A fun summery romance novel about a Scottish woman finding herself in Ireland.

Becca is an aspiring children's books author and a teacher. After her best friend dies Becca ends up at a writer's retreat at her friend and romance author Riley's house in Ireland. But...Riley isn't a woman as Becca had expected and as a matter of fact, he's...well...a very handsome man.

I have to point out that listened to the audiobook version of the book and I loved the narrator's accent, the audiobook is worth a listen just purely because of the narrator.

I liked how real the characters were and how realistic the relationships were portrayed as. It was funny and relatable for a good part of the book. But I feel like the book went a bit overboard adding all the twists and turns into it. It felt like the author had tried to fit all the possible twists and also tropes into the book. There's a best friend's death, Riley is a single dad, there's also lots of family drama and hidden secrets and also forced proximity, just to name only a few...and not to give away the whole plot. There was also less romance than you'd expect, which was a bit disappointing for me. I also think the book didn't need flashbacks and the information we gained from them could've been given to us differently.

Although, for a debut novel, I think the author did a good job and it will be a great summer read for all the romance lovers out there. My overall rating is 3 stars.

I would also like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for giving me the chance to review the book in return for an honest review.

TRIGGER WARNING: Death of a character, dealing with grief, some bad language, moving on

As soon as I heard the title of Plot Twist, I was immediately curious. I use assistive technolgy to write books and short stories, and I have always loved words. I knew I just had to request the audiobook. I am so glad I have a copy, as the story is true-to-life, haunting and exciting all at the same time.

I really liked Becca, and her and Rea's backstory, and how they met as well as their friendship. I felt for Becca and the circumstances that led to her taking a break from life. How she met Riley was realistic, and, if I'm honest, I was just as keen as Riley's little girl for them to meet. I really felt part of Becca's journey, literal and spiritual.

I enjoyed witnessing the growth and change in all the characters, and loved the flashbacks to ten years ago, as they really gave more insight into Becca and Rea's friendship and life.

Breea Keenan is a very good writer, and she is a new-to-me author. Plot twist is a heartfelt, immersive story I will never forget, not just because these are the kinds of books I love, but because I could identify with the characters. I loved the writer jargon thrown in, and understand it because of my own projects. This made me feel even closer to the characters and story.

I couldn't get through Plot Twist fast enough: I felt I HAD to know what was going to happen.

The narrator, Joy McAvoy, was brilliant, and I think she was the perfect fit for this book. Plot Twist made me laugh, cry, hold my breath in anticipation, and root for Becca and Riley.

Thanks to Breea Keenan and Headline Accent for my audiobook in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars

Plot Twist

Author:- Breea Keenan

Narrator:- Joy McAvoy

Audiobook:- 8 Hours & 50 Minutes

Book:- 352 Pages

Becca Taylor is having a bad summer.

Her best friend is dead. Her good-for-nothing ex is back in her life. And her career is in freefall.

So, when fellow writer Riley O'Connell invites Becca to the charming Irish countryside, she can't pack her bags fast enough, even though they have never met.

Review...

I want to say Thank you to NetGalley & Headline Accents Publisher for an advanced arc of this audiobook.

This book was a very sweet read that I have highly enjoyed & listened to in one sitting, I loved reading about 2 writers who where trying to find themselves within their writing... Becca has always wanted to be a writer but didn't have much confidence in her abilities but through unforeseen circumstances of a friend passing away, she goes to a friend who she thinks is female but isn't. The connection you see grow is sweet but also you see how each of their attitudes brings out the best in each other. Riley O'Connell's little daughter is adorable but also the broken home situation & seeing how she is so young and innocent that she is caught up in the middle of her parents dilemma, (I wanted to jump in the book and cuddle his little daughter feeling bad for her wanting something that would not be good for her or her parents with such a horrible backstory). If you enjoy romance & hearing character grow through them sharing their stories then i suggest this book

4 stars

The tone of the story is set within the first few minutes of listening - an enjoyable rom-com. Even though the story covers some sad topics, it was fine in such a way that the listener was able to do enjoyI t the light-hearted storyline.


