I really enjoyed this one although I did find it to be similar to Exes and Os which I recently read. It's not an exact replica of course and Erin La Rosa put her on twist on the tropes used which was very enjoyable. I'm looking forward to reading the previous book in this series (which can stand alone).

When a video of a drunken rant about never being in love goes viral, Sophie decides that the best way to counteract it is to address it head on. However, her soul-searching doesn't quite go as planned, and she still has writer's block and isn't able to finish her latest romance novel. Her movie-star landlord has his own problems, but he's glad to help Sophie on her journey. Soon the two are feeling sparks, but as they are looking for different things in a relationship, they aren't sure things can work out between them. Will Sophie ever be able to find her voice and publish her next book?

The characters had realistic life problems, but their interactions with each other didn't seem as realistic. The writing style seemed stilted and overly simplistic. Overall I didn't enjoy the arc of the story or the writing style as well as I would have liked.

I received a DRC from the publisher via Netgalley.

This book was very good. i enjoyed the romance but also loved how different topics were addressed. This did not feel insta-lovey to me. Thank you to Erin La Rosa and Canary Street Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

I thought this book was ok. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. I’m not sure I would re-read it, but it definitely had its spicy moments as well as its super cute moments, but I struggled to read it. The beginning felt like I was reading two different books then it finally tied together but I felt like it took too long to get to that point. I really wanted to like this book more than I did because the cover was super cute and the concept of the book was 100% my cup of tea, but it just didn’t hit like I thought it would. I loved the characters and I loved how the LGBT+ community was represented.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

i tried so hard to like this. i love the premise because it’s so relatable. never been in love? same. but the chemistry felt a bit forced, i didn’t vibe with the characters as much as i wanted to. this book had a cute idea but i don’t think it was executed properly. i ended up dnfing at the 55% mark 🥲 thank you to the publisher for the ARC. i’d still give this book a chance if you think you’ll like it! i’m just really picky on my romance books

Sophie goes viral on TikTok for the exact reason a romance author wouldn’t want to go viral- confessing that she’s never been in love. Inspired by her many new followers, she decides to meet up with her exes to see where things went wrong. Sophie’s landlord Dash, a former celebrity, offers a hand with the social media side of things. Dash has many things in his life that Sophie doesn’t know about though, including his recent sobriety and a secret craft TikTok page. Given that neither of them is ready for a relationship, they agree upon a friends with benefits relationship once it becomes clear there is chemistry between them. Is that all their relationship will become or will there be a plot twist?

This was an enjoyable read that also dealt with some more serious issues. I found this book super engaging and reading it felt like binge watching a good rom com!

What I loved:
-craft content
-FMC is a romance author
-spicy!
-pansexual main character rep

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the advanced reading copy!

Sophie has a really rough night and goes viral for declaring she's never been in love. A bit of an issue considering she's a romance author under contract for a book she can't finish. After being asked to check on his tenant, landlord Dash is forced to actually see Sophie and somehow gets roped into the craziness that is her ploy to learn why she has problems with love.

This was a cute book with all the happy ROM com vibes but also honest looks at coping through alcohol struggles, toxic family situations and reclaiming life after those battles.

#arc
#netgalley
#plottwist

ah i think this had such promise but i really couldn't connect with these characters sadly. i was really intrigued by this plot but something about their chemistry felt really forced to me :( i think the idea of tropes were there, esp the one bed trope, but it didn't really feel like it bc we didn't see it. i ended up dnfing at 43% this wasn't for me but im sure someone else will enjoy it!

Man, this was a heavy book. I definitely didn’t expect that from the cover. While I enjoyed the story and the main characters, Dash’s mom really put me on edge every time she showed up, and not in a good way. I really wish him and his dad would have had more of an interaction after everything that went down in the book. While the book definitely was incredibly spicy in parts, I kinda got bored during those scenes. Not sure why but it just didn’t do much for me. There was also no real conclusion with Cindy. I definitely had a lot of questions at the end. But, like I said, I actually really enjoyed the storyline and it had me interested through the whole book. I actually did finish this in a day. But definitely be warned that there is a very heavy story centered around struggling with alcoholism.

