Loved this one!

Kind of a hidden Christmas romance? Perfect time of the year for this read. Loved the references to TSwift as well as good ole' Tennessee!

Only giving 4/5 because I am not personally a huge fan of the "third act breakup" and the beginning started off a bit slow for me, but overall I recommend!! Really enjoyed the audiobook.

Thank you so much NetGalley and RBmedia for this audiobook ARC!

I loved the give and take and truth behind this relationship. I'm a big fan of the enemies to lovers trope and this one fits it perfect. I got to see the city through new eyes and the writing/literary background was just a plus!

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW 🎧
Thanks to @alcove and @recorded for the gifted copy!

Not in My Book by Katie Holt
Pub Date: Dec. 10th

Synopsis: Rosie and Aiden are academic rivals in the same creative writing workshop. When they come to blows during class, their professor assigns them a project to write a romance novel together.

Thoughts: This is a very cute romance. The chemistry and banter between Rosie and Aiden is great, and if you like a rivals to lovers plot, this one is for you! The writing is well done, especially for a debut novel! Snippets of the book that Rosie and Aiden are writing are included throughout, which is an aspect I really enjoyed. Up until the last 10% or so, I was all in - but the third act breakup situation just didn’t work for me. 🙈 Overall, though, I still thought this was an enjoyable read! A note on the audio: narrated by Frankie Corzo. I enjoyed Frankie’s narration, but I think dual narration would have been fun!

Read this if you like:
📖 rivals to lovers
📖 authors & writing
📖 grumpy/sunshine

This was a great debut! I loved Rosie and Aiden and really enjoyed their banter. The setting of New York City was so fun in this one because you could tell the author loves the city and didn't just pick that location out of convenience.

I thought the narrator did a fantastic job with this one.

My only complaint really is that the third act breakup was extremely frustrating. Up until that point this probably would've been a 5 star read.

I would still recommend this one. I just wish authors would stop writing these break ups that hinge on a misunderstanding and then weeks or more of not clearing the air.

Wonderful debut!
I really enjoyed my reading experience with this book. I think the author truly wrote out a beautiful romance book that captures writing romance in a beautiful way as well.

I love a good rivals to lovers trope. This was done pretty well. I don't know if it is because I am extra sensitive and always root for the girl, but there were times I felt his insults and burns were a bit heavier than hers.
Another theme was the lie of omission. I am extremely sensitive to that element in romance books. I am still not sure if I like the way it was addressed, and how her outcome was impacted.
The point of a lot of the dialogue in this book was is romance genre books considered art? I am not sure that point was proven. Or maybe it was but with their own personal HEA.
Nonetheless Katie Holt writes BEAUTIFULLY. Truly captivating writing. For a debut, I was truly taken aback. I will be reading more from her in the future. At the end of the day, its books that stay in my mind and me silently debating them, those books are extremely special to me.

I really did not enjoy this book. I’m ready to be a thorough hater in this review.

Aiden and Rosie are two of the most immature, uncommunicative, and overdramatic characters I have ever read about. On one hand, I wanted them to break up because I hated their relationship and found them to be an incredibly annoying couple. On the other hand, I would not want them to inflict their childishness on anyone but each other. These two are in their mid-late twenties but act like actual middle schoolers. If I were a person in their writing seminar I would’ve begged the professor to kick them out way earlier than she tried to. They were both straight up awful to each other and sometimes I couldn’t decide who was worse.

Rosie is an awful character. She is obsessed with Aiden and cannot go a paragraph without thinking about him. Even when her family who she (apparently) loves and misses visit, all she can think about is him. Aidan matches her in awfulness by being completely obnoxious and also obsessed with Rosie, but thankfully we are (mostly) spared from his inner thoughts. He made me so mad during the third act break up when he couldn't seem to understand that Rosie was mad at him for lying.

This book felt like the author was just trying to fit as many romance tropes as she could into one book while doing a little wink wink nudge nudge to readers about it. There was also constant commentary about romance novels in general and people’s opinions of them. Here’s a helpful hint: if you’ve written a romance novel, odds are the readers of it are fans of the genre. You don’t have to rehash how people don’t take it seriously on every other page. We know.

The book within a book did absolutely nothing for me, and if anything made this book worse. Sometimes it felt like I was reading the exact same thing happen twice, since Aiden and Rosie were just writing fanfiction of their own lives in their book.

The reason this is 2 stars and not 1 is because normally I only would give a 1 star review to something offensively awful. Also I’d feel kind of bad giving a 1 star review to a debut author. I should’ve just DNFed around 20% like I wanted to but pushed through because it was an ARC and that was a mistake. By the end I was listening on 2.5x speed to get it over with.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

No spoilers! This book was a fun read! At first I was concerned that I would get tired of the bickering, but it is such a different story than the average romance book. The 🌶️ were good too. 🥵😏I love a book with good sarcasm, and this book delivered! The ending was emotional and I enjoyed every second of it!