I felt the narrator's give was appealling. She really brought the characters to life. I felt that her voice was a perfect match for the novel. Even though there was only one narrator, it was clear to identifying the characters.

The pace of the plot was in keeping with what I would expect from a cosy romance novel.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline Audio for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

Omg, this book lives up to its name haha! I felt like I had whiplash from the turns this book ended up taking, and could barely keep up towards the end!

Plot Twist is a cute summery rom-com set in Ireland, following two aspiring writers Riley and Becca who end up living together for the summer on their own mini writing retreat. The premise sets this book up as a classic romcom, with a main female character who is running away after the death of her best friend, and a miscommunication leading her to initially mistake Riley for a woman when she agreed to stay with him. I really enjoyed the first 70% per cent of this book, with Riley being the perfect caring single dad and the side characters also being a great addition. Also, listening to this book really brings the Irish/Scottish setting and characters to life through the accents, and definitely hooked me into the story more.

However, towards the end, I felt like the actions of both main characters were too frustrating for me, with a series of miscommunications and jumping to sometimes unrealistic conclusions leaving me not rooting for the couple and at one point even questioning whether they were going to end up together. I feel like this book perhaps lacked a clear direction and struggled to mix an emotional story with a lighthearted rom-com.

Unfortunately, this book was not a hit for me, however, I enjoyed the overall writing style, so would be interested to see what Breea Keenan publishes next!

Was really excited to read this as looked like a great listen but it was archived before I could! :( was so sad when I finally got a chance to listen to it!

Update! Turns out I did download it before it was archived!! Yayyyyy! Happiness restored!
Starting now and will come back with a proper review soon!

Final update! I’m so glad I realised I did download this! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this ARC!
An unexpected bereavement, a horrible boss and a kind online friend leads Becca on a spontaneous trip to Ireland to get some well needed space to grieve, write and finally meet her online friend.
I’ll admit I saw the ‘plot twist’ from the get go but I don’t care, coz I really loved this story!
The characters were lovely, the storylines were great - I LOL’d throughout and I absolutely devoured this in one evening on 1.75x speed!
The narrator was great! Bloody love a Scottish and Irish accent and this had both done really well!
The cover is so cute and I know you should judge but the cover is perfect for setting the vibes of this story!
A lovely 4.5 stars from me!!

This was a true joy to read! Full of twist and turns all the way through, it really lived up to its title. I adored Becca and Riley’s romance and was rooting for them. The mixture of the Scottish and Irish landscapes were the perfect setting. I’d love to read more by this author in the future!

Quick thoughts: As you can tell from the length of my review I clearly had a lot of thoughts on this book, as more things happened than I initially realized. I thought that the premise of the book was very interesting, and the bones of the story were also quite strong. Becca’s character and the lacklustre romance were the ultimate downfall of the book for me though. I am also not sure why such a huge spotlight was put on the relationship with Drew, other than to create some suspense. With all the plot twists a lot of topics were introduced, so many that I couldn’t even comment on them all. A lot of the topics were also quite heavy, like grief, domestic violence and drug abuse and I don’t think the book could do them justice. If you are looking for a book that makes you think about friendships and relationships, without completely resolving once-opened topics, but you are not looking for a romance and you don’t need the main character to be likeable, then this might be the book for you. Keep on reading the review if you want to know more of my in-depth thoughts on this book.

I don’t think I would categorize this book as a pure romance novel and more like women’s fiction because it essentially focuses on the relationships Becca has with the people that surround her. The romantic interest is one of those relationships, but it only takes up a small portion of the book. As you can tell from the title of the book many plot twists are involved and therefore many topics are covered, so you might want to check the trigger warnings.

Throughout the entire book, there are flashbacks to 10 years ago when Becca and Rae, her best friend, were attending college together and they meet Drew, Becca’s now ex-boyfriend who gets together with Rae before her death without Becca knowing about it. These events are only loosely tied to the present, so rather than chronologically commenting on the events of the book, I will focus on the relationships Becca has with her peers. As I want to analyze what I did and didn’t like about the plot, spoilers will follow.

