Scan barcode
mrhslibrary's review
3.0
Interesting premise for a story line but the different voices were confusing. When I reached the end I had to go back and reread the story to make sure I was understanding who was who. I'm still not sure that I get it.
bruacioly's review
2.0
I would have given this book 3 stars, but the whole twist at the end didn't make sense.
It does not fit with the way the story was written at all.
The story itself was a bit boring, but I kept reading to find out what the deal was with Graham and the thing that keeps being hinted at that is going to happen at the end. I haven't read many mysteries/thrillers in YA, but I think there must be better ones out there.
It's not overly horrible, but it is formulaic and tedious...
The audiobook did help navigate the multiple POVs and they all did a good job with the narrations, so if you still want this, I recommend going audio, because it goes pretty fast that way..
It does not fit with the way the story was written at all.
The story itself was a bit boring, but I kept reading to find out what the deal was with Graham and the thing that keeps being hinted at that is going to happen at the end. I haven't read many mysteries/thrillers in YA, but I think there must be better ones out there.
It's not overly horrible, but it is formulaic and tedious...
The audiobook did help navigate the multiple POVs and they all did a good job with the narrations, so if you still want this, I recommend going audio, because it goes pretty fast that way..
mistressmess's review against another edition
1.0
I'm embarrassed for this author. Reading this is like going back and reading fanfiction you wrote when you were eleven. Total cringe fest.
daisy87's review against another edition
2.0
I was kinda expecting to either have my mind blown or to really dislike this book, but to me, it was neither.
Sydney and Allyson both have a distinct voice, they were similar in some ways, but mostly, they were two very different characters and it was interesting to get to know them. Though I think I might have a slight preference for Sydney, cause she seemed to have a little more common sense and while I kinda like that Allyson wanted to believe the best about people, when it's slamming you in the face that they're not good people some kind of alarm should go off. And Allyson's alarm was malfunctioning or she was ignoring it or whatever but I just wanted to shake her and go like OMG JUST SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU!! She had a bit of too stupid to live going on and I very much dislike that quality in a character.
I didn't really like Graham, there was something off about him from the start. I did appreciate that we got a lot of different POVs and this way we also got a glimpse into his head and that was interesting. And a bit like watching a train wreck happen. Or maybe a whole lot like that. There were POVs from pretty much everyone who makes an appearance in the novel and seeing things from different sides was enlightening and it made me clue into the big twist pretty early on. But that was ok, because it added an extra something to the rest of the interactions between the characters.
But aside from that it was an interesting concept, it wasn't all that exciting. Or creepy. I had thought it might be creepy. I was also kinda wondering HOW exactly that twist that I was talking about came to be and WHY, but I never really got any answers and now I'm just left like this and it feels unfinished. I mean, I was sticking around for the unraveling of the big twist and then it never came and I feel a bit cheated out of that.
Also, this book suffers from absent-parent syndrome. Seriously, where are Mr and Mrs Tate? It's mentioned in the book that they are away a lot, but they should be home SOMETIME right? How do they fit into all this?
I think I'd just expected a bit more. It wasn't all that bad, but it wasn't all that good either, so basically I just had a 'meh' feeling throughout most of the book and I kept hoping the end would make it awesome, only it didn't. If you want to read a good YA novel with psychological elements, I'd suggest reading We Were Liars or Pretty Girl-13 instead.
My rating: 2,5 stars
Sydney and Allyson both have a distinct voice, they were similar in some ways, but mostly, they were two very different characters and it was interesting to get to know them. Though I think I might have a slight preference for Sydney, cause she seemed to have a little more common sense and while I kinda like that Allyson wanted to believe the best about people, when it's slamming you in the face that they're not good people some kind of alarm should go off. And Allyson's alarm was malfunctioning or she was ignoring it or whatever but I just wanted to shake her and go like OMG JUST SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU!! She had a bit of too stupid to live going on and I very much dislike that quality in a character.
I didn't really like Graham, there was something off about him from the start. I did appreciate that we got a lot of different POVs and this way we also got a glimpse into his head and that was interesting. And a bit like watching a train wreck happen. Or maybe a whole lot like that. There were POVs from pretty much everyone who makes an appearance in the novel and seeing things from different sides was enlightening and it made me clue into the big twist pretty early on. But that was ok, because it added an extra something to the rest of the interactions between the characters.
But aside from that it was an interesting concept, it wasn't all that exciting. Or creepy. I had thought it might be creepy. I was also kinda wondering HOW exactly that twist that I was talking about came to be and WHY, but I never really got any answers and now I'm just left like this and it feels unfinished. I mean, I was sticking around for the unraveling of the big twist and then it never came and I feel a bit cheated out of that.
Also, this book suffers from absent-parent syndrome. Seriously, where are Mr and Mrs Tate? It's mentioned in the book that they are away a lot, but they should be home SOMETIME right? How do they fit into all this?
I think I'd just expected a bit more. It wasn't all that bad, but it wasn't all that good either, so basically I just had a 'meh' feeling throughout most of the book and I kept hoping the end would make it awesome, only it didn't. If you want to read a good YA novel with psychological elements, I'd suggest reading We Were Liars or Pretty Girl-13 instead.
My rating: 2,5 stars
losetimereading's review against another edition
2.0
Actual rating: 2.5 Stars. Full review to come.
********
I was REALLY excited to get started on Twisted Fate as my first debut of the new year. It sounded so intriguing and exactly the type of twisty thriller that keeps me hooked until the end… unfortunately for the wrong reasons.
The characters were just odd, like you know something is off with them from the moment you start reading. The two sisters are two sides of a coin, complete opposites in every way. The parents are just nonexistent and as much as they are mentioned a ton, you hardly get a glimpse of them. I did like Declan and Becky, there were interesting and good friends to Syd but ultimately I didn’t really care about any of the characters which was one of the main issues for me. I like to get attached or feel something for at least one of the characters and I felt nothing here.
