ARC review: thank you to Eleanor Goymer, NetGalley, and Harper Collin’s for the copy. Generally I enjoyed this book. Overall, the plot was decent, I loved the characters, and the relationship between Martin and Allie. My biggest complaint is that the writing was a little hard to get into, it took me until around 20% into the book to really WANT to keep reading. Also just personal preference, but I like contemporary romances to be in 1st person rather than 3rd, but if you prefer a 3rd person narrator, you’ll probably like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Allie is a writer who has recently published another novel but is having some writer’s block. Afraid she has lost her magic with romance novels (due to her unfulfilling love life) she partners up with Martin who is also having writer’s block in order to get some spark back. Allie soon starts to get inspiration from Will (a waiter at one of the events she was at) and there’s some trouble ahead which won’t be spoiled.
I think overall the novel was fine, I just wish we had more time with Allie and Will to build their relationship, I feel like some of the problems Allie and Will had were very meh. I just wish there had been a deeper connection with them. This novel wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t really reaching for it either.

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.

Really been enjoying this one.
Wasn't the biggest fan of how Allie & Will first started their romantic fling (had hoped the first kiss would have had a bigger impact) and the constant sexual yearning for a man she just met, compared to how the rest of the story felt, wasn't for me, so I'm docking a star for that, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The plot twist was so heartwarming and feel good. I fell in love with the main characters and found myself feeling so sad when this book was over.
Thank you to netgalley for the e-arc .

This is a great romance if you've got an older teenager who needs a little bit more maturity but isn't quite ready for the intense spice of a complete adult romance. Dominic was really pissing me off, ugh. Really could've done without his character coming in during the final act, but that's fine. I liked the ending.

The Plot Twist follows Allie - a best selling romance author who we meet in the midst of a writing slump. The novel follows her as she finds her passion again - in more ways than one, through friendship, love and her writing.

The premise of this one was really promising, but the execution fell shy of my expectations.

The first issue that I had was that i felt that this book was almost doing too much - the amount of different storylines that are explored in such a short amount of pages results in a weak narrative and elements that feel performative. At the end of the novel -which is primarily a romance novel - I remained with little to know knowledge about the male romantic lead, he still felt like a shell and lacked any real depth. I think this issue continues throughout the book as a lot of the characters feel underdeveloped and lack any real depth. Allie (our FMC) is very short-sighted and feels immature with repeated dialogue about how her belief in true love died a long time ago yet this is never relfected within her inner monologue clearly in a way that is shown to the reader, Martin is reflective of a teenage boy with no emotional self-reflection.

Another issue i had was the pacing of the book, much of it felt like snippets, and half scenes, before jumping to the following day- making it difficult to emotionally connect to the characters or the plot - and ultimately i wasn't rooting for anybody or anything in this book - apart from myself getting to the end of it.

This book ultimately felt like it was lecturing to me a lot, telling me key things rather than showing me and leading me as a reader to form a conclusion or to make my own discovery. There was a lot of messaging and commentary on sexism and the patriarchy spread throughout - which I would find no issue with - and honestly the comments I agree with, but they felt almost forced upon me as a reader as they cropped up in times where it didn't sit naturally within the text, or wasn't even fully a product of the story. The core example of this that stands out is when our FMC asks one of her friends if she is pregnant - in which the response is for the friend to enter into a rant about the patriarchy and how men are never asked this question - the rant here felt unnecessary and inauthentic to what was happening. Ultimately a lot of this felt as though it was there just to drive home a message - that would have been more effectively shown through character action and plot rather than dialogue.

Eleanor Goymer’s The Plot Twist is a heartwarming and clever romcom that deftly blends themes of love, friendship, and second chances. Fans of contemporary romance and authors like Emily Henry will enjoy this delightful tale of two writers navigating writer’s block and life’s complications.

Ali Edwards, a romcom author plagued by writer's block, meets fellow bestseller Martin Clark, who is also struggling to create. Their solution? To write about each other’s lives in hopes of breaking through their creative roadblocks. This unique premise not only draws readers in but also provides a canvas for a touching exploration of human connection and growth.

The heart of the story lies in Ali and Martin’s relationship, which evolves into a heartwarming father-daughter dynamic. Their bond, along with Martin’s supportive and vibrant wife, creates a sense of found family that enriches the narrative. Ali’s journey is further complemented by her romance with Will, a charming events caterer who adds a dash of swoon-worthy sweetness to the plot.

While Ali and Will’s relationship brings romantic energy, it occasionally feels underdeveloped amidst the book’s many subplots. However, this is a minor quibble in an otherwise engaging story. The characters are fresh and unique, standing out in a genre often crowded with familiar archetypes.