Becca
Of course, our main character, Becca, is at the centre of every relationship she has and I believe this is one of the major problems of the book. Because it turns out that although Becca seems quirky, she is not such a likeable narrator after all. At the beginning of the book, Becca had me cackling. I believe she is very talented at keeping herself and therefore us readers entertained with her thoughts. I especially enjoyed her solo drinking session after Rae’s funeral.
During the funeral, we meet Drew, her ex-boyfriend and although she is rude to Drew and Adam, Rae’s brother, I am willing to forgive her at this point, because she is emotional, and Drew must have done something pretty bad in the past to deserve this behaviour. No one holds a grudge for 10 years for no reason.. or so I thought. I will talk more about that relationship later, but the fact is the more we get to know Becca, the more self-involved we know her to be. She is always quick to tell us how she feels about something or how inconvenient something is for her, but she rarely asks others about their emotional well-being. When Becca arrives in Ireland Becca receives a lot of support from Riley, his sister Bridget and her partner Ellie, but Becca only seems to help when explicitly asked. Even though she is the main character of this book she does not seem in charge of her life and only rarely takes action. Things just happen to her, so it is no wonder that she is never at fault for anything.

One example of this would be Becca’s employment. She works as a teacher back in Scotland and her headteacher is very strict and not liked by anyone. When Rae dies, Becca takes a day off to go to the funeral, which the headteacher doesn’t like already. The substitute teacher offers Becca to teach her class until the summer break so that Becca can take more time off. When Becca is offered this opportunity, she thinks for a while and then agrees to it, the same goes for her trip to Ireland to visit Riley. Both of these opportunities are handed to her, she does not have to do much more than agree. When said headteacher asks Becca to join a call to talk about the fact that Becca simply left without getting the school’s okay, she joins the call and gets upset, so she quits as a spur-of-the-moment decision. Obviously, Becca only sees the headteacher at fault for this. Becca does not know anything about her own employment contract, she is not part of a union, has not gotten in contact with a union representative and has not informed herself of her rights before or after the call. She has also not visited a doctor to get a certificate to prolong her bereavement. She thinks about this fact during the call but takes no further action. Some of the teachers at Becca’s school write letters and take action against the headteacher so she is eventually replaced when Becca comes back to Scotland and Becca can work like nothing happened. When Becca is informed about this by her colleague, Becca doesn’t even feel bad that she hasn’t taken any action. She also doesn’t reflect on her own behaviour which led to her dismissal at all.

Apart from her inaction and generally blaming external factors for her own problems, probably due to her low self-esteem, she is also quite dramatic and puts herself at the centre of every interaction she has, even when the topic is not really about her. For example, when Riley’s baby mama, Jackie, returns, Becca keeps repeating the phrase ‘I can't be a homewrecker’ to Bridget and Ellie and generally stews in her own feelings about Jackie's return. Apart from the fact that homewrecking entails that the parents are still together and that Bridget and Ellie explain to Becca that Jackie might not be a safe parent for Ivy to be around in the first place, Jackie’s return doesn’t have anything to do with Becca directly, because they don’t even know each other. Becca doesn’t give it a second thought that Riley might be upset about Jackie's return, because Jackie had essentially abandoned Riley and Ivy, either. Becca, a teacher that should be sensitive to problematic child-parent relationships doesn’t even blink an eye when Bridget and Ellie tell her about Jackie’s drug abuse. She is not concerned with Ivy’s emotional and physical safety with a parent who might leave them when the mood strikes. (I was appalled how none of the characters thought twice about letting Jackie and Ivy spend time together without constant supervision, but more about that later.) She also doesn’t think about how Bridget and Ellie who care for Riley and Ivy might feel about this, no everything’s the Becca show.

Another red flag for me would be that, Becca describes Drew as the ‘love of her life’ when she finds out that Rae wanted to marry him. They have not been together for at least 9 years, only dated for a year or so and also haven’t talked to each other since. Who calls an ex-boyfriend the love of their life? Becca seems to have taken their breakup personally but has not tried to contact Drew ever since.

