3.5

A story about two academic rivals forced to overcome their feuds co-write a novel that combines both of their respective genres. Rosie, our sunshine, and Aiden, or grumpy mmc, write way too many of their own personality, feelings and opinions into their characters, that it’s inevitable that they follow in their characters shadow on a tumoultous love story. The description precisely captures my exact thoughts when I read the opening chapter: this is January and Gus from their college days, criticising each others work every chance they get…but not because they actually hate each other.
The tropes were well executed, however their initial bickering felt too childish for mid-twenties and made me cringe at times thinking how grown-adults had to watch that every workshop week. Absolutely adored them falling in love because of writing their book together (also shoutout to Wibberley &Siegemund-Broka’s The Roughest Draft, which funnily enough is also an author duo) and saying things they couldn’t face to face. However, I was missing the distinct ‘voice’ of Aiden in his chapters and Rosie in hers. It felt exactly like the author’s writing (which is obviously very fine as it IS the author writing it) but more importantly it did not feel like Aiden’s expertise lay in litfic. Similarly to how I prefer songs (and their lyrics) to just be omitted in books, I would’ve liked to suspend my belief by not having read them. Furthermore, some of the chapters felt repetitive as they were mere mirrors of what had just happened to Rosie and Aiden. Overall, this is a very sweet romance, especially for the EmHen girlies with some quirks that didn’t necessarily hit the mark with me.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this!
In short: I adored this. First off: its a romance about bookish people. I love that Aiden/Rosie had an incredibly competitive enemies to lovers workplace romance going on, and I loved that they used writing their own unique novels as the backdrop to that. Their chemistry, both in their dialogue and in their writing, just soared. I LOVE a book with an epistolary theme, so the multiple opportunities to explore a "book within a book" just sung to me. The transition from enemies to more was just really believable and the tension between the two of them was so palpably awkward and searing that it made you want to see them get together.
I also really loved that they were two completely fleshed out and unique characters. I don't read alot about Peruvian culture but I could feel it flowing off of Rosie and her family: her need to find and be loved in romance was something I could really relate. I thought Aiden, on the other end of the spectrum as a fumbling man with love, was also just so realistic.
This has some really good spice! As a note: I LOVED that Rosie called Aiden out for some of his 'spicier' language! I feel like so often spicy language is used in the steamy scenes and it almost breaks the character I've dreamt up in my head: this let his spicy side show up but was also used as humor. A+++
I flew through this and just adored it.

This title was a fun enemies to lovers title with some great tropes, including academic rivals, opposites attract, and forced proximity. The MC's had delightful banter and I thought their method of communicating their feelings through their writing was clever and fun. Rosie and Aiden had really endearing quirks and excellent chemistry. Overall, I really enjoyed this title and would recommend it to patrons who enjoy enemies to lovers contemporary romance with some spice.

Did I request this book based entirely on it's title? I did. Do I regret it? Definitely not.

Rosie, an idealistic Peruvian-American aspiring writer, leaves her Tennessee hometown to chase her dreams in New York, only to find her plans disrupted by her arch-nemesis and ex-crush, Aiden Huntington, a surly literary fiction writer who disdains the romance genre. Their contentious relationship leads to constant clashes in their writing workshop, prompting their exasperated professor to mandate that they co-author a novel blending their genres as a condition to remain in the class. Reluctantly collaborating, Rosie and Aiden infuse their personalities into their accidentally steamy novel, which becomes a conduit for their growing mutual understanding and attraction. However, as they vie for a significant career opportunity, their old rivalry flares up, threatening their budding romance and collaborative project, unless they can find a way to conclude their story on their own terms.

I enjoy the enemies to lovers trope, where the grumpy character is secretly infatuated with our heroine. Despite his inability to express his feelings, he would do anything for her.

My favorite part of the book, however, was how they slowly started developing a friendship, which eventually turned into love. We see this progression in their writing as well.

I really enjoyed how the Peruvian family in the movie Rosie was portrayed. I especially liked how the mom had a "Tía Mafia" (auntie mafia) at her disposal to help her daughter find somewhere to live and keep tabs on her. The portrayal of the food and music was just perfect.

