This book was fun and different! It was a solid 3 stars for me. It was not necessarily outstanding but not a boring book by any means! I loved the mental health and substance abuse representation. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed but overall the characters were fun and I did feel a little sad when it was over- I liked the way they supported each other!

The enemy-to-lover trope is always a foundation for an entertaining read. There is something soothing about tracking the transformation of a relationship. Plot Twist does, in fact, provide a plot twist worth following. Too spicy for classroom use, I like the way sobriety is handled in this one & wish kids could see that. I like the characters & found this one to be enjoyable.

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: yes
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: substance abuse, addiction, alcoholism, emotionally abusive parents, stalking, relapse
standalone: book 2 in The Hollywood Series but can be read as a standalone with no plot holes
final thoughts: the author did a great job or going through some serious topics and scenarios without the story feeling too heavy. The story does follow alcoholism heavily throughout the book and I felt as though it was done well (and true) while also focusing more on the recovery and importance of support rather than having it be a spiraling detriment.
I love the best friend’s brother, childhood crush, landlord aspect of this book and watching the MCs get closer throughout the novel. They did a great job of respecting boundaries and opening up to each other in a sort of instalovey way that read more like friends to lovers rather than mild acquaintances to lovers but I didn’t mind since it didn’t deter from the story.
I loved the creativity of the spicy scenes when the MCs weren’t ready for the “full experience”

read this book if you love

😬 angst
😳 forbidden lovers (best friend’s brother)
👮 blue collar FMC (writer)
👮 blue collar MMC (retired actor)
🏝️ forced proximity (one bed, road trip, neighbors)
🧠 “it’s always been you”
💓 slowburn
🤫 hidden secrets
💏 secret dating
🌈 LGBT+ representation
💞 childhood crush

This book was a great page turner! I loved it and it def lived up to its name! Erin La Rosa will be on my TBR list from now on!

Sophie Lyon’s is romance author who has created her own PR disaster. She has been drunkenly recorded, saying that she has never been in love. Now she is wondering, who will read a romance novel by an author who doesn’t know love?

Dash Montrose is a former teen actor, now a landlord with an anonymous social media and a secret sobriety. He hasn’t told any of his family about his alcoholism, despite his sponsor’s advice. His family is prime Hollywood actors, and he doesn’t feel they could or would understand.

Sophie’s solution is to create a reunion with each of her ex’s, and to record the outcomes. She wants to understand why she has never felt that wonderful feeling. Dash, being her landlord and best friend’s brother, needs a speech for his father, and Sophie agrees to help. Both in person and secretly online, Dash encourages her while she supports him. As they grow closer, they both have to determine if they can overcome their own problems. Or let whatever could develop between them crash and burn.

I didn’t like Sophie, and while I could understand some of Dash’s anxiety, I also didn’t like his defeatist attitude. After the first ex was introduced, everything became repetitive. I knew Sophie’s attitude, her reactions, and even her feelings. I knew Dash’s reaction to Sophie, his family, and his sobriety. I knew what was going to happen with the first ex, and with Dash’s stalker situation. The supporting characters weren’t really all that supportive, and actually made me wish there were better characters for both Sophie and Dash. However, I do want Chris’s story, because he was one of the few characters that I enjoyed. There are funny moments, like Richard the squirrel, a much-needed comedic reprieve.

I’m not sure why the story was called Plot Twist as everything seemed really straight forward. The plot idea was decent, and the idea of talking to my ex’s just shows a strength that I admire. Dash’s alcoholism is also a great plot as this is a real-life situation. I just wish there had been more A.A. meetings, or A.A. friends that Dash talks to, and not just Chris.

Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.

I unfortunately DNF'd this book. The beginning was okay, but as I continued reading, the constant TikTok/pop culture references bothered me (and I know I'm not the only one). I don't mind the occasional reference, but this was over the top. It will date the book in five years' time. I also had a HUGE issue with how addiction/substance abuse was portrayed. Other reviewers have already talked about this, so I don't feel the need to elaborate.

I loved that the FMC was pansexual. The casual inclusion of queer characters was probably the best part of this book (at least what I read of it) for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. This review was voluntary, and all thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the eARC. Book is now published
This was my first book by this author, and it won’t be my last 💞 A former teen movie star and a romance writer who’s never been in love??? She used to have a crush on him AND they live next door to each other??? *screams*

This was the first time I'm reading a book by Erin La Rosa and I have to say that I really enjoyed every single part of it!

What happens when a romance writer that has never said "I love you" and a former movie star that now hides behind his crafty Instagram account get together? Well... the Plot Twist happens. It is full of cute rom-com moments, spicy moments and secrets that are not that secret moments.

