Thank you NetGalley & Amazon Crossing for the ARC !

This book was a very classic grumpy x sunshine + enemies to lover. I enjoyed the banter between Marcel & Siobhan, they both really embodied their tropes well with Siobhan having such a rough time but always having a positive outlook on life and Marcel, well, irritable. The plot of the story was also very interesting where two people opposite in personality come together to hopefully create something memorable that they're both proud of.

I'll rate a solid 3. It was okay, but I felt the pacing of the story within the chapters were a bit abrupt and bounced around a lot, as opposed to a seamless flow. At some moments throughout the book, I found myself breaking out of the immersion by going, "Oh, I guess we're here now." There was also a giant portion of the novel where it was just info dump and dialogue. I would prefer if novels were more show as opposed to tell especially when the character decides to provide lists in most of her monologues. There were also parts that could have provided a lot more insight to the characters and enriched their stories, but it sort of fell flat as well.

Siobhan is a newly published romance author with a bit of imposter syndrome. Marcel is a widely successful crime author who just killed off his beloved main character and lives in anonymity. After a book influencer puts their books in competition and Marcel’s giant ego makes the situation worse, they are pushed to work together by their publisher to write a crime romance novel. Can they get past their intense dislike for one another to write a successful book and find a place of mutual respect . . . or more.

This was an enjoyable, grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers romance with a nice HEA. Marcel’s character was VERY unlikeable at the beginning, but he has significant character development thanks to his relationship with Siobhan. His development is the focus of the book, including a visit to his hometown of New Orleans. Those chapters are definitely a love letter to NOLA and I enjoyed the reminders of the continued impact of Katrina on that city. It was interesting to me that a Spanish author wrote so knowledgeably of NOLA and NYC. There were a few odd word choices throughout the book that I assumed were from the translation, but everything made sense. I do wish there had been more of Marcel wanting to know more of who Siobhan is, including her family. His history was the focus, but overall there was good banter and fun side characters. I would recommend to romance fans.

Overall: 3.5
Spice: 3.5

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Crossing for this ARC. After reading this book, I rated it 2.5 stars.

Let's start with what the book did right. The premise of the novel is really cute and interesting and had a huge potential to be a great novel.
I liked the main character of the story. Her hopeless romantic ideals touched my heart and I love that she viewed the world through rose-tinted glasses.

Now onto what I was not impressed with:
- I absolutely loathed the male main character and his lack of character development and self-awareness made it very difficult for me to root for him as a love interest. Marcel has sexist views and has the emotional intelligence of a brick. Every time there was a vulnerable moment he seemed like he was forced into it due to his sister with verbal diarrhea which made them seem disingenuous.
- I hated the characterization of her friends. I feel like they were very 2-dimensional characters and there was a lack of development of they attitudes as supporting characters.
- I feel like this book is trying really hard to show that its diverse without the actual acknowledgement of what makes a BIPOC character important in literature. BIPOC characters are not just their traumas and they cannot be used as token pieces to call your work diverse. They need to add value to the experience and thought of the plot and have a direct effect on the main character and how she views the world. Unfortuanately, in this book I was disheartened to see them undeveloped beyond their external characterization.
- I don't appreciate when authors choose to tell the reader instead of show them, there were so many instances when pages were just filled with info dump or detailed description of everything a character was doing and feeling. I feel like the author could've created a more impactful experience had they chosen to be concise and rely on the reader's intelligence to understand the context of what was happening.

Overall, it was a good novel with so much potential I just wish it had gone through a couple of rounds of editing before being finished.

I dnf'd this book at 22% because of the over-the-top forcing of "being diverse" while also bashing "political correctness." One of the characters used "you act like you have Asperger's" as a comment on another character's brash personality.

3.75
Thank you to Amazon Crossing & NetGalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed this book for the most part! The premise was very interesting--a brand-new romance author and an established and mysterious crime/mystery author get into a public twitter argument about which of their genres is better. The (unintentional) instigator of their argument suggests that they write a crime and romance novel together. With some pressure from their shared publishing house, they both agree.

