4.5!!

A joy and a treat! Rosie and Aidan are not friends. In fact, they’re total rivals in their NYU writing course. Too bad they think each other are totally hot. But that’s not the point. They hate each other. They are vicious and pull no punches giving feedback on each others’ work. He hates romance, and she hates literary fiction. -queue Sk8tr Boi by Avril Lavigne in the background- After a particularly rough (and loud) critique session, their teacher and mentor asks them to drop her class. Or…write a book together combining both of their genres of choice. They (reluctantly) accept the challenge.

They decide on an enemies-to-lovers plot set in a workplace between rivals. But spoiler alert, they’re totes not gonna get a happy ending because that’s not how literary fiction works, apparently! Aidan and Rosie exchange chapters, and find that they are both goofing on each other subtly within them. (It’s not really that subtle, but who's gonna tell em?) Ida, their teacher, assigns them to go on a fake date to try and get a better grasp on their combined voices and improve their writing- it’s a disaster. They write their chapters and their writing gets better and they seem to be understanding each other more and more with each exchange. They spend more time together and so do their book characters, and the tension on the page definitely mirrors the tension in their lives. Honestly, them getting to writing the kissing and sex scenes got so heated and so fun! And we loved to see their relationship evolve and devolve all in an NYC winter wonderland!

The story is freaking delightful and hot and messy, and Frankie Corzo brings so much depth and emotion and magic to the audiobook! Lovelovelove!

There is nothing against the audio narrator--I think she did as best as she could with the material. I do wish, however, that the country accent she tried for Rosie would have stuck around, but I also recognize that it is hard to keep up.

This was hard to listen to mainly because it leaned into every cliche imaginable. It felt like I have heard of this exact plot many times before. I don't think this is a true enemies-to-lovers but rather some insta-love rivals that imagine themselves to be enemies. I neither like nor appreciate the fact that every disagreement between the characters would have been solved by sex, as explained by the side characters. It felt absolutely ridiculous for the two main characters to have their writing professor push for them to not only go on a date to mimic their characters but to then "up the romantic factor" in their next excursion. I have never felt a plot device so clearly as I did when I listened to this part of the book.

I also am not a fan of the "rich city guy buying everything for the small, country girl" trope that seems to be popular, if not common. I do not like how he is slightly diminished as a character by the fact that he can pay for the books and whatever else she has. Not only is he rich, but he has daddy issues? And his mother is dead??? This felt too much, in my opinion. Also, I do not appreciate the fact that after resolving some of their differences, they now consider themselves to be best friends. What happened to her friends in the program??? What happened to her roommate? I definitely think that it was too soon for them to be declaring this when they were *just* fighting about 20 pages ago. I was disappointed in this book, and definitely thought that for all her talks about being a feminist, Rosie did not strike me as a particularly strong female character.

Such a fun, unique take on enemies to lovers with funny dialogue. The chemistry between Rosie and Aiden was angsty and adorable. Fans of The Hating Game will enjoy this one.

Rosie and Aiden can’t stand the other. Aiden writes lit fic, Rosie writes romance, and they can’t seem to have a single agreeable opinion. After an explosive public argument in class, their professor gives them an ultimatum, write a book together and learn to get along - or drop the class and jeopardize their academic career.

Rose and Aiden use their novel they are writing to tell their story and at times, communicate with one another. Their banter in the beginning is actually pretty funny and clever. I enjoyed when they hated each other and when they loved each other. We also got a bonus love story with the side characters. I wish we got a little resolution with Aiden’s dad, but the book already gave The Hating Game vibes and i guess that would have really nailed that in.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest opinion! This is a great romance I highly recommend checking out.

Fun fact: the audiobook at 2.0 speed is the perfect length to listen to to clean 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms 😂 love the narrator!

What a fun audiobook ! Such a good rivals/enemies to lovers story line. This was very easy to listen to and it really pulls on your heart strings. Aiden and Rosie had so much chemistry. The ending was super romantic. I think if you enjoy rom-coms you love this audiobook. Give this one a listen.


