For the Plot: Stone Siblings Series Book One

by Emily B. Rose

Nikki Stone has writer's block. As a romance author, this isn't the first time, but after her book gets shredded for sex scenes written like “someone who's never had sex before" she's stuck. The problem? She’s a demisexual woman who has never had sex. The solution? Listen to the advice that she just needs to get laid. But after trying and failing on her own, Nikki turns to the one person she trusts can help her get some hands-on her friend and roommate James.

James Warren is perfectly happy with his life. He enjoys being an assistant manager/bartender at The Sleepy Siren, having casual hookups with people he isn’t attracted to as a demisexual man, and living with his three closest friends. He definitely doesn’t have any desire for something more. And he’s definitely not in love with NIkki Stone. Even if he can’t stop thinking about her–their shared caffeine addiction, her magpie tendencies, and definitely not her massive brain.

But when Nikki realizes he might have the perfect expertise to be her sexy mentor and asks him for help–telling him she’ll ask someone else if he says no–what can he do but say yes? With time ticking towards her deadline–and her publisher’s last extension coming to an end–it’s now or never. As the two of them explore each other’s bodies during their spicy lessons, while trying to keep their hearts out of it, they’ll realize that maybe there was more to their friendship all along.

Genres: Friends To Lovers

234 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 10, 2025

About the author

Emily B Rose grew up addicted to storytelling in all its forms, and always knew she would have a career in something creative. With a bachelor's degree in creative writing, she settled on books as her favorite form of storytelling, though you will still find her glued to the tv watching her favorite sitcom or nerdy movie series, or belting show tunes in her apartment (to the annoyance of her cats).

California born and raised she can be found wherever the closest beach or bookstore is, or curled up at home trying to convince her cats to cuddle with her 24/7.

Emily is a proudly fat, demibisexual, ADHD woman who wants her stories to reflect people often ignored, especially in love stories. She hopes her books will make people feel less alone, and affirm that everyone deserves the love story of their choosing.

Reviews

[Kimberlyyyreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

RTC

[Jocey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was literally the cutest romance that I have read in awhile, and I think this will hold a place in my heart with how much I felt seen in this book. Now, I am going to be honest, I did not anticipate that I would be chosen to do an arc read for this book, but when I saw the posts about this being a fat, bisexual and demisexual representation book, I just knew that I had to apply. I felt connected to all of the characters that was in this book so quickly, ESPECIALLY Nikki. Omg, the way that the author wrote about Nikki in every aspect was so beautifully done and I felt seen. I love how Nikki explores the relationship that she had with her body and how she describes her demisexuality, which helped me understand the different perspectives on this spectrum. Whenever Nikki talked about her experiences and struggles with certain aspects in her life, I was shocked at how much I understood and connected with it, having experienced a lot of things myself, and it made me feel like I wasn’t alone in my own little chaotic world. Honestly, Nikki’s journey throughout this book brought out so much emotion in me with things that I have experienced and making me even see some of my experiences that I had a hard time understanding into a new perspective that I never even thought of, and it just made me appreciate and love this book even more!
Now, James was literally so sweet, funny, beautiful, handsome, and everything I could have hoped for in a mmc. I loved his chemistry and friendship that he had with everyone in the apartment, and oh my god, the way that he spoke to and about Nikki literally had me tearing up, because James speaking about how he loved and admired and adored everything Nikki is exactly how I dream of someone feeling about me. Their love and chemistry was literally so perfect, and I ate up every second of this book! The friends to lovers trope will always be my favorite, especially with one of the mcs being in love with the other the entire time and trying to deny it; it just makes me kick my feet.
Also, all of the other characters in this book felt so real and organic with their friendships together as roommates, and I love how Collin and Will were there for both James and Nikki in their hard moments. That ending though with Collin took me off guard but it was actually so sweet!! I am absolutely ready to read the rest of this book series! I can’t wait for Noah’s story!~

[mace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially, I had mixed opinions on this book, but in the end, I didn't really like it. I appreciated the representation it had for depression and ADHD. The way those showed up in the main character was very relatable to me. However, the romance between the two main characters didn't work for me. I felt like they didn't have much of a personality outside of their jobs and their developing romantic relationship. That really made the book fall flat for me.