There is a lot of point of views here. A police chief (or maybe two now that I think about it), Kim, Graham, Syd, Alyson… Becky… there is probably more, but it was so weird and choppy at times. Not too mention I couldn’t tell a few of the voices apart so I had to look back to see who’s chapter I was reading a few times.
I basically knew what was happening with the ‘twist’ from the first few chapters. I have no idea whether it was supposed to be like that (but something tells me not based on the ending) but that really, really took a huge chunk of enjoyment of the book for me. I essentially wanted to finish it just to see if I was correct. I also thought that the story was really disjointed and there was A LOT of information missing from the overall storyline.
Ok, so it seems like Alyson/Sydney had this happening for a really long time. And it became pretty apparent that it must have been used as initially a coping mechanism for absentee parents when she was younger, but there was literally NO explanation or even suspicion from everyone else that it was happening. Like her two best friends never even commented on it at all? And how the entire death happened? It was just odd to me, and large parts of that story just seemed to be missing. Maybe I’m too analytical.
For the first time, I’m using .5 of a star. I went over and over what I would rate this book for hours, and ultimately, I didn’t like it enough for it to be 3 stars but it’s not horrible, so I can’t give it 2 stars.
I think this will appeal to a lot of people (especially if you like books like We Were Liars) but unfortunatly it just didn’t work for me.
********
I was REALLY excited to get started on Twisted Fate as my first debut of the new year. It sounded so intriguing and exactly the type of twisty thriller that keeps me hooked until the end… unfortunately for the wrong reasons.
The characters were just odd, like you know something is off with them from the moment you start reading. The two sisters are two sides of a coin, complete opposites in every way. The parents are just nonexistent and as much as they are mentioned a ton, you hardly get a glimpse of them. I did like Declan and Becky, there were interesting and good friends to Syd but ultimately I didn’t really care about any of the characters which was one of the main issues for me. I like to get attached or feel something for at least one of the characters and I felt nothing here.
There is a lot of point of views here. A police chief (or maybe two now that I think about it), Kim, Graham, Syd, Alyson… Becky… there is probably more, but it was so weird and choppy at times. Not too mention I couldn’t tell a few of the voices apart so I had to look back to see who’s chapter I was reading a few times.
I basically knew what was happening with the ‘twist’ from the first few chapters. I have no idea whether it was supposed to be like that (but something tells me not based on the ending) but that really, really took a huge chunk of enjoyment of the book for me. I essentially wanted to finish it just to see if I was correct. I also thought that the story was really disjointed and there was A LOT of information missing from the overall storyline.
For the first time, I’m using .5 of a star. I went over and over what I would rate this book for hours, and ultimately, I didn’t like it enough for it to be 3 stars but it’s not horrible, so I can’t give it 2 stars.
I think this will appeal to a lot of people (especially if you like books like We Were Liars) but unfortunatly it just didn’t work for me.
jina's review against another edition
1.0
I was excited to read this book as I like dual perspectives and trying to figure out the twists and turns before the next chapter, but I was let down.
I wanted to like this book and was building up the suspense on what the twists were but for me, the story fell short. There was no climax, I do think I expected a lot from this book and realize that this book was not my style.
I wanted to like this book and was building up the suspense on what the twists were but for me, the story fell short. There was no climax, I do think I expected a lot from this book and realize that this book was not my style.
laurenbookishtwins's review
3.0
I received a free e-book copy for review purposes from the publishers via Edelweiss.
First Impressions: I think a 3.5 rating is more appropriate for Twisted Fate. Whilst it had me guessing at times, I managed to figure out the plot twist early on. Not a bad book, but I wouldn't put it on the same wavelength as [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479s/16143347.jpg|21975829] as I think Lockhart managed the suspense and disbelief aspect better than Olson.
An interesting, but frustrating read.
Review: When Alyson meets Graham, she has an instant connection with him. They're both shy and awkward. Her sister, Sydney, however finds his secretive past creepy and thinks he's a psychopath and thus tries to keep Alyson and Sydney apart, but ends up drawn to him as well.
At first, Twisted Fate read like a normal contemporary but quickly evolved into a mystery and the story behind Graham and his odd habits that, unfortunately, end up hurting people. The writing style is OK, if not a little sloppy. The several POVs is also a little off-putting because I had a difficult time differentiating the characters voices.
The plot twist was a little unexpected but little hints are dropped in here and there which helped me guess the turn a bit before it happened. The characters were a little flat, but not overly bad.
Overall, an OK read that needed a little but more character development.
First Impressions: I think a 3.5 rating is more appropriate for Twisted Fate. Whilst it had me guessing at times, I managed to figure out the plot twist early on. Not a bad book, but I wouldn't put it on the same wavelength as [b:We Were Liars|16143347|We Were Liars|E. Lockhart|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479s/16143347.jpg|21975829] as I think Lockhart managed the suspense and disbelief aspect better than Olson.
An interesting, but frustrating read.
Review: When Alyson meets Graham, she has an instant connection with him. They're both shy and awkward. Her sister, Sydney, however finds his secretive past creepy and thinks he's a psychopath and thus tries to keep Alyson and Sydney apart, but ends up drawn to him as well.
At first, Twisted Fate read like a normal contemporary but quickly evolved into a mystery and the story behind Graham and his odd habits that, unfortunately, end up hurting people. The writing style is OK, if not a little sloppy. The several POVs is also a little off-putting because I had a difficult time differentiating the characters voices.
The plot twist was a little unexpected but little hints are dropped in here and there which helped me guess the turn a bit before it happened. The characters were a little flat, but not overly bad.
Overall, an OK read that needed a little but more character development.
More...