thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

This is my first book by La Rosa and I know it won't be my last! Love the blending in this swoon worthy romance of Hollywood and small cozy town. The dynamic between Sophie the romance writer and Dash the reformed Hollywood star is magical. From the hilarious mishap that catapults Sophie into social media stardom to the heartwarming moments of vulnerability, La Rosa crafts a narrative that resonates with authenticity and humor. The characters are refreshingly unique, tackling relatable issues like commitment and sobriety with depth and sincerity. The inclusion of crafting, candles, and a surprise pottery wheel scene was so much fun, making it a must-read for fans of romance and rom-coms. La Rosa's ability to infuse the story with both joy and emotional depth makes Plot Twist an absolutely phenomenal read.

I DNF'd this book at 35% after trying to give it a fair shot. I normally don't mind pop culture references but it just felt like I was being inundated with tiktok references. And while I love a good trope, when the book seems to be focused on hitting as many as possible instead of building a story around the characters themselves and the plot then it just doesn't have the same amount of payoff.

I do think that there are a lot of people who will enjoy this, I might just not have been in the right mindset for it at the time or it really is just not my cup of tea. Either way, I had to put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Plot Twist is the second book in The Hollywood Series, and just like the first book (For Butter or Worse), I was left greatly unsatisfied...
This is sadly one of those stories where it's more trope focused than the actual plot or characters. It's as if the author took a trope and created a story around that rather than let the story naturally flow.

Maybe it's my fault, but I didn't know this was going to be so heavily "TikTok" impacted. Whether it's a trope or technique, it's not my favorite.
Ultimately, Plot Twist just wasn't for me. I didn't click with the writing, and the constant pop culture references and the use of TikTok/online presence got tiresome.

The cover was initially what pulled me in to request this book; I think it's simplistic and stunning! But I guess we can see where that got me in the end...

Read if you like:
• romance author x former teen heartthrob
• pansexual mc
• fwb to lovers
• best friend’s brother x landlord

*𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘪𝘯-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸*

This was such a cute read! I loved the main character, and I always love a book where writing or authors are involved. I had a fun time reading this one and found the characters and relationship to be believable. <3

This is a perfectly fine romance. Very sweet, layered characters and an enjoyable enough romance.

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

I received an ARC from NetGalley

So refreshing to see a romance with two deeply flawed main characters. Both have their struggles and neither is devalued by the other. Even the happily ever after is so fitting for what we've come to learn about the characters and it doesn't just magically whisk away their struggles, but gives the reader hope for what their future holds as they work through it together. I stayed up until three in the morning to finish reading this because I enjoyed the romance between them even as they flip-flopped about their feelings for awhile. Sometimes that can get tiresome but this is one of the few cases where it wasn't. I look forward to more from this author!

Did not finish. I wasn’t able to connect with the plot or characters which is what keeps me reading a book

Erin La Rosa's "Plot Twist" offers a refreshing take on romance with elements that set it apart. The inclusion of a heroine with a pacemaker adds a unique layer of representation, a commendable and underexplored facet in the genre.

The story follows Sophie's courageous journey as she confronts her past by reconnecting with her exes, a relatable and often cringe-worthy experience for many readers. La Rosa skillfully weaves a narrative that delves into facing one's history, showcasing the character's resilience and growth.

"Plot Twist" excels in portraying characters with depth, grappling with family drama and personal struggles. The exploration of finding love while healing from past wounds is well-executed. The author's ability to create characters who evolve into great partners after personal growth is a testament to her storytelling prowess.

The romance between Dash and Sophie brings together beloved tropes like grumpy x sunshine, best friends' brother, close proximity, and friends with benefits. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and the forbidden element of the best friends' brother trope adds an intriguing layer to the narrative.

As a first-time reader of Erin La Rosa, the reviewer expresses a newfound appreciation, indicating that this won't be their last book by the author. The genuine enthusiasm for the characters, the engaging plot, and the heartwarming grand gesture at the end make "Plot Twist" an enjoyable and satisfying read.

Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was very cute! I really liked the pansexual representation in this, it's not something I see very often in romance novels. Also, how the book deals with recovery after addiction is very respectful and not rushed or swept under the rug. When I originally requested this book, I was unaware that it was part of a series. I just liked the description and figured it would be a good read and it was. You don't need to have read the first book in the series For Butter or Worse to enjoy Plot twist. I would probably have actually given this book 3.5 stars if good reads allowed partial star ratings, but alas, they do not so three stars it is.

When Sophie Lyon is suffering from writer's block with only six weeks left to finish her new book for her contract she needs to figure out what to do, her lack of love life has killed her passion to write a love story, so she decides to face her past by meeting with her exes to understand what went wrong in her relationships. To get people excited for the book she plans to document her meetings on social media, which helps her become a TikTok sensation.

When her landlord, Dash Montrose, offers to help her during her romance journey Sophie can't say no because she knows that the once a teen heartthrob will bring in so many viewers too, While working together they both can't deny their chemistry but instead of both admitting their feelings they decide to become friends with benefits. With both their insecurities in the way can they overcome the obstacles to have a Happily Ever After?

Plot Twist was a book about a writer who had never fallen in love and thought she was a fraud because of that. She embarks on a journey to meet with her exes after a video of her admitting to never being in love circulates on the clock app. With the “help” of her grumpy neighbor/landlord who happens to be her best friend’s brother. Will Sophie finish her book? Will she discover what is the root of her problems and why she hasn’t been able to fall in love? Will Dash be the one who she falls for?

