I liked the very beginning of this book and then it kinda dwindled for me right around the middle point. It got a little repetitive and I lost interest. While I liked romance between Sophie and Dash, there was a real missed opportunity to let them stew in that mutual pinning a little bit more. Overall this a cute and spicy book but the story line was a bit dragged out and should've been more concise.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Plot Twist is about a romance writer who has never been in love and a former child actor struggling with staying sober. I thought the representation of alcoholism was accurate and tenderly depicted. It's so hard to write about a situation like that without it seeming like a way to just add drama. But I thought Dash's story felt authentic and warm. Sophie is a sweet character, if cringey at times. There were moments that the story felt a little unbelievable and some of the characters were over the top, but all in all this was a nice sweet & spicy read and I'd recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc.

Erin La Rosa seems to be covering a lot of my favourite tropes in her books and I am not unhappy about it.

Dash is grumpy. And crafty. He has issues, and I love him so much. Seriously, so so much. He is a former actor, current crush of this reviewer and honestly, he and Sophie are amazing.

Sophie is a writer, so I can identify with that. And with writer’s block.

Dating your best friend’s brother though? Phew, she’s looking for trouble with that one, poor Sophie.

I had a real hard time putting down this book, needing to know what was going to happen with Sophie and Dash, and Nina, and all the rest.

Dash’s mother though? Ugh. I just could not with her. How someone could do what she did to her own son is absolutely despicable?

This book was a delight and a half.

This was a super sweet, sexy story that had me nonstop reading once I started. This was my first book from this author and it wont be the last one. I love that it has my favorite trope, grumpy x sunshine. I would recommend people that likes friends to lover romance and likes pop-culture references.

Thank you Netgalley and Canary Street Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

It's cute, it's spicy, and it dives into some complex topics. The tone is both cheesy and serious, and social media plays a huge role in the plot. The writing style is fun and the story is fast paced, it just wasn't really one of those books where I was desperately invested in the outcome, because I knew what was going to happen. It was pretty predictable. Tiktok was mentioned so many times I lost count, and that was kinda weird honestly. The investment in social media from Sophie was like, the level of investment in social media you expect from a 16 year old.

Overall, it was cute, just not my cup of tea.

This was such a sweet and sexy read! I nearly binged it within one sitting, and that’s a rarity! It gave off major romantic comedy movie vibes, which is why so loved this one a lot. I did enjoy the connection between Sophie and Dash, they were absolutely adorable together.

Book : Plot Twist
Author : Erin La Rosa
Pub Date: 14 Nov 2023

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing & the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The things that exited me and I loved so much about this book :
- Dual POV
- Just the right amount of spice
- A fun romance about a romance writing looking for romance herself
- The realism in the issues and problems within the book

When I was finally able to, I sat and read this book in one good sitting and couldn’t put it down. The storyline was great, I laughed a lot and I felt the emotion the characters were feeling. Please know that there are a few TW’s in this book of alcoholism and addiction.

This is definitely a pre-order/ready-to-buy book and it needs to be on your reading TBR. I can’t wait for the next book that this author puts out.

ARC BOOK REVIEW
🌸forbidden love
🌸bestfriend brother
🌸friends to lovers
🌸grumpy hero Sunshine Heroine
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice🌶️🌶️🌶️
This was such a cute rom-com fluffy book that you would want to cuddle up on the couch with some hot cocoa . I loved the characters development and that plot was so perfect and I loved the little twist that were there right from the jump I don’t think this book was missing anything. I would highly recommend this book to others.

I wanted to like this book. It sounds like a really cute rom-com but it fell insanely flat for me. First of all, I say DO NOT read this book if substance abuse is a trigger for you. I know Dash's sobriety is mentioned in the synopsis, but I didn't realize it was going to be such a major plot point, and although I don't personally struggle with sobriety, it's not something I care to read about.

I also really struggled to like both Dash and Sophie. Dash is extremely extremely boring - he does pottery, and makes candles, and wallows in his feelings. None of his decisions really make any sense and although I love crafting and hobbies, it just wasn't that exciting to read about in a romance lead.

And then there's Sophie. I really loved the idea of her meeting up with her ex's and documenting it, but there was very little to actually unpack here. Her meetings with her ex's were very short and boring and also badly documented. Realistically, I don't think Sophie would have any followers on this story of hers but hey, I'm not an influencer. Most of her meetings with them were over in minutes, and the only one that was actually interesting was never really looked into again. One of her ex's did something AWFUL, and when they couldn't get ahold of him to confront him about it, it was just never mentioned again?

There was also know real insight into why Sophie was closed off and had trust issues. I figured these would be explored more but again, pretty glossed over by the end.

And then there's the sex scenes...now I saw a review talking about how "spicy" this book is and I disagree entirely. Theres three scenes total, one that is relatively tame, one that is some weird grinding scene, and then the actual sex scene. I was so entirely uncomfortable reading this sex scene. The dialogue was awkward and the descriptions of what was happening was weirdly detailed. I have never skimmed a chapter of a book faster in my life. (fyi this isn't a prude thing okay, I read plenty of fantasy smut this was just weird) (but apparently my brain thinks dragon demons and humans getting it on isn't weird so take that how you will)

I also have learned of a very specific trope that I will no longer be reading, and that is the romance author as the romantic lead. They always get a book published, they always talk about overusing tropes and book boyfriends, and it just feels like such a self insert and I'm not down with it.

Romance novels also usually have the moment of major conflict that breaks up the characters and has you wondering if they can come back from it - and in this book I never would have guessed that our leads were mid to late 30's based on how this went down. I'm obviously not going to spoil the actual scenario but it was the equivalent of this:

"Wow I've only known you for about a month and you didn't tell me that you write book reviews for fun? How could you keep such a major part of your life from me? THE BETRAYAL! WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU BEEN LYING ABOUT?"

It was extremely childish and I had to physically get up and walk away from my kindle, I also scrolled back to the beginning to confirm that yes, Dash is written as a 36 year old man and not a 19 year old boy.

Overall, this book fell extremely flat for me, and is probably not a romance series or author I will pick up again.

I really enjoyed the plot of the story (romance writer who has never been in love falls for her landlord who happens to be her best friends brother). The story line was really enjoyable, and there was a spicy scene with a line that was just perfect. However, there were some instances where I thought the book could have been done better. Timing wise I thought the book was a little long and based on the story I expected to be further along than I was. Other than that it was a very enjoyable read.

I will add before I begin my review, that there is a companion novel written prior to "Plot Twist" that focuses on the romance of our main character's sister - the book is "For Butter or Worse". Throughout PT, I didn't feel super into the characters - they were well written but I wasn't very invested in their love story. I wonder if I had read the sister's story previously, if that would have impacted my feelings.

That being said, the book was spiiiiiiiicy, and that saved it for me. If you're looking for a quick read that's liable to make you blush, this is a good choice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

I just couldn’t get into it. I can definitely see the appeal for others, but unfortunately it just wasn’t clicking for me.
This is not me saying I dislike this book, or think it’s bad at all, it’s just not for me.
I had a difficult time bonding with the characters, which in turn made it difficult for me to feel their chemistry. 3rd person writing has to be spectacular for me to love it.

This book was so good. While reading it I found it so compelling, I loved the setting, and it definitely had a lot of hard-hitting topics with a lot of great communication between the love interest. It follows an author, Sophie, who has writers block and after a drunken night and a viral video she has to find a way to get back on track with her new book, so with the help of her landlord, neighbor and best friend’s brother, Dash she begins revisiting old loves to find out what went wrong and maybe finally can finish her new book.
The bookish setting was so fun, and I loved Sophie's adventure, but some of it I felt she put way too much stock into what her ex-partners had to say. Sophie was really there for Dash who was really struggling in a lot of personal ways. While Dash supported and helped Sophie with her career. They made a heck of a duo, and the journey was so very heartfelt too. It really had me tearing up at times.
Dash also happens to be an actor and his whole family is in the business, but I liked that this was not your typical movie star romance and did not shine a light on that piece of the story. Dash was so sweet, and he had such a creative side and really channeled his emotions into it.
This book addresses issues about substance abuse so please be aware going into this book but I thought how this topic was handled was great and it did not gloss over it or just read about it after the fact. I think it added a lot of depth to this romance and how everyone handled it.
The pacing and writing kept me engaged and engrossed. The development of the romance was spot on. Sophie and Dash slow build was just what I needed, it was an amazing time, and I would highly recommend reading this book.
Trigger warning: Substance abuse
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley for this book.
My favorite romance of 2023. In this novel we are falling the story of Dash and Sophie. Sophie is a romance writer who has writers block and who rents a place from Dash. Dash is a former actor who loves pottery and is a recovering alcoholic. Sophie has had a crush on Dash since she was young watching him in movies growing up. Sophie decides to reconnect with her ex’s to find out why each relationship failed and document it on TikTok in order to finish her newest book that is due in a few weeks. Dash helps her with her TikTok’s since he makes some for herself. Sophie begins going on dates and starts to believe that she has unrealistic expectations of a relationship and Dash tells her that she doesn’t. Sophie and Dash decide to drive to her hometown to meet one of her ex’s and they end up staying with her ex and his wife after Dash’s car dies. Sophie and Dash grow closer and kiss. That ex reveals that Sophie’s sister decided to freeze her eggs and her sister gets upset. They return home and have a moment in Dash’s yard. They decide to give their relationship a chance until Dash reveals that he is recovering from alcohol addiction and isn’t ready to commit to a relationship. Sophie decides to try and rekindle her relationship with another ex and realizes she is comparing Cora to Dash and they break up. Sophie helps Dash write a speech for his dad’s acting award. His mom wants him to get back into acting even though he is done with it and he hasn’t revealed about his alcohol addiction to his family. His mom leaks that he went to rehab to try and help him but ends up damaging her relationship with her son. His dad apologizes for his mom and his mom makes the family start family therapy so they can help him since they care more about career then family. His sister Poppy is there for him but was upset that he was dating Sophie without telling her since Sophie is her best friend. Sophie goes with Dash to his dad’s awards ceremony and after finding out what his mom did he goes back to drinking. Sophie, poppy, and Dash’s friend Chris, go to his favorite bar to help him and he decides to go to rehab. Sophie goes to visit him and tells him that she loves him too. Sophie tells him that she is publishing a book based on their relationship. One year later they are happily dating and Dash has opened his own pottery store and Sophie has published her newest book and has already written another one that is available for preorder. This book is so sweet and I loved every minute of it. I am definitely going to get a physical copy of this book when it comes out.

