Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) audiobook.
Title: Not in My Book
Published by: Alcove Press
Published on: December 10, 2024
Pages: 320 pages
Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Rating: 5/5
Links to the Book:
• Goodreads
• The StoryGraph
My Review
Not in My Book was a delightful romance story and an even better audiobook experience. It took me some time to get used to Frankie Corzo's voice, but once I did, I discovered a new audiobook narrator I could return to!
The book blurb describes it as "The Hating Game meets Beach Read in this sexy and hilarious contemporary romance from a debut Peruvian-Tennessean voice" and I can confirm that it delivers on that premise. Perhaps the premise was Beach Read, as Emily Henry fans would understand, but the vibes were amazingly Book Lovers-esque. The best way to explain this to a layperson is that people with literary careers develop empathy for each other, and learning more about each other is paving the way for them to fall in love, with a happy ending guaranteed.
It has all the components of good romance books: it is replete with favourite tropes (enemies-to-friends, forced proximity, grumpy meets sunshine, friends to lovers, fake relationship, opposites attract...in gigantic or minuscule whiffs, but an abundance of tropes nonetheless. The tropes don't feel forced, though, which is great because Adrian and Rosie are just as strong as individual characters as they are as a couple.
The book has so much heart, so much humour, so many endearing characters — I find myself hoping Katie had just as much writing it as we had reading it.
What I see is a book that will delight readers, and avid consumers of the genre will find comfort in their favourite tropes, the fine balance between the familiarity and the novelty that comes with the storytelling for this audience.
I think Katie might well become my next favourite author of the genre!
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