Drew & Becca & Rae
I had not read the blurb before listening to this audiobook, because going into a book blindly helps me not to have false expectations, so when Drew was introduced, I thought he would be the love interest for a hot second, and I was not okay with that. Thank God that didn't happen!

But still, the entire Drew and Rae storyline broke my heart a bit. Not that I think people can't change, but Rae's lack of transparency really bothered me and also made it seem malicious when it didn't have to be. Becca had also clearly not received her closure concerning the relationship with Drew so it seems kind of cruel for Rae to keep her from getting it, by not talking to Becca about Drew and opening up a conversation between the two of them.

The relationship Becca and Drew had 10 years ago, got off to a sweet start, but it was evident quite quickly that the foundation of the relationship was not so stable. I don’t know if it had to do with maturity or the two of them were just not good at communicating with each other, but when they got into a fight before Rae and Becca went on holiday and Drew just said, 'Have a good holiday Becca' without saying that they should talk about their problems later, it becomes apparent quite quickly that they don’t know how to communicate and resolve problems productively.
Becca becomes jealous because Drew’s boss often posts pictures of her and Drew having after-hour drinks when Drew says he is working late. This seems a bit strange and Becca is picturing the worst, but it might also be nothing. At this point, why would Becca not ask Drew about the after-hours drinks? You can't just quench jealousy, you need to talk to your partner about it. She becomes so obsessed with Laila, the boss, that she starts to resent Drew, making fun of him in her mind when he dresses up for work for example. In their discussions, Drew says Becca is stalking Laila and blames everything on Becca. I think looking at Laila's social media is not the crime he makes it out to be, Drew clearly looks at her social media as well. He even says 'She doesn't even tag me in pictures, you must go and seek them out', which makes the pictures even more suspicious in my mind.

So clearly Becca's jealousy is a bit out of line, but it is also not based on nothing. Becca and Drew can't communicate clearly, so Becca is not able to tell Drew what exactly bothers her about the relationship he has with Laila. Drew is understandably tired of having the same conversation over and over again but the problem is that he is not letting the conversation get to the point of resolution, but rather cutting it off beforehand. Therefore, the wound has to be reopened over and over again and cannot heal. At the same time, Drew doesn't seem to share anything about his friendship/ work relationship with Becca and Becca is also not included in any of their plans, which just causes unnecessary mystery around their relationship. Becca feels left out, continuous her online stalking and the cycle repeats itself.

At this point in time, they are either too close to the problem to realize it, they are not mature enough or one or both of them does not care enough. They break up and even though Drew tries to make a grand gesture, he does not follow through and they don’t contact each other again. While the realization why it didn’t work out is heartbreaking since they seemed very much into each other, I have to think that there must be a reason that they never got in contact again and also why Drew didn’t try the grand gesture a second time – maybe their feelings were not that deep after all. So it baffles me that Becca, 10 years later, is still so upset about this break-up. Why does she still think of him as the love of her life but didn’t do anything about it? It is also not so believable that Drew still thinks of Becca in romantic terms when he had moved on with Rae and had been together with her for way longer and even planned to marry her.

Dating Laila right after the break up with Becca also just seems strange, if there really was nothing going on all along. I believe Drew that there was no physical cheating, because why would he have to lie at this point, but I can imagine that there might have been flirting, oversharing and/or emotional cheating and he just didn't perceive this as cheating.

