This was such a great ya thriller! I love when I can’t predict the outcome of the plot, and this one had me hooked! This book was full of lies and betrayal and I didn’t want to put it down.

This mystery book lives up to its name! I really enjoyed this book. The writing, the plot, the characters, all of it was really well done.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get past the first chapter. Everything seemed too fake, starting from the description of the characters and ending with the lines of dialogue. Not made for me, sorry.

What a creepy cover! This storyline had me gripped and I raced through it...well worth reading :) I can't wait to read more from this author!

I was disappointed in this book.

I wanted it to be better - better writing and a more engrossing plot. Even the cover promised good things.

Unfortunately it did not deliver. This read was boring, which is definitely a HUGE no-no for this type of plot.

I did not even finish it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest, personal review. Briella is a teenager who moves in with her aunt to start over in a new town. Making friends seems like it is her biggest worry but it won't be for long. She makes friends with Caitlyn and everything seems like it is going good but as the title suggests, there is a web of lies and betrayal. If you like teen angst mixed with mystery, this is a read for you.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book!

RATING: 2/5

SUMMARY (from Goodreads): Seventeen-year-old Briella Madison begins her senior year at a new school in a new town, thousands of miles away from where she grew up. Briella came from a home life she’d rather soon forget.

After moving in with her aunt, she meets Caitlyn Cartwright who went from friend to frenemy within the few months she’d gotten to know her. Their friendship is tested when Briella becomes secretly infatuated with Caitlyn’s ex-boyfriend. A malicious lie comes between them.

But when Caitlyn makes an attempt to mend things, Briella finds herself caught up in a web of lies where one of them becomes a target and the other becomes a victim.

There are NO spoilers in this review

⭐ FULL REVIEW: I went into this fully believing that I was going to LOVE it, because the premise completely hooked me immediately. However, just a couple of pages in and I could already tell that this wasn't a book for me -- which is perfectly fine! I may be one who likes a good thriller, mystery and suspense-filled book, but unfortunately, I just feel like the execution of this particular book was lacking. The plot was definitely there and the characters are ones that you can't help but simultaneously root for and be suspicious of, but there were times when the pacing and some of the dialogue just didn't really make sense for me, and it irked me for the rest of the time I was reading.

HOWEVER, what I really do like about this book is that it ultimately shows you the consequences of your actions, whether good or bad. I feel like how the storyline played out was really good, because there were twists and turns there that I feel like I should've expected but didn't. The book was fairly intense, but in a good way, and it does suck you in, eventually. It honestly kind of feels like a script for a TV show. I feel like I was just a little disappointed, because I expected a bit more from it. This book definitely gave off the same VIBES as the earlier seasons of Pretty Little Liars, despite the main plots being completely different, if that helps!

📖 Would recommend to: Fans of mystery, thrillers, suspense, fans of Pretty Little Liars, fans of complex friendships and friendship drama!

This is a.mystery book.
Briella is living with her aunt in a new town. Her new friendships at school are very complicated.
She is falling out with her friend, Caitlyn and the next day someone abducts her, and Briella manages to escape.. The police do not believe that Caitlyn was abducted so Briella has to find out more about her friend.
Thanks to Netgalley for this book.

This is a nice mystery for older teens, but the writing could definitely have done with some more editing, The pacing is a bit off, with time leaps in the middle of paragraphs that are very jarring and stunted dialogues that have little to no emotion coming through.
It also reads a little dated with a tang of kink- and slutshaming, antiquated thoughts on virginity and a very bland heteronormative sex scene.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Briella Madison is dealing with a lot. She's living with her aunt in a new town. Though she's made friends, some of her new friends are very complicated. Hence the falling out with her friend Caitlyn Cartwright over the cute guy, Nathan. But when Caitlyn is abducted and Briella injured, everything is turned upside down and everyone is a suspect.

I was not a fan of this book. Nothing about it really gelled from the storyline to the characters to the dialogue. The plot didn't feel well planned out, almost as though the author decided last minute who the villain was. The dialogue was written in a way that was completely unnatural to the way people, especially teenagers talk. The characters didn't have discernable personalities, so they were bland. Briella was the main character and it seemed as though she was careful and thoughtful, but that illusion was shattered when she kept doing things that were just not smart or careful. I also found a lot of the descriptions to be clunk and odd.

