The Plot Twist by Eleanor Goymer is a delightful romcom that plays with the classic writer’s block trope and brings readers a heartwarming and humorous story about love, career, and creative collaboration. With its witty writing and endearing characters, this book is a perfect blend of romance and literary escapism.

The story kicks off when Allie Edwards, a romcom author, meets Martin Clark, a bestselling crime novelist who's seen better days. Both are facing a creative slump with looming deadlines and empty pages, and as their paths cross at a party, they hatch an unexpected plan: they’ll swap plots and write each other’s stories. What follows is a humorous and heartwarming exploration of how these two very different writers approach the challenge of stepping into each other’s worlds.

As Allie immerses herself in Martin’s crime story, she begins to develop a new perspective on her own writing, and she discovers that there’s much more to Martin than just his "publishing dinosaur" persona. Their budding mentorship becomes one of the heartwarming highlights of the story, as Allie gains a father-figure in Martin, who guides her not just through the mechanics of writing, but through life’s uncertainties as well.

However, it’s not just Allie’s writing that takes a turn—her personal life also gets a twist when she meets Will, a gorgeous events caterer who fills the "leading man" void she’s been missing, both in her novels and in her own heart. Will is charming, funny, and just the right amount of spicy, and his presence adds a delightful layer of romance to the story. Allie finds herself caught between her developing feelings for Will and the pressure of fulfilling her career expectations, which leads to some amusing, relatable, and often emotional moments.

Goymer’s writing is quick-witted and full of heart, with a strong focus on the creative process and the personal dilemmas that come with balancing love and work. Allie is a likable protagonist who grapples with the challenges of career ambition, self-doubt, and the pursuit of meaningful relationships. Martin, though a bit gruff at first, proves to be a surprisingly endearing figure, and the dynamic between him and Allie brings a refreshing depth to the story. Will, as the romantic interest, is swoon-worthy yet grounded, adding a layer of sweetness to the plot.

The book explores the idea of writing as a metaphor for life itself—both the personal and professional challenges that often require a little help from others, a plot twist, or just a fresh perspective. The humor and romance are perfectly balanced, making The Plot Twist an enjoyable and heartwarming read that will keep readers laughing, swooning, and rooting for Allie every step of the way.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this e-ARC.

I loved how Allie and Martin's friendship grew and how they supported one another in overcoming writer's block and expanding their viewpoints. As implied by the title, there are some entertaining plot twists throughout. The story centers on them helping one other with their writing and their lives outside of writing while they write their next novels. A lighthearted, enjoyable book with some interesting characters.

I thought the story was nice, I always like the books where characters are authors themselves, and I really enjoyed the growing friendship between Allie and Martin and how they helped each other work through their writer’s blocks and expand their horizons.

Unfortunately it took me a lot of time to get into the romance part of the story. Will was nice but we didn’t see so much of him, and Allie was constantly in pure desillusion. She used him without really considering his feelings and only how their relationship helped her career. Her best friend Jess kept telling her and Allie was just too stubborn to listen. The « plot twist » on Will’s identity wasn’t really one as it had been quite obvious honestly, and once again Allie made all the wrong choices… it wasn’t until 70% of the book that I started to like the romance better, once Allie was forced to face the consequences of her own actions.

The writing and friendships elements, as well as Allie’s self growth and dealing with the grief from her father’s death and her constant wondering if we would be proud of her were all well written - and the most interesting parts of the story in my opinion.

I thought this book was a fun, lighthearted read for the beginning of spring. I loved the characters and the plot and i cannot wait to pick up a copy for myself

This rating is changing because this was so bad. Like so so bad. I wanted to DNF so badly so many times but I am a masochist and I had to know how this ended. Like I have no words of how awful this was and how awful all this characters were. I hated every single person in this book.

A love story meets a writing challenge—romcom author Allie Edwards and crime novelist Martin Clark swap genres to break through their writer’s block. Along the way, Allie gains a mentor, a potential love interest, and a new perspective on storytelling. But when love and career collide, things don’t go as planned.

