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 !

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!

I love a good enemies-to-lovers storyline and Plot Twist delivered! The characters were each so unique and their backstories so interesting. I enjoyed the authors peeling back of the layers for each character, it was a great way to get the reader invested. I was worried when I saw it was translated, as sometimes things can get lost in the translation. However, my worries were unwarranted. This was so charming and a lovely read! My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Enemies to lovers with an added spin making them write a book together that combines crime and romance. Oh and also one author is newly published while the other is an established bestseller, so what could go wrong!?! Find out in this fun read!
In Plot Twist by Carmen Sereno, we follow Siobhan and Marcel as they have a summer filled with writing outside of their comfort zones, arguing, and lots of plot twists.
Highly recommended grabbing this book!

Here’s the gist: Marcel, a reclusive, grumpy crime novelist, is struggling with writer’s block after killing of the MC in his much lauded series. He reluctantly joins Twitter on the advice of his agent, and immediately gets into it with Siobhan, a ray of sunshine reeling from a break up, but riding high on the recent publication of her first novel. The two accidentally end up in a Twitter spat, which leads to massive publicity, which leads to uppity Marcel being forced to work with pushover Siobhan. It goes as well as you’d expect.

What a terrific premise!

Too bad the execution was lacking.

On the positive side, Siobhan is generally likable. The quality of writing isn’t cringey. (I’m struggling.)

There were far more issues.

While I usually appreciate dual POV, I’d rather not have had any time in Marcel’s head. He’s rude, angry, aggressive. He spends the first third of the novel fetishinzing Siobhan, the second third jerking her around, and the last part in a desperate attempt to redeem the story. I’m fine with authors writing outside their personal frame of reference, but I find it hard to believe no one flagged this as (subconscious?) racism in representation.

Next we have Siobhan’s best friends, cardboard cutouts meant to represent “millennial feminist women” - people with no depth.

There’s no reason for Siobhan to be attracted to this man who wastes no time insulting her and her writing, and yet she’s immediately smitten.

Halfway through, they travel to his hometown of New Orleans where we’re given a somewhat heavy handed, out of context history lesson about Katrina.

There are also two undeveloped storylines - why Siobhan’s boyfriend suddenly broke up with her and why Marcel never visits his dying father - that leave the reader wondering.

There’s a lot of telling instead of showing, and the narrative is clunky at times because of it. Also? The spice feels like it was written by AI.

And the final thing I’ll mention is an abrupt ending so out of character as to be unbelievable.

I expected a lot more from the promising premise, but this misses the mark entirely.

I... didn't love this.

Siobhan is a first-time author living in Brooklyn and working a minimum wage job. Marcel is a best selling crime author. They get in an argument on Twitter and are challenged to write a novel together. They're like oil and water when they start working together, but the tensions ease as they get to know each other.

I like a good enemies to lovers. But something about this just rubbed me the wrong way. First, I thought it was that Marcel was insufferable. His speech patterns are odd and pretentious, but I feel like you can believe that. Ultimately, I think it was the pacing that did me in. Siobhan and Marcel do open up to each other and get to know each other, but it's in weird stages that don't really make sense. And the way they warm up to each other isn't necessarily natural or believeable.

But, while it wasn't my fav, I would probably recommend it to someone who enjoys enemies to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, opposites attract. It just wasn't one that really blew me away.

Carmen Sereno’s Plot twist has an interesting storyline and characters with real struggles that you want to cheer for to find their happily ever after. For me what let this story down was the large jump in plot with little to no explanation, our protagonist goes from a broke writer publishing stories online to a published author with her first book release within a chapter with no development of how she secured a book deal, the process to getting her work edited and published. The author wanted to focus more on the connection between Marcel and Siobhan which is understandable for a romance novel but without these details the story felt disconnected and unrealistic for me as the reader.