Thank you Netgalley and RB Media Recorded books for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

This enemies to lovers romance was such a great read! I really enjoyed the two main characters and how they did not stay enemies for the majority of the book. They started opening up to each other earlier and even though there was a third act breakup, I saw it from a mile away. I loved that they were writing an enemies to lovers romance at the same time and thought that was an interesting thing for their professor to make them do together given their circumstances. They had the perfect amount of banter and spice in this story and I defiantly loved it!

This was okay, but as someone who only reads romance there was nothing that made this story standout amongst other titles with very similar plotlines and tropes. Not in My Book would be the overlap section if you made a venn diagram of Beach Read and The Roughest Draft. So if someone was just starting to read romance or hadn’t read those books, they would probably enjoy this more than I did.

Thank you NetGalley and Recorded Books for an ALC of Not in My Book.

I expected a fluffy book. Boy, did I get more...

While Rosie and Adrian are both writers, they are complete opposites. Rosie loves writing romance, and Adrian despises romance.
What happens when heated argument has them working together?
End up in their very own romance novel?

I enjoyed this book so much!
The cover had me thinking that this book was just a fluffy romance. There was definitely more than fluff... This is an ADULT book.
I thought the story was very relatable for both main characters, which made me enjoy it.
The audio version! The narrator was amazing! Highly recommend listening in audio format!
Very cozy and very addictive! Couldn't put it down once I started!

I wasn’t ready for how much I absolutely loved this book. This was a sweet refreshing read !
The storyline of them having to cowrite a book together ??? But they “hate “each other which means they secretly like each other.. so they spend the first chapters of the book just talking mad shit on each other through the characters 💀😂 GOBBLED THIS UPPPPPP👏🏼 I absolutely LOVED that about this book. I loved that they talked through the characters to each other and that’s how we got to find out through the story
The banter between the two had me cackling out loud at work

I was disappointed in this book. The main character was annoying. This book should have been a perfect match for me because it was romance with a bit of humor. I enjoy romance and humorous books so this should have been right up my alley. This tale reads like an old formula. The plot was unoriginal. The characters were weak, dull, boring and flavorless. Rosie was obnoxious and immature. While Rosie may claim to dislike Aiden, she spends all her time thinking about him. She is obsessed with him. Neither Rosie nor Aiden are capable of holding a conversation. The two main characters are taking a literary class. Their bickering has the professor at her wits end so she assigns them to write a book together. They use the book to communicate. Through the book they express their desire for each other. The method of using the book to communicate made much of the writing repetitive. There are no twists or turns in this book. It is easy to see where the plot is going. I do think this book ha
has potential but it needs work.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

4.5 stars rounded up

A delightful enemies-to-lovers rom-com set in the world of writing! Rosie is a Peruvian-American sacrificing everything to pursue her dream of writing, attending a Masters program at NYU. She is optimistic and loves to write romance, recognizing that while it's not always taken seriously, it's a huge part of the publishing market. Aiden is a snooty writer of literary fiction and with his heavy criticism and dismissal of her work, is her arch-nemesis in class. But when they take their rivalry too far, the only way their professor will let them stay in the class is if they agree to write a novel together! It has to be a love story, but the ending does not have to end happily.

