when i saw that this book has groveling, best friend's brother, grumpy/sunshine trope, touch her and i'll kill you, i hate everyone but y2.75 stars ✩⋆
when i saw that this book has groveling, best friend's brother, grumpy/sunshine trope, touch her and i'll kill you, i hate everyone but you, a bed-sharing scene, great friend group, and revenge plan (???), i ran so fast and downloaded this real quick. plus, this was being hyped in booktok so might as well read it.
i don't know why but this book just made me evaluate my life- myself. why do you ask? well, WARNING FOR NON ROMANCE READERS THIS ⤵ QUOTE IS SPICY OK BYE:
"And your pussy is mine. Every inch of you belongs to me, and if you ever let another man touch you- he'll end up in pieces, and you'll end up tied to my bed and fucked in every hole until my name is the only one you remember. Do you understand?"
and at first i was like
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because there's things you need to know about me when it comes to my taste for irl men:
1. i hate bossy men (pls- i'm bossy enough as it is) 2. toxic? i rebuke this negative energy. 3. if you threaten to kill someone if they so much as touch me, therapy or 911? 4. if you call me questionable nicknames while having sex, BYE ✋
and normally, my attitude is why do men but when i read this? i don't know myself anymore.
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i don't know what came over me but suddenly i... i um.. that quote above... i LiKe it... so if you know me, no you don't.
but anyways, going back to the book, i like both Ava (h) and Alex (H) as individual characters. Alex is literally THE definition of a "fictional character" because that man is too perfect. basically, he has an IQ of 160, created a software thingy that made him a multimillionaire in high school and became the COO of a real estate agent development or something and has Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory aaand knows Krav Maga AAAND apparently fucks like a porn star? i-
that's too much perfection ma'am.
i thought Ava and her friend group were also fucking perfect because
✧ Bridget is a literal princess (i'm not joking) ✧ Jules is jessica rabbit (??) apparently (also, fingers cross for a Jules and Josh book) ✧ Stella is this influencer who has 400k followers (???)
can i be a part of this fictional friend group pls and thx.
i thought the romance was cute in the beginning. usually, in a brother's best friend book the girl is always pining for the guy while the guy plays a martyr act and becomes a ho to "push" the girl away even though he has feelings for her. i'm glad that's not the case here and love the fact that Ava was even a little indifferent towards him at first. and honestly? the smut scenes were kinda hot.
overall, this is a very chill book. at least for me. though there are some tw (spoilers) // parental deaths, violence, and child abuse
-`,✎ WHY NOT A HIGHER RATING?
➳ since uh, when? i really did think the romance and the whole Operation Emotion thing in the beginning was cute, though, their feelings for one another went from 0 to 100 very fast because Alex really went from not caring that Ava was having a nightmare and acting all cold and "heartless" to:
"She was mine. She just didn't know it yet. I hadn't known it myself until I saw her in Colton's arms and every instinct raged at me to tear her away. To claim what belonged to me."
i only sensed attraction but i didn't get the feeling they were already at the "she's mine, he's mine" stage. one chapter he's acting all nonchalant and cold and then in the next he “desires” her and tells us how badly he wants her and i was like bish when? most of the things he talked about in his pov was about his revenge and a little bit of attraction and with ava's pov it was all the operation emotion so them having intense feelings for one another felt kinda quick.
their banter was cute the scenes were cute but personally it wasn’t enough for me to be convinced with his new macho man personality towards her. there wasn’t enough depth to be honest. like i didnt get the vibes he cared enough for her to call her “his” because even when he saw her having night terrors in the beginning, i got the vibes he didnt care for her that much and still acted like she was a nuisance.
➳ telling >>> showing when they got together after the first time they had sex there was a lot of telling >>> showing of how they are as a couple and that really bugs me because i'm the type of person who wants to know everything. apparently, they went on dates, alex was suddenly making jokes (?), and they talk through the night but because of the 0 to 100 energy and telling >>> showing, I. STILL. DONT. SEE. THEM. DOING. ALL. THAT. like- what do they even talk about?? and because of this, i wasn't really convinced with their “love”, i just didnt feel it because
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i wanted all the details of how they are as a couple and we didn't really get that. once they have sex, most of the romance were written in the inner monologue and it's mainly because the last half focused more on the revenge plot. also, even the the grovelling was telling >>> showing. noo, i need more.
