Book Review: "Not in My Book" by Katie Holt - Dive into the e-arc review and discussion questions!

Not in My Book by Katie Holt

Publisher: Alcove Press

Expected publication date: December 10, 2024

Genres: Adult fiction, romance, and multicultural interest

Age Recommended: 18+

Format: Netgalley Shelf e-arc

Page Count: 277

Reviewed for Netgalley, Publisher, and Author in exchange for an honest review.

Date Started: June 2, 2024   Date Finished: June 5, 2024

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for an E-ARC of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis:

Rosie, a Peruvian American from Tennessee, leaves her hometown to pursue her dream of becoming a successful romance writer in New York. Her ambitions and everything she knew about romance are thrown off track when she is forced to co-write a novel with archnemesis and ex-crush Aiden Huntington in their class workshop. In this novel, however, fiction and reality merge to the point of no return, as Aiden and Rosie must both learn to work and communicate effectively together or risk losing their chances at love, opportunity, and success as writers.

Review:

The cover is beautifully drawn and properly conveys the tension between the book's key characters. The book could benefit from editing because some of the sentences were unclear or fragmented, and the semester timeline was confusing as the book transitioned from Fall to Summer. I believe the author could easily fix this by stating that the characters are taking this specific class for a total of two semesters. The first semester, from fall to spring, consisted of them penning the first half of their co-authored novel. The second semester, from spring to summer, was the second half of their collaborative literary adventure. The book is full of cliches and tropes, making it both endearing and frustrating. The cliches were a nice touch and occasionally hilarious when Aiden and Rosie were co-writing, but the number of them felt a little excessive and detracted from the narrative for me. The greatest drawback for me was Aiden and Rosie's blurring of fiction and reality, as well as the characters they wrote about in their novel, which was obvious and repetitive. The author might improve this by only using scenes from their co-written novel that elaborate on what happened to Aiden and Rosie, rather than repeating it. For example, if Aiden and Rosie kissed in the book and their characters in their novel kissed as well, rather than having it repeat in the same chapter, supply readers with their reflections or anxieties about the kiss without rewriting the kissing sequence that occurred in real life.

I enjoyed the interactions Aiden and Rosie had while co-writing their novel, and how it led to strong character development for both. I believe it also led to and contributed a unique perspective to the fact that it is sometimes easier to openly connect with people online first, even if you see and talk to them twice a week in person, before being able to open up to them on a deeper level in person. I enjoyed how the author wrote and developed two characters that had experienced love and see romance in different lights and must talk and nearly educate one another about those opposing viewpoints to better understand one another as people. I appreciated how much of Rosie's life and family we as readers got to learn and see, but we rarely get to know about Aiden's life. I believe that allowing readers to see and hear more about Aiden's life will help them develop a stronger connection to him as a character and individual. The author does an excellent job of demonstrating the blurring of truth and fiction that may occur when writing a novel, various perspectives on relationships, and how writing feedback can be stressful and upsetting, but also beneficial and motivating in continuing to grow as a writer and person.  Not in My Book by Katie Holt is for those who appreciate romance, cliches, and the challenging skill of creating and balancing fiction and reality.

Discussion Questions for Not in My Book by Katie Holt 

1.      What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?

2.      What do you think about the book’s cover? How well does it convey what the book is about? If the book has been published with different covers, which one do you like best?

3.      Was there a specific scene that you liked?

a.      Which part(s) of the book caught your attention the most?

4.      What did you enjoy about this book?

5.       What did you dislike about the book?

6.      Which characters in the book did you like best?

7. Which characters did you like least?

8.      The book depicts writing a romance and literary fiction novel. What are some titles or things you would include in your own romance and literary fiction novel?

9.      After reading the book, what are some of the things you learned about writing a book?

10.  After reading the book, what are some things you would change or expand upon in the book?