The debut romance novel from Tennessee writer Katie Holt, Not in My Book, is a steamy slow burn in which the two main characters write a romance novel together. It can be a risky venture to write a novel about writing a novel, but this one is delightful. After many hilarious stops and starts, the couple ignite their own unexpected love story and must figure out how their book — and their story — will end.
Rosie is a plucky Peruvian American who leaves her small town in Tennessee to pursue an MFA in creative writing in New York City. She’s a hard-working student determined to make it as a writer while simultaneously convincing her fellow students and professors to take romance seriously. Rosie’s love of the genre was passed down from her immigrant mother who read every Harlequin she could get her hands on. When Rosie’s mother discovers her daughter with her stack of books, she takes a Sharpie to the raunchy sex scenes but it’s only a matter of time before Rosie can buy her own romance novels.
When Rosie is asked by a classmate to defend her preference for the oft-dismissed literary genre, she replies, “I had grown up determined to be a novelist. I’d decided I had to publish romance novels and make hopeless romantics around the world swoon — there was nothing else for me out there. Romance had shaped my worldview, molding how I lived with optimism and hope.” That inquiring classmate is Aiden Huntington, a good-looking literary fiction writer who becomes Rosie’s nemesis and, eventually, her writing partner.
Rosie has a crush on Aiden until the two meet in a novel-writing class. After weeks of Aiden’s biting critiques — he’s not a fan of romance — and Rosie’s truculent replies in workshop, their professor loses her patience and gives the two an ultimatum: To stay in the class, they must write a romance novel together. What ensues is a slightly predictable enemies-to-lovers story that is redeemed by its delightful and witty storytelling.
The story of Rosie and Aiden’s novel mirrors their own, and as they get to know each other, the writing between them becomes hilariously more explicit. As the two work out their differences on the page, they both start to reveal their true feelings: “She pinned me down with her light blue eyes as the room emptied out. I had become addicted to that look. It was my biggest vice — figuring out what words I could say to make her mad, to make her focus only on me, to get the look.” As the manuscript develops, the relationship continues to be professional — and platonic — until one day it isn’t. The verbal battles are an amorous outlet for the two writers and when they finally get together, it’s a relief. The requisite but spicy and masterfully told sex scenes leave nothing to the imagination.
It’s only when Rosie and Aiden find themselves competing against each other for a potentially career-changing fellowship that their old rivalry is reignited and their romance is tested. Suddenly, a happy ending is not guaranteed.
Romance is currently experiencing a rise in popularity, and Holt’s debut novel is a timely love letter to the genre. It’s a sexy, funny, and passionate novel that leaves us wanting more. Hopefully the Tennessee author has more romance to offer us. This world could really use it.
Joy Ramirez is a writer who lives in East Nashville.
Tagged: Book Reviews, Fiction
