This book was such a fun enemies to lovers book! I really liked that the two main characters were both authors, coming from completely different genres and writing styles. The grumpy/happy trope was also cute, but the character development did go deeper beyond that. It was a little cliche and predictable, but like most romance books, predictability wasn’t bad. In fact, I liked this book more than I was expecting!

I could not get into this book! I really tried, picked it up time and time again and I DNFed pretty early on. Might give it another go in a few months time.

This book is a classic rom-com and content warning: there is a steamy scene that I tried to skip, but read more of than I meant too since I don't read open door. This story was translated from Spanish and reads like it came out about 7 years ago with lots of references to "Twitter" and mentions like Obama being recently out of office. That was unexpected since this is an ARC copy I read and is not out yet. Those things were my distractions, but when it came to the story I loved the premise of two very different authors (one a debit romance writer and the other an experienced crime novelist) coming together to write one story. At times I felt like Marcel (the crime novelist) was too imbalanced and extreme in his behaviors, but as the story unfolds you come to understand the why behind him and it felt more real.
This book gives the satisfying rom-com ending doubled: once in the end of the story and once in the end of the epilogue.
My heart went out to the author in reading her Author's Note and knowing the loss and grief she experienced while writing this book. I am always moved the resiliency of humans.

Thank you to #netgalley and #AmazonCrossing #PlotTwist for my arc of this book with a publication date of Aug 6th.

On paper, Plot Twist should have been a great fit for me. I love a good contemporary romance with a bookish angle, and when done right the enemy-to-lovers trope can be great fun. I've been meaning to try this Spanish author, so I was excited to read this translation partly set in New York. Unfortunately I wasn't as charmed by the story as I thought I would be though... Great premise, but the unlikeable characters and cliches ended up ruining the day for me.

So... Plot Twist. Like I said, I can't deny that the idea behind the plot is great. Two completely opposite characters, one a seasoned crime thriller author and one a newbie romance author, being forced to work together on a new story after a Twitter spat... Talk about SO much potential for a good story! It's definitely a collaboration that I would want to read as well, and if you like a bookish element in your stories you will get more than plenty of that in Plot Twist. There is a lot of focus on the writing process, and with Alex you also get a bit of the literary agent side as well.

The story is told with the help of a dual POV structure, switching between Siobhan and Marcel. It's a great structure to get both sides across and to get to know the main characters better... BUT. And here is where it went wrong for me: it is VERY hard to enjoy a story when you actively and thoroughly despise one of the main characters. It is one thing to have a grumpy main character, but Marcel is simply vile and I absolutely hated having to spend time inside his head. Sure, you will discover certain things (very late!) that help explain the way he is, but it is too little too late and it didn't redeem his character and the way he behaves for me.

It isn't just Marcel though; I also hated how Siobhan just let people walk all over her. Having to deal with her just accepting the way Marcel talks to her and behaves towards her is SO incredibly frustrating, and she never really stands up for herself. Instead, she just constantly forgives him and I just have to believe something more can blossom? Toxic relationship indeed. There were a lot of cliches involved as well, and there was something about the diversity incorporated that didn't feel genuine. Likewise, Siobhan's friends didn't seem supportive at all.

All in all I can't say that I had a great time reading Plot Twist despite its promising premise, and it took me a lot longer to actually make it to the final page. Most people do seem to enjoy it a lot better though; I guess it especially depends on how you react to Marcel's character and his behavior.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I requested a bunch of romance on here because I wanted to try it out. However, romance is just not working for me at the moment. I think its more me than the books themselves so I will be giving this one a neutral rating.

I love a bookish romance and the cover is super cute. I just couldn't get into the story. This was not a bad book and I think it's more a me problem than anything else.

I hope others love this one.

I loved every second of this book! From the literally enemies to lovers, the slow burn, the text messages and witty banter, all of it was amazing! I also loved seeing how each character grew into themselves and faced their own insecurities within the relationship. Everything about this book is perfection and I can’t stop thinking about it!

I wanted to love this book but the characters didn't feel fully formed and their relationship development did not feel natural. Marcel and his development lead to the most issues for me. He was an absolute jerk at the start and then improved at the end, but I didn't see the gradual growth as I would have expected. I spent the whole novel hating him and didn't feel any more connected at the end. And Siobahn just seemed to fall all over him despite how he acted.

The premise of the book is interesting with the thought of bringing the romance readers and crime/thriller readers of the world together. But the book had long dragging parts at time as well. Due to the book being a translated book, I am wondering if some of the things that made me not as excited about this book were lost in the nuances of the translation.

Really good adult romance. Opposites fall for each other while working together on a joint book project. Great concept. Great book.


Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

Plot Twist was not my favorite read and kind of fell flat for me. It is very classic grumpy × sunshine, enemies to lovers and I went into it thinking cute bookish rom com but it was very abrupt and kind of all over the place. I did enjoy the concept of two very different personalities colliding and creating something wonderful, but at times I felt like DNF.

I enjoyed this book! I always appreciate stories about writers, and Sereno’s “Plot Twist” did not disappoint. I was even more impressed to see this was a translated book! Overall, the story moved well, with likable characters and interesting reveals along the way. Not only would I love to read more from this author, I would also love to read the stories her writers write in the book!

