I didn't mind Plot Twist. I mean. I ended with a shrug. The sex scenes are *chef's kiss* good and I appreciated how real and messy the characters are. But La Rosa, I think, writes such good messy characters that the romance took a backseat to the rest of the drama.

This is a super sweet, unpredictable and unputdownable romance plot with several twists and turns including very steamy scenes 🔥🥵.

Finally, an author that calls the child by its name and writes a coherent story about LOVE regardless of gender issues. Both protagonists, Sophia and Dash, are in their thirties and have had their fair share of experiences in life without the rewarding reciprocity of true love until their paths lead to one another.

The story kept my attention with its flawed, but endearing characters, whilst I immersed myself into their LA lifestyle including their social media hype.

At 60% I thought that I’ve had enough of the horny-fantasies-come-true-scenes, but was glad that I kept on reading as the last 30-40% of the fluent novel are unearthing some details around delicate issues such as dysfunctional families, addictions and mental health.

The side characters have also their big moments when you least expect and rebalance the overall love story.

It’s been a fantastic reading experience, indeed.
Easy 5 stars ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Erin La Rosa for an ARC!

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Interesting premise, author with writers block has an interaction with a past heart throb who is part of an acting family. This is a book that features a lot of TikTok references and delves minorly into alcoholism. Probably wouldn't read this again, it was fine but not a stunner for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Canary Street Press for an advanced copy.

This is a very easy read, which is nice! I flew through it in under 24 hours which is refreshing and fun.
Overall, this is a very fun book! I liked Sophie and Dash, and didn't feel like either character was too much, despite what I thought going in.
Sadly, I didn't feel like the stakes in this book, outside of Dash's alcoholism, felt real. A major set up for the story is that Sophie has a book due in 6 weeks, and while that is referenced throughout the story, the deadline never feels like it's looming over her. The suspense just isn't there. I'd say, overall, outside of her relationship with Dash, there are very few stakes in Sophie's life. After a major betrayal, her sister resolves it very easily, and when her relationship with Poppy falls apart, not a lot of time passes before that's resolved too. I just wish there was more there, especially since there was the framework in place.
I will also say that I could not take any of the smut in this book seriously. It was too goofy, and not in a fun way. I'm all for goofy! But it didn't work here, and I'm not sure why.
Overall, despite my problems with this book, I did enjoy it and I did have a good time reading it!

Thank you publisher & NetGalley for the opportunity to review!

I was really excited to have been approved for this title and unfortunately, while it wasn't bad by any means, it was just okay. I couldn't put my finger on what was not jiving with me originally, but after putting it down and picking up something else for a while, I realized it's because there's a lot of "telling" in the writing. I'm firmly a believer in the "show don't tell" style, so reading that "she felt sad" and all of a characters' background info doesn't do it for me. I think if you like a dialogue driven story, this read might not be for you.

I also didn't love the male main character. I think for me personally there was too much going on with him at once. While I totally understand and appreciate where the author was coming from, the secretly crafty forgotten son of the famous family who is also in recovery from alcohol use while also nursing a candy fixation and in denial about this attraction to his sister's best friend slash his tenant is just a lot for me. I'm all for character depth, but this one made me feel like I was drowning a bit, and I couldn't keep up with where everything was going.

I want to point out though that my review is reflective of MY preferences, and that this may be a great read for someone else. There are aspects I really appreciated, like the correct pronoun use or the acceptance around sexuality. I also liked the quirky female main. Just overall, not something I would pick up again for myself.

<b>2.5/5 ⭐️</b><i> (rounded up)</i>
<b>2.5/5 🌶</b>

This book wasn't for me but please don't let that discourage you from trying it yourself.

For me, the characters started out strong. I thought the plot was very contemporary and had many pop culture references. It was also my first book with a pansexuality character and I was excited to experience that as a reader.

Even though Dash and Sophie had chemistry, I didn't feel like it was natural or flowed. They had these absolutely sweet and lovely moments and then suddenly it would turn into d*ck talk. Now, I love a good open-door romp sess. To be clear *ahem*, I encourage it! Unfortunately, they didn't feel right to me and I found myself skimming over them because they felt blotchy and almost clumsy. Despite both characters being confident in themselves! It just didn't work but, again, that's just me and I bet many others will love it.

