4.5 ⭐️
Really enjoyed this book! The plot is original, and the author has done a fantastic job at developing the relationship between the MMC & FMC. Rosie and Aiden are too cute together and some of the scenes just make you want to scream!
We have our girlie who is a romance lover and truly believes in love. We then have Aiden who would rather kill off the characters in the book than see them ending up together. The perfection that you get from pairing these two is fun, funny, and just truly enjoyable!
If you like books, then the plot line of writing a book might really appeal to you, it did to me!
I particularly enjoyed the aspect of having academic rivals, who are not fresh-out-of-high-school 18 year olds, but are mature adults in their mid 20s - relatable!!
The sub-story that Aiden and Rosie create throughout the book is a really interesting and unique approach as well, as you get to see and experience their emotions, desires, and drive before they actually acknowledge them.
Overall a really well written story that had me hooked from start to end - this one was an under 24h read.
I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was great!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for sharing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect for the people who love their books with spice! I found my self drawn to the story and very interested to see how things would play out. I was giggling and I really loved the plot of this book! The banter between the characters was amazing and I loved how it felt like getting 2 stories at the same time! ♥️

First of all, thank you so much to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC! This is my first audio ARC so I was excited for that.

In regard to the narration, I enjoyed the narrators voice! My issue is the inconsistent use of a Tennessee accent. Either give the FMC an accent or don’t. I get there were times when the accent “came out”, but beyond that it needs to stay consistent. Also, I enjoyed the “blurbs” from their book, but it was hard to differentiate at first on audio what was the blurb and what was the story. After the first couple times I picked up on the different voice, but it was confusing at first.

Okay now going into the story. This was your classic enemies/rivals to lovers story. Two people can’t stand each other so they’re forced to work together and then they fall for each other.
The book starts with the two main characters being the most immature and horrible people to each other and, honestly, I almost DNFed at the start of this book. I cannot stand when adults act like children and are just petty for the sake of being petty. Also, during their petty squabbling Aiden says some horrible things to Rosie and about her life’s work that is absolutely horrible and unforgivable (in my opinion) and then he barely apologizes and then it’s fine 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ idk not my favorite.

🚨🚨 LIGHT SPOILERS AFTER HERE 🚨🚨


But then the middle of the book it gets so good and so cute! You see the way they’re falling for eachother and it’s perfect and just….. cute! Perfect rom-com moments. But then, once they get together, the story totally devolves. It turns into super drawn out smut, which is fine. I love smut, but it was just too much? Like not really adding to the story. And then the inevitable third act break up and some more absolutely unforgivable things are said! Like, there’s no coming back from this imo.

Up to this point the book was a solid. 4.5 stars for me. I don’t see how we’re coming back from this….

Yup. I still don’t forgive Aiden.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This is a 4⭐️ read for me. Two rival writers are forced to write a romance novel together.

I was surprised that this was only a debut novel! A romance novel perfectly written for a romance lover.



✨Slight spoilers ahead✨

Pros:
-I liked the novel writing aspect
-Rivals to lovers
-I enjoyed the Peruvian elements
-Timeline didn’t seem rushed
-Satisfying epilogue

Cons: (I’m nitpicking here)
•Some scenes and wording felt very repetitive (peacoat)
•Rosie wanting to learn Spanish with her roommate but never actually trying to speak Spanish and it wasn’t brought up again
•They didn’t have healthy communication at all throughout the book

I really enjoyed ‘Not in My Book’ I feel like it had all the classic elements of a romcom and acknowledged it well.
As Rosie and Aiden work together to create their class assignment of writing a book, needing teamwork, and growing closer and closer together you can feel their attraction growing, seeing the reasonable progression of their romance.
Honestly one of the best “only one bed” tropes I’ve read, it felt so much more plausible than “the hotel is out of rooms.” It moved the plot along so well.
I absolutely loved the side characters, I felt like they played such an important role in making sure that Rosie had a support system and they were so fun! Every girl needs the friend that wants to kill her ex.
Overall a very fun read, I couldn’t put it down!

I have listened to so many good books this year and this has become one of my favorites. I enjoyed everything about the audiobook and e-book. It is entertaining, funny, has a perfect narrator and is the best use of the enemies to lovers trope. The situation they find themselves in tests the bounds of fiction and reality.

Frankie Corzo’s narrative performance is perfect. I love how she brings the characters to life. Her tone and voice inflections portray Rosie as both passionate about romance writing and her family. In addition, she smoothly changes her tone and inflections to exhibit Rosie’s feminine and vulnerable sides. Then there is her voice narration of Aiden. Not all narrators portray the voice of the opposite sex well but Corzo is great as the male voice of Aiden. She captures his deep and broody nature along with his own vulnerability.

I could not get enough of this audiobook! I have placed it on my favorites list and I know I will listen to it again!!

Not in My Book was absolutely adorable! It was such a swoony and fun read, and I loved how the author also advocated on behalf of the romance book community in addition to telling a great love story!