This is a great dual POV, best friend's brother romance, and I did thoroughly enjoy it! However, I had the thought that maybe there were too many tropes being used. Or not too many, but that the ones used weren't working at their full potential. Spoilers ahead!!!!
There's a scene where they share a bed (one bed trope for the win tbh), but it kind of doesn't matter. Sophie, the writer character, freaks out in her head about it for a moment, but there's no real pining, no real awkward cuddling, nothing except for the fact that they happen to share a bed. And don't get me wrong, a big moment happens in that room, but it has nothing to do with the one bed.
Also, Dash is Spohie's best friend's brother, but you really could've fooled me for most of the book. Until the sister finds out about them, she's barely mentioned by Dash (or Sophie, really), and the 'betrayal' felt on her side of things feels weird from a reader's perspective.
Oh yeah! Dash has a stalker? I feel like a lot could've happened there, but the weirdest thing was the hand-knitted Dash doll she makes. A lot happened in this book, and overall it was a good read, but it felt like too much was happening that I didn't have to keep track of as a reader because the author also wasn't really keeping track.

This funny, sweet, serious but very sexy love story is about a gal who is trying to find herself and also the love of her life while writing a book.

Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Men tell women they have high standards when they can't meet them. Your standards are exactly as they should be. He's just not good enough for you."

Sophie Lyon, a popular romance author drunkenly reveals through TikTok that she hasn't experienced true "love" before. She's had flings and other relationships but nothing she could claim is true love. Sophie decides in order to help her meet her 6-week publishing deadline - to meet up with all her exes and see if she's the problem. All along the way, she posts to TikTok - with the guidance of Dash Montrose, her hunky landlord/former teen heartthrob. As they work together, their budding romance can no longer be denied.

Did I like this book? Actually, yes I did. I find contemporary romance very hard to read - I prefer something with a hint of fantasy, easier to read that way. But the way this was written - it just [i] worked [/i] and I can't explain why. Maybe it's the quirky writing style, and the pacing combined with some decent spice, and some ~drama~.

Something I enjoyed greatly is how Dash struggles with sobriety. How it's portrayed realistically - avoiding situations or stressors that might push him to drink. His family are super-stars, mega-rich (think the Kardashians or any big reality TV stars) actors who want him to act in the family again. But his inner fight with sobriety, as well as his general dislike of acting keep him from that.

Drama ensues as he begins to feel jealous of Sophie meeting her exes, mounting pressure from his family, and internal struggles with sobriety. But Dash is in all honesty, a decent guy. He's.. literally the definition of a book boyfriend.

"She gazed off somewhere in front of them with the hint of a smile that caused the apples of her cheeks to pop. He imagined what it would feel like to make her happy like that, like she had nothing in the world to ever worry about."

Like ok, sir, you've known her for a week. Let the imagination slow down a smidge. Still cute!

The only critique I have for this would be that the Kardashian-level drama is just.. almost too much for me. How does Dash afford his apartment if he doesn't work or sell his pottery? Do his parents pay? I don't know.. just seems weird. But I have no real-life exposure to that type of stuff anyway.
Some of the drama just felt like it was too much, and it didn't really come up until 2/3rds of the way through the book. It almost felt like Erin was trying to fit too many tropes into one book at once.

Overall though, a really cute, steamy read about a romance author who hasn't experienced love, and a rich heartthrob struggling with sobriety.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.*

I really wanted to like this book, but it was a dnf for me. I loved the title and the cover and the description, but the execution didn't work for me.
On the positive side, it's quirky and interesting. The writing is strong and the author did some very interesting things with tiktoks and emails that I really got a kick out of.

this book felt like it was written around the tropes that Erin La Rosa wanted to include rather than having the tropes naturally integrate into the story.

the writing style was enjoyable overall and normally pop-culture/internet references don’t bother me (as long as they are done well), but i couldn’t handle the TikTok references that were happening over and over and over. it felt disingenuous to Dash’s character and the overall story. lets also not forget his username is @tokcrafty2me … i wish i was making that up.

im still giving this 2 stars because while it wasn’t for me, i know there are people that would enjoy this. the writing style was good, the plot was fun and fast-paced.

i just think meta-romance is either going to absolutely knock my socks off OR annoy the living hell out of me. unfortunately in the case of Plot Twist, it it was the latter.

