Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

69 reviews

neekoshimmer32's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Was a fun, light-hearted read, despite all the not-so-lighthearted material sometimes. It was a bit cheesy, like a rom-com movie

(Like near the ending chapters, there was a stalking in the rain scene, the run-away airport scene, the long monologue Alex gives on a stage and the casual interruption to another guy asking her out bc she’s *his*)

but I didn’t mind it too much.

I personally loved seeing Ava talk about her cultural background through the foods to the minute interactions. It really felt like she could’ve been a self-insert for the author. I also didn’t expect the struggles Ava goes through

Aka, her panic attacks and fear of water

And I loved that aspect. The blurb hints at this at the back, but I really didn’t predict the details. Also, I wonder how Ava manages to be so optimistic all the time with her tragic background? She must have overcome a lot to get herself there. Also, talking about the little things she liked, from red-velvet cupcakes to her photography, her interests were very well explored.

Her friend group is talked about a bit, mostly Ava just vents to them about her problems. But Bridget, as the matriarch, or female lead in the next book is mentioned just a smidge a bit more. She’s also a bit more impactful in the overall solving-the-third-act-conflict part.

As for Alex, he also seemed a bit cheesy at the beginning. The typical dark, brooding male, who is a CEO and loves and craves VIOLENCE, (at least as a means of getting whatever he wants bc his pockets are so deep) while somehow keeping said company afloat. I guess he sacrifices the finer things in life -aka his social life- for that. Jokes on me though, because I don’t hate this kind of men (in my books). And despite his last name, I hadn’t predicted his Russian heritage. He uses a few Russian words around the start of the book, though maybe if he’s Russian he could’ve called Ava something sweet in Russian? (I can’t remember if he did). I found ‘sunshine’ wasn’t really my thing.

My personal favorite part of the book is when the couple gets together around the half of the book, and even do normal couples stuff together, (So much so, that Ava’s friends are in on it), and yet aren’t official? At some point Alex says they’re exclusive, but they didn’t seem to call each other boyfriend or girlfriend. Somehow, I enjoyed this better than they’re typical selves before this part. That was also because they seemed to bicker a bit and the not-really enemies-to-lovers thing didn’t really do it for me. After that, they went through the third act where they separated for a bit, and it was all resolved in the last chapter before the epilogue. I’ve read other books where something similar happens, but I wish they ending was less rushed and more neatly tied up.

During this ideal period for me, the two acted more like a real couple and were giddy and in love. I didn’t like the after part as much, probably because of the third act conflict. Consider this a more detailed version of content warnings —> (

Alex enjoyed being in charge of Ava, calling her names in certain situations.

)

There were lots of cheesy things that I didn’t buy would happen for a single second

For example, Alex being invited to and attending a PICNIC, when the two weren’t getting along

. Alex also seemed a bit controlling, like him getting upset with Ava wearing more revealing clothing. Especially because this was early on when they still didn’t get along, so who is he to say so?

Also, he slept in the same bed as her during this time, which as a girl is not really endearing. It’s fine if the couple are close or feel safe with each other, but doing so without Ava’s okay and when they’re still bickering isn’t really a safe feeling for me.

So overall, this book went from the brother’s best friend trope to bickering, to getting along. Then it became a bit of a mystery (and that part also kept me going), solved Alex’s problems, and then they had to find each other again. It was a whirlwind and any of those separate parts could have been different books. But I enjoyed it as a fun read. I would like to read more about them as a couple in those happier times.

Content Warnings

jax10124's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I liked the MMC more than the FMC but I see why she was written that way.

It gets dark in the middle and I wasn’t expecting that, but I love that she makes Alex work for it 😏

Content Warnings

jennaslaney_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

readswithtayee's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Twisted Love

🩵🌊📷☀️🧁🍪

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💭Personal thoughts: let’s just start with the fact that I hate how this is marketed as a “Brother’s best friends” trope, when it’s nothing like that. Her brother cares but he’s not even in the story until the end. He’s literally gone most of the book. It’s very grumpy x sunshine trope and has dark themes. Check trigger warnings if needed. I love the aspect that she’s into baking, I love when characters have cute hobbies. If you read the synopsis, I enjoyed both issues that Alex & Ava had. Between their childhood traumas and how they go about it. Plot twist so be weary of reading spoilers!

🤔Yes, no, maybe? maybe… I enjoyed the plot and storyline. A bit too spicy for me but I enjoyed the storyline and romance more than my dislike of the spice. Would recommend more for smut lovers.

❤️‍🔥Spicy level:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 | pretty spicy, kinda intense for me.

🧯Spicy chapters: 22,24,26,42

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Instagram: @readswithtayee

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jules172's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I have two words for you. Alex.

fucking

. Volkow. And another two words. Ava. Chen. These two I swear. There were times I wanted to throw my book off my balcony and times I wanted to just keep rereading the same page. Also can I just say how amazing Jules is. Like literal

fucking

queen. I'm so excited for twisted hate for her book. Also the way Ana Huang

twisted in the Bridget and Rhys part for the next book into this book's epilogue is

😘 Chef's Kiss. I'm soooooo excited for the next book (I have it right next to me but it's 10:45 at night and I need to sleep before my mom comes in and yells at me)

Content Warnings

proudtobeabookaholic's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Alex Volkov has been obsessed with the thought of revenge since his family was murdered when he was 11 years old. With an IQ of 160 he's built a business empire that has made him a multimillionaire, and soon it's time for the final phase of his revenge plan.

Ava Chen suffers from nightmares due to a childhood she can’t remember. Despite this she's managed to keep a positive outlook on the world. Except for when it comes to her brother's best friend, Alex. He may look like an angel, but he's got a heart of ice.

When Ava's brother Josh will be gone for a year he asks Alex to keep an eye on Ava - something neither of them wants. But Alex takes his promise seriously and becomes an even bigger thorn in Ava's life. Until she starts having other - forbidden - feelings for her brother's best friend.
~
I'm very thorn when it comes to this book. On one hand it's a dramatic love story, filled with secrets and some surprises, which makes it hard to put down. On the other hand I don't think that the relationship between Alex and Ava is quite healthy. You may have "odd" taste when it comes to s*x - that's OK, as long as both are comfortable with it - but I do have a problem with someone treating their partner as a commodity, rather than as an equal. Alex's jealousy isn't what I would call normal, and I would have run in the other direction had I been Ava. I really hope that younger people reading this doesn't get the impression that this is how it should be.

"And your p*ssy is mine. Every inch of you belongs to me, and if you ever let another man touch you - he'll end up in pieces, and you'll end up tied to my bed and f*cked in every hole until my name is the only one you remember. Do you understand?"

No, thank you! Both to the language and the intention! Ava's attitude is much nicer:

"People see what they want to see, I countered. Are there awful people in the world? Yes. Do awful things happen? Yes. But wonderful people exist and wonderful things happen too, and if you focus too much on the negative, you miss all the positive."

How these two very different people can end up together isn't logical, but they say opposites attract? Even though the next book in the series have another couple in the spotlight I don't think I'll read it.

Content Warnings