What I did enjoy about this book is how Dash was going through his sobriety on page. We were rooting for him every step of the way! I loved being immersed in the Hollywoods Hills and despite the family drama, I loved watching him become more confident in pursuing his true dreams. His best friend was a true gem and Dash's relationship with his BFF's baby girl is adorable.

As for our dear Sophie, I enjoyed how determined she was to improve herself and find her own version of happiness. It was fun meeting all her exes to find out what didn't work out in their relationships and her learning and standing her ground as we got further in the book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was just ok. I loved her first book but this one seemed to try to cram too many things into one book. I liked the main relationship but throwing in family issues and meeting all her exs and the alcoholism seemed like no storyline got enough attention.

I love when a romance author writes about a romance author and acknowledges typical romance book tropes. Which in and of itself, could be another trope. Anyway, in Plot Twist, author Erin La Rosa (who also wrote the adorable For Butter or Worse) does just that. This cute novel is light-hearted, but manages to touch on some complex issues and tricky family dynamics. It was easy to become invested in the main characters, and genuinely root for them. Overall, it’s a worthwhile way to spend a few hours!

What can I say about this novel besides omg!!!! So stinken cute!!!! 5/5 recommend! One of those hold to your chest when you’re done. That’s my favorite kind of romance!

4 Stars

This is a cute romance author who has never been in love story. Sophie is a romance author but it's struggling to write her send book because she never has been in love. So she goes on a journey and documents it thru tik Tok of interviewing her exs about why it never worked out. Then there is Dash her next door neighbor, land lord and brother of her bff that helps her along this journey.

I thought the chemistry and sexy scenes in this book was very well done. Ton of spice but respectfully done. I loved it, I did love that there was a one bed trope in the very beginning and Sophie laughing about it.

The book did read very quickly. At times however the pacing did feel a bit off, I struggled thru some of the chapters specifically the ones with Dash's family.

One thing that didn't really work for me was actually the meeting of Sophie's ex's. The worse one being Carla. None of that made sense to me and seemed forced.

There is a representation of alcoholism and struggles with staying sober. I thought this was well done and I appreciated this layer of depth to this contemporary story.

I would recommend this to authors who enjoy contemporary romances with spice. Also a book with deeper topics that characters are struggling with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was a cute and quick read.

Sophie is a romance author who's never been in love. After this is revealed in an embarrassing drunken tirade that goes viral, she decides to revisit her ex's to find out what went wrong and hopefully help spark her next book idea. Dash is a former teen heartthrob and Sophie's landlord. He's trying to find his way in life after becoming sober and battling the pressures from his family to return to Hollywood.

What I liked:
- The spicy scenes were top notch!
- Dash was the sweetest MMC and he deserves the world
- Dual POV for the win
- The portrayal of Dash's sobriety journey and relapse felt real and honest
- This book has lots of humour, especially Sophie's inner dialogue

What I didn't like:
- I really liked the idea of Sophie revisiting her ex's, but I think there was a missed opportunity to explain what she learned from these relationships, especially Carla. She jumped right back into a relationship with her (who seemed pretty cool) and then ended things not long after. I appreciated that Sophie was growing and figuring out how to go for what she wants, but the way this was handled rubbed me the wrong way.
- For a short book, there were a lot of plot points, but not always closure on those story lines. It kept the book moving quickly and my interest peaked, but I would've appreciated a bit more follow through on some of the side stories.

I was really excited to get my hands on the book based on the description - I love an “author living out her tropes” moment and hoped it would be a bit like Book Lovers. There were pieces I really liked but overall this was a miss for me.

First and foremost, I have learned that I REALLY don’t like overly pushy pop culture references. Call me a bitter millennial, but if I never again read a book that has TikTok as a central plot point, I’d be ok with that. I feel like this cements the book in exactly one point in time that could very well become irrelevant quickly.

