guess what - Rosie writes romance novels. they bicker at each other and give ruthless feedbacks at the writing class until their professor has had enough. either they can leave her class or they have to work together and write a novel that is both a romance and lit-fic. can these two explosive characters do it? what will be the cost?

the beginning of the book took a bit of stumbling before it took off. it felt to me like the author was trying to find their footing the same as the characters. but once Rosie and Aiden had to start working together and they spent some time together - it was a butterfly filled journey until the end ❤️

and when they co-wrote the “first kiss” scene at Aiden’s house 👀 annnnnnd when they co-wrote the sex scene, but this time at their own places while on a call both breathy 👀 the tension was palpable.

I would definitely put this as a Christmas book - they had the cosiest Christmas eve. how can you not fall in love with them both?

Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for providing me with the ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, I absolutely LOVED this book. I was hooked right from that first page till the very end. I really want to read it again for the first time. I laughed soooo damn hard reading it and swooned at how cute these two were.

I adored Rosie's character so much. She was so goddamn hilarious, and I also loved when she got pissed. Rosie has always loved romance, so it was kind of a given that she wanted to write romance. It's a genre that isn't taken very seriously, and I, as a reader, also resonated with this, as my personal experience has been similar in the sense that people just assume reading romance doesn't count or it's basically just corn. She wants to change that view people have of the genre and make them see what it truly represents. Again, I could relate to this and why I love to read romance.

After spending close to a decade with the wrong guy, she's reluctant to let anyone in again, not wanting to see things that aren't there just because she's looking for a romance like the ones she reads and writes. I loved her love for all things romance and how she never stopped seeing the positive in people. She was so strong, smart, caring, dedicated, committed, and simply amazing.

There were so many layers to Aiden's character, and as the story progressed, we got to slowly peel each layer back and understand more of him. Given his relationship with his dad and the environment he grew up in, Aiden was skeptical when it came to anything related to romance. It honestly broke my heart when I started learning more about Aiden and realized just how sweet, caring, and loving he was but didn't know how to convey it. I also loved how he communicated with Rosie about not knowing how to do relationships. That whole conversation was just to open, and he showed her his vulnerable side.

The romance was just so freaking beautiful. This is what I look for in an enemies-to-lovers trope. I loved the gradual shift in their relationship throughout the book. It changed slowly with time, just like the seasons in the book. It starts with when they were forced to work together and had no choice but to start interacting more to develop the characters they were writing about.

What I loved was how Aiden and Rosie's relationship grew parallel to Hunter and Max's, and the two were basically writing their own love story as the characters of the book. As their feelings started changing, it reflected in their book and where those characters were going. I loved how these two used their book as a way to open up about their own personal feelings to each other, testing the waters to see if there was more and feeling a sense of comfort to write it down for the other to read rather than saying it out loud. Since this was a single POV, I loved reading Aiden's thoughts through Hunter's POV in their book, which showed his messy, vulnerable, conflicted, and loving feelings.

I loved that though they slowly grew to tolerate each other, then turned to friends before getting together, their banter never stopped, and they had to keep bickering, which was sooo funny and endearing. All the things they did together were just perfect and made me smile. laugh and sigh contentedly. The gifts, the hand-holding, writing together, the fake and real dates, baking together, and so much more—it was all just beautiful and left me feeling soooo damn happy.

There were so many heartfelt moments between these two with how they opened up to each other. How they began counting on each other. It was a huge step for Aiden, who was so closed off to put his heart on the line and take that step forward. I also admired Rosie immensely for making the first move even when she was terrified of getting her heart broken again.

There was a lot of self-reflection and growth for both characters, and I liked how they helped each other grow by being exactly what the other needed. Neither were perfect, and that was the point: that you didn't need to be perfect, that the person who loves you loves all of you, every good and bad part of you, which I felt was shown well.

The spicy—It's ALWAYS the quiet ones. Aiden and that dirty-talking mouth of his was such a delightful contrast to his otherwise quiet personality, and I loved it. The way these two seemed to take their competitiveness even here made it so much hotter. The part when they co-wrote a sex scene for their book was something else. I also loved how their first time together went because it was realistic with the insecurities Rosie had and the way Aiden took his time with her. And I loved how with Aiden, she slowly started getting more confident and wasn't shy to take the first step and ask for what she wanted.

