semilee0's review against another edition
4.0
I finished this book in august and it’s the end of September now and I have to change my review. It was originally a 5 star review and I said it was my fav of the series… but that one scene really has me thinking about it and it makes me so uncomfortable. Josh should NEVER have reacted like that and it’s super not cool. Their chemistry was so good but that scene is not at all okay and my view has changed drastically since I’ve had time to think on it
_floo_'s review against another edition
4.0
I was so fucking sure this was going to be a 5 stars read and then the final conflict happened and it was just not it for me. Still LOVED the first 70% though so I only dropped one star. This is what a hate to love contemporary should look like, the banter, the steamy scenes, everything was just perfection. I'm glad I decided to give this book a chancer after not really enjoying the first two that much. Now I'm excited for the last one!
ludleclercq's review against another edition
5.0
This book has everything and more!!! I loved it sooo much!!
totalsassreads's review against another edition
5.0
Longer review forthcoming but: THIS WAS SO GOOD. Amazing. Going to be one of my favorites this year.
Full ARC Review:
This has got it all - a scary conflict that the heroine needs to resolve, huge emotional arcs for both Josh and Jules, A+ excellent banter, and enough sexual tension and spicy to steal all the arm from the room. Not to mention, some really excellent and poetic writing that will hit at the heart of you. There are some emotional and relational loose ends that are left hanging at the end of the first book, Twisted Love, and the loop is closed here.
Two years since Twisted Love and Josh is reckoning with the fallout of the reality about his father, and the role that Alex played in what happened. Even though he trusts Alex to make Ava happy, the subplot about Alex and Josh resolving their broken friendship is so sweet. There is a lot of work on what it means to forgive someone, and what forgiveness does for your own well-being, and how to move on when forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. Josh also has to fight his own ego to trust people to help carry his burdens when he's struggling - trust is a HUGE issue for Josh and it definitely plays a part in this book.
Ah, Jules. She's got so many secrets and so much hurt. You'd never guess the insecurities our wild redhead is carrying around and it is devastating. Even though they hate each other and use each other for the intense physical interaction, watching her slowly let the walls down and hoping she won't get hurt is compelling. Learning about Jules's past just broke my heart and also made my skin crawl - content warnings for some of that, even though it's handled delicately, or interrupted before things get graphic, some of her experiences made my stomach turn in disgust, discomfort, and anger. Still, it's what makes this character so fierce.
I loved a lot of the writing about forgiveness, grief, and relationships. Josh and Jules are perfect for each other, and the way they fall for each other, and the way they start to realize it - SQUEE.
On the smut side, you better be ready for the beast that is Josh Chen. This is and remains for quite a lot of the book - hate fucking. They use and consensually abuse each other for mutual pleasure and the way they talk to one another while it's happening...oh boy. There's a bit of degradation tied to a praise kink and definitely some fun with edging. These two...I'd hate to be their next door neighbor because Jules would never be able to stay quiet. Josh Chen is stupid dark hotness.
We also get a hint of the couple in the next book - I'm a little nervous what Stella will need him for, but also excited to see the entire group find their happily ever after.
Full ARC Review:
This has got it all - a scary conflict that the heroine needs to resolve, huge emotional arcs for both Josh and Jules, A+ excellent banter, and enough sexual tension and spicy to steal all the arm from the room. Not to mention, some really excellent and poetic writing that will hit at the heart of you. There are some emotional and relational loose ends that are left hanging at the end of the first book, Twisted Love, and the loop is closed here.
Two years since Twisted Love and Josh is reckoning with the fallout of the reality about his father, and the role that Alex played in what happened. Even though he trusts Alex to make Ava happy, the subplot about Alex and Josh resolving their broken friendship is so sweet. There is a lot of work on what it means to forgive someone, and what forgiveness does for your own well-being, and how to move on when forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. Josh also has to fight his own ego to trust people to help carry his burdens when he's struggling - trust is a HUGE issue for Josh and it definitely plays a part in this book.
Ah, Jules. She's got so many secrets and so much hurt. You'd never guess the insecurities our wild redhead is carrying around and it is devastating. Even though they hate each other and use each other for the intense physical interaction, watching her slowly let the walls down and hoping she won't get hurt is compelling. Learning about Jules's past just broke my heart and also made my skin crawl - content warnings for some of that, even though it's handled delicately, or interrupted before things get graphic, some of her experiences made my stomach turn in disgust, discomfort, and anger. Still, it's what makes this character so fierce.