Rosie has moved to New York to attend a graduate writing program. She hopes to write romance novels one day. Her biggest academic rival is literary fiction writer Aiden. Their verbal sparring in class has become so disruptive that their professor/mentor is requiring them work out their issues by collaborating on a piece for the class.

I loved Rosie’s character so much. She is hopeful and optimistic and deserves all the HEAs. She is not going to let Aiden (or anyone) put down her dreams or diminish the genre that she loves. Rosie strongly connects to her Peruvian heritage and I really liked how that was woven into the plot.

Aiden couldn’t be more different than Rosie. He is a bit reclusive but is an amazing writer. He has been secretly pining for Rosie the whole time and enjoys fighting with her.

When they had to write together, the story they wrote mirrored their own love story. It was done really well and I got emotional when they wrote their characters doing things that they didn’t have the courage to do or say in real life.

I did listen to the audiobook, which was narrated by Frankie Corzo. I think Frankie did a good job since she had to portray four different characters between Rosie, Aiden, and their fictional counterparts Max and Hunter.
4.5/5 stars

This rivals-to-lovers story about two writers immediately drew me in. I loved Rosie’s strong character. She’s making it on her own in New York City after nearly settling for life in small town Tennessee. She’s someone to admire. I love how both Aiden and Rosie are reclaiming their lives by pursuing writing careers. I also loved the excerpts from the book they’re writing strewn throughout the book. They especially helped be a window into Aiden’s thoughts. This entire book was so swoony. It ranks highly in my top romance books. I am shocked that this is a debut! I look forward to more books from Katie Holt.

The VA was perfect for this role and really brought the book to life, the story is super well done as well, I read the book, but listening to it was a game changer.

3.5 rounded up. I really enjoyed the format in which this was written. It was creative to see Rosie & Aiden find their love for each other through the characters (Max & Hunter) and pages in the novel they are writing together. I think the one thing I didn't love was the spicy scenes. I normally don't mind them but for some reason I couldn't get into them for these two. Other than that, I really enjoyed it.

"People say there’s a thin line between love and hate, and you know what? They’re right. "

Premsis:
Aiden and Rosie bicker constantly in their writing class. Aiden makes fun of Rosie for writing Romance and Rosie makes fun of Aiden for writing fiction stories with sad endings. After their fighting got too much in class, their professor required them to write a book together in the genre of the other person's writing; Aiden has to write romance, and Rosie, Fiction. With this they have to start spending more time with each other, in turn, learning more about each other, and slowly they fall for each other.

Review
This book was so cute and I absolutely loved it. Rosie and Aiden's banter from the beginning was hilarious. They fought like little kids but Katie did such a great job writing it that it was annoying or childish like some banter can seem in books; she made it actually funny and not cringy. I loved that in this book, we also are getting the story that Aiden and Rosie are writing in real-time. Even though the book they are writing is supposed to be a story, they are basing a lot of it on their actual relationship. I think this was such an interesting way to write the story and use it as a way to allow the MCs to show their feelings to one another but not actually.

I recommend this to anyone who loves books with the “rivals to lovers” trope, it’s really worth it!

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook arc to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and @AlcovePress for this ALC, in exchange for an honest review.

This audiobook was incredibly entertaining! From start to finish, I was completely obsessed by the author’s writing, which was so polished and engaging, it felt like the work of a seasoned pro rather than a debut. The characters were wonderfully crafted, and I found myself rooting for both of them right from the beginning. The “enemies to lovers” dynamic between Rosie and Aiden was executed brilliantly, making it impossible to look away.

Their journey from constant bickering to slowly discovering each other’s strengths and, eventually, developing a deep romantic connection, was portrayed with such authenticity. The tension between them was palpable, and their gradual transformation into a couple felt natural rather than forced. There were bumps along the way, and that made their relationship all the more believable and satisfying.

If you're a fan of heartwarming romance, this one is a must-read. It’s witty, touching, and leaves you with that warm feeling that only a truly great romance can. Can't forget to mention that the narrator Katie Holt did a fantastic job. She brought the characters to life and made the story fun.

Wow, just wow this enemies to lovers romance novel with forced proximity has to be the best romance novel I have read in a very very long time.

I am going to be honest I am not huge on romance but this is written so well and the characters are so easy to connect to that I found myself quickly being pulled into the story and wanting more.

I like that the sexual scenes weren’t there just for the basic plot of smut but that when it did get sexual it was actually adding to the storyline and to the characters themselves which is refreshing.

I highly recommend this book to everyone even to people that maybe aren’t so into romance or are just getting into romance, I immediately went out and bought a preorder for my girlfriend and myself.

As for the audiobook part of it Frankie Corzo did an amazing job at narrating the book and really brought the characters to life.

An opposites attract / enemies to lovers romance. Rosie is from the south but strongly rooted in her Peruvian culture. She dreams of moving to New York as an aspiring writer. Aiden, also a literary fiction writer, but not a fan of romance, is the opposite of Rosie. Outspoken, obnoxious and rude.

When they continue to disrupt the class, their professor gives them an ultimatum if they want to stay enrolled- they have to write a book together.

Beautiful writing blending in their own feelings into the book they’re writing and seeing their relationship grow. The co-writing of the sex scene- so good !

As they start to build a relationship, they find themselves in a battle again for a writing opportunity. Once they enter the lovers stage, I felt like the plot fell apart and it was just one spicy scene after the next, aside from the final fall out/ misunderstanding.

Audiobook narration was great- cute, fun, spicy romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Out on 12/10/24.

4⭐️ - “The entire time we were together all I could think was you were better than any dream, any piece of fiction I could ever write.” 🥹

Ohhhh my goodness, my romance loving heart ate this book up! This will speak to your soul if you are a lover of romance movies and books, ones that feel cheesy (in a good way) and classic and warm your heart.

Rosie and Aiden are exactly what I want in enemies to lovers in romcoms. I loved their banter and rivalry, and even before the romance heated up you could feel their romantic tension. Their character developments were done so well, and nothing felt forced. I am a huge fan of a grand gesture/happily ever after, and this book delivered! I was tearing up, basically crying in the last 10%….i don’t know if I’m hormonal or if it truly just made me emotional but… 🥹

I read the physical ARC as well as listened to the audiobook through NetGalley & RB Media. The narrator, Frankie Corzo, did a great job! I enjoyed her performance. The one thing I dislike, which is really no “fault” to her, is when a female tries to make a male voice and vice versa. That’s honestly my only critique. This would’ve been a 10/10 audiobook if it had dual narration.

I'm going to say a 3.5 on this but I may change it. This is a really great debut romance novel and I liked the audiobook format of it but the ending really chafed me.

Overall the FMC was a bit much at times and made...interesting decisions. The MMC was fine but I wanted a bit more from him. The ending really killed the book for me. I rather not have an HEA than all that.

Them writing back and forth was kinda hot though. Def Hating Game vibes (maybe too much idk). I could see this translating to screen easily. I'm recommending it but with a grain of salt.

I would absolutely want to check out more from this author, really promising. I read this book as an audio ARC and am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly.

I listened to this book in one day. I loved the chemistry between Aidan and Rosie/ Hunter and Max. It was enemies to lovers at its best! I also loved how they wrote their book together. The audiobook was good, but I think it would have been better with two different narrators. Sometimes it was hard to tell which character was narrating.

This book was so great! There are few audiobooks that my boyfriend enjoys as much as I do and this was one of them. When I find him asking if we can relax on the couch and listen to the book I was listening to earlier I know I have found a winner. Not in My Book follows Rosie who is putting herself through school working on becoming a writer in New York City after moving away from her family and hometown in Tennessee. Feeling like she has a lot to prove she enters into her writing group with confidence and strong opinions. When the most attractive man she has ever seen catches her eye and announces he hates romance books with a passion. A rival begins and tension seems to always be rising.

What I really enjoyed about this book is that there are tender moments and deep feelings mixed with some laughter and spice! This book felt like When Harry Met Sally with it's romantic New York Scenes and trying to balance this love hate relationship they are constantly building. Plus there is great Christmas scenes which was a great surprise seeing as it's starting to be Christmas time now! I genuinely really enjoyed this book and Cannot wait to see what else this author puts out. I will definitely be continuing on with whatever else this author puts out.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read a rivals to lovers romance! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Bookish Enemies to Lovers? Yes please!

Rosie and Aiden study at the prestigious NYU graduate writing program. The catch? While Rosie is a romance author trying to prove her and her genre's worth, Aiden writes Literary Fiction and despises romance - he doesn't even believe in Happy Endings! Their professor, Rosie's heroine and a romance writer herself, finally has enough of their antics and forces them to write a book. Together. Blending their genres. Suffice to say neither of them is thrilled. But a prestigious short story award by a literary magazine is Rosie's big hope for the next year of her studies, guaranteeing her tuition and a chance to bring romantic fiction the honour it deserves. But does the romance writer even stand a chance at her own happy ending?

I listened to the audio version of Katie Holt's newest book and the narrator did not disappoint. It was very lovingly narrated and well paced.

The book was enjoyable, well-written and well plotted. Plenty of humour and depth made for a great reading experience. There was some meta level with the excerpts from the book Rosie and Aiden write over the course of the novel, which was amusing and insightful. The family and friends are likeable secondary characters (mostly!).

If you are looking for a secretly sweet grump, bookish enemies to lovers with some spice, this book is for you!
Fincancial struggles and psychological abuse are mentioned, as are acts of a sexual nature, so be aware.

Overall, I would say the book is well written, with believable and relatable characters, a cute romance and a nice take on two very popular tropes: enemies to lovers and writers' romance.

Honestly? I’m obsessed. I love a good enemies to lovers and the fact that they’re forced to write a romance book basically detailing their lives but still in denial about it until the first kiss scene, in the book and in their lives, is amazing. The banter and insults are hilarious while they were also able to dig deeper and be open and honest with each other while writing