This was a tough one for me to get into. The synopsis sounded like one I would enjoy. A love story told over a long period of time typically keeps my attention and I can’t read it fast enough. However, that wasn’t the case with this one. I found the formatting to be very distracting as well.

Wow!

I feel like I’ve been through so much in the time I’ve read this book, which makes sense since it spans 10 years.

A determined Liv, an excellent supporting cast, and a hunky celebrity round out the characters in this sweet story. Screenwriter Olivia meets someone she doesn’t realize is a celebrity at a coffee shop, and they both agree to meet at the same place on the same date ten years later when he claims he’ll be an award-winning actor and she promises to have a screenplay for him to star in. The story tells the happenings of each February 4th from that day until the ten year anniversary of that meeting.

The story was light, uplifting, and an absolute joy to read. And I was totally shocked by the ending in the best way possible.

This ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was a ride. Ten years waiting to see if she'll meet the actor who promised to make Olivia's scrrenwriting dreams come true. Sexy Irish guy or was it Scottish? I really enjoyed the cadence of this book. One look at someone's life once a year to see what happened on February 4th and the year before. Sometimes the check-ins were fun or funny but mostly they were sad and I need more Liam stories in my life.
Ten years seems like too long for this plot, but in the end it all worked out mostly.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I laughed a lot while reading this book -- at its absurdity, in disbelief at George Clooney, and out of shock a few times. I think it was a fun, fast read, but it also started to drift away from me by the end due to the ambitious task of covering ten years without droning on and on and on. Somehow it managed to drone a bit but still go quickly.

Olivia Moss wants to be a screenwriter. She meets another Hollywood hopeful in a coffee shop, though he's and actor, and they agree to meet back in ten years with whatever they can achieve in that time -- though they forget to get each other's names. Obviously, this isn't actually the main plot. The main plot is a long and rather upsetting and dramatic love story between Olivia, her best friend Fiona, and the love-of-Olivia's-life-but-she-didn't-know-it-and-never-tells-him-though-he-loves-her, Liam. Along the way she thinks that her mystery actor is famous Hamish MacDougal, encountering him in a handful of almosts as her heart breaks in Liam-related ways over and over for ten years.

I liked this book! I did. I think that ten years is ambitious. It was honestly disheartening to see Olivia spend her thirties the way she did --running from her problems, causing plenty of them, and being heartbroken over the same man though she herself ruins that relationship. And through it all a dysfunctional friendship that I don't really think was healthy or worth hanging on to. There were plenty of plot twists, but I think that the narrative was a bit rambly and tried to cover too much ground. It did make me cry, however, because being lost in a world that does not seem to be on your side is a relatable and pervasive feeling for Olivia and I think readers will understand that. So, this is a 3 stars for me.

Olivia dreams of writing her own screen play instead of writing greeting cards. On February 4 she is at a coffee shop and has an encounter with a handsome actor. They exchange pleasantries and decide that they will meet again in 10 years when she should have a screen play and he will be a famous actor. Every February 4th leads to confusing encounters. Liam, her one-time boyfriend, is constantly by her side but only as a friend. She has decided that he does not fit her list of a man she should marry. Trying to get on with her life, she moves to Paris to try and write. Her friend Fiona is also a big supporter of her writing her screen play and involves her in all sorts of exciting events. It is when Fiona asks if Olivia has a thing for Liam, thinking she might want to date him, that Olivia must re-evaluate her friendships. This book was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the struggles over relationships Olivia has with Liam and with her best friend. The message of the importance of letting people know what you are feeling is a strong one.

Seeing how engrossed I was in the book I was reading, my husband asked me if it was a good book. I hesitated for a few seconds, then said, "It's clever." Good, yes, but much more than that! Bethany Turner has produced a book that I wouldn't have thought possible--one that is clean and wholesome and set in Hollywood (and a few other places, but mostly Hollywood).

And the plot! I won't give anything away, but the twists and turns kept me reading when I should have been doing other things, but I just HAD to see what would happen next! Start with two lifelong best friends and an ex-boyfriend of one who gets engaged to the other--but that's not it. Toss in another few love interests against a backdrop of glamorous jobs--and that's not it, either Not all of it, anyway. In the end, it is all about love, friendship, family, and knowing who we are.

I hope Bethany Turner has lots more books coming!

I was just positively charmed by all of the things happening in this story. A 30 year old Olivia Ross has a dismal job writing greeting cards instead of the screenplay she longs to create. But in a single shining moment, she bumps into a struggling actor at. Coffee shop on Feb 4th, and they have an amazing conversation that changes the course of her life. Over the next 10 years, we see Olivia build an amazingly strong friendship with her BFF Fiona, fall in and out of love with her boyfriend Liam, take a magnificent journey, get her heart broken, try to pull herself together, and sometimes fail—all on the same day each year. Not surprisingly, this is all done in the name of meeting back up with her mystery man (in exactly 10 years) so she can present her screenplay and he can lend his Academy Award winning acting to the movie. I really did feel that 10 years sort of dragged a bit, and Liv was definitely not a perfect heroine. She was a little clueless, sometimes callous, sometimes dishonest (even if she thought it was for the right reasons), but because we only saw her once a year it was sometimes difficult to follow all the changes and really get a sincere sense of her motivation & her development as a person. Just the same, I spent the entire book cheering for Liv & hoping that she would get her happily ever after, and enjoying the bumpy journey. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a review.

