So, I finished this book so long ago and haven't written this review until now. A Twisted Love Story is a psychological thriller about a couple who revolves around toxic mind games with one another.

Wes and Ivy have been on and off for 10 years and have been playing endless mind games with one another time and time again. They break up and make up constantly. Until they past crimes with their mind games start to catch up to one another.

I was intrigued by the drama associated between Wes and Ivy in the beginning but then it was just too much and wanted it to be over already.

Downing has a talent for creating fascinating and complex dysfunctional characters. Ivy and Wes are also in this category. I found their games to be repetitive, over the top, and boring. The ending I felt was over the top and just fell flat for me.

This was probably one of the least favorite novels by Downing that I've read.

3/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 7/18/23
Published to GR: 8/5/23

Samantha Downing is one of my favorite contemporary writers for an easy, delicious thriller that doesn't take too much brain power to get through but certainly doesn't feel cheap or trite. This did not disappoint! A fascinating exploration of an unusual (to say the least) couple.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
A juicy, scandalous, and soap opera-ish psychological thriller that is skillfully entertaining. Samantha Downing is one of my fav authors! Everything I’ve read so far has been 5 stars. This one didn’t quite hit that mark, but it was highly entertaining!

Wes and Ivy are one of those toxic couples that can bring out the worst in each other but they also have terrific periods. They say you can’t help who you fall in love with and this couple is a perfect example! They’ve spent ten years in an intense and stormy on-and-off-again relationship. Doing anything to get the other’s attention.

During one of their splits, Ivy goes overboard with one of her attention-seeking stunts. She reports a stalker to the police and names Wes as a suspect. Her tactic works and they get back together. Unfortunately, the detective on her case, Karen, is very thorough at her job and good at spotting a victim. She’s sure Ivy is a victim that needs her help. She starts doing some digging that links Wes and Ivy to an unsolved case and their lives become more explosive.

It’s much more interesting to read about toxic relationships than watching them in real life. Ivy and Wes are so detestable, they’re almost likable. I couldn’t quit reading about this destructive relationship!

Sincere thanks to Berkley and PRH for providing this complimentary copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

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This was an exposé of some truly horrible people living very complicated lives and the police officer determined to catch them in their lies. It was fast-paced with lots of twists and turns but a little too intense and far-fetched at times.

I’ve known an unfortunately non-zero number of couples in toxic relationships, but reading Samantha Downing’s scintillating new novel is probably the closest I’ll ever get to figuring out why a couple who are clearly bad for each other decide to stay together. The worst (or perhaps best?) part of this book is how I was actually rooting for these crazy kids by the end of it all. I’m only glad that this is fiction so that I don’t feel worse about sympathizing with an unhealthily twisted love story.

Ivy and Wes met at a party in college. It wasn’t exactly a meet cute, and they kept breaking up and getting back together over the course of the decade that followed. They’ve actually been apart for a significant amount of time when Ivy decides that she’s had enough and goes to the cops, complaining that Wes is stalking her.

Detective Karen Colglazier catches the case. While there isn’t much that she can do besides give Wes a stern talking to, she’s found that that’s often enough to nip bad behavior in the bud. Unfortunately, she’s never gotten in the middle of a couple quite like Ivy and Wes before.

After Karen stops by his office to warn him off of stalking Ivy, Wes immediately gets in touch with his ex. Ivy has been expecting this, and the two quickly rekindle their torrid love affair. Even from the restart, they do little to be agreeable to one another. Ivy is, in fact, secretly pleased that Wes hasn’t changed from the contrarian, combative man she knows and loves:

QUOTE
Ever since she mentioned the beard thing, he has shaved every single day.

Good.

She would never tell him, but it would’ve been so disappointing if he had started growing a beard. Someone who does everything you say is too boring. Tedious. No backbone, no opinion–just following orders like a robot programmed to obey.

Not Wes. He never budged. Not once, not even when he was trying to make up for something else he had done.

She liked that. Until it annoyed her.
END QUOTE

So far, so typically volatile. But Ivy has made a terrible mistake in drawing police attention to her relationship with Wes, as Karen refuses to stay out of their business, uncovering secrets that the twosome would much prefer remain buried.

Karen is the kind of detective who stays in Sex Crimes because she genuinely cares about people who are or who have been the target of abuse. Even though she doesn’t need to, she stays in touch with the victims who come her way, providing them with what support she can. At the very least, she provides a sympathetic ear when they call her for help in dealing with their own terrible choices:

QUOTE
“I did it again,” he says. A tiny voice, like a child admitting he broke something. Darren is a thirty-six-year-old man who has obviously returned to Alaina, his girlfriend. For the third time. Staying out of an abusive relationship can be harder than getting out. [...]

Alaina doesn’t hit Darren. She is possessive, manipulative, degrading, and controlling–which is a problem, because most emotional abuse isn’t illegal. Even when it crosses the line, it’s hard to prove in criminal court. The DA won’t even try those cases, because making a jury understand the difference between something said in anger and a real threat isn’t easy. Alaina knows that.
END QUOTE

Convinced that Ivy is Wes’ victim just as much as Darren is Alaina’s, Karen becomes borderline obsessed with them. Unaware of Ivy’s active role in the toxic relationship, Karen decides that the only way she can help is by digging into Wes’ life and background. In her mind, if she can find something incriminating on him, she can use that to strong arm him away from Ivy. When a hideous death rocks his workplace, it gives her further opportunities to investigate. What she discovers soon persuades her that Wes has committed a terrible crime. If she can convict him of it, maybe Ivy will finally be free.

Of course, Ivy has no intention of ever being free of her lover again. Our dreadful duo find themselves going to great lengths in order to ensure that they stay together, despite the odds against them. But will their own difficult and demanding natures be their undoing?

Compelling, funny and disturbingly realistic, A Twisted Love Story not only provides readers with an entertaining thriller but also delves deep into the seductive underbelly of a distressingly unhealthy relationship. The frustration of being unable to help people escape from such situations is palpable, making Karen just as integral to this story as the central couple is. Speaking of whom, while I wasn’t at all sympathetic to Wes and Ivy’s self-sabotage, Ms Downing’s prose certainly helped me understand why they made their terrible decisions – and by extension gave me better insight into the baffling choices of some of the people I know in real life.

It always pains me when I feel compelled to rate a novel by a much-loved author like Samantha Downing so poorly. Downing’s A Twisted Love Story is that novel for me. This tale about a comically toxic couple who keep breaking up with each other and getting back together only to learn that their shenanigans are at the center of a police investigation completely missed the mark. With a meandering plot and no redeemable characters, there was really nothing to keep me turning the pages. Even the toxic relationship, which would normally be a hook for me, felt more juvenile than truly nefarious. This entire book reads like amusing, witty suspense, which is Downing’s signature style, but without a compelling plot, this novel goes nowhere fast.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Mystery/Thriller📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I loved to hate the toxic romance in this book. I was invested in figuring out who their love story was going to end.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Tell Me Lies vibes
Psychological thriller with a side of romance
Alternating POV
Unlikable characters
Twisted love stories
Fast paced reads

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
How crazy and unpredictable the storyline was
Quick chapters

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Their games felt a little repetitive after a while

One of my highly anticipated reads. I love Samantha Downing and her work, and the twisted, toxic characters and relationships she writes in her books.

That said, this was my least favorite story so far. Yes, the relationship was very very destructive and toxic (will I overuse the word? Probably), but it just didn't deliver.

The story is about a couple, Ivy and Wes. It is like push and pull of two magnets. They need to be together, but when they do get together, they push each other away by pushing each other's buttons. Danger ensues, because you never know how hard the other will go. They have a 7 year history of this back on and back off again as a couple. And they provoke each other, even when they are "off" as a couple just to get the other back. It is sad, and very much unhealthy.

The latest got back together comes from Ivy being stalked, by who she assumes is Wes. So she reaches out to policy. Karen, the police officer has her own agenda. She has been burned in her own personal life, and sees something of herself in Ivy and decides to help her past the stalking. She starts to investigate Wes, secretly might I add, and uncovers a secret. Now, she starts digging where she shouldn't. Disaster follows.

There are a bit more of twists and turns in this book, and all the characters in the book are a little unhinged. Some more than others. But none of them go off the deep end like I expected from Downing's characters. It was a let down. Like the Epilogue said, this is Bonny and Clyde without actually any robbing, shooting, etc. Blaaa.

It was slow burn (my Kryptonite), and it never got dark and disturbing like I kept hoping. Kind of felt let down by the end.

In any case, the writing was fast moving, a fun plot. Just not my favorite this time.

A Twisted Love Story focuses on Wes and Ivy’s dysfunctional, toxic love story. Their romance is a roller coaster full of the highest highs and some scary lows with many break ups. It was their worst night that they never spoke about, but it was a life-changing one.

The story is complex, with multiple flashbacks and side characters with their own stories. As a result, I struggled a bit to get into the story at first, and the slower place didn't help. However, once everything started coming together, I was quickly turning the pages until I reached the clever, jaw dropping conclusion!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The title for this novel is perfect; the love story of this couple is dark, tumultuous, and sordid. They love each other yet do horribly unspeakable things that hurt each other and innocent people caught in their crossfire. Nonetheless, it is a great read, and it is absolutely impossible to decide which lover is the worse person.

⭐⭐.5

𝘼 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨, 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜.

