Plot Twist was a cute friend's to lovers story.
Sophie is a romance author who has never been in love so she decides to talk to her exes and find out what went wrong.
Dash is an actor from a prominent Hollywood family who is also a recovering alcoholic.
They fall into an unlikely friendship.
Throw in crazy family members, trust issues, self doubt and eventually reception.
Plot Twist was a cute love story, I did you love it or so of the storyline but Erin La Rosa does tell a good story.
Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy to read for an honest review.

🦇 Plot Twist Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ Sophie deserved perfectly bold love from someone who lit up a room just as easily as she did. But when Dash thought about being with Sophie, it was clear he was an eclipse of issues threatening to swallow her sunny warmth. ❞

❓ #QOTD Do you talk to any of your exes? Would you, if it helped you learn from your past? ❓

🦇 Struggling romance author Sophie Lyon is struggling to finish her second novel before her deadline. Too bad she's announced an ironic secret to the world: that, despite writing swoon-worthy romances, she's never fallen in love herself. After the video goes viral, she decides to explore her past relationships to determine why she hasn't fallen in love at the coaxing of her landlord and best friend's brother, Dash. Meanwhile, Dash Montrose (once an actor following in his father and brother's footsteps, now an anonymous online crafter) is trying to maintain his sobriety while keeping his addiction a secret. As Sophie and Dash grow closer, they discover they have a lot more in common (including some sizzling chemistry) than they ever realized.

💜 Erin La Rosa's writing is an enthralling delight. Her word choice invites readers into a story they can live through, with details that bring every page to life. The interactions between Sophie and Dash are full of wit and sass, making it an entertaining rom-com of dry humor. Sophie is beyond relatable, making it easy to sympathize with her struggles, while Dash dwells in his flaws. They both bring out the beauty and potential in one another, crafting a beautiful love story about navigating insecurities. Since Sophie is a romance writer, there's a bit of meta self-awareness as she realizes the romance tropes she's facing in real life. If you love a trope-filled rom-com, this one's for you!

🦇 Perhaps my biggest issue was how quickly big, important topics were brushed past in an effort to focus on the romance. There are mentions of addiction/alcoholism, a stalker, the passing of a parent. Even Sophie's eureka moment about why she's had an issue with past relationships feels out of place (her trust issues are mentioned more than once, and then all of a sudden she has a brief thought about her parents and it clicks for her). Sophie explores her past relationships to try and determine why she's never fallen in love, but the interactions feel empty and pointless. These are big themes that have shaped both characters, yet we only explore them on a surface level. If we as readers aren't delving into those themes, the characters aren't in an effort to learn and develop, either. Even the chemistry between the main characters feels rushed and sudden, which is a major issue if you want readers falling for their relationship. While there's plenty of heat in this book, the word choice during those spicy scenes makes it awkward and off-putting. There was a lot of potential here, especially exploring such big themes, but it lacked depth by skirting over such intense topics.

🦇 Recommended to anyone who loves romances filled to the brim with tropey goodness; namely, grumpy vs sunshine friends-with-benefits stories!

✨ The Vibes ✨
🩷 Pan FMC
🩷 Grumpy/Sunshine
🩷 Only One Bed
🩷 Best Friend's Brother
🩷 Writer FMC / Tattooed Actor MMC
🩷 Dual POV
🩷 Friends-With-Benefits

⚠️ Addiction, Alcoholism, Relapse, IVF/Egg-Freezing, Dysfunctional Families, Stalking, Grief, Loss of a Parent

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Sophie gets rather inebriated and is filmed at a karaoke that love isn’t real and she’s never been in love. Well, the video goes viral and isn’t helping her, a romance writer with writer’s block. Dash, her landlord and her best friend’s brother, tells her she should reply to the video with her own TikTok video. So she does. And goes on a journey meeting her exes to find out why they never worked out while also trying to not fall in love with Dash, who is off limits.

Dash has been sober for over a year and has found an outlet in his secret TikTok videos of him crafting with clay. He’s done with acting, but his mother reaches out asking him to write a speech about his father since he’ll be getting a star on the Walk of Fame. He offers to help Sophie with her videos and asks her to help him with his speech, while also trying not to fall in love with her because he doesn’t feel ready for a long term relationship.

