Warning: More spoilers than usual.

While I loved this book, it has to be said- this is a lot heavier than your run-of-the-mill romance gets. We are dealing with self image issues, trust issues, family disfunction, the dark side of social media and alchoholism. I usually put my adult content warnings toward the end, but it looks like that’s coming first. There is also language and some fairly explicit sex scenes (level three spice). I would say this one is for ages 18 and older.


Now, let’s unpack. Because this is the era where you can’t have a bad day without it ending up online, romance writer Sophie Lyons finds her drunken confession of having never fallen in love has become a viral video. Fighting writer’s block and struggling to save her career, she decides to take her landlord’s advice and start doing videos to tell her side of the story. To help her with her writing (and work on herself) she decides to do a series of videos where she meets up with her exes. Hilarity ensues, because of coarse it does.


Dash, recovering alchoholic and one time actor, knows he can’t get too involved with Sophie- he isn’t in a place where he can be in a relationship… but he can’t stay away. As the two get closer, and start revealing more of themselves, their lives become more entangled. Full honesty, I love Dash with all his scars. He made a lot of mistakes, but he did a lot of growing here and I just found him super charming, flaws and all. His all-out war with Dick the squirrel over avacadoes was priceless. I am actually hoping for more books in this series where I will get to see this couple as side characters. Maybe Poppy or Rhyse next?

Dash’s family is extremely messy- some of which I found unnecessary. He had decided in his head that he wasn’t good enough because his momager (seriously, she never turns it off) has convinced him of it. He alienated his father, brother, and in some ways his sister. They need better communication. Mom’s toxic, but he could have opened up a little- still this is part of his character, and the things he’s working on.

As you can tell, these characters became very real, and very special to me. I love them. The book hit me hard, and I was crying as often as I was laughing… but it is still going to be one of the top ten romances I have read this year. Their chemistry is off the charts, there’s a lot of personal growth (basically catnip for me) and the plot was amazing. For me, this is a five star book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I was lucky enough to recieve an eARC from Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review. My thanks! I am, in fact, considering sending eBooks to two of my best book-buds because I loved it so much that I want to share.

This was a bit of a miss for me. I really struggled with the characters - it was tough to watch our main character make questionable choices time after time. It also felt like the author made a list of tropes they wanted to include in this book and tried to include them all, but instead of feeling cohesive, they all just sort of felt forced.

Sophie Lyon is a romance writer. Her first book was hugely popular but she is having a hard time finishing up her second book because she cannot figure out how to end it. On top of that, Sophie has never been in love....kind of ironic for a romance writer! One night Sophie comes homes really drunk as passes out. When her best friend, Poppy Montrose cannot get a hold of her the next morning, she calls her brother Dash to go and check on her. Sophie rents her house from Dash, who also lives on the same property. Sophie has always had a crush on Dash and is mortified that is seeing her like this. When Sophie finally breaks down and explains to Dash what her problem is, he agrees to help her find the answers she is looking for. Sophie will need to contact all of her previous relationships and discuss what went wrong. She will then put little snippets of these discussions on her TikTok app.

What starts out as spending some fun time together, soon turns into a strong attraction with each other. Sophie is not ready for a relationship and neither is Dash. No one knows but Dash has a drinking problem and he now has been sober for 18 months. He is not sure he could handle a relationship along with trying to be sober so instead the two agree to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. As things start to get serious between Dash and Sophie, the world around them starts to unravel. Secrets come out and lives are in an upheaval. Once everything settles, they finally decide that they are better off together and Sophie realizes she has finally fallen in love.

I really enjoyed this grumpy/sunshine, best friend's brother romance. I really liked Dash. He came from a very wealthy, famous family but that type of world was screwing up his life. I loved how he found his happiness with Sophie. She calmed him in a way no one has ever had. Together they made for a great couple. Overall this was a fun read with entertaining characters.

Oh my GOSH what a fun story! Her plan to reunite with her ex's to see where it all went wrong? OBSESSED. Then for the hottest book boyfriend ever, Dash, to come dashing right in and sweep her off her feet through some lovely chemistry? SO MANY WINS.

[ RATING: 3.5 stars ] After a public meltdown goes viral, Sophie, a romance writer who’s never been in love, tries to break her writer’s block before her next novel’s deadline by documenting her reunions with her exes to ask why she’s never fallen in love. She’s helped by her reclusive landlord and best friend’s brother, Dash, who’s struggling to stay sober amid familial pressure to return to acting, in exchange for help with writing a speech for his dad.

I liked both Sophie and Dash’s characters and how their relationship developed as they grew closer. However, I had a difficult time getting into the story and at times wondered if I was going to end up liking it.

