This was a sweet romance novel with plenty of heart and lots of fun tropes (meet-cute? Embarrassing. Proximity? Forced. Beds? Only one of course)! I enjoyed the combo of a romance author trying to overcome her writer’s block and a former teenage heartthrob working on his sobriety and discovering his passion for crafting. I really appreciated the nuanced focus on alcoholism and sobriety, and I felt this difficult subject was handled with a lot of care.

While the plot clipped along with all sorts of wacky situations, I did find myself struggling to connect with the characters; I feel like the book could have benefited from some flashback scenes rather than relying solely on the narrators’ exposition, especially when it came to Sophie’s quest to meet her past exes and figure out where their relationships went wrong. I wish there had been more showing and less telling in these scenes, and I think it would have helped me feel more invested in the story.

Overall, Plot Twist was a fun read, with a good balance of cheesiness and genuine feeling.

Thanks to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️: 4/5

Sophie Lyon is a romance author who has never been in love. When this secret goes viral on TikTok, she begins a journey to reconnect with all her exes to see where she went wrong, and hopefully finish her book in the process. Enter Dash Montrose, former teen heartthrob, and Sophie’s landlord, who is looking for a path of his own, one that doesn’t include love, which complicates things when a friends-with-benefits agreement between the two of them starts to feel like it might be more.

I find romantic comedy books where the FMC is also a female romance author a little meta, and not necessarily in a good way all the time. I think that sometimes writing what you know truly is the best policy, but also, sometimes writing what you know feels like auto-fiction with a happy ending. I also tend to grow tired of the trope of “struggling starving (ish) artist” for either of the main characters, since it just always feels to me like a contrived way to make the main character’s life as messy as it can possibly be for 1) the giggles and 2) an easier diagnosis of why that character has failed in love before. Both of these little things that irk me in rom-coms were definitely present in this book, but I also really enjoyed the story as a whole. There were definitely some spicy parts to this one, and I found myself rooting for Sophie and Dash as a couple. The pacing was on point, and the side stories propelled the main story nicely. I do prefer an ending that’s a little less abrupt and more realistic, but that’s getting a little nitpicky, and overall the story was so cute and heartwarming.

Thank you to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Plot Twist is the second book in Erin La Rosa’s “Hollywood” series. It can be read as a standalone, although there are some recurring characters, and the meta nature of this book’s protagonist being a romance novelist even suggests some parallels with Erin La Rosa’s own, with a referenced debut novel being “inspired” by the couple from book one.
The strength here was definitely in crafting the characters. I love the casual bi/pan rep with Sophie, as her romantic history includes both men and women, and the initial premise of the story is her going through past relationships and figuring out why she’s never experienced love, documenting her misadventures on Tik Tok. This was definitely the part of the book where there was more levity and fun, as things go wrong in these “reunions,” but I respect her for putting herself out there and never giving up.
Dash is where some of the darker elements of the story come in, as he’s a former child actor, pushed into it by his family, namely his greedy agent mother. The dysfunction between them only scratches the surface compared to some of the “troubled child star” narratives, but the impacts of the life he led in the past are also reflected in him being a recovering alcoholic. I did feel at times he was a bit contradictory, simultaneously being very tightly wound, constantly reminding us and Sophie that he doesn’t do relationships, yet putting himself in the line of fire for temptation, allowing himself to continue to be involved with Sophie, even when he felt things getting more complicated. But while I’m kind of over the heroes with inferiority complexes, I did still root for him and Sophie in the end, anyway, because of how complex addiction and mental illness can be. And the way the crisis was resolved to get them to their HEA was well done, resolving his issues about getting into a romantic relationship, as Sophie proved she was in this for the long haul, even with all his demons.
This was another enjoyable read from Erin La Rosa, and I’d recommend it to lovers of contemporary romance.

Very good, standard romance. I enjoyed the main characters but found myself not completely invested. The book did a good job of tackling sensitive subjects as well. Overall, I think people would enjoy this book.

That'll teach me to select a book primarily based on its cover. In the right hands, this could have been salvaged as something at the very least cute and fun, but the execution is shoddy and disappointing. Sophie is a frustrating mess of quirks who is inconsistently written, while Dash is too much of a pushover and for most of the book needs to grow a backbone to enact some real change in his life. The relationship between these two springs so quickly from very little real interaction, with the steamy scenes not feeling organic and like they were added to fulfill a requirement. There is so much going on in this story and among the details that it frequently feels overloaded; for instance, not only are Dash and Sophie grumpy landlord and sunshine romance writer tenant, but he is also the brother of her best friend, a Hollywood legacy family member and a former teen heartthrob that she had a crush on. Far too many tropes! I thought the storyline of Dash being an alcoholic in recovery was the most promising, yet La Rosa fumbles this as well with a lot of choices that don't ring true for an individual in this situation. A big whiff for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this advanced reader copy! This is the perfect mix of funny, romantic, and serious! The main characters are both flawed just enough that you still care about them deeply! I think the serious points are handled well. Content warning for alcoholism. Overall a great read.

