📚✨ Book Review: The Plot Twist by Eleanor Goymer ✨📚

Thank you so much to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and the author for sending me an ARC of The Plot Twist! 💖

This book had such an intriguing premise—two writers swapping genres to beat their writer’s block? I was sold from the blurb! I really enjoyed the dynamic between romcom author Allie and crime novelist Martin. Their unlikely friendship brought so much heart to the story, and their collaboration felt both humorous and inspiring. Watching them pull each other out of their creative funks was a joy to read.

The characters were fun overall—Allie’s journey of self-discovery and the addition of Will, the swoony events caterer, made for some sweet moments. However, the writing style felt a bit simplistic, making it harder for me to fully connect. The story also juggled a lot of subplots—corporate drama, a mysterious family backstory, and the romance—which unraveled so quickly that it felt a little overwhelming and left me wanting more depth in certain areas.

Some moments came across as forced, and I found myself wishing the book had focused more on just one or two main storylines to really let them shine. That said, the central concept has so much potential, and the heart of the story is warm and fun.

If you love romcoms with a dash of chaos and quirky characters, this might be one to check out! 🌟 I’m giving it ⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. Happy reading! 📖✨

Allie, an author facing writers block, meets Will a (waiter? Silly goose misunderstandings).

Similar premise to Emily Henry’s Beach Read, but with (hahaha) a Plot Twist that veers towards Crazy Stupid Love. When I got a third of the way through and could see where we were going, I got way more invested.

Book over all was enjoyable. Dialogue was a bit choppy throughout. I do get *ever* so annoyed when a conflict point could be easily resolved with a one sentence text message, but I supposed the conflict is necessary for the HEA.

Lovely cover art!!

No spice/closed door.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter in exchange for my honest review.

This book had so much potential and it kind of fell flat for me at the end. Do not read if you hate the miscommunication trope cause the entirety of the book hinges on that. I think the main female character Allie was a good, well developed character but her main flaw was “not a great communicator” so that’s why all the events in the book ended up happening and I felt like that was a cop out. I think there could have been a better real reason why the third act breakup happens, I wish it was more substantial. However I did love Martin and Angie’s subplot, I think them rewriting their romance was super cute and I wish we would’ve seen more of that. Yet I think that’s the problem here, I was more interested in the side characters backgrounds and love stories than the main couple.

While I was excited to launch into this book and was enthralled by the fun premise, it left me unsatisfied and a bit lacklustre.

The Plot Twist by Eleanor Goymer follows Allie as she navigates life after launching her seventh book and facing extreme writer's block.

I loved Allie and Martin's relationship, and the author-author dialogue and world in which they operate. I think the book could have been mostly about this and I would have been so satisfied with the read!

However, there were some (quite substantial I think) gaps in the book that let The Plot Twist down.

I googled if The Plot Twist was a spicy romance and it said yes. But it definitely isn't! No spice at all. And in fact, there is very little romance in this book, and actually reads more like a book about writing a book. I actually love those types of books, so I wish the marketing and the blurb for this book more accurately reflected the book's insides.

There was a lot of talking about feeling and chemistry, but at no point did I feel convinced, as the author doesn't describe or write about the actions or conversations that lead to those feelings or chemistry. There was a lot of 'we got on so well and I had butterflies' and 'we exchanged cheeky texts' but no description or writing of those cheeky texts or banter, so I don't feel chemistry developing. Therefore I just didn't get any proper romance or love between Allie and Will. It felt really flat. In fact, we get more dialogue between Allie and her best friend, than between Allie and Will.

While we are promised a plot twist, there was nothing twisty about it really. I saw it all coming a mile off. And while this is usually part in parcel in a romance book and totally fun and fine, because this book is named a plot twist, it doesn't work.

The book was just far too long for a fun, romance read. We didn't get to the romance until 30-40% through the book and I found myself skimming towards the end as it was just too drawn out.

Overall, I think the author tried to do too much with this book, including so many themes - from writing, to love, to friendships changing, to being in your late 20s early 30s, grief, families, the MeToo movement, the publishing industry, daddy issues. This was just too much for a book that should have concentrated on a few of these really well.

If you're after a book about trying to write a book - then read this! But if you're after a believable and fun romance, I would try something else.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc of this book! All opinions are my own.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3

The premise of this book sounded fun, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would. I found it hard to buy into several of the plot points, and several of the "huge" problems faced by the MC really didn't seem like big problems at all.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication.

Book themed books are so so fun!! I loved the characters and the romance made me giggle and kick my feet!

Many thanks to NetGalley & the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

Unfortunately, this book just didn't do it for me. There was so much going on and it seemed all over the place in terms of messaging. There was the writing plot, the friendship with Martin and trying to help him with his wife, the takedown at the publisher, #metoo, the patriarchy, lying by omission, dead dad issues, family dynamics, oh and a blip of a romantic relationship. The romance part fell flat as there was little chemistry and the couple seemed like a side plot. It felt like they met a handful of times and then decided they are in love. I also didn't like the FMC. She seemed very immature and self centered.

Unfortunately, The plot twist didn't quite hit the mark for me. While the premise had potential, the execution felt lackluster. The story unfolded at a painfully slow pace, making it difficult to stay engaged. The plot was predictable, with few surprises to keep me turning the pages eagerly. I found myself having to force through chapters rather than getting lost in the romance. Although the book might appeal to readers who enjoy a more relaxed and familiar storyline, it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

Allie is a bestselling romance writer, but is stuck with her next book. She has written absolutely nothing and the deadline is coming up. At a party at her Publisher, she meets Martin, an older, bestselling crime writer, with the exact same dilemma. They make a pact to help each other out - Allie by making up a plot line for Martin's next crime book and Martin by telling Allie of his long marriage.