I was initially intrigued by the premise of this book, but unfortunately, it wasn’t for me. The instant attraction between Allie and Will put me off, making it hard for me to connect with them. At times, I also found Allie’s character a bit selfish, and the repetitive inner monologues made the pacing drag. However, I did appreciate how the book tackled the issue of men abusing their power, particularly in professional settings.

While this story didn’t fully resonate with me, I want to thank NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

i did not like this romance because it hardly felt like a romance. if you’re writing a ROMANCE BOOK, the romance should not feel like a rushed afterthought— it should be the soul of the book!! after the first half this fell off significantly. chemistry was needed, badly!

Something about this just wasn’t for me. I think it mostly came down to writing style —I didn’t ever feel invested in the characters. Still trying to break out of a long book slump, but this wasn’t my solution.

This book sounded so promising and I love the cover! Unfortunately, the writing is just not sucking me and there isn't enough meaningful dialogue to keep me interested.

Thank you to Harper Collins & NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC!

Some of the writing was a bit clunky in places like "It was the morning after the night before" but, I really liked the portions about Martin and Angie. It really embodied like a long marriage where the couple have got a bit comfortable and don't always go the extra mile. The way Martin also becomes Allie's mentor while very obviously being a human with flaws was written well.

I nearly DNF'ed this book due to the pacing. I do enjoy some slow burns, but it was only just around the 100 page point we start to see any romance. I can appreciate the need to time to build Allie's character and why she had this writing block, but I found her character rather annoying and naive in places.

I did feel Will's character could have been fleshed out a bit too. For example, there are brief mentions about his history that make him hesitant or avoidant without getting to the route of it, so in a way he feels more of a plot device when you compare him to how Martin and Annie's romance is shown. The miscommunication trope is relied on heavily here, if Will asked more questions or Allie acted her age some of the plot wouldn't exist. I did enjoy the chemistry we see at the end, I feel this did make Will feel more real in the sense.

I'm also not sure the title quite fits either, there's not really any plot twists within the book. The ones I might have lightly classed as a plot twist, are easily guessed due to the heavy foreshadowing like when Jess have an event at the V&A and points out its where Allie and Will first met. Plot twists may work if you consider the plot swaps in Martin and Allies mentor sessions, and I would still love to have seen the thriller plot Allie seemed to be cooking up.

I'm conflicted about I feel about the Jake matthews part of the plot. I understand he's the villain and works as a device to get Allie working on her book. I just feel that although the shedding light on men who abuse their power and get away with it is important, some of it felt a little heavy handed for a romance that seemed otherwise lighthearted. But it does help continue this idea of happy-ever-afters that's throughout the book.

I'm glad I finished the book rather than DNF'ed as the ending was quite sweet, the book just wasn't for me. If you enjoy slow burn with low smut, and stories based in the publishing world this may be for you.

i really liked this one! really refreshing story. good plot. extremely likeable characters! i love this author's writing and this one was no different. would recommend.

So much fun! I really couldn't stop reading it. I found myself thinking about it during the day and getting excited to get back to reading it at night!

True to it's title, it does have some fun plot twists along the way - although nothing that the readers doesn't see coming.

Fun, flirty, and so romantic... You don't want to miss this one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

I quite enjoyed this book. Struggling writers Allie and Martin meet at an event and then both realise how much they’re struggling to write the next books. So they decide to help each other, however Allie is a romance writer and Martin, who is much older is a crime fiction writer. The story focuses on them writing their next books, assisting each other with their writing and their lives outside of their writing. An enjoyable, light read with some interesting characters.

I really wanted to like the book. I thought the premise was good, but unfortunately, from the jump the book felt a little slow and disconnected.

Originally, I thought Jake was going to be the love interest, and there likely would've been a bit more interest if he was, but it ended up being a character that felt very one-dimensional to me.

The relationship between Allie and Martin was dull and I found it to be a bit forced at times.

I don't think this book was particularly character it plot driven, and it made it quite difficult to get through.

Again, I enjoyed the idea of this book, and it may be a great read for someone who is looking for something on the lower stakes end of the spectrum.

