Tropes: Forced proximity, best friends brother, cinnamon roll, only one bed, friends with benefits
Things I liked: LGBTQIA representation, the sensitive narration about dysfunctional families, addiction, and mental health; sweet, vulnerable characters; cute premise of a story within a story; great side characters
Things I didn’t: Heavy on tropes; many pop culture references; not enough time between conflict and resolution (and a few other things that I won’t mention because they’re more personal preferences)

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet Hollywood rom com!

To say I'm obsessed with this novel is the understatement of the century. I read this so quickly and it 100% pulled me out of the sad slump I've been in.

Our main character, Sophie, struggles with an extreme case of writer's block. I mean, how can you be a romance writer when you've never been in love? She goes on a journey through her past relationships, trying to find the answer as to why she could never say those three little words. Throughout this hilariously painful time, she learns so much about herself.

Our love interest, Dash, is on his own self-discovery journey. His scenes are also painful to read; between alcohol recovery and an image forced upon him by his mother, the poor guy is just going through it.

Slowly, Dash and Sophie become friends, supporting each other through their hardships. I honestly couldn't get enough of them together. Even if this had just been a story of them learning to be friends and navigating life together, I still would have given it a solid five stars. But put steamy exchanges and love into the mix, and it's a recipe for absolute and complete success.

My only gripe is that I can't force everyone I know to read this immediately, since it comes out in freaking November. I put release day in my calendar so that on the off chance that I forget, I'll be reminded to force everyone I know to read this immediately.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. About 40% in my attention started to wane. Things became predicitible, repetetive, and slow. I skimmed the spicy scenes. I might not enjoy those types of chapters as much as I did when I was younger. I prefer a bit more tention between my love interests, so that when they do finally become intimate, it doesn't feel like sex for the sake of sex. Sentence length is loooong. 12-20+ length sentences that drone one after the other. Many of them repeating the same thing on the page in different ways. It was difficult to read through and while the book hooked me at the start, I found myself not wanting to pick it up and read the deeper I went.

I enjoyed Dash's character and his struggle with alchoholism was a nice touch. Sophie's quest to speak with her ex's regarding the end of all her relationships was a neat idea but dull. She never seemed to arc or grow, all challenges for the characters were shallow. Dash had the most to lose, the biggest change...but Sophie should have been equal or greater, being the MC.

Parts of the story were really well written and sweet. Unfortunately, the pace was a killer for me. It just wasn't my kind of novel. Others may like it fine. I can be picky.

Thank you to Net Galley for my first e-ARC read. It was a light and easy read! It definitely was giving off rom-com vibes and was cute. The characters were really likeable and felt really relatable. Not sure if I am a huge fan of modern pop culture in a book like Tik Tok but with the world so connected as it is, it made it feel a little closer to real life. Overall it was a cute read even though it was very tropey.

Sorry.. This book wasnt my jam at all.. I did get through this but I didnt like the slow pace of this book

This romcom is unique with a spin on falling for the best friend’s brother, I liked the TikTok challenge that the FMC goes through in order to reunite with all her exes, but wish it had more humor. Sadly, the meet ups were a bit bland. There is a storyline centering around a recovering alcoholic, so know the triggers before reading,

I was so hooked on this story for the first half of the book. It gave all the rom com vibes and pulled me right in. The second half of the book didn’t seem to hold my interest as much and it took me longer than usual to finish it because I just didn’t have that urge to get to the ending and see what happens. It started to feel almost repetitive and my interest just kind of dwindled out as I read.

I will say I LOVED Sophie’s character, I felt like she was so well written and her character development was refreshing. I really enjoyed how she was put in a position where she was forced to deal with the consequences of her actions and it ended up being done in such a great way.
I did also love Dash’s hard exterior, even though he was low-key a big softy, but I did feel like there could have been more from his character personality wise. And I adored Sophie’s relationships with Nina and Poppy!
I was skeptical about how I would feel with the abundance of TikTok presence in the story, but I have to say I enjoyed it.

Overall, I liked the book. This was a 3.5 star read for me.