Plot Twist was a fun, light read. The novel spans 10 years, checking in with the main character on the same date each year. The book begins with a chance encounter at a coffee shop with an unwanted white knight actor swooping in to creatively help Olivia avoid being hit on by some other guy at the coffee shop. They strike up a plan (she, an aspiring screenwriter, and he, a newbie actor) to meet back at that coffee shop in 10 years, and he will star in her screenplay. The first chapter wasn't as great as it could've been - the banter wasn't bantery enough, and Olivia comes across as someone hell-bent on showing how independent she is without actually SHOWING us how independent she is. Unfortunately, Olivia remains a little bit annoying throughout the book. The book would've been better if Olivia had started off in her 20s rather than her 30s, because it is just so not believable that the novel spans from age 30-40 and she is so helpless and frankly, a little incompetent both career-wise and socially. I enjoyed the relationships she had with Fiona and Liam, though I did find the whole show of Olivia thinking she's a "supporting character" in her own life with everyone else being so much better than she is, while Fiona and Liam are constantly trying to convince her that she's amazing, a little tiresome. It would've been better if she actually did come across as amazing to the reader, instead of us just being told that she is. Overall, I'd say this book suffered from a lack of following the "show, don't tell." rule. That all being said, I really liked the idea of the pact, all the serendipitous moments on that date over the years, the characters of Liam and Fiona, and Olivia's growth (albeit slow). My frustration with Olivia ultimately allowed for a sense of relief upon reading the end of the book, in addition to just enjoying the ending for what it was.

Bethany Turner is a new to me author, I requested this ARC on NetGalley because the storyline sounded intriguing and I am a huge fan of rom-coms.
The story spans a decade after a fun interaction between our MC and a mystery gentleman.
After the initial encounter there is event every year, and in order to cover ten events, the details are more surface level, lacking depth needed to be fully invested in the characters. The friendship between Olivia and Fiona was a highlight of the book and the ending was sweet and satisfying. Overall I rate this tale 3.5 stars. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have enjoyed the other books that I have read by Bethany Turner. I heard a lot of great things about this book before I started reading it, so I had really high hopes. Once I got started I was really disappointed. The first chapter is great, but then I just got kind of lost and annoyed. I kept waiting for something to happen and then it never really did. I finally went and read other reviews about the book to see if I should even finish it (and I ALWAYS finish books, so the fact that I wanted to quit is a clue to how little I was enjoying it). Several reviews said the book was great so I continued to read. This book was just a complete miss for me.

I did like Fiona and Olivia's friendship, the story of how they became friends was funny and that they were able to work through their differences was great. There were a few funny parts in the book, but my favorite part was the first chapter.

I really did not like Olivia much. She seemed pretty immature for her age and essentially lost 10 years of her life, for what? It was hard to read this book and listen to her whine, complain, and talk negatively about herself, seeing people pop in and out of her life over ten years.

The ten-year date had some unexpected things, and I did appreciate that we could not see part of it coming, the other part was expected. Overall, while this book was not at all for me or what I expected, I know that others will enjoy it. It is perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella and Katherine Reay.

Thank you to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to give a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3 Stars
This hit me like a movie I had seen years ago. It was about a couple that saw each other every year over decades. Now, this wasn't exactly the same, but it did remind me of that idea. The couple in this book met, made a pact for another meeting in 10 years and this pact impacted their lives in unforeseen ways.

I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that I've committed to reading everything this author has written!

If you're looking for a relatable, facepalm-inducing, look-forward-to-going-to-bed-so-you-can-read, and romantic (yet completely clean) contemporary fiction, read this book. It's so well-written and had me giggling over and over. I connected so well with the characters and found myself groaning with frustration at how HUMAN they were. It felt like I got to live through the eyes of another in a "light read," yet it addresses some of the harder topics related to relationships (both friendships and romantic relationships).

I'm ready to read it again already.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A great book that really captures the romantic comedy spirit that’s still full of heart-break, love, loss and redemption. The characters were nicely rounded and their character arcs were believable and had me rooting for them

On February 4, 2003, Olivia Ross meets a handsome up-and-coming actor at a coffee shop, where the two bond after the they pretend to be lovers to ward off the advances of a coffee shop rando. When their time is cut short, the nameless handsome actor promises to meet her in the same spot on February 4, 2013, but a lot can happen in ten years and Olivia half heartedly agrees.

What follows is a decade of February 4th’s full of almost run ins with the handsome actor—now famous and no longer nameless, heartache, and missed opportunities. Instead of living her life and embracing the now, Olivia is too wrapped up in what could be.

