Not in My Book is a witty, chaotic, and steamy debut that brings enemies-to-lovers energy. Rosie, a hopeful romance author with big dreams, and Aiden, a grumpy, brooding literary fiction writer who thinks romance is beneath him.

The chemistry? Definitely there. The spice? LOVED

However, there were moments where the characters’ behaviour was a bit immature though. 3.5 stars

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Not In My Book by Katie Holt is a delightful and heartwarming romance that kept me turning pages late into the night. The story follows the journey of two characters who are seemingly complete opposites, yet have undeniable chemistry. Holt expertly weaves humor, vulnerability, and emotional depth into the narrative, making it an engaging read from start to finish.

The protagonist, a bookish and introverted woman with a deep love for literature, finds herself thrown into an unexpected relationship with a charming but somewhat unconventional man. The way Holt builds their connection feels real and natural, with a slow-burn romance that grows from misunderstandings, quirky interactions, and shared passions. It’s the kind of love story that feels fresh and exciting despite the familiar romance tropes.

What stood out most for me in this novel was Holt’s ability to create relatable and lovable characters. The dialogue is witty and sharp, with a great mix of playful banter and heartfelt moments. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, making every interaction feel charged with emotion. While the romance is front and center, Holt also does a wonderful job of incorporating themes of self-discovery, friendship, and personal growth.

The pacing of the book is just right—slow enough to allow for emotional development, but quick enough to keep the plot moving. The secondary characters add depth to the story, and I found myself enjoying the dynamics between them as much as the main couple's journey.

If you're a fan of contemporary romance that blends humor, emotional moments, and a touch of real-life complexity, Not In My Book is a must-read. Holt has crafted a charming story that stays with you long after you've finished reading.

OMG ROMANCE IS SO BACK!!! i love being able to dig my teeth into a cute romance and who doesn’t love some rivals?!

I so enjoyed this one! Enemies to lovers is always my favourite and the fact this was set across a literary backdrop made this so much better!

Easy to read, easy to turn the page - perhaps more of Aiden’s POV would have been welcomed but do you know what? That was a lot of fun!

Rosie and Aiden are classmates at NYU's creative writing school graduate program but they hate each other. So much so, they actually disrupt their class during workshops providing feedback to others chapters. Their supervisor calls them in for a meeting and tells them she's kicking them off the course unless they agree to write a romance novel together.

Of course they agree - they don't really have a choice! What they start writing is basically the plot of The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. But it works. They use the characters in their book to write their own feelings for each other which helps them to understand each other and the reasons behind why they have behaved the way they did.

I didn't really like the ending so much though. It was understandable that Rosie was angry that Aiden hadn't told her he had also applied to the scholarship but she never gave him a chance to explain and instead went on the attack, causing both of them to say things they didn't mean. Aiden tried to be one of her romance novel hero's and finished the novel for them but Rosie refused to read it and instead packed up and left New York to move home to Tennessee.

I think Rosie should have been a little more understanding with Aidan - she knew he didn't have a great childhood and hadn't grown up with a lot of love and affection being shown but he had told on a number of occasions that he wanted to try and be the person she deserved and wouldn't stop trying. Rosie had suffered her own heartbreak previously but instead of actually discussing things with Aiden, she just assumed he had been lying to her the whole time and never had feelings for her at all which felt like a bit of an overreaction.

The spice was on point though! The quiet ones always have a filthy mouth! Loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read and review the ARC.

It did take me a while to get into this, and that did take away from my enjoyment quite a bit. However, once I was fully invested I ended up loving it! I did love being with Rosie, but I would have liked to get more insight into Aiden too.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc. 🫶🏻

The more into this book I got the more I enjoyed it. At points it felt a little meta and almost satirical. At the start of this book I found it a little slow and at points I did get a bit frustrated with the MMC but by the end of the book I throughly enjoyed it. I found the gimmick of the characters communicating through the story they were writing together very cute and a good way to get around both struggling with vulnerability

A sad boy litfic writer, and a sunshine romance girly who hate each other are forced to write a love story together. LOVED the premise of this. The writing is great (really, truly beautiful in parts), and there's a lot of depth and well-rounded back story to the characters which makes their motivations relateable. It's romantic and charming, and there's some good banter and a couple of spicy scenes. There is also a lot of miscommunication, though, and the last 10% gave me whiplash. Overall, it is a solid, sweet debut that I would definitely recommend.


Thank you NetGalley and Transworld Publishers for the earc.

I absolutely adored this book! Enemies to lovers with amazing banter and grumpy sunshine!

