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all1_b's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
anavpereira's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse
hilary89's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
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
3.75
I listened to this since it is included in my Audible subscription. I liked the narration and the story was fine - not very original and totally predictable. But despite that, I really enjoyed it. The characters were charming and I especially loved Eva's tight knit group of friends which I'm looking forward to their stories next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse and Suicide
Minor: Violence and Stalking
jax10124's review against another edition
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 😏
It gets dark in the middle and I wasn’t expecting that, but I love that she makes Alex work for it 😏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity
megs_k's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Pretty words and pretty faces don’t equal pretty souls. ~ Ana Huang
Sometimes you just want to read a toxic red flagged romance.
Sometimes you just want to read a toxic red flagged romance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
hannahcheney97's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
jiobiee's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
OVERALL: 3/10, or 1.5/5
This was my first foray into full, novelized smut. Not just that fanfiction shit, real face-in-ass, nuts-to-butts kind of shit. And to be perfectly honest? I was enjoying it for what it was. Nothing fancy, just a slow burn romance fraught with sexual tension, that should have some satisfying release. Everything else is just a bonus. I was surprised when the drama and crime elements took as much of the focus as they did, but I didn't mind- I found it interesting enough. When I got to the last 10% of the book, though... it fell off and it fell off hard.
Twisted Love follows the relationship between our main characters Ava Chen and Alex Volkov. When he leaves for a year-long medical trip to Central America, Ava's overprotective brother Josh leaves her under the "watchful" eye of Alex, his grumpy CEO billionaire best friend. Despite rocky beginnings, Alex and Ava begin to pine for one another, as Ava tries to crack Alex's icy exterior while Alex tries to keep himself composed. And then there's friends and business and childhood trauma- you get the picture.
I was not expecting the prose in this book to be good. I still don't consider it good, but it isn't terrible, either. Ana Huang has a distinct writer's voice as both characters, and the flow from word to sentence to paragraph is (usually) very smooth, which makes for easy reading. It really does feel like I'm listening to these two recount their experiences, inner monologue and all. The dialogue between the main characters and their friends (Ava and her friend group and Alex with Josh) feels believable. Whether or not I like what they're saying, I've heard people talk like that before, and it feels very natural. I commend Huang for that, that is not an easy feat. And the events of the plot, ridiculous and melodramatic as they are, had me glued to my Kindle shoving fistfuls of popcorn down my throat.
These main characters suuuuuck. Ava is quiet (but not too quiet), beautiful (but not like a movie star, like the girl-next-door), bubbly yet shy, emotional, fun-loving, creative, caring- way too trusting and the most millennial [derogatory] woman I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. Alex is a dick. Full stop. He is, to me, a little more tolerable than Ava, but then he digs his heels into his stupid Sasuke-esque revenge shit and I can't help but laugh. Did I mention he has an IQ above 160? And is a billionaire CEO? And has houses in every major business hub? And practices martial arts? And has an incredible autobiographical memory? And he's got a massive cock (FOR DAYS!)? These two have some really sweet moments that, in all fairness, I did enjoy- when the story was more romance than smut, crime, or drama, these two showed that they care about each other in ways that... I'll admit, I thought was sweet. And then one of them would ruin it. Alex's possessiveness goes from tolerable (never okay, but given his trauma... alright buddy, we can work through it) to absolutely fucking insane.When a woman tells you to never talk to her, look at her, see her again, and you follow her to a new country to stalk her and send her gifts AND THEN SING AT THE MOST EMBARRASSING OF TIMES, STOP!!!!
Other characters aren't much better. While I praised how natural the dialogue between friends could be, I did not like any of them. They did not feel like real people. They felt bare-bones in comparison to the main two, but had too much focus to justify the level of detail we got about them. Jules in particular is terrible, she's a bitch 'cause... y'know. Just 'cause. The others were unremarkable but similarly meh.
I was not expecting Alex and Ava's trauma to play a major part of the story. Specifically, being the focus of the story. A lot. More than the romance, even. Which, I don't mind, except I don't really... care?When they revealed Ava's dad as being the one who had tried to kill her (TWICE!)- well, I wish he succeeded-, I was not surprised in the slightest. That being said, how quickly the man switched from awkward father to mustache-twirling villain was not shocking, dramatic, or clever- it was hilarious. I couldn't stop reading him like he was Skeletor or some shit. I could not take it seriously. Even less so when Alex experiences the same kind of betrayal not too far later in the story.
Tell me how this series is called the "Twisted" series if the SEX IS MEDIOCRE? There is only ONE ACTUAL SEX SCENE in this ENTIRE FUCKING BOOK, and we're fed all this BULLSHIT that Alex fucks like a goddamn MANIAC, and we get to this ONE SCENE- AND THEY JUST FUCK LIKE NORMAL! Where is the BDSM shit? Where's the freaky fetish shit? Do you mean to seriously tell me that his sex is "crazy" because they do more than missionary? Are you kidding me? And I swear to god, if I have to hear more about how the "tang of her [Ava's] arousal" smells, I'm going to vomit. Do NOT talk to me about pussy stank, PLEASE.
So, yeah, that's the book. Cringe at times, but it's good for a laugh. Sometimes. Almost makes me want to sing straight from the heart, to prove I'm deserving of your attention. Almost.
