Book Review: Twisted Love (Ana Huang).

Twisted Love by Ana Huang is a romance novel that has been on my reading list for more than a year. This is the first book of the Twisted series by Ana Huang. I kept seeing this book all over Instagram when I added it to my TBR. I didn’t feel like reading it immediately because I was overexposed to it. I am glad I waited to read it. Twisted Love follows the story of Ava Chen and Alex Volkov.

Ava is a college student and part-time photographer. Her older brother Josh is overprotective of her, and Alex is his best friend. Ava and Alex have known each other for 8 years but never really spent much time alone. Alex is a businessman who is calculative and cold outside of work too. Josh decides to go to South America for one year as a volunteer, asking Alex to look after Ava.  They think she is too trusting, but it actually has to do with her childhood. Alex moves next door to Ava into Josh’s house to stay close to Ava as his friend requested.

Ava and Alex are in close proximity for the first time without Josh. They start spending time together, mostly Ava initiating it. We learn more about Alex at the same time as Ava and realize his past has shaped him a certain way, which is understandable. Alex never shows his emotions, unlike Ava. He witnessed his parents’ murder as a child and is determined to get his revenge. His growing closeness to Ava poses a threat to his goals. Alex and Ava’s characters have chemistry from the get-go. Their grumpy sunshine and opposites attract dynamic works really well for their romance. Ava and Alex both had difficult childhoods, but their way of dealing with it is completely different. Alex wants revenge, and Ava just wants to understand the reason so she can move on.

I loved Alex and Ava’s romance and how it worked. Being opposites in every possible way, they simply make sense together. I was not expecting the twist in their romance to be what it is (no spoiler). I wasn’t expecting these characters to have the kind of dark backstory it does. It adds depth to the characters of Alex and Ava. Even the minor characters like Josh and Ava’s three girlfriends are interesting. Twisted Love is quite spicy, but it is balanced with emotional moments too. The pace of the story kept me hooked, and it didn’t feel like it was dragging on.

Twisted Love by Ana Huang is an engaging and enjoyable romance book. I went into it with pretty normal expectations, and I liked it. I enjoyed the romance between Alex and Ava a lot. Their scenes together always held more interest. Alex and Ava’s characters go through hardships individually, as well as, as a couple. I liked reading Ana Huang’s Twisted Love, and I can’t wait to start the next book of the Twisted series.

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