Review by laerkefugl - Twisted Hate

laerkefugl 's review for:

Twisted Hate by Ana Huang

3.5

After reading Twisted Hate by Ana Huang, I can say I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first two installments of the series. I didn’t dislike it, but it didn’t quite meet my expectations—both compared to the previous books and the ideas I had going into it.

Starting with the romance: I get the appeal of Jules and Josh as a couple. It’s “enemies to lovers”, which is a trope I usually enjoy. However, something felt off. I can’t quite pinpoint what went wrong, but at times, I struggled to fully believe the “lovers” aspect of their relationship. (And, to a lesser extent, the “enemies” aspect too.) There were moments when their relationship felt just physical. Even nearing the end. That said, their date at the library/restaurant, the ski trip, and their trip to Ohio were nice touches that helped establish emotional chemistry. Overall, their romance was fine—I can get behind them as a couple. You just won't see me in the trenches to defend them.

Since this book features what’s best described as a “truce with benefits” arrangement, it includes a lot of steamy scenes. At times, I thought the sheer quantity was a bit much—especially when listening to the audiobook while painting walls and hoping my headphones were soundproof enough to avoid awkward questions from my family. That said, I understand that their physical relationship is crucial to their overall story and development as a couple. It makes sense. Compared to Twisted Games, at least this book had more variety in its spice, which I appreciated. (Though the dominance dynamic remains unchanged—Jules is following her besties on the submissive train.)

Now, onto the third act. The conflict in the last third of the book felt entirely avoidable. At first, I thought it might actually subvert my expectations—I was bracing myself for a huge cliché, only for the book to seem like it was steering in a different direction. But then, at the very last moment, it took the exact turn I initially dreaded. I’m being intentionally vague, but if you’ve read it, you’ll know what I mean. It gave me the same frustration I felt during Alex’s betrayal in Twisted Love after he kidnapped Ava and Bridget. Not exactly the same situation, but it inspired a similar reaction. I thought it was unnecessary and honestly just mean of Josh.

Overall, I’m rating this a 3.5. While this wasn’t my favorite in the series, I’m still excited to see what direction Stella’s book takes, especially since she’s the one we knew the least about until this installment.

|—TL;DR—|

Focus Genre: Romance

Nostalgia: Disqualified

Personal Enjoyment: 3.5⭐

Plot: 4⭐

Characters: 4⭐

Relationships: 4⭐ (includes friendships, rivalries, etc.)

Writing: 3⭐

Audiobook Narration: 4,75⭐ | Laura Ulddahl and Mikkel Hansen | Danish |

Romance: 3,5⭐

Chemistry: 3,75⭐
Fluff: 2⭐
Steam: 4⭐

Pacing: 4⭐
Ending: 3⭐

=Overall=
3,625-stars⭐ ≈ 3,5-stars⭐

~27/03/25~

Content Warnings