A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade/Canary Street Press for the eARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I enjoyed this book. Found Sophie to be fun and interesting. Glad Dash got some help. Cute 3.5 stars

4/5 stars
2/5 spice

A really cute story that also has its heavy moments that create a bit of drama. I kinda wanna do a ceramics class 😋

Tropes:
Neighbors to FWB to lovers
BFF's brother/Sister's BFF
Retired actor/crafting MMC
Author FMC
Pacemaker rep
LGBTQIA rep
Mental health rep
Trauma/healing
Secret relationship
Close proximity
Dual POV

Some really great angsty moments but also sweet and funny. I loved how the author handled hard topics in a realistic and sensitive way. Sophie and Dash created their own little bubble, and it worked with their personalities. I was rooting for these two from the start, and you get a clear view of the friendship and trust they were building in the midst of all the drama circling around them. I also liked that their intimacy had a natural progression. They needed to build more trust before they could go all in, and I really appreciated that the spice made sense for their dynamic.

Overall, I highly recommend this one for fans of friends to lovers with secrecy and close proximity. There are quite a few heavy topics discussed, so please check trigger warnings before starting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Trigger/Content warnings:
Alcoholism, addiction/sobriety, stalking, anxiety, dysfunctional family, overbearing parent, rehab, paparazzi harassment, sexual content, explicit language

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-arc!

This book had some ups and downs for me. I loved the concept and the characters (most of the time). The tropes were perfect! Grump/sunshine and best friend’s brother are some that I gravitate towards a lot.

Dash was an interesting character to read about and I loved his point of view. How sobriety was and how hard he was working towards it. I also really liked the crafting aspect of him. I just wish we got a little bit more of his backstory and more of his family and how they acted when he was younger.

Sophie was also really interesting, but some moments were lost to me. I wish there was a bit more about the exes' interviews. They seemed a bit short when the plot was driven by how she was learning about herself because of asking them questions. I do like how she genuinely learned from previous experiences and tried to change for the better.

The ending was just adorable. I am really happy how it all played out and it seemed like these two really just wanted the best for each other no matter what.

Firstly I’d like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It’s not my usual genre but I really enjoyed this, complex characters, with relatable issues. This book was an easy read and parts had me kicking my feet and blushing.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Plot Twist is book two in "The Hollywood Series" and while you could read it as a stand-alone -- I do recommend reading "For Butter or Worse" first, as it introduces us to our main female lead, Sophie.

Sophie - romance writer who realizes that she has never been in love. She also only has 5 weeks to turn in her second romance novel and is stuck. Maybe she can't write something she hasn't experienced herself...

Dash - former Hollywood child star, a member of Hollywood royalty and a recovering alcoholic. He's her landlord and also her best friend's big brother (the tropes!!!). While Sophie had crushed on him as a teen, they were strictly neighbours.

But as they spend more time together (forced proximity, one bed (tropes tropes tropes!)) Sophie begins to realize that she has big feelings for Dash - he's the only person she can be herself with... and as Dash is forced to face his demons, he realizes the only person he really trusts is Sophie. Together the navigate the twists and turns of their relationship to get to their HEA.

I will admit - first 60% of the book was solid. I really liked both mains - I thought that they complimented one another and the call backs to Nina and Jasmine from book one was great.

And then... it's as though more things were "tossed" into the mix just to make this book a little longer? I don't know - it felt like it got messy. It pulled itself together for a cute ending - but there was a part of the book that didn't hook me in like the beginning did.

That said - I'm giving this a 3.5 star review. It was solid. I liked the banter between our mains, the chemistry between them was sizzling ... I just think a little less would have gone a long way to making this a 4 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Sophie Lyon is a one-time author who is in the process of writing a new book. However, she has had writer's block and a deadline from her agent and publisher that is fast approaching. Sophie has never been in love despite her profession writing romance novels and she wants to find out why many of her relationships never worked out while posting the summaries of these meetings on TikTok. However, she's not big on social media and needs some help.

Enter Dash Montrose, her landlord who has grown a following anonymously on TikTok. He offers to help Sophie build a larger following while she helps him write a speech for his father's ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Although Sophie is trying to figure out why she has never been in love, she can't help thinking about Dash and how she can't get enough of him. They quickly develop feelings for each other, even though they may have differing expectations and deep insecurities that may keep them apart.

I will be honest. I didn't think I would like this book at first. However, after I read the first 20% or so of this book, I could not put it down. I thought the "Instalove" trope would annoy me, but the author did a fantastic job at breaking the tension between the two of them at just the right time. I was rooting for Dash and Sophie the whole time, which is why I think I was so intrigued to finish the book. Of course, I knew that they would get together, but what was the journey going to be like?
I had to know.

Can we also talk about the spice in this book? Dayum. This is definitely rated PG-13, if not rated R. This is an adults-only book for sure.

