Not in My Book | By Katie Holt

by · June 9, 2025

 

NetGalley E-arc | Contemporary Romance | Book Review
Not in My Book
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Published: December 10th, 2024
Rosie, an idealistic and passionate Peruvian-American who has grown up without strong ties to her culture, leaves her Tennessee hometown to pursue her dream of making it in New York as a writer. But her plan is derailed when she ends up in class with her arch-nemesis and ex-crush, Aiden Huntington—an obnoxious, surly, and gorgeous literary fiction writer who doesn’t have much patience for the romance genre, or for Rosie. Rosie and Aiden regularly go to verbal battle in workshop until their professor reaches her breaking point. She allows them to stay in her class on one condition: they must co-write a novel that blends their genres. The reluctant writing duo can’t help but put pieces of themselves into their accidentally steamy novel, and as they slowly get to know each other, they try to put their differences aside. Meanwhile, their manuscript-in-progress provides an outlet for them to confess their feelings—and explore their attraction toward each other. When Rosie and Aiden find themselves competing against each other for a potentially career-changing opportunity, the flames of old rivalry reignite, and their once-in-a-lifetime love story is once again at risk of being shelved—unless they can find a way to end the book on their own terms.   (Goodreads)  

 

 

 

 

My thoughts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narrative and Plot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not in My Book is as much a hate-to-love romance as you can get in the genre. Rosie hates Aiden, and the feelings are mutual. But the story itself points out that the line between love and hate is quite thin.

 

The story has this dual narrative going on. It stays grounded but has the freedom to explore romance clichés through the fictional narrative without being over the top.

 

While the majority of the story is told from Rosie’s point of view, we get glimpses into Aiden’s world in the form of excerpts from the book they’re co-writing. Since there are two plotlines, the story feels fast-paced and keeps you rooting for the main characters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Characters and Conflicts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosie, as the name suggests, views the world through rose-tinted glasses, while Aiden is a realist. The difference in their personalities is reflected in their preferred genres. As always, the romance author is mocked for the genre, and the literary fiction author has their nose high in the air. That dynamic reminded me of Beach Read by Emily Henry.

 

Aiden isn’t your smooth and suave romantic hero. He’s quite defensive when it comes to revealing himself. He’s also awkward and has his own set of flaws. All of it makes him feel real rather than just a token love interest.

 

The romance is a slow burn, and the fact that the story breaks the fourth wall to let us know that makes it even more fun. However, the final conflict, despite being strong, fell short in the way it was resolved. At some point, it felt like the story was repeating the same beats in terms of conflict.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, I enjoyed Not in My Book. This is a passionate, steamy love story between two authors. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, give it a go. It’s worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer : I received an e-ARC of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get your book here : Amazon_IN Amazon_US

 

 

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