ARC Review: Not in My Book by Katie Holt
10:00
Series: None
Author: Katie Holt
Published December 10th 2024 by Alcove Press
Goodreads Synopsis
Rosie writes romance novels and listens to Taylor Swift on loop. Aiden is a literary fiction writer who doesn't believe in happy endings. They're about to write a book together—what could go wrong?
Rosie, an idealistic and passionate Peruvian American, 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 archnemesis 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 cowrite a novel that blends their genres.
The reluctant writing duo can’t help but put pieces of themselves into their accidentally steamy novel, and 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
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
As soon as Rosie and Aiden meet on the same writing course, they realise they are total opposites and can't stop bickering over everything. The problem is, everyone else in the class is sick of it, including their professor, who gives them an ultimatum: Rosie and Aiden need to co-write a book for the end of the semester, or they will be kicked off the course. Reluctantly working together, their bickering becomes banter, and while their protagonists start to fall in love on the page, similar feelings are brewing in the real world.
This was everything I wanted it to be when I saw the synopsis. Enemies-to-lovers who are academic rivals and fall in love while co-writing a book - sign me up right away! Rosie and Aiden's writing styles and preferred genres were complete opposites, and during critiques in class they were particularly scathing. However, reading their different points of view, we see that while they were finding faults, they were using it as a shield for their growing feelings. Honestly, my favourite parts of the book were the scenes that they wrote together, especially when they were romantic in nature. Having them play out what they wanted to say to each other through their characters was sublime. There's a bit of drama I could've done without, but the resolution and ending was worth it all the way!
Dates Read:
January 18-19, 2025
Rating
4 Stars
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