Now for my thoughts…

From the opening scene I knew that this was gonna be a hot mess. Did that deter me from reading? Absolutely not. I was here for it. The characters were a mess, the plot and character development felt choppy at best, like we learn thar Sophie has a pacemaker, but it isn’t until much much later that it is used as a character development device. Which cool, I think it would have been more impactful if something would have happened to the character related to her condition. Much of the focus was on her inability to fully connect to other people in a way that it was meaningful even with her sibling.

As for Dash, his POV was interesting because he was dealing with some personal things that made his character flaws endearing. He was also quite funny.

I don’t know, I think I have mixed feelings on this one. Even though the plot and character development could have used some additional polishing, the LGBTQIA+ rep was solid (Sophie is pansexual and this is well reflected in her past relationships). I do think that the grand gesture was really cute and instead of a HEA we kind of get a HFN which I am totally ok with.

Who I recommend this to: If you liked It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey, Exes and O’s by Amy Lea, and Beach Read by Emily Henry then this one has similar tropes.

Plot Twist by Erin LaRosa has a fun set up. A romance author who’s never been in love and the actor who was her teenage crush. The story started out really well, but I didn’t fully connect with the ending.

I was not a fan. This felt wrong to me. The main character sleeps around, no loyalty to her main love interest. Their communication was not great, and the constant uses of TikTok in the story eventually gave me the ick. I was skimming by the end just to get this over with.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not sure why, but the writing felt more angsty in For Butter or Worse.
It was probably me, but sometimes revisiting old exes feels like a waste of time, plot wise.
It looks like the book hit the mark for a lot of other readers though :)

Review: 4 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sharing an eARC copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me some Hallmark-ish vibes for such a sweet romance book. Don’t mistake the cute cover for it being a light hearted read as it tackles real life issues like alcoholism, dysfunctional families and imperfect people.

Sophie and Dash are neighbours who know each other and their families due to Sophie’s relationship to her best friend, Poppy who is also Dash’s sister. Sophie is a romance writer who struggles with writers’ block having never fallen in love before. In an attempt to understand why all her past relationships never worked out, she decides to get in touch with all her exes and documents this on tik-tok. Dash, a “retired” actor who comes from a famous family, has a secret: his struggles with alcoholism and his secret crafting hobby. In exchange for helping Sophie with her tik-tok struggles, she will be writing a speech honouring Dash’s father's acting prestige. Along the way, they develop feelings for each other but is it worth exploring given they struggle with real-life issues?

Honestly, I have to applaud the author for doing a lot of research and tackling sensitive topics like dysfunctional families, identity, alcoholism, gender and inclusion.

I did struggle through the first half of the book due to its slow burn and predictability but the novel picked up in the last 40% of the book and I did not expect that slight twist at the end. Worth the read if one is looking for a more inclusive romance book.

This was very easy to read, and once I really dove into the story the book went by so fast. I adored Dash and Sophie, and how both of them were so awkwardly cute and so relatable. The tik tok part of the story line was surprisingly enjoyable as well! They both had qualities that are easy to see in yourself so it was really fun seeing two characters like that slowly falling for each other and their imperfections.

Dash and Sophie made this book such a fun read, and let me tell you that I was not prepared for the spice to be so good. There’s your usual sweet rom com spice, and then there’s the steamy spice Erin La Rosa graced us with in 𝘗𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵. It was so entertaining and respectable given both of Dash and Sophie’s situations with falling in love. They respected each other’s boundaries, and it made it so much sweeter when we got that amazing ending. The way that the issues in this book were discussed was done very well in my opinion, and the way it was interwoven with the romance was just phenomenal. Sometimes the right love can heal all wounds.

Sophie doesn't believe in love and sets out on a journey for her newfound Tik Tok audience to find the reason why none of her past relationships worked out because she wants to find love. Could the common thread actually be her? All the while Dash who has given up on love is trying to get far away from the spotlight and the shadow it casts on his Hollywood dynasty of a family to workout his issues and keep his sobriety in tact. As he tries to help his tenant (Sophie) who happens to be his sister's best friend, can they keep the electricity growing between them from starting a spark and setting fire to both of their goals?

I really enjoyed this story. I enjoyed both main characters and their depths but most of all their arcs were both done very well. They both had growth that I really enjoyed and the spice was balanced and didn't take away from the story. Definitely will suggest this to all my Romance reading friends!

Sophie has never been in love (and that wouldn’t be such a big deal if she hadn’t written a best-selling romance novel before going viral on TikTok for admitting that she’d never been in love). As she is navigating what going viral means to her life, she leans on her best friend’s brother, Dash, to help her with a social media strategy to rebuild her image.

As someone who reads romance novels for the plot, this was another one that I felt had too much steam and not enough substance. it seemed like it had potential with the hidden alcoholism and the romance tropes, but the chemistry between Dash and Sophie fell flat. It might also be the mention of TikTok that felt weird, but that might just be my own beef / reservations. Overall, it’s a “just-ok” book. If you have time to spare and can’t find anything to read, check it out, but if you have a list of books you want to read before the end of the year, this one can move to the bottom of the list.

While I was excited to read this one, it did not live up to my expectations. I like the plot, but it was not my kind of read. The characters and the story were good, but I felt that it was lacking in some spots and I was often confused. I think other readers will like this, the romance was cute.