Told from Rosie’s pov but which I loved. This book was so easy to read and flowed so well I couldn’t put it down.

Definitely an author to watch out for and I will be reading more from her.

Not in My Book follows Rosie and Aiden, two writers whose rivalry causes them to clash and make a scene during one of their classes. Their professor gives them an ultimatum - leave her class, or cowrite a novel together.

I usually like books about books/authors, but the book they were writing was essentially their own romance. While part of me thought this was a good idea at first, it became redundant and repetitive really quickly, as the reader is essentially reading the same story twice.

I also really struggled to connect to the main characters. I found their “rivalry” to be ridiculous, and they were both so childish. They were in their twenties, but acted like high-schoolers, which made me cringe. I found Rosie very hypocritical, and found being in her head quite insufferable. I wasn’t rooting for their romance, and wasn’t a fan of the third-act breakup and how it was resolved.

Overall, this book just wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 rounded down

Not in my book is a rivals-to-lovers romance between two students, Rosie a romance would-be author who hates literary fiction and Aiden a literary fiction would-be author who hates romance. They are tasked with writing a romantic litfic together by their professor after they cannot get along.

This book has an interesting premise but unfortunately for me it did not live up to its potential.

At first I really disliked Aiden's character I thought he was a cliché. However, narratively I don't think we are really meant to like him at first. His character is developed well and I loved the vulnerability shown from him. Rosie, on the other hand, comes across as quite immature and one note. Her character isn't developed well and it was disappointing. The chemistry between the two characters and the tension was built up well and was a believable romance. The writing style was engaging and the emotional heaviness at times was balanced with humour well.

Overall pretty good for a debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A very enjoyable and refreshing writing style, with sizzling chemistry between the characters. Extremely enjoyable.

This book had an interesting premise, but it didn’t fully live up to its potential.

I loved Aiden’s character and his vulnerability. The writing style is engaging, and the humour was well-balanced with the emotional moments.

That being said, I found the constant back and forth between the Rosie’s and Aiden’s story and book they were writing quite repetitive. Rosie’s character felt quite immature to me and that thought was solidified by her behaviour in the third act conflict, which I found very lacking.

Overall, this was a light read, but there was just something missing for me to make it memorable.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK/ Transworld Publishers providing this review copy!

AD- arc | 4.5⭐️ This book was everything! The concept & plot was so unique & I just love books about writing books, especially with the enemies to lovers trope sprinkled in! I adored the character development & following Rosie & Aiden’s relationship. The drama & tension was there throughout & I was here for it😅👀 “The entire time…all I could think how you were better than any dream, any piece of fiction I could ever write”🥹
S

Sweet but nothing special.
It gave me a bit of nostalgic vibes from the first days I started to read again in adulthood, so that's why it felt like the perfect read for me. But it still wasn't something I could say I would re-read. Besides that I enjoyed it! Amazing characters, forced proximity and a hint of 'enemies' to lovers.

I had a good time with NOT IN MY BOOK! I loved the NYC setting, and I enjoyed the process of Rosie and Aiden falling in love while writing their book. It was fast-paced, which worked well for most parts, but at other points I did feel that it was moving very quickly. I also was a little skeptical of the whole ‘boy likes girl and so boy is mean to girl’ trope that played out a little bit, but I was able to forgive it mostly because Aiden was such a great love interest. Their date in the Strand and with the frozen hot chocolate was my favourite! Overall, a lighthearted and sweet read.

I never read the arc because of how it was formatted( not for kindle ) however I did read the book when it came out and I absolutely loved it . . I absolutely devoured it and I think it was a perfect read. . I mean I gave it 5 stars afterall . I will definitely be reading anything this author writes in the future.

Wow. Katie Holt has officially become one of my favorite authors! Not in My Book had me completely hooked from start to finish—I genuinely struggled to put it down. Every moment between Aiden and Rosie, even their fights, had me fully invested in their story.

The third act hit me hard—it made me sob, it made me rage, but I loved how deeply this book made me feel. Rosie’s character resonated with me so much, especially her hopeless romantic nature. Reading this book felt like a reminder that love—real, messy, and beautiful—is possible, and that I’m worthy of my own happily ever after.

What an absolutely gorgeous book! The banter! The hatred! The passion! It is very difficult to read a proper contemporary enemies to lovers without being taken aback by the sheer vitriol spewed by the characters, but Katie Holt has certainly succeeded! An absolute delight, and Katie Hold will forever be an auto-buy for me from now on!

I recommend for fans of The Hating Game and The Spanish Love Deception.
An easy romance book you wont want to put down.