Sophie is a hopeless romantic who has always dreamed of being a writer. I totally understand her frustration with trying to beat writer’s block. I liked her sunny personality and how kind and accepting of others she is. Sophie’s also really funny at the most random but much-needed of times. I would love to have a friend like her.

I wish I could give Dash a hug and a big bag of sour gummy worms because he deserves them and to be happy and loved and accepted for who he is. His experiences throughout the story - messy, complicated, rocky, challenging, but possible/hopeful - felt very real and were heartrending. I liked that he finds some sense of balance through secretly posting crafting videos online (anonymously making pottery as @tokcrafty2me) while he works on taking care of his health.

"Plot Twist" is told through alternating POVs, prose, texts/DMs/comments, and video - I always like it when authors use different mediums to tell a story. Social media in books I’m still trying to get used to it. It was somewhat…bothersome? how much TikTok was at the forefront. It was mentioned so much to the point where I would have preferred Sophie use a different platform to chronicle her reunions. Even so, she had fun with this experiment and it did seem to help her come to terms with why her past relationships never worked out and realize what kind of relationships she wants for herself in the future.

Erin La Rosa does a good job working in a variety of tropes, such as best friend’s brother, road trip, forced proximity, only one bed, friends with benefits, and grumpy x sunshine. All of which fueled some very steamy scenes.

"Plot Twist" was a good story overall, but it felt like something was missing for a large portion of it. The last 25%-ish of the story was the most interesting and engaging to me. I liked the story’s overall messages of knowing your worth, being your own best advocate, living life on your own terms, and staying true to who you are.

Thanks again Canary Street Press, HTP Books, and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

Erin La Rosa is a new author for me, and I was intrigued by this book the minute I read the synopsis. Plot Twist follows unlucky in love author, Sophie. She writes about love but has never actually been in love. After a video of Sophie goes viral, she decides to meet up with her exes to find out what went wrong in her past relationships. Hopefully she’ll gain some insight on why she’s yet to fall in love and finish her next novel before the deadline.

Dash is Sophie’s best friend’s brother. He’s also Sophie’s neighbor and landlord. He’s dealing with a few personal struggles, while also being forced to write a speech to honor his father. After watching Sophie struggle with her new social media “fame”, the two decide to help each other. Dash will help her navigate Tik Tok and her exes if Sophie helps him write the speech. As they spend time together, their chemistry is undeniable. Sparks fly, but neither one of them knows how to deal with their feelings. After experiencing the plot twists life throws in their way, can they learn to listen to the desires of the heart?

I really enjoyed Sophie and Dash’s story. Erin La Rosa kept me enthralled in her writing. Each twist in the book had me in suspense, and I was rooting for Dash and Sophie to get over their issues and fall in love. Plot twist has some of my favorite tropes including forced proximity (neighbors and one bed trope) and best friend’s brother. We see both characters grow and mature as they search to heal the hurt inside them. Add Plot Twist to your TBR list if you’re looking for a fun love story with a lot of spice!

I really enjoyed this book. The adorable cover is what drew me in, but the story kept me reading. Sophie is a romance writer who has never been in love and is struggling to write her next book. She ends up renting a house from her best friend’s brother, Dash, who she had a crush on when she was younger. With Dash’s help and encouragement, Sophie decides to meet up with all of her exes to get a better idea about what went wrong in her past relationships, in hope of getting inspiration for her next book.

It doesn’t take long for Sophie and Dash to realize that there is chemistry between them. However, they have some obstacles to overcome. Dash is a recovering alcoholic and has family issues that he is dealing with. Poppy is also Dash’s sister and Sophie’s best friend and they don’t want to ruin those relationships. It was easy to fall in love with Dash and I was rooting for him to find his happy ending.

I really liked that this book was not a typical romance and had other elements that were represented throughout. There was pansexual representation through Sophie’s character and addiction was addressed through Dash’s character. Sophie also had a pacemaker, which added something different to the story. If you are looking for a good friends to lovers romance read with some “plot twists” then definitely give this book a try!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for this ARC.

This book get's a bonus star because it made me cry.

I've never read anything by Erin La Rosa before, but I'm so glad that I picked this one up. I was intrigued by the disability representation (the main character has a pacemaker, which I loved to see because I have a few close friends with serious heart conditions), but everything else about the book really hooked me.

It's a love story between two hot messes working through serious life stresses and finding out that the connection they needed was right in front of them the whole time.

Sophie is a romance author (and a bit of a disaster pansexual) on a serious deadline - if she doesn't turn in her second book within the next two months, she'll lose her advance, her contract, her financial stability and, maybe, her dream. Her writer's block just won't crack, so when her drunken breakdown about how she can't write a happy ending because she's never fallen in love goes viral on TikTok, she's pretty sure that's the end for her.

