📚 Plot Twist
✍ Breea Keenan
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐3/5
🌶️ closed door

➡ In the wake of her best friend's unexpected death, Becca Taylor isn't sure she can return to her 'normal life.' When a thread of messages on a writing community app lead her to an impulsive trip to Ireland to visit her beta reader buddy Riley, she thinks a summer away will be just what she needs. But when Riley is not at all the quirky romcom writing single-mom she anticipated, things abroad get complicated fast. As their friendship blossoms into something worth writing about, Becca and Riley must move beyond their pasts if they ever want a chance at a future together.
◾
🙏 Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for the advanced copy of Plot Twist. All opinions are my own.
◾
🎯 What I loved: I liked that Becca's journey wasn't linear and that throughout the book, she was working through grief, reclaiming her identity and processing her experiences through writing a children's book. And it was sweet that the two protagonists met through their aspiring writing goals- writing sprints and plot plans made for a unique backdrop for a romance novel.

🙅‍♀️ What I didn't: I finished this book feeling less than convinced that the main couple were actually supposed to be together. Their relationship was complicated and while I appreciate the connection that they built prior to the book taking place through their writing group and chat, I didn't really see a lot of that build-up or connection through the book. There were moments that they spent together, but I never felt the romantic tension in a way that I have with other books. I think this may also have to do with the fact that that the time they were 'romantically together' was literally just a page of the book before they were drawn apart. And, the story was told in dual timelines...with another romance the focal point of the '10 years ago' storyline. It was confusing. On top of their limited togetherness, there were TWO third act break ups....and it was just a lot for my heart to take.
◾
Read if you love:
*single parent romances
*mistaken identity
*found family
*writer main characters
◾
See also: By Any Other Name, Between Us, The One that Got Away

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to the E-Arc. All opinions are my own.

4.25*

There are so many things that I enjoyed about the novel. I loved the fact this novel dealt with difficult situations and emotions. It made it feel more like a realistic love story. I appreciate the way the author used humor throughout the novel to break up the hard talks. I throughly enjoyed reading this Arc.

My only problem that I had with the story is at times it felt like there was too much drama. I’m not the biggest fan of too much drama in stories. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy this arc. I would highly recommend it.

Note: grief, drug addiction, and lose of a parent.

I adored this book! A cosy romantic book that was so heartwarming! I adored Becca and Riley. As well a book that combines Ireland and Scotland, 10/10!!. I’m so happy to read a romantic book with a Scottish main character. I just wished that the ending had been drawn out a little bit more.

I will definitely be recommending this title.

my toxic trait is having a 5 page essay due at midnight that i didn't start but starting this book instead. i absolutely loved this. it was far more lighthearted than expected giving the catalyst of her best friend being dead. i will have to say i wished there was more substance? i went into this thinking it was more fiction romance than romance romance. all to say, i enjoyed this as a low stakes soft romance which is exactly what i needed.

thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Not gonna lie: The ending had me going all squishy inside (which isn't really my thing, so). That said, the "twist" early on was more than a little ridiculous, though the sweet characters' lack of overreaction more or less made up for it.

I loved the Irish setting!! It just sounded so pretty and charming! But I didn't love that there wasn't more romance or spice in the book.

Overall, this was an easy read that flicks back and forth from the past to the present. I just wish that it gave you more of the feels.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a cute story. A funny and sweet romcom that tackles some difficult subjects in a very open way, such as grief, addiction, single parenting, etc.. it does have a HEA.

Plot Twist
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m so excited to talk about this book! This book releases on March 28th and I hope you all add it to your TBRs!
In my opinion, I think this book is perfect for fans of Katherine Center and Annabel Monaghan.
This book was so great, it flowed so flawlessly and I was invested in the story almost immediately. Becca is struggling with grief and her mental health, so it’s decided that she should meet her internet best friend in real life for the first time. As you can guess by the title…there are going to be a few plot twists along the way. This book is set in Ireland, the imagery was so beautiful with the description of the cottage, and all of the characters were SO FUN! Becca and Riley had incredible banter, and all of the side characters made this book even more entertaining. There were so many laugh-out-loud moments and so many adorable scenes between the two main characters. The plot twists were not insane but added just the right amount of intrigue. This is a great, refreshing women's fiction book with the most lovable and charming characters. I would definitely recommend adding this to your TBR for next year because this is a wonderful fast-paced read. Especially if you like stories: where the characters are book lovers, small-town romance, friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, and books with themes of grief.

[3.5/5 ★★★☆] This book is a fun, entertaining romantic comedy that follows two writers that take their online friendship to real life when they embark on a writing retreat. There's not much to it, the characters are nice enough, the banter between them is good and the cute moments are adorable, some Beach Read vibes if you're into that. Overall, a good read to pass the time.

The introduction felt a little too slow for me, maybe I just wanted to get to part where they met, maybe it had a little too much information, it's up to every person to decide.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I think this was a nice little romance novel, although I do think it was hanging around the 'trying to be normal friends' and then jumped into more with less of the middle fluffy romance that I like best. I also found it confusing initially with Riley and Rae having similar names, and the texts distinguished only by the initial 'R', and I had to go back and check who was texting right before we got the news of Rae's death (aka was she texting and driving). Other than this plot point which is established early, I don't think there were any other 'plot twists' and the developments felt obvious to me. I also find it difficult to stay immersed in books where the characters are writers and discuss book tropes, etc. It wasn't as pervasive as other books I've read, but i don't enjoy it like I do when Scream is meta.