Goymer’s writing is both warm and witty, capturing the charm of its characters and the emotional depth of their journeys. The Plot Twist strikes a perfect balance between heartfelt moments and light-hearted humour, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

i really enjoyed this book. i thought it was a quick and easy read and it was a unique plot (which i find is rare now!). the book was in third person and i feel like it may have felt more personal if it was in first so that we could really find out how allie was feeling and then potentially had the perspective of will as i feel like his character wasn't explored as much as it should have been (i love him so i just wish we had more from him). but i liked how the book wasn't just focused on the romance and there were a few little storylines as i never felt bored and i managed to read it all in one day. quite early on i had guessed the little plot twist about how two of the storylines connected but i still thought it was a fun twist and, again, made the book more interesting. i would definitely recommend the book and i look forward to reading more books from this author.

I received a free copy of, The Plot Twist, by Eleanor Goymer, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Allie and Martin are both authors who have no idea what to write about, so they decide to switch plots, Allie will write a crime novel, while Martin writes a romance novel. This was a nice story. good characters and plot.

The plot twist is the perfect quick and fun romcom read. The writing style is engaging making it easy to binge. The setting of this book is perfect, and I really liked the supportive relationship between Allie and Martin. While the story is somewhat predictable, it remains entertaining in a satisfying way. It also tackles more serious themes like feminism and workplace dynamics, which are both interesting and relevant.

However, the fmc was a bit annoying at times because she kept many secrets and struggled with communication. All in all, this book included too much miscommunication which made me dislike the fmc. There are two main plot lines in this book and I had the impression that they didn't always work well together. By the end of the book, I felt like I still didn't know much about the male love interest, which was frustrating given his importance to the story

Overall, the plot twist is an enjoyable romcom, especially for readers interested in stories about finding true love and the publishing industry.

Thank you netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Allie Edwards is a successful romance author with six best sellers under her belt. At book launches she always credits her boyfriend Dominic as her inspiration, but in reality her romances are all about what Allie wishes Dom would do. But Now Allie is stuck, she has writer's block, her lovely editor Verity has given her several extensions but Allie has lost all inspiration and doesn't believe in Happy Ever After any more.

Her publisher throws a swanky party at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Allie attends reluctantly, although she does have a bit of a spark with one of the waiters serving canapes, and ends up getting locked out accidentally where she meets a fellow author, best-selling crim novelist Martin Clark, who, she discovers, is similarly inspiration-challenged and hasn't published anything for years.

Following the party, Allie and Martin meet up at a café where Martin regales Allie with tales of his marital woes and Allie gives him some advice from her expertise as a romance writer.

Meanwhile, Allie meets Will, the sexy waiter from the V&A event, again and finally starts to feel some of the spark/butterflies that she has been writing about for so long, but never really felt. Drawing on the feelings Will evokes and using Martin's memories of when he and his wife first met, Allie finds inspiration to write a new romance. But is it ethical to write a novel which draws so closely on Martin's life, and will her inspiration fail if Allie and Will become a couple?

Throw in shenanigans at her publishers and Allie has a lot on her plate.

This was fun, I read it in just over a day. I did get frustrated that Allie couldn't/wouldn't tell the truth, but I also think it was well sign-posted because she wouldn't admit to Verity that she hadn't written anything for her new novel and continued to promise a synopsis/first few chapters in a few days.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I ended up DNFing this book at about the 25% mark. Very predictable and underdeveloped characters. Allie is super frustrating and short sighted and I just could not find myself wanting to continue.

Thank you for the ARC, I am sorry I cannot offer more feedback than this.

The Plot Twist by Eleanor Goymer is a warm rom-com and an easy, enjoyable read.

4.5☆

Ali Edwards, is a rom-com author struggling with writer’s block, and Martin Clark, a fellow author agree to write about each other’s lives to overcome their creative ruts. Along the way, Ali finds an unexpected family in Martin and his wife while also falling for Will, a charming events caterer.

The romance between Ali and Will's chemistry is undeniable, and Will’s sweet yet confident personality makes their interactions dreamy!

The side friendships were the stand out for me, especially Ali’s bond with Jess. Jess is supportive and plays a key role in pushing Will toward his big romantic gesture, which added a fun layer to the plot without overshadowing the main romance.

While the story is overall lighthearted and engaging, I did feel that certain parts of the romance could have been explored a bit more, particularly in some of the more intimate or pivotal scenes. Additionally, a few elements of the story were predictable, which slightly reduced the impact of some plot points.

Despite these minor critiques, The Plot Twist is still a thoroughly enjoyable and heartwarming read. It’s perfect for fans of contemporary romance looking for a charming, feel-good story with great character dynamics and plenty of heart!

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and Elenor Goymer for this eARC for an honest review!