Unexpected help comes from her landlord (and best friend's brother) Dash, who helps her to make the most of her new TikTok fame and starts her on a journey of self reflection that just might break her writer's block. While Sophie touches base with all her exes to figure out where they went wrong, recounting each meeting on TikTok, Dash is dealing with his own issues. He comes from a family of Hollywood royalty, but none of his folks know that he is done with showbiz, a recovering alcoholic, and secretly building a name for himself on crafting TikTok with his handmade pottery.

They're sure that getting together is a bad idea, but their chemistry is undeniable. Even though Dash's economic privilege is pretty astounding, the problems that he and Sophie deal with feel authentic and relatable.

I loved watching the two come to terms with their own deeply rooted insecurities, learning how to care for themselves while supporting each other.

If you're an avid romance reader, the tropes are also delicious: best friend's brother; only one bed; he falls first; just getting it out of our system; friends to lovers. All done in a way that feels like a love letter to the genre.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who finds their happy place in the pages of a good romance.

"For the first time in her life, she trusted everything she was doing."

Summary
Sophie is a romance author who, ironically, has never been in love. The deadline for her next book is approaching and she cannot figure out how to finish it, since she clearly can't base it on any of her own relationships. She decides to meet up with her exes to figure out what went wrong, and post about it on TikTok to garner interest for her upcoming release. Along for the journey is her landlord/childhood celebrity crush/best friend's hot brother, who is totally off limits but tempting Sophie left and right.

Why did I pick up this book?
I was gifted an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and now cannot wait to go back and read La Rosa's first book, For Butter or Worse!

What did I enjoy about it?
I experienced an entire spectrum of emotions when reading this book – joy, sadness, shock, and so many more. True to its title, there were plot twists left and right that I truly did not see coming and was so impressed by!! For me, this book touched on the struggle with addiction and recovery in a way that was so raw and I don’t feel I have read before. There was deep, meaningful self-discovery from both characters, a perfect balance between the main characters on their own adventures and time spent together, plus some A+ spice!

What did I not enjoy about it?
Sophie was a romance writer, so I get wanting to include tropes throughout, but there was one device specifically that felt inserted just for the sake of inclusion and was not seen to fruition, but I won't spoil which one. I also felt that the conflicts Sophie encountered with both her sister and best friend were overcome rather quickly/easily, for as big as they were made out to be. But these small pieces were clearly not annoying enough to deter me from loving this book.

This book was so stinking cute. It had all the feels and the spice that I love. Erin’s first book was good, however I felt this one was even better. I loved watching a struggling author trying to overcome writers block. And I also loved watching the MMC work through his issues. It felt authentic and real and I cannot wait to read more of her books

A sweet and sexy book, Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa also delivers on the emotional swoon as two imperfect people figure each other out and fix themselves in the process. Thanks to @harlequinbooks, @canarystreetpress and @netgalley for the ebook. This one comes out tomorrow! 🥳

✔️ Best Friend's Brother
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Secret Identity

I love the setup of a romance author who can't write about love. The twist is here, Sophie doesn't think she's actually ever been in love and wonders if there's something wrong with her. She's also on deadline and is worried this block will hurt her fledgling career.

Dash, her bff's brother, has the opposite problem: he used to be a successful actor (it's the family business) but his issue is that he wants out as it doesn't put him in the healthiest space (he's trying to stay sober). I love whenever a book covers a character whose life seems super great on the outside, and shows that they are also sad and confused and have lots to worry about too.

I loved how supportive and tender they both were to each other and so quick to assure that they are both lovable even when not at their best.

My main critique is that the last third felt a little rushed, but that didn't detract from my overall enjoyment.

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

Sophie is a romance author, and a clip of her drunkenly shouting that she has never been in love goes viral. To reclaim her image and try to get past writer's block, she announces on TikTok that she'll be revisiting all of her exes.

Dash is both her best friend's brother and her celebrity childhood crush. And now he is now her landlord. He wants to be there for Sophie but knows he's not ready for a relationship.

This book brings together so many tropes and scenes from romances (both books and movies). It includes everything from the steamy massage to learning how to throw clay on a pottery wheel like in Ghost. And Sophie even organizes her romance novels by trope. It feels like there are all sort of little winks to make the reader smile.

I also really enjoyed the comments on Sophie's video and the fact that I recognized some BookTok handles from the real world.

But I found the actual romance a bit rough. It felt like so much was smashed into the book that I didn't see enough of two characters actually coming to love each other. And the ending felt way too rushed to be authentic.

Thank you to Harlequin Publishing for the widgets for the Joyful Chaos Book Club. These opinions are my own.

CW: alcoholism

This was such a cute and quick romance to read. It was like wearing a warm blanket on a fall day. I laughed and awwed out loud while reading. Looking into reading more books by Eric La Rosa now.