This was really cute! Loved the banter between a golden retriever gal vs a black cat guy. Also enjoyed the story within a story and a cross between a crime and romance book actually sounds so good?!!

I do believe it was a tad long other than that I flew through it.

All in all, this was a fun read, with witty dialogue and great pacing as far as the character development goes. In my opinion, Plot Twist by Carmen Sereno has every potential of becoming a big hit and I will not be surprised if a film adaptation follows right after. I would certainly watch it! At this point, I should also say Kudos to the translator Beth Fowler for her excellent work. It's not easy to capture the essence of the original script in another language, unless you are a great writer in your own right.

My full review is posted on my blog.

I was given this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As an aspiring author, this book spoke to me as soon as I read the description. Two authors of very different genres, having to work together on a novel that combines their genres, but maybe just maybe they find something else in the process? I love the idea of mashing a crime novel and romance novel into one and if Carmen would ever write Two Ways in real life, I would snap it up so quick to read it.

That said, this book was so much fun to read. I loved the countering personalities of Siobhan and Marcel, and how their story came about. I loved learning more about them both and seeing everything come together, both in their real story and their fictional one.

This was a great book. I connected with the characters. I felt engrossed with the plot. I would read another book by this author.

This book was an okay read. It had potential, but the pacing was off, and I felt like I had whiplash at times with how fast things jumped while also having a lot of info dumps. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

However, one thing I did like was how the author tackled the snobbery around reading romance. They showed how romance transcends all genres and is not to be looked down on, which I appreciated.

Overall, it's a solid read that could do with some refining. Despite its flaws, it offers a meaningful exploration of love and literature, making it worth checking out.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Carmen Sereno’s Plot Twist is a unique tale of two writers collaborating for a mystery-meets-romance novel. At first glance, Marcel comes off as a selfish, arrogant author (both by Siobhan, and in general). In time Siobhan learns there is so much more than meets the eye. The building romance between the two throughout the book is slow-paced, but rewarding. Sereno captures New Orleans with such detail that I was expecting her to be from there. I definitely want to know more about that when her book arrives into the world.

This was a slow start for me, but a good enemies to lovers book.

Certain characters I found annoying but yo get used to them.

A cute story with a unique premise that captivates you the whole way through. I could definitely see why some people wouldn't take to Marcel and thus not enjoy this book. He is extremely abrasive and mean. But, I found it quite easy to move through that with him and absolutely loved the way Siobhan handled his meanness. Rather than being aggressive back, attacking him back, fighting more, she offered a light hearted, unburdened, un-abused perspective to balance him and it was much more effective. I adored the unique story.

I obtained a copy of this book from NetGalley. This book immediately drew me in with the synopsis, I immediately got the opposite attracts and enemies to lovers vibes from the get go. This cover is very contemporary as lots of similar art styles are on a lot of popular books. I like the title, it’s short and to the point and actually, the book had many plot twists I didn’t anticipate.
I enjoyed Siobhan, natural romantic always wants to see the best in other people, she is very easy to like. However, I did find it really hard to root for Marcel. Perhaps he is just a little bit too unlikeable, the redemption arc did not sit well for me I was both rooting for and against him it felt like… I do understand the whole “mysterious” vibe he was going for and this is later revealed to be quite a dark traumatic childhood story but for me the opposites attract was great, it worked but I did not root for the romantic relationship. This is until the epilogue, I think had this not been part of the story I would feel very different. It was perfect, the redemption I was searching for in Marcel was there and I see he finally has stopped running!! A relief!
My favourite part of the novel was when they were in New Orleans, Marcel’s backstory was drip fed to us up to a big reveal which laid all the truth out for Siobhan, and the reader, to bare him in all his broken glory. I was fully immersed in Marcel’s history but also the history and the culture of New Orleans, as a woman from England and my only experience of New Orleans is in the Vampire Diaries and the Princess & the frog, this was refreshing! Also, highlighted the devastating impact of hurricane Katrina - something which I knew nothing about
Overall, the writing style is really well paced, and MY GOD WAS IT SLOW BURN. But it always left me wanting more, I would be busy doing other things and waiting for a moment to come back to Marcel and Siobahn. The side character, our main characters own True Norths’ - they are well fleshed out, they feel more than side characters and I would happily read a book about Alex, Lena and Paige. This story was very unpredictable a will they won’t they until they finally do. As previously mentioned I believe the one year time skip in the epiologue is the saving grace for me. That said, I will be recommending this to people upon its release!

3.5/5

In "Plot Twist", an established crime novelist, Marcel Black, and a debut romance author, Siobhan Harris, find themselves having to collaborate on writing a novel mixing both genres - very much against Marcel's wishes. At first, I very much despised Marcel Black's character with his condescending attitude and extreme grumpiness. However, I grew to like him throughout the novel as his perspective began to shift.

As Siobhan and Marcel navigate their creative differences and the building tension between them, the "enemies to lovers" trope came into play, much to my delight. Their banter and gradual realization of their feelings for each other add depth and warmth to the story, making their romance all the more satisfying.

However, I feel like some questions were left unanswered, leaving the end of the story feeling rushed and unfinished.