Member Reviews
Allie Clark is a bestselling romance author and is suffering from a massive case of writers block. There are some big changes and challenges in her publishing house adding to her massive anxiety. When she meets Martin, thriller/suspense phenom author from the 90s, they both bond over their collective writers block and agree to assist each other. The unlikely pair become fruitful writing partners--pushing them toward their publishing goals.
When it is revealed the Allie's new love interest is Martin's son, their is an uncomfortable air due to the transparency between Allie and Martin.
I truly adored the Martin/Allie story line. What a unique and interesting plot point! This definitely made the book!
However, there are too many threads to this novel distracting the reader. There is a best friend move, a strained sibling plot, an ex boyfriend, and a #metoo plot line sprinkled throughout the book. The Plot Twist could have benefitted from a tighter edit, but overall it is an enjoyable book about an unlikely set of friends.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this advanced reader copy!
A fun read but not too much more than that. I did enjoy this book, just wish there was a bit more development to make it less superficial. Great plot and characters though!
Disfrute de la lectura.
Allie es una escritora de romance que atraviesa un bloqueo creativo y, por casualidad, conoce al famoso escritor de misterio Martin Clark, quien se encuentra en la misma situación. Al conversar, se dan cuenta de que pueden ayudarse y ofrecerse consejos.
El libro fue entretenido, pero no logré conectar con Allie, ya que me pareció demasiado ensimismada. Ojalá Martin tuviera povs para poder leer sus citas con su esposa.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Plot Twist by Eleanor Goymer offers a sweet, slow-building romance with a unique angle—an older side-character couple rekindling their love after 30+ years of marriage. While the story had endearing moments and a heartwarming wrap-up, its predictable plot and slower pacing left me wanting more time and tension between the main characters, Allie and Will.
I enjoyed the organic way the authors Martin and Allie supported each other, but by the halfway mark, the story became bogged down with too much focus on side plots. I would have loved more depth and presence for Allie and Will's relationship to pull me in.
⭐⭐⭐ 3 Stars – This book is a pleasant, relaxing read with unique inter-character connections and a soft finish, though it didn’t break new ground for me. Also note: no on-page steam, just a few sweet kisses, and no laugh-out-loud moments for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and Eleanor Goymer for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review!
A cute and comforting little read that had a wide mix of characters and sub plots within the workplace and family life, so not just a 'will they won't they' storyline. Really enjoyed the behind the scenes side to an author/publisher backdrop too..fast becoming a fan of this setting as a book lover.
This was a very cute romance! I loved the twist, I love the relationship between all of the main characters. It has a lot of found family, and I genuinely enjoy reading that in a romance book. Very sweet novel!
"The Plot Twist" offers an intriguing premise—a romance writer, Allie, struggling with writer's block, teams up with Martin, a crime novelist in a similar rut, to swap stories and rekindle their creativity. With a quirky supporting cast, an evil editor subplot, and a dash of romantic tension, the book sets the stage for a lighthearted rom-com. Unfortunately I struggled with it due to uneven pacing, limited character development, and limited romance. The enjoyed the core of the story and it was a light, easy read with a unique premise, but it was reasonably predictable.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Allie is a bland romance writer whose boyfriend is a dick. Martin is a slightly cranky, tender-hearted crime writer who’s having marriage problems. Both of them have writer’s block and the new, evil editor at their publishing company needs their new books. They decide to use each other for inspiration. In the background, Allie meets Will, the bland owner of a catering company, and also wages war against the evil editor with her ousted beloved editor.
I REALLY wanted to love this book because the plot is awesome. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the execution.
Martin is forever the star.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
2.5 stars
2.5/5
This wasn’t a terrible romance but it certainly wasn’t my favorite.
In terms of the pros, I would say the book was captivating and there was a good set of supporting characters.
On the other hand, the plot twist could be seen from a mile away, and after it was revealed, I lost a lot of respect for Allie. Obviously, most romance books have a certain level of tension, but the romance itself didn’t feel strong enough to support her disappointing behavior.
There were also bits of the writing that grated on me. Specifically, the word repetition. There are only so many times you can describe a character’s voice as “morose” or their hands as “gesticulating”. Synonyms could easily be swapped in at these places, and it would definitely smooth out the writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I tried with this one, but I couldn't do it. Ended up DNF-ing at 50% because it is barely a romance. Way too many other things going on that take up the whole plot. All I know about our love interest at 50% is he is hot, he is a caterer and...well that's it. Except for the stuff I assume we find out in the second half, but like really I don't know anything about him. He has barely in the book thus far and with the other plotlines I don't know that he will be.
