(4.5 out of 5 stars)
This was SO cute!! I loved the storyline and I also loved that I didn’t find it too slow in the beginning while it was setting everything up.

I thought this was a phenomenally accurate portrayal of romance and dating today, and maybe what some of us have felt after a breakup. It was cute, it was funny, it was raw, and it was real!

Aside from the romance, I loved the journey both our FMC and our MMC went on, both together and separately. She’s trying to figure out why she can’t say those three little words and why her past relationships failed, and he’s a recovering addict trying to break the cycle and make a better life for himself.

I really really enjoyed this rom-com and would absolutely recommend to anyone who loves:
Best friend’s brother, slow burn, LGBTQIA+ rep, forbidden romance, tattooed MMC, and spice!

Book Review
Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa

Tropes
Best friends brother
Recovering alcoholic
Disability rep
Influencer/Booktok
Hollywood
Never been in love

Thoughts
📚I Loved all the references to bookstagrammers, current authors, book marketing etc
📚I found the storyline predictable- the whole checking in with your exes for personal growth and then posting - I have read it a lot lately…
📚 A romance author whos never been in love, an author facing a writers block with a timeline to publish- also an overdone trope 🙄

📚Overall a solid read that just fell flat for me


Thanks to @netgalley and @harlequin
For my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own.

Spice: 2.5🌶️
Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

This book was cute, but not groundbreaking. The romance writer who has never been in love trope seems to be a hit right now, and they are all too much the same. Did anyone else notice too that Sophie would tell her friends she loved them? That is also love to me - I know it's not the same as being in love, but the whole premise of the book was that she'd never told anyone ever those three words but she did a few times....

The writing was good, and unlike a few books recently the characters were indeed mature enough for their age. They fit the ambiguous 30s age range and didn't act like teenagers which was nice.

Albeit predictable, this was a good book! I will certainly keep the author in my back pocket for another new release!

2.75 stars

This book started out strong and I was excited to see where the relationship between Sophie and Dash. While it wasn’t the best first meeting on Sophie’s part, they had chemistry. And that chemistry was definitely there in the sexier scenes, which were also good. But beyond that I didn’t get into their relationship. I feel like there were more scenes of them apart than together, yet I was expected to believe they were falling in love. As a romance book, I wanted more of Sophie and Dash together. I wanted to be see them fall in love together. But instead it was just several pages of their thoughts of the other before there was another scene of them actually together. If they spent more time and scenes together I probably would’ve enjoyed it more.
I also would’ve rated 3 stars, but there was a scene at the end that was too cringey for me and I just could not look last that lowered it to 2.75.

Overall, this isn’t a romance I liked, but give it a shot if you want more individual than couple scenes.

Read if you like…
•best friend’s brother
•celebrity life
•dual pov
•🌶️🌶️

I am a sucker for former teen heartthrob characters, and jumped right into this book. It was a hard read, and the writing kind of was all over the place and didn't make me fall in love with the characters as much as I wanted to for Sophie and Dash. I had high hopes and it just fell flat or forced in many ways.

Unfortunately, this title was not for me. It was very tropey and all of the TikTok talk turned me off. I am a big fan of tiktok, but I felt like every other thing mentioned was tiktok…much like my review now. I wanted to love this book. The cover was super cute, and the synopsis really drew me to want to read it, but after a few chapters the MFC really just began to annoy me and I couldn't get over my annoyance.

This book was, if a little simple, pretty cute! I love a novel with a writer as a main character, and I also love pop culture references/stories set in the entertainment world, and the combination of the two here worked well I thought. I really liked how Sophie's personal journey flowed with the development of her romance with Dash. I also appreciated Dash's storyline, the portrayal of addiction felt real, if a little too simple at times.

PLOT TWIST, a sweet and steamy, contemporary romcom, is utterly satisfying in all of the best ways. I laughed at the sparkling banter, got teary over the rocky bits, and cheered on Sophie and Dash from the get-go.

This had some of my favorite tropes:
Opposites attract
Hurt comfort
But there’s only one bed
Grand romantic gesture
BFF’s sibling

Erin La Rosa also dealt with mental and emotional health issues in a real and sensitive way. Her handling of Dash’s family dynamics felt very real.

