Author: Ana Huang
Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
Published: April 21, 2021
Pages: 351
Format read: Paperback
Triggers: Murder, Death of Parent, Kidnapping, Panic Attacks, Stalking, Child Abuse, Suicide, Violence
Quick Thoughts: Ava walking into those red flags as if it’s a restaurant menu.
This book was self purchased.
All reviews are entirely honest and my own opinion.
Rating:
Characters:
Plot:
Spice:
Alex Volkov is a devil blessed with the face of an angel and cursed with a past he can’t escape.
Driven by a tragedy that has haunted him for most of his life, his ruthless pursuits for success and vengeance leave little room for matters of the heart.
But when he’s forced to look after his best friend’s sister, he starts to feel something in his chest:
A crack.
A melt.
A fire that could end his world as he knew it.
***
Ava Chen is a free spirit trapped by nightmares of a childhood she can’t remember.
But despite her broken past, she’s never stopped seeing the beauty in the world…including the heart beneath the icy exterior of a man she shouldn’t want.
Her brother’s best friend.
Her neighbor.
Her savior and her downfall.
Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen-but when it does, it unleashes secrets that could destroy them both…and everything they hold dear.
Twisted Love is a book that is hanging together with tropes. And it are all the tropes I absolutely love; Brother best friend, Grumpy x Sunshine, Morally Grey Main Character, Touch her and Die. Just give me all of these tropes and I will love you forever. This was my first read by Ana Huang. Honestly, it is quite a good introduction to her writing style. After this one, I am planning to read the whole series because I enjoyed it. It was not the best spicy read I have ever laid my eyes upon, but it was entertaining enough to keep my attention.
she was mine. she just didn’t know it yet.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two main characters. Alex and Ava are absolute opposites, but that is what makes their story enjoyable. Alex is as morally grey as they come, while Ava is such a cutie. The Grumpy x Sunshine definitely works well in this specific book. If that’s your cup of tea, please do yourself a favor and try this book. Now, I can completely understand that it won’t be for everyone. I have some qualms with this book as well.
One of the qualms I have with this book is that I felt like Alex switched way to fast by the end of it. I would have enjoyed just a little bit more tension between the two characters after he has completely fucked it up. I would also have liked the time skips to be a little less long. Though, in contrary, I loved the fact that it actually takes Ava time to heal before she’s ready to forgive Alex. It is not instantly, and that definitely was a very big plus for me.
There was enough spice sprinkled in between the scenes, without it being too much. The story still got plenty of space to develop as the book progresses. It deals with a few heavy topics, like depression and suicide. It is not short of drama, let’s just say that.
Some parts were a little predictable, but that didn’t bother me too much. Especially since some parts surprised me. In the second half of the book the pace picked up. Maybe even a little too fast for my liking. A few more chapters and a little bit slower in the second half would have done this book good. That being said, it definitely was very enjoyable. And I don’t think it deserves a rating below the 4 stars. It entertained my squirrel brain enough that I read it in just a couple of days, and that’s usually when I give four stars.
What definitely helped making this book enjoyable was going in blind. Well, mostly blind. Booktok had praised this book to the heavens and I got a few minor spoilers here and there. But other than that, I went in mostly blind. I am pretty sure that some of the plot twists wouldn’t have been as good or surprising if I had been completely spoiled.
Now, let’s talk the smut scenes! Because I am not going to lie, that was the only reason I picked up this series. They didn’t disappoint, though I have read kinkier scenes. As a Dark Romance reader this book was quite mild. The scenes are really well balances, between smut and story. There is one particular scene that lives rent free in my head.
Another thing that I was absolutely in love with: Ava’s friend group! The scenes around this group are charming and funny, and it feels like such a real friendship. I was happy to see that the other books in the series each follow a different girl.
you are the light to my dark, sunshine, without you, i’m lost.
Overall, the book was very enjoyable and I found myself looking forward to reading another chapter. The writing was good, it had a pretty nice flow, though it went a little bit too fast at some points for me. I would have liked a little bit more show instead of tell. For example, with how Alex grovelled for a year before Ava forgave him. I would have liked some scenes that really showed that grovelling, that made it real and made me feel all the feels. Sadly, I didn’t get that. It would have been so much better with it.
The relationship between the two main characters was cute. There were some moments that had me kicking my feet and giggling. It is a book filled with very typical tropes, but personally that didn’t bother me.
Good bits
Bad bits
- Grumpy x Sunshine trope
- The couch scene, oh my!
- Some twists actually surprised me
- Sometimes a little bit too fast paced
- Missing some show, instead of tell
This book is a good introduction to the series and actually made me curious about the other books. I will definitely be reading the entire series, because I heard that from here it only gets better. It managed to make me curious for the rest. Overall, I usually like my books a little bit darker, but it was a cute and refreshing read.