Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

Plot Twist is the second in Erin La Rosa's Hollywood series, but you can read this as a standalone. I didn't read the first book and I don't think I will. The description for this books holds everything I love from romance novels. In the beginning the characters were intriguing and full of quirks and changes that made the characters seem realistic and interesting, but the tropes couldn't save this one for me. The characters started out strong, but ultimately didn't feel full or vibrant like I expected - I know plenty of people in their 30s who don't have a plan or know themselves, but these characters just seemed really lost until they seemed to resolve their problems kinda magically. Sophie was likeable at times, but I didn't get the feeling she was fully developed that gave her the depth she deserved. Dash was also quirky and loveable and had more depth than Sophie but there was still a lack or real growth that we saw or any resolution for some of his conflict.

Romance author Sophie Lyon’s ironic secret just went viral: she’s never been in love. Though her debut novel made readers swoon, Sophie’s having trouble getting her new characters to happily-ever-after, and she blames it on her own uninspired love life. With a manuscript deadline looming, Sophie makes an ambitious plan to overcome her writer’s block: reunite with her exes to learn why she's never fallen in love—and document it all for her millions of new online followers. Which also means facing her ex-girlfriend Carla, the one person Sophie could have loved.
Luckily, Sophie’s reclusive landlord, Dash Montrose—a former teen heartthrob—has social media all figured out and offers to help. But he doesn't mention that he’s an anonymous online crafter, a hobby that helps him maintain his sobriety. No one knows about his complicated relationship with alcohol and he intends to keep it that way. His family is Hollywood royalty, so Dash has to steer clear of scandal.
As Sophie and Dash grow closer, they discover a heat between them that rivals Dash's pottery kiln. But Sophie needs to figure out who she is outside her relationships, and Dash isn’t sure he’s stable enough for the commitment she deserves. So Sophie suggests what any good romance author would: a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Surely a casual relationship won’t cause any trouble…

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Plot Twist is the second book in a series but can be read as a complete standalone. This book seems to have everything I would want including the various tropes and humor I tend to love but something fell flat for me. I couldn't connect with any of the characters and they all seemed relatively surface level to me. Sophie was likeable but I didn't feel like there was anything that really gave her any sort of depth. Dash was also loveable and had slightly more depth but there was still something missing.

The first half of the book was rough to get through. There was literally nothing happening except some fun pop culture references. The book definitely picked up in the second half which I actually really enjoyed. The first half of the book was probably 2 stars while the last half was 4 so I gave it an average of 3 stars.

I loved this book! There's so much to enjoy about this story. Sophie and Dash are engaging protagonists with compelling problems. Both of them grow so much in the course of their journey together, Sophie trying to figure out why she's never been in love, while Dash wrestles with maintaining his sobriety and his privacy. I relate hard to family trauma, and there is a good deal of that in this book. I think it's handled really well. Sophie and Dash are both such softies, and I really loved seeing them grow into being comfortable together and taking care of each other. I'm not much for grand gestures, so that part didn't really fly for me, but otherwise I adored this. I think any fans of the previous book will love this one too!

CWs: Alcoholism, addiction, parental death, parental abuse

Romance author Sophie Lyon's ironic secret just went viral: she's never been in love. Though her debut novel made readers swoon, Sophie's having trouble getting her new characters to happily-ever-after, and she blames it on her own uninspired love life. With a manuscript deadline looming, Sophie makes an ambitious plan to overcome her writer's block: reunite with her exes to learn why she's never fallen in love-and document it all for her millions of new online followers.
Luckily, Sophie's reclusive landlord, Dash Montrose-a former teen heartthrob- has social media all figured out and offers to help. But he doesn't mention that he's an anonymous online crafter, a hobby that helps him maintain his sobriety. No one knows about his complicated relationship with alcohol and he intends to keep it that way. His family is Hollywood royalty, so Dash has to steer clear of scandal.
As Sophie and Dash grow closer, they discover a heat between them that rivals Dash's pottery kiln. But Sophie needs to figure out who she is outside her relationships, and Dash isn't sure he's stable enough for the commitment she deserves. So Sophie suggests what any good romance author would: a friends-with - benefits arrangement. Surely a casual relationship won't cause any trouble...
I enjoyed this quick, easy read. Sophie and Dash are lovable characters who both see themselves as screw ups. I liked their relationship and how they accepted one another. For a book called Plot Twist, it was pretty predictable. thankyou netgalley for approving this arc in exchange for an honest review 🙌