I loved a lot of the writing about forgiveness, grief, and relationships. Josh and Jules are perfect for each other, and the way they fall for each other, and the way they start to realize it - SQUEE.
On the smut side, you better be ready for the beast that is Josh Chen. This is and remains for quite a lot of the book - hate fucking. They use and consensually abuse each other for mutual pleasure and the way they talk to one another while it's happening...oh boy. There's a bit of degradation tied to a praise kink and definitely some fun with edging. These two...I'd hate to be their next door neighbor because Jules would never be able to stay quiet. Josh Chen is stupid dark hotness.
We also get a hint of the couple in the next book - I'm a little nervous what Stella will need him for, but also excited to see the entire group find their happily ever after.
bellathefella13's review against another edition
4.0
Why is it that whenever I try to write a review for a book I loved immediately after reading it, I struggle so much to come up with words. I loved this so much. Oh my god. Josh and Jules are everything. My obsession with the Twisted series is just- I can't. It's just so good? I'm sorry I can't say anything except for listing out all the synoyms of "good" in every sentence. But really, this series has got me on a chokehold. Ana Huang, ma'am did you put some kind of potion into this series? Okay, I'm gonna try to give a proper review.
Twisted Hate is the third book in the Twisted series. It's about Josh Chen and Jules Ambrose who have known and hated each other for years. Obviously this book is about them falling in love or it wouldn't be marketed as a romance book. So the tropes are: enemies-to-lovers, best friend's brother, close (or is it forced?) proximity, and there is a one bed trope in here too.
I adored the banter in this book. Actually, this series gets 10/10 for banter so far, I was grinning like an idiot the whole time for all 3 books. Josh and Jules took banter to the next level, though. I may or may not be saving some of those insults to use myself in future.
I also loved the characters in this book. Jules- bless her heart. There's so much more beneath the party girl exterior and I was feeling for her so much throughout the book. And Josh is probably the only person I'd tolerate cockiness from, because he actually deserves to be cocky (god I hate this word, but I don't wanna use another one). Also the smut in this book>>>>> but we're gonna keep it PG here.
This honestly didn't feel like 500 pages at all. I read it so fast- it felt more like a 300 page read. I'm so happy booktok finally recommended something from the romance genre that didn't want to make be gouge my eyes out. If you're craving a good and spicy romance, I highly highly HIGHLY recommend this series.
Twisted Hate is the third book in the Twisted series. It's about Josh Chen and Jules Ambrose who have known and hated each other for years. Obviously this book is about them falling in love or it wouldn't be marketed as a romance book. So the tropes are: enemies-to-lovers, best friend's brother, close (or is it forced?) proximity, and there is a one bed trope in here too.
I adored the banter in this book. Actually, this series gets 10/10 for banter so far, I was grinning like an idiot the whole time for all 3 books. Josh and Jules took banter to the next level, though. I may or may not be saving some of those insults to use myself in future.
I also loved the characters in this book. Jules- bless her heart. There's so much more beneath the party girl exterior and I was feeling for her so much throughout the book. And Josh is probably the only person I'd tolerate cockiness from, because he actually deserves to be cocky (god I hate this word, but I don't wanna use another one). Also the smut in this book>>>>> but we're gonna keep it PG here.
This honestly didn't feel like 500 pages at all. I read it so fast- it felt more like a 300 page read. I'm so happy booktok finally recommended something from the romance genre that didn't want to make be gouge my eyes out. If you're craving a good and spicy romance, I highly highly HIGHLY recommend this series.
totalsassreads's review
5.0
Longer review forthcoming but: THIS WAS SO GOOD. Amazing. Going to be one of my favorites this year.
Full ARC Review:
This has got it all - a scary conflict that the heroine needs to resolve, huge emotional arcs for both Josh and Jules, A+ excellent banter, and enough sexual tension and spicy to steal all the arm from the room. Not to mention, some really excellent and poetic writing that will hit at the heart of you. There are some emotional and relational loose ends that are left hanging at the end of the first book, Twisted Love, and the loop is closed here.
