1 star

When you hate both main characters from the start, you know it's not going to work, and this is, I didn't like this book.
Both main characters are vapid, superficial, and horrendous people, and neither of them had any character development by the end, so it was a struggle to finish this.
I won't say I'll never read from this author again because the structure of the story was good, but this was definitely a miss.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️ 🌶️/5

💖 Enemies to Lovers
💖 Opposites Attract
💖 Forced Proximity
💖 Workplace Romance
💖 Slow Burn

Siobhan Harris is an inexperienced romance writer, just trying to make ends meet. Recently ghosted by her boyfriend and stuck in an unaffordable apartment, she’s down to her last shred of sanity and nearly her last dollar when a book offer changes her life.

Marcel Dupont, a narcissistic asshat, ended his phenomenally successful thriller series by killing off its hero in a tantrum. His fans are outraged, and so is his publisher. He’s obsessed with keeping his identity a secret, remaining a faceless author.

Forced onto Twitter, the first thing the social media-naïve Marcel does is start a feud with Siobhan. With her star on the rise and his on the decline, the publisher decides they need to collaborate on a romantic thriller.

Cue the drama. Sparks fly, tensions escalate, and as they get to know each other, they both discover that there’s more to the other than meets the eye. The writing is sharp and witty, and the banter between Siobhan and Marcel is outstanding! Initially, I really, really disliked Marcel, but I eventually grew to love him. Siobhan, however, had my support from the very start! Also…potential 2nd book with Paige and Alex 🤔 🧐

I felt like this book starts out with a stream of consciousness dump on the reader and it felt really hard to catch up after that.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an e-arc or this book 💞

I have to confess, I almost dnf’d it at first.
The reason is Marcel, our mmc and the most narcissist and condescending writer I’ve ever read about 😱
But I was really curious and I keep reading and I’m very glad I did 🥰

The balance between Marcel who is cynical and Siobhan (the fmc) who is a hopeless romantic made their dynamic absolutely perfect and their story very enjoyable.

I loved the fact that, after a little « disagreement » on twitter they had to combine their genre to write a book together🥰

Both of their past is really dark (particularly his) and seeing them working on the book while growing as human beings was very refreshing.

It’s a 5/5 for me, I am now going to buy a physical copy to annotate my favorite moments 🥰

I so wanted to love this book: great title, wonderful premise., translated from its original language to English. Alas, that was not the experience. What may sing in another language was a plodding, impenetrable misery of predictable and cliche moments and statements about New York City, being young, falling in love, the all of the experience I abandoned when it was clear this was how the novel was. Possibly the translator and publisher might have worked a bit to capture the spirit and the grammar, the pace and style of an American English novel. So, a DNF for a person who loves romance, loves books, enjoys all of New York City. I received a copy of this book and these are my own, unbiased opinions.

Imagine getting into a viral argument on social media that your bosses find out and force you to work together! Honestly didn’t like either MCs tbh but as the story progressed, I grew to adore them 😍 LOVED this idea of 2 different genres coming together in one book. This book had plenty of banter, tension, comedy and romance. If you’re a fan of romantic comedies, I definitely recommend this book!

Oh, my. Marcel came in hot as a completely detestable character. I couldn’t finish this book as it it became clear to me that there was nothing that happened later that would be able to redeem his early behavior. The banter was painful to read … it wasn’t clever so much as immature and cruel. Typically, romance novels feature playful banter that can later be turned into flirting but this was definitely not the case.

I also wonder if there were some things lost in translation or if there were cultural differences but there were quite a few lines I think US readers will find offensive. There were “jokes” poked at political correctness and a few racially charged comments. I’m just not sure how they’ll be received.

After a twitter showdown between a newly published romance author and an established, well-known crime author battling out there the best parts of their genres, how they are viewed by the public, and their conventions, their mutual publisher forces them to co-write a book that bridges both genres.
The writing process between the two could not be more different and the friendship between the two becomes a source of some of the sweetest, most heartfelt moments and some laugh out loud moments.

Probably one of the most mind-blowing things to me is that this was a translated book, published by an author outside of the United States, that so accurately and poignantly caught some of the most intricate truths of New York and New Orleans cultures, people, and histories- the types of truths that people who grew up there could not fully articulate as well as it was told here. It was simply spot on.

#arc
#netgalley
#plottwist

I think it was a matter off right book wrong time for me. I would love to give it a reread in the future.

What a delightful read Plot Twist by Carmen Sereno was! The "will they, won't they" was maddening, in a good way. And seriously, Phoebe Dynevor (Daphne) and Regé-Jean Page (Simon) as the muses for this story? Absolute perfection!

Siobhan Harris is the latest success in publishing now that her debut romance is a hit. Marcel Black is an established author with dozens of bestsellers and an aversion to publicity. Unfortunately for him, after a snarky, very public battle of wits with Siobhan, Marcel has now found himself co-writing a book with "just a romance" writer.

I couldn’t get enough of the witty banter between Siobhan and Marcel. I loved how attentive Marcel was to Siobhan and how she constantly pushed him out of his comfort zone. Ugh...they're just such a cute couple!

I am a huge sucker for any behind the scenes on books, writing, publishing, and the like. I'm thrilled this book was translated. It would have been a shame to miss out on this wonderful story. Honestly, I’m crossing my fingers this gets turned into a movie!

Read this if you like:
• Workplace romance
• Enemies to lovers
• New Orleans and/or NYC
• Behind the scenes in publishing/writing

I could only get 30% through bc of all the reverse racism. It’s bc I’m black right? No it’s bc you an asshole and a bully who thinks you’re better than anybody else. Skin tone isn’t a disability and I’m tired of ppl trying to make it one. Why can’t we have a sweet mixed race romance without the race baiting and hating? Im not racist and neither are 95% of the white population.