So, having read the book and reflecting on all of it, I am just not sure what the point was of focusing almost 50% of the story on the past. I think we are meant to learn more about Rae, and how Becca is coping with her death, but actually, most of the flashbacks focus on Drew and Rae is just a side character. So rather than grieving Rae, Becca is grieving her relationship with Drew and getting over the shock that the two of them were together. Therefore, the topic of grief is handled quite poorly in my opinion. We also don’t really get to know Rae, because the Rae of the past and the Rae of Drew’s life are also described in a different manner. All we know is that Rae liked to go on nights out with Becca and apparently, they didn’t share as much with each other as Becca thought. Rae is in an abusive relationship, with a man called Mikey, for most of the flashbacks and I feel like this topic was not handled well. Rae briefly talks to Becca about it but then pretends like nothing happened. Being the inactive person we know her to be, Becca does nothing, she doesn’t try to talk to Rae about it again, she doesn’t confront Mikey or seek any external help. Even when Rae moves away with Mikey, Becca doesn’t think to herself, that maybe she should check up on her friend more often. The domestic violence topic is resolved by Rae and Mikey breaking up and Drew stepping in as a friend to help Rae feel better again. Where was Becca in all of this? I found this take on domestic violence to be quite superficial because the problems just seem to go away, so no one has to feel bad about it or deal with the consequences.

Riley & Becca
So Riley is the new love interest. There’s a little misunderstanding in the beginning when Riley invites Becca to stay with him in Ireland. Riley comes off as being the perfect love interest from the beginning. He is so in touch with his female side, that Becca mistakes him to be a woman via chat, he raises a daughter by himself without any problems, he is a bestselling romance writer, and he even prepares a gift bag for Becca’s arrival - perfect book boyfriend qualities. Riley’s perfect introduction got me prepared to be swooning over all the romantic gestures this guy might make or all the romantic things he could say, but then nothing and I mean nothing happened.
Riley doesn't actually pursue Becca at all during their time at the cottage. They’re forming a friendship and there might be some sexual tension, but there is absolutely zero romance happening here. Becca is so in her own way that she doesn’t even ask Riley if he is dating anyone. I understand that Becca has a little crush on Riley and is therefore a bit shy about asking him about his love life, but they spend almost all their time together and live together for the time being, so I think the question is justified. Instead, Becca just assumes that a girl from yoga class is his girlfriend. And if Riley actually had a significant other, wouldn't it be good to establish some boundaries?
Bridget and Ellie push some forced proximity at them that results in their first kiss and their first time, but all the romance in this scene is externally provided. When Riley tries to say something nice during their first kiss, she stops him and then they just sleep together.
There is some miscommunication or more like non-communication happening that keeps them from being together. As always, Becca is very bad at getting closure and she just assumes a lot of things in her head without having talked to Riley about them. Riley is also not a man of action and waits for his grand gesture until Becca is back in Scotland. He shows up for an appointment that Becca was nervous about and although she told Drew that this is something she wants to do by herself, she is actually happy that Riley shows up for it, after not having spoken to him about any of the problems she thought they had. Let alone that this appointment somehow now became about their relationship and not about the actual purpose of the appointment and giving Becca the emotional support she needs. But okay, It turns out that Becca has a love language that no one (or at least I) has ever heard of which is ‘showing up for big events unannounced’. One of the catalysts of the breakup with Drew was in fact, that Drew was not going to be able to attend Becca’s graduation ceremony because he had to work – the horror. So as we know and ‘love’ her, Becca is very dramatic about this because Drew is missing ‘the most important day’ of her life. I mean she can’t seriously think that a standardized ceremony with a thousand other people is the most important day of her life?
So apparently Riley has unlocked the key to Becca’s heart and after leaving her because he is scared and not communicating with her for who knows how long, he makes the ’grand gesture’ of showing up to a memorial in honour of Rae’s birthday. He utters the words ‘We can just see how it goes’ and everything is fine and dandy.
So after the build-up of their meet-cute and the description of Riley’s perfect personality, I found their love story very disappointing and Riley to be a lacklustre love interest. Maybe it’s just that showing up at important events is not my love language and would therefore also not fall in the grand gesture category for me.

