It’s probably dangerous to be really obsessed by one person, even if the relationship highs are so unbelievably good because the lows always match in magnitude. In this instance, a ‘winner take all’ conclusion may be a devastating outcome. What to do, what to do? Well, strap in for a roller coaster relationship ride that accompanies these Pike’s Peak highs to Grand Canyon lows and all the wackiness in between. If they fail, it could devastate many and totally destroy a few more. But what is failure? And: “What’s love got to do, got to do with it?” A must read!

Wes and Ivy are the definition of toxic relationship. They fight they break up, they kiss they make up, and people around them tend to get hurt as well. When Ivy takes a bid to get Wes' attention too far by involving police, the responding Officer Karen decides something doesn't smell right with these two and decides to obsessively start digging into their past with dire consequences. I like how this author writes but I really disliked pretty much all of the characters in this book. I think the farther I got into the story the more frustrated I became with the Ivy/Wes relationship. I think we all know a couple comprised of people that are just horrible for each other but for some reason will not stay away from each other and reading it on the page is just as difficult as dealing with it IRL. I don't want to spoil the end but it does pick up a bit towards the end but I didn't like this one as much as her previous books.

My first Samantha Downing and I'm left a bit unsatisfied..what a bummer as I was highly anticipating this book.

My main problem with this book lies with the pacing. It's a very slow burn thriller. I was expecting a faster paced story maybe especially as it follows really one main plotline.
There also wasn't really a mystery which I feel like I was told or read something about there being one but if there was it was very lowkey. The twists were also lowkey.

Character wise I feel like Ivy changed her personality so many times throughout the novel and I'm not sure that's what the author intended but it was there. Also, the whole Milo subplot was so unnecessary. I just didn't vibe with any of the characters even the strong headed detective. I kept forgetting her name haha it's Karen. I think.

The writing was good so there's that. I might pick up a backlist title soon because I've really been wanting to read this author and I'm always down for giving second chances. Just not to toxic partners unlike every character in this book.

Thank you for the review copy 😊

The dedication in this book was my favorite part.

This is a story of two toxic people who have found each other and fallen in love. It’s a gripping thriller that I flew through.

twisted indeed. these two need a therapist. So many wrong turns and mistakes, yet I was rooting for them the whole time!!

I'm so happy that this book redeemed Samantha Downing for me after not completely enjoying her last book. And if there was ever a more appropriate title for a book, this takes the cake. Holy twisted situations, twisted relationship, my mind is still reeling from finishing this book. It was such a fast read, it took me two days to devour this book. The chapters were super short which I loved and man I couldn't put it down. It grips you from the very beginning and the twists don't stop coming. I hate to say it but I loved both the main characters Ivy and Wes even with their twisted, toxic relationship, I just loved this book.

*Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group for the gifted copy for my honest review*

Alrighty then....

I've read Samantha Downing's last two books and they fell right in the middle for me. This one did not. It fell well below ground level for me. After reading 3 books from her now, I definitely don't like her style of writing. It's not even suspense, it's more annoyance for me. And the plot love affair between HIGHLY unlikeable characters made me suffer.

Twisty, dysfunctional, addictive!! I am a huge Samantha Downing fan and this one did not disappoint.

While I found the characters to be massively unlikeable, I was so invested in how this story was going to turn out.

This is the perfect read for someone looking for a quick, suspenseful light “thriller”!!

Samantha Downing does so well with creating a story. Especially with such contrived characters who you truly do not love but end up kind of rooting for.

Wes and Ivy are terrible for each other and definitely terrible people. Their constant mind games and toxic behavior end up with targets planted firmly on their backs from law enforcement. Who they believe they’ve out smarted for good.

But I still found myself hoping they would continue to stay a step ahead from police and themselves.

Excellent mystery. Definitely recommend.

Lots of drama in this psychological thriller.

Wes and Ivy have a crazy relationship that surely cannot be mistaken for real love. But they are definitely the pair that can’t live together and can’t be apart. For 10 years they have had their ups and downs, breaking up and getting back together way too many times to count. No one they know is a fan of them being a couple. But now a detective has them on her radar and it seems that there is major trouble coming their way.

I would have probably liked this roller coaster ride of a story better if I could have dredged up one iota of liking for any of the main characters. There wasn’t one redeemable soul found, and in my opinion, that made it impossible for me to care one way or the other about all that was going down. I didn’t relate to or understand anything of the decisions each made or the behaviors exhibited by anyone. Lots of lying and manipulation going on, with everyone having some sort of personal agenda. The writing is first rate to be sure, but the narrative and plot — along with the dodgy characters — just never put this story into the compelling read category. I was a little surprised by the ending, and how much I appreciated the direction taken. I’ve no doubt that this will hit the mark for many readers, but it just wasn’t all that for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this e-book ARC to read and review.

📖 BOOK REVIEW

BOOK: A Twisted Love Story
AUTHOR: Samantha Downing
FORMAT: eBook
GENRE: Thriller
DID I CRY: No
RATING: 10/10
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

MY THOUGHTS

If you liked TELL ME LIES by Carola Lovering (or the @hulu show) you will love this book.

This is the most toxic yet addicting couple to read about. I went back and forth the entire book flipflopping who I was rooting for, and whether I was rooting for them to be together or apart. This was a fun book while also, as mentioned, showcasing an incredibly toxic and unhealthy relationship. I thought it was paced perfectly and I was thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it. It got me back into reading on my kindle again🥹 the ending was also crazytown & I just simply never wanted this book to end. Read it.

