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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I was already interested in this book, but I ultimately picked it up now because it is the Literally Dead Book Club pick for the month.
"A Twisted Love Story" follows Wes and Ivy, two people who are madly in love, but maybe not the best couple together. They know how to shower each other with gifts and surprises, being the partner people dream about, but when things go bad, they go very bad. They are vengeful and spiteful and will stop at nothing to ensure the other feels their wrath. On the night of their worst breakup, someone ends up dead, but Wes and Ivy refuse to ever talk about it, until now when they have to face it head on.
I do not think I have ever read such a toxic relationship in my entire life. I felt like I was getting whiplash reading this story. Everything seemed fine, I might even say "normal", and then all of the sudden a switch was flipped, and all hell breaks loose. Ivy posts a picture of another man to make Wes jealous, Wes ghosts Ivy to drive her insane. I feel like this type of relationship depiction was a risky choice to write about because it could be really off-putting to a reader, however, I was so invested in the story. As a mature adult, I know this type of behavior has "red flag" written all over it, but I was still so intrigued to see where Ivy and Wes ended up. The duo was both extremely unlikeable, and honestly had very few redeeming qualities.
There were a few moments that felt kind of too convenient to feel realistic and were inserted to move the plot along. For example, Ivy has a stalker, so she reports it to the police and tells them she thinks it is Wes. After the police talk to Wes and "close the case", the police begin to investigate Ivy and Wes further because they have a linked past in their system. The police officer becomes very invested in their story which is how this old crime comes to light. I felt like realistically, a police officer would not focus so intently on a situation like this. I think more realistically they would chalk it up to a waste of their resources and move on to bigger problems their city is facing.
Samantha Downing is a wonderfully talented author, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.
"A Twisted Love Story" follows Wes and Ivy, two people who are madly in love, but maybe not the best couple together. They know how to shower each other with gifts and surprises, being the partner people dream about, but when things go bad, they go very bad. They are vengeful and spiteful and will stop at nothing to ensure the other feels their wrath. On the night of their worst breakup, someone ends up dead, but Wes and Ivy refuse to ever talk about it, until now when they have to face it head on.
I do not think I have ever read such a toxic relationship in my entire life. I felt like I was getting whiplash reading this story. Everything seemed fine, I might even say "normal", and then all of the sudden a switch was flipped, and all hell breaks loose. Ivy posts a picture of another man to make Wes jealous, Wes ghosts Ivy to drive her insane. I feel like this type of relationship depiction was a risky choice to write about because it could be really off-putting to a reader, however, I was so invested in the story. As a mature adult, I know this type of behavior has "red flag" written all over it, but I was still so intrigued to see where Ivy and Wes ended up. The duo was both extremely unlikeable, and honestly had very few redeeming qualities.
There were a few moments that felt kind of too convenient to feel realistic and were inserted to move the plot along. For example, Ivy has a stalker, so she reports it to the police and tells them she thinks it is Wes. After the police talk to Wes and "close the case", the police begin to investigate Ivy and Wes further because they have a linked past in their system. The police officer becomes very invested in their story which is how this old crime comes to light. I felt like realistically, a police officer would not focus so intently on a situation like this. I think more realistically they would chalk it up to a waste of their resources and move on to bigger problems their city is facing.
Samantha Downing is a wonderfully talented author, and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Blood, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Car accident, and Domestic abuse
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