Shoutout for writing a pansexual FMC!

I recently read another book with a similar plot, Amy Lea's delightful Ex's and O's, so I thought I might enjoy Plot Twist. Unfortunately, the writing is clunky and the author does a lot of telling rather than showing.
The blurb didn't prepare me for the ways alcohol and alcoholism would be featured in the story, either. In the opening scene, the sober MMC has to take care of the FMC who is wildly hung over. There's a viral video documenting her meltdown and everything. I grew up with an alcoholic parent and the portrayal here is harmful. People don't just decide to get sober for someone else. They have to do it for themselves. Our MMC has been sober for a while when the book starts, but the FMC apparently has no idea what that means. Being in a situation where a drunk person vomits on them... This was just not the book for me.
Overall, Plot Twist gave me some pretty strong Bridget Jones's Diary vibes, so if that's a book you like you might dig this. I recommend checking out the sample first, though. See if the writing style works for you.

TW alcoholism, on page relapse

PLOT TWIST follows Sophie, a pansexual romance author who has never been in love, falling for her landlord, former teen heartthrob Dash Montrose, who also happens to be her best friends brother. After a TikTok of her drunk and crying admitting to never being in love goes viral, Dash encourages her to make a response video and Sophie shares her journey of meeting up with all of her exes to see where it all went wrong. Meanwhile, Dash is struggling with alcoholism and his very dysfunction, very famous family. He has a secret TikTok account where he shares his love of crafts without showing his face.

Sophie and Dash have a very sweet connection that I think Dash especially needed. He’s very closed off from his family and hides parts of himself from everyone that knows him. I appreciated that his struggle with alcoholism wasn’t a pretty one. I felt that it shows there is hope even in recovery. Despite the heavy topic of addiction, this book has the sweet and funny moments that I was looking for.

3.5 stars, PLOT TWIST by Erin La Rosa is available November 14! Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC.

This book was okay. The second half is definitely better than the first. The sex scenes while hot, felt forced. There were a lot of serious issues that these characters were dealing with and I wish those would have been explored more rather than the extended sex scenes.

3 STARS

First of all, the art on the cover is beautiful and it's part of the reason I was interested in the book besides the premise.

Sophie is an author experiencing writer's block for her upcoming romance book while also tackling the fact that she herself has never really been in love. Dash is a recovering alcoholic set on his boundaries and figuring out his future. Overall I enjoyed the book for what it was, especially the writing. Along with this, the author perfectly characterizes Sophie and Dash as people who are imperfect and know how to put in the work to get what they deserve.

While I enjoyed most of the book, I had an issue with the amount of references to TikTok. Shockingly enough it managed to take me out of points in the story. I don't mind the few references here or there but the constant TicTok references throughout the book were driving me up the wall, to be honest, and for that alone, it made it particularly hard to finish.

Overall this was a good book and I do recommend others to read it if they don't mind references to TikTok.

Thanks to Netgalley for this e-ARC!!!!!

The romance novel I've just finished is a delightful blend of heartwarming moments and witty humor. It explores the complexities of love and relationships through the eyes of a protagonist seeking true love among her past partners. Along the way, an unexpected friendship blossoms with her landlord, who also happens to be her best friend's brother.

What makes this romcom truly special is its ability to tackle deep themes while maintaining a lighthearted tone. The characters are beautifully developed, each with their unique quirks and vulnerabilities, making them exceptionally relatable. The chemistry between the main character and her landlord is palpable, and their evolving friendship is portrayed with genuine warmth.

This book is an enjoyable mix of emotional depth and clever comedy, making it a truly memorable read. If you appreciate slow-burning romances with well-crafted characters and a sprinkle of humor, I wholeheartedly recommend diving into this charming tale. It's a story that will leave you with a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart—a true gem in the world of romantic fiction.

I really enjoyed this, the romance was believable and the characters felt very real with all of their struggles and faults. This was probably the best I've seen alcohol addiction portrayed in a novel, and I really appreciated that.

Plot Twist
By Erin La Rosa

Sophie Lyon is a romance writer who has never been in love. She makes a plan to revisit her ex-partners to see what went wrong. Along the way, she develops real feels for her best friend’s brother, Dash, who is working through his own struggles.

I enjoyed the spice between these two characters who have been (subconsciously?) dancing around one another for years. They hit some super classic tropes beyond best friend’s brother too: only one bed, former celebrity, let’s make pottery together.

Read this super sweet romance if you enjoy second chance romances (even if the second chances don’t work out), people actually addressing their mental health issues, therapy as a tool for learning to forgive yourself, pining, and gentle and considerate characters.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this free e-arc in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a fun romance with good chemistry between the lead characters. They had good banter. I enjoyed Dash's chapters more than Sophie's. His character arc had more depth and growth. Sophie was just kind of there to figure out love and that was it, the cure to her writer's block. I feel like more could have been done there.

Thank you, Harlequin and NetGalley, for the advanced copy of Plot Twist.

Heads up: this is book two in a series; however, if you didn't read the first one, you can still read this one as a stand-alone. I highly recommend reading For Butter or Worse. The characters do make a crossover appearance, and you learn a little bit more about their journey since the end of For Butter or Worse. Woah, Nelly! There were some steamy scenes in this one! I loved this novel. I found myself rooting for both characters and the inner battles that they were facing. When can we have book three in this series? I'll definitely be devouring that one, too!

Romance author Sophie Lyon has just been outed as never having been in love after a drunken confession that someone recorded goes viral. Dash, her hunky landlord and best friend's brother, is a former teen heartthrob that leads a secret life of crafting which he documents on TikTok. With her landlord's help, Sophie will use the social media platform to explore why her past relationships failed. Plot Twist navigates us through the friendship (and so much more!) that Sophie and Dash form while exorcising their own personal demons.

3.5 Stars

Plot Twist is the second in the Hollywood Series by author Erin La Rosa. I haven’t gotten a chance to read the first book in the series because this is my first time reading this author. I picked this book because of the cover!

The story follows Sophie, a romance author with writer’s block, and oh, she has never fallen in love. And Dash, a former teen heartthrob, and Hollywood royalty. Sophie goes viral on TikTok for being drunk and yelling in a karaoke bar that she has never been in love, and it isn’t real. Dash gives Sophie a little nudge and the idea to create videos visiting her exes to find out why it didn’t work out between them.

These two are adorable together in this romcom, and the banter was great. Their chemistry is intense. They both have insecurities to work through throughout this romantic journey. I love that these characters are in their thirties and have their fair share of addictions and mental health issues. I don’t particularly like it when a book mentions a lot of social media. I think it makes it so a book doesn’t age well. I hope that isn’t the case here.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Erin La Rosa, and Netgalley for gifting me an eARC of Plot Twist. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa follows Sophie, a romance author who has never been in love and Dash, the former teenage heartthrob just trying to stay sober. Throughout the novel the two of these characters work together to help better themselves, but will real feelings get in the way?

What I liked: SO MUCH REPRESENTATION in this book. Our lead character is a pansexual author with a pacemaker and the love interest is a recovering alcoholic. What La Rosa did well with Sophie’s identity and disability was that it was not a big deal. It was not the main plot point and just added to the characterization. Dash was also not your typical male lead. He cried, he had genuine friendships where they talked in depth about who they were as people, and even acknowledged his low self-confidence. In this book. The characters truly shined and was an impossible to put down book. The author’s writing was engaging, with great humor and heart.

To keep in mind: I just learned that this book is the second in a series; however, I was not confused at all and it didn’t hinder my reading experience. In regards to plot: I do wish there was more involvement with Dash when Sophie went to see her exes and learn from them. Sophie made huge growth as a character, and adding Dash into more of that specific part of the book would have given this book 5 stars. This book also deals with issues like alcoholism, death of a parent, and family trauma. If these are triggers for you, please evaluate if this is the right book.

Rating: I loved this book and am so happy I discovered this author. I can’t wait to check out what else she has written!

Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Plot Twist comes out on November 14!

This book was not the first in a series but can be read as a stand alone. I read this book in a day and a half. I could not put it down, it was so good! I would recommend this for lovers of romcoms. I am going to look for the other books in this series and more books by this author.

I just reviewed Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa. #PlotTwist #NetGalley