Although billed as a rom-com. I would classify it in women’s fiction. The story as about a book writer with a writers block, admitting she has never been in love. Her next door neighbor is an alcoholic in recovery and a former actor.. At his suggestion, she returns to all her past relationships to find why they didn’t work. The start of the book and premise were engaging enough, however the book became a tedious read for me as it continued. The story does deal with some weighty issues of alcoholism, self examination and the trauma of living a public life at a young age. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a cute story. Sophie Lyon is a romance writer that has never been in love, and thanks to a viral TikTok of Sophie having a breakdown during karaoke, the whole world knows it. She goes on a journey with her exes (Sophie is pansexual and I love the LGBTQ+ rep!) to unpack what went wrong and why she hasn’t been in love.

That journey comes at the prompting of her neighbor, former film star Dash Montrose, part of a family of Hollywood royalty, and Sophie’s landlord, and her best friend’s brother. Hot as sin Dash has his own secrets and struggles, and Sophie and Dash just might wind up healing each other.



Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review- my opinions are my own.

In this, we follow Sophie, a romance writer who accidentally tells the world while drunk that she is a fraud as she has never been in love. She wants to know why this has never happened, despite being in multiple relationships in the past. In order to answer this, and to potentially help her writer's block in time for her deadline, she decided to meet up with her exes and talk about what went wrong.

Along the way, she enlists the help of her best-friend's brother, and landlord/childhood movie start, for a quid-pro-quo. Dash Montrose has to give a speech at his father's event but is not good at writing, or social interaction since he started recovering from alcoholism with eighteen months under his belt. As new acquaintances, they quickly realize the attraction they have, but are hesitant for many reasons.

I enjoyed having the dual perspectives from both main characters. It gave helpful insight into the characters' lives and emotions. The author included some fun plot twists (lol :)) such as towards the end with Dash and his mother and then his relapse. I thought that was very encouraging to show how the road to recovery isn't a straight line, nor is doing cold turkey realistic.

With that, I did struggle with how clean his recovery was, especially as a young adult who continually was put in difficult situations by his family. I wanted to see more from Dash as a character. While this story mainly centers in Hollywood, I did not appreciate how everyone seemed to be famous, but Sophie. There were the Montrose's, her sister, and most of who we interacted with. I thought there were some details that were glossed over, such as her open heart procedure, that were going to play a larger role than they did; instead, seemed to be a character detail to make her more unique but was underplayed overall. This and her reunion with Ned and his retaliation.

Overall, I gave this story 2 out of 5 stars mainly due to the fact that I did not connect and I would not read again. I enjoyed the concept and parts of the story but it was just not for me. I would consider recommending this to others depending on what they are looking for.

This book was cute and an enjoyable read. The cartoon romance cover strikes again! I had a great time with this read and appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

This book was okay. It wasn't bad, but it had nothing special about it. Honestly, I was kind of bored reading it, and I forced myself to finish it so I could write an honest review. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters. The subject matter was pretty intense, and yet the book didn't elicit the necessary emotion for me to actually care about the outcome of the story and the romance.

I don’t annotate books often but this one…THIS BOOK! This book is the perfect mixture of spice and life, everything about this book was chefs kiss. The trouble with Sophie’s life and the deep topic of Dashes sobriety makes everything so much more interesting.