Two years since Twisted Love and Josh is reckoning with the fallout of the reality about his father, and the role that Alex played in what happened. Even though he trusts Alex to make Ava happy, the subplot about Alex and Josh resolving their broken friendship is so sweet. There is a lot of work on what it means to forgive someone, and what forgiveness does for your own well-being, and how to move on when forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. Josh also has to fight his own ego to trust people to help carry his burdens when he's struggling - trust is a HUGE issue for Josh and it definitely plays a part in this book.
Ah, Jules. She's got so many secrets and so much hurt. You'd never guess the insecurities our wild redhead is carrying around and it is devastating. Even though they hate each other and use each other for the intense physical interaction, watching her slowly let the walls down and hoping she won't get hurt is compelling. Learning about Jules's past just broke my heart and also made my skin crawl - content warnings for some of that, even though it's handled delicately, or interrupted before things get graphic, some of her experiences made my stomach turn in disgust, discomfort, and anger. Still, it's what makes this character so fierce.
I loved a lot of the writing about forgiveness, grief, and relationships. Josh and Jules are perfect for each other, and the way they fall for each other, and the way they start to realize it - SQUEE.
On the smut side, you better be ready for the beast that is Josh Chen. This is and remains for quite a lot of the book - hate fucking. They use and consensually abuse each other for mutual pleasure and the way they talk to one another while it's happening...oh boy. There's a bit of degradation tied to a praise kink and definitely some fun with edging. These two...I'd hate to be their next door neighbor because Jules would never be able to stay quiet. Josh Chen is stupid dark hotness.
We also get a hint of the couple in the next book - I'm a little nervous what Stella will need him for, but also excited to see the entire group find their happily ever after.
Full ARC Review:
This has got it all - a scary conflict that the heroine needs to resolve, huge emotional arcs for both Josh and Jules, A+ excellent banter, and enough sexual tension and spicy to steal all the arm from the room. Not to mention, some really excellent and poetic writing that will hit at the heart of you. There are some emotional and relational loose ends that are left hanging at the end of the first book, Twisted Love, and the loop is closed here.
Two years since Twisted Love and Josh is reckoning with the fallout of the reality about his father, and the role that Alex played in what happened. Even though he trusts Alex to make Ava happy, the subplot about Alex and Josh resolving their broken friendship is so sweet. There is a lot of work on what it means to forgive someone, and what forgiveness does for your own well-being, and how to move on when forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. Josh also has to fight his own ego to trust people to help carry his burdens when he's struggling - trust is a HUGE issue for Josh and it definitely plays a part in this book.
Ah, Jules. She's got so many secrets and so much hurt. You'd never guess the insecurities our wild redhead is carrying around and it is devastating. Even though they hate each other and use each other for the intense physical interaction, watching her slowly let the walls down and hoping she won't get hurt is compelling. Learning about Jules's past just broke my heart and also made my skin crawl - content warnings for some of that, even though it's handled delicately, or interrupted before things get graphic, some of her experiences made my stomach turn in disgust, discomfort, and anger. Still, it's what makes this character so fierce.
I loved a lot of the writing about forgiveness, grief, and relationships. Josh and Jules are perfect for each other, and the way they fall for each other, and the way they start to realize it - SQUEE.
On the smut side, you better be ready for the beast that is Josh Chen. This is and remains for quite a lot of the book - hate fucking. They use and consensually abuse each other for mutual pleasure and the way they talk to one another while it's happening...oh boy. There's a bit of degradation tied to a praise kink and definitely some fun with edging. These two...I'd hate to be their next door neighbor because Jules would never be able to stay quiet. Josh Chen is stupid dark hotness.
We also get a hint of the couple in the next book - I'm a little nervous what Stella will need him for, but also excited to see the entire group find their happily ever after.
jewl757's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
brittmarie's review
5.0
Paging Dr Chen!!! Wow! I loved it! The heat, the tension, the romance, the banter! All soo good! Loved Jules and Josh from the start and their love story did not disappoint.
Loved chapter 18 and the first date
Loved chapter 18 and the first date
jenniwren's review
5.0
Ana has done it again. Phew. Jules and Josh have each other until they make a pact, a friends with benefits deal without the friends part. These two run hot and heavy. The atmosphere the feelings everything is perfection. Ana's writing is fluid and descriptive. These characters go on a journey, examine their flaws and learn and grow. We also peep our faves from book 1 and 2. Alex Volkov hasnt changed and I lived for it. Run don't walk to read this.