I think it would've been nice for Becca's dad to join her in Ireland with it being mentioned he misses it. I found it weird that Ivy was so excited to meet Becca initially, but I guess kids can be like that. I also felt that a minor characters coming out wasn't handled the best (it wasn't negative, but it didn't appreciate how scary that can be imo). None of these things are major gripes, but the book wasn't life changing for me or anything either.

Overall, I think it's a nice easy read and the stakes weren't too high. TW for death, cancer, addiction. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book which in many ways resembles Emily Henry’s Beach Read and Mhairi McFarlane’s Just Last Night. As Becca tries to grieve the loss of her best friend, she accepts the invitation of a fellow writer Riley to an informal writer’s retreat in Ireland - in hopes they will help each other overcome their writers block.
While I enjoyed the premise of the book and the way it explored themes of grief and forgiveness, I found the romance part lacking. Since this is more women’s fiction than romance I didn't expect much romance to begin with, but I still couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed at the lack of chemistry between the two MCs and the rushed storyline to get them together.
3.5 ⭐️

Cute little story. Loved the plot twists and all of the characters. Story takes a bit to get going, but it’s worth it in the end.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher.

I’m in a romance slump. So maybe it’s not the book, maybe it’s me?!?! But I strongly disliked Becca. She was selfish and immature. I really had a hard time finding anything to like about her. Riley was very two-dimensional to me. You could have replaced him with any yoga loving good guy. All the side characters lacked depth for me too. Based on the description, I was expecting lol but mostly rolling my eyes. I would say I’m disappointed. 2 1/2 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Becca's boyfriend has died and her career is stuck. She is struggling. Riley, a fellow writer, invites her to the Irish countryside, and she accepts - what does she have to lose?! BUT she doesn't realize that Riley is a man....a cute one at that.....will sparks fly?
A fabulous romcom. I loved every moment - though I found it hard to beleive that she didn't know that Riley was a man. Overall a great read with many cute moments, fun banter and lol moments.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was just the perfect feel-good story needed for a gloomy sick day. Despite all the plot twists in here, you’ll undoubtedly find yourself rooting for Riley and Becca from the beginning. A summer that begins with Becca's world coming crashing down around her takes her to the serene Irish countryside. Riley is just a bonus 😉

When they finally meet the world next year, I hope they get all the love they deserve. Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy!

Hooked from the beginning. A sweet and cozy rom-com.
The characters were great and the setting made me wish I could jump into the book.

Definitely worth a read

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the free copy provided in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars rounded down
Okay so woah. I think I have neck pains for all the whiplash that book gave me good lord, (I probably should have taken the title more seriously). Plot twist follows a main character (Becca) who through a journey of grief (and other revelations) goes to stay with a friend as an informal writer's retreat, leading to more surprises and drama to unfold.
This book wasn't necessarily bad, however I found structure to be absent in some of the book, creating a mess of storytelling, many of the conflicts that were introduced either didn't get discussed enough and provided an abrupt solution to tie lose ends, or did not provide a resolution. Also, as it was under the 'romance' category when I saw it on Netgalley, I was expecting this to be central to the book, however I found it was lacking romance.
I did love some aspects though, seeing more realistic portrayals of relationships as adults, how everyone kind of sucks sometimes, people keep secrets, we get jealous and stalk-that-one-girl-at-his-work-that's-way-cooler-than-me, was well done.
So overall, it was fun, I love a good book filled with chaos, however for the amount of contend compacted in there, I didn't really get to know the love interest well enough or see much of a romantic connection happening. If it was a little longer and there was a bit more structure would have been a definite 5 stars,

I'm still not entirely sure how she didn't realise Riley was a man, but that's beside the point.
This was sweet and heartfelt, and I loved the inclusion of Ivy in the story, too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline Headline Accent for this hilarious and heartbreaking advanced reader copy of “Plot Twist” by Breea Keenan. I had a hard time letting this one go. I wished it had kept going although it ended perfectly. I was so invested in the character and the locations (Scotland and Ireland) that I didn’t want it to end.

Becca is a funny and empathetic woman. The story opens with her getting her annual Pap smear. The first chapter let’s us see both her hilarity and joyful being, but soon we learn of the significant loss of her best friend.

Becca is a teacher, loves kids, and is writing a children’s book but struggling with some writer’s block. Becca is part of an online writing group and strikes up a friendship with who she thinks is a woman (Riley) writing romantic fiction. After the loss of her friend, she feels untethered and when Riley invites her to stay for the summer at their (Riley and the cutest four year old daughter, Ivy) cottage in Ireland, on a whim she agrees. They will have a writer’s retreat and encourage each other to finish their books. But when she shows up in Ireland, things aren’t quite what she assumed. Riley is a man, a very hot Irish man.

The author does a fantastic job writing about grief, loss, love, and exes. How do we forgive people who have hurt us deeply? How do you ever get through losing your best friend?

The setting in this book is gorgeous. I highlighted the description of Bellinder Cottage because I fell in love with the house. Breea Keenan’s writing is beautiful and she tackles tough subjects with ease.

It’s hard to believe this is her debut novel! I will definitely read anything else this author writes in the future. This book comes out in late March and I will buy copies for friends.

Charming, sweet rom com. I did find it hard to believe she had no idea Riley was a man but I was able to look past it. I’m ready to book a flight to Ireland now :)