I haven’t read anything by this author before picking this one up - I know, shocker - but I was so excited to read this one. I had such high hopes so it pains me that I didn’t end up enjoying this one.

I buddy read this and did a combo of the audio and physical book. This tells the story of Ivy and Wes, who happen to have an on-again/off-again relationship. Their love for each other is super toxic and filled with anger.

I always try to go into thrillers vaguely, but I honestly wasn’t a fan of the love story in this one. None of the characters were super likable or root-able. There are secrets and toxicity left and right throughout the book.

This story does focus on stalking, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse. I do think Samantha Downing handled those topics well.

I honestly could not root for this abusive relationship, and the ending was so underwhelming. I was expecting something mind-blowing to happen, but I never actually got that moment.

Overall, I have seen many mixed reviews about this book. I wish I would’ve enjoyed it more than I did, but unfortunately, I didn’t have a great time reading it. I still plan on reading more from this author, especially her backlist titles. While this one didn’t work for me, it may be more enjoyable for others!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copies and PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Oh my goodness. I don’t even know where to start with this one. I have to hand it to Samantha Downing - she knows how to write dysfunctional, delusional characters like nobody else!

Ivy and Wes. Wes and Ivy. They’re together. They’re not. They fight. They make up. They push each other’s buttons. They can’t live without each other. Ten years on a toxic merry-go-round that neither one ever tires of …

Until Ivy calls the police. She says someone’s stalking her and she offers evidence pointing to one person: Wes, of course. Now Detective Karen Colglazier of the Sex Crimes Unit has her laser focus set on him and saving “poor” Ivy from danger. Ivy just wanted Wes’ attention again, during one of their many break-ups, but now things just got complicated.

Ivy has unintentionally opened Pandora’s Box, and this time neither she nor Wes can shut it. Detective Colglazier takes her job of protecting victims very seriously, and now she’s making connections to a tragic event from seven years ago that Ivy and Wes thought was well in the past. We all know the past can come back to haunt you!
If you think Wes and Ivy are a mess, add in Ivy’s overprotective best friend Heath, a snooping assistant named Bianca, a self-aware podcaster named Milo and a few others and you really have one big toxic stew!

What I liked? Downing’s reliably black humor is on full display in this. She writes truly unlikeable characters then somehow worms them into your heart by the end. Ivy and Wes make dysfunctional people look completely normal by comparison with their endless headgames, but by the end I was still rooting for them! Go figure. The short chapters moved the story along quickly, and she kept me hooked the entire book wondering who was really playing who.

What didn’t work as well for me? The style of writing for this felt a little more clinical and true-crime-ish than that of some of her other books, and the constant POV and story shifts made it harder to get into the flow of the story. The rapid on-off nature of Ivy and Wes’ relationship was intentional but tiring at times. There were a couple nice reveals, but no big AHA! moments for me. Be warned: you don’t just need to suspend disbelief … you kinda need to murder it!

I still recommend this - Downing always delivers the fun, even if this wasn’t my favorite of hers!

★★★ ½

Thank you Berkely Publishing Group for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down

This book was ok but not as good as Samantha Downing's last book. I loved the short chapters. That always makes a mystery fly by quicker. My biggest complaint was the book was repetitive within the first 80%. We get it, they're in a toxic relationship and do crazy things to each other. It felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over for a while. That was what knocked the rating down. The ending was good, however, which is why I added the .5 to the rating.

I am looking forward to the next Samantha Downing book because this had a lot of potential but fell a little flat for me.

Happy Pub week to this twisted story! Downing is the queen of twisted stories and screwed up relationships. This is not exactly a couple to root for. In fact, many, many times I wanted each of them to run far away! With that being said I was into the story and there is a reason this title is what it is! I actually didn’t guess the twist. This audio was super entertaining and the book went so fast!

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @prhaudio thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

First ever Samantha Downing book.... Murder mystery meets crazy romance story.

Synopsis: Wes and Ivy are madly in love. They've never felt anything like it. It's the type of romance people write stories about. When it's good, it's great. Flowers. Grand gestures. Deep meaningful conversations where the whole world disappears. When it's bad, it's really bad. Vengeful fights. Damaged property. Arrest warrants. But their vicious cycle of catastrophic breakups and head-over-heels reconciliations needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy--and she's a detective. There's something Wes and Ivy never talk about--in good times or bad. The night of their worst breakup, when one of them took things too far, and someone ended up dead. If they can stick together, they can survive anything--even the tightening net of a police investigation. Because one more breakup might just be their last…

My thoughts: Wes and Ivy are not likeable characters. They are a train wreck crashing over and over again an yet linked together forever. This story felt like a soap opera drama. Ivy and Wes are very, very unlikable(I cannot say that enough), and not really in the kind of fun way that I look for in ‘people behaving badly’. Wes and Ivy’s intense love affair alternates between euphoria and destruction. Their rollercoaster relationship takes a dark turn when they realize they share a secret involving a deadly incident from their past, and now they must navigate a police investigation. A Twisted Love Story has the vibes of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Ultimately, Wes and Ivy is a messy story about messy people. They are unpredictable but linked together tightly. Its hard to watch but you want to know what happens to them.

