Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa.

Thank you to NetGalley, libro.fm (audiobook) and Canary Street Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This had potential, with Dash's dedication to and struggles with sobriety, and Sophie willing to self-reflect about why she has never been in love, but by the last third I couldn't stop thinking of that meme, "Oh no, Baby what is you doin'?" and the whole book crashed and burned for me.

Nina? From strong to bitch. Poppy? Was she always that annoying? Just people "calling out" Sophie who didn't have the right to, and despite wanting to stand up for herself more, she just took it. Dash's mother, Kitty? *crushes soda can in hand* (At least Dash responded appropriately to her in the end. Although he's 36 and acts like he's in his early 20s with his family.)
I hope this is it with the series, because if Poppy's getting a book, I don't want it...

This was a delight to read. It’s a romance novel that circumvents typical tropes, and I loved that.

Quick Synopsis: Sophie Lyon is a one-hit wonder author who can’t write another book. She’s tried, but she can’t get the words down on the pages and into the hands of her publisher. When a video of Sophie confessing she’s a romance author who has never been in love goes viral on Tiktok, it ushers in a stream of new fans, and sparks a new idea. To figure out why Sophie has never fallen in love, she’ll embark on a quest to meet with all of her ex’s and delve deep into what her shortcomings as a partner are. Meanwhile her landlord, former child star, and best friend’s brother, Dash, is here to help her in her journey. Dash has his own demons to resolve and the two find themselves comforting one another more often then not as they go through their individual journeys, coming together as friends, until it’s not just friendship they’re sharing, but love.

This is a solid romance novel that does something I loved: it circumvents typical romance novel tropes. Yes, you read that right, it circumvents them. While we normally get a 6’5 tall, ripped, super handsome genius as an MMC, here we get Dash, who is a normal, average height, admittedly very in shape and attractive, but not a super tall hero with demons and a past of his own. We get a man who is working through his emotions, but who cries, who needs therapy, who acknowledges his weaknesses and strengths, and who works to be more emotionally available for the person he wants to be there for.

I loved how real this was. It’s a celebrity romance that felt like it could’ve actually really happened. These were based on very real people and I could tell and I loved it. Sophie is quirky but not a caricature. Dash is a flawed man and an alcoholic, and he acknowledges that.

This was just such a fun and yet real contemporary romance and I have to thank La Rosa for writing such flawed characters unapologetically. You don’t get that terribly often in this genre.

This was such a good, fun read and something different then the genre I usually read I really enjoyed it

A great romcom! You’ve got best friends brother, friends with benefits, forced proximity & one bed - all the makings for a great book! I felt like the heavier topics were handled with care & I loved the banter in this book.

Sophie is a romance writer who has never fallen in love. She is in a massive writing slump, and after a video of her drunkenly exposing her loveless life blows up on TikTok, she goes down a road of retrospection: why did none of her past relationships work out? Maybe if she can figure out what went wrong in the past she can move forward with her future, and be able to finish her new novel.

Dash is a grown child actor turned secret crafter, who quietly quit Hollywood as it fueled his alcohol addiction. He comes from a famous family who expects him to follow in their footsteps, and seems to care more about image than wellbeing. How can dash live an authentic life if he’s living for everyone but himself, and stay sober with all of these secrets?

The two live next door to each other and agree to mildly help each other with their problems. Along the way their friendship turns into something more, leaving them both with the same question: how is this going to work?

———

This was a cute, unique, and quick romcom read. I liked that many popular tropes were included but didn’t feel generic- things were quirky but not overdone. I also really enjoyed the side characters depth of personality and their banter with the mains.

However, my absolute favorite thing about romance novels is the banter between MCs, and I felt that was massively lacking. Yes, there are some funny instances and dialogue, but they don’t feel like anything special. I wasn’t sold on the chemistry between Sophie and Dash, which made it hard for me to feel invested in the story.

Overall it’s a 3.5 stars read for me. I had fun reading this, but I don’t think it will stick with me.

