Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book, it was well written, I did enjoy the banter between the main couple. Sometimes Rosie would read as very young and seemed quite immature in her dialogue and decisions.
An enjoyable story.

Katie Holt you are definitely in my book for BOLO authors. I absolutely loved Holt’s debut novel Not in my Book, the banter between the two main characters, Rosie and Aiden is top notch, pee your pants funny and the slow burn romance is so so so good!
The story is unique in a way where it feels like a story within a story. Inception, but with two young aspiring NYU writers, who literally cannot say one nice thing about the other. Their constant bickering lands them in a tight predicament with their writing professor- write a novel together or get out of my class for good. Yikes! Rosie loves a good romance story and HEA while Aiden is a realist and sees no need for romance in a world that gives no HEA for free, just turn on the news and see what point he has.
Besides the enemies to lovers part of the story I truly enjoyed Rosie’s Peruvian background and family. They just added so much to her story and I loved them so much! I wish I could spend my Christmas with them and eat all the food her mom whips up in her kitchen. Also does Rosie and Aiden ever learn to make the cookies correctly? Please give me answers!!!
I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical copy of this book! Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of the Hating Game, Not in My Book by Katie Holt is your next favorite read.

Rosie and Aiden are two writers both in the same writing workshop. Rosie, the passionate romance writer, knows exactly what she wants to do and will do whatever it takes to get there while Aiden, the handsome and sometimes arrogant literary writer, is determined to get under her skin any time he can. When their in-class fighting finally takes its toll, they’re given two options by their professor. Find another class and risk failing or find a way to write the book they’ve been assigned to write together.

Not wanting to drop the class, Rosie and Aiden both agree to work together and find that maybe the other isn’t as obnoxious as they thought prior.

This book was amazing for a debut author. While reading I felt like I knew and could connect with the characters in a way that I haven’t been able to say I have before. The pacing of the book was great and kept you intrigued without wanting to fall asleep or skip to the next few chapters, and the snippets of New York were one of my favorite parts other than the fun back and forth the characters had. Highly recommend it for fans of slow burns and enemy-to-lovers tropes.

Oh my goodness, I’m so excited to rave about this book! I desperately needed something fluffy after my last read and this was EVERYTHING. The slow burn nearly drove me into oblivion because it was so good.

Rosie and Aiden are both enrolled in an MFA Writing Program at NYU and have been at each other’s throats since they met. It’s gotten to the point where their instructor gives them one last opportunity - write a novel together for their grade or drop the class.

It’s a delicious debut novel that kept me squealing and smiling all the way through. I never wanted to do anything else but enjoy Rosie and Aiden’s story. I loved watching the two grow to accept one another’s genres while exploring outside of their own.

There was a moment towards the end where I was nearly on the brink of tears as I felt my heart cracking within my chest, and I don’t want to ruin the moment by saying what exactly did it for me.

‘Not In My Book’ releases December 10th! I can’t wait for everyone to read this because this author has become a must buy for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It was such an exciting premise and description when I asked for this book. The cover was such a cutesy romance to it. I am not much of a contemporary reader but the synopsis of the book got me. The phasing of the book is good. Though this gives a bit of slack at the beginning of the story. Well, I know well enough that it just comes to the center of the story. Again, this was such a cute one — such a summer beach read vibes. The only thing that I can say is that the confrontation scene was confusing and doesn’t actually give justice to what was happening to the book. I am not sure what author wants to achieve. But all in all, it’s an okay book.

A back and forth between competing against each other and wanting to be together, both main characters are writers with something to prove.

A fantastic debut from a new author. I tell you I could read as many of these romances written about authors.

This one is set in an NYC writing course, somewhat through the degree already. Rosie already knows that she loathes Aiden as much as she can't help but be drawn to him. Actually, it's probably all the more frustrating because he's so gorgeous.

But he tears apart her writing on their regular workshops for no better reason than that she is a romance writer, and he fancies himself literary.

Things come to a head when they mouth off each other to the point where their lecturer and mentor needs to take them to task. She threatens to kick them both out of the course for their poor behaviour, unless... they agree to write their final thesis together as a joint novel.

What's agreed upon is that it will be a romantic novel with a tragic ending to satiate their diverse writing tastes. As they begin to spend time with each other, the being drawn to each other turns out to be two sided.

This book is carried almost entirely on the romance since the side characters really don't have enough of their own character to be distinct from each other, with the exception of Ida the mentor. I remember in particular being confused that Jess and Rosie's flatmate were two different people as they read so similarly. The whole group really functions as nothing more than a foil to at alternate times either condemn Aiden or encourage Rosie to sleep with him.

But Rosie and Aiden together, plus the continued task of writing a shared novel, is thrilling and sweet at turns. The enemies to lovers is one of the best written examples of the trope I've seen in a while.

Guys! you have no idea how excited i was about reading this book & it was definitely what i expected & more. I was giggling, blushing, & kicking my feet as if Aiden’s words were directed to me. i obviously read it during summer but it’s one of those that you have to read during the holidays.

For all my swifties & romance readers, this one is written for YOU!
Rosie writes romance novels while Aiden writes literary fiction. They’re in the same graduate class where they each write stories. They write a chapter & then they have to read it to the class. Every-time Rosie reads her chapter, Aiden has something to say, & it’s nothing nice. He’s always critiquing her especially bc she’s a romance writer. He hates romance, he says it’s not realistic bc of its happy endings.
Rosie & Aiden have been going at it for months. One day, their professor has had enough & makes a deal with them. They either have to drop the class & find another one or they write the book together. Keep in mind, they hate each other’s genre. However, they have no choice if they want to stay enrolled in this class.
As they write the book together, we start to know quite about their childhoods & past relationships. Without knowing, they create characters based off themselves & their feelings. ‘Not In My Book’ is based off Rosie’s POV but we see bits & pieces of Aiden’s POV through the book that they are writing. 💗

if i can get my hands on a physical copy for myself, i definitely will! it was the cutest story, & it just reminded me once again why i love romance.