➳ Vicious reincarnated no, but everyone is right tho- i can definitely see the Vicious in Alex. he likes fucking classy women, has insomnia, and has a revenge plan that includes the heroine. i see no difference.
➳ OW drama don't worry, it's nothing bad but i just find it icky when Alex says that the OW fucks like a porn star or when he was about to go on a "date" with the OW (don't worry, Ava ruined his plans) or when the OW says this to Ava's face:
"Alex doesn’t do either of those things. It’s well known amongst a certain segment of D.C.’s female population. No kissing, no face-to-face contact during sex. But he will take you from behind. Choke and fuck you till you see stars. Call you the filthiest names and treat you like a slut."
and then Ava thinks this is hot. personally, if someone says this to my face about the guy i'm into, i will dip because that's an ick for me (please blame my virgo sun and my high standards). you're telling me you're gonna fuck your girl the same way you've fucked your past hookups? ew no thx.
-`,✎ OVERALL THOUGHTS
again, i thought the romance was cute but it was just ok. the first half was full of cute moments but the last half kinda went down with all the telling >>> showing and i was kinda disappointed with the groveling because of this. like- you're just gonna describe how Alex has grovelled for a YEAR in just a page? no ma'am i want to see everything. also, i wanted more scenes of them of how they are as a couple because i just don't see Alex being all soft towards Ava.
i'm excited for the next book, aka Bridget's book tho! i love the whole princess/bodyguard, forbidden trope. plus, her future mans name is RHYS. that name will forever be sacred so this fictional man who has the privilege of being named after that sacred name better live up to my high af standards.
»»━━ Twisted series ━━«« #1: twisted love — ava x alex ➳ 2.75 stars #2:twisted games — bridget x rhys ➳ tbr #3:twisted hate — jules x josh ➳ tbr #4:twisted lies — stella x christian ➳ tbr...more
so basically, this is like the Target version to twisted hearts' Walmart version- a little better, but... it's not Costco.
ever since i read twisted pride (remofina) i was salivating for this book. boy was i READYYYY. like- are you kidding me???
⤷ Sofia (h) being infatuated with her older sister, Serafina's, ex fiance, Danilo (H) (before she got kidnapped by Remo of course), then Sofia becoming Danilo's new fiance making her feel like the consolation prize/second best but of course nothing happens for years because they were betrothed when she was only 11 years old but Sofia is still pining over Danilo while he's still hung up on his failure??
yes, yes, and YES.
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though while i was expecting ✨ flavor ✨, all i got was an unseasoned romance. the whole time i was wondering, where was the spice? the flavor?? why is it unseasoned??? this needs more paprika or maybe even sriracha. the first half kinda annoyed/pissed me off because, well, nothing happened.
— SOFIA MIONE (h)
"I'd tried to imitate her, but an imitation would never be the original. I was an echo of the perfect melody. A shadow of an immaculate image. Always less. Never enough."
my girl needed a hug, like, yesterday. listen, i felt bad for her in the beginning as she felt insecure the whole time because of not only Danilo but also her family and she felt like second best and the consolation prize. though, as the story progressed... uhh... she did some fucked up things- to put it lightly - which was honestly kinda annoying to me.
— DANILO MANCINI (H)
"I wished I could turn back time. I'd spent so much time regretting the past and what was lost that I hadn't focused on what fate had given me."
*cough* yes you should've you lil bishh *cough*. anywho, straight up, just wanted to punch this dude in the first half and i would've if i could've, but i couldn't so i shouldn't. when he was doing what he was doing, you know... with all the blondies, i was just like
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im sorry but i couldn't. i cannot for the life of me like this dude because he was just so BLAND. i don't even know what to say about his character because that's how uninterested i am of him. i just know this dude likes blondes and didn't have any genuine feelings towards Sofia until the wedding which happens at 50% mark by the way.
