Jae-Young left everything- her job, apartment, her dead abusive boyfriend. Now she is on a train to become safe. There she meets a woman with a baby who is fleeing an unfaithful husband and looking to stay with in-laws she has never met. When Jae- Young leaves for a moment and comes back the woman is gone but the baby is still there with a note saying to take the baby and go the the in-laws. It is luxury. They think think she is the daughter-in-law. It is easy to become invisible when you are someone else. There are a lot of twists in this book. People are hiding a lot. The book description alone should make you read this but that is just a bite of this delicious tale. Read this book!

A dark and dazzling thriller with a setup so bold, you won’t believe where it takes you.
A Twist of Fate is the kind of novel that grabs you in the first few pages and doesn’t let go. What begins as a chance meeting between two strangers on a train reminiscent of the Hitcock setting, turns into a chilling psychological puzzle, unraveling piece by piece.

When Jae-Young meets a young woman on a train, she is on the run. It's just minutes before the woman offers her a solution and Jae-Young doesn't have time to consider the alternative. She is truly complex - flawed, guarded, and desperate. Her choices are risky, her motives unclear even to herself, and that’s what makes this book pulse with tension. When she’s mistaken for someone she’s not, she plays along. What sets this book apart is that the deeper she sinks into this borrowed life, the harder it is to tell who’s using who.

The writing is sharp and atmospheric, gothic almost, and full of creeping dread and tension. The plot shifts under your feet just when you think you’ve found solid ground. It plays with questions of identity, guilt, and survival, all wrapped in a wealthy, troubled family that may have more to hide than she does.

I couldn’t look away. If you like thrillers that twist logic, morality, and trust into something wicked and unrecognizable, A Twist of Fate is your next must-read.

#ballantine #randomhouse #seahjang #atwistoffate

Oh my goodness! This book is a hidden gem I need to put on your radar! So many jaw-dropping twists, so many mind games that’ll have you fidgeting in your seat—and when you reach the end, you’ll be screaming, “What the hell did I just read?!” It’s cunning, entertaining, full of clever schemes, and absolutely mind-blowing. While the last quarter drags a bit and gives off strong K-drama vibes, the pacing quickly picks up again, delivering a perfect conclusion that’ll have you jumping in your seat with delight.

The story follows Jae-Young, a woman trapped in an abusive relationship. After a brutal fight, she escapes by boarding a train—carrying a terrible secret that could destroy her future. In her cabin, she meets a young mother who shares her heartbreaking story: her husband left her for another woman, and she’s traveling to meet her wealthy father-in-law for the first time. But when Jae-Young returns from the restroom, the woman has vanished, leaving behind only her crying baby and a chilling note asking Jae-Young to deliver the child to the father-in-law’s remote home.

Believing she’ll just drop off the baby and disappear, Jae-Young soon finds herself drawn deeper into the family's world. The brother-in-law mistakes her for the child’s mother, and their lavish mansion, dripping in luxury, starts to feel like the perfect place to hide from her past. But nothing is as it seems. The family is haunted by secrets, deaths, and tragedies, and when a mysterious caregiver enters the picture, things take a darker turn. Jae-Young realizes she may have made the biggest mistake of her life by stepping into this role—and now, with nowhere left to run, she must play along with monsters just to survive.

This is one of the wildest rides I’ve read in ages—and I wholeheartedly recommend it! It’s highly addictive and impossible to put down. I’ll definitely be reading more Korean thrillers after this!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Bantam for providing me with a digital review copy of this secret gem in exchange for my honest thoughts!

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!