I really wanted to love this book. It had such a fun premise. A romance writer who is struggling to finish her second book and doesn’t believe in love, forced proximity, best friend’s brother? I mean come on. That is normally my cat nip. Unfortunately this book just did not do it for me. I DNF’ed at 35%. The writing felt a little all over the place. The tiktok of it all really pulled me out of the story. I wanted to like Sophie but instead she felt really flat to me and any backstory given felt like it was intentionally “sad” to make her seem “deep.” I appreciated that Dash was sober and trying to navigate life outside of his parents expectations but Sophie being the only one he has told about things just seemed odd. They had barely talked before he found he hungover one day. I think that if there had been less tiktok I might have been able to push through but the described videos and then comment section was not it for me.

As I have not finished this book I will not be posting reviews on StoryGraph, Goodreads, or Amazon. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

4.5⭐️

Plot Twist is written in third person.
🌶️🌶️🌶️.5/5
Tropes: Best Friends Brother; One Bed; Forced Proximity; Friends to Lovers
Possible TW’s: Alcoholism; Some Stalking; Toxic Family Member(s); Family Betrayal

We follow both Sophie and Dash in this romcom. Sophie is an author who is struggling to write the happy ending to the next book in her romance novel, but her deadline is quickly approaching. With no inspiration and a fresh break up, Sophie finds herself kind of TikTok famous from confessing to an entire bar that she has never been in love. With the help from her landlord, best friends brother and former actor, Dash, she uses this to her advantage. She revisits her exes and documents it for her TikTok to find out why the relationships didn’t work. In turn for Dash’s helps, Sophie help Dash with a speech.

Dash is from a wealthy famous family. His father being a big time actor, he was pushed down the same path as a kid. We find he struggles with alcohol. His mom reminded me so much of an Irish Kris Jenner. She is the family’s manager. His younger brother is on his way to stardom. And his sister, Poppy who is also Sophie’s best friend (they couldn’t emphasize that enough), did her own thing and hid from the limelight. Dash was left wondering who he truly was aside from his last name.

As they work close together, they get to really know each other. Secrets are shared between the two. Private jokes are made. Emotions get involved.

Erin La Rosa, in my opinion, did a good job writing about certain subjects in this story. The way she wrote about Dash’s struggles with alcohol and is serious about his sobriety was well done and realistic (again, in my opinion). Sophie being pansexual was well represented. However, there was one phrase that was overused and used for any situation, “Licked his/her lips”. It got old pretty fast. Also, you could never forget that Sophie is best friends with Dash’s sister. It was mentioned too much.

I really enjoyed the characters and was rooting for the both of them. The private joke between Sophie and Dash is cute and quirky. And OH. MY. GOD With the yard scene. This is truly a cute spicy romcom and I definitely recommend checking it out.

Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa will be released November 14th, 2023

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for a digital ARC for my honest review

From start to finish, this was pretty unpredictable. With compelling characters, nice pacing, and a surprising depth, I think this will find a great audience for Emily Henry fans.

This story was sweet, sexy, and unpredictable. Loved the friends to lovers trope. This book also did a great job of tackling sensitive topics such as alcoholism and family dysfunction while keeping the book light and fun. All in all a very enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a Super sweet and sexy romance. What I loved most was how perfectly flawed each character is written. Sophie (FMC) is a romance writer who only has six weeks to complete the book needed for the contract. Additionally, she became a TikTok sensation by documenting her meet-ups with previous exes.

Dash (MMC) is Sophie’s landlord, who was once a child actor and teen heartthrob, coming from an “impressive family” with high expectations. He does his best to avoid any scandals/lay low while secretly recovering from alcoholism. The issues with Dash are much heavier than Sophie’s, but watching the two form a connection is super sweet. You can see how much Dash cares for Sophie and vice versa.

In all, it's generally a good read and super quick.


TW: addiction

Tropes:
- One bed only
- Friends with benefits
- Best friend's brother

Sophie and Dash were a fun couple with a unique journey. I was really able to connect with Sophie as we have a lot in common. I adored her journey through her exes to figure out her future, and more so how it helped her to find her voice. I loved how something clicked with Sophie and allowed Dash to open up and be honest with her when he couldn’t otherwise.

I really enjoyed the plot, the character development, the forced proximity situations, and seeing all of these stereotypical Romance tropes “play out in real life”.

I was motivated to keep reading, excited to see what happened next!

