This book just wasn’t for me. I really enjoyed For Butter or Worse but I couldn’t get into this one as easily as I did that book for some reason. But that’s ok! I’ll be trying her next book as well!

This book had a lot of great tropes. Best friends brother, celebrity crush, secret identity, etc. but it felt like the author worked too hard to make the tropes happen and didn’t work hard enough to develop the story. I also felt like this story really focused on TikTok and I am just not a fan of when social media is a main character in a book. Over all this book just wasn’t my cup of tea. I liked the idea of it and feel like I could have been good, but it was not, in my opinion.

Sophie Lyon is writing her second book, and she's stumped. After the irony that she's never been in love goes viral, Sophie starts to look at her own love life to see if that's why she can't put words to page. She decides to reunite with her exes to find out why she's never fallen in love, document it for her online followers, and coming out the other side. This unfortunately means reconnecting with Carla, the one person Sophie thinks she might have been able to fall for. Dash Montrose, former teen heartthrob, is Sophie's fairly reclusive landlord. He's got the skills to help with social media, but he'd rather keep his secrets to himself. As a man in recovery, he spends time online as an anonymous crafter, using his hands to create and maintain his sobriety. Sophie and Dash form a friendship, but Sophie isn't sure who she is outside of relationships and Dash worries he isn't stable enough to be the man Sophie deserves. The two decide to be friends-with-benefits.
If you love romance tropes, fun writing, and a cute story, you'll love Erin La Rosa's Plot Twist.

This was an enjoyable read. It follows romance author Sophie and her landlord, former actor Dash. Sophie has a stealth video of her go viral on TikTok when she gets drunk at karaoke and admits she's never been in love, the next day her landlord Dash helps her through her hangover. To come back from the humiliation, she embarks on a series of TikTok videos interrogating what went wrong in each of her prior relationships. Meanwhile, Dash, a recovering alcoholic, has a secret TikTok where he makes ceramics. His Hollywood royalty family is pressuring him to get back into acting but he won't because it's a threat to his sobriety. Dash offers to help Sophie with her TikTok campaign, and they fall for each other.

What I liked
The LGBTQIA and men's mental health rep
What I didn't like
There was SO MUCH going on in this book. There were so many threads that didn't really relate or get fully fleshed out. It felt like a mishmash of ideas. I also really struggled to like any of the characters.

Would still recommend to anyone looking for a romance. Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hoping for more after the first book as the premise of this was more interesting to me; however, I do not think that Erin La Rosa is the writer for me.

Plot Twist was absolute perfection! This is Grumpy Sunshine, best friend`s brother, and many more. That way sobriety, and family tension was expertly handled in this book. I can`t wait to read more from Erin La Rosa.

Thank you, Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, for this Egalley.

What an interesting romance! Honestly, reviewing it is so difficult.

First, the things I liked. The writing style! So easy and smooth and clear. I just loved the experience of reading it. I could picture everything and often found myself delighted at little turns of phrase and descriptions. I loved the two main characters. They were delightful. Even though Dash comes from a family of movie stars and important Hollywood players, he still felt so relatable. The sex scenes were pretty spicy and a lot of fun.

The harder part to wrap my brain around is the alcoholism in the book. On the one hand, I like how this isn’t just a struggle in Dash’s past. His sobriety is something he’s constantly working on, and it creates big conflicts in the story.

I’m not sure if the finished copy has a content warning for substance abuse, but I think it should. The descriptions were pretty intense. I think because of this aspect of the plot, it’s hard for me to recommend this widely. But for the right audience, Plot Twist might be just the right book.

Thank you to Netgalley & Canary Street Press for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own. Overall, this one was just not for me. I can't say I am interested in reading more by this author, either. Her writing style was to0 tell, not much show for me, and that is not my reading preference. I hope this one finds the right readers who will enjoy it!

This was my first book by this author, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Was it perfect? No. But La Rosa handles a lot of tough things (family dysfunction, alcoholism) really well.

Sophie and Dash are so adorable, and I love the way they shore up and strengthen each other's insecurities without becoming obsessive or codependent.

Though I don't mind some pop culture references in a book, there are A LOT of them in here, and it did take me out of the text at times. Not enough to make me dislike the book, but enough for me to mention.

I really loved the premise of this book. A romance author who's never been in love? A former child star struggling with sobriety and trying to find a new life for himself? Such strong elements to start with. But while Plot Twist was generally enjoyable, it didn't ever really deliver on the promise for me.

Sophie Lyons is worried about being a one-hit wonder. She's got writers block and her second book is due in just a few weeks. So she sets out on a quest to figure out why she's never fallen in love in the hopes that cracking the case will help her finish her book. Meanwhile, her neighbor and landlord, Dash Montrose, is keeping secrets from his family - his sobriety, his desire to never act again, his love of pottery. He finds solace in Sophie's enthusiasm, helping her figure out the whole TikTok thing in exchange for help writing a speech for his dad's Walk of Fame ceremony. Sparks fly. And Sophie wonders if maybe she'll finally fall in love.

I think the issue for me with Plot Twist wasn't so much the setup or the story, but the overall execution. The plot wandered, even with the structure of Sophie reconnecting with her exes and the timeline of Dash's speech. I never felt fully grounded in either of those things. Meanwhile, Sophie and Dash just sort of seemed to ping off each other. We were told a lot that they had chemistry, but I didn't often see it. And neither character seemed to really move forward in their "quests" until the very end.

All in all, a little disappointing, but certainly not terrible. Just kind of fine.

3/5

I want to thank everyone for this gifted copy of Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa.

Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. It felt rather uncomfortable and annoyed me more than allowed me to enjoy.

I'm giving this book two stars because while I didn't enjoy, and chose to not finish, I know that there are other people out there who will enjoy it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa.

Thank you to NetGalley, libro.fm (audiobook) and Canary Street Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This had potential, with Dash's dedication to and struggles with sobriety, and Sophie willing to self-reflect about why she has never been in love, but by the last third I couldn't stop thinking of that meme, "Oh no, Baby what is you doin'?" and the whole book crashed and burned for me.

Nina? From strong to bitch. Poppy? Was she always that annoying? Just people "calling out" Sophie who didn't have the right to, and despite wanting to stand up for herself more, she just took it. Dash's mother, Kitty? *crushes soda can in hand* (At least Dash responded appropriately to her in the end. Although he's 36 and acts like he's in his early 20s with his family.)
I hope this is it with the series, because if Poppy's getting a book, I don't want it...

This was a delight to read. It’s a romance novel that circumvents typical tropes, and I loved that.

Quick Synopsis: Sophie Lyon is a one-hit wonder author who can’t write another book. She’s tried, but she can’t get the words down on the pages and into the hands of her publisher. When a video of Sophie confessing she’s a romance author who has never been in love goes viral on Tiktok, it ushers in a stream of new fans, and sparks a new idea. To figure out why Sophie has never fallen in love, she’ll embark on a quest to meet with all of her ex’s and delve deep into what her shortcomings as a partner are. Meanwhile her landlord, former child star, and best friend’s brother, Dash, is here to help her in her journey. Dash has his own demons to resolve and the two find themselves comforting one another more often then not as they go through their individual journeys, coming together as friends, until it’s not just friendship they’re sharing, but love.

This is a solid romance novel that does something I loved: it circumvents typical romance novel tropes. Yes, you read that right, it circumvents them. While we normally get a 6’5 tall, ripped, super handsome genius as an MMC, here we get Dash, who is a normal, average height, admittedly very in shape and attractive, but not a super tall hero with demons and a past of his own. We get a man who is working through his emotions, but who cries, who needs therapy, who acknowledges his weaknesses and strengths, and who works to be more emotionally available for the person he wants to be there for.

I loved how real this was. It’s a celebrity romance that felt like it could’ve actually really happened. These were based on very real people and I could tell and I loved it. Sophie is quirky but not a caricature. Dash is a flawed man and an alcoholic, and he acknowledges that.

This was just such a fun and yet real contemporary romance and I have to thank La Rosa for writing such flawed characters unapologetically. You don’t get that terribly often in this genre.

This was such a good, fun read and something different then the genre I usually read I really enjoyed it

A great romcom! You’ve got best friends brother, friends with benefits, forced proximity & one bed - all the makings for a great book! I felt like the heavier topics were handled with care & I loved the banter in this book.

Sophie is a romance writer who has never fallen in love. She is in a massive writing slump, and after a video of her drunkenly exposing her loveless life blows up on TikTok, she goes down a road of retrospection: why did none of her past relationships work out? Maybe if she can figure out what went wrong in the past she can move forward with her future, and be able to finish her new novel.

Dash is a grown child actor turned secret crafter, who quietly quit Hollywood as it fueled his alcohol addiction. He comes from a famous family who expects him to follow in their footsteps, and seems to care more about image than wellbeing. How can dash live an authentic life if he’s living for everyone but himself, and stay sober with all of these secrets?

The two live next door to each other and agree to mildly help each other with their problems. Along the way their friendship turns into something more, leaving them both with the same question: how is this going to work?

———

This was a cute, unique, and quick romcom read. I liked that many popular tropes were included but didn’t feel generic- things were quirky but not overdone. I also really enjoyed the side characters depth of personality and their banter with the mains.

However, my absolute favorite thing about romance novels is the banter between MCs, and I felt that was massively lacking. Yes, there are some funny instances and dialogue, but they don’t feel like anything special. I wasn’t sold on the chemistry between Sophie and Dash, which made it hard for me to feel invested in the story.

Overall it’s a 3.5 stars read for me. I had fun reading this, but I don’t think it will stick with me.

Would recommend if you love: fwb, recovery stories, pan rep, forced proximity, one bed, best friends brother, Hollywood love stories, social media references

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This book took me by surprise in terms of how much I liked it. I haven’t heard much about this book on social media and from online book reviewers, and I don’t understand why; it perfectly balanced some hard issues with the sweetness and steaminess of a contemporary romance, and I highly recommend it. Sophie is trying to finish a romance book when she goes viral with a video proclaiming she’s never been in love. Dash is her landlord who is recently sober. He agrees to help her recover her social media presence and reconnect with her exes. Throughout this process, they fall in love! This was a pretty predictable romance, which is fine by me, but what really surprised me and drew me to this book was the thoughtful representation of sobriety, character growth, family dynamics, and the complications that come with all of that trauma. I am married to an alcohol free spouse, and I thought Dash’s sobriety journey was really touching, but also hard to read at times. The only reason this book didn’t get 5 stars from me (because I loved it) was that I don’t love a focus on Tik Tok and social media, but everything else was great. This is my first book from Erin La Rosa, and it will not be my last, I really enjoyed their writing and style. I definitely recommend this book for fans of La Rosa and thoughtful, steamy, contemporary romance.

I couldn’t actually finish this, it was a dnf for me - to be completely honest I couldn’t get past the male leads name being Dash, it was just a turn off for me and I couldn’t take it seriously or get into it at all.