Plot Twist lives up to its name. The twists and turns, the ANGST! I wasn't ready but it was like a sunshine comfort stuffed animal. Dash is someone I want to wrap in a huge hug.
This sunshine/grump, celebrity x writer, friends-to-lovers romance hits all the points! I picked it up not having read any of her other books but now I'm committed!!

Plot Twist is a delightful novel about a romance novelist named Sophie who has writer’s block. When she goes viral after a video is published of her getting drunk and claiming she’s never been in love so she can’t finish her next book, she decides to meet with her exes to figure out why she hasn’t been in love and if she can not only overcome her writer’s block in before her deadline but also possibly fall in love. Enter her landlord and her best friend’s brother Dash. After helping her out with her hangover, they become friends. A former actor who is working on his sobriety, Dash is facing his own issues and doesn’t think he’s ready for a relationship. As their relationship gets steamy, they’re going to have to figure out if they should take the chance to trust each other in a relationship or if they have too many issues to make it work.

I loved this book. When I started reading it, I was a bit thrown as it started right at the morning after Sophie’s drunk night escapades, but then I was drawn in by the characters and couldn’t put it down. I thought the characters were well written, and I loved learning about Sophie through her journey of self discovery.

I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for access to an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one could have been edited better. There were a lot of repetitive musings by the characters. Yes, we get it you said it already. There was also a lot of the author telling what's happening instead of allow the characters to show the action. Readers will probably still enjoy, but it's definitely not the best in romance.

Meet Sophie Lyon, a struggling romance book author who is suffering from a writer's block with weeks left before her book deadline. Sophie is having a hard time writing about "happily ever after" especially since she's never experience it herself. As an experiment in hopes of helping her finish her book, she decides to meet up with her ex'es to see what went wrong in her past relationships. She enlists the help from Dash, her sexy but grumpy landlord who also happens to be her best friend's brother. This book was so entertaining and I really enjoyed it. I loved the forced proximity, friends to lovers, Tiktok references, the LA celebrity family life, and the stalker-ish super fan. I loved rooting for Sophie and Dash, loved all the side characters and really enjoyed the plot twists. Definitely a recommended read. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a really cute story! Sophie is a romance author with writer's block & she realizes maybe she can't get her characters to the happily ever after because she's never experienced it herself. After a viral video puts her lack of love out there, she decides to take things into her own hands and find out why her past relationships hadn't worked. In doing so, she learns a lot about herself along the way. Dash is a former heartthrob actor from a celeb dynasty family. He's her best friend's brother, oh and currently her landlord while she lives in an apt on his property! Dash has some secrets he's been keeping and some personal struggles, but he and Sophie agree to help each other which leads to them becoming friends, and growing closer. In being there for each other, tension and pining lead to crossing a line until they have to figure out whether they can even be what the other needs. This is a story about two people trying to find themselves and learning to accept the help and love they deserve. Sophie and Dash were really cute together and I enjoyed their journey! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the early copy!

Thank you to Erin La Rosa, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for this review.

Sophie is a romance writes struggling with writers block, which comes at the worst time. She has a deadline of six weeks to turn in a finished draft or she loses her publishing deal.

Dash is a former teen heartthrob turned landlord. He struggles with fitting into the mold of the Hollywood superstar his family wants him to be.

Overall the book was just okay. I didn’t hate it but it didn’t wow me either. I wish we got more into Dash and his family, I feel like we moved on from that topic I little too quickly.

Hmm, I liked the concept of this a lot, but unfortunately this just didn't work for me.

TikTok was a huge element driving the plot of this story, and while I could see how some would enjoy that, the way it was used as a plot device ended up making some of the stakes and interactions seem somewhat shallow and trivial.

I don't mind social media as a plot device, but I didn't enjoy how it was used here combined with the writing style.

Again, I did really like the overall concept and the focus on introspection throughout the story, but the way it was executed just didn't work for me.

Thank you to Erin La Rosa, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for this review.

The cover is so cute. After reading the blurb, I had such high hopes for this one, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me. I did not like the TikTok references. Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with the clock app, but there were just too many references.

There are few things that I really enjoyed about Plot Twist, but overall I feel lukewarm about the book as a whole.

What I liked -
1 - I really appreciated the "imposter syndrome' that Sophie was feeling. Where she enjoyed her career as a writer but wondering if she was really successful at it - especially with what she was struggling with actually writing. I always appreciate characters I can relate to.
2 - The addiction representation with Dash was written really well. I always worry about this being presented in a book, but I liked that it was handled as a long-term goal and not necessarily an easy resolution.
3 - Sophie and Dash's relationship - it felt real, especially with seeing it written as not being all sunshine & rainbows.