I truly recommend you to read this book and the prequel "For Butter or for worse" (this one is more spicy than Plot Twist). Erin La Rosa created two main characters with so many layers that I felt I really knew them and I felt for them every step of the way!

Thank you Netgalley and Canary Street Press for the ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

IF I SCREAM, CRY , AND KICK MY FEET WHILE GIGGLING then it’s an automatic 5 stars.

Plot Twist has the *something special* that I’ve been chasing in books for quite some time. I cackled and cried with every twist and turn, and couldn’t love Sophie and Dash more. They’re an OTP and GOALS for sure.

Between our fmc going on a drunken karaoke rant that goes viral on TikTok in chapter 1, to a beautifully destructive mmc struggling each minute of each day to maintain his sobriety, to a peculiar squirrel affectionately named Richard…Plot Twist has it all with a delightful balance of spice, heart, humor, and hope.

This was a fun book overall that also tackled some more difficult subjects. The romance was cute, the characters felt real, and I constantly found myself smiling while reading it. If you're looking for a fun and flirty Hollywood plus writer romance, this is the book for you!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

This book was fun, but ultimately not for me. I enjoyed parts of it but had a hard time getting through it. I think this would definitely be a good read for other people who love romance though. I also did not love how big a role tiktok played.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. This was so cute! It had a good story line with just enough spice.

This was a book that pleasantly surprised me, because this followed a women who’s a writer and on a deadline and on the verge of losing everything needs help with her book. Her next door neighbor, Dash who she’s a crush on forever is trying to stay sober.

To figure out with if she can ever fall in love, she decides revisits all of her exes and figures what’s the problems in why they didn’t work out. As she goes through these interviews, she’s realizing that she has to look within herself. Dash is trying to continue to be sober and tying to write this speech and enlist Sophie’s help with his complicated family situation and trying to get out of the acting business.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview. While this book was enjoyable, it just wasn't for me. I had a hard time getting in to this book. I think that if you are a fan of things like The Kardashians, 28 Days, and spicy rom-coms this is the book for you.

A cute book about two main characters in their thirties healing from past traumas while trying to find love. I appreciate the delving into difficult topics like alcoholism and dysfunctional families balanced with some fun romance tropes including grumpy x sunshine, best friends' brother, close proximity, and friends with benefits. The inclusion of a pansexual MC and a pacemaker was important for representation but not fully developed for my liking. While the story premise was fun, overall I liked but didn't love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fun little trope filled romance.

It took me a little bit to get into it, but overall I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing the character development, and seeing how our main characters interacted with each other.

thank you to netgalley and harlequin trade publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.


*The review is pending on Amazon, but I have left the link to where you can find it when it's published.

This was my first book by Erin and I loved it! It was a sexy romance filled with a little bit of angst and dealt with some real life topics, which I appreciated.

Our heroine, Sophie Lyon, is a romance writer having major writers' block and has only six weeks to finish her second book. She's convinced that her writers' block stems from her never having been in love. Determined to get her creative mojo back, she decides to meet with her exes to learn what wrong in their relationships and why she's never been able to say "I love you." Her landlord and former actor, Dash Montrose, who just happens to be her best friend's brother and her childhood crush, offers to help her. As Sophie documents this journey on TikTok, Sophie and Dash's attraction to each other becomes harder to ignore. They agree to being friends with benefits, but what happens when they both start wanting more?

One of the things I enjoyed about this book is the representation. Sophie has a pacemaker, which is something I've never seen in a romance before. I thought that was such a great thing to portray in the story. Dash on the other hand, recent sobriety is something he's kept secret from his family. As Dash tries to stay out of Hollywood limelight, his family keeps trying to pull him back in. Dash's issues are a little heavier than Sophie's but I do think Erin does a great job of balancing it out. And even though Dash is dealing with these issues, the book manages to be fun and sexy.

If you're looking for a fun, steamy romance with characters dealing with real issues, I think you'll enjoy this book. I should also mention that this is the second book in a series -- but I didn't read the first one and this one felt like a stand-alone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Yes Yes Yes! I know there is a flood of romance books where one of the main characters works in the book world but I don't care, give me all of it! I absolutely loved this book and thought it was perfect to read as a standalone as well. The characters, the love, the fight, everything was great. Highly recommend and would be perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Carley Fortune, Falon Ballard, and much more!

This was my first book by the author. It took a little bit to get into but when I did I devoured it. There were a lot of things I really enjoyed: LA setting, best friend’s brother, one bed, grumpy x sunshine, author FMC, and crafting MMC. I recently took up pottery and loved that the MMC has a home pottery studio. The social media aspect provided an interesting twist to the story.

3.5 (rounded up)

A book about two main characters in their thirties that aren't perfect. This book covers alcoholism and dysfunctional families, among other things. A fun romance with a few steamy scenes.