The side characters added sooo much to the plot, and I loved how involved they were. I loved the friends group in this book. Logan, Tyler, and Jess were so amazing, funny, and supportive, and I loved their reactions to Aiden and Rosie during the workshop too. They're the kind of group you need. I'm hoping we get a book for Jess and Tyler too, 'cause I need to know more about them. Alexa was wonderful too, and I loved how she teased Rosie and was so unpredictable. Ida was another character I loved, and her relationship with Rosie. The guidance she provided, how they'd become friends, and the way their conversations went when Aiden's name got involved.

Thank you to Katie Holt and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rosie and Aiden are academic nemeses in their MFA program at NYU. After a particularly lively in-class fight, their professor says the only way they can stay in the class is to put their differences aside and work together on a novel.

The enemies of "enemies-to-lovers" came in hot. They were both unrealistically hostile toward one another, but you know, I can get over that to a certain extent. I enjoyed seeing their relationship evolve and Rosie and Aiden learn to trust each other.

"It was my biggest vice—figuring out what words I could say to make her mad, to make her focus only on me, to get the look."

I also enjoyed how their co-written novel mirrors their reality and becomes a way for Rosie and Aiden to work through some of their issues and communicate with each other. In general, they alternate chapters as they write, but the scenes where they write together are so, so good (Chapter 17 IYKYK). The way they can be honest through their writing but also not fully trust whether the other's writing is real or fiction gives you the same payoff as the fake dating trope.

HOWEVER, I was pretty disappointed by the end of the book. (SPOILER AHEAD) I thought the third-act breakup so egregious that it was unforgivable. First, the foreshadowing was strong, so it was no surprise. Second, Aiden's excuse was flimsy and his reaction to the confrontation was unattractive. Third, Rosie's actions post-breakup were so extreme, it made her seem immature.

Overall, while the ending didn't work for me, there's something here and I would be open to reading more from Katie Holt in the future. The banter and the creative story-within-a-story were definitely noteworthy.

This book was exactly as promised 👌🏼

Rivals to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, romantic meets cynic 💖

I’ll admit I was a bit worried because the last book I read that claimed the protagonists fall for each between the pages of books was an absolute miss. But I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

Both of the characters had honest respect and admiration for each other, even if it was sometimes buried beneath a veil of animosity.

The book was easy to read, and a good balance of sweet and spicy.

My favorite chapters were the ones where they were co-writing chapters of their book together. Those just added a special something ✨ I think they allowed Rose and Aiden to be honest and vulnerable in a way neither of them was used to or otherwise able to do.

There was unfortunately a third act breakup but it isn’t terrible and leads to an important conversation both characters needed to have in order to move forward.

Overall, it was worth the read.

“𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕒𝕟𝕪 𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣.”

💭My Thoughts💭
Aiden and Rosie are truly opposites and enemies/rivals. They get into so many arguments in their writing workshop that their professor decides that they can only remain in the workshop, if they work together on a novel.

Rosie loves romance and she has wanted to become a romance author for some time. She took the leap and moved from Tennessee to New York to follow her dream. Aiden despises romance and isn’t very friendly when it’s his turn to critique Rosie’s writing.

I loved both Rosie and Aiden. I enjoyed their angry banter while in class and while they were working on their novel. It did have me giggling. I really enjoyed the fact that as their relationship progressed, it wasn’t always perfect and they did still have their differences. I loved reading the parts where they “hated” each other, but still cared enough to help one another. I usually hate 3rd act break-ups, but I actually really liked it in this book. It wasn’t a quick fix and it felt more realistic. Some of my favorite parts were when they were writing together.

I really enjoyed how this book was written. I never felt like anything was rushed. I loved getting to read parts of their novel throughout the book as well. Overall, I really loved this book, I thought it was cute, fun and was a true enemies to lovers story. I would recommend!

Thank you Katie Holt, NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC for an honest review!