What I didn't like -
1 - Sophie and Dash's relationship - it was insta-lovey and that didn't feel real.
2 - The easy resolution with the family - family issues never resolve that quickly or easily.
3 - The spice - it was lukewarm at best.

Overall, 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC Review: Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa

Pub Date: November 14th, 2023

I struggled to get into this book but ultimately ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would! The relationship between Dash and Sophie does feel a bit insta-lust-y but I wonder if there's a bit more context that I missed by not reading the first book. I did end up liking both Dash and Sophie together and thought their relationship actually felt realistic since so few relationships are cut and dry and easy. I really liked the addiction representation we got from Dash - I have to admit, I spent much of the book being really worried that the rep was going to disappoint me. But, even though Dash relapses within this book, I actually think it was a really powerful moment to show us readers.

I think this book just had one or two too many plot lines going on - there didn't feel like one big plot line running through the whole book. There's just a lot going on and I don't know that everything feels resolved at the end.

Read this for:
- Best Friend's Brother
- Romance Novelist FMC
- Dual POV
- Addiction representation
- Only one bed


Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

She typed furiously, her fingers slamming against her keyboard, the laptop begging for a break as its battery light flashed. She’d been at this for hours, but nothing fruitful had come from this session. Writers block had her firmly in its grasp and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever get back into her groove.

Plot Twist is a best friend’s brother, celebrity romance with dual POV. Dash is a former actor who is now trying to figure out what to do with his life. Sophie is an author who is working on her second book, but struggling with writers block.

This book has such a cute premise and there were moments that had me smiling, but it was too insta-love-y for me. Some scenes were cheesy and odd to read and I didn’t really like how the ending unfolded. I also wasn’t a fan of the love triangle that appeared in the middle of the book. This story just wasn’t for me.

If you’re looking for a best friend’s brother, celebrity romance, like books about authors/writers, and want a quick read, then you may enjoy this story!

Sophie is a romance writer but has a hard time in the romance department in her own life. She has never been able to say those three words and has decided to go on a journey on TikTok to promote her upcoming book that she hasn't finished yet. This book is not only going to be motivation for her to finish her book, but also to build a following and to post about conversations she has with previous partners about what might be blocking her from fully falling in love. She gets help from her landlord, who also happens to be her best friend's brother. Has she been paying rent to her soulmate all this time?

This definitely was not the book for me as I did not feel like I could relate to any of the characters and it felt like the book was dangerously toeing the line of whether it was going to respectfully depict a character struggling to maintain sobriety or fall into ignorance. I would not recommend this book for any reader in recovery.

While I do appreciate the author's attempt at inclusivity at bringing in BIPOC as well as LGBTQIA+, characters, it also seemed like the author could not decide which trope to use so the author used as many as possible. Best Friend's Brother, One Bed, Road Trip, Forced Proximity, fame, etc. I also got the impression that the author resents the shift in literary marketing having to use social media in order to promote books. For example, there is a diatribe within a chapter of Sophie, as an author, being forced to use TikTok to gain a following and be relevant instead of her work being able to speak for itself. At times, it seemed like the author was making this book as out of control with the tropes and as basic in writing on character relationship development in retaliation to the publishers for forcing social media marketing.

This book is the second book in a series but I was able to easily read it as a standalone. At the time of this review, the book is set to be published on November 14, 2023. My thanks to NetGalley for early access to this book.

Sophie is a romance author that has never been in love or said “I love you” to a romantic partner and she’s experiencing writer’s block as a result. Dash is a former child actor and a recovering alcoholic who crafts as a way to stay sober. As Sophie and Dash start interacting, she thinks she needs to interact with all of her previous relationships to see if she can figure out what went wrong. As Dash starts to fall in love with her, he believes that he will never be good enough for her as he is constantly concerned about a relapse.

For me, this book was just ok. It felt very similar to Exes & Os by Amy Lea and I found it difficult to really connect with the characters. I just felt like both Dash and Sophie were just not very self aware and there was just a lot of miscommunication or complete lack of communication between a lot of the characters. However the book does tackle important topics like alcoholism, Overall, 2.5 stars.

Tropes: best friend’s brother, friends with benefits

Thank you to Netgalley for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Romance author Sophie Lyon has never been in love—it’s ruining her reputation and her ability to write her next book. She decides to document on tiktok her journey to finding out why she’s never been in love by reuniting with her exes, with encouragement from Dash who is a secret tiktok crafter. Dash Montrose is her landlord, her best friend’s brother, and a former actor. He has major family issues and is keeping a secret that he’s a recovering alcoholic.

This was a really fun read! It was funny, had an interesting plot, and the characters were likable! I enjoyed the idea of Sophie reuniting with her exes because it helped her learn a lot about herself and identify her own problems. I adored Dash. I was rooting for him the entire time, with both his recovery and working up the nerve to stand up to his mother and do what he wanted with his life. I think this couple complimented each other really well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC!