Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Sophie Lyons is a romance writer who has a serious case of writers block while trying to meet the deadline for her second book. After an embarassing video of her goes viral, and she admits she’s never been in love herself, She decides to try and meet up with all her old exes and find out where things went wrong in their relationships, with the hopes that it will get her out of her writing slump.

In the midst of this, Sophie begins to have feelings for her famous landlord/best friends brother, Dash, even though she knows she shouldn’t. As Dash and Sophie’s relationship unfolds, more drama and issues with Dash’s family unfolds and threatens their budding relationship. Will Sophie finally fall in love?

Overall I thought this was a cute romance book with a little bit of unexpected spice thrown in. After finishing this I am tempted to go back and read this authors other book about Sophie’s sister, Nina and hear her backstory. I wish half stars were allowed bc I would say this is a 3.5 for me

This is my first 5 star romance of 2023. I was worried going in because so far this year I've read the "romance writer who can't finish up her book with a deadline looming" and I've read a "writer doing TikTok videos of revisiting her exes". Was this one going to be any different? Why yes, yes it was. This book is so very different than others I have read. Sophie revisits her exes in an attempt to find out why she hasn't been in love before and learns some things about herself. Dash is dealing with some very serious personal issues and doesn't want to be in a relationship (which includes sex) while going thru it. This book is NOT one series of romance trope after trope. The prevalent one is best friend's brother, which does cause problems later on. But while the sensual parts of this story were oh so good, it is the overall story and mostly Dash's that made me love it. This book made me laugh, cry and cheer. I loved it! This is my first by Erin La Rosa but now I will rush to my indie for a copy of For Butter or Worse.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Plot twist by Erin La Rosa is about a romance writer who has never been in love and goes on a quest to find out why, all the while falling for the boy next door. The first bit of the book was a little hard for me to get into only for the persistent reference to Tiktok. However, I did enjoy this book for the classic tropes, comedy and relationships. I appreciated the female main characters fluid sexuality and the appropriately portrayed male main characters struggle with alcoholism. Overall I thought this book was really cute and I’m a sucker for cartoon covers. 3.5

Dash and Sophie’s story brought me so much joy!

Sophie is an author, stuck in a writers' block rut, when her next book deadline is quickly approaching. She’s curvy and pansexual, plus she loves the em dash symbol- so basically I want to be her new bff.
Dash is a former heartthrob, belongs to a Hollywood royal family, and is fresh into alcoholism recovery. He has closed himself off from his family and relationships in an effort to focus on his sobriety. He’s also short and has a passion for crafting (which is super attractive in an artsy way).

THE SPICE! Wow, I will be recommending this book to everyone I know, except for my mother! That massage scene was 🥵…👨‍🍳🤌

I loved every moment of this story! Kudos to Erin La Rosa for writing such a fun, relatable, and heartwarming romance. I’m off to find her back-list titles now!



TW- alcoholism and recovery
Stalking

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Neighborly acquaintances to unrequited crush: romance writer Sophie totally has the hots for her landlord, former indie movie star Dash, but he's stand-offish...but that's because he's secretly harboring a crush on her! Their paths finally crash together when she's hungover and barfs on his shoes, and he carries her into her house.
Both Sophie and Dash are sweet, likeable characters with low self-esteem, both trying to figure how to live the lives they want to live instead of molding themselves to what others see of them-- very relatable. Dash has the added layer of struggling with sobriety and a very dysfunctional family.
Sexy and low-stakes, it was a pleasure to see them slowly build themselves up so they could reach for each other. Only thing that bugged me was the "best friend's brother/sister's best friend" being off-limits trope- not a fan, but was one of the few lines of tension in the plot.

Neither Sophie nor Dash are in a very good place in their lives. Both are trying to move forward, yet find it challenging. They question each other, but they question themselves as well. La Rosa had created characters with great depth and tenacity. Characters we want to see succeed despite their flaws. In doing the story is one that I became invested in, and one I had trouble putting down. As difficult a topic as it was for Dash, I like the way the his addiction to alcohol was handled. I think it’s important for people to see that it is something that the addict never forgets and never forgets worrying about. It is something that some people brush under the rug and others cannot cope with. It is a condition that requires a lot of determination, hard work and support to keep under control. La Rosa approached this topic with sensitivity, and a realistic outlook. So many people have had to deal with this in one way or another, seemingly even more so after the pandemic. It’s nice to see an author put this in their work in a way that is not overwhelming but definitely something significant. I’m invested now. I want to see where the relationship between Dash and his father is headed. I also want more of Poppy. Please.
I really enjoyed this book - and will look for more by this author for sure.

This story is so cute! Definitely was not expecting several of the story points, I couldn’t put it down once I got into it!

What a cute read! I really enjoyed this book. Also great use of inclusive language! I loved the Hollywood / LA vibes. I also enjoyed the split perspectives. Dash’s perspective did a great job at showing his vulnerabilities. I think the incorporation of TikTok worked well, but I wasn’t a fan of the stalker aspect. I was expecting more to come from it but nothing really happened. Loved the romance and it had the perfect amount of spice. Fun read overall and I would definitely recommend it to others.

Plot Twist, by Erin La Rosa, drew me in right away. It is a fun rom-com that will have you laughing out loud at the banter between Sophie and Dash. It leaves you with the good "feels" of a Hallmark movie. Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Plot Twist is a light and breezy falling for your best friend’s brother tale on the surface, but packs a solid emotional punch too – perfect for fans of Ava Wilder and Abby Jimenez.

When we meet Romance writer Sophie Lyon, she’s death’s door-level hungover, the host of a debilitating writer’s block party, and confessed to the world that she’s never been in love. Then she throws up on her hot landlord’s shoes. Said landlord, Dash, also happens to be her best friend’s hot brother, former actor, and the child of very famous jerks.

From the start, we know Sophie and Dash are both unenthusiastic riders on the struggle bus. Sophie decides to go on a High Fidelity-style trip down Confront Your Ex Lane to fix her inability to write a happily ever after. Dash is white-knuckling through sobriety by working on his crafting projects and being a recluse.

As expected from well-formed characters, what they *think* is going to solve their problems won’t get them to a happy ending. Anyone who’s fought imposter syndrome and people-pleasing tendencies will feel a kinship with Sophie, as she finds her voice and the confidence to fall in love authentically.

Dash will likely resonate with anyone who has struggled with addiction or loves someone who does. While his relationship with alcohol is an essential plot point, La Rosa handles this potential mine field with a lot of grace. He too needed to find his voice and Sophie serves as a point of inspiration without becoming his reward for sobriety. Dash may fear a new relationship is his biggest danger point, but it was his existing relationships which required new coping strategies.

The inner conflict of both Sophie and Dash is significant. However, the tender hearts of both characters keep the narrative from dragging into maudlin. There’s plenty of humor and spicy times to balance the rough stuff.

In Erin La Rosa’s first fiction offering, For Butter or Worse, we were introduced to the Lyon sisters, and specifically Nina, a celebrity chef on the rise. While Plot Twist is a natural second book in a series about Nina’s little sister, Sophie and Dash’s story can be treated as a standalone.

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Tropes: Best Friend’s Brother, Celebrity Romance, Friends-to-Lovers, Cinnamon Roll hero

Spice Level: 2/5, open door
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Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date Nov 14th, 2023.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC. I loved, loved this book. I listened to the audiobook and it was so well done. This book had such cute banter and was so spicy. I will be reading more by Erin La Rosa.

the third person writing was really hard to get through. i had to start and stop reading mutliple times. i couldnt finish it

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Sophie and Dash. Sophia is an author, who is suffering from a writer’s block. After an unfortunate drunk incident she turns to TikTok to expose her tragic love life. Dash is Sophie's best friend's brother. He was once an aspiring actor but most recently he lives alone working on this crafting skills. Sophie and Dash start working together, becoming friends but there relationship slowly turns into something more as they get to know each other.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves reading rom-coms!

Nope. I was excited for this one (it sounded so fun!) but the writing, pacing, and tenses were off from the start and never recovered. DNF'd.

Really cute grumpy sunshine/best friend’s brother Romance. Sophie and Dash are easily relatable, lovable and complex characters. Their backstories are interesting and really bring a lot to their relationship. I absolutely adored all the representation in this book. Not only the pansexual rep, but also that of addiction. Overall the pacing was good, although sometimes a little rocky. I can’t teLL you how many times I laughed out loud while reading. Sophie and Dash’s banter is delightful. Sophie, in general is delightful.

This book was 50% popular tropes and 50% contemporary references that I feel like will age the book and make it feel outdated in a year or two. I get the sense that the author is trying to introduce other characters who will get spinoff books, but it draws attention away from the main characters and was a bit distracting. Honestly, a bit of a let-down from the premise (the conflict between the leads got resolved so quickly in my opinion) and some parts of the book felt a little simplistic, or poorly executed even (i.e. the villains all felt so one dimensional).

I received a free ARC from NetGalley but this review was posted of my own volition!

"Plot Twist", by Erin La Rosa, intrigued me due to its unique plot line: Sophie is an author who writes romance novels but yet has never been in love. However, her best friend's brother and very hot landlord (Dash) is making her rethink the way she views love and romance. I enjoyed the growth that both characters made and thought the chemistry between the two of them was very strong. However, there were some pretty large plot holes to this story and I probably wouldn't read it again.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 40%

This book is REALLY slow and I feel like I’m going nowhere. It’s almost like reading about all the different types of romance books there are and and why certain ones are the authors favorites. The references to TikTok is also a bit annoying to me with how constant it is.

The idea of Sophie trying to write her next book is a fun idea. Going to talk to exs about why she’s never fallen in love and I felt like it could have gone somewhere but I just got in a reading slump from this one.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest view.

I was surprisingly super into this book right when I started it… probably because it was giving off rom-com movie vibes but my interest started dwindling around 60% mark. While I liked romance between Sophie and Dash, there was a real missed opportunity to let them stew in that mutual pinning a little bit more. Overall this a cute and spicy book.

I enjoy Erin La Rosa's characters and Hollywood setting as I think they appeal to millennial readers like myself a lot. Also her focus on the mental health struggles of her characters is refreshing to see in romance novels.
It makes her characters more realistic easier to identify with. I was a little bored with the meeting up with exes plot because I just recently read "Exes and Ohs" by Amy Lea and they just seemed too similar. There was also way, way too many references to the characters licking their lips. I will still recommend this book though because I did enjoy it and think others will too. I'm excited to see what Erin La Rosa does next.