As the turbulent decade comes to a close and February 4, 2013 rolls around Olivia has finally stopped letting the date control her, but fate has a funny way of intervening.

Yalllll, this book was so freaking cute! I straight up devoured it in 4 hours & have to say that Plot Twist was an entertaining, light hearted read. & it had such an unexpected but happy ending! Seriously it had the perfect conclusion.

Even though I personally was not a fan of this book, I would never tell anyone else not to read it! It’s a great beach read. I just had a bit of a problem with the main protagonist, and how she treated the people around her.

An aspiring screenwriter meets an aspiring actor at a coffee shop, and they promise to meet back there again in 10 years to make her movie together. Every year, different circumstances draw them together, but fate keeps them apart.

Again, I was not a fan, but I would never begrudge anyone else potential joy from reading this book!

After I read the dedication at the beginning of Plot Twist by Bethany Turner, I felt this might just be the story to get me out of my reading slump! And I’m happy to say, it did just that!

What really worked for me in Plot Twist was its unique storyline, engaging writing style, and subtle humor. I also enjoyed the references to some of my favorite movies. What didn’t work for me was the plot twist at the end. Without drifting into spoiler territory, I will just say that Olivia wasted too many years of her life for the story to end how it ended. I also think this would’ve worked so much better if it only spanned 5 years instead of the 10 years it did and if Olivia would’ve been 20 at the beginning of the story instead of 30.

All in all, Plot Twist is an engaging humorous story that kept my interest and, thankfully, got me out of my reading slump! 4 stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. I would label this a clean read as there was no faith thread.

This is a really interesting way to tell a story. It ends up feeling like a friend telling you a story because so much of it is flashback. Are we at the point where pointing out things are cliche is a cliche? This whole book is ridiculous things happening and then the characters saying how ridiculous they are. You should trust your readers' suspensions of disbelief. Half the fun of reading these kinds of books is reveling in the wacky shenanigans and marveling at the odds of these things actually happening. Still enjoyed it, but I couldn't read another book like this right after.

This was such a fun book! I thought I saw the plot twists coming, but I was totally wrong. I also loved the combination between the fantastical (I'm looking at you, Clooney) and the realism (ahh, career trajectories). Overall, I thought this was a great summer read!

This felt like breaking the 4th wall at times. Such a cool premise and was so well done. I loved that the book was cute while still having depth! Have already recommended to friends.

This is a tough one to review. It's not my jam (I almost DNF'd multiple times), but I think there's a place for it and a significant audience for it. If you like Hallmark channel movies but find them a little too saccharine, this book might be for you — character-driven, slow-burn, PG romance that isn't too cloying or overtly religious. I'm fine with all of that, and I did think the overall plot (and the twist) were clever and interesting. My main issue is that I didn't really like the main character. It's hard to root for someone's HEA through a slow-burn, 10-year plotline when you aren't enjoying hanging out with them and aren't sure you want them in another character's life for the long haul.

As we enter the story, Olivia is a 30-year-old, somewhat aspiring screenwriter who likes classic Hollywood movies and serious films. She disdains rom-coms and anything sappy or cutesy, but she supports herself by writing both sappy and cutesy greeting card content for a Hallmarkesque company. (I'm not judging. That's probably the most realistic bit of the book. I'm not sure you could support yourself in L.A. doing that now, but it might have just been possible in 2003). She calls herself a Joan Cusack type — ever a supporting character and never a lead — but Joan is supportive AND interesting, and I didn't find Olivia to be either (or kind or respectful or honest or self-aware). We're told, rather than shown, that she's funny and smart and beautiful. She has clearly captivated her friends, Fiona and Liam, and a charming aspiring actor who helps rescue her from unwanted creeper attention in a coffee shop in the opening scenes. She and the actor make a pact to meet back at the shop in 10 years, on February 4, 2013, to make her film together. For the rest of the book, we check in on each February 4 to see how things are going with the screenplay and life, and to find that there's always a series of coincidences or ironies (of the Alanis Morissette variety, not the Lit 101 variety) involving Olivia, the actor, and her friends. By the tenth February 4, they've been through some ups and downs, and we've covered a lot of fun pop culture territory — but will the meetup and the movie actually happen?

The screenplay/movie thing hardly held my attention. I liked seeing the edits/changes made as time went by, but other than that, I barely cared about it by the end. But I was motivated to stick around to see where these characters ended up. Well, one character in particular. The overall character development wasn't what I wanted, but the last 1/3 of the book was definitely better than the first 2/3, so I'm moderately satisfied that I made it to the end.

Topics, tropes and themes: LA culture, pop culture of the early 2000s, struggling writer, 30-somethings, lifelong friends, sibling rivalry, self-esteem, self-awareness, love triangle, being the star of your own life,
Content notes: love triangle, cheating, controlling behavior via lies of omission, months-long estrangements, all privileged characters (middle class country club set)

My thanks to Net Galley and Thomas Nelson for a digital ARC.