The FMC felt way more immature than her early- to mid-thirties age implies. I found myself annoyed by her until the very end of the book, and even then wasn’t in love. In contrast, the MMC was relatable in the basest ways and I liked him a lot.

Overall, I can see why this will be a successful book in some markets, but it won’t be one I reach for again.

This book was a cute, quick, and easy read. Sobriety is a heavy theme in the book along with familial drama, finding oneself, and toxic relationships.

When I tell you I flew thru this book i mean I absolutely zoomed thru it at full speed. I loved the story, how the relationship developed within the two main characters, the complete bombshell that happened I truly wasn’t expecting that. Now while i don’t really love books with misunderstandings I understood this one and I’m glad it was resolved basically in seconds and there wasn’t this big huge fight over it. Sometimes there are misunderstandings in other books that last chapters and they get even worse little by little. But the author did this so well and wrote it in a way that was believable.

I honestly had so much fun reading this book and enjoyed every bit of it, the writing is great, I loved the cover, and overall it was a great plot with good characters. Definitely recommend if you need a fast fun read.

This book was SO good! Complex characters, author references (I see you Abby Jimenez), grump to sunshine love story, and so much more. You won’t regret the read.

Oh my goodness. Erin La Rosa never disappoints. I was in the mood for something sexy, sweet, and charming. This checked all the boxes!

Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa (coming November 14, 2023)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥/5

Romance author Sophie Lyons has a secret, and thanks to a drunken karaoke night, it’s gone viral. She’s never been in love. She’s having trouble with finishing her latest book because she can’t seem to give them a happy ending. Sophie makes a plan: in order to figure out why she’s never been in love, she’s going to meet up with all her exes to figure out why it didn’t work. However, she was not expecting Dash Montrose, her current landlord and her best friend’s brother, to be part of the situation. He’s a former actor who’s currently working on staying sober instead of a new action movie. He’s worried that he can’t give her the stable relationship she needs, so they start up a casual friends with benefits arrangement. What could possibly go wrong?

It was kind of hard for me to get into this book at first, but after a few chapters, I was hooked and stayed up last night to finish it. I love how the characters learned to grow together and ended up being far more important to each other than they ever could’ve imagined. This book is definitely spicy, and will have you swooning (or needing a cold shower)!

Plot Twist

Plot Twist is about Sophie, a romance author who is experiencing writer’s block due to her inability to fall in love and Dash, a child actor struggling with alcoholism and the pressures of family expectations. The beginning of the story follows Sophie after a night out when she gets TikTok famous after denouncing love while kareokee-ing to Tiny Dancer. She is struggling with severe writers block after writing a successful romance book and she decides to use her new TikTok fame to explore why her past relationships failed in order to help her find love while also completing her unfinished book. Dash, Sophie’s landlord and Sophie’s best friends brother, form a friendship during this time. Dash is a childhood actor who has familial pressure to return to acting despite his unwillingness to. His story follows his sobriety journey and his journey to find joy of his own creation. Sophie and Dash come together in a beautiful story of resilience and true love while navigating the challenges of sobriety. The author did a beautiful job of exploring the dynamics of falling in love despite struggles and overcoming self-doubt. It started a little slow for me and had so many outside factors that I struggled to follow at times. Between Dash’s issues with alcohol, family struggles, a stalker and self doubt and then Sophie’s own issues with writing and dealing with all her past relationships, I felt like it was hard to stay focused at times. Overall it is worth a read!

Sophie is a romance writer who seems to have a serious case of writer’s block. She struggles to write love stories because ironically, she admits to never been in love. To find the reason she’s never found that happy ending, she looks to social media, making short videos highlighting each ex and what went wrong. She then decides to meet up with them to solve the mystery. With the help of her landlord, the videos take off. Dash, the landlord, is a celebrity who has problems of his own. Suffering with life in Hollywood, sobriety, and a dwindling acting career, he assists Sophie with the videos in his downtime. Surprise surprise, they have a friends with benefits arrangement. Of course no problems arise in La La Land!

This was a quick fun read. Cartoon cover with a lot of spice!