Not in My Book was a super solid debut! Chapter 17??? 👀🔥 Overall, I had a great time listening. The narrator was very engaging and emotive. I had a few squabbles with pacing and the immaturity. But, I will definitely read what the author puts out next!

Not In My Book was fantastic! The perfect black cat/golden retriever, grumpy/sunshine couple. Growing up going to NYC during Christmas time, this book felt nostalgic and so real to me. I love Rosie and Aiden’s manuscript and at first I thought a book within a book may be confusing but it wasn’t, it helped carry the story along wonderfully. I wished there was a resolution between Ida and Rosie, and I wished I got more of Jess and Tyler’s love story as well, but other than that it was a great listen!

What a cute and adorable story about Rosie and Aiden, enemies and in a writing class together at NYU. They are forced to work together and write a book for their final project. Rosie only writes romance while Aiden only writes literary fiction. As they learn to work or not work together, chemistry builds and sparks begin to fly. The connection between Rosie and Aiden is undeniable. Their banter is top notch! I enjoyed the slow burn of their relationship. The characters were fun and the storyline moved at the right pace. I couldn’t put this one down and enjoyed every minute of listening to it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Recorded Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What an adorable read! I seriously couldn’t get enough of this debut novel. It had me laughing and smiling like an idiot most of the time. Aiden and Rosie’s banter and growing relationship were so much fun to follow. I seriously couldn’t get enough of them!

I also loved the spice in this book. It had me smiling and swooning at the same time, which is always a huge plus for me. This is definitely not just a cute romance book- the spice was definitely spicing!

While I loved the plot and how everything eventually played out, I feel like the pacing was a bit off near the end. I wish things had been dragged out a little bit more rather than just happening one after another in succession. Also, I had a couple of unanswered questions after the ending (which I won’t say for the sake of not spoiling the book). But despite these issues, I still really enjoyed this novel.

If you’re looking for a sweet and sexy college romance, I definitely recommend this book!

this book had great potential and a book within a book but in the end it didn't do it for me. wrapped up too quickly for what the conflict was

I originally picked up this book because it was marketed for fans of Beach Read. That is my absolute favorite book so I needed to see if that was true and I can confirm that this met my expectations. We have 2 college rivals who are both aspiring writers. Rosie dreams of being a romance writer while Aiden aspires to write literary fiction. This did have many parallels to Beach Read which I loved. We went from college rivals to friends to lovers. I think anyone who loves Emily Henry’s masterpiece that is Beach Read should give this book a try. I also loved the audio for this book. The duet was so good and I was begging for Aiden’s chapters.

Another debut novel, & I’d give this one a solid 3 Stars! Not in My Book is a unique & fun read that follows the standard romance formulas between two stubborn, opposite characters; forced proximity, enemies to lovers, & a splash of fake dating.

If I’m being completely honest, I had a hard time feeling connected to the main characters, Rosie & Aiden. I really didn’t understand why they were enemies to begin with, which led to a rocky start. I also can’t help but feel that the chemistry just wasn’t there between them. Despite how much they argued, it never translated to that fiery passion that I enjoy from an enemies-to-lovers story. It kind of made the sex scenes feel wrong & out of place. Which, speaking of, this book does have a couple of spicy scenes, so proceed with caution if that’s not your thing.

At about 75% in, I started to really struggled to stay engaged with what was going on. The big “betrayal” shouldn’t really have come as a huge shock. It shouldn’t have turned into the huge fight that it did. I kept thinking, if this is enough to make you break up, maybe you should stay broken up.

Despite thinking that Rosie & Aiden were not a great couple, I do appreciate that they were able to explore some of their deeper issues through working together on their book.

All of that being said, I am definitely looking forward to reading future books by @readinromance . This book comes out only a few days from now - Dec 10, 2024!

“No one meets the same way & falls in love the same way. Sometimes you know just after an hour with a person. Or it can span decades. The only thing every love story really has in common is that it’s worth it. Love is always worth fighting for.”

**This Audiobook ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

Not In My Book. This multi-meaning title could not be more perfect for a romance novel whose cast is largely comprised of fiction writers. I am certainly not too proud to say it hooked this book lover, but can assure you the value to be found in this romcom is far more than skin deep.

Debut author Katie Holt has translated her passion for this genre, New York, Tennessee and her culture to the page through her female lead Rosie. Pleasingly, she also invests more time in developing an authentically layered backstory for her male antagonist Aiden than many that employ the enemies-to-lovers trope.