Would recommend if you love: fwb, recovery stories, pan rep, forced proximity, one bed, best friends brother, Hollywood love stories, social media references

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This book took me by surprise in terms of how much I liked it. I haven’t heard much about this book on social media and from online book reviewers, and I don’t understand why; it perfectly balanced some hard issues with the sweetness and steaminess of a contemporary romance, and I highly recommend it. Sophie is trying to finish a romance book when she goes viral with a video proclaiming she’s never been in love. Dash is her landlord who is recently sober. He agrees to help her recover her social media presence and reconnect with her exes. Throughout this process, they fall in love! This was a pretty predictable romance, which is fine by me, but what really surprised me and drew me to this book was the thoughtful representation of sobriety, character growth, family dynamics, and the complications that come with all of that trauma. I am married to an alcohol free spouse, and I thought Dash’s sobriety journey was really touching, but also hard to read at times. The only reason this book didn’t get 5 stars from me (because I loved it) was that I don’t love a focus on Tik Tok and social media, but everything else was great. This is my first book from Erin La Rosa, and it will not be my last, I really enjoyed their writing and style. I definitely recommend this book for fans of La Rosa and thoughtful, steamy, contemporary romance.

I couldn’t actually finish this, it was a dnf for me - to be completely honest I couldn’t get past the male leads name being Dash, it was just a turn off for me and I couldn’t take it seriously or get into it at all.

A cute, enjoyable book, but the social media references about did me in. There was a lot to like here, and the relationship between the two MCs was one of them. I also loved the pacemaker rep- we need more books to normalize things like this! While I understand social media can be a huge resource in today's society, both in business and recreation, it was just all a bit much for me in this book in particular. The spice was...it felt off to me. Almost as though it were a little forced, an afterthought in some places, more a physical chore than what you typically see in a romance book. Like another thing to check off the list, which felt really odd.
This book is a second in a series but a stand alone and can be read in that way without issues.

Erin La Rosa is back with her second novel Plot Twist - and I am completely in love with Dash and Sophie.

Sophie has never been in love - and as a romance writer struggling to finish her latest novel, her writers block has pushed her into a quest of self reflection and learning to love. Her landlord and best friends brother - Dash - accidentally stumbles into her plan, and helps her come up with a TikTok series documenting her love journey. But what starts as a very tentative friendship slowly burns into a relationship that neither is sure of but both quite desperately need.

Erin does a phenomenal job in this story of portraying Dash’s struggle with sobriety in a respectful and honest way. I adore Dash as a character and my heart broke when his did and soared with his too. Sophie’s struggle with love and finding trust resonated deeply with me, and I think a lot of people who have ever questioned their trust for themselves will see Sophie as a mirror. I loved the social media posts sprinkled in keeping us updated on Sophie’s quest, and seeing Nina and Leo from For Butter or Worse was an awesome treat!

Finally - the spice. Erin has once again surprised me as a reader, with where, when, and how Soph and Dash get down and dirty. Let’s just say - she has once again taking a cute rom com and given us readers some fun sexy treats along the way.

Cannot wait for Book 3 - if you haven’t read Plot Twist, drop everything and read it today!

This book was okay. I didn’t hate it, didn’t love it. Just kind of in between for me. Characters were fine. Storyline was kind of meh but also fine. I’d try another book by this author again sometime.

Fun, easy read. The protagonist is at times a bit annoying. Overall, good, light fun. Would recommend for when you're ready to speed through a book.

Plot Twist was a sweet, sometimes funny romantic contemporary read. Dash and Sophie are likable and genuine. I think that is the best part of this read, the characters. The story, in my opinion, just didn't meet it's mark for me. I felt there were several missed opportunities by the author that would have made it for a more engaging read. In addition, the heavy reliance on social media references makes me question if the story has any real longevity. Despite that, I did enjoy reading the book and it's one I will recommend. The star of the book is truly the characters and their relationships. Unlike a lot of romance books, Plot Twist presents some really great wholesome moments. Amidst all the turmoil there are very healthy and stable relationships. The book leaves you feeling good, and in some cases, maybe a bit healed inside.

I wanted to love this book but it just didn't grip me enough to make me love it. I wasn't a fan of the reuniting with your exes to talk out why it didn't work out. I get it, but it could've been phone calls, not actual meet ups. I think a good therapist could've helped Sophie figure out her issues instead of her exes.

I loved Dash and his journey with sobriety and learning to make boundaries with his family. He's adorable honestly. And the pottery - i would watch his tiktok too.

I thought I was going to love this one. Two imperfect people working on themselves and fall in love in the process? Yes please. But this didn't work for me. There were quite a few things i didnt like but mostly: cheating, miscommunication, straight up lack of communication, and so much little drama that I was never emotionally invested in.