Really I said I am out once Allie for some reason suddenly was like I don't believe in love and so I must keep Will at arm's length so I can write this book and keep the butterflies. I mean no one is happy and in love after being together a while (even when her friend tells her it is better after the honeymoon phase she is just like nope! She is shocked her friend says she loves her husband more now even though like...yeah. That is the way it should work...). So I was finally out. Allie is kind of annoying, she definitely doesn't seem like she is 30, and there are all these lines put in that don't make a lot of sense and it was way too much about publishing and her editor and trying to help her and Martin and anything but romance! If it were written better then it could work, but it didn't work for me. It didn't make sense and since there is no romance thus far I said okay. I tried. This is not for me.
This book had potential, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The premise, a romcom writer struggling with her next big idea, sounded promising but the execution fell a little flat.
Allie had her moments of charm but made some incredibly frustrating decisions that had me rolling my eyes. Her immaturity and lack of communication often felt more like unnecessary drama than genuine character flaws. The romance with Will had its sweet moments, but it lacked depth and chemistry. It felt rushed, and their interactions didn’t leave much room for a believable emotional connection.
What saved the book for me was Allie’s dynamic with Martin. Their friendship brought humor and heart to the story, and Martin’s grumpy personality kept things interesting. The behind the scenes look at the writing process and Allie’s struggles with inspiration added a layer of relatability, especially for anyone who’s dealt with creative block.
While the book was predictable and could have been shorter, it still had some fun, lighthearted moments. It’s not the kind of story that will leave a lasting impression, but if you’re looking for an easy, quick read, it might just do the trick.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
RomCom author Allie Edwards crossed paths with Martin Clark who is a crime novelist when they both determine they are both stuck in a rut. Allie and Martin try to brainstorm ways they can both get their writing spark back.
Thank you Harper Collins and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book.
I absolutely adored The Plot Twist! Allie is a romcom author with major writers block who meets Martin, a crime novelist who is WAY past his prime, at a party. They decide to help each other work through their manuscripts and a beautiful and sweet friendship blooms. Throw on a hot relationship with caterer Will, and Allie finds her writing is quickly getting back on track. I loved the relationships formed, humor, and witt! It was a joy to read and I would definitely recommend!!
I find myself reading a lot of romance books with authorsz I think this missed the mark, especially with the title… the irony for me is that the plot twist in the story is not really a plot twist and if so, it was a bit of a disappointment.
I really enjoyed this story and the characters. I felt invested from page one and the story was well paced. I definitely plan to purchase this one!
With deadlines looming, Allie and Martin decide to switch plots and tell each other’s stories, since they are both deadlocked on their own stories.
I was taken with the summary of this books k and really, really wanted to like it. Although the beginning of this book was slow I was intrigued by the tension and mystery that it seemed to be setting up. Looming deadlines, foundering romances, supporting characters that were three dimensional because of the flaws and personal quirks, and add to that our heroine is locked out of the V&A Museum and meets a mysterious older stranger who offers sage advice and just stole the chapter out from under her. I was hooked and willing to follow deeper, but all this potential just seems to fizzle for me as the all characters just stayed there. With sparse dialogue and action that just felt it was looking for its release onto the page, I finished this book looking for that spark from the first two chapters to catch light but sadly I did not find it.
Thank you for sharing this book with me and I will try more by Goymer in the future because I wanted this books imagination and potential to be shared on the page, it was there simmering under the surface and with five more minutes on the flame this would have boiled over into a story that would have stayed with me
This was a cutesy take on the meet cute about two writers who swap drafts of their novels and fall in love in the process- a fun lighthearted holiday read!
It's a fun rom-com, I liked that it wasn't the typical boy meets girl type of rom-com and had a whole other story to it. The real MMC isn't the FMC's love interest, which made it a very different kind of book I'm used to. The book is well written, but I missed spice, angst and more depth in the romance part of the book. Also the FMC was a bit too immature to my liking.
I wanted to love this book so badly, because the synopsis really spoke to me. But unfortunately it just wasn't it for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for trusting me to write an honest review in exchange for this ARC.
The book has a bewitching premise of a romance writer, Allie Edwards, who does not believe in love. And did I mention her writer's block? She accidentally gets locked out of a publisher event with another author, Martin Clark, a famous older mystery writer with writer's block. They decide to switch stories and help each other since they are on a deadline. It blends the charm of a romcom with a messy FMC and some actual emotional growth and realizations. It is fun that she writes something out of her genre and enhances the humor and creative journey.
Allie's growing relationship with Martin as a father figure adds emotional weight to the story. Her supportive editor and pushy friend make the story multi-dimensional. In walks Will, the sweet and handsome caterer, makes Allie feel butterflies for the first time. He is different from what she is used to in men.
Allie's love skepticism needs more explanation, which makes it improbable for her to be a romance writer. You must experience all the romantic emotions to write about something you know. She was also so focused on her career that it made it difficult for her to be so captivated by Will.
It has a clever concept infused with humor and heart that was entertaining to read.
I read the ARC ebook, and this is my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK. One More Chapter