Honestly this is a pretty great setup, and the book they write together is really a thinly veiled repetition of their own relationship. It's very much a grumpy-sunshine dynamic, and I think it works. It's funny, cute, and eventually gets quite steamy (at one point they co-write a sex scene while on a phone call...). I think this is going to be a crowd-pleaser and will especially hit for long time romance readers or writers who are sick of the genre not being taken as seriously as it deserves. The audio narration is really excellent with dual narrators that get the vibe of the characters, and then also read excerpts from the book being written. Definitely recommend this one! I received an audio review copy via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Not in My Book by Katie Holt is a sparkling debut!
Rosie Maxwell is a romantic Peruvian-American from Tennessee now living and working in New York City. Rosie is a romance writer currently in a graduate program and she’s got the best friends. Rosie and her friends attend a writing workshop for school that’s taught by her favorite professor, the only problem is her nemesis is also enrolled in this class. Aiden Huntington is Rosie’s ex-crush and current thorn in her side. The pair can’t help but throw barbs at each other in class. Aiden thinks his literary fiction is superior to Rosie’s romance and Rosie makes it clear that she finds his lit-fic boring and gratuitously sad. Their distain for one another becomes quite the distraction in class and the professor threatens to remove them both unless they work together on the final project, a novel. Now forced to write together, Aiden and Rosie are encouraged to go on fake dates in order to write a believable story. As they spend more time together, this duo can’t help but writing pieces of themselves into their story and maybe they have been wrong about each other all along.

I loved this book and never wanted it to end. I enjoyed the witty banter, the fun and supportive friend group, and the depth of the main characters. Rosie and Aiden were complex characters and interesting to read. I was very invested in each characters life. I’m incredibly impressed by this debut novel and can’t wait to read what Holt puts out next!

I was given an advanced listeners copy by NetGalley and thoroughly enjoyed Frankie Corzo’s narration. I would definitely recommend this audiobook to all my audio loving friends!

Read this if you like:

-academic rivals to lovers
-secret crush
-he falls first
-forced proximity
-slow burn
-only one bed
-fake dates
-snarky banter

4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley, RBMedia, and author Katie Holt for this advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

****FAVORITE ROMANCE OF THE YEAR****

HANDS DOWN! And I've read hundreds! I will definitely pick up more from this author. The narrator of the audiobook did a fabulous job as well!

The characters in this book, Rosie and Aiden, are so relatable that I feel as though I know them. The build-up of this enemies-to-lovers romance was perfection. I will own this book when it comes out.


Many thanks to Net Galley and Alcove Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The fact I got both the ARC and ALC made it so I could read this book twice in a month. I LOVED this book so so much! It had all the right tension in all the right places. The love they had for eachother is unmatched. I want every single person to read this book. I will scream it from the rooftops. The narrator was perfect for how I imagined Rosie in my head! She nailed it.

This book surprisingly surpassed my expectations. I got this book purely for the title and cover art. It’s no surprise that I don’t read descriptions by now and it’s been working for me everytime! It makes my reading experience better when I don’t know the plot before reading.

If opposites attract was people it would be Aidan and Rosie. What stood out the most to me was the fact that Aidan and Rosie had to work together to write a short story. Aidan wrote literally fiction and Rosie was a hopeless romantic. Their professor was at her breaking point and had them fake date as their characters to make their story more realistic because they couldn’t agree on how the story should be written. The book trope was enemies to lovers but their characters was pretty much enemies the whole time. This is why I love fake dating tropes, I knew that when the professor wanted them to go on a date to spark their creative writing process, that their true feelings will come out towards each other.

I love how the author included excerpts from their untitled novel at the end of each chapter. We got a glimpse of what the story would look like as they wrote it and it was sooo freaking cute! Little do they know, they are writing their happily ever after 🥰

The narrator did an outstanding job with the audio. She brought the characters to life and I really enjoyed listening. I had both the ebook and audio for Not In My Book and primarily listened to the audio because the narration was so good!

Thank you, NetGalley for this audiobook ARC.

This follows two aspiring authors Rosie and Aiden. Rosie writes romance and Aiden writes literary fiction and they both despise each other's genre while being secretly obsessed with each other.

This enemies to lover , academic romance was beautifully written. After being forced to write a book together, they slowly write their own love story together. It was really cleverly done - I love the ~untitled excerpts that were perfectly placed throughout the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the narrators but I did feel that it was slightly longer than necessary.

4.5 rounded up to 5 :) Such an awesome debut.

Not in My Book by @katieholt
Genre: Romance & Multicultural Interest
Pub Date: December 10th, 2024

**Thank you to NetGalley, Katie Holt, and RBmedia for free audio ARC copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

Rosie and Aiden have two things in common; they are both amazing writers and both dislike each other...or so they originally thought.

Rosie and Aiden attend the same college and have a writing workshop together. They bicker constantly. One day, though, they take it too far and risk getting kicked out of the class. Their professor, however, will overlook their outburst if they can successfully co-write a book. The problem is that Rosie is a romantic and loves writing romance, and Aiden is a realist who writes literary fiction. He doesn't believe in happily ever afters. Can these two write a compelling story, or are they doomed?

I honestly hadn't caught that this was a debut til my friend mentioned it. I never would have thought by the way the the author easily kept me engaged and wanted to continue listening. Grumpy vs. Sunshine is easily one of my favorite tropes, so I quickly fell for Aiden. He really is such a loveable guy. Sure, he's grumpy, but he has a heart of gold and does anything for those he loves. I also really enjoyed the Latin flare the author included. The narrator's smooth accent when speaking Spanish in the audio was very pleasant. The sprinkles of Peruvian culture and customs made this a very unique listen. Had me craving some tacos and burritos.

Just a warning that this might possibly make you cry. I don't cry easily from books, but Katie Holt got a few out of me with this one. Thanks again for such a sweet book ❤️

I got this book from NetGallery.

It is an enemy to lovers story.
The book is about Rosie and Aiden who both follow a writing workshop course. They can't stand each other. Aiden hates the genre romance that she is writing, she thinks that he feels better than the rest. After the umpteenth fight they have to appear before the teacher. To prevent them from being thrown out of the workshop they have to write a book together. Slowly they get to know each other better and grow closer.

I thought it was a nice book. At some points it is a bit predictable, but you still want to know how it ends. It is nice how the story merges with the book they are writing together. In the beginning I sometimes found it unclear whether it is about real life or the story they are writing. Later in the book you get used to it and it becomes more clear.

The group chat that Rosie is in with her friends is hilarious.

I thought the first sex scene was really original. Can't say much about it but you will know what I mean if you read the book. ;)

This is the first time I have listened to an audiobook. It is well and clearly narrated. Maybe it would have been better if it had been narrated by a man and a woman so that the distinction is a bit clearer. But in itself it is well mentioned who says what.

Thank you for letting me read this book. I really enjoyed it.

First of all, amazing concept! I loved the workshop, and it has me longing to join one too where I can improve my writing skills. The plot was beautifully written. Not gonna lie, it was quite predictable, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, which made the book better in my eyes.

Secondly, I absolutely loved the narrator. Frankie Corzo did a great job in not just portraying Rosie's voice, but also all the other characters interacting with her. The voice modulations, accents... god, I loved listening to her.

It was creative the way each chapter had an excerpt from Rosie and Aiden's novel. It was wonderful to read the story within the story.

I'm quite happy that I picked this ARC. If you are a romcom lover like me and have a soft spot for enemies-to-lovers romance, then do consider reading this book.

I absolutely adored this book! I listened to it on audio and fell in love with Rosie and Aiden. Aiden was the perfect amount of grumpy/smoldering and I loved Rosie’s fire. She did not hold anything back, and their banter was great. The book within the book was really good as well. I would love to read the finished product! Highly recommend for romance lovers and writers!

Thank you, Alcove Press and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was FLAWLESS. He’s a smug aspiring literary novelist (iykyk) and she’s an aspiring romance writer, and they are tasked to write a book together. This book has everything: grumpy/sunshine, excellent banter, and spice all presented a way that makes the whole thing feel like a love letter to romance novels. I loved it.

If you love romance, or love to write, or just need something light, delicious, and super sweet, then this is your perfect next read.

I listened to this on audiobook and am pre-ordering a physical copy. I’m eager to read more from this author!