Occasionally I thought some of the dialogue was surface level, some of the conversations a little odd. I felt like k was completely engulfed in Sophie and Dash’s head and feelings at some points and others I felt like I was just observing from afar. Overall I enjoyed the book and will probably go back and read the first in the series that I have not yet read.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed this book. I will be sharing a review at a later date on my Instagram @mel.reads.romance and my GoodReads as well (melreadsromance)

➰ ARC Review: Plot Twist ➰

Rating: ✨3.75/5✨
Spice: 🌶 🌶
Tropes: forced proximity, grumpy x sunshine, one bed, secret relationship, FWB

𐃢𐃡 I liked this book. I think it was a cute, easy read. But if you're looking for something that actually has plot twists, then this isn't your book. Someone said it felt like the author wrote the book based on the tropes they wanted to include, not the book with tropes, if that makes sense and I agree. But I did truly like the plot of the book and got attached to the characters.

ꕥ A strong positive of this book is the inclusion of various types of people. The main character is pansexual and we see her explore her past relationships of various backgrounds.

ꕥ Now the characters. I really enjoyed Sophie and her struggle to write her book. I think she was a really relatable character and I was rooting for her to find love. I really enjoyed Dash too. His resistance to a relationship was odd, but I understood why the author took the route. I also really enjoy how we saw his struggle with addiction and how he struggled to stay sober.

ꕥ The ending left a little to be desired. For some reason, I was sure we were going to get the pregnancy trope due to Dash mentioning how much he wanted to be a dad throughout the book, but I suspect we'll get updated in book 3 of the series with parenting/his sobriety. Also the stalker plot line just kind disappeared? It was a bit odd.

𐃢𐃡 I'll definitely read the third book and go back to read book 1 (they don't need to be read in order). Overall, it was a sweet read and I liked it. The author, Erin La Rosa, has a new fan.

Side note: tattooed men are a weakness of mine.

I received a free ebook copy though Net Gallery for an honest review. I give this novel 5 stars! Sophie and Dash are so cute together specially with the gummy worms

I’m not gonna lie, I mainly picked up this book because it mentioned friends with benefits. Guilty as charged. Somehow though, I ended up with an extremely cute romance novel following two complicated people falling in love.

Dash and Sophie are both well fleshed out characters whose individual personalities shine. I thought their romantic moments were super cute and the occasional disagreements made sense for their own struggles. Also, although I haven’t read the first book in the series, I was fully able to enjoy this one and I recommend picking it up in November if you can.

Overall, Plot Twist is a well written romance book that anyone is sure to love. 4/5 stars

Special thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

First, I would raise this to 3 1/2 stars. Second, thank you #NetGalley #PlotTwist for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

If you are looking for a quick “rom-com” type book, here you go. It was cute, a quick and fun read, has all the feels, but also has the “same old story” told again. Great vibes among all the characters and the writing style is something I dig, but I felt like I had just read this story. It’s like all the tropes and events I just read in the last few books (of the same genre) were all mingled into this one. Very casual, semi predictable, and ends happily, so overall a reading win! I would read another book by her.

While I had a pretty fun time reading this, I found there were areas that were lacking in the execution department. Dax and Sophie's story both had some great messages, with Dax exploring what it means to be a recovering alcoholic, and Sophie digging back into her past to uncover the root of her relationship issues. These are themes I often don't see in novels, and a romcom seems like a great setting to explore these topics but keep it light and fun at the same time. While I felt like the characters came across as immature in many instances (which I will delve into further in a moment), Sophie and Dax's communication style felt refreshingly mature. I really appreciated how upfront Dax was very early on about his struggles, and how that could influence their relationship, and they were both in turn so very supportive of each other through both the ups and downs.

As mentioned above, I found the characters, both Sophie and Dax, but also the side characters, to come across as quite immature. For Sophie, it made a bit more sense in my interpretation, as she came across as almost an innocent, bubbly type. But the rest felt like such a clash to their values and past experiences, it just didn't add up to me. I also found it hard to relate to them with said immature tone, as they felt more like late teens/young adults rather than folks in their 30s. This just compounded with the dialogue feeling stilted and unnatural. I can see the tone the author was going for, and that many of the moments were intended to be humorous, but they just didn't work with my sense of humor. I think these two elements overall made it difficult for me to relate to the characters, which did dampen my enjoyment overall, especially near the end

Cute (VERY) fast read. A lot of loose ends (in my opinion) or unexplored areas. A few things that didn't' quite make sense, but the spicy scenes were pretty spicy!

