This is an incredibly sweet story.
Sophie and Dash have known each other for a long time. He's Sophie's best friends brother. A former actor recovering from an addiction and her long time crush and she's an author trying to finish her latest romance novel.
Sophie moves into his rental unit and before you know it things get heated. This isn't an easy road to their hea. Many events make things nearly impossible for them to stay together.
Can they make their way to the ultimate hea? Will Sophie ever be able to say those 3 special words to Dash?  You definitely need to read and find out.
4.5 stars

First and foremost, I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for granting me this advanced reader's copy!

What initially drew me to this book was the cover, but I was even more pleased when I found that the main characters had real depth and nuance. Sophie and Dash's story was certainly not linear, nor predictable. I found it charming, and watching them struggle with their own interpersonal issues was refreshing. Yes, the book is a romance; however, I loved that it was more complementary to them becoming the best versions of themselves.

Sophie, a romance author, is struggling with writer's block. Despite having numerous relationships, she has never truly experienced love. She embarks on a reflective journey by interviewing her past lovers and questioning why their relationships didn't work out. While pursuing this insight, Dash, her best friend's ex and a former childhood actor, is there, cheering her on. Dash, dealing with his own pressures of sobriety from alcoholism and the expectations imposed by his momager to return to the family business, simply wants to focus on his pottery.

As Sophie and Dash form a bond that evolves into something more, questions arise: Are they capable of being what the other person needs? Do they even know what they truly need? And are their needs at odds with what they want?

This forbidden love tale has a lot to unpack.

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Too cute! First a thank you to netgalley.com and the publisher for the prepub copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rom-com sums up this book.

Sophie is a writer who rents from her best friends brother, who happens to be her childhood crush, as in movie star crush. Her next romance novel is due in less than a month and she is stuck. You see, Sophie has never been in love, though she has dated a lot.

Dash is a recovering alcoholic ex-actor who just wants to make pottery, but his mom keeps trying to force him back into acting and thus back into drinking.

Together these two end up starting something, but will it be good for them? Or will their lives crash and burn?

Love this. If you are looking for a cute romcom with just the right amount of romance with getting all sappy, this is perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this e-arc.

3.5⭐️

I really enjoyed this cute, steamy and fun rom-com. Sophie and Dash were absolutely delightful, but those references to pop culture and TikTok were so cringey and I just couldn't stand them. But all in all, lovely story and characters.

Firstly, I’d like to say how much I adore this cover! It’s so lovely and I couldn’t stop staring at it while reading the book.

Secondly—this book! I was nervous because this has been an anticipated read of mine but I had no reason to be. I enjoyed the main characters and their relationships.

I loved these two so much. They were so great. I loved their background history and their chemistry, the love and support for one another, the angst, the push and pull, the sexual tension between them, everything was so well executed by the author. The characters were not perfect, they had their own struggles and obstacles they had to overcome before they came to the realization that they are better together than apart. I’m so happy with how everything wrapped up at the end. It was such an enjoyable book, I love love loved it.

This was a sweet and funny romance with some spice and a lot of detours on their way to their HEA. Luckily they made it.

As soon as I saw this cover I knew I wanted to get my hands on it. This cutesy rom-com book was just what I needed to bring me back to my romance obsession.

I absolutely adored the immediate sparks between Dash and Sophie.
This book did a wonderful job of covering tense topics, while still retaining the joy and laughter found in rom-coms. I loved this book!

Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa took me by surprise. I was expecting a light-hearted, fun rom-com, but this book tackled some more serious topics such as sobriety, family dynamics, and mental health, and fame.

The blossoming relationship between Sophie and Dash was cute, and I really felt for them as they were learning to trust one another and grow together. The relationships they had with the side characters were also a welcome addition to the story and both of their personal growth.

I also think some trigger warnings would be helpful to be added to the beginning of the book as some of the heavier topics may be a bit much for some readers who were not expecting them.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I would definitely pickup future books from Erin La Rosa.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book, my first by the author, and I couldn’t get enough! Sophie is so adorably lovable and Dash, well you can help but to just love him! Plus their chemistry and the tension is top notch! I love the representation of the struggle of sobriety and the strength from both internal and external support sources. The dynamics and story were just so relatable and realistic you just dive right in and don’t want to leave! So many meaningful moments of self discovery and healing and most importantly, love! So happy with this book!! I loved Sophie and Dash’s story!

Plot Twist was a DNF for me. I was excited about the premise, but these characters did not grab me, and I found myself shutting the app and not going back. I know how hard it is to write a book and that not all stories are for every person, so I do applaud the author for writing. And clearly, since La Rosa is a well-respected and well-liked author, this is a case of "it's not you, it's me." Since I have to provide a star rating, I'll choose three stars, but I wouldn't actually rate a book I don't finish.

Cute book- I finished it but did skim quite a bit. It wasn’t funny, just cute. And then had the longest sex scenes. They were hot, but hard to picture from a couple like Sophie and Dash.

Let me start by saying that this book was an absolute blast! From the very beginning, you could sense the intense dislike between the main characters. It was like watching two cats hissing and scratching at each other. But guess what? Seeing them grow and flourish throughout the story was like witnessing a beautiful transformation that warmed my heart.

When it comes to the characters, Sophie was okay in my book. I didn't dislike her, but if I had to choose, Dash stole the spotlight for me. This guy, let me tell you, his journey overcoming sobriety and emerging as a stronger person stole my heart. It was like witnessing a phoenix rise from the ashes. I couldn't help but root for him every step of the way, hoping for his success and happiness.