dnf'ing at 30%.

this book just wasn't for me. the writing style, character and plots were good but I wasn't enjoying it too much. some parts felt like the tropes were included just to include them and was incorporated properly. it felt very forceful and I didn't like it. the pop culture references was not it for me😭 the tiktok references were making me cringe and I couldn't look past it.

i received an ARC from netgalley.

this is a 2.5 star read for me. the characters and the plot was amazing. i just didn’t enjoy the writing. i prefer more complex writing and it seemed a bit too rushed for my liking but otherwise i would recommend. it’s a fun fast read

Thank you Netgalley, Publisher, and Erin La Rosa for letting me read this Arc in exchange for an honest review,

First you should check the trigger warnings before reading. It had alcoholism/ sobriety struggles throughout the book.

I usually go into books without knowing what they are about and I loved this book. It hits close to home knowing someone in my life that goes through the same steps that dash went though. It was written beautifully and talking about what's going on in our society. Everyone should deserve to be loved no matter on the hard ships they're going through. You just need to learn to love yourself first.

I absolutely devoured the relationship between Sophie and Dash. The ups and downs they went through, to find each other in the end. The vulnerability that dash went through was a refreshing lead. Even though it can be hard letting someone in, he finally opened up and showed his emotions. All I wanted to do is hug him and never let go.
I will definitely read another book from this author.

This book was absolutely amazing from start to finish. I am so thankful that I was able to get my hands on this early. Erin La Rosa was a new to me author and I will be reading anything and everything she writes from now on.


I don’t want to give too much away but you will not regret this purchase.

i tried to like this, but it's hard to take seriously when the entire book revolves around tiktok. there was so much tiktok. also, both leads were very one-dimensional and there were so many unnecessary pop culture references that i'm sure will age badly.

I would like to start off thanking NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Time to get to business. Going into this the cover and description caught my interest right off the bat. Our main characters are Sophie a romance author (of one book) who has never been in love and Dash a child actor who is dealing with personal struggles and just so happens to also be Sophie's landlord and brother to her best friend. Let's be honest here folks a romance author who has never been in love is just crazy and the reader fully knows this book is going to end with said author learning all about themselves and falling in love.

This book hits on a lot of things like addiction, recovery, stress of adult life, IVF, toxic relationships, TikTok, and other things. The author did a good job at not making character's addictions and challenges with sobriety their personality. Yes it was a big part of who they were but it wasnt all that was on the page. It showed their hobbies and the passions they found along the way. She also showed the struggled Sophie had with her love of writing failing her when she needed it most for her deadline. She loves it so much but the writing block was more than just getting words on pages but finding out who she really is and what she wants and needs in her own love story.

Now on to the reasoning behind the rating. I had so much hope for this book thinking it would be right up my alley with the author who loved to read and teen heart-throb topic at hand but sadly while i was reading this i could not for the life of me remember what i had read when i put the book down. I ended up having to take notes every time i took a break so could go back and remember what happened to the characters. Only after the 65% mark did i actually start to keep what i read in my head. Not to mention the story went from one thing to another, finding out Sophie had never fallen in love to a TikTok series of her telling the internet to meet her 7 Evil Exs ( not really 7 though since there is only 4 ) while also trying to write her romance books on the side and try not to be with her neighbor/landlord/best friends brother. There were frequent parts in the beginning and middle portion of the book that in the words of Sophie our main female character ""didn't feel quite right". Reading it just felt off almost like i could feel the wrongness the character was feeling but about the whole story so far,

Also dont get me started on how this book covered almost every trope to man (minus the accidental pregnancy one thank the gods) we got Best friend's bother/ sisters-BFF, we got friends-to-lovers, we got forced-proximity, we got the lovely only-one-bed, the deadly miscommunication, and fated-to-be. I was checking these tropes off as i found them questioning if this was a play on the main character being an author for giggles or if this was done just because this author likes it.

That smut and spice though was 10/10 with the want and need so strong there was minimal time for sexual frustration. I will also reward on the miscommunication being so short i couldn't roll my eyes fully before it was over.

Would i recommend this book? Yes for frequent romance readers it might be a hit or miss like me but if you read romance books as your preferred genre this book is probably for you.