This book was wonderful! I love books about books. The setting was just what I wanted. The banter and romance were too tier!

Such a cute story! The author's defense of the romance genre is something I particularly appreciate! It's creative. I also enjoyed the college setting—books set at universities are among my favorites to read. Thanks to NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Rosie and Aiden are two people enrolled in the same MFA program at NYU. They met through one of the courses and even though, the first minute of the first impression was great, soon they both became classmates enemies based on their writing genre and their personal perception of the other. Now they are in their second course together and the animosity for each other it’s also affecting their other classmates and professor, who decides to put them together in a special project in order to stay and pass the course.

The dynamic of the relationship between Rosie and Aiden is interesting and the essence of their personalities remain until the end. Don’t let Rosie’s childish character fooled you, all the discussion about literary genres and the view about romance novels is really on point which make you realize and appreciate all the creativity romance novelist need to put in every book in order to tell a love story while also addressing complicated topics about their characters past, and present struggles.
I really enjoy this story and the mobile used by the characters to discover each other and built their relationship. I definitely appreciate happy endings, specially when the real world seems so complicated. What’s wrong to scape to a world where everything is possible? Specially when their stories sometimes relate to our own.

*SPOILERS*





This book was truly a lot better than I thought it would be. The plot kept me interested and the tension between the characters was palpable. The only thing keeping this book from 5 stars is the ending. I didn’t love the rushed feel of the breakup and forgiveness, and it just felt a bit forced to me. When Aidan said that romance was an easy way out just like Rosie has always been told, that would have been unforgivable for most people, and really sort of showed his true character. It just seemed like she was quick to forgive, and he never truly apologized for how he hurt her. Yes, he wrote about it in the book, but I don’t know if I got the sense that he really grasped how what he said hurt her.

Also, for some reason the brick that holds open the door to Rosie’s complex is mentioned so many times yet never becomes a major player in the story at all. With the brick being named and being mentioned as many times as it has I seriously expected a scene where someone tries to break into Rosie’s apartment and Aidan comes to the rescue, but that never happened. I get that it’s supposed to be sweet that Aidan cares about her safety, but with it being mentioned 3+ times I seriously thought that was foreshadowing for something to happen.

Regardless, I really enjoyed how the author used the characters writing the book as the way they expressed themselves to one another. It was a very creative way to build tension and really worked to convey the way the characters were starting to feel for each other. You can also tell that this author really has a good sense of humor. There are several scenes where Rosie says something that made me laugh out loud, but one in particular is when they are trying to write the kiss scene and Rosie says to Aidan “aw, your kiss scene virginity!”. The humor just adds to Rosie’s character, and I really liked how it created a sense that she was more than just a romantic.

Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend this book to those looking for a quick romance read. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love stories about reading, writing or publishing so this was an automatic want to read for me.

I had a few reservations initially because being scornful of Romance books is a red flag to me, but I thought the author dealt with this aspect of Aiden's character well. I also don't love enemies to lovers when one of them is a lot meaner than the other and this almost veered into that but again, it was managed well.I think this is really at the heart of what made this a great book to me, both characters had such real, genuine differences that tipped into flaws and conflict on numerous occasions but the story gave them lots of room for growth and addressed the issues while still being true to their character.

As a whole I found this to be a delightful romance to read, I loved Rosie's family and friends and really enjoyed the MFA setting

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 For Rosie, NYC is the perfect escape to pursue her dreams of writing. After feeling stifled for so long in small town Tennessee and by her ex-boyfriend, the big city offers the hope for big opportunities and diversity. And sometimes that diversity is in thought and personality…like her classmate Aiden, who never seems to have anything kind to say. Their banter is witty, playful, and laced with so much underlying built-up tension and I am here for it! Completing a writing project together is a whole new level of challenge for them both, and the manuscript definitely focuses on the enemy in the typical enemies to lovers trope. Not in My Book is a fun, immersive look at the writing process and an experience in pushing past your comfort zone to grow. A realistic yet inspiring book about daring to dream and cementing in stone that romance is indeed alive in the world, and a fierce competitor in the literary world as welll!

Reviews posted on Goodreads and final review will be on Instagram ahead of the publication date!

Title: Not in My Book by Katie Holt

Release Date: December, 10th, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars


Rosie, a Peruvian-American aspiring writer, heads to New York to pursue her dreams. However, her plans take an unexpected turn when she finds herself in a writing class with her former crush and nemesis, Aiden.

Despite their differences, their professor challenges them to co-write a novel blending their genres. As they work on their steamy manuscript, they begin to understand each other better and confront their feelings. Yet, when they face a career-changing opportunity, old rivalries resurface, putting their budding romance in jeopardy unless they can write their own ending.

This book is my absolute jam! The storyline is just perfection.

Rosie and Aiden, academic rivals who can't stand each other, are forced to co-write a romance novel for their class. But get this—their characters start falling in love in the story, mirroring their own real-life journey. I was totally hooked from start to finish by the clever plot and structure.


Thank you to The Publisher Alcove Press, The Author Katie Holt & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

Great romance book. I love the characters and their chemistry. I enjoyed it very much and will buy it once it's published!

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions included here are my own.

Overall, the plot and story was really cute and I enjoyed it. However, the writing was just very messy. It was definitely in need of some editing and the pages bleed into each other . POV changed with no warnings . No spaces when needed. I was very disappointed as I have dyslexia and it make the book very hard to follow .

This story is a cute rival to lovers story about a girl who inspires to be a romance writer and Lit Writer who doesn’t seem like her biggest fan. Although, Rocky both find a connection in one another .
I liked this book a lot and with a little love and exiting it could be an easy 5 stars.
Hope to read more form this author in the future
Thank you NetGalley , Alcove Press and Katie Holt for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book ❤️

Oh my LORDY!!! I am obsessed with this book and everything about it! The characters are so hard not to fall in love with… I mean their tension is crazy and the fact that they are literally falling in love with each other through the characters they are writting!! The writing was amazing, this is definitely worth the read.

I LOVED this book! I downloaded it for the NYC rom-com, stayed for the banter and complex relationship between Aiden and Rosie. I loved the "unsaid" tension between the two when writing the book vs interacting with each other in real life.

This book does everything to the best degree. Romance was romancing, spice was spicing, and NYC was NYCing!! It's my dream to move to New York, and this book has inspired me so much! I feel like I saw myself in Rosie. I also loved the Peruvian representation, as it's a culture I don't know much about.

I loved this book so much, I plan on buying a copy once it's published!

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.