Twisted Love by Ana Huang is a dark romance novel that features the brother’s best friend trope. I was curious to read this book because of the trope, but I was disappointed by the excessive and graphic sex scenes, the disturbing ending, and the problematic portrayal of love.
The book follows Ava Chen, a photographer student, and Alex Volkov, a successful businessman and her brother’s best friend. They have a strong attraction, but they also have to deal with their own traumas. The book alternates between their perspectives and reveals their past and present struggles.
The book has some positive aspects, such as the friendship between Ava and her three best friends, and the exploration of the lasting effects of childhood trauma. However, these aspects are overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of sex scenes, which are often repetitive, crude, and unrealistic. The book also contains a lot of profanity, violence, and abuse, which may be triggering for some readers.
The worst part of the book, in my opinion, is the ending, which is shocking and unbelievable. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say that it involves stalking. The book tries to justify the actions of the main character as a result of his love, but it actually shows a lack of respect. The book also sends a terrible message to young readers who may not be aware of the dangers of such behaviour.
I would not recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a realistic, healthy romance. I was about to give it two stars but the abundance of erotic scenes and the shocking ending disgusted me quite a bit (if I hear the word dick again I will surely vomit).
I’d rather be the villain with her by my side than the hero who risked losing her because of a misguided sense of morality.