The pace of the story was pretty good. It kept me hooked from start to finish.

Plot Twist is a spicy romance between a romance author and ex-actor. There were many things this book nailed and a few things that just fell flat. I thought the TikTok element of Sophie's journey to love was fun. She came off as a fun loving girl just trying to figure herself out. The relationship between Sophie and Dash felt a little off to me, like I was missing something. Overall I thought this book was fun to read. Plot Twist would be a good read for romance lovers that like pop culture references and don't mind open doors.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for my DRC of Plot Twist

Friends with benefits to lovers (but also best friend’s brother) that’s totally swoon worthy. Sophie and Dash are some of the most relatable characters I’ve read in awhile. Sophie can’t seem to find love and Dash is trying to stay sober. It is a fast paced, sweet and light hearted book. I continued to root for Dash and Sophie’s HEA from beginning to end. If you need a book with low angst and all feel goods, grab this book!

4/5 stars

I thought this book was great, I always loved reading books about authors. Out of all the characters I thought Dash was the best one, he was a great multidimensional character and I really liked his story line about working with ceramics. I definitely need to get my hands on a copy of the first book so I can appreciate Nina's character a bit more and have some more background information. The chemistry between Dash and Sophie was definitely present, but there were times when it felt a little weaker. Hoping there will be a book about Poppy (fingers crossed).

It was fast and cute, and I can see a bunch of people liking this one, but personally I enjoyed the first one more. It felt like the author just kind of threw a bunch of really common, really good tropes into the story and then didn't do too much with it other than have the characters experience them. They're good tropes because, when written to fit into the story, they elevate the plot and the tension between characters. This one, however, felt like they were added just so you could list this book as "one-bed, grump x sunshine, etc."

I'm also not entirely sure why but I was flagging 50/60% of the way in. I did force myself to finish, because otherwise it was giving me vibes that I would set it down and never pick it up.

There's definitely a demographic that will enjoy this read, it just wasn't for me. Plus, I'm not a bit Tiktok user, nor do I tend to appreciate whenever the plotline of a book is integrated with that and lots of other social media references. And I missed Nina - Sophie was a decent part of Nina's book, which makes sense because they're sisters, but Nina didn't have that same presence in Sophie's.

thank you Netgalley for the free copy

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced copy of Plot Twist! This is the first novel I have read with a pansexual MC (how I identify) and I really loved how she felt so comfortable and confident in her own skin. I absolutely loved everything, from start to finish. It's hard to give an accurate review of this book without giving away major key points but what I will say, is that if you are looking for a fun, fresh, and exciting romantic comedy, Erin La Rosa is a new favorite for me!!

A cute romcom about a romance author struggling with writer's block and a former child star struggling with sobriety.

I found that this book struggled with its tone at times - there are great lighthearted moments between the characters, like a feud over the squirrel in their shared backyard and a Ghost re-enactment over a pottery wheel, but then there are quite dark moments while Dash is struggling with his sobriety and Sophie is re-visiting exes who didn't treat her well. I'm not saying that those things can't co-exist in the same novel, but something about the writing here made it feel disjointed. The spice was also a bit uneven - the Ghost scene was great, Sophie learning how to ask for what she wants was great, and then some of it felt awkward to read.

Overall, this is sweet and the characters are lovable. But there's an overall uneveness that might keep it out of your faves.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review!

3.5 stars

Thank you, Netgalley, Erin LA Rosa, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

I knew this was the book for me when chapter two had Dash describing how he jerked off in the shower to the thought of going down on a girl with heavy eye contact. That being said, let's jump right in!

Sophie has a bad case of writers block and is worried she's a one hit wonder. Her next book is due in 6 weeks, and she's just gone viral on Tiktok for drunkenly announcing that she's never been in love, even though she's a romance author. Sophie decides to contact all of her exes to find out where things went wrong. Dash is her landlord, neighbor, and her best friends brother. He's also a teen heartthrob and recovering from his complicated relationship with alcohol that his family doesn't know about. He offers to help Sophie with her social media account since he's an expert. As tension builds, Sophie suggest they enter a friends with benefits situation.

• friends with benefits
• brothers best friend
• One bed
LGBTQ+

The family dynamic behind Sophie and Dash made the story come to life even more. Sophie felt left out of her sister's life because she didn't share important things with her, and Dash felt like the disappointment of the family gave them something to come together over.

I admired Sophie's courage and wanted to figure out why she's never been in love before. I would rather jump in front of a bus than visit all of my exes and ask them why we broke up or if they would date me again. Sophie takes their criticism in stride and really tries to dig deep for why she's the way she is.

Dash is doing all of the right things to stay sober except going to the meetings that he's lying to his sponsor about going to. He is determined to stay sober, but also, hiding it from his family is causing extra stress in his life.

One of the things that bothered me was the drama around the 75% mark and through the end of the book. Sophie doesn't tell her best friend that she's sleeping with her brother, and that makes her friend upset because they were hiding things from her. Then Sophie gets mad at Dash for not telling her about his secret tiktok account and Cindy, which felt hypocritical. Dash told Sophie that he had a secret tiktok and that he filmed pottery videos on it. Like, girl all the information was there for you. Why are you mad? The ending felt a little rushed with tying up all of the loose ends but overall it was a fun read. I loved the first half but the second half left me wishing things were a little different.

This story was sooooo cute! I really enjoyed the plot, and it had just the right amount of spice. I’d definitely read this again.