This sounds like the perfect book, however the third act breakup was a bit anticlimatic for my taste and ended up flipping the pages to get them together again, but I am a mood reader and I think it has to do a lot with that.

I think this book is great for people who love angsty romances with a HEA where the enemies become more than lovers and the grump gets the sunshine.

Thank you Alcove Press for providing this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This enemies to lovers trope was amazing and the characters were so amazing and interesting, they kept me hooked till the very end of the book.
The writing style was wonderful and the plot was well paced thus it enhanced my reading experience.

Not in My Book, was everything I wanted it to be and more.

A New York City Rom-com between two writers, forced to collaborate on a project.
I could gush about this book for hours! Rosie and Aiden, had the perfect enemies to lovers arc, the tension, the build up and the teasing banter! The fact that they were writing a novel together as collaborators for class while also building their real life connection was such a wonderful plot device. I had thought that this dynamic would overcloud or confuse the narrative of their relationship but I think it ultimately made it so much stronger. Them writing together allowed a deeper level of trust and communication to open up between them, and it added lots of extra tension.

The scene when they’re on the phone, collaborating on a spicy chapter together was so tension filled it had me blushin! They weren’t even in the same room during these scene and it was still one of the hottest scenes in the book for me 🔥🤣

I really loved Aiden’s and Rosie’s individual and joint growth throughout this story. With them both healing old wounds and choosing to move forward in a healthy way. Getting to see a little bit more into Aiden’s mind through the Chapter excerpt he wrote in the story they were working on together. Was a unique way to learn more about his perspective of Rosie, and really helped me understand his character more.

I loved their dynamic and chemistry, so much! I adored this book. I loved the representation in this story. The side characters in this were all well fleshed out and all characters motivations were clear throughout. The dialogue was really well written, and didn’t ever feel forced. The double narrative of the book within a book was super well executed and allowed for this story to really shine.

Honestly one of my favourite romances I’ve read this year, was such a delightful read.

I love a grumpy sunshine romance. The mix of enemies to lovers really took it to another level all on its own. It is also so clear that the author loves romance because it was PERFECT.

This book was so charming! I was ready to give it a rave review but then at 90% there was a breakup (which I hate) and it also felt really melodramatic and unsatisfying.

The premise is cute. MFA classmates become enemies via aggressively critiquing each other’s work; the professor forces them to write their novel together as punishment; it’s an enemies-to-lovers romance novel that very obviously follows their own budding friendship and eventual romantic relationship; it all falls apart.

There were a lot of sweet moments and great snappy dialogue—enemies to lovers is usually good for that. There’s a scene where they are co-writing a sex scene for the book (they have not yet had sex IRL) and the tension is *perfect*. The telegraphing from their novel to their relationship got a little predictable—but it’s a romance novel so knowing what’s coming is not a dealbreaker.

Still, I convinced myself that the signs were wrong, that the breakup wasn’t coming, but I was lying to myself. Being unwilling to listen to him—after all the words they’d exchanged—didn’t ring true to me. So, I liked 90% of this book. :)

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book. It has been a good while since I've picked up a book with angst that manifested in physical symptoms for me! This book was a roller coaster of feelings for both MCs. Learning Aidens story from his perspective would help me better connect with him (dual POV would have been great). I did realize that the ending of each chapter was "technically" his POV. The scene where they write spice back and forth - ohhh baby.

“I'd lived in this city for my whole life. Every milestone and moment of my history was written into the streets here. But all of them had been easily replaced with memories of her…Even if it surmounted to nothing, and she left me only with memories, I'd take them all.”

rivals to lovers
one bed
slow burn
opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine

This was an epic debut novel, BRAVA

I really enjoyed this book (and it was almost like two books in one book)!

While initially I was annoyed by the dialogue between the two main characters, I came to love their banter and flew through the book. Very-well written enemies to lovers.

Looking forward to other books by Katie Holt. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Overall a really cute book. Academic rivals, enemies to lovers. Scenes with Rosie and Aiden were adorable. I loved how they used their writing to communicate their feelings with one another. There are definitely some issues with the novel — the major conflict in the book occurs too late and could have been so easily avoided with one easy conversation. The degree of anger/hurt and the ease of forgiveness didn’t quite match for me. But overall, a strong debut novel.

