Two chapters in and I'm bored. I can't do it. From what I read in the other reviews, you don't even get romance until the half way point. The point of reading a romcom is emphasis on ROM and COM. Anyway, I also could not stand Allie. I have no idea how old she is but I assumed either my age or older and sounds like an immature teenager. This is a pass for me.

After writing a few successful romantic comedies Allie is late sending in her next book. While dealing with crippling writer's block she meets two men at a work party who change everything. Martin Clark, a famous crime novelist, who is having trouble writing and Will the gorgeous caterer. With their careers on the line, the two writers decide to switch plots. Inspiration for each other's books is the game, two books the gain — and a mentor adjacent friend for Allie to boot. Things with Will are squarely in flirty rom-com territory. Can she handle more? Can she have it all?

The premise is clever though it may seem a little over the top, but the way the story is successfully laid out by the author, it just makes sense. Also the 'instigators' are believable as characters and extremely likeable so that helps. And understandably flawed. The pacing is exactly what is needed. It's as fun as you think, as well as feelgood and heartfelt.

Allie's internal dialogue is relatable, presenting as a realistic thinking process, with intruding, seemingly random ideas, worries and feelings that jump on her train of thought. Her POV is lovely in its expressiveness, honesty and humor. Her social awkwardness — which is not as bad as she believes — is endearing. The tendency of her imagination to run away with best-case or mostly worst-case scenarios is endlessly entertaining for me.

It's insta physical attraction and there's nothing wrong with that. A yummy-looking man with a great sense of humor who can cook professionally is worth the swoon. I guessed the 'big' reveal concerning him from the beginning. There are more characters to like of course, each with their own thing and one we plot along with the protagonist to ensure their downfall.

I really like that there are full-fledged paragraphs, not the one after another two-sentence ones that seem to be the style lately. If you are in the book industry like me, or just love books, their whole plan will be so entertaining. And watching a creative process is always engaging, even more so an unconventional one like this is. I wish we had had more of that.

Sometimes the protagonist's self-doubt is a bit repetitive and grating. The obstacles she puts in her way unnecessary and a bit foolish. She is worried about the wrong things. This unfortunately took away from her character. Also Dominic is used and mentioned way too often.

The was fun, adorable, full of delicious awkward often comedic situations, and smile-worthy.

I really enjoyed this story, it was sweet and easy to read! I like to read stories about authors, I find really interesting how they come up with ideas and they finally manage to make them words and stories..
This is why I found this book really interesting, especially the trope where two authors switch plots when they don't know what to write about.
It was an enjoyable story, where love is well described and friendship really matters!

i really tried with this but sadly it’s a dnf at 34%. To not sound too harsh I just don’t care about anything going on or the characters.

The premise of this book sounds so good and it could definitley be someone else’s cup of tea but I feel as though i’m dragging myself through the book.

hank you so much for the ARC NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, I thought this book was cute but I did slightly struggle to get through it. It was an easy read and fun but I found Allie to be annoying at times. However I did love their relationship.
2.75

2.5/5 stars

Books set in the world of publishing are hit or miss for me, and this one didn't resonate. I struggled with most of the relationships in the book (except Martin and Allie -- that one was sweet), I wasn't a huge fan of Allie, and the pacing felt slow (and I love a good slow burn). I did enjoy the narrative of women empowerment and standing up to terrible men.

Thanks to the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you so much for the ARC NetGalley and Harper Collins UK
I thought this book was cute but I did slightly struggle to get through it. It was an easy read and fun but I found Allie to be annoying at times. However I did love their relationship.

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.