One of the worst things other than the dialogue was the lack of transitions between scenes or moments. Something would be happening or a conversation would be occurring and then suddenly in the very next sentence, the character was in a totally different place doing something completely different. It was jarring and annoying and honestly just a sign of writing that isn't up to par. Time jumps are okay. Changing locations is okay, but at least lead into it or do a page break to alert your reader it's happening.

Overall, I found this book to be just disjointed and messy. I didn't like the characters, nothing hung together as it should and the awkward dialogue and lack of transitions made the whole book feel off-putting and amateurish.

Oh I really enjoyed this story. The writing style is one I very much liked and it wasn’t predictable at all.

The characters behaved, talked and thought very age appropriate.
I somehow dreaded that Brie would be raped (and her friend too) and was so relieved that this didn’t happen.

The twist in the end was unexpected.

All in all a fun and entertaining read.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this. I read the first two chapters and then decided the book wasn't a good fit for me. The summary seemed intriguing but the characters I did not like. It reminded me of Mean Girls and I wasn't in the mood to read something like that.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this copy.

I assume this is a YA book, which I wasn't aware of when I started reading. Overall the book is good, but it is very very unbelievable and I think the reason why I didn't love the book.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Twisted introduces you to Briella. She moved to a new town and started a whole new life with her Aunt. The one thing on her mind is terrifying for most new people in any situation: making friends. Unfortunately, that's the least of her worries.

After meeting Caitlyn, things look like they are going to be good for Briella this year. On a new friendship high, she didn't expect things to turn sour so quickly. Then a lie was formed, a friendship was terminated, and a web of lies and betrayal are being spun.

The overall mystery was consistently filled with twists and turns. As for the characters? I actually liked how realistic they were. With each chapter, I didn't know what was going to happen next and the pages just kept flying by.

Decisions were made and consequences were dealt in the end. I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this mystery thriller. I ended up devouring everything and look forward to next book Dorren writes!

Actual rating: 4.5/5

The moment I saw the cover and the description it sounded so 'twisted' I knew it was going to be good. I didn't expect the book to take me to a reading marathon. It was too good to put down! The book starts off establishing the characters and setting but until then everything is in good detail. I was completely hooked. However, there are some things that I was confused about but it was amazing nevertheless.

If there is anyone who likes thriller, mystery then this book is definitely for you. The execution on this book is handled so well. I never expected this book to keep me turning pages to find out the truth.

I gave this book the following stars because partially of some of the confusing elements.

Thank you Netgally and the Author for a digital copy, I enjoyed this book and if there was a sequel I would definitely read it.

Twisted by Doreen McMillan is a wonderful story.
The cover is what caught my attention and the description sounded like something I would enjoy.
I thought the author did a amazing job with the suspense here.
I was totally engaged and hooked the book from first page.

Our character Briella Madison who is Seventeen begins a new year at a new school.and in a new town in. She now lives with her aunt.
And soon she meets Caitlyn who suddenly went from friend to enemy in a matter of months. And it is ultimately tested when Briella becomes secretly interested in Caitlyn’s ex-boyfriend. And that is when a lie comes between them.
Caitlyn tries to mend things back and Briella finds herself in tangle of lies and someone might get hurt!

The characters were awesome and they seemed very interested and kept me wanting to turn the pages.
The writing was fantastic. McMillan really knows how to keep a reader invested.
Overall, this was an exciting, intense read. And one I enjoyed!

Doreen McMillan,
Thank You for this eARC!
I will post and tag to my platforms closer to pub date!

Moving to a new town, starting a new high school many miles away from where she grew up and now living with her aunt, Briella worries that she will never make new friends.

But then she meets Caitlyn and a new friendship is formed .. at least temporarily. Briella has a crush on Caitlyn's ex-boyfriend. She could be forgiven because Caitlyn never told her. When Caitlyn spreads a malicious lie about Briella, the friendship is done.

Caitlyln tries to make amends, apologize, but Briella finds herself caught up in a web of lies where one of them becomes a target and the other becomes a victim.

Mystery, suspense, teen angst, lies, secrets .. although this is aimed more toward older teens I found it quite compelling. It's well-written with realistic characters. I was happy to note that the teenagers acted like real teenagers. There are twists and turns that led to a surprising, unexpected ending.

Many thanks to the author / Netgalley for the digital copy of this YA mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.