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked right from the start! Rosie and Aiden are competitive by nature and are constantly berating and belittling each other's work in their graduate level Writing Workshop class at NYU. She is a lover of romance novels and HEA's. He is obsessed with sad, literary fiction. Their heads and hearts are destined to collide. After a particularly bad session, their workshop facilitator promises to drop them from her class unless they work together on their final assignment - a complete novel. They will have to find a way to co-write from differing perspectives or risk failing the class and ruining both of their future writing careers. Rosie and Aiden reluctantly agree to write a love story without the happily ever after.

The main characters decide to write this assignment by alternately writing chapters. This allows them to write their own feelings on the page, as their characters Maxine and Hunter, without feeling vulnerable. These writings give the readers, and each other, glimpses into their innermost emotions. The main book is only written from Rosie's perspective, so this makes it like a book within a book! What could be better?

Fast forwarding in the relationship...
Aiden is usually quite reserved, barely cracking a smile even when he is happy, but during the multiple sex scenes, which were hot, he turns out to be quite a dirty talker. I did not expect this crude language from him, it seemed overly out of character, and I would have enjoyed it more if he had been more of a sweet talker in these moments. A little would have been ok, but it was overdone in my opinion. I do not feel that it added any true emotion, but ultimately detracted from it. Though I was able to read over those parts of the scenes without letting them impact the story too much.

This is definitely a very slow-burn, but the tension in the developing relationship kept me turning the pages. They learn to respect and value each other as writers, maybe even becoming friends? Their biggest obstacle is that each believes they know how the other feels about romance. Rosie is an optimist and believes in happily ever afters, but also that romance can be in the smallest things. Aiden considers himself a realist and doesn't believe in big, romantic gestures, but doesn't realize how sweet he actually is.

If you enjoy open door romance, enemies to lovers, opposites attract, slow-burn, or forced proximity you will not be disappointed!

This is author Katie Holt's debut novel and I am a fan! I will be happily awaiting her next book.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press, and the author for providing an ARC. All opinions are my own**

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a romance novel between two aspiring writers named Aiden and Rosie. Rosie is an aspiring romance writer who believes in the idea of happily ever afters and hopes to get her own someday. Aiden is a literary fiction writer who doesn’t believe in the idea of happily ever afters.

These two don’t have the best relationship from the start but I still felt the chemistry. The smut was an enjoyable addition and the third act conflict didn’t annoy me as much as I thought.


The writing is really easy to read and every time I read this novel, I wanted to keep on reading. This is the author’s debut novel and I believe she did a great job. I cannot wait to read what she publishes next. In conclusion, a very cute romance story. Sometimes that is all you need.

Absolutely LOVED the premise for this book... a book within a book, how incredible! Sadly, the characters just fell flat for me. Grumpy x sunshine is my favorite trope, but the plot was just too predictable and the banter was not as enjoyable as I'd hoped for it to be. Very grateful to the author for the advanced reader's copy. I am sure this will still be a hit this winter!

"Not in My Book" is the first novel by up-and-coming author Katie Holt, and I can't wait to read more by her in the future! This book centers around enemies Rosie and Aiden, who are both students in a writing workshop. Rosie loves all things romance, happy endings, and seeing the guy get the girl. Aiden hates romance and doesn't believe that happiness truly exists -- or, at least, not for him. After their professor gets tired of their constant bickering in class, she comes up with a plan to make them learn how to get along; they have to co-author a book that combines both of their preferences. Rosie and Aiden absolutely hate this idea, but since it's the only thing keeping them from being expelled, they have to learn how to work together. And what happens when their romance on paper becomes a romance in real life too?

I love the enemies-to-lovers trope, and these two had chemistry in spades! I thought this was a really cute and original idea as they learned how to express their feelings through their writing. I would have given these novel 5 stars, but the ending was a little rushed. Otherwise, I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more by Holt in the future!

I loved this book! I am a sucker for romance but this was one of my favorites! I love how it shows that it can come when you least expect it and from the last person you’d expect it from. And THE DETAILS 😍 it had me hooked wishing this was my very own fairytale!