The Plot Twist was a sweet, light-hearted rom-com that unfortunately just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Although I can truly appreciate the direction the story was being guided, I struggled to get into it, and felt little connection to the characters throughout unfortunately. Despite the book not really being for me personally, I can however see others finding it rather endearing,

*Thank you to Negalley for my ARC of this book in return for my honest review.*

RomCom without much Rom...

Allie is a best-selling romance writer with the deadline for her next book looming. The problem: she hasn't written a word. Enter Martin, an older legendary mystery writer in search of inspiration for his next book. When they both learn the other is "stuck" they decide to switch plots. Martin will help Allie with ideas for her romance and Allie will help devise the mystery. But things get complicated when Allie meets Will and their romance throws some kinks in her plan.

The Plot Twist was a sweet romcom and a fairly easy read. The main plot between Allie and Martin was cute, but multiple other subplots seemed to muddy the waters a little bit. The book started a little slow at first, but picked up about a quarter of the way through. If you're looking for romance, this romcom fell a little short. I felt the fatherly relationship Martin had with Allie was better established than her romance with Will. The romance almost seemed incidental. If you like books about books, this is would be a fun weekend or beach read.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I’ve been reading this since I got it and I had to dnf.

I could not connect with the characters at all.

The premise of this story is really promising, I think for the right reader I can see how it works but it just fell short for me. I was never hooked. Allie was also just a little too juvenile for my taste.

Allie is a romance writer who's struggling with writer's block. She meets best-selling author Martin at a party and both of them realize they're stuck in their respective novels. They decide to team up and hope for the best by switching plots and telling each other stories. Only when Allie meets Will, the words start to flow again and she's stuck between love and her career.

*****

I genuinely struggled to connect with Allie. She’s the type of character who constantly gets in her own way and refuses to take advice from her well-meaning family and friends. Watching her make decisions that didn’t seem logical was honestly frustrating. I couldn’t understand why she kept her relationship with Will at arm’s length, especially when he seemed like such a sweet guy overall. Will, on the other hand, feels underdeveloped. We don’t get enough scenes between him and Allie to feel any depth in their relationship. All we know about Will is that he’s attractive and what he does as a job. Beyond that, we don’t really get to see who he is as a person or what motivates him. Every interaction feels transactional, and like he's just a plot device and not a person. Also, despite being in her 30s with a successful career, Allie's behavior often felt more like that of a teenager, and it was endlessly frustrating. How she used Will and prolonged their relationship while keeping info from him, it made it really hard to root for her.

On a positive note, I did enjoy the mentor-mentee dynamic between Allie and Martin. Their relationship was sweet, and the banter had potential. I was more invested in them that Allie and Will, which is saying something. Martin and his wife were adorable together, and it was heartwarming to see how much he was willing to do to make her happy. I just couldn't get behind Allie constantly sabotaging herself and the pacing being all over the place for me to stay invested in the storyline.

Overall, this one was a miss. If it was more show and not tell, or more time was spent on developing Will and Allie's relationship, and Allie's responses were more realistic to her age, I could have been more invested. Instead it just wasn't quite something that I enjoyed.

*****

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK, One More Chapter for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Romcom author Allie crosses paths with crime author Martin at a party and finds out they both have writers block. With their deadlines coming up quickly they decide to swap stories. It is then that she meets Will and is stuck between love and her career.

I really loved the premise of this one and thought I would be in for a fun romantic read, however it ended up being a little underwhelming and I felt that I needed more. I found the main issue for me was that I took a long time for things to get going and it ended up a bit predictable. I also felt the chapters were overly long. I did enjoy the relationships between the characters though and found some parts entertaining. Not a bad book overall but not a favourite. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

This was such a fun easy read!

I really enjoyed reading this, I didn’t find that it was a little predictable and the conflict didn’t really seem necessary. I thought it was such a cozy and wholesome book and I loved the relationships between the characters and how they were all flawed in their own way, which made them feel so much more realistic.
I loved that this was about writing books and spoke about writers block.