4 stars!- I read this in a day and thought it was a really cute read! As advertised this book definitely gave me The Hating Game vibes. I was very interested with the format of this book how we got to see so many pieces of Rosie and Aiden writing the book they were working on. Being from the New York area I loved reading all the snippets of New York City. I was impressed that this book was written by a debut author! I am hoping we get more books in this world!

I *loved* this read. It felt like such an homage to the romance genre while still having characters that felt solidly themselves. The romance was sweet and slow-burny, with both characters going through some lovely development. Very well written with familiar tropes popping up throughout, which felt like fun nods to what I'm guessing are tropes near and dear to the author's heart. I'm excited this is a debut - I'd love to read more by this author!!!

I read this book in a bout 5 hours. I devoured it because it was just so good! First of all, I am a huge fan of grumpy x sunshine rivals to lovers stories. This book was the best of this trope. The banter, the romance, the longing looks at each other even as they are mouthing "Bite me" across the table. I cannot choose a single thing that I loved the most because it was all so great. I absolutely loved Rosie's friends. They all balanced each other out perfectly. Logan was absolutely hilarious and had the best chaotic good energy. The scene with the kabedon had me squealing and freaking out in the best way. I loved that Aiden tried so hard to maintain that romance tropes do not happen in real life while they happened one by one for him and Rosie. This book was truly a favorite for the year. I cannot wait to preorder so I can read it again!

This was honestly one of my favorite romance reads so far this year. The slow burn and tension had me so invested in Rosie and Aiden’s story.

1 Sentence Summary: Rosie’s dream has always been to be a romance author, so she is excited when she gets the chance to move to NYC for a master’s program in writing; however, she ends up stuck in a workshop with the infuriating Aiden, a literary fiction novelist who doesn’t believe in romance, and when Rosie & Aiden’s fighting gets out of control their professor threatens to kick them out of the class unless they can co-write a novel that blends both of their genres.

My Thoughts: This was a fun and quick read, and I was definitely rooting for Rosie & Aiden to get together! They had a lot of chemistry, and the enemies-to-lovers aspect was well written.

While yes, I had to suspend my disbelief about some aspects of the story, and there were a lot of trope-y, cheesy scenes, it was still super cute and enjoyable. (Although, the sex scenes were a little too cringe lol.)

I enjoyed reading the excerpts from the novel Rosie & Aiden wrote together! As someone who loves reading and writing, this book was perfect for me. I got soo much secondhand embarrassment when they were reading their obviously self-insert chapters to their whole class though haha.

Both Rosie and Aiden were well developed characters, and Rosie’s friends were fun as well. I loved reading their group texts haha. Also, I loved the Peruvian American representation!

Overall, this was a charming romance with lovable characters that was a little cheesy, yet compulsively readable.

Recommend to: Fans of romance, writing, and reading.

(Warnings: swearing; explicit sexual content)

I enjoyed the majority of this book! The writing component was so much fun. I enjoyed both characters, their development, and the friend group. The only thing that docked a star for me was some of the spicy scenes. They were a little too much for me. Such a satisfying happily ever after though! Love how the author wrote herself to some extent into the novel.

A wonderful cover and a cute romance with likeable characters. The author did a great job with executing the story.

This was such a fun read! It started off slowly for me at first, but I warmed up quickly and ended up finding that I couldn't put it down. The way they shared the writing of their novel was a creative way for them to get to know each other. Wish I could give it 3.5 stars.

NGL I’m absolutely obsessed with Aiden—I predict romance readers will be adding him to their list of favorite book boyfriends in the near future! Not In My Book by Katie Holt is bound to be an instant favorite since it’s packed with all the best tropes. I especially appreciated the genuine slow burn and the classic rivals/enemies-to-lovers dynamic. You FEEL the tension build over the course of the story, and it’s never told but always shown, which is my favorite kind of narrative.

Additionally, the plot was so creative and refreshing. I adored the parts where they cowrote together, adding layers of tension and depth. The story-within-a-story element was so enthralling—I couldn’t put it down!

I do think the book was a bit long and drawn out, but I’m pretty sure that serves as part of the plot—illustrating that love isn’t always just a straightforward happily-ever-after. I can see some readers losing interest around 70% in, when the SECOND third-act breakup happens. Both characters say and do some seemingly irredeemable things in their final arguments, but again, I think this plays into the book’s attempt to be realistic.

I would recommend this book to fans of slow-burn romances, rivals-to-lovers dynamics, dirty talk, and okay with a bit of the miscommunication trope.

Thank you, Alcove Press and NetGalley, for the ARC!

This was a great book, it has all the best tropes! Enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorites, and adding in the aspect of a story-within-a story just made it so much better.

This is the perfect enemies-to-lovers trope. It’s unique and really fun to read; especially it being a story within a story. Appreciated all the banter throughout the book. Perfect for a summer or cozy read!

I loved so many things about this book! There’s a story within a story, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, and of course one bed! I can’t believe this is a debut novel - the story develops in such a beautiful way and the characters are so enjoyable.