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This book is the ultimate enemies to lovers. The author builds the disdain between the two characters immediately. Both of the main characters, Rosie and Aiden, are aspiring writers trying to make it in New York City. They find themselves in the same writing workshop sharing a mentor. As they hurl insults back and forth hitting way below the belt, they risk getting kicked out of the class. In order to stay in the program, they are forced to write a book together. The problem is Rosie is a romance and wistful believer in all things love. Aiden is a realist dedicated to literary fiction. Forced proximity and attempting to merge vastly different viewpoints becomes the catalyst for their blossoming friendship.
As they alternate writing chapters for their shared novel, they start to lay out their hidden truths. Perhaps it is always easier to hide behind the words of a character to express our truths.
As their book unfolds, the lines between Aiden and Rosie and the characters of their novel blur and then eventually merge. The feeling that have developed are splayed out in the pages of their book. We learn the Aiden, who is usually so reserved, is a very dirty talker in the bedroom. I loved the spice, but his bedroom voice seems misaligned with his personality.
Once Aiden and Rosie's mutual hatred for each other dissolved, the author seemed to lose their footing. The third act breakup felt forced and was so petty for these two characters who had matured so much in their communication. I loved the first 75% of the book, but the ending felt rushed and fell flat for me.

I would recommend if you like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and opposites attract.

On

A book within a book, which I think is every book addicts dream! It very much had Beach Read vibes, minus the beach and set in NY instead. The characters Rosie and Aiden are lovable but very humanly flawed. It made the journey that much better. There were times I laughed out loud, times when I truly felt angry or sad, but overall it was such a fun read. Literally, I put the book down because I was trying to delay the end. I will be following this author in the future and can't wait to see what others stories she might have to tell.

Not in My Book' by Katie Holt is a love story between two NYU students who are both pursuing careers as writers. Rosie, who is passionate and lofty, comes from a tight-knit family in Tennessee. Rosie leaves home to pursue her dream of becoming a romance writer in New York after leaving a toxic relationship. Aiden Huntington is tall, gorgeous, but obnoxious and distant. Aiden holds many secrets. He dreams of becoming a fictional writer and is quite talented.

What makes Aiden and Rosie enemies? Aiden believes that love and romance belong to fairytales. His patience with Rosie's romance writing is short. In their Writing Workshop class, Aiden and Rosie frequently battle each other. Every step of the way, Aiden criticizes Rosie's writing. Rosie has had enough of Aiden's cruel insults after a semester of them. Their professor reaches her breaking point with these two students. Their professor calls Rosie and Aiden into her office and tells them that she is kicking them out of class. It is only after pleading with the professor that she agrees to let them stay. Using both of their genres, they must co-write a novel.

The two decide to alternate chapters, with Rosie beginning with the first. It doesn't take long for Rosie and Aiden to find themselves becoming characters. It is soon impossible to ignore physical attraction. Despite her desire to hate Aiden, Rosie is deeply attracted to him, and she wants to know the real Aiden more than ever. The same is true for Aiden as well. It allows them to express just how they feel about one another as they write their novel together.

In spite of her belief in true love, Rosie has experienced a toxic relationship in the past, leading to hurt and reservations. It's not the case for Aiden. A messy divorce between his parents when he was quite young taught him that love was not real. It will take time and patience for these hurts to heal.

As all of this is going on, Rosie is also writing something for a highly prestigious scholarship opportunity. Rosie's life and ability to get through school would be changed if she received this award. She asked Aiden if he planned to apply. How would their relationship change if they both applied. Does the competition threaten to separate them?

This book is filled with so many layers.

It gets pretty steamy in the novel. It contains X-rated content.

It would ruin the book if I shared too much more.

It is important for me to state that I am not a reader of romance novels. The author does a great job weaving together all of the events, characters, backgrounds, etc. to make the story flow smoothly. This book keeps you guessing what will happen, which is always wonderful. The worst kind of storyline is one that is predictable. This is the author's first novel. I would say she did a fantastic job!

"𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐩 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬."

What a lovely debut. The concept was so cute, enemies writing a book together? Shut up. I'm obsessed. This book deserves to be on your tbr!

The vibes:
- Writers
- Enemies-to-lovers / Rivals-to-lovers
- Forced proximity
- Grumpy x Sunshine