First, the positives: I loved reading more about the publishing industry in a fictional world, it was very interesting. My two main genres that I read are romance and thrillers/mysteries, so I enjoyed picturing their co-authored novel. I thought Marcel's character growth was great and the slow-burn romance throughout made me really happy.

However, I did have some problems with this book. The biggest issue with this book for me were the characters. I loved Siobhan as she was very determined and motivated to succeed. She had a great attitude about life and her work. But, Marcel really annoyed me. I take this as a sign of the author's skill in writing as Sereno was able to write a very dislikable character. Marcel was extremely misogynistic, condescending, and just generally had a terrible attitude. The author's reasoning for his terrible personality is that he has a very tragic backstory, but I still greatly disliked him.

Further, Siobhan's friends Paige and Lena felt really flat--as other reviewers pointed out, they both feel like the extreme version of a feminist, or what people think feminists are. It didn't feel very real and they were a little preachy.

My last issue was the whole Hurricane Katrina part of the book. It's totally fine to want to write/talk about Hurricane Katrina and the abysmal job the government did with helping the people rebuild. However, it felt very out of place and having page-long explanations about the hurricane took away from the story and felt sort of unnecessary--Marcel's tragic backstory would have been largely the same without it.

Overall, this was a fun, easy read and I enjoyed all of it (minus Marcel at the start lol). Highly recommend for romance readers who also enjoy thrillers from time to time.

I loved this book! I struggled with the MMC in the beginning but he definately had some character growth, which was written amazingly! The story was very fun to read and the title is very fitting once you work your way through the book. I liked the writing style and the characters, just wished to have a bit more info every here and there on the characters backgrounds.

Okay, I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book at first because I hated Marcel and his arrogance, but wow! What a turn around! What amazing character growth! For both characters really, but mainly Marcel! Marcel and Siobhan start off as enemies who now have to cowrite a new book together. I wish I could read the book they write!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for my digital ARC!

When two very different people join forces to create something amazing together, one of two things are bound to happen. Siobhan and Marcel, who are complete opposites, begin writing a book together. I found myself really really disliking Marcel, but that was the whole point. He is not a likeable character and to be honest makes you scream at Siobhan to RUN.

As you get through the story, you begin to see the light beneath the cracks in Marcel's life. Tension turns into passion and ba da bing ba da boom!

Cons: I do wish we had been given a little more details between Marcel and his dad. I think this would have made it easier to connect with his character more.

All in all it was a fun read that can easily be read within a day.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thankful I had early access to it through NetGalley! The book follows two authors in New York City when they are forced to collaborate on a book that fuses their literary styles.

Highlights:
-chemistry between the characters
-the backstories of each character and how realistic it seemed when certain things re-emerged

Overall, I would recommend this read to anyone who loves a rom-com!

I love contemporary romances, especially any with the enemies to lovers/ grumpy and sunshine troups, and this one had it all. For the first few chapters, I couldn’t even begin to understand how she would ever want to be with a man like Marcel, but as those cracks begin to show and grow with their together, I began to understand. After their time in New Orleans, I was on the edge just waiting for that next kiss between them to happen! A few times I even have to pause the book, to squeal to my own grumpy boyfriend about my favorite lines!

The only thing I would changed is more of an insight into Marcel’s history, especially after his talk with his dad, and to learn what lead Bucky to leave originally. Both of these questions just left part of the story feeling empty and rushed.

Thank you Net Gallery for the advance read!

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.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"In this lighthearted romp through New York City, two clashing authors must blend their differences to prove every story is worth telling and that some genres—like people—work better together."

I am biased to this book, It has a beautiful cover and is based in NYC (the perfect backdrop for any good rom-com)
Throw in the fact that one author is a romance author and another author is a crime novelist (two of my favorite genres) and you have me turning pages well into the night.

Any book that includes authors who find romance is an instant hit for me. I absolutely love all things books and romance, and Emily Henry's book "Book Lovers" is what I look for when I read about people in the book industry finding love!

I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and just found this book to be such a fun read.