🇬🇧 If you know me, you know that I love @erinlarosalit . Ever since I read For Butter or Worse last year, I've become an absolute fan of her style. So I didn't hesitate for a second with Plot Twist, the second volume in the Hollywood series 🍿

🎬 In the first volume, we follow the story of Nina and Leo two competing chefs. Here we follow Nina's sister, Sophie. This romance author has a secret: she has never been in love. So is she legitimate to talk about love? Have all her stories been fiction? And above all, how can she finish her next novel? 😱

🎬 By accident, she buzzes on TikTok and comes to use the network as a means of therapy to understand why she has never been in love. Dash, her best friend's brother and her landlord, will accompany her on this journey. He also gains from her helping him write an honorary speech for his father, a famous actor whose footsteps he has not followed, much to the chagrin of his family. She will also be a confidant and ally in his fight against alcoholism.

🎬 What begins as chance encounters turns into a friendly roadtrip, quickly replaced by a growing passion. While Dash sees Sophie as a ray of sunshine that brightens his days, she is still too unsure of her ability to commit to a real relationship. They will both grow up 🩷

🎬 Where Nina was a woman of character, determined and driven by her career and the goals she set for herself, Sophie is more relaxed, funny and awkward. While both are equally endearing and genuine, I enjoyed seeing a contrast between them.
As for the male characters, we are also treated to Leo and Dash who are sweet, very charming but sometimes insecure.

🎬 My favourite thing about Erin's novels is her ability to shed light on heavy topics in a light, funny and realistic way. She works to shed light on topics like mental health, social pressure, alcoholism, gender or social position expectations in an incredible way 👏

What to expect:
* Best friend’s brother
* Friends to Lovers
* A Squirrel named Richard
* Writer x Pottery/Craftsman
* Happy ending
* Sobriety and Insecurities


Both characters feel very real in terms of their personal desires to be better in order to be in a relationship. Dash is super self aware but also balances the idiot energy I love in fictional men.
I think Sophie who despite her own obstacles and struggles is so supportive for everyone else and I need her to realize she’s worthy of love and being loved.

The plot itself has such a promising premise and sounded really interesting. There’s the main plot and then there are subplots with Sophie’s sister, Dash’s family, their careers and finding themselves and such. I like how it’s not completely centered on their relationship and the problems that arrive in the third act. I think a lot of what is considered the third act breakup, was nicely just sprinkled in throughout the book and then we got it to where it was a more sensible third act breakup/issue.

Writing:

I liked parts of the writing, but some parts were written in a strange way that just stuck out from the story rather than being a smooth transition. Certain sentences didn’t need to be there for the story to progress, they were just filler.
Pacing was slightly off in it as well, but not too bad to where I couldn’t read it. Just slowed down at once or sped up at once with no warning. I’m not entirely jumping on board with Tiktok playing a dominant role in this novel either. Its kind of jarring but it also fits really well. I do think that it’s super sus of Dash commenting on her videos and her just not knowing it’s him. Idk it would be kinda weird to have someone you don’t know? Be complimentary like that on social media. Overall it’s fun, sweet, and hopeful book that carefully navigates a character dealing with sobriety and a character realizing they’re worthy of love.

Thank you for the ARC!

Ugh, I wanted to really like this book so badly. The premise is great -- romance author is struggling to write her next novel (specifically the HEA) and so she seeks out her exes to find out where things went wrong and along the way falls in love and learns a lot about herself. I didn't even mind the TikTok references, and these are usually hit or miss for me. I just didn't love the main character at all and the whole story seemed so unlikely. I know this is fiction and it's not going to be a true story but her landlord who happens to live in the house next door just so happens to be from a famous family and also is a famous TikToker? And she also happens to go viral on TikTok just at the right time? Not to mention, her sister was famous, plus there was everything with his addiction and rehab (which is great to see representation but it seemed like a LOT with everything else going on. I actually think other things could have been cut out so this facet would have been allowed to shine more.)

Overall it was fine. I wouldn't read again, but honestly I'll probably end up reading the rest of the series anyway.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This was a very charming easy to read romance. The characters were likable, the banter was perfect, and the representation was chefs kiss. I especially love that the representation never needed to be pointed out or explained.

This was a cute story of love but also socially relevant content, friendships, family relationships, and what it’s like being in the spotlight. The setting was LA and that can be overdone but in this book it was not and I think that was a great choice since it wouldn’t have been relatable to most people otherwise.

Great writing, the pacing was good. And spicy too! Everything you want in a romance.