By Josephine, Senior Reporter
Okay, so… I read Twisted Love this summer because BookTok wouldn’t shut up about it. Everyone was like “Omg Alex is the man of my dreams” and “You HAVE to read this series.” Naturally, my curiosity won. But now that I’ve finished it, I’m honestly just sitting here like… how did I even make it through?
Let’s talk about Alex. He’s tall, rich, emotionally scarred, brilliant at everything he touches, apparently a master in bed, AND somehow still has the time to be ridiculously good-looking 24/7. Like, what? I swear every other page was a new reminder that he’s perfect in literally every way, and it just didn’t feel believable. Instead of swooning, I was rolling my eyes so much I think my eyes got more exercise than the rest of me this summer. It felt less like a real character and more like someone’s fantasy checklist of “ideal man” traits thrown together.
It was… exhausting. I like a good “dream man” in romance books as much as the next person, but Alex was so over the top that it didn’t even feel sexy anymore. It felt fake. He’s a self-made billionaire before most people even graduate college, because apparently he has the highest IQ known to man and business skills that make Jeff Bezos look like an amateur. He’s not just rich, he’s the untouchable, jet-owning, private-island kind of rich. He went to a whole different country to low-key stalk Ava, and somehow has connections with that government. Okay, I guess?
And then there’s that random subplot with his grandfather. I’m sorry, but it came out of nowhere. It didn’t really blend with the main story - it felt like the author was just tossing in extra drama to keep things spicy, but instead it gave me Wattpad vibes. You know when you’re reading something and you’re like, “Okay… this would’ve been juicy when I was 14, but now it’s just unnecessary”? Yeah, that.
The writing itself wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t amazing either. Some lines were so cheesy I actually had to pause and breathe through the second-hand embarrassment. The whole brooding, controlling, alpha-male energy just felt dated, and the “I’m mean to everyone but you” trope was so forced here.
But to be fair, I won’t completely trash it. There were moments I enjoyed. Some of the emotional parts between Alex and Ava were cute in a guilty-pleasure way. And I cannot lie… the spicy scenes? They did what they had to do. Those moments were actually written better than a lot of the romance buildup, and they’re probably the only reason I didn’t DNF.
Overall, though, this book just wasn’t for me. It was too predictable, too exaggerated, and just… too much. I think the hype set me up for disappointment, because I was expecting a gripping romance, but instead I got a Wattpad-esque fantasy where the love interest is more of a caricature than an actual man. So yeah, it’s not a complete disaster, but it’s not something I’d recommend unless you’re looking for pure guilty-pleasure fluff with a lot of eyerolls along the way. I’m giving it 2.8/5 points, mostly for the spice and the few cute moments. Otherwise… meh.
I will definitely be reading Twisted Games next… apparently, it’s much better.