~~Spoilers~~
For me, the worst offense was the cheating. And not just because I hate cheating but because it wasn't even treated like cheating?? Sophie is working things out with her ex, Carla. They're not sleeping together because they're taking things slow and that's perfectly valid. But then Sophie sleeps with Dash?? Fine, maybe Sophie and Carla weren't that serious but then why did we get a whole break up scene? Sophie feels guilty over sleeping with Dash because it hurt her bestie/Dash's sister but theres no guilt for Carla?? It just feels like Sophie's relationship with Carla wasn't taken seriously because it was between two women.

Arc provided by Harlequin Trade Publishing via NetGalley

Plot Twist follows Sophie, a romance writer with writer’s block that can’t say I love you and revisits her exes to see why. Reminded me of Amy Lea’s Exes and O’s and Scott pilgrim ofc. This book also follows Dash, our short king former teen heartthrob trying to maintain his sobriety while still being in the public eye.

It was a fun and easy read, but it fell short for me. So the good and the bad.

The Good
- The amazzzinggg inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters and pansexual representation. Sophie is pansexual and one of her exes is nonbinary, and it was just so flawlessly included into the storyline. There was no excessive writing to emphasize that they were pan or nonbinary and it wasn’t used as a plot point.
- Spice slayed

The Bad
- I really tried to look past the modern references but the amount of tik tok mentioned I could not handle. It was too much.
- Sophie. Some of the things her character did I could not agree with, making her not likable for me. And it would just be brushed off or forgotten.
- How Dash’s difficulty with sobriety was written. While the author did well portraying how difficult it can be to stay sober, the steps to recovery were NOT written well. I feel like the plot could’ve benefitted more from seeing more healing than just going to a HEA.

Overall, this book just wasn’t for me, but I would still pick up another book by this author. Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good, easy going, casual read. This book was full of some of my favorite tropes, such as, friends with benefits to lovers, with forbidden love and one bed. Sophie is a romance author having trouble with her writing and her social media. Her neighbor, Dash, is a former actor who is also working on his sobriety. As these two help each other, their friendship turns into more. There were parts of this book that I liked, but also parts that felt repetitive. The tone of the book also felt somewhat inconsistent. This felt like an average book for me, it wasn't great, but wasn't awful, probably not one I'd read again.

“Men tell women they have high standards when they can’t meet them. Your standards are exactly as they should be. He’s just not good enough for you.”

✨ Best Friend’s Brother
✨ Close Proximity
✨ Celebrity Families
✨ Author x Ex-Child Actor turned Crafter
✨ FMC with pacemaker
✨ TikTok Videos
✨ Pansexual Rep
✨ Open Door Spice
✨ 3rd Person Narration/Multiple POVs
⚠️ Alcoholism/Sobriety Struggles
⚠️ IVF (secondary characters)
⚠️ Toxic Parents

Sophie Lyon is an author who is struggling to finish her long overdue book. Her issue - she’s a romance author who has never been in love. After a drunken monologue about her never being in love goes viral on TikTok, she decides to do damage control. With the help of her best friend’s brother and landlord, Dash Montrose, she decides to meet up with her exes to determine what went wrong in the relationships and how she can change her relationship ways and hopefully finish her book.

This was a cute and spicy book about discovering yourself, finding love in unexpected places, and dealing with personal struggles with the help of loved ones. I loved Sophie and Dash in this book and they had me laughing at some of their antics (like the Richard Gere photos)! Sophie is happy go lucky but wants to please others to fault - even if it’s at her expense. She believes that her relationships ended because of her misgivings rather than the relationships weren’t what she needed. I enjoyed reading about her interactions with her exes and her figuring out who she truly is and wants.

Dash is a recluse who wants to his hide his celebrity identity while leaning into his pottery passion. He’s been struggling with his sobriety and doesn’t want to enter in to a relationship or any situations that could possibly hinder his progress. His vulnerability was so endearing and I truly loved reading about his budding romance with Sophie.

I didn’t realize this was part of an interconnected standalone series before I picked this up! Obviously, it can be read by itself! I plan on going back and reading the first book, which is about Sophie’s sister, Nina, who I enjoyed in this installment.

This was cute! I think I liked this better than the first one, only because the topic of addiction and recovery was handled so well. Aside from that, there wasn’t anything particularly stand-out about this book, but it was a solid little novel. Hopeless romantic writer and best friend’s brother who is a former actor focusing on recovery.