This was overall a cute and deep read. It deals with some heavy stuff such as sobriety, insecurities, and very dysfunctional families, or family really. I think the way it was all portrayed was well done and really makes you feel for the characters and be on their side. Sophie with her trust issues and Dash with his super dysfunctional family that just made me angry 😤

I will say the title of this book was appropriate because there were quite a few plot twists that occurred that I didn’t even catch and I think I’m pretty good at catching them before they occur, but some things that happened in here I did not expect!

The romance was very sweet and I appreciated that Sophie was very understanding and would listen. There was a point that she probably could have been overly dramatic but she instead took the time to find out the truth rather than jump to conclusions and just based on that, I really liked her as a character.

Dash was an interesting character. He seems to be at a point in his life that’s working for him and his sobriety and I just wanted to help him when ever his mother came on the scene because she was horrid! And Sophie seemed to be the only person who gave him peace and helped him be grounded and so I really enjoyed them together and it just was sweet 🥰

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. When it first started I wasn’t too sure, but those twists really made the book along with the sweet romance. And it was very realistic with the situations and family dynamics.

I received a free digital copy to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up

Erin La Rosa's 'Plot Twist' tackles sobriety, dysfunctional families and discovering one's worthiness for love.

With six weeks before she has to submit her second book, romance writer Sophie Lyon is suffering from writer's block. Realising she's never really been in love, Sophie sets out to meet her exes to examine past and document this on Tik Tok. Meanwhile her landlord and best friend's brother Dash Montrose has quit acting, to the chagrin of his Hollywood family, to focus on his sobriety. Instead he spends his time documenting his pottery anonymously on Tik Tok.

La Rosa deftly balances heavier themes along with the chemistry between Sophie and Dash. However at times I think this book tried to be too many things at once. I'd have preferred this to be less of an insta-lust and more of a slow-burn to let themselves open up more. At one point Sophie is mad at Dash for not trusting her to open up to him, yet she knew he was in recovery and this was difficult for him.

I also found it too self-aware of it's meta-ness with romance writer Sophie calling out the tropes ('oh look only one bed'). I personally think its time romance writers need to stop doing this. Her documentation of her meetings with her exes for Tik Tok seemed to go nowhere. Was this added in the book to show her going 'viral' or not? It hinted it was that way, then it was kinda of dumped.

For me, I found Dash's storyline the strongest and most rewarding part of the book. La Rosa paints his fears of relapse so vividly. I loved the scenes with his sponsor and friend Chris. Watching his struggles, especially with his pushy Hollywood family, were so well done, I wanted to yell at his mother!

I've not read 'For Butter or for Worse', featuring Sophie's sister Nina, so I am looking forward this this, and any future book La Rosa releases. If you like your romances that tackle serious issues, but with two characters learning to realise they deserve love, then this book is one to add to your ever-growing pile.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Everyone has problems in this book. I’m a bit tired of troubled heroes who have no confidence in themselves. And also with troubled heroines who think they’re losers. There are a lot of tropes in this book that you may or may not enjoy. I’m not a big fan of plots built around drama on social media.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

A child actor tries to help is tenant - a romance author on a deadline - overcome writers block, and learn why her past relationships have failed. They form a sweet/spicy connection as they support one another, revealing pieces about themselves as they learn more about themselves and give into their growing connection.

Great weekend read, that gets a little deeper than I expected for what I thought was going to be a rom-com.

Triggers include sobriety and abusive families (verbal/mental)

This book was heavier than I anticipated, but still a fun and enjoyable read.

There were a lot of little plot twists, which suits the name, and I thought the premise was interesting.

I adore the cover and look forward to reading more of this authors works in the future.

Perhaps there are too many plot twists in this novel, thus Plot Twist is a fitting title. In addition to having a stalker, Dash is a recovered alcoholic who has experienced an on-page relapse. His family has a poisonous dynamic, with his mother being the worst. And then there's Sophie, a romance novelist with writer's block who devises a scheme to get in touch with all of her ex-boyfriends to find inspiration for her work by learning why their relationships ended.
The novel felt a bit slow at points, but it also had a lot of sadness and tragedy, and some of the storylines seemed superfluous (such as the stalker narrative, which seemed to be created just to reveal Dash's identity as a TikTok artisan to Sophie). It scarcely felt plausible when these two declared their love for one another because of the erratic pacing and the heavy focus on their baggage throughout the novel. The romance in the book felt very much an afterthought.

