Bethany Turner's "Plot Twist"

February 4, 2003, promises to be a typical day for Olivia Ross—a greeting card writer whose passion project is a screenplay of her own. But after she and a handsome actor have a magical meet-cute in a coffee shop, they make a spontaneous pact: in ten years, after they’ve found the success they’re just sure they’re going to achieve, they’ll return to the coffeehouse to partner up and make a film together. The only problem? Olivia neglected to get the stranger’s name. But she doesn’t forget his face—or the date. Every February 4 for the next ten years, Olivia has a day full of coincidences and ironies. As men come and go and return to her life, she continues to write, but still wonders about the guy from the coffee shop—the nameless actor she’s almost certain has turned out to be Hamish MacDougal, now a famous A-lister and Hollywood leading man. But a lot can happen in ten years, and while waiting for the curtain to rise on her fate, the true story of Olivia’s life is being written—and if she’s not careful, she’ll completely miss the real-life romantic comedy playing out right before her eyes.

This was a fun story, with the feel of a classic rom-com, yet it's also subverted: meet-cutes and plot devices that one would expect to follow the classic patterns don't always. There were definitely twists I didn't see coming (and some I did), but one of the biggest twists on a rom-com is that this is as much a story about friendship as it is romance. Olivia's long-term friendship with Fiona is one of the most important things in her life, and regardless of the pain it may cause her, she will put their friendship first--even before love. 

I enjoyed that the book took place almost entirely on February 4th each year over a decade; it reminded me a bit of the film Groundhog's Day, with Olivia's inability to escape the "curse" of weirdly coincidental encounters each year. She makes some selfish decisions, some selfless decisions, and sometimes has no idea how to react to the weirdness. Over all, I quite enjoyed it. It was clean and funny, tugged the heartstrings, and was a welcome diversion from a particularly busy season! 

Thank you Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.