Huge thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Sophie Lyons is a romance writer who has a serious case of writers block while trying to meet the deadline for her second book. After an embarassing video of her goes viral, and she admits she’s never been in love herself, She decides to try and meet up with all her old exes and find out where things went wrong in their relationships, with the hopes that it will get her out of her writing slump.

In the midst of this, Sophie begins to have feelings for her famous landlord/best friends brother, Dash, even though she knows she shouldn’t. As Dash and Sophie’s relationship unfolds, more drama and issues with Dash’s family unfolds and threatens their budding relationship. Will Sophie finally fall in love?

Overall I thought this was a cute romance book with a little bit of unexpected spice thrown in. After finishing this I am tempted to go back and read this authors other book about Sophie’s sister, Nina and hear her backstory. I wish half stars were allowed bc I would say this is a 3.5 for me

This is my first 5 star romance of 2023. I was worried going in because so far this year I've read the "romance writer who can't finish up her book with a deadline looming" and I've read a "writer doing TikTok videos of revisiting her exes". Was this one going to be any different? Why yes, yes it was. This book is so very different than others I have read. Sophie revisits her exes in an attempt to find out why she hasn't been in love before and learns some things about herself. Dash is dealing with some very serious personal issues and doesn't want to be in a relationship (which includes sex) while going thru it. This book is NOT one series of romance trope after trope. The prevalent one is best friend's brother, which does cause problems later on. But while the sensual parts of this story were oh so good, it is the overall story and mostly Dash's that made me love it. This book made me laugh, cry and cheer. I loved it! This is my first by Erin La Rosa but now I will rush to my indie for a copy of For Butter or Worse.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Plot twist by Erin La Rosa is about a romance writer who has never been in love and goes on a quest to find out why, all the while falling for the boy next door. The first bit of the book was a little hard for me to get into only for the persistent reference to Tiktok. However, I did enjoy this book for the classic tropes, comedy and relationships. I appreciated the female main characters fluid sexuality and the appropriately portrayed male main characters struggle with alcoholism. Overall I thought this book was really cute and I’m a sucker for cartoon covers. 3.5

Dash and Sophie’s story brought me so much joy!

Sophie is an author, stuck in a writers' block rut, when her next book deadline is quickly approaching. She’s curvy and pansexual, plus she loves the em dash symbol- so basically I want to be her new bff.
Dash is a former heartthrob, belongs to a Hollywood royal family, and is fresh into alcoholism recovery. He has closed himself off from his family and relationships in an effort to focus on his sobriety. He’s also short and has a passion for crafting (which is super attractive in an artsy way).

THE SPICE! Wow, I will be recommending this book to everyone I know, except for my mother! That massage scene was 🥵…👨‍🍳🤌

I loved every moment of this story! Kudos to Erin La Rosa for writing such a fun, relatable, and heartwarming romance. I’m off to find her back-list titles now!



TW- alcoholism and recovery
Stalking

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Neighborly acquaintances to unrequited crush: romance writer Sophie totally has the hots for her landlord, former indie movie star Dash, but he's stand-offish...but that's because he's secretly harboring a crush on her! Their paths finally crash together when she's hungover and barfs on his shoes, and he carries her into her house.
Both Sophie and Dash are sweet, likeable characters with low self-esteem, both trying to figure how to live the lives they want to live instead of molding themselves to what others see of them-- very relatable. Dash has the added layer of struggling with sobriety and a very dysfunctional family.
Sexy and low-stakes, it was a pleasure to see them slowly build themselves up so they could reach for each other. Only thing that bugged me was the "best friend's brother/sister's best friend" being off-limits trope- not a fan, but was one of the few lines of tension in the plot.