Becca & Ivy
Becca also gets to know Ivy, Riley's kindergarten-aged daughter. As Ivy is a really sweet and smart kid, their relationship, in general, is also very sweet, but I was astonished at some of Becca’s behaviour because she is meant to be a childcare professional. For example, Becca's reaction to Ivy telling Becca a secret was very concerning to me. Becca is a teacher; how can she not know how to handle a secret told to her by a small child? Clearly, you should double-check with their parent that the child is not in any physical or emotional danger.
As I have mentioned, Becca also makes a big deal of not wanting to be a homewrecker and not wanting to stay in the way of their family being ‘whole’. Becca’s perspective on family seems to be very one-dimensional, juvenile and also not necessarily in the child’s best interest. Ivy wishes for her parents to get back together, but I don't think children Ivy’s age know what it means for her parents to be together; she would just like her mother to be around. Becca should know this. Obviously, it would be better if both parents would be around, but it is generally better for the child if they are happy apart than miserable together. The icing on the cake for me was that Becca tells Ivy, a child: 'I am happy for you, finally everything is working out' when Jackie returns, full on knowing how problematic Jackie is as a mother. Ivy is a child, she doesn’t care about your well-meaning platitudes, she needs support, especially when her mother is bound to make some mistakes.

Jackie
So Jackie is portrayed as the problematic ex-wife of Riley. She is an unstable mother who has struggled with drug addiction, she just saunters back into Riley and Ivy’s life and no one does or says anything about it. She’s just back. Obviously, Riley isn’t too happy about how she shows back up, but he invites her back into their life, nonetheless.
When she first appears Becca is upset and thinks ‘Why doesn’t anyone stop Jackie and Ryle from talking to each other in the cottage and why is no one stopping Ryle from letting Jackie stay in the cottage overnight with him?”. The woman clearly has some trust and self-esteem issues, thinking something sexual will happen between them and she also gives Riley zero credit for his own actions. But to some extent, she is correct, why is no one creating boundaries between the mother and the child, if she is so unstable and unreliable? Jackie even ends up moving back to the cottage for some time, which is bound to send the wrong message to Ivy.
I also don’t understand why Riley sets no boundaries for Jackie when it comes to Becca. Jackie just packs up Becca’s things and tells Becca to stay somewhere else. She also lets Becca believe that she is reconciling with Riley. I understand why Jackie would act this way, but I don’t get why Riley would let her. He literally lets Jackie be part of every aspect of his life. Riley also comes off as a total hypocrite because he is so adamant in the beginning that exes should stay in the past, but he is not able to set clear boundaries. It also felt like everyone was just enabling Jackie’s poor behaviour. Even if Jackie wasn’t problematic, this level of involvement between ex-partners just seems unhealthy and makes me question the sustainability of the HEA between Riley and Becca.

Briget & Ellie
I really like Bridget and Ellie as supporting characters. They just gave the book more of a cozy feel and I as a reader felt protected whenever they were around because they seemed to be the only ones levelheaded people around. I was very happy when they got their adoption approved. The only thing that perplexed me a bit was their confidence to buy someone they barely know (Becca) a swimsuit. I can barely buy my own swimsuits.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline Audio for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.

Becca Taylor is consumed with grief when her best friend dies. Unable to continue with her teaching job she decides to take up the offer made by a friend she has met online and go to Ireland for a short break.

If you want something light that is filled with engaging characters then Plot Twist by Breea Keenan is ideal. Becca Taylor is a primary school teacher and an aspiring children's author. She has befriended a romance author, Riley, online and they encourage each other in their writing as well as share other details about their lives.

When Becca's best friend dies she is overcome with grief and guilt, after all, Raye was on her way to visit Becca. Life seems to go from bad to worse when she discovers that Raye was in a secret relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Drew.

In true romantic fiction style, Becca chooses to run away from life. Her online writing friend, Riley, offers her somewhere to stay, pointing out that they can support and encourage each other with their writing. In typical romantic fiction style assumptions are made which lead to unexpected outcomes. Becca assumed Riley was female, only to discover he's a very good-looking man. She then assumes he's a widow.

Becca is like a fish out of water as she adapts to life in the country. She quickly learns that in a small community, everyone knows everybody else's business, and secrets are almost impossible to keep. There is also a strong sense of support and camaraderie.

As Riley and Becca work on their writing they playfully discuss all the usual tropes used in romantic fiction. It certainly raised a smile that the author poked fun at the genre.

