I absolutely love Samantha Downing. Her writing is so gripping and well thought out that you just can't put the book down.

This book is dark and twisty, perfect to curl up with and forget about the real world.

A Twisted Love Story, by Samantha Downing.

Twisted? Hell, yes!

After 10 years of an on/off love/hate relationship, Wes and Ivy’s love story is going to be put to the ultimate test by Karen, a police detective who goes above and beyond the call of duty in her spare time and is certain that Wes and Ivy are hiding something bigger.

The games they play are off the scale bonkers, trying to make each other jealous and hurt each other, yet there is a deep and seemingly unbreakable connection, between them that keeps drawing them back together; whether that connection is love or something else is the big question!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Samantha Downing and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an ARC in return for an honest review.

OUTLIER ALERT!
Unfortunately this book just didn't work for me. At all.
I wasn't immediately grabbed and I really struggled throughout to get into the story. I didn't feel any connection between the two main characters Wes and Ivy and in fact I found them to be highly unlikeable and unbelievably immature. Countless times I wanted to reach into the book and scream at them: ' YOU ARE ADULTS, GROW UP!' There are NO likeable characters in the whole book, so I never cared about any of them or what would happen.
The pacing was also a problem. It is unbearably slow and not much happens at all. Because of this I found the whole thing boring. It was so repetitive, the whole thing was just going round and round in circle with no forward motion.
This is in no way what I would consider to be a thriller or domestic thriller. I felt it was more contemporary fiction.
The chapters following the detective Karen, I also didn't care for. They never interested me at all.
The story in this is all so vague I really struggled to get my teeth into it. By the halfway point I just wanted it all to end.
Having seen other reviews for this, I must say I am in the minority in not liking it. So, if you think this is one for you, give it go. But for me this was a massive miss. I expected more from this author.