Neither Sophie nor Dash are in a very good place in their lives. Both are trying to move forward, yet find it challenging. They question each other, but they question themselves as well. La Rosa had created characters with great depth and tenacity. Characters we want to see succeed despite their flaws. In doing the story is one that I became invested in, and one I had trouble putting down. As difficult a topic as it was for Dash, I like the way the his addiction to alcohol was handled. I think it’s important for people to see that it is something that the addict never forgets and never forgets worrying about. It is something that some people brush under the rug and others cannot cope with. It is a condition that requires a lot of determination, hard work and support to keep under control. La Rosa approached this topic with sensitivity, and a realistic outlook. So many people have had to deal with this in one way or another, seemingly even more so after the pandemic. It’s nice to see an author put this in their work in a way that is not overwhelming but definitely something significant. I’m invested now. I want to see where the relationship between Dash and his father is headed. I also want more of Poppy. Please.
I really enjoyed this book - and will look for more by this author for sure.

This story is so cute! Definitely was not expecting several of the story points, I couldn’t put it down once I got into it!

What a cute read! I really enjoyed this book. Also great use of inclusive language! I loved the Hollywood / LA vibes. I also enjoyed the split perspectives. Dash’s perspective did a great job at showing his vulnerabilities. I think the incorporation of TikTok worked well, but I wasn’t a fan of the stalker aspect. I was expecting more to come from it but nothing really happened. Loved the romance and it had the perfect amount of spice. Fun read overall and I would definitely recommend it to others.

Plot Twist, by Erin La Rosa, drew me in right away. It is a fun rom-com that will have you laughing out loud at the banter between Sophie and Dash. It leaves you with the good "feels" of a Hallmark movie. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Plot Twist is a light and breezy falling for your best friend’s brother tale on the surface, but packs a solid emotional punch too – perfect for fans of Ava Wilder and Abby Jimenez.

When we meet Romance writer Sophie Lyon, she’s death’s door-level hungover, the host of a debilitating writer’s block party, and confessed to the world that she’s never been in love. Then she throws up on her hot landlord’s shoes. Said landlord, Dash, also happens to be her best friend’s hot brother, former actor, and the child of very famous jerks.

From the start, we know Sophie and Dash are both unenthusiastic riders on the struggle bus. Sophie decides to go on a High Fidelity-style trip down Confront Your Ex Lane to fix her inability to write a happily ever after. Dash is white-knuckling through sobriety by working on his crafting projects and being a recluse.

As expected from well-formed characters, what they *think* is going to solve their problems won’t get them to a happy ending. Anyone who’s fought imposter syndrome and people-pleasing tendencies will feel a kinship with Sophie, as she finds her voice and the confidence to fall in love authentically.

Dash will likely resonate with anyone who has struggled with addiction or loves someone who does. While his relationship with alcohol is an essential plot point, La Rosa handles this potential mine field with a lot of grace. He too needed to find his voice and Sophie serves as a point of inspiration without becoming his reward for sobriety. Dash may fear a new relationship is his biggest danger point, but it was his existing relationships which required new coping strategies.

The inner conflict of both Sophie and Dash is significant. However, the tender hearts of both characters keep the narrative from dragging into maudlin. There’s plenty of humor and spicy times to balance the rough stuff.

In Erin La Rosa’s first fiction offering, For Butter or Worse, we were introduced to the Lyon sisters, and specifically Nina, a celebrity chef on the rise. While Plot Twist is a natural second book in a series about Nina’s little sister, Sophie and Dash’s story can be treated as a standalone.

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Tropes: Best Friend’s Brother, Celebrity Romance, Friends-to-Lovers, Cinnamon Roll hero

Spice Level: 2/5, open door
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Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date Nov 14th, 2023.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. I loved, loved this book. I listened to the audiobook and it was so well done. This book had such cute banter and was so spicy. I will be reading more by Erin La Rosa.

the third person writing was really hard to get through. i had to start and stop reading mutliple times. i couldnt finish it

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Sophie and Dash. Sophia is an author, who is suffering from a writer’s block. After an unfortunate drunk incident she turns to TikTok to expose her tragic love life. Dash is Sophie's best friend's brother. He was once an aspiring actor but most recently he lives alone working on this crafting skills. Sophie and Dash start working together, becoming friends but there relationship slowly turns into something more as they get to know each other.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves reading rom-coms!