A review by idk_indigo
Twisted Love by Ana Huang

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I literally just hate Alex, he sucks and is hella scary. The book also felt like it was trying to be too many things at once... brother's mafia-adjacent billionaire best friend meets the sunshine-y college-aged art student who hates him, she begs him to open up but he won't can't, he helps her reveal the mystery of a traumatic near-death experience, also he's into rough sex but wait she's into it too, he
kills multiple people
ya know.... standard stuff. It lowkey started to feel a bit like poorly written fanfic, and I'm almost surprised that Ava wasn't sold at some point. There's also a princess, for some reason.

That being said, I feel like the outrageous is sort of standard in this type of romance. I don't read dark romance much, but I feel like, while a bit too overdrawn from the list of Dark Romance Tropes, there wasn't anything too out there. However, it is not my thing; I think the over-the-top just starts to feel lazy... random unhinged plot twists don't make up for bad writing and a poorly developed plot.

Alex just also sucks, he's scary and menacing. Like, going from
very cruelly announcing that he never loved Ava and was only using her to avenge the murder of his entire family
to
stalking her to London, then following her everywhere until she agrees to look his way (like, seriously, does this dude have absolutely no hobbies? Friends? Movies to watch? Food to eat? Dumps to dump? Get a grip dude, take a note from Ms. Sabrina Carpenter & stop relating to desperation)
not to mention he
kills her father
like girl I-

I also just hate the "he hates everyone but her" trope because what's to stop Alex from doing that shit to her? What happens if she needs a break from the over "protection" and the bordering-on-psychopathic possessiveness and then he like
kills her too
? Be so fr because why is that attractive at all, he threatened to murder someone because he brushed her waist, like what next? Is he going to give their waiter a black eye because he smiled at her? Will headlines read Local Walmart Cashier Found in Parking Lot With 4 Bruised Ribs because she needed help with a return?

Also, and understandably my least favorite part of this book, was the fact that the female narrator sucked. She wasn't terrible, but I do think she would be better suited as a car saleswoman, or maybe the needy, middle-aged side character in a Nickelodeon family sitcom who needs better boundaries with her neighbor's kids. I do not think she was the right person for the gig. 

It was enjoyable. The sex was not as slay as it could've been. But I can see why this is hyped up. 
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