I wasn't sure what to expect from A Twisted Love Story after seeing a few mixed reviews. For me it was a fun and engaging Domestic Drama, which offered up quite a bit of food for thought that I wasn't necessarily anticipating. Downing was able to draw me in and keep my attention, which is pretty tough to do during the holiday season!

This story focuses on Wes and Ivy, whose contentious romance has nevertheless lasted for a decade. Their on-again, off-again nature may seem toxic to outsiders, but for them, it is their deep, passionate love for one another that pushes them to extremes at times.

Ivy messes up though and ends up contacting the wrong outsider and drawing her attention to their relationship. Unfortunately, the new woman in their life is a detective and Wes and Ivy have something they're desperate to hide. As Detective Karen Colglazier begins to circle the couple like a shark, the heat ramps up and they start feeling serious pressure. It's a classic game of cat-and-mouse as Ivy and Wes scramble to get out from under the Detective's scrutiny.

When I first began this story, I hadn't read the full synopsis. Samantha Downing's name was enough to attract me to the book. As it was first kicking off, we're getting a lot of info regarding Ivy, Wes and their relationship. I was curious how it was going to gain intensity, or suspense, from that set-up. It soon became clear Downing had a plan and I just needed to relax into it. She definitely pulled it off in the end.

I found this story to be compelling and highly readable. While I would tamper your expectations as far as thrills go, I think as a character exploration and twisted romance, this one is extremely well-paced and plotted.

I may be reading too much into it, but it made me think a lot about assumptions. We all make assumptions, even if unintentional, a lot of time based on our own experiences. We've all heard of, or even know of, relationships like Wes and Ivy's. I enjoyed watching the side characters interacting with them and discussing their relationship with them.

Each of these friends and family members it seemed felt they knew what was best, but I don't feel like any of them were ever truly spot on with this couple. Most interesting to me was the Detective's perspective. She was definitely making assumptions about them, which I felt were incorrect, but then things would happen that would make me second-guess my own interpretation. It was super enjoyable and engaging.

I would recommend this story to people who enjoy dramatic, possibly OTT-Domestic Dramas. This title says it all, this is a twisted love story. That's exactly what it is. Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This is only my second Downing novel, but I'm excited to pick up more!

TITLE: A TWISTED LOVE STORY
AUTHOR: Samantha Downing
PUB DATE: 07.18.2023

I really struggled with this one. I didn’t mind the unlikeable characters, but the situation and the plot lost me at the second third of the book, and was very hard to get into. I had no reason to turn the pages and wasn’t intrigued enough to find out what the point of the story is. I have loved every book Downing writes, but this one may have missed the mark for me.

I think fans of domestic thrillers who enjoy a twisted toxic couple would really enjoy this one.

I usually don't mind reading about bad people, but Wes and Ivy were more annoying than captivating villains. I really didn't feel connected to the story enough to care what happened to them. The dysfunction at time was entertaining and I did find some of the side characters interesting. I finished to find out the secrets, but I expected something a little more shocking than what's revealed. Not a bad book, but just an okay domestic thriller.

Wes and Ivy have a turbulent relationship. The good times are really good. The bad times are really, really bad.

A Twisted Love Story is about the toxic relationship between Wes and Ivy. Ivy has turned Wes in for stalking, which gets the police involved. Now, people are looking into their pasts, and there’s that one murder they would rather not get out.

A wickedly entertaining thriller. Recommended for readers who enjoy drama and devious characters in their thrillers.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolute snooze fest. I liked My Lovely Wife but have not been a fan of any of the other books by this author. They are so strange and far fetched and not in an entertaining way. This one was literally just a completely abusive relationship hidden in a pretend thriller? I didn’t get it and wouldn’t recommend it.

If the new relationship buzz word is toxic, that pretty much sums up Wes and Ivy. Ivy and Wes meet in college and have a typical /not-so-typical on again, off again relationship. Yes, they both can be assholes, especially when it comes to one another, and yet, they can't seem to be happy without each other. After the latest break up of 4 months, Ivy figures out a way to get Wes back in her life. She contacts the police and reports him for stalking. Neither Ivy nor Wes can imagine the consequences this has for them. I totally enjoyed this fast-paced suspense/thriller, my second from Samantha Downing, and she's now on my list of thriller authors to always read.

This book reminded me a bit of "Gone Girl" but not as well done imho. Don't get me wrong, this for sure had me hooked...it did start a bit slow, but for me the plot could have been a bit more thought out and well developed. It felt like it was trying too hard to be "Gone Girl". I did find this intriguing and very twisted. The ending felt a bit abrupt and fell a little flat to me.

This fast-paced dramatic romance takes you on a wild ride through Wes & Ivy’s twisted relationship. They are the epitome of on again off again lovers, gone toxic. At times looking to outdo the other, while other times acting so in love, it can be hard to understand what they see in each other. Ultimately, it is a story about there being someone out there for everyone, betrayal, and a truly twisted relationship.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest review.

I have a friend who is a criminal defense lawyer. Two chapters in I texted them and said that the book I’m reading has a couple that he could definitely represent! It was wild.

This was a case of they deserve each other - it felt "gone girl" ish I guess, but that's not saying much from me because I didn't like either. This book is written well, but feels like it's going for that "gotcha" vibe and I didn't like it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing. The relationship between Ivy and Wes is toxic to say the least, but it is still a page-turner!

I recently finished reading A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing, and I must say that it was a page-turner. The book follows the story of Wes and Ivy, who are deeply in love. However, their love story is not a typical one. Their relationship is marred by frequent breakups, fights, and even arrests. The book is a rollercoaster ride of emotions as the two navigate their love and the challenges that come with it.

The author has done a great job of creating an intriguing plot with well-defined characters. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out what will happen next. The book is a perfect blend of romance, suspense, and mystery.

One thing that stood out to me was the author's unique writing style. The story is told from the perspectives of Wes and Ivy, and the author has done a great job of capturing their voices and emotions. The book is also well-paced, and the tension keeps building until the very end.

Overall, A Twisted Love Story is a great read. The characters are well-developed, and the plot is engaging. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers, suspense, and a good love story.

A twisted spider web of a dysfunctional relationship!!
Over the past ten years Wes and Ivy have had a on and off relationship. Their relationship is toxic and they enjoy playing games that mess with eachother. This last game has gone to far Ivy involves a detective named Karen. Karen visits Wes at work she soon gets the feeling he’s hiding something and begins digging into their past , which both of them are desperate to hide you see they both are hiding a dark secret that connects both of them to a crime. None of their friends or family or even coworkers want them together and we begin to pull back the layers do their relationship, we see their obsessive dark relationship and when the secret is revealed they will stop at nothing to get away We get Ivy, Wes, Karen and Brianna (Wes' assistant) points of view in alternating chapters. As the story unfolds you will be shocked and surprised!

Wes and Ivy are madly in love. Or, they think so at least. They've been on again and off again for years.

There's romance and grand gestures of love.

Then comes vengeful fights and arrest warrants.

Their worst breakup led to a dark secret that they never talk about... so now they may have to stick together to escape an increasingly intense police investigation focusing on them.

This should read as a juicy/dramatic relationship but honestly it was just a toxic relationship I didn't care about and unlikeable characters that I should've loved to hate. Still, it kept me turning the pages so I can't say it was terrible!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Every element of this story is so brilliantly thought out, so cleverly executed, so skilfully assembled into one of the most perfect stories I have ever read.

To put it simply, I just didn't love this book. In general, I really enjoy Samantha Downing's books, but this one didn't do it for me. Wes and Ivy are in somewhat of a horrid relationship. Get together, break up, repeat. When Ivy gets the police involved, officer, Karen realizes that something isn't quite right and starts digging into their past. I just didn't find these characters, terribly likable, and I didn't love the storyline. That said, I will definitely pick up her next book!

I love both Samantha Downing and narrator Karissa Vacker, so this duo made for a fun binge read! There’s nothing better than a twisted and addictive storyline, and characters you love to hate.

Things I loved: the alternating POVs, and Ivy and Wes were an addictive but messy couple, which seems to be the kind of stories I’ve been craving lately, so their tumultuous Bonnie and Clyde relationship was fun to root for, even as horrible as they were.

📖𝗔 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆
✍️Samantha Downing
🗓️7.18.23
🔪Romantic Suspense
★★★★

*many thanks to Berkley and PRH Audio for the gifted copy for review

Twisted is right! This one had turns and twists I never saw coming. Phew! What a ride. I recommend this one even though it was a bit scattered at times.

A Twisted Love Story is, by far, the most perfect title for this incredibly twisted story. This was one of the books that I truly loved to hate. The relationships were so incredibly toxic. The characters were unlikeable. There were points I wanted to put it down because I disliked the characters that much.

Somehow though, Downing's writing and way to convey the suspense kept me sucked in the entire time, and I was compelled to finish the book. It was a solid ending, and I'm glad I finished it. I don't know if I've ever seen a more aptly named book that told me all I needed to know before I even opened the book.

Despite all of this, I'll certainly check out other books by Downing.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!
3.5/5 stars

What an addicting and crazy read! I was not sure where this was going to go and that alone kept me hooked on this story, never mind the plot was wild and I enjoyed the wild time of this toxic couple. I listened to this in one sitting. Karissa Vacker did the narration and she is a favorite of mine so I really enjoyed reading it this way. This is more of a domestic suspense, with Wes and Ivy being one of the most messed up couples I’ve read in a while. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and Samantha Downing continues to be a favorite author of mine with these wild stories she writes so well.

Thank you to Berkley Books and PRH Audio for the copies to review.