Let me start by saying that I loved this book. While the premise of this book is about Sophie, a writer who is struggling to finish her second book, it turns out that it is much deeper than that which was the nicest surprise. The real world struggles that this book touches on are sobriety, alcoholism and a whole lot of self reflection. I loved that though both of these characters are going through very real life struggles, they don't let themselves drown in them and they *try* to lean on each other to get through them. Both characters are so loveably quirky without being over the top and it brings moments of levity throughout the book. This book had all the things that I love in a romance book and while it was a little meta (due to the fact that she is in fact a romance writer) it didn't take away from the fun-ness of these things. Best friends brother, one bed trope, MMC with forearm tattoos- need i say more? I also loved that there was some LQBTQ+ representation without shoving it down your throat/ calling too much attention to it. We find out Sophie is pansexual at the beginning of the book and thats just about the only time it comes up-even when she is falling (and Dash is falling) for him. I think this would be a perfect book club book and introduction to romance for a younger reader (maybe not middle grade but certainly high school).
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book was cute, but not exactlyyyy my cup of tea- which doesn't mean it wasnt good! Personally, I didn't feel that click with the two main characters. I never got to the point where I was really invested in their relationship. However, the plot moved along nicely. I am just very character driven, so connecting with the characters is a big thing when it comes to enjoying a book.

The book also includes some tropes, such as grumpy/sunshine, best friend's brother, and forced proximity, which i always love to see. overall a good, entertaining read but not one I would necessarily pick up again.

🌟 best friend’s brother
🌟 movie star & author romance
🌟 Hollywood setting
🌟 hottttttt 🌶️
🌟 complicated family dynamics
🌟 addiction rep

I ate this up! I loved the setting, Dash’s messy family drama was top tier, I loved Sophie meeting up with all of her exes, and I stinking loved the “Ghost” minus the ghost scene.

I highly recommend if you enjoy a whole lotta heart and a great plot with your spice.

Thank you, NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press, and the author for allowing me to read Plot Twist as an eARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

I thoroughly enjoyed this story: funny, well plotted and cute. I like Sophie, had fun and it was a good way to escape reality
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Coming from a Hollywood background and dysfunctional family, the last thing Dash is looking for is to fall in love. Sophie is in the midst of writing her second book and is having serious writer block. This story takes a look at family relationships, friendship, and self-awareness in a way that was so fun and reflective. I really enjoyed the banter and fun social media aspects of this novel. I look forward to new books in this series or from this author. Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC.

3 stars

Plot Twist is the second book in the Hollywood series by Erin La Rosa.

I really enjoyed the sobriety rep in this book. I don't see it a lot and I liked how supportive Sophie was of the MMC and his journey.

However, I didn't really connect with the book otherwise. I personally felt that there were way too many subplots moving throughout the story. In just a few chapters it felt like I read 10 different subplots all in a row. The story felt rushed because it tried to tie all the subplots into one story.

I also am not a fan of romance books where one main character is with another character for part of the book. That also means that Sophie and Dash were not together for most of this book, which I'm also not a fan of.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't my favorite but if you enjoy books with a lot of subplots and don't mind when one main character is seeing someone who isn't the other main character during the story this might be for you.

This kept my attention abd got me excited to come back for more while I read this in small chunks on my phone with a newborn in my arms.

I loved the inclusion of Dash's craft hobbies and both his and Sophie's social media. There were also darker themes of addiction, which I did not expect in a Rom Com. The first person view of a recovering addict had both depth and nuance.

I now want to go back and read the first book in this universe!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for the eArc.

She's an author with writer's block and has a second book deadling due in a couple weeks and he's an actor who's given up acting to make craft tiktok videos while he's maintaining his sobriety... he's also her landlord and her best friend's brother but when one checkup leads to more, both of them are beginning to realize that they might be the perfect person for the other. Sophie is a romance author but she's only written one book, and now she's stuck in a rut, she has a second book due but she can't seem to write it. When a drunken night out leads to her going viral over a video in which she says she's never been in love she decides to overcome her writer's block and reunite with her exes to learn why she's never fallen in love...all the while documenting it to her millions of new online followers. Dash Montrose is a former teen hearthrub turned anonymous online crafter, a hobby that has helped him maintain his sobriety. No one knows his secret and he plans on keeping it that way, but that might be hard when his family is Hollywood Royalty and they want him to come back into the spotlight. When his sister ask him to check on her best friend and his tenant, Sophie, he does, and what was only suppose to be a check in turns into more as he begins opening up to her and they find themselves becoming friends... and possibly something more.... This was an okay book overall for me, I did appreciate the emphasis that Dash had on his sobriety and trying to maintain it and I liked how supportive and understanding Sophie was. The romance was nice and the resolution to the struggle of why they couldn't be together was alright. Overall it was oaky, it just didn't grab me as much as I thought it would and I just felt alright overall. It's not bad but it just wasn't that great to me. I felt that it was a cute story and the romance was nice and would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a romance read with friends-with-benefits in it.

*Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Plot Twist was so sweet and easy-going despite all the deeper themes within the story. I love the brother's best friend trope, but I didn't really like/connect with the characters much. I liked seeing Sophie on her mission to find love and Dash was so kind even though life gave him every reason to be cold, but there wasn't as much tension and drama as I like. I feel like the story was anti-climactic in a way. I loved that the author included sensitive topics such as recovering from alcoholism/setbacks, IVF/egg freezing, dysfunctional families, LGBTQ+ themes, and stalking, but there was just something missing that kept me from truly investing myself into the story. And bonus points for having a main character with a pacemaker- I love seeing real-life people in books. I did find their banter funny and enjoyed the spice, I just needed something more. But it was definitely a fast and cute read.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review! I really enjoyed this story! Sophie is really easy to relate to and Dash is well.. dash! They made it so easy to root for them the whole time. I loved to see Sophie’s development and dash as well, but that man went through it y’all. They’re such a cute couple and I can’t wait to see more from this author!

Romance author Sophie Lyon’s big secret has just gone viral: she’s never been in love. After a hit debut novel, she’s got a terrible case of writer’s block and – when combined with her recent TikTok revelation and a looming deadline – she’s in trouble. Her solution? Go back through her exes and see where things went wrong. Along for the ride (somewhat reluctantly) is her sexy landlord, Dash Montrose. Dash is Hollywood royalty, but he’s quit acting to focus on maintaining his sobriety. He doesn’t want any upheavals to his carefully constructed peace and Sophie is a whirlwind filled with complications. But the two of them are drawn to each other and the longer Dash spends helping Sophie the more impossible their mutual attraction is to resist…

Erin La Rosa leans hard into tried-and-true romance tropes in Plot Twist. You’ve got grumpy + sunshine, best friend’s brother, only one bed…it’s cute and fitting when you have a heroine who’s a romance author. I had mixed feelings about Sophie and Dash’s story but overall it was fun.

Dash was an easy hero for me to like. He’s Hollywood royalty and being shoved into acting from a young age didn’t help him in the slightest. He’s a recovering alcoholic, less than two years into his sobriety and he’s focused on that. He’s holed up in his home, using crafting as an outlet while he tries to determine what direction he wants his life to take. I was rooting for Dash and even though he’s (very slightly) grumpy I found him an endearing hero who was there to cheer on and bolster Sophie. His family life is messy and I wish we’d explored the dynamics there a bit more because it was interesting and had potential.

Sophie is a hot mess in the beginning of Plot Twist. Her looming deadline is weighing on her and she can’t capture the magic of her bestselling debut. I never fully connected with Sophie, but I liked that she eventually started to realize that maybe she was part of the problem when it came to her past relationships not working. She’s messy, flawed, and screws up, but takes the time to realize her flaws and doesn’t balk when her best friend and sister point them out. She and Dash have good chemistry and it made their romance work. It’s sweet and sexy, with some good humor thrown in (Richard the squirrel made use of his cameos).

La Rosa makes the most of the romance tropes she employs and that’s generally fun. That being said, some of the drama – especially at the end of the book – felt forced and rushed when it could have been woven in better over the latter half of the story. There were real issues in this book that gave it depth and could have been explored more to take this from good to great. And while I didn’t mind all the TikTok references, I’m worried this book will start to feel dated quickly. While Plot Twist didn’t dazzle me, I liked it and La Rosa’s writing enough that I’ll be on the lookout for more of her work.

This was such a steamy romance that had tons of heart. Fell in love with Dash and Sophie and rooted for them until the end. Dash’s journey to growth mixed with Sophie’s journey to change tugs the heartstrings.