The narration from Joy McAvoy added to my enjoyment as it was easy to differentiate between the different characters and her accent made you feel as if you were in Ireland. The narration of Ivy was superb, she really brought to life the cheeky child.

There are ups and downs as life throws obstacles in the way, Breea Keenan doesn't shy away from some uncomfortable topics, but we know where the story is going to end, happily.

What a ride! This book definitely had its plot twists - a fun addition to the romance genre. The narration was really well done,

Plot Twist sees our MC Becca in a really difficult place in her life. Her career has stalled, her best friend has been killed in a tragic accident and her ex showed up seemingly uninvited to the funeral. Becca needs to get away, so when her writing friend Riley invites Becca over to their house in Ireland for a few weeks, Becca jumps at the chance. Riley, though is not at all what Becca expected and neither, for that matter, is anything else that's going on in her life.

This was an enjoyable read. For a romance book, however, the romance took a backseat to the other, weightier issues explored in its pages. Becca's grief at losing her best friend does feel quite raw in places, and both the mental and physical health aspects explored are sensitively handled. The timeline is split between the present and 10 years previously when Becca and her ex were together, and I enjoyed how they were interwoven throughout. I expected this to be a lot lighter than it ended up being, but I enjoyed it all the same. Becca's character development as she works through her feelings really is the star of the show. I would've liked to have seen more development of Riley and Rae's characters as I felt they were a bit hazy, especially the latter.

This was, all-in-all, a solid debut, and I'd be interested I reading more from the author in the future.

The premise for this book was really intriguing from the off - I'm the type of reader who needs a little bit of meat to their romance books, and having Becca dealing with grief and very difficult career and healthcare scenarios whilst simultaneously falling in love and exploring themes of found family was very compelling. I was prepared to rate this 3.5+ stars, until about 90% of the way through the book, when I just felt that the third-act breakup and miscommunication between the two MCs stretched on for too long.

Things I liked:
- LOVED the relationship between Becca and Ivy
- Really compelling family dynamics in Riley's family, handled well
- Found family for Becca, bonding with the townspeople
- Not villainizing the "other woman"
- MMC subverting gender stereotypes
- Playing on romance novel tropes in a fun and self-aware way
- Really liked Adam's subplot storyline
- In fact, basically all of the subplot storylines were actually my favourite bits of the book
- Great audiobook narrator

Things I disliked:
- For two writers, there was so much miscommunication. I thought so many issues could have been resolved with a good chat
- I just didn't really believe the chemistry between the two MCs, I thought they were genuinely more like friends and wanted more sexual tension and romantic chemistry
- The 10 year flashbacks took me out of the storyline, and I wish they'd somehow been integrated a bit more seamlessly
- The second 3rd act breakup around 90% was for a reason that seemed SO out of character for the MMC. It felt like it was purely a device for building tension, and was unnecessary in my opinion. This was my one major issue with the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed the style of the writing and the world-building. It was a promising debut from a new author, and I'd definitely be keen to read some more of her work! Thanks so much to NetGalley and Headline Publishing for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the ‘plot twists’ in this RomCom audio book. Based between Glasgow and Ireland. You don’t have to be Scottish to enjoy this, but as a Scot the narrator just felt so comfortable to me. Sometimes I just want an easy, heart warming listen. This is that. Thank you to Headline Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ALC, I've truly enjoyed myself immensely.

If you’re into the idea of reading a romance between a Scottish woman and an Irish single dad then Plot Twist may be just what you’re looking for. Of course this story is so much more than that. The characters have complexities and deep feelings; the topics explored within are heavy at times as you follow a story of friendships, grief, and love.

Becca's story begins when out of the blue she gets a call, finding out her best friend had died. Not only that but at the funeral she gets some shocking news that turn her world upside down. While she's in the midst of dealing with her grief she leans on a writer friend who offers a retreat in their cottage in Ireland where they could both focus on their writing and supporting each other. Come to find out her dear friend, Riley, who she thought was a woman is actually a gorgeous single dad who is struggling to finish his newest romance novel. Thus their story begins to unfold as we witness their sweet friendship that morphs into something way deeper.

