why is it that cartoon covers always have the spiciest scenes, not most but this one had just the right spice and romance along with character development. I related to Sophie heavenly. relationships weren't my thing so I thought- then I married the one man I loved. this book was funny along with deep. the talks about addiction-alcoholism were also very eye opening on both pot from someone struggling to stay sober and someone supporting an addict. I cried, I cheered. this book felt very real to me. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Plot Twist is the second installment of Erin La Rosa’s Hollywood series, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone. It makes a few references to the previous book, For Butter or For Worse (tell me that title isn’t HUH-larious), but I was still able to easily follow the side characters’ stories without having read it.

This was a sweet and unique little rom-com, and it had a lot of promise at first. The main love interests are Dash, a former child actor focused on maintaining a sober lifestyle post-rehab, and Sophie, a romance novelist working to understand why she herself has never been able to fall in love. Dash’s struggles with addiction and sobriety were mindfully portrayed, and it was clear to see how his former career path and dysfunctional family dynamics led to him closing himself off from the world. It was nice to see some LGBTQ+ rep as well; Sophie is pansexual and has dated men, women, and trans folks in the past. And the spicy scenes between Sophie and Dash were surprisingly… well, spicy.

But there were also a lot of things that didn’t work for me here. I knew going in that TikTok was a key plot element, but I couldn’t stand how deeply the characters were involved with it. Maybe this was an attempt at connecting with younger readers or with real-life BookTokers, but I just found the whole social media slant super cringey. I also knew that Sophie would be reaching out to her exes for the sake of self-improvement, but both protagonists spent more time with other people (either romantically or not) than with each other, which left their own love story a bit underdeveloped.

This book relied heavily on romance tropes to push the relationship forward rather than allowing it to evolve organically, and any chemistry Sophie and Dash might have had was mostly obscured by the messiness of their individual lives. They both had so much baggage and so little emotional maturity that their relationship never made much sense (for example, they kept getting upset with each other for “lying” when really they were just maintaining boundaries they’d already set, which, like… come on). They were good about communicating clearly with each other (this was a plus, for sure), but their actions so often contradicted their previously set boundaries that for most of the book they were in a constant holding pattern that didn’t really go anywhere. Dash’s struggles were understandable, sure, but even though he was clear with Sophie about what he was and wasn’t ready for, he was still kind of leading her on by indulging her pursuit of him. And I liked Sophie less and less as the book went on. She started out as this chaotic sweetheart enduring a relatable third-life crisis, but kept revealing herself to be selfish and painfully self-involved; she made no real growth from start to finish, and the small realizations she made about herself at the end felt rushed and disingenuous.

The writing itself was fine. There was some cringey dialogue, but otherwise it was fun and easy enough to finish in a couple of sittings. In all, it wasn’t my favorite romance ever, but it was entertaining and included a mostly compassionate portrayal of addiction. Recommended for romance readers who enjoy breezy writing, characters with unique backstories, and a moderate amount of steam.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for allowing me to read this book.

Plot Twist was an enjoyable read. I thought the characters and their development were lovely. I personally struggled to get into this book, but I did find it easier to read as the story progressed. I definitely see why people will enjoy Plot Twist, so I do think it is worth checking out.

Full review will be published on Instagram, Storygraph, and Goodreads @abookwormsgarden on November 2nd, 2023.

Thank you, NetGalley, Erin La Rosa, Har[lequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for letting me read 'Plot Twist' early! This book comes out November 14th but should be on everyone's TBR. This was such a cute and easy read filled with some of my favorite tropes.

Sophie is a romance writer who is blocked and starts working on falling in love with the right person and Dash is an ex-actor who is working on his sobriety by running a secret tiktok craft account and avoiding love.

I loved the banter, the spicy scenes, and all of the characters' plot development.
Going to have to go back and read the first book in this connected stand-alone series for sure!

This book was SO cute and I really enjoyed the way it brought real world things into it without making it cringey (tiktok). I loved the development between the characters and I enjoyed their own personal developments too!! Such a good book and SO cute too

I reeeeeeally wanted to like this one. I mean, a disabled pansexual protagonist with a love interest who does crafts to stay sober? Sign me up! But then they name-dropped Tiktok, which I know a lot of people hate in books when real life social media platforms are named, and I thought I was not one of those people until the word "Tiktok" was featured so many times in just the first few chapters of the book. I thought I could move past it, but I got to the point where as I was reading, I was like "oh boy, is someone about to mention Tiktok?" Also, the love interest explained stitching, which I and probably most people who will pick up this book already know all about. The main character's dialog on her Tiktok was extremely cringy, too, and that was, what, chapter 3? I almost DNF'd then and there it was so bad.
So yeah, I had high hopes for this one, thought it would be a cute and spicy romance, but I just couldn't get passed the Tiktok references and cringy dialog.

Publish Date: Nov 14, 2023. Thank you NetGalley for sending this book! ❤️

Slow Burn. Landlord and Tenant. A Little Smut. Childhood Crush. Ex-Actor. Struggling Author. Alcohol recovery. Pansexual. Rom-Com. Tiktok. Dual POV. Miscommunication.

I'll be honest this was tough to get into, I took breaks in between to avoid dnf-ing. Don't get me wrong there were parts where I needed to know what happens next then there were parts where it was a bit naive.

Sophie hasn't had the best luck with relationships or maneuvering her books in the right direction. Since she did not have a whole lot of experience in romantic relationships, she struggled writing her romantic novels. And the best thing she could think of was meeting up with past lovers and documenting her results on tiktok. Each conversation with each lover ended badly. She didn't know what the problem was until her last ex- but yet she still did not understand 😩

Dash on the other hand, swore off dating. In his mind he would ruin dating based off his history with alcoholism and his relationship with family. So he avoids getting attached, getting involved romantically until he spends more time with Sophie. He was there for her but he did not notice that she would be there for him also.

The things I disliked:
• Dash's family-they did not support him whatsoever. They were self-centered and dismissive. 😡 I dislike snobby celebs and snobby people in general!!
• I don't know why but the sister could have listened to reason before storming off, no one likes surprised visits!
• Sophie should have evaluated each of her relationships on her own
• Never meet your stalker or date your stalker! Haven't you seen documentaries?? The news??
• The spacing of texts or tiktok comments

This is the second book published in “The Hollywood Series” by Erin La Rosa. I didn’t realize until after i started reading it that I had read her other book but it all came rushing back to me. Sophie Lyon is an author. She has traditionally published one book and is now in a writing slump. She just can’t give someone a happy ending if she has never been in love herself. When this book starts we find that She is doing out of a night drinking and doing karaoke to go somewhat viral on TikTok by stating she has never been in love and as a romance writer this is shocking. Her landlord, also her best friends brother, gives her some advice and she follows it. She makes her response and decides that she is going to do a series on TikTok about her past relationships and what went wrong. Dash goes along with her in this journey.
Dash is part of a huge Hollywood famous family, his father was famous, his brother is famous and his sister owns a spa. She was also a childhood star and did some Indy films.

I really enjoyed the character progression that we saw in both Dash and Sophie. They both had their own issues to overcome and make some big realizations. At first i didn’t know if i was going to like this one as much as the first one….but I really find that I did. Erin had me laughing with some great comedic relief through out the story. Especially with the squirrel. This will definitely be a book I will physically pick up and add to my library.

This book was such a sweet and spicy read with an incredibly developed cast of characters.
Not only is this about falling in love but it covered so many other topics very nicely- friendship, family issues, alcoholism/ recovery, troubles falling in love.
The main character are both very strong and it’s a very different read for each pov (which I don’t normally see).
Overall it was a really great book!

When I first started reading I thought Plot Twist would be another generic contemporary romance with cookie cutter characters. The beginning was a little slow but then Dash’s character really captured my attention with his struggles. He felt like such a real person that I immediately changed my mind and couldn’t put the book down. Sophie’s character was a little less interesting to me, but I think with how strong Dash was it really made up for it. There were very real struggles in him and I loved the complicated family dynamics that were revealed throughout. The duel perspective was also so nice to see and really added a lot to the story. The writing was well done and the characters well developed. As someone who doesn’t always enjoy contemporary romances this one was an easy and fun read but not overly silly like a lot of them tend to be. The romance scenes were jarring in a sense and I didn’t enjoy reading them which is really my main complaint about the book and why I couldn’t rate it higher. I also didn’t totally love Sophie’s character, she didn’t really have much to her in the way Dash’s character did and he really carried the whole book for me. I think this would be a great read for those who love easy Contemporary Romances like The Hating Game, The Spanish Love Deception, or The Love Hypothesis.

TW: alcoholism and open-door romance

The first book in this series "For Butter or Worse" was only a three star read for me, but I was excited to read another in this series/by this author because it felt like there was a so much potential for the series. I am so glad I did! When I say I read this in one sitting, I mean I was literally holding the iPad in one hand and stirring dinner with the other because I couldn't put it down.

This one hits all the contemporary romance high notes and tropes (with the aspect of being self-referential because our fair protagonist is herself a romance author!) while feeling realistic. The characters are flawed without being overly tragic, the plot is movie worthy while the premise is reasonable by romance standards and the resolution shows actual character development. The "snark" bordered on my personal pet-peeve of just being immaturity, but once you get past the first few chapters the characters stop being too twee. This tale weaves together many subplots, and some fizzle a bit, but overall the interweaving of the characters really helps the world building.

For fans of classic rom-coms with a mature twist, this one should be on your TBR Pile.

I absolutely adored this book. I typically dislike when romance novels have too many pop culture references, but Erin La Rosa has found a way to integrate modern social media and topics that fit seemlessly into the plot. The main character, Sophie, is highly relatable and easy to connect with, while Dash demonstrates that love is somethinf you have to work and and choose everyday. I loved these two characters, I loved the setting, and I loved how it was steamy without loosing the plot. I was to read everything this author writes.

Plot Twist by Erin La Rosa is a friends-to-lovers story about Sophie Lyon and Dash Montrose.

Sophie is an author who has already published one book, and is on a deadline for her second book but is unable to complete it because she can't find the right ending for her characters. She realizes that the reason is because she's never been in love herself and with some encouragement from her landlord and neighbour, Dash Montrose, decides to meet with each of her exes to understand what was missing in each of her relationships which prevented her from falling in love.

Dash is a child actor from the famous Montrose family in Hollywood and years of pressure has led him to turn to drinking. He is now focusing on recovering from alcohol abuse, however hasn't shared this with anyone aside from his best friend. He focuses on creating pottery to help with his recover and owns the house where Sophie lives.

The book touches on a couple serious topics, however, I don't think it dives into each of them fully. I also found the story to be slightly repetitive, with a bit of a predictable ending. Although I didn't love this book, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a light romance read, and I look forward to reading more books by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for a copy of the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Overall cute story. The characters were funny, relatable. There was spice, humor, family drama. The ending ramped up bit there, which kept the intrigue going. The family drama was fitting for Hollywood. Got my blood pumping at one point. The MCs were quick witted and relatable. The story was told well, especially in regards to the topics discussed. It wasn’t over embellished, but kept the rawness of it all. I did receive this ARC thru NetGallley via Harlequin publishing.

Great book! A classic friends to lover, attempting friends with benefits because they can’t promise commitment. This book is easy and fun, great to read on summer day or at the beach.
If you love modern romances with LGBTQ representation and fast falls, this is the book for you!
Our main character decides to check in with all her exes to see if she missed her love story, all while falling for her neighbor who is helping her through this journey.
Our MMC is a big softie with lots of love to give!

4.5 stars rounded up.
First of all. Um . I didn’t realize this was a book two until coming to write a review of the book. Oops.
Absolutely loved it.
We have a short king working on his sobriety and doing a bunch of crafts on an anonymous TikTok while he figures out what he wants to do. He definitely doesn’t want to continue acting like his toxic ass family is pushing.
And a messy romance author that has never been in love.
She lives in the house behind his house on his property. She is writing a speech for him to give at his famous dad’s Hollywood star ceremony and he is helping her reconnect with her exes.
We have so many great tropes including ONE BED.
I loved the chemistry and the spice was great! 🥵
I did knock a half star off for some of the conflict. As a Scorpio I don’t understand when people get so angry when all the cards aren’t left on the table? Isn’t that part of getting to know someone? Why do they need to reveal every part of themselves immediately… trust is earned bitch. Lol.
Overall it was very cute.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC.

I loved this book for me personally! Dash and Sophie dealt with some heavy issues…some of these issues were handled in a lighthearted way. However, their connection and love was absolutely perfect. I loved the story line before I started it and it did not disappoint. My first by this author and not my last. I highly recommend it.

Plot Twist was an adorable book that gave a fun view of the book industry. It's always fun to have a writer show you the inside of what they do, even if it is fictionalized. La Rosa does a great job building a fun book.

this was such an adorable read! truthfully it wasn’t all i thought it was going to be, but i still really enjoyed this story and the characters a lot.

sophie is a romance writer who has never been in love, which is a fact that she drunkenly confesses to the world on accident when a breakdown in public goes viral on tiktok. dash, her landlord and best friends older brother, is a recovering alcoholic who’s main focus is staying sober while navigating his hollywood royalty family. their paths begin to intertwine after dash helps a hungover sophie, and soon their relationship starts to turn into more than a friendship. however, sophie is looking for the real deal - the commitment, the deep love - all while trying to figure out who she is when she isn’t with someone, and dash isn’t quite ready for the real deal.

i was honestly a little iffy with all the tiktok references because i guess i just didn’t realize how big of an impact that app had on the story, but i didn’t think it was the worst. i’m not someone who hates like modern references in novels bc most of the books i read are contemporary novels and if it’s set in modern day times… like yeah, there’s gonna be modern day references. but i thought the inclusion of the app was pretty neat and i really liked how it was done!

i also really loved sophie and dash’s relationship. they were perfect for each other in so many ways. sophie was able to be herself around dash, whereas in previous relationships she made herself smaller or different to appease the other person. dash felt calm and safe around sophie, and while he’s focusing on staying sober, that’s exactly what he needed. they also were excellent with their communication, i really enjoyed that aspect! it was refreshing, to say the least. they were both real with each other and didn’t downplay any of their feelings or worries.

this was genuinely such a great read! the writing was so easy to fall into, and i really had such a blast while reading it. i think i’ll be picking up erin la rosa’s debut novel after this, because i didn’t realize it followed nina, sophie’s sister! i’m very excited to read more by this author! ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

<i> thank you so much to harlequin and netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review! </i>

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It was a fun read that dealt with a lot of heavy subjects actually, maybe too many in one book since I feel like some got short shrift if that makes any sense.

Sophie Lyons is a writer who lives in the carriage house on Dash Montrose’s property. Sophie published her first novel and is on deadline for her second but she just can’t find the HEA for her characters. So she decides to track down her exs to determine if the reason she can’t write the ending is because she herself has never said I love you to anyone. And then she will post about it on TikTok.

Dash is the youngest child in a famous Hollywood family and was an actor in his younger years. The pressure from his family to continue to act and be a Hollywood star was too much and after years of drinking, Dash realized it was time to go to rehab and sober up. He has been working on his sobriety but he hasn’t told anyone except his sponsor Chris. And he channels his energy into making pottery and putting it on TikTok. Dash is the one to suggest that Sophie go on TikTok and talk about her quest for love

So I liked the characters but I am not sure that I fully bought that they were actually good for each other. Dash tells Sophie that he can’t be in a relationship because he is worried about his sobriety and feels like he needs to focus on that but then will hook up with Sophie. And Dash keeps his rehab stint, his pottery, and his sobriety so close to his chest, he won’t share it with anyone. And he is so down on himself. I like a little angst with my heroes, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes it felt a little much. But I was cheering for him when he finally stood up to his mother and then did what he needed to do, and I think that the end resolved itself nicely and I think Sophie and Dash will be able to have a good relationship. I mean, life is usually messy, right?

I think the plot twist about the exs was a bit weak; I think it added an element that took me away from the story of Dash and Sophie. To be honest, the way that Sophie treated Carla was kind of poor. And then there were fights with her sister, Nina, and then her best friend, Poppy, neither of which painted Sophie in the best light.

This is the first book I read by Erin La Rosa and though I didn’t love love love this one, I am definitely interested in reading the first book in the series, For Butter of Worse, about Sophie’s sister. (less)