Thanks to Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book. This review is my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley & Canary Street Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

There was a lot happening with this one, so I am going to jump right in. This was such a fast-paced, quick read- I was able to read the entire book in a day, which is not something I can say very often. Besides that...well I have been struggling to figure out how to start, because I honestly have a lot of thoughts.

Starting off, this is the second book I've read that has the "let me talk to my exes about what went wrong" plot line and it it the second time I've been disappointed by it. The FMC, Sophie, talks to two of them for approximately two lines and throws a drink at one (I mean it was kind of deserved but a bit aggressive after not talking for years?). One was really petty and stuck in high school, and the other she gets back together with for 1 date, but it was serious enough for a fight when Sophie eventually ended it? Not a single one of the scenarios was believable to me, and honestly she got nothing out of it (which might be realistic, but not why I want to read a book).

Secondly, I found there was way, way too much going on in this book. The love interest, Dash, is her landlord and neighbor (forced proximity, despite them never talking until the beginning of this book?), best friend's brother, childhood crush, and former actor (celebrity romance) turned ceramicist. Think that's a lot? I'm not done. There is insta-lust, and after car trouble, Sophie & Dash stay overnight with the aforementioned petty, stuck-in-high-school ex, which leads to a one-bed situation, which turns into friends with benefits, but maybe more than just friends? Add in familial drama/fights (for both characters), a tit-for-tat agreement between the two characters (which, Dash never ONCE holds up his end? He helps her exactly 0 times with what he was supposed to), and too many TikTok and pop culture reference that took me out of the story and there was just too much going on to follow what the main story was.

Despite all of that, my biggest struggle with this book was the lack of emotional depth and insane immaturity of quite literally every character. I thought Sophie's character started out really strong, but she quickly turned into a "pick me" and "I'm not like other girls" girl. She was waiting for everyone else to figure her life out for her. I thought Dash's story was really sweet, actually, and appreciated the inclusion of a character who had gone through rehab and was continually fighting for his sobriety. Unfortunately, I felt he too, in his mid 30s, needed to realize he couldn't blame the fallout of his actions on anyone but himself. The drama and hubbub of "we can't be together because your sister is my best friend (and her ultimate reaction)" just solidified that I would not ever want to be friends with honestly any of these characters.

Overall, this one was just not for me. I could go in to more character related problems I had as well, but I don't think at this point that is necessary. 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!

I'm finding it so hard to finish this book. I've been reading it for several days and I'm only about 30% finished. I hate that it brings up TikTok and the use of different pronouns makes it very confusing to follow.

I just finished "Plot Twist" by Erin La Rosa.
Meet Sophie, a romance writer grappling with writer's block, and Dash, a former teen heartthrob navigating the tricky waters of sobriety. Their dynamic had some serious potential, and I was rooting for them from the get-go.

But here's the thing – I struggled to fully dive into the story. Sophie's quest to track down her exes and Dash's internal family struggles seemed to overshadow the delightful chemistry between them. Don't get me wrong, those are important struggles, but I found myself wishing the plot focused more on their journey together rather than these external elements.

Despite the hiccups, "Plot Twist" had its charm. The characters were endearing, and Erin La Rosa's writing style brought a touch of humor and heart to the narrative.

In the end, it's a cute read if you're into romantic tales with a side of personal struggles.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

How could I not read this one?! Sophie’s a romance author whose never been in love, and has just been launched into the public eye when she admits as much in a video that finds its way online. Her brooding landlord, and best friend’s brother, Dash suggests she lean into the online momentum, and now she’s meeting with her ex’s to figure out why she didn’t fall in love and documenting the process in hopes that it will help her overcome writer’s block, and maybe even fall in love in the process. 4/5

After going viral for a drunken rant at a karaoke bar, romance author Sophie Lyon's secret is out. She has never been in love. Despite her first novel being successful she is unable to bring the characters in her new project to their happily ever after. With her deadline fast approaching she thinks that maybe her writer's block can be attributed to her own uninspired love life, so, she devises a plan. She is going to meet up with her past ex and try to see where things went wrong and document it all on social media. Enter Sophie's landlord, Dash Montrose, a former child star who has become a bit of a recluse. He has social media all figured out and offers to help Sophie but what he doesn't tell her is he has a secret crafting social media account that he uses to help him maintain his sobriety. This book is Grumpy Sunshine, best friend's brother, and friends to lovers all in one.

I really enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the characters "realness" and the plot honestly kept me reading. The idea of a romance author not knowing what love feels like was a really interesting plot to follow. I did not read For Butter or Worse, but I think I might have to now!

This is a solid setup, featuring a romance writer who has never been in love and her landlord/recovering alcoholic actor. It's a good premise and I do think a lot of readers will love it, but unfortunately this one didn't click for me.