At the same time Allie meets the cute waiter from the party and maybe it is time to react on the butterflies in her stomach. Is there really such a thing as a Happy Ever After??? Read the book and find out.

I absolutely adore this book! It has everything a rom-com needs and I could actually see it being optioned for a movie. The characters are quirky and British and I love the setting.

I thought this was a really sweet book! It was easy to see where it was going and at times I certainly wished we saw more of Will and had more time to read about him but overall, I had a great time and it was a nice, light read. I found it slightly hard to buy into the romance because I felt I didn’t know Will much as a person at all by the end of it!

I found Allie and Martin’s relationship to be my favourite part of the book! It was very well done and I haven’t read anything like it for a while. It was wholesome and heart warming.

I also often found Allie frustrating. It felt like she wasn’t facing any of her problems - but people were coming to her to fix them for her instead.

Overall, this was a fun book! Would recommend to anyone wanting an easy but fun read.

It was meh. It was just a little too flat and slow for me, personally. I found Allie a bit annoying from the jump, and that just really left me struggling to connect with her throughout the rest of the book. Martin was a treat, though. Will was cute but not particularly fleshed out imo.

Overall, I would say this book was alright for me. Not a favorite, but not bad by any means. I would say if you’re looking for an easy read, that this is the one for you.

I was definitely excited at first for the plot of this book, I thought the idea of a romance writer as the main character of a book was so interesting! Unfortunately I did DNF this book around the 50% mark. I found the writing to be a bit too choppy in style and format and it felt more like she was telling us every aspect rather than showing how the plot was moving along.

I wasn't a huge fan of Allie's character as well, and the pacing was just off for me when I read. I also just felt like alot of the story was too repetitive, and the romance fell pretty flat for me.

3⭐️

Well, I am glad to have finished this! It took me so long to get into it, and get used to the writing, because there are long paragraphs upon paragraphs, without any dialogue at the beginning. And I did not like that. I understand needing to be introduced to the story and the world, but when it’s not set in a fictional fantasy world, it does not need to be this in detail! Especially since it’s just set in modern day earth.

I was bored from the very beginning, and unfortunately, even after we met the characters, I was still bored. It was only after the halfway mark that I was actually excited to keep reading. Which should not be the case.

I don’t know what it is, apart from the writing style. It is way too much explaining of meaningless things happening or its information about every little detail the main character is doing. I do not need to know! Show, not tell!

The romance didn’t seem to have much chemistry. It felt like they transitioned to a couple, but still only felt like friends to me. Don’t get me wrong, the characters, Allie and Will, are still cute! I just didn’t get the feeling of romance between them.

After the first 25% of the book, it was a bit predictable, but it did get easier to read, personally. So it got better. But it shouldn’t take almost over a quarter of the book to get me interested.

Overall, it was a quick read, and it was a cute romance.

Martin and Allie both have writers block and decide to switch plots in order to meet deadlines and appease the new guy in charge.

Honestly, this book was not for me. I had a hard time getting myself to read it.

I found Allie unbearable. She kept make questionable decisions and getting angry when everyone else disagreed. She then seemed shocked when things didn't go as expected.

I didn't see the chemistry between Allie and Will and it didn't seem much like a romance novels vs. Women's fiction with romance.

This was an ARC - thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins UK. All views and opinions are my own.

January 2025:
Pub Date: 6 Mar 2025

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC and follow me @literary.listener on Instagram for more reviews.

This book was very predictable. I am waffling between two to three stars because it's not like I didn't like the book. It just was more of a place filler in between other books that I read. It did not suck me in but it didn't make me so uninterested that I put it down. I think that some of the story lines within the book, for example, the bad publisher, the ex, and the father arc were not needed to progress the story at all. Also the FMC's best friend and sister were not my favorite female voices at all.

I did love the MMC of the older writer and being a mentor. That was really fun to read and did suck me in. I probably continued to read this because of their relationship.

I enjoyed the FMC falling in love and that gooey first love feeling but everything else wasn't for me at all. This is a good book to read when you need a filler in-between a heavier read. Again not terrible I DNF but not my favorite.

This was fun but not the greatest romance book I’ve read. It’s closed door, which I do love, but it felt like the characters had little chemistry. The premise of swapping plots due to writers block or whatever, was neat!

Thank you so much for giving me access to the E-ARC copy.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me.

I felt that that the main characters lacked chemistry in regards of there romantic interest in one another.

It was really cozy and cute, don’t get me wrong but it felt a little boring, but think due to the lack of chemistry with the characters, it just fell a bit flat.

This is a great love story about two writers who swap drafts of their novels and fall in love in the process. They learn to look at things wth more creativity and empathy.

Romance writer Allie has a bad case of writer's block. And who can blame her when her boyfriend, Dominic serves to be less than inspirational. With a deadline looming, she meets once famous Crime writer, Martin, who also is struggling to write his next hit.

This was a really enjoyable read. I enjoyed the dynamic between Allie and Martin. The sub plot with Jake and Tessa as well as the best friend Jess and her husband Tom, were good additions.

I do think that this isn't quite correctly classified as a Rom-Com. I would have liked more development of the relationship between Allie and Will.

Overall, this would be a great choice for anything looking for a fiction read with a little romance and a little intrigue.