I just loved this, it was so delightful to listen to. It provided the same escapism I'm sure Becca was also needing when she went to Ireland.

I felt like the characters were believable, their trauma was valid, their feelings were expressed well and there was something to like in every single one of them (even Drew). I genuinely enjoyed the slow build up between the two main characters, the fact they were friends and acting like friends, they weren’t pressuring each other, they weren’t forcing a romantic interaction, they were giving each other space and support no matter the situation.

I am also a sucker for the single dad trope because it just shows so much vulnerability in mmcs, it shows maturity and selflessness that is sometimes hard to express otherwise. I also adore children in books; I love their quirkiness, their naivety and their honesty, so observing Ivy and her innocence was just so sweet and so special.

On the flip side, I am really not a fan of the miscommunication trope as it often feels like it wouldn’t be something that could actually be miscommunication in real life. In this instance, however, I fully feel like if I put myself in the characters’ shoes the issues that presented themselves would actually be serious enough that they would cause a rift. I truly mean this as a positive, it made their story so much more believable.

What I will say, however, is that there were a few moments where I was left frustrated with the plot and the characters. The fact that Becca was unwilling to share anything that could be a major issue later on and her inner monologue was so immature when she was confronted with the truth was something that left me irked. Especially when it contributed to the miscommunication.

Another plot point that left me a little unsatisfied was the reason Becca went back to Glasgow. This felt like emotional buildup for nothing, especially since the situation presented itself at the very end of the book and had no bearing on the plot.

Other than that I really enjoyed my time listening to this book, I finished it in one day and couldn’t put it down. I was left with a feeling of warmth and cosiness that I don’t always get. Bravo to Breea Keenan! What a wonderful debut! 4/5 stars!

P.S. I have to say I was so pleasantly surprised with all the little mentions about Glasgow as I lived there for the majority of my twenties. It truly made me so happy as it brought me back to my old home. The fact that it was narrated by a Scottish voice actress was the cherry on the top!

This was a cute romance but it didn't really hit the spot for me. Most of the time I was willing the characters to JUST SPEAK TO EACH OTHER . There's only so much miscommunication in a book I can take.

I loved this story! I loved the audiobook because I love Scottish accents and the narrator did a fabulous job. A beautiful story of love, loss, fear, new beginnings. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

This was a nice, funny romantic novel that was easy to go through.
There were some moments that made me chuckle and it was overall a nice read. Some heavy topics were mentioned but I never felt emotionally invested enough to really feel anything, even as the story progressed and I was getting to know the characters.
I was missing some connection to the characters and the plot and I doubt this book will stick with me for long, but it was enjoyable while I was reading it.
I personally especially enjoyed the aspect of the characters being authors and spending their time together writing, as well as the side characters that were often more interesting to me than the story itself.

For the audiobook version specifically I can say that I enjoyed the accent of the narrator, although it took me about a chapter or two to get used to it. After that I flew through the book without any problems.
There was a little lack of difference in the portrayal of the female characters, but it never stopped me from understanding what was happening.

All in all, I would suggest this novel to someone who is looking for an easy summer read with a hot single dad, lots of writing and representation of different relationships. There isn't any smut in this book, only one fade to black scene.
If you are sensitive to topics like grief or cheating, I would look further into the plot before reading this book.

Plot Twist is enjoyable audiobook listening. The narrator brings the characters to life, and it's easy to differentiate between them. The story is unusual, and the use of flashbacks informs while allowing the story's pacing to be maintained. There is humour, poignancy, and romance in this story, defined by the friendship between Becca and Rae. I like the story's characters, emotional depth and setting. It is an entertaining audiobook.

I was given an audio copy of this book from the publisher.

This isn't a criticism of the story, but I listened to the Audio version and it just didn't work for me. The narrator was so off putting, not warm and just wasn't right for me - I do find it's individual choice.

The story itself was ok, I still enjoyed it.

Thank you so much for lending me this audiobook it was very enjoyable! Loved the accents of the reader and the story was very cute and heartwarming. Innovative premise and very amusing in general!