The initial setup was a fun idea; the two main characters, James and Nikki, are roommates, and they want to help Nikki, who is a romance writer, through her writer’s block. They end up having sex together to help her experiment with writing sex scenes and romantic scenes. Other than that, though, not much happens in the book. They stay inside most of the time, they work, they spend time with their roommates, and Nikki has some conversations with her family and her literary agent. Outside of that, there is not a lot happening. This was frustrating to me, because I prefer romance books where the characters also have things going on in their lives outside of their romantic relationships.

There was also a third-act conflict that came out of nowhere about 90% into the book, which always frustrates me. Sometimes it makes sense for a romance arc to have some conflict near the end, but this one was handled in a very clunky way. It frustrated me even more because it was resolved way too quickly, without the characters doing any real work to gain new insights about themselves or their relationship. The happy ending did not feel realistic to me.

In the end, this whole book really fell flat for me, which was disappointing because I was really excited to read a story with a romance between two demi-bisexual main characters. Ultimately, this book just left me feeling frustrated and disappointed.

Note: I received this book as a free Advance Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

[Megan Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review :)

I really enjoyed the way that Emily B Rose was able to capture heavy topics like sexual exploration, self-discovery, mental health, and body neutrality in a way that felt lighter.

In this book we see the story of Nikki and James. Nikki is a romance writer and is struggling to write her third book. Of course, writing spicy scenes without having experienced any spice can be *ahem* tricky! Asking her roommate James for some lessons seems like the best solution. I mean what could go wrong?!

If you are looking for “new girl” vibes, a feel good story, super spicy scenes, and a safe space to feel seen... this book is for you!


**Fat Representation**

Something I enjoyed about this book and fat representation in particular, is that Nikki spends some time critically thinking about how she feels with her body. You see her character explore concepts such as body positivity and body neutrality. I thought it was interesting because in the writing this self-reflection seemed very intentional and overt. Nikki seemed to have a more realistic relationship with her body in that she cares for it but still struggles some days with body image.

Another thing I enjoyed would be how Nikki and James described their bodies. General descriptions included things like stretch marks, cellulite, Nikki’s stomach hanging over her hips, and James's soft belly. Again, the wording felt very intentional and realistic. As always, I appreciated that weight/size was not mentioned and the reader gets the opportunity to imagine Nikki and James as they see fit.

[Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a lot of things I loved about this book, and some things I thought were a bit meh. The author's writing style is a bit bland for my tastes, that sort of debut author feel I get from some authors, except I don't think this author is a debut author. I know that sounds, bad, but it was a more simple book. Definitely an easy read for sure. The New Girl vibes were really there though and that was one of the things I loved about the book asides from the demisexual, bisexual, and ADHD rep. It was also mentioned that James has Chronic Gastritis, but other than just being mentioned, we didn't really get to see any of how that affected him. I loved how easy it was to relate to Nikki, and there were a lot of things about her personality that just clicked. I wasn't really fond of the way the two of them gathered themselves regarding their relationship status, and how whiny James seemed about being rejected, despite Nikki being the one who had rejection sensitivity disorder, and I didn't like the way she snapped at him just because she was upset. I'd be curious to give another book in this series a go, and I appreciate the author for giving me a copy of this ARC!

[Deanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read! It’s Emily’s first foray into contemporary romance and it was quite the enjoyable one.

For the Plot was a friends to lovers romance brimming with representation! It covered everything from queer relations like being bi and demisexual to chronic illness and ADHD rep. I found Emily’s insight into being demi-bi fascinating, and it taught me to see that identity in a way I hadn’t before.

I liked the relationship between James and Nikki and found it very sweet. Friends to lovers is a fave trope and you could really feel the love between them, even before they started their s3x lessons. Lessons that were both tender and also hot af, might I add.

The third act breakup was rough!! But it shone a spotlight on how certain neurospicy brains work too. It broke my heart the way Nikki was self-sabotaging and I’m glad it didn’t take long for these two to get out of their own way.

I’m looking forward to what Emily writes next! Hopefully, after the ending, it means we’ll be getting a Collins story and I cannot wait to see it unfold.

[Arianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW!!

This book just blown my mind. Since the very first pages I was completely hooked up. It was a cute, romantic AND SUPER HOT love story! I fell deeply in love with both the main characters. They’re just so beautiful together, their chemistry intense!

The relationship between all the characters was organic and real! So it made the whole story much more compelling!

What I really appreciated of the book was how the author described perfectly demisexuality and all their sides. How people feel, how they feel sexuality and love.
In addition, the importance of body positivity was central in the whole story, because the author encourages everyone to love their body, despite their flaws and the fact that society wants us in a certain way and it made me feel represented and understood!

[Curvy Girls Read Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so full of tropes and spice and green flags that I could not put it down!

Romance writer Nikki just received a bad review questioning her own experience and the plausability of her sex scenes, which has triggered an awful case of writer's block. Naturally, the solution is to get laid. Who better to help Nikki with this problem that roommate, friend, and fellow demisexual James.

I loved how this author wrote different experiences of demisexuality with such nuance. Nikki and James were so consistently careful about checking in with boundaries and consent. The way that James doesn't even flinch when Nikki is too in her head to finish without assistance was such a great scene.

I can't recommend this book enough, I already want to read it again. This series is going to be fantastic.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

I received an ARC of this book to read and review.

This book is a quick and heartwarming read with a lovely bit of spice. I’m such a sucker for demi/bisexual rep in a book, and For the Plot delivers both (plus an ADHD FMC whose struggles hit a little too hard at points). The chemistry between James and Nikki is absolutely swoony. I was kicking my feet and getting butterflies on their behalf throughout the story. The secondary characters were just as lovable as the MCs.

⭐️: Barely finished, almost DNF
⭐️⭐️: Finished, but was nothing wonderful
⭐️⭐️⭐️: Enjoyed, but would probably not read again
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Highly enjoyed, would likely read again
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: This book is now a part of my regular rotation to re-read and/or changed my brain chemistry

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance is not my usually go to genre, but I loved this book. I love how Nikki and James relationship slowly built over time in this friends/roommates to lovers romance. The discussion of consent and boundaries made all romance scenes even spicier. The representation of ADHD and depression were so honest and truthful. I saw so many parts of myself in Nikki. I loved the spectrum of demibisexual representation. James and Nikki were so authentic in their demisexual expression and I appreciated reading their different experiences through their eyes. This book was so affirming in many different ways and I can’t wait to see what Emily arose writes next!

[Katherine Mata · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the Plot is Emily B Rose's dip into contemporary romance and I loved it. I felt seen as a plus size/fat bisexuality woman. It's such a good reminder that, like people, love looks different and there is nothing wrong with that. The characters seem very real as if they are people you'd know and I can relate to their struggles on some level. Thank you for the representation! Also, the spice level was up there! Not only was I connecting with the characters, I was enjoying the romance Emily B Rose created.

[Kaitlin Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone on the asexual spectrum, I greatly enjoyed seeing two representations of demisexual experience in one book. It made me feel seen while also allowing me to understand another’s POV. Overall, I really enjoyed James and Nikki, though some parts were a bit slow/unnecessary to me.

[Meghann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a DNF AT ABOUT 30% for me. I really wanted to get into the story, especially because of the representation, but there were so many errors and typos. It was very disruptive and I wasn’t able to invest in the story. I may try again in the future, but for now I will not be continuing.