Newly published author Siobhan, and the private, cynical Marcel join forces to write a book together after a Twitter feud, and it can be dangerous when sparks fly. I do enjoy my contemporary romances and this had all the ingredients: grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity, “enemies” to lovers, cute cover… however Marcel’s surly nature became tiresome quickly, to the point where I would have preferred if the whole book had just been Siobhan’s POV. Despite that, the story did progress nicely with a decent resolution after all.

Thank you to Amazon Crossing and NetGalley for this ARC for review.

DNF

I am so sad that I didn't like this book.

I didn't like any of the characters and I just wasn't invested in the story or the relationship.

It wasn't for me.

This book was fun and different from the normal romances I read. It was refreshing! The slow burn was great, the enemies to lovers was great. I really enjoyed the characters, the feud, and the setting!

I loved this book. From the way they meet online until the end I ate all of it up. He’s a jerk and she’s a newbie trying to prove herself. I loved that she always pushed back against him. I liked that she was so steadfast and talented he had no choice but to see her. I also really liked the inclusion of Katrina and how that area continues to struggle. It’s not often discussed anymore and it is heartbreaking that the area never fully recovered. I also liked how his family was included and further highlighted Marcel’s struggles. It was a cute read. I can’t wait to see more from this author! This book is a new favorite! 5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the arc.

What I liked
- Siobhan, I would have preferred the whole book in her POV and her ending up with Alex. He matched her energy so much more.

What I disliked
- Marcel, everything about him pissed me off to my core. He’s an asshole that thinks he’s god walking this earth because he has written a few books. He’s just a wounded guy who didn’t want to deal with his mommy and daddy issues.
- Even though the chapter were labeled for POV sometimes it didn’t feel totally clear who’s POV it was because of the third person
- Siobhan’s friends seem like character stereotypes of what feminist are in real life
- I don’t understand why Marcel felt the need to keep his identity a secret to hide from his mother. She left when he was eight and he didn’t even change his first name. Marcel is pretty unique in my book.
- The only reason Siobhan learned anything about Marcel was because of his sister blabbing her mouth. Then he opened up because he really had no choice.
- The descriptions really dragged on for me. There was a lot of info dumping too. I didn’t need the whole New Orleans/Hurriance Katrina run down from Charmaine it was a lot.
- The ending was very dramatic and then wrapped into almost a perfect bow.
- We didn’t get to see Marcel interact with his dad. I think that would have been interesting considering he’s the reason Marcel doesn’t come back to New Orleans, we just heard about it which was lame.
- There was A LOT of listing things out, number one, number two. It was fine the first two times but after the fifth or sixth I was starting to see a pattern
- I wish we got to figure out way Buckley just decided to up and leave.

1 out of 5 stars, I really struggled to get through this book. Marcel was insufferable.

This book was very good. I love reading books about books. The romance was so cute and the banter was perfect.

Plot Twist by Carmen Sereno is centred around Marcel Black, a well-known crime author, and Siobhan Harris, a fresh debut contemporary romance. Following a Twitter feud, they are tasked with writing a fusion crime and romance novel together. It follows their journey while co-authoring this novel and shows how their relationship changes from "enemies" to something more.

This was my first time reading a book by this author and it was a refreshing change of pace from the typical instant love that has been dominating the contemporary romance genre lately. The tension and build-up to the relationship between Siobhan and Marcel, especially their first kiss had me screaming. I liked that there was a focus on their emotional relationships and other non-physical aspects rather than an overabundance of sex scenes. This is an open-door book though it is not something to be expected throughout the book. I have been in a bit of a reading slump so I found the beginning to be a bit slow, but once Marcel and Siobhan's Twitter feud began, I just couldn't put the book down. This book is perfect for those who like slow-burn and the "enemies" to friends to lovers trope.

However, there were many acronyms used throughout the book that I didn't recognize. This may be due to my general lack of knowledge of book acronyms, but it made the reading experience a bit choppy as I had to look up the acronyms on my Kindle and couldn't always find them.

Other than that, it was an absolutely wonderful read, and if I could sum up their relationship in two emojis it would be this: 💗🖤. If you're looking for a rom-com with HEA, this is the one.

Thank you to Amazon Crossing and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.