Not in My Book is every romance reader’s DREAMMMMM! This book is actually everything to me!! A book within a book???? I’m THERE.

The plot is perfection….. academic/writing rivals Rosie & Aiden (who literally can’t stand each other) have to cowrite a romance book for their class. The duo basically writes messages (love letters) to each other throughout their book. As the novel progresses, Rosie & Aiden’s characters begin to slowly get to know each other on a deeper level & fall in love……… and the same begins to happen in real life.

“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.”

Rosie made me feel so SEEN as a lover of the romance genre and a girly from Tennessee. Her passion for her art is so fun to read about. Aiden (or should I say Clark Kent) is one of my new favorite MMCs!!! He is so obsessed with his girl!!! The tension, bickering, and banter is so top-tier, especially for a debut?? I am in awe of Katie’s writing. All of the scenes were SO GOOD (I was dyingggg at the Christmas scenes). AND AIDEN BUYING HER BOOKS??? I also thought the setting is so well written it made me want to fly to New York immediately.

“I had the time of my life making you mad but loving you has been so much better."

By the time I got to the end, I had tears welling in my eyes. So so so so good.

Thank you Alcove Press & Katie Holt for the advanced copy. Not in My Book releases December 10.

The book centers around Rosie, an MFA student who loves romance novels, and her fellow student Aiden, as they collaborate on a novel reflecting their own relationship dynamics. It incorporates popular tropes like enemies-to-lovers, set against the backdrop of New York City and academia, with a Hispanic main character. While the story was engaging and I enjoyed it overall, there were some issues that detracted from my experience. The dialogue at times felt repetitive, with characters frequently using the same phrases, and the portrayal of 26-year-olds felt more like teenagers with “Shut up”s and group chat titles. Inconsistencies in character backgrounds and behaviors raised questions, such as Rosie's financial struggles juxtaposed with her parents' spontaneous generosity. Other inconsistencies that made me raise an eyebrow were - Rosie is said to be single for a year after a failed long distance with an ex, but it’s stated she hasn’t visited home for two years. One time she is said to be a good dater but the guys are not good enough, a few pages down the line she says no one wants to date her because she is so anxious already at the asking out part. She is scraping for a few hundred bucks to visit home, but her parents buy 3 last minute christmas tickets on a whim? They should probably just help her out. The book-in-the-book storyline follows two coworkers preparing a presentation, but sometimes they start talking about writing together, visiting bookstores and so on.
The depiction of the enemies-to-lovers dynamic occasionally crossed into uncomfortable territory with excessive insults that seemed out of place in an academic setting. The professor should have reported a sexual harassment at least. Like the criticism of a work relented to “you can’t satisfy your girlfriend” remarks from Rosie.
Additionally, the pacing towards the end of the book felt drawn out. Despite these flaws, I found the book enjoyable, though it could benefit from further editing to address its juvenile aspects.

I loved this book a lot... the banter, the academic rivalry, the spice and especially the romance. All of it was exceptional and the writing was really smooth. The ending felt a tad bit dragged to me, other than that everything was great.