While Not In My Book‘s foreground storyline is trope-cute, its foundations have substance. With meta and epistolary elements, alternating narrative perspectives, and a quirky posse of friends whose group chats provide well-timed light relief, this fiction ticked so many boxes for this reader.

But, if you prefer closed-door romance, then Not In My Book is not for you — pardon the pun. I am not an expert in that ‘spicy scale’ romance book tubers seem to use, but this novel is up there — it is more like door-ripped-off-its hinges (to paraphrase a comment made by one of this book’s characters). While I was not enamoured with every bit of dialogue in this regard, I appreciate that is highly subjective.

Audio narration

Frankie Corzo’s voice is very pleasant to listen to, and her considerable experience as a voice performer shone in her pacing and inflection. I felt she distinguished between the male and female voices well without over-stretching. The switch to small epistolary elements, which often almost mirrored the foreground character’s narrative, were always going to be tricky in the audio format and did on occasion cause momentary confusion. But overall, I found Corzo’s performance of Not In My Book highly enjoyable and compelling listening. I will be adding her to my list of great audiobook narrators.

It is clear why Katie Holt’s debut novel Not In My Book is LibraryReads’ top pick of the December 2024 releases and an IndieNext Pick. With its release she has announced herself as a new talent to watch in the romcom genre.

I had quite a few mixed feelings with this one but overall liked it. I think my issues came in the beginning to middle while they were still enemies. The way Aiden spoke to Rosie and about romance didn't sit right with me and felt extremely misogynistic and condescending, making it hard for him to redeem himself in my eyes when the enemies became lovers. Also the story they were writing together but about each other felt a little too obvious for tension to build properly while also not addressing the way Aiden acted until the end. That being said, the parts where they are actually together and not fighting are soooooo sweet and swoony, it redeemed some of my frustrations with the beginning. Overall I liked it enough where I would want to read more of Katie Holt's work in the future!

I love this book. I read a lot of contemporary romance and I found myself laughing, crying, and giggling my way through this story.
Katie Holt, I just have to say. I hope you continue to write fun and creative stories like this one. I loved the characters and how their relationships molded who they became in adulthood, I also loved that we as readers where able to see how just because people have had bad experiences does not mean that they will never change because of them. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to read this story.

DNF at 90%. I think the premice of this book was fun and there were some good moments, but there was something missing for me with the connection between the main characters. I wasn't really mad at it and was still having a gooid time, but by the time the characters actually got together, it felt like the spice overwhelmed the story to a point that I did NOT vibe with, and even 90% in I really didn't care enough about them to want to see how it ended.

Adorable!! Academic rivals to lovers set in NYC with mentions of classic romcoms? Yes, please! Katie Holt executed this tension filled trope so wonderfully and I love how throughout the story Holt fiercely defends and champions romance and its readers throughout.

I really loved how Holt began each chapter with excerpts from the book Rosie and Aiden were co-authoring. Since the story is from Rosie’s POV, the chapter excerpts written by Aiden were so helpful in rounding out the story and giving us a peek into his feelings, especially since Rosie is of the believe that he strongly dislikes her.

One thing that always makes me nervous with rivals or enemies to lovers is how the verbal sparring can sometimes border being mean (a hard pass for me), but Holt kept the sparring sharp without having the characters verbally assaulting each other.

While not a holiday book, a good portion takes place over Christmas and it was so magical adventuring around NYC and taking in the sights of the season. And! If you’re a classic romcom lover, there are lots of callbacks to You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, and more!

I really loved the narration and would definitely recommend this format, but with the excerpts from the book Aiden and Rosie are writing it did take some getting used to at first separating the excepts from the actual story.

Looking forward to reading more from Holt!

Katie Holt’s "Not in My Book" is an utterly cute and heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romance that will leave readers smiling from ear to ear. Rosie, a starry-eyed romance writer, and Aiden, her brooding literary fiction rival, are thrown together in a reluctant collaboration that challenges their writing styles—and their hearts. Their banter is sharp, their chemistry electric, and their growth both as writers and individuals is beautifully rendered.

What makes this story shine is its depth beneath the humor. Rosie’s experiences as a Peruvian American chasing her literary dreams in New York add layers of cultural richness and relatability. The progression of her relationship with Aiden, from rivalry to partnership, feels organic and deeply satisfying.

A standout moment captures the novel's essence:<b> “I’d always preferred fiction, but now I couldn’t wait for the rest of my reality.”</b> This quote perfectly encapsulates the book’s blend of romance, creativity, and the magic of embracing life beyond the pages.

Frankie Corzo’s narration adds charm and emotion, bringing each character to life.