This was adorable!! I was giggling and kicking my feet she truly enjoyed every second I spent reading it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I don't know if I was in a reading slump or I truly didn't like this book. It took me forever to get into it and I even had to skip over 1/4 of the pages. The sub-plot with the new boss seemed completely unneeded. I really liked the interactions between Allie and Martin, and there was about 2 seconds where I thought the plot twist was going to be them. Kind of disappointing it wasn't, but I still like their interactions after. The real plot twists were things that I saw coming from a mile away, but again the on page interactions between Allie and Will were great. I wish I had liked this book more because the idea seemed great from the blurb.

the plot twist follows allie, a best selling romance author who finds herself in a writing slump after her own romantic life ends up a bit… lacklustre. she teams up with martin, a previously successful crime author in his 60s (i think) who’s also been experiencing a writers block. the two are put under pressure as their publishing house is taken over by the ominous jake matthews and so to help each other, they exchange ideas. at the same time, allie starts dating a new man who also brings some long awaited inspiration. the book becomes a story about publishing, love and some scheming.

sadly, this book did not work for me. there’s a couple of main reasons why.

There’s a lot of ideas here that have been featured in a variety of novels and have worked in the past, but the amount of different story lines this book tries to explore in a short page count ends up creating a rather weak narrative. at times its difficult to tell what exactly kind of story this book is even trying to be.
Allie is a very frustrating character. For a woman in her mid 30s, she’s very very short-sighted. The way she chooses to approach her dating life and deal with issues that come up in it (i’m talking about the big secret i guess) feels quite immature. She makes a lot of very obviously bad decisions which would be fine if she wasn’t being so oblivious about it. At times she feels a bit like a frustrated teenager.
The other characters are largely underdeveloped. Martin is written as a teenage boy with no emotional self-reflection in regards to his own love life when he’s had a wife for, what, maybe 30 years, and even if their marriage is a bit dull now clearly it was successful at some point and they used to be very happy so it’s clear as a reader that Martin should have some maturity.
The pacing throws you off and contributes to the underwhelming what is this book trying to do vibe i described earlier. We on ever get half-scenes, especially between Will and Allie. They’ll meet up, and we get a description of the first 10 minutes they meet and then nothing. It jumps to the next day and something completely different. This jumping from unfinished scenes makes it difficult to emotionally connect with the romance and take the other plots seriously. It makes for some inconsistent and slightly illogical occurrences.

to end on a positive note, i appreciate what the author was trying to do here and there are a couple of funny, loving and tense scenes that are well executed. for me, the book fell flat but i could totally see it working for others.

thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

The Plot Twist by Eleanor Goymer is a heartwarming romcom about two writers desperate to overcome their collective writer's block and move on from certain choices in both their lives. It’s heartwarming, entertaining, and absolutely a must read for fans of contemporary romance and fans of Emily Henry.

When Ali Edwards, a romcom author struggling with writer's block, meets fellow bestseller Martin Clark, the two decide to write about each other's lives in hopes of managing something to give to their editors. In the process, Ali and Martin both find a sort of family with each other, and Ali meets an incredibly handsome events caterer who sweeps her off her feet.

This book has me hooked from the beginning. Not only was the premise interesting, but I found that the characters were so much more unique than any others that I’ve read. Ali and Martin's father-daughter relationship truly was the star of the show, and I absolutely loved reading about Ali’s relationship with Martin and his wife throughout the story.

Another thing I loved was Ali’s relationship with Will, the handsome events caterer, and how it sort of filled the space for a leading man throughout the plot. Plus he was absolutely to die for. I only wish though that they were a little more fleshed out but with how many other storylines there were happening it made sense the way it was written.

I’m not sure how to explain how I feel about this book. I say this because when Allie meant Martin and I was hoping we were getting an age gap, he was going to mentor her while their romantic relationship grew. But then she meets Will and Martin is a father figure and Allie and Will switch manuscripts. I found it overly complicated. I would have prefer an age gap story or Allie and Will’s story. I felt her meeting both Martin and Will was just too much. And this might just be because I read too much dark romance but I would have preferred an age gap Allie meets an older writer who is handsome and charming and mentors her. Instead she falls for a waiter. On top of that Martin would of had more in common with Allie than she did with Will.

A fast read with a cute premise, just ever so slightly predictable

The story all tied together quite nicely despite being able to guess what was to happen. There were moments, mainly in the beginning of the story, where our fmc Allie comes across as rather childish and immature. Some of her decisions are definitely questionable.
Her relationship with our mmc Will is cute, I don't think we really got as into their relationship as much as we could have, I would also say it's not even the highlighted relationship.

The relationship between her and Martin was the most fun to read about. Martin who can't seem to find his footing in both his marriage and in writing another book again & Allie who can't seem to find her footing in writing or happily ever afters. They benefit they have in each others lives was quite a beautiful read.

This book was enjoyable and I'll be going back and reading 'The Fallback' for sure!

Thank you netgalley & Eleanor Goymer for an arc in exchange for an honest review