Twisted (Never After)

This book is not a cute fairy tale retelling, and it’s definitely not meant to be comfortable. Twisted lives up to its name completely. From the beginning, the atmosphere feels dark, heavy, and unsettling in a way that’s clearly intentional. The writing pulls you into a distorted version of a familiar story, but everything here feels more psychological, more violent, and much more morally gray. If you’re expecting romance or something light, this is not that book. What I appreciated most is how unapologetic it is. The characters are flawed, broken, and sometimes straight up disturbing, but that’s kind of the point. The story leans hard into obsession, trauma, and power dynamics, and while it can be uncomfortable at times, it’s also very engaging if you enjoy dark retellings. The pacing is solid, and once things start moving, it’s hard to stop reading because you want to see just how far the story is willing to go. That said, this book is not for everyone. It’s intense, it’s bleak, and it doesn’t try to soften its themes. If you enjoy dark fantasy, twisted fairy tales, or books that make you feel uneasy on purpose, this will probably work for you. If not, it might be too much. Personally, I thought it delivered exactly what it promised a disturbing, dark reimagining that stays with you after you finish it.

i love the way the story was built