☞︎ SPOILERS AHEAD ☜︎
➳ WHAT I LIKED can we appreciate the friendship between Sofia and Anna please and thanks?? the way Anna would be on Sofia's side no matter what, being her ride or die and being her biggest hype man is just so sweet and cuuute.
"Be selfish for once, Sofia. In this world, we women get so few choices, so little freedom. We have to grasp happiness by the collar and drag it with us. We can't hope for happiness to jump into our lap. Be selfish. You deserve it."
AWWWW STOP
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so cute.
Danilo and Emma were cute too. love seeing sibling relationships in books and the only time i could appreciate Danilo's character was him being protective towards Emma but i wish there's more scenes of them tho. aaannd the last few chapters where there's actually romance. i thought FINALLY Danilo and Sofia are fucking cute. maybe. i don't know. though, was i convinced with Danilo's feelings? nahhh.
oh and let's not forget about Santino and Anna of course. they're the ones who made this book at least bearable. aaaand Remo pointing a gun at Danilo while protecting Serafina ...more
oops this is awkward. i know this is a beloved CoHo book and yes, i loved this back then when i first read it but rereading it now i- don1.75 stars ✩⋆
oops this is awkward. i know this is a beloved CoHo book and yes, i loved this back then when i first read it but rereading it now i- don't look at me.
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my reading taste have changed oookay? i might have overlooked every shitty thing back then but now that i'm more petty, have the penchant for holding a grudge, and have high standards for books ooohh boy.
✧ what is this about?
↳ okay so this is about Miles and Rachel oops sorry, i meant Tate and Miles. Miles being Tate's brother's best friend and Tate being Miles' therapist, ugh sorry, i meant friends with benefits person and the whole time she was hoping he would change his mind because duh she's falling for him while Miles just implicitly leads her on even though he's clear about his rules and pushes her away the whole damn time because of his past but he won't stop their little arrangement because our mans is horny as fuck.
also, Miles is a pilot. this is an important fact. ALSO also, this is not Tate and Miles' story- this is Tate + Miles and Rachel's story.
i read this years ago and the only things i remember is that Miles got horny while he was wearing swim shorts? (idfk why i remember this don't ask), Miles and Rachel's shower scene (again, idfk why i remember this but i wish i can unsee it thank you very much), and then the Nick Bateman trailer??
anyways, that's all i remember and i know, they're all irrelevant but do you know what i forgot?? huh? do you? DO YOU??! well, if you've read this then you can probably guess what i didn't remember because HOLY SHIT- the scene at the end. guys... GUYS. What. The. Fuck.
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i was speechless- S-P-E-E-C-H-L-E-S-S. i canNOT believe i forgot that scene holy shit. the anger. the annoyance- the fucking rage that i felt when i read that oh my god. anyways, i'm ranting again and y'all know the drill so,
･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･ SPOILERS AHEAD ･ﾟﾟ･｡｡･ﾟﾟ･．
⤅ dislike #1: Miles' pov
you know what, i'm gonna be straight to the point: MILES SEEMED MORE IN LOVE WITH RACHEL. or at least he will never love anyone the way he loved Rachel because it was that intense. now, now. lemme explain.
the problem is, almost all of Miles' pov in this book is about the past and most of these past chapters are of him falling so deeply and passionately in love with Rachel that he turns into fucking ✨ s h a k e s p e a r e ✨
She doesn't realize she's everywhere She's in everything Every single thing has just become Rachel, It's consuming me. My thoughts aren't thoughts anymore. My thoughts are Rachel. I can't fall in love with you, Rachel. I look at the sink. I want to look at Rachel. I breathe in air. I want to breathe in Rachel. I close my eyes. I only see Rachel. I wash my hands. I want to touch Rachel.
do y'all see this ⤴ ? this is the type of thing i wanted to see from Miles' pov when he's talking about Tate NOT Rachel but we never got to see this until the very end. and then when we get to the present chapters it's 98% in Tate's pov where we see her falling in love with Miles and this is annoying to me because seeing Miles treat Rachel like a goddess in his past chapters and then Miles being a little dickhead in Tate's chapters ugh-
energy? not m a t c h e d.
and with most of Miles' pov being in the past and falling in love with Rachel, obviously i couldn't help but compare and overanalyze every single thing and think he seems more in love with Rachel. and the thing that annoys me the most is that Tate's present pov and Miles' pov alternates so whenever we read Tate and Miles' romantic progression, the next chapter is Miles being so deeply in love with another woman, it's just...