A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing
⭐️⭐️ 2 stars
Publication date: 17 August 2023
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
~~~~~
Wes and Ivy are madly in love. They've never felt anything like it. It's the kind of romance people write stories about. When it's good, it's great. Flowers. Grand gestures. Deep meaningful conversations. When it's bad, it's really bad. Vengeful fights. Damaged property. Arrest warrants.
~~~~~
I've said it before, I'll say it again: I do not mind unlikeable characters, quite the contrary, but in order for them to carry a story, these characters also need to be charismatic, intelligent and compelling. Wes and Ivy were not unlikeable, they were tedious. I would have been on board if their relationship had been dark and disturbing, truly twisted; it was just immature. Which made for a boring and repetitive story: stupid people doing stupid things to each other, without an ounce of self-awareness, and without any regard to the collateral damage they create.
The only reason I didn't rate this 1 star is because I thought the ending was quite readable and propulsive but that was pretty much the only saving grace of this book for me.
~~~~~

I’m a huge fan of Samantha Downing and absolutely loved reading my lovely wife, so I was very excited when I managed to get an early readers copy of a twisted love story, however I was left slightly disappointed by this read.

Wes and Ivy have been in an on and off relationship for 10 years, however to say it’s a rocky one is an understatement, they are forever winding each other up and are always trying to get one over on the other one. At first I found this slightly funny however as the book went on I found it got a little tiresome and I just wanted to bang their heads together and grow up.

I did like the fact the chapters were short as I always find it makes a book feel faster. This book was told from 4 different peoples perspectives, Wes and Ivys, Bianca who has suspicions about Wes and is digging into his past to find out exactly what he’s been up to, there’s a big twist for Bianca in this book which I didn’t expect at all, and finally there’s Karen a crime detective who is onto Wes when Ivy reports him for stalking her, however once Karen starts digging into Wes and Ivys past and uncovers some secrets and previous crimes that weee committed 7 years ago, making Karen want to gather as much information on the pair of them. With Karen onto Wes and Ivy they are both aware of how one wrong move could result in huge consequences for the pair of them.

There was something about a twisted love story that made me want to keep reading, although at times i found this book very frustrating there was just something about it that kept drawing me back into it, but I cannot put my finger on what it is. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, they all seemed to self centred for my liking.

Sadly not my favourite book by Samantha Downing and I did have high hopes for this read. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

I thought this book was ok. It's a good thriller, keeps you interested, but the main characters are very annoying and I would have liked some more twists and turns. Overall, it just felt a bit mediocre. It wasn't bad but just wasn't great.

Wes and Ivy have been together, on and off, for ten years, they have a very loving relationship when things are good, but when things go bad, and they often do, it's toxic! This latest breakup has brought the police to Wes's door because she has accused him of stalking her and, even though Wes protests his innocence, believing this to be one of Ivy's mind games, Detective Karen Colglazier isn't letting it go because she believes Ivy is in danger and is determined to bring Wes down. Ivy and Wes need to stick together to get through this or it could be the end of the road for them both...

This latest domestic thriller by Downing tells of the toxic relationship that this couple have, they can't live with each other, but they certainly can't live without each other and their lives are one hell of a rollercoaster ride throughout this story. It's a well written tale with characters that I felt were all unlikeable, I just didn't have any sympathy for any of them. The story is a slow burner, with a rather intriguing twist, although I do have to say I had my doubts from the start, so wasn't that surprised when it was revealed. This is the fourth book I've read by this author and, if you like a dark and twisted read, this is one for you.

I'd like to thank Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Every book gets better. I am a massive fan of this writer. She gets right into a character’s soul. This one is about two despicable people and at times you start to feel bad for them. That’s the genius of the author. I read this in two days. Cannot wait to read more. A very strong 5/5.

Samantha Downing is an author I always get excited about. She always creates strong characters and her stories are often dark but meaningful, making you question the boundaries of what's right and wrong.

So you can kind of get a feel for that at the beginning of A Twisted Love Story. Wes and Ivy's relationship is obviously toxic. They aren't nice people, and they obviously have a dark past together. But their narcistic relation is massively off-putting.

But while I really didn't enjoy the first 10% of the book that focused on their relationship, I remained hopeful that there was a reason for their unlikability. And for the most part, there was. The story takes an interesting turn, and there's a lot of questions you need answering to piece all of these events together.

But there's just not a lot of substance to these characters or their actions. Had this been a short story, I think this would have worked really well. The suspense would have been easier to build-up, the toxicity would have been more bearable, and a quicker pace would have meant that everything wrapped up quicker to keep your attention held and your anticipation high.

But as it is, I just found everything very average and nothing really kept me wanting to read more. Most of all, I couldn't get behind the whole thing that pins this story together. If the last thing Ivy needed in her life was the police poking around, why did she go to the police in the first place? It just didn't sit right in my head, throwing out all plausibility for me.

For me, A Twisted Love Story was just an okay read. I didn't overly dislike it, but it flatlined for me quite early on. Nevertheless, I certainly look forward to what Samantha Downing writes next!

Wow that was a really good but unusual novel. My first read by author Samantha Downing, I will be reading her other novels that she has written.

We meet lovers Ivy and Wes, who have a tumultuous relationship to say the least. Their love is literally twisted, hot, complicated and dangerous. I really have not read a novel like this before and for that I praise Samantha Downing.

They are a "yo-yo" couple, on 100% one minute and completely off 100% the next! I was so gripped reading this novel that I finished it within a few hours! Amazing read for me personally. I have read other reviews that appear negative and I understand its personal opinion but I loved this read.

If you enjoy a good thriller of a read, with fantastic and innovate characters then you will enjoy this novel. I am gutted that I finished this so quick and envious of readers who are about to start this crazy-mad read.

Thanks to Netgalley, Samantha Downing and the publishers for allowing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5

Thank you so much Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an advance copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Wes and Ivy have a dramatic relationship. They fight all the time and are constantly breaking up and getting back together again. Wes starts stalking Ivy, and in turn she reports him to the police - a game they’re playing with each other to get back together again. Despite it working, and their relationship rekindles, it also causes them to make a new enemy. As a result of reporting the stalking, Detective Karen starts digging up things from their past that they want to keep hidden.

I absolutely hated the first quarter of the book. Wes and Ivy are just so toxic and childish it was not enjoyable to read. If I wanted to read about toxic people then I would have just picked up a romance novel! 😂

However, I’m pleased I carried on as the toxicity, even though it remains throughout, does die down and the detective and her investigation takes over.

This is definitely very different from other books I have read from this author and it wasn’t my favourite. It’s worth a read and ideal for those trying to get into thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. This author is new to me so I was not sure what to expect when I began this book. I have to say I am very impressed and I will definitely be reading her other books. A fantastic thriller which had me hooked right from the start. Lots of fab twists and edge of my seat moments. I highly recommend this book and I have given it 5 stars.

This book centres around the relationship between Ivy and Wes. It’s not the most stable of relationships and is very much on and off most of the time.
When Ivy reports a stalker to the Police she tells them she thinks it’s Wes and the Detective who looks into is suspicious of their relationship.
She starts to look into their lives and whilst Ivy is happy to let the stalker incident go, the Detective has other ideas.
I’m not sure this one was for me really but I had to keep reading to see how it ended.
Thanks to Michael Joseph books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This was really good enjoyable read, a page turner that I couldn’t put down. It’s got plenty of twists and turns with a good ending. The characters were great, the story was suspenseful and the style of writing was perfect. This is one of my favourite authors.. I have read all her books and I have loved them all. Can’t wait for the next one!!
I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

I absolutely loved For Your Own Good, an instant 5 star read for me, so I was excited to dig into this one. The premise for the book is exactly what the title says - Ivy and Wes are locked in a twisted on/off, very toxic relationship. Although one night things went too far but they don’t talk about that…

This one was just ok for me. I felt like the story and characters were very surface-level and parts were repetitive. It did get better in the second half, with a few twists I didn’t see coming, but the ending just tipped over into the wrong side of unbelievable.

Overall, a quick and easy thriller, where you’ll need to suspend belief. One for the beach when you’re half-distracted!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review in return for an honest review.

Wes and Ivy are madly in love, but they’re not your average couple. When things are good, it’s great but when it’s bad, they spiral into vengeful acts, damaged property and arrest warrants. A cycle that has been going on for many years. I felt this book started off well but the pace really slowed down during the middle half of the book and the plot became far too drawn out. The ending did make up for it so I would rate this three stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Michael Joseph Penguin Random House and the author for the chance to review.

Not for me as found Wes and Ivy unlikeable,self obsessed and narcisstic,maybe that was the point but they irritated me too much to get past 10%,apologies

Another enjoyable read by this author. A story about Wes and Ivy who are on and off all the time and like to play mind games with each other.

This is written well, although the characters were not likeable I still needed to know the outcome of their story. I felt the story was good, with short chapters that kept me wanting to read more but I just didn’t feel like it gave me any of the the jaw dropping wow twists I was waiting for.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not my favourite book by this author who I felt was trying to recapture some of the brilliant darkness of My Lovely Wife but didn’t quite hit the mark. Wes and Ivy just weren’t very likeable which doesn’t usually bother me but I really stopped caring what happened to them or the storyline about 40% through even though I continued to the end to see if it improved. It did pick up slightly but not enough to increase my rating.

3.5 stars

I loved the twisted and bizarre relationship between Ivy and Wes but would have liked a little more crazy from them. It started off strong and then tapered down to mediocre and lukewarm.

There were some things that I could have done without. Milo, was not needed and was only used to place characters in certain scenes but added nothing to the story. Heath should have played a bigger role in terms of manipulating Ivy and using their friendship against her.

Overall, this has potential and definitely could do with more oomph.