Many thanks to Berkely Publishing Group for intriducing me to an new writer that I look forawrd to reading more.

Samantha Downing is a go-to author for me and I’ve really enjoyed her previous books. Unfortunately, this one fell a little short of my expectations.

The story centers around Wes and Ivy and their dysfunctional relationship. Their on again-off again relationship has been off, but when Ivy goes to the police to report a stalker and suggests it’s Wes, it brings them back together (see? Dysfunctional.). In addition to their POVs, we get to know Bianca, Wes’ nosey co-worker, and Karen, the over-involved police officer investigating the stalking. In the course of the investigation, Karen discovers a link to a cold case that she thinks will get Wes away from Ivy for good.

I feel like the idea had a lot of potential that just fell a little short for me. Wes and Ivy were dysfunctional for sure, but I guess I was just expecting something a little more twisted. I wanted to know more about their troubled past and how it motivated the present. I felt like there was a lot of telling me about their crazy and twisted behavior than actually seeing them be crazy and twisted. Not that their relationship was normal or healthy, but I’ve read books with way more twisted romances than this and with that title, I was expecting more. I also wanted more from Bianca and Karen. Karen’s motivations are explored a little further, but I don’t feel like I ever really understood Bianca. I also like my books to be nicely tied up at the end and this left far too much left unsaid for me.

One thing that has been a hallmark for this author’s writing for me has been how addictive it is and I always end up flying through the books. I didn’t feel that same compulsive need to read this book, though. When I read it, I enjoyed it enough, but sometimes I had to make myself pick it up. I do admit, though, that might be a me problem. My reading habits have changed over the last year or so and it takes me much longer to read almost all books than it used to.

Overall, A Twisted Love Story was just ok for me. I wanted just a little more from it. However, I’m still a big fan of Downing and will read whatever she writes next.

Heading into vacation this summer, I was in the mood for a twisty thriller. With the title of "A TWISTED LOVE STORY", this latest by Samantha Downing seemed like the obvious choice. This is a toxic tale of love gone wrong. I was expecting the story to be more of a fast-paced thriller rather than the slow-burn domestic suspense this is. I found the back and forth between two extremely unlikeable characters to be a bit redundant, but overall it was an average read for me. Fans of Carola Lovering will likely enjoy A TWISTED LOVE STORY

Rating: 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4 stars)

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did not love this one. It was super unrealistic to the point of boredom. The ending was very slow and did not have me on my toes like most thrillers. I expected more twists and turns but it was pretty straightforward in the end with no surprises.

I do like when thrillers include a dark romance portion because it tends to keep things interesting but this one didn’t add in any extra twists.

A lot of people compared this to the popular thriller and tv series Tell Me Lies, but this had no drama compared to tell me lies.

The title of a “twisted” love story is a little misleading because it was pretty straight up and predictable.

I have heard good things about Samatha Downing as an author and will definitely still be reading her other books!

First line: Wes can’t get the song out of his head.

Summary: Wes and Ivy have a deep relationship. They love each other beyond words. But at times they also hate each other with a fierce passion. In their on-again off-again relationship they have damaged property, taken revenge and called the cops. But during one of their breakups they did something that they refuse to discuss. However, a police detective is digging into their past and it may lead to the darkest night of their lives. Can they stay together through everything? Or will this finally destroy them?

My Thoughts: The characters and their relationship was a disaster in this book! I could not believe how these people acted towards each other. No one was likeable. There is not someone to really cheer for. It is just a big train wreck. But I did think that some of the petty things were pretty ingenious.

I don’t know how to feel about this book. It is a domestic thriller dealing more with personal relationships than anything else. There are flashes back to times during Wes and Ivy’s past relationships that gives us a look at their troubled history which leads to the night that changed everything. Much of the reasons behind the drama was spurred on by them. If they hadn’t been vengeful then it would not have led to other events. It just seemed to be a cycle and became repetitive. But then the story just comes to an end. I didn’t feel like there was a real conclusion. I just did not like it as much as some of Downing’s other books.

FYI: Abuse, assault and violence.

I so thoroughly enjoyed the constant and consistent suspense of this *twisted* story. I love Samantha Downing novels- she has never let me down! I loved that this one was more thriller-y, but also included the twisted romance that so many readers enjoy. I wish the ending would've been more shocking, but I did really enjoy this one and would recommend! Full bookstagram review coming ASAP.