‘The Plot Twist’ by Eleanor Goymer is one of my favourite specific tropes - romance author desperately seeking inspiration from their own unsatisfying love life and eventually finding the one… but brings a fresh flavour by introducing inspiration and lust as two separate people.

Author Allie is facing writers’ block and a looming deadline emphasised by her awful new editor when she meets two men at a party - elderly crime author Martin who becomes her writing buddy and sexy waiter Will who might just be the man of her dreams. The book charts Allie’s journey as she chases happiness and works to finish her novel, facing a few unexpected plot twists along the way!

The three main characters were really likeable, and I found Allie particularly relatable. I also really enjoyed the publishing industry setting and loved the compelling workplace drama. A few events were unpredictable and this book felt quite unique.

The writing style itself was quite speech-heavy and I felt that the pacing was quite slow… the characters (and the burning need to see just desserts for the villain of the piece) kept me reading, but I think it could have been snappier.

This gets three stars from me. If you love books about authors, contemporary romance and interesting characters, this is worth a read! It felt lighthearted and cosy and put a smile on my face. It’s my second book from this author and I would pick up another (especially if the cover is as beautiful!)

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

this one...unfortunately fell flat to me. gosh i wanted to love this book SO much more. the premise, the characters, i was so intrigued by the synopsis and fun cover. gave me "book lovers" by emily henry very quickly just looking at it, so obviously, i was EXCITED to read this.

BUT thats where the comparison stopped. the characters had very little chemistry and honestly very little romance to even show any chemistry. they just never seemed to work, so their relationship just seemed off to me, almost like i was waiting for them to break up and find other people to truly be happy in the end.. allie was also somewhat irritating and very childlike in a lot of ways for me.

the romance, plot and scenes sometimes were just weird for me...the pacing just wasnt right. i feel like this book had such high potential and just missed it on a lot of marks. it had moments i really loved and the found family trope / theme in the book was what really brought the rating up for me, i felt that was beautifully done.

thank you avon books for the arc.

Undecided between 2.5 and 3 ⭐ because I feel cheated on the romance aspect.
It's written really beautifully and the story is well- developed but for a romance book, there are very few really romantic parts. It feels like most of them are skipped over or just summed up in a few sentences.
On the other end, the mentorship plotline has a lot of space here and it feels like the author liked it better than the romantic one so maybe the story should have focused only on the former. Not all books to be appreciated nowadays have to incorporate a romantic pair: the found family trope is there for you!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you One More Chapter and NetGalley for this eARC.

Some of the things that drew me to this book were the plot blurb that I read before requesting and cover. Unfortunately, this book did not live up to my expectations. My favorite part of the book was the relationship between the FMC and Martin as they related to one another over their shared love of developing stories. The romance was not it for me. I wanted more of the MMC, Will.
If you are looking for a predictable, surface romance, this may be the book for you.

2/5 stars

This was cute, but it fell flat for me. I loved the premise of the book and was really looking forward to reading, but in the end, I had a hard time connecting to the characters and I disliked the romance. It just didn't feel genuine.

The Plot Twist by Eleanor Goymer is a rom-com, and this is Allie and Will’s story.
 
Allie is a romance writer, and she has lost a bit of her writing spark. Her relationship is lackluster and she’s missing inspiration. But this was also because she’s almost given up on love and self-sabotages over and over again. And I often had a hard time connecting with her.
 
At a publishing party she meets Martin who is a grumpy crime writer who also has writer’s block. I always love romances that include books, and it was fascinating how they worked on their own stories. They decide to help each other and switch genres. This reminded me a bit of Beach Read, except Martin is more of a father figure and the love interest is Will.
 
Will is a simple man who is a caterer, and he is fascinated by Allie. But he always has to demand attention because the publishing world and Allie’s job takes up most of her time. There were also some scandals that created unnecessary drama and there was so much going on in the story that there wasn’t enough room for the romance. I also felt like the protagonists weren’t equal and all depended on Allie.
 
Overall, this was a cute story, but the romance couldn’t fully convince me. 3 stars.
 
(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc.)

I had really high hopes for this one but had to DNF at 40%. Not enough was happening to make me intrigued and the FMC was irritating. I was expecting more romance and interaction between the two characters but so far it's mainly been the FMCs internal dialogue. Unfortunately this one isn't for me.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I thought this was a fun, uplifting book that was enjoyable and easy to read. This one was a bit predictable but the story was lovely. I really enjoyed the relationship between Martin and Allie and felt it added some additional character to the story

This book was delightful and easy to read. While somewhat predictable, the story was charming. I appreciated the dynamic between Martin and Allie, which enhanced the narrative. The author's writing style stood out, especially in how she shared the story with Martin and his wife. Will was endearing, and I envision a bright future for him and Allie.

This book is a really great general fiction book with some romance and friendship thrown in. Writing this review is a bit of a challenge because I disagree with it being categorized as “romance.” Yes, the FMC is a romance writer and she does experience romance in the book; however, it felt so much more like she was working through her writers block than it was about her romance. I enjoyed that the FMC and MMC were both in their 30s and had been content with single life (or at least the idea of it). I loved that this also showcased an older romance that was going through a second chance for revival. I enjoyed the friendship and representation of #MeToo as well. However, I think this book suffers from trying to do it all, but not have a singular focus that fits into a traditional genre. It was an enjoyable read, but I didn’t get a ton of depth or chemistry from the MMC - I got more from the older MMC and the younger FMC. There were good friendships, but they all had fleeting moments. I liked the plot of swapping book plots with another author, but it still was “jack of all trades, master of none” that left this book being more so-so for me. 3⭐️, 1🌶

This was a quick, sweet read! Allie and Will’s meet cute was adorable and I loved how their relationship blossomed despite the secrets they were both hiding. I love Allie’s friendship with Martin and how they benefited each other. I didn’t exactly like Allie or relate to her much, but I enjoyed seeing her learn to love herself and believe in love again throughout the story. I do wish that we’d have seen a little more with Will. In a way I felt like their story was forced. But I loved the subplots and friendships that formed.

4.25

“This,’ he waved to their surroundings and then placed his hand softly around her back, ‘this is my grand romantic gesture. When I’d read your words, when I’d spoken to Jess, I realised I wanted to show you how I felt. Not by calling you or sending you a badly written text. Not by turning up at your flat uninvited. But by bringing you back to where it all started and telling you that I love your way with words, I love the start of our story, I can’t wait to read more, and I love you.’”


ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW


Omg what a lovely story!!!

Not only did I loved willallie's story but also martin and angie's and the interaction between allie and all her friends especially martin and jess .I was pleasantly surprised by all the twists this story had nada the growth of Allie during the book

From one fellow happily ever after believer to another!!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This was such a good palette cleanser. Although most of the book was very predictable I still enjoyed seeing the story unfold. The chemistry between both Allie and Will was everything, which I loved. Can’t wait to read more books by this author.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for providing me with an eARC of this book!

The Plot Twist was an incredibly disappointing read. From the characters to the (lack of) romance to the plot itself, I really did not enjoy this.

Allie was a genuinely insufferable main character. She was judgmental, insecure and yet still wildly self-righteous. She made so many bad decisions and yet had the audacity to be judgy of others? She was constantly rude about other people's appearances, jobs and personalities. But she had nothing going for her! She also seemed to have a serious drinking problem - it is a bit concerning how her default answer to anything was alcohol.

This book is advertised as a romance. However, the romance itself took up very few pages and by the end of the book I still felt like I did not know the male love interest at all. I could tell you nothing about Will at the end that I couldn't have told you after about the second time we met him. We witnessed hardly any actual dialogue between Allie and him - most of the time the scenes just kept jumping forward because Allie was too busy thinking about her own self-inflicted problems or how allegedly hot Will was.

The plot of The Plot Twist was, ironically, extremely predictable. It was really boring as well. Large chunks of the book took place over only a day or two, and then it would jump forward quite a bit. Nothing that happened was at all believable - it was too slapstick-y or just unrealistic. The "villain" was a complete stereotype and the whole plot surrounding him honestly did not feel authentic or well done.

Overall, this was not a book I would recommend at all. I spent most of my time reading it bored or irritated.

A great book for lovers of books! The characters were well written, and I loved watching their relationship develop!

If you liked Beach Read by Emily Henry, you should give this a try!

I was sufficiently entertained throughout The Plot Twist, thanks to certain elements of the plot and the sometimes comedic narration, but unfortunately I have more cons than pros here. There were noticeable issues with pacing: the book could have done without the prologue as most of the same information cropped up in chapter one, and Allie's narration is prone to info-dumping. However, events taking place outside of Allie's mind and things she doesn't know about are paced/foreshadowed a bit better. Half the plot is driven by Allie's refusal to communicate, which had me literally exclaiming, "girl, what is wrong with you?" I also didn't find her relationships with Will or Martin to be particularly fleshed out, which is disappointing as they're meant to be the central relationships. Overall, it was just fine for me.

3.5 stars.

When romcom author Allie Edwards meets bestselling crime novelist Martin Clark at a party, they realize they both struggle with crippling writer’s block, overdue deadlines, and absolutely no progress on their next books. They end up coming up with a wild plan to switch genres and write each other’s stories. During this, Allie meets Will, a charming event caterer who starts to serve as the inspiration for some added spice in her writing.

This book was definitely not what I expected, but it was incredibly cute! The romance between Allie and Will was great, and their chemistry was off the charts. For a while, they seemed like the perfect couple, and I loved how their relationship unfolded. However, the conflict that popped up towards the end (no spoilers, I promise) did frustrate me a bit. It felt a little unnecessary, especially after all the moments prior. I was thinking the entire time how all of it could have been avoided with a single conversation. Still, watching their romance grow throughout the book was cute.

One of the other main plot points was the dynamic between Allie and Martin. It was fascinating to see the contrast between a young romcom author and an older, seasoned crime novelist. The way they helped each other work through their writer’s block was such a unique plot point. However, I didn’t always love how Allie treated Martin. At times, she seemed to use him more for his experience and as a means to an end, rather than really valuing him as a mentor or partner in her writing journey. It felt a little one-sided at moments, which left me feeling a bit conflicted about their relationship.

Overall, I really did enjoy the book and it was a fun read, but it’s not something that will stick with me long-term. It was perfect for a quick escape, but not something I’ll probably revisit in the future.

The plot of this book is absolutely fascinating. Allie having a writer’s block and switching with Martin was something I haven’t seen before. I found it interesting to see how these writers thought and their writing process. Will is totally my new standard for a man. He was just so perfect and yet actually realistic. The communication in this book was top notch. Also Allie and Will’s chemistry was out of this world. Every time they interacted I felt it through the pages. Even though I guessed the big plot twist of the book and found it predictable, I like the how they resolved it and I liked seeing the aftermath.

Such a fun and cute little romance. I was giggling and kicking my feet at this, that was how much I enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!