Another great read by Samantha Downing. The story of Wes and Ivy is quite a story full of twists and turns. I read this book in one sitting- I had to see what the history was and what happened next. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher

This was the kind of unhinged I both fear and aspire to be, no one was redeemable, everyone sucked and I absolutely loved every second of it. I also recommend listening to the audiobook, because it feels like one long voice note from the members of your group chat detailing the most insane drama.

Thank you Netgalley & Berkley Publishing Group for an eARC of A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing! Downing is one of my favorite authors, so this was absolutely one of my top anticipated releases of the year.

This one's described as reckless and delicious, and that's for sure true! A very twisted love story between Wes and Ivy. When it's good, it's great. When it's bad, jeeeeeez it's BAD. We're talking arrest warrants. Wes and Ivy need to align when a detective becomes their common enemy, and an event from years ago that they never speak of comes to the surface.

I enjoyed the catastrophe of Wes & Ivy's relationship with all of the ups-and-downs. I found the ending to be a bit flat, but overall enjoyed this one as always with Downing's books! She keeps things interesting from start to finish.

This thriller was just ok to me. It's about a couple involved in a very manipulate, dysfunctional romance that results in them always coming back together despite a twisted history. I guess I didn't enjoy that aspect of the plot, as it felt somewhat repetitive and predictable. It was quickly paced and had an element of mystery to it that I enjoyed.

I read this one very quickly, as the style of writing made me want to keep starting the next chapter! Ivy and Wes present themselves as a truly messed up couple right from the start, so the story is really about how they get even MORE dysfunctional than they already are. I liked that the reader knows that from the very beginning, as opposed to it being a story of how they got that way. I loved that the plot turns were subtle enough that you didn't realize how deeply in trouble they were until quite far into the book, which to me makes it more believable....or as believable as a super fun domestic thriller can be :)

Thriller Thursday Book Review: A Twisted Love Story 🌹

⁉️: Have you ever prank called anyone?

When I was 10-11 years old, I used to call my crush’s landline to hear his voice and hang up 😆 I don’t know why we called it “prank call” as children, when we weren’t pranking anyone.

The author, @smariedowning gives a new meaning to prank calls as she carefully crafts a long-lasting but deeply complicated relationship between Ivy and Wes, a couple who met in their undergrad days and have been in an on and off relationships for over a decade. The story begins when Ivy makes a prank call for fun to report her ex, Wes, of stalking her. This prank call unleashes an unexpected chain of events While their toxic relationship unfolds throughout the novel, Karen, the cop in charge of their case is, I believe, at the heart of the novel.

Although there is a cat-and-mouse chase between the cop and this twisted couple, I appreciated the insight into morally gray and absolutely detestable characters that are found in this book. There is a moment when Ivy randomly takes a photograph with a random guy in a bar and posts it on insta to get Wes’s attention. Turns out the guy has a fiancée who is insecure and begins to stalk Ivy as the novel unfolds. And, while they do fight, the couple share an immense loyalty towards one another. At one moment, Ivy staunchly defends Wes after he is arrested by Karen.

For me, however, it is the unspoken character, Karen who stands out because not only is she a woman in a male-dominated field, but she constantly has to prove herself to her bosses and peers. The pressures lead her to become obsessed with Wes and Ivy, and a desire to dig deeper into a mysterious disappearance of a man who was involved with the couple. She reminded me of Olivia’s character in Law and Order: SVU. A 4 ✨ novel for me!

I also was privileged to join two buddy reads for this book with @letstalkbookspromo and #thrillerobsessedbuddyread, and was able to get insights into the novel during our author chat with Samantha.

Thank you @letstalkbookspromo, @berkleypub, and @penguinrandomhouse for the gifted e-arc.

#Berkleybuddyreads #BerkleyWritesStrongWomen #ThrillerObsessedBuddyRead #SamanthaDowning #ATwistedLoveStory #PenguinRandomHouse

This book brought the kind of drama I live for!

You know that dramatic, toxic couple you’re always asking for updates on? Like one of them is your best friend’s cousin and there’s always some new fiasco to report? This book is an inside look at THAT couple.

Wes and Ivy have a history that dates back almost a decade — a roller coaster of a relationship that wildly swings from romantic gestures to big fights and property damage. But they never talk about their biggest fight, the night someone ended up dead, and now a detective is onto them.

“A Twisted Love Story” was so deliciously soapy. I couldn’t get enough — Wes and Ivy are equally hateable, and Downing makes no attempt to redeem either of them. I am endlessly entertained by characters who are written to be despised. If you’re looking for a suspenseful book to devour on the beach this summer, “A Twisted Love Story” is it.

There are no redeemable characters in this book! They all have major issues and are twisted in their own way.

Wes and Ivy...I have no idea what to say about these two. They met in college and have been in an off and on again relationship since then. When one does something the other doesn't like, there is retaliation of some sort. It is like they never grew up and continue to play games that young people would play.

Karen is a police officer investigating Ivy's claim that Wes might be stalking her. Ivy reported it because she was mad. However, Karen believes there is more to this relationship and story than anyone knows and decides to do a deep dive into their past and other reports that have been filed. The truth may not be something we want to know.

Biana may come across as a mild-mannered administrative assistant, but she has her own dark side. I felt bad for her when she was attacked by a co-worker. The end result was not pretty.

This story really comes off as a train wreck and is very different from this author's past works. I didn't like this one as much as the others...but, as I mentioned it is like a train wreck and I can't look away.

We give it 3 1/2 paws.

this book was actually so pointless. I'm surprised I finished it but it did keep me turning pages. nothing really happened this entire book, all of the characters were unlikeable. this author seems to be hit and miss for me.