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i could've done with just one past Miles pov instead of making it every second chapter or making it 50% of the whole content and showing the way he fell in love sooOOoooOo deeply with Rachel instead of just having 1-2 chapters of his pov about Tate, who's the actual heroine of the book. it's just so bleh and icky the whole time she felt like second best for me and i just felt bad. i know i've always complained about telling >>> showing in other books but this is the only time i'll ever accept all tell, no show.
⤅ dislike #2: i can't with the doormat behavior
what makes everything more annoying is how Tate just lets him use her for sex and forgives him way too easily all the damn time like bish NO make him work for it for once and stop being a doormat it's annoying (yes, i know i've said the word annoying one too many times but that's how i felt 99.9% of the book OK).
“If any other man ever treated me like he did, it would be the one and only time. I don’t put up with the things I’ve seen a lot of my friends put up with. However, I find myself continuing to make excuses for him, like something could actually justify his actions last week.”
ma'am pLS-
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the whole time i was just yelling at her, TATE, YOU ARE NOT HIS THERAPIST. ugh this pissed me off so much i couldn't even cheer for their romance because Miles was eh and honestly had no redeeming qualities in the present and then reading about his past pov being all in love with Rachel and in the present he just uses Tate for sex and pushes her away quite rudely all the damn time is, again, A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G.
⤅ dislike #3: repetitive romance
no seriously. all they ever did was have sex, Tate hoping he would renege his rules and tell her that he does indeed love her and want a relationship with her, Miles pushing her away, Tate forgives him and then they fuck. repeat.
⤅ dislike #4: pain. just- P A I N
and then- AND THEN i was just reading Tate and Miles' repetitive interactions where i thought the same shit would happen again and again in peace but THEEENNN...
... ... hold on, lemme just give y'all a moment to breathe. ... ... are you ready? OK
"My God, Rachel."
um excuse me-
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you're probably wondering, mel, did he really say his ex's name, his ex who we've been reading about in his past chapters and won't shut up about how much he loves this other woman, while having sex with Tate?? well, i don't know let's look at the quote again shall we? are you guys ready?
He pulls out, then thrusts inside me again, this time with all his strength. It hurts. Give me your pain, Miles. "MY GOD, RACHEL." My God, Rachel... Rachel, Rachel, Rachel
there. did y'all see that? okay? good.
now, not gonna lie with you guys, this one HURT. when i read this scene i didn't know how to feel to be honest. was i shocked? appalled? speechless as fuck? all of the above?? yes. now with this scene, my annoyance reached its peak and is higher than the fucking stratosphere because why you ask? well, it's because there is NO GROVELING!! Tate leaves, Miles lets her go and says it's hard to feel bad for her because she's never felt real pain, then goes to Rachel for closure, goes to Tate and explains his past vaguely and all is forgiven???
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i'm pretty sure this is where my hatred for hero fucks up so bad but heroine forgives them after one speech trope came from.
now, some might say that he gets a pass because of his sad past- because it really was sad by the way - but you see, for the majority of the book we've been reading about how Miles fought for and loved Rachel, and Tate fought for and loved Miles, for once i wanted to see him fighting for Tate but we never got to see that because again, there is NO. GROVELING.
───── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─────
i can't believe i rated this 5 stars back then. i don't know who pre 2019 mel is. we don't know her.
honestly, because of the ending, i was this close to rating this 1 star because that's how annoyed i was with everyone but i felt generous today so. as always, i liked the emotional writing and how i can feel the longing and passion between Tate and Miles when they're having sex, the whole "ugly love" message, and learning about Miles' past and why he's the way he is?? it was so sad.
but overall, everyone annoyed the f outta me (except for Cap- he's the best character in this book), this is basically Miles and Rachel's story, and the ending was unsatisfying as fuck.
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