Synopsis: Rosie and Aiden are academic rivals in the same creative writing workshop. When they come to blows during class, their professor assigns them a project to write a romance novel together.

Thoughts: This is a very cute romance. The chemistry and banter between Rosie and Aiden is great, and if you like a rivals to lovers plot, this one is for you! The writing is well done, especially for a debut novel! Snippets of the book that Rosie and Aiden are writing are included throughout, which is an aspect I really enjoyed. Up until the last 10% or so, I was all in - but the third act breakup situation just didn’t work for me. 🙈 Overall, though, I still thought this was an enjoyable read!

Read this if you like:
📖 rivals to lovers
📖 authors & writing
📖 grumpy/sunshine

This debut novel is so charming. It has a neat set up with a parallel story for Aidan and Rosie, who are at uni together studying creative writing and who have been getting up each other’s noses since the start of their course. After too much antagonism their tutor forces them to write a book together – a-romance/not-a-romance. That’s when the sparks fly and they create characters Maxine and Hunter. Of course, the lines blur and it becomes harder and harder to know if they are in their real lives or in the story they are writing together. It’s funny and a bit silly and so lovely. Rosie is stitched up, impulsive and at times deluded. Aidan is closed off and inordinately patient with her.

It’s classic enemies to lovers, with secrets, and miscommunication which is unravelled through their novel. It’s also a heartfelt tribute to New York City and I enjoyed looking up the settings to see what places were real and which weren’t.

I do have a few quibbles but as it’s Katie’s first book I won’t dwell on them, I’m just excited for her next move. So enjoy this for what it is - a light romance about romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Katie Holt for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

This was such a fun and creative take on enemies-to-lovers! The concept of Rosie and Aiden essentially writing themselves into their book as stand-ins for their characters was genius, and I loved how their writing sessions mirrored the emotional tension and eventual growth in their relationship. Rosie’s optimism and Aiden’s grumpy-literary-snob vibes balanced each other perfectly, with just the right amount of banter and chemistry. Watching Aiden fall first—and harder—was incredibly satisfying, especially as he tried to win her over through actions, not just words. While I loved their dynamic and the bookish setting, some parts of the competition subplot felt a little rushed. Overall, though, this delivered heart, spice, and clever twists for any book lover.

The format was new to me, and since the characters in the book are co-writing, they repeat similar things from their conversations in the book they’re writing, which I didn’t like. It also confused me at times.

The idea of a book within a book was interesting, but it wasn’t really my thing. After a while, it was okay.

Overall, it’s a unique concept, and I can see why others might really enjoy it. It has a lot of potential!

“Thank you Author Katie Holt, Alcove Press and Netgalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own."

Not in my book is a classic enemies to lovers romcom, the book started slow but built to an interesting plot.

I found this plot so unique and fun- I couldn’t get enough. I also loved the dreamy NYC setting, especially at Christmas time for an extra romantic feel. This book was spicy while also having a great storyline. I look forward to reading more from Katie Holt!

A very entertaining and interesting cute romance

Rosie is a Romance writer and Aiden writes too but a different genre.. they’re forced to work together in a workshop class, the main question will be : can they make it?
A funny, cute romance with lots of banter and slow burn
That you’ll love reading..
An excellent debut novel by Katie Holt

Special thanks to the Author, Alcove Press Publisher and NetGalley for this arc

Not in My Book by Katie Holt was a wonderfully written debut!
A cute slow burn, enemies to lovers romance.
I loved it. It was so unique, interesting, provoked so many emotions, plenty of laughs and was overall a lovely, multi-layered story.
I absolutely love Katie’s writing style and can’t wait to read more of her work.

Okay, I liked this one but not as much as I wanted to like it and it's because the MMC didn't fit me in terms of personality, and this goes to something very mine that some of his comments just seemed very bad and I think that's why I didn't enjoy this book very much, I liked our FMC, her aspirations and all but almost at the end there was an action on her part that well, let's say that we'll keep the good parts. The story caught me, the history of the characters they created and everything, I read it in one sitting and took away everything else and the comments of the MMC, to pass the time is more than fine.

📌I received an e-arc through netgalley, and this is my honest opinion/review of it.