"Plot Twist" by Carmen Sereno is a delightful literary concoction that blends humor, romance, and a touch of rivalry into a heartwarming tale set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City. Through the lens of two clashing authors, Siobhan Harris and Marcel Black, Sereno weaves a narrative that celebrates the diversity of storytelling and the power of collaboration.

The banter was there. The tension was there. Overall, "Plot Twist" is a captivating and feel-good read that will appeal to fans of romantic comedies and literary fiction alike. Carmen Sereno's masterful storytelling and engaging characters make this novel a true standout, reminding us that sometimes, the most unexpected partnerships lead to the most extraordinary adventures.What a fun read where the reader gets to see how an unexpected collaboration leads to surprising discoveries. Marcel Black, a renown author, finds himself thrusted into an unlikely partnership, with Siobhan, a fresh faced rider with her own unique perspective. Sereno masterfully weaves together together the dynamics of Marcel and Siobhan’s relationship, creating a charming blend of grumpiness and sunshine that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. As they navigate the intricacies of co-writing, both characters are forced out of their comfort zones, leading to a heartwarming moment of personal growth and understanding.

3.5!!!

Honestly when I requested this ARC, the author's name was familiar to me but I did not investigate further, look at my surprise when I entered Goodreads and indeed I knew her, and she writes in Spanish, something that I am pleasantly surprised, that Latin and Spanish authors continue to shine on English soil.

Now going to what interests us, this has been a phenomenal book, it has had me super hooked with the author's pen, that sense of humor and drama that we all appreciate when our brains are on mode: I hate you. It makes having this read flow super great.

A story with which you stay a nice time and super addictive that makes that in a matter of hours you have almost devoured them.

Although I did not end up connecting with the characters, being that at some point I lost focus with them, the writing has been super nice that I am left with more desire to keep track of the author, now if in Spanish hehehe.

I thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book is a classic enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance. Where it differs is the complicated backstory of our grumpy MMC. I also enjoyed the fact that these are both writers and one is brand new to the industry. It gave me a lot of tidbits and inspiration for my own writing journey. Plus plenty of hope. This book doesn't go exactly as you'd expect, but there is a happily ever after! Great, easy read!

I loved this book. It was so much better than I thought it would be.
Siobhan was so sunshine, loved her. She was so sweet and hopeful. I just loved her whole self, the way she loved with her whole heart. She didn't make excuses for it, it was the way she was.
Marcel had been burned badly by his parents and was very grumpy. What he went through, along with his sister, no child should. Parents are supposed to protect us not disapoint us and break our hearts.
Siobhan helped him realize there was more to life than just hiding and being closed of.
It was a slow burn that was burning and you could literally see the tension jumping from the book.
I loved these characters and all their flaws and I loved their love

Plot Twist by Carmen Sereno was a fun grumpy/sunshine + enemies to lover story.
The characters had great chemistry, the pacing was well done, the writing was easy to follow.
An engaging contemporary romance read.

Thank you NetGalley & Amazon Crossing for the ARC !

DNF at 30%

The personality and comments of the male protagonist (only in his chapter which is one of the first) made me not want to continue with this book, I thought it was because of the translation so I bought the Spanish version but it is simply worse. Every time he spoke it made me roll my eyes.

Thank you for this opportunity to read this book before the release date but it was not for me.

Plot Twist is Carmen Sereno’s first novel translated into English and it was very fun to read. Swipe for synopsis. Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for the chance to read this via gifted eARC. All thoughts are my own and honest.

I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. I stayed up way too late every night because I constantly needed to know what happened next. The enemies to lovers trope was believable here, as they had a legit reason for not liking each other. It reminded me a lot of Beach Read. Siobhan might be one of my favorite heroines. Her feelings about romance novels mirror my own and I will never stop reading and defending the romance genre.

I absolutely could not stand Marcel, at first, which I think was the point. He was mean, nasty, entitled, and had the biggest superiority complex I’ve ever seen. I’ve heard so many times a variation of the things he said to Siobhan about romance novels from a lot of people, and it made so mad. But his growth over the course of the story is some of the best I’ve ever read. By the end of the story, I was rooting for them as a couple and had high hopes for them following the epilogue.

If you enjoy enemies to lovers, I think you’ll enjoy this book. Plot Twist releases August 6.

Two authors with very different specialities join together to write a novel in both of their genres after an online argument takes place in the comment section of someone with a large online presence. This spat is viewed by many and the challenge to write together is presented. They reluctantly agree and try to learn about one another in order to create the best novel!

I was really excited for this story, I love a good enemies to lovers, sassy character and banter situation but this fell flat in almost every way. Even reading the prologue my mouth was open at some of the dialogue that I found to be incredibly problematic. It unfortunately just got worse from there and within the first three chapters I was upset that I had agreed to finish this because I did not want Siobhan to end up with Marcel. There is the well loved trope of having a grumpy man with a bubbly sunshine woman, but this went far beyond that. Marcel was ignorant, degrading, misogynistic, and flat out mean for no reason. It wasn’t even fun to read about because I would try to escape this man in my real life, I couldn’t find a way to get giggly for Shiv which made this whole book hard to get through since it started off on a bad note.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Carmen Sereno, and Amazon Crossing for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review! This will publish on August 6th!

I have posted my review on Goodreads, my Facebook book club, and will make a TikTok to post before the pub date!