If you are looking for a love story with equal parts self-discovery and spice, please pick this up. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Well, I absolutely loved this contemporary romance! This one has grumpy/sunshine and best friend's brother tropes, both of which I love. There's also some amazing spicy scenes that are full of proactive consent, which I find myself really valuing when reading romance these days. I love both characters of Sophie and Dash, and my heart broke for both of them in their separate struggles -- Sophie with her writer's block, and Dash with his struggle to stay sober. Dash was such a grump, but such a softie on the inside! And he was so committed to helping Sophie get over her writer's block and get her book written. I loved the sexual tension between them and the way they were together, and how they each come to realize they don't just want but need the other. This is a magical story and one I would recommend to any romance lover!

Rating: 4 stars!
Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book!

I had really high hopes for this book, but I personally just didn't click with it. The concept was absolutely intriguing, and I liked the idea of the plot and romance, but it just ended up not being my favorite.

There were little things that this romance book had that I liked; our FMC has a pacemaker, it dealt with real issues of sobriety, and other more difficult topics, but did it well. The FMC was also dated women as well as men, and I enjoyed the inclusion of that in a romance novel.

I think the biggest thing for me was I just wasn't invested in the characters or their romance, which was disappointing!

This was an adorable romance! While some heavier topics were in it, I thought that the author handled them very well. I really liked the characters and how realistic they were; they weren't perfect, and they made mistakes, and they acknowledged when they did. It was really nice to see. There were also a lot of funny moments which I really enjoyed, and the chemistry between the two main characters was amazing! The only issue I had was how TikTok and social media-centric the book was. I don't overly love this many social media references, and since it was a central part of the book, it was pretty hard to ignore or move around. I will admit it almost made me give up at the beginning, but I'm so glad that I didn't! Overall, I would definitely recommend this book :)

This was a sweet romance novel with plenty of heart and lots of fun tropes (meet-cute? Embarrassing. Proximity? Forced. Beds? Only one of course)! I enjoyed the combo of a romance author trying to overcome her writer’s block and a former teenage heartthrob working on his sobriety and discovering his passion for crafting. I really appreciated the nuanced focus on alcoholism and sobriety, and I felt this difficult subject was handled with a lot of care.

While the plot clipped along with all sorts of wacky situations, I did find myself struggling to connect with the characters; I feel like the book could have benefited from some flashback scenes rather than relying solely on the narrators’ exposition, especially when it came to Sophie’s quest to meet her past exes and figure out where their relationships went wrong. I wish there had been more showing and less telling in these scenes, and I think it would have helped me feel more invested in the story.

Overall, Plot Twist was a fun read, with a good balance of cheesiness and genuine feeling.

Thanks to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️: 4/5

Sophie Lyon is a romance author who has never been in love. When this secret goes viral on TikTok, she begins a journey to reconnect with all her exes to see where she went wrong, and hopefully finish her book in the process. Enter Dash Montrose, former teen heartthrob, and Sophie’s landlord, who is looking for a path of his own, one that doesn’t include love, which complicates things when a friends-with-benefits agreement between the two of them starts to feel like it might be more.

I find romantic comedy books where the FMC is also a female romance author a little meta, and not necessarily in a good way all the time. I think that sometimes writing what you know truly is the best policy, but also, sometimes writing what you know feels like auto-fiction with a happy ending. I also tend to grow tired of the trope of “struggling starving (ish) artist” for either of the main characters, since it just always feels to me like a contrived way to make the main character’s life as messy as it can possibly be for 1) the giggles and 2) an easier diagnosis of why that character has failed in love before. Both of these little things that irk me in rom-coms were definitely present in this book, but I also really enjoyed the story as a whole. There were definitely some spicy parts to this one, and I found myself rooting for Sophie and Dash as a couple. The pacing was on point, and the side stories propelled the main story nicely. I do prefer an ending that’s a little less abrupt and more realistic, but that’s getting a little nitpicky, and overall the story was so cute and heartwarming.

Thank you to @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Plot Twist is the second book in Erin La Rosa’s “Hollywood” series. It can be read as a standalone, although there are some recurring characters, and the meta nature of this book’s protagonist being a romance novelist even suggests some parallels with Erin La Rosa’s own, with a referenced debut novel being “inspired” by the couple from book one.
The strength here was definitely in crafting the characters. I love the casual bi/pan rep with Sophie, as her romantic history includes both men and women, and the initial premise of the story is her going through past relationships and figuring out why she’s never experienced love, documenting her misadventures on Tik Tok. This was definitely the part of the book where there was more levity and fun, as things go wrong in these “reunions,” but I respect her for putting herself out there and never giving up.
Dash is where some of the darker elements of the story come in, as he’s a former child actor, pushed into it by his family, namely his greedy agent mother. The dysfunction between them only scratches the surface compared to some of the “troubled child star” narratives, but the impacts of the life he led in the past are also reflected in him being a recovering alcoholic. I did feel at times he was a bit contradictory, simultaneously being very tightly wound, constantly reminding us and Sophie that he doesn’t do relationships, yet putting himself in the line of fire for temptation, allowing himself to continue to be involved with Sophie, even when he felt things getting more complicated. But while I’m kind of over the heroes with inferiority complexes, I did still root for him and Sophie in the end, anyway, because of how complex addiction and mental illness can be. And the way the crisis was resolved to get them to their HEA was well done, resolving his issues about getting into a romantic relationship, as Sophie proved she was in this for the long haul, even with all his demons.
This was another enjoyable read from Erin La Rosa, and I’d recommend it to lovers of contemporary romance.

Very good, standard romance. I enjoyed the main characters but found myself not completely invested. The book did a good job of tackling sensitive subjects as well. Overall, I think people would enjoy this book.

That'll teach me to select a book primarily based on its cover. In the right hands, this could have been salvaged as something at the very least cute and fun, but the execution is shoddy and disappointing. Sophie is a frustrating mess of quirks who is inconsistently written, while Dash is too much of a pushover and for most of the book needs to grow a backbone to enact some real change in his life. The relationship between these two springs so quickly from very little real interaction, with the steamy scenes not feeling organic and like they were added to fulfill a requirement. There is so much going on in this story and among the details that it frequently feels overloaded; for instance, not only are Dash and Sophie grumpy landlord and sunshine romance writer tenant, but he is also the brother of her best friend, a Hollywood legacy family member and a former teen heartthrob that she had a crush on. Far too many tropes! I thought the storyline of Dash being an alcoholic in recovery was the most promising, yet La Rosa fumbles this as well with a lot of choices that don't ring true for an individual in this situation. A big whiff for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for this advanced reader copy! This is the perfect mix of funny, romantic, and serious! The main characters are both flawed just enough that you still care about them deeply! I think the serious points are handled well. Content warning for alcoholism. Overall a great read.

Plot Twist lives up to its name. The twists and turns, the ANGST! I wasn't ready but it was like a sunshine comfort stuffed animal. Dash is someone I want to wrap in a huge hug.
This sunshine/grump, celebrity x writer, friends-to-lovers romance hits all the points! I picked it up not having read any of her other books but now I'm committed!!

Plot Twist is a delightful novel about a romance novelist named Sophie who has writer’s block. When she goes viral after a video is published of her getting drunk and claiming she’s never been in love so she can’t finish her next book, she decides to meet with her exes to figure out why she hasn’t been in love and if she can not only overcome her writer’s block in before her deadline but also possibly fall in love. Enter her landlord and her best friend’s brother Dash. After helping her out with her hangover, they become friends. A former actor who is working on his sobriety, Dash is facing his own issues and doesn’t think he’s ready for a relationship. As their relationship gets steamy, they’re going to have to figure out if they should take the chance to trust each other in a relationship or if they have too many issues to make it work.

I loved this book. When I started reading it, I was a bit thrown as it started right at the morning after Sophie’s drunk night escapades, but then I was drawn in by the characters and couldn’t put it down. I thought the characters were well written, and I loved learning about Sophie through her journey of self discovery.

I would give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for access to an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one could have been edited better. There were a lot of repetitive musings by the characters. Yes, we get it you said it already. There was also a lot of the author telling what's happening instead of allow the characters to show the action. Readers will probably still enjoy, but it's definitely not the best in romance.

Meet Sophie Lyon, a struggling romance book author who is suffering from a writer's block with weeks left before her book deadline. Sophie is having a hard time writing about "happily ever after" especially since she's never experience it herself. As an experiment in hopes of helping her finish her book, she decides to meet up with her ex'es to see what went wrong in her past relationships. She enlists the help from Dash, her sexy but grumpy landlord who also happens to be her best friend's brother. This book was so entertaining and I really enjoyed it. I loved the forced proximity, friends to lovers, Tiktok references, the LA celebrity family life, and the stalker-ish super fan. I loved rooting for Sophie and Dash, loved all the side characters and really enjoyed the plot twists. Definitely a recommended read. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a really cute story! Sophie is a romance author with writer's block & she realizes maybe she can't get her characters to the happily ever after because she's never experienced it herself. After a viral video puts her lack of love out there, she decides to take things into her own hands and find out why her past relationships hadn't worked. In doing so, she learns a lot about herself along the way. Dash is a former heartthrob actor from a celeb dynasty family. He's her best friend's brother, oh and currently her landlord while she lives in an apt on his property! Dash has some secrets he's been keeping and some personal struggles, but he and Sophie agree to help each other which leads to them becoming friends, and growing closer. In being there for each other, tension and pining lead to crossing a line until they have to figure out whether they can even be what the other needs. This is a story about two people trying to find themselves and learning to accept the help and love they deserve. Sophie and Dash were really cute together and I enjoyed their journey! Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the early copy!