This was my first foray into full, novelized smut. Not just that fanfiction shit, real face-in-ass, nuts-to-butts kind of shit. And to be perfectly honest? I was enjoying it for what it was. Nothing fancy, just a slow burn romance fraught with sexual tension, that should have some satisfying release. Everything else is just a bonus. I was surprised when the drama and crime elements took as much of the focus as they did, but I didn't mind- I found it interesting enough. When I got to the last 10% of the book, though... it fell off and it fell off hard.
Twisted Love follows the relationship between our main characters Ava Chen and Alex Volkov. When he leaves for a year-long medical trip to Central America, Ava's overprotective brother Josh leaves her under the "watchful" eye of Alex, his grumpy CEO billionaire best friend. Despite rocky beginnings, Alex and Ava begin to pine for one another, as Ava tries to crack Alex's icy exterior while Alex tries to keep himself composed. And then there's friends and business and childhood trauma- you get the picture.
I was not expecting the prose in this book to be good. I still don't consider it good, but it isn't terrible, either. Ana Huang has a distinct writer's voice as both characters, and the flow from word to sentence to paragraph is (usually) very smooth, which makes for easy reading. It really does feel like I'm listening to these two recount their experiences, inner monologue and all. The dialogue between the main characters and their friends (Ava and her friend group and Alex with Josh) feels believable. Whether or not I like what they're saying, I've heard people talk like that before, and it feels very natural. I commend Huang for that, that is not an easy feat. And the events of the plot, ridiculous and melodramatic as they are, had me glued to my Kindle shoving fistfuls of popcorn down my throat.
These main characters suuuuuck. Ava is quiet (but not too quiet), beautiful (but not like a movie star, like the girl-next-door), bubbly yet shy, emotional, fun-loving, creative, caring- way too trusting and the most millennial [derogatory] woman I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. Alex is a dick. Full stop. He is, to me, a little more tolerable than Ava, but then he digs his heels into his stupid Sasuke-esque revenge shit and I can't help but laugh. Did I mention he has an IQ above 160? And is a billionaire CEO? And has houses in every major business hub? And practices martial arts? And has an incredible autobiographical memory? And he's got a massive cock (FOR DAYS!)? These two have some really sweet moments that, in all fairness, I did enjoy- when the story was more romance than smut, crime, or drama, these two showed that they care about each other in ways that... I'll admit, I thought was sweet. And then one of them would ruin it. Alex's possessiveness goes from tolerable (never okay, but given his trauma... alright buddy, we can work through it) to absolutely fucking insane.
Other characters aren't much better. While I praised how natural the dialogue between friends could be, I did not like any of them. They did not feel like real people. They felt bare-bones in comparison to the main two, but had too much focus to justify the level of detail we got about them. Jules in particular is terrible, she's a bitch 'cause... y'know. Just 'cause. The others were unremarkable but similarly meh.
I was not expecting Alex and Ava's trauma to play a major part of the story. Specifically, being the focus of the story. A lot. More than the romance, even. Which, I don't mind, except I don't really... care?
Tell me how this series is called the "Twisted" series if the SEX IS MEDIOCRE? There is only ONE ACTUAL SEX SCENE in this ENTIRE FUCKING BOOK, and we're fed all this BULLSHIT that Alex fucks like a goddamn MANIAC, and we get to this ONE SCENE- AND THEY JUST FUCK LIKE NORMAL! Where is the BDSM shit? Where's the freaky fetish shit? Do you mean to seriously tell me that his sex is "crazy" because they do more than missionary? Are you kidding me? And I swear to god, if I have to hear more about how the "tang of her [Ava's] arousal" smells, I'm going to vomit. Do NOT talk to me about pussy stank, PLEASE.
So, yeah, that's the book. Cringe at times, but it's good for a laugh. Sometimes. Almost makes me want to sing straight from the heart, to prove I'm deserving of your attention. Almost.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, and Gaslighting
book1hoarder's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
Honestly I was expecting to go into this hating it, but I didn’t as much as I thought I would. Was the mmc kinda annoying sometimes with his “i’m so smart and not a good person. You should run away from me.”? Yeah. Absolutely. However I still ended up like the mmc and the fmc. They were still a little cringey, grumpy x sunshine typa thing, but bearable.
I liked the plot twists and ended up being happy for the couple in the end. As much as I hate to admit, I will be reading/ listening to the next book. In fact I already started it.
I liked the plot twists and ended up being happy for the couple in the end. As much as I hate to admit, I will be reading/ listening to the next book. In fact I already started it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Grief, and Gaslighting
marissaumble's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
jaklyn_heath_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t love this one but also went into knowing it wasn’t going to be a favourite.
I listened to the audio while painting and enjoyed it. There is a lot of spice- it’s a tad demeaning, dirty, rough so be warned.
The theme of “vengeance” was a bit over-the-top but I guess the twists were decent.
Not the best written book but entertaining.
I listened to the audio while painting and enjoyed it. There is a lot of spice- it’s a tad demeaning, dirty, rough so be warned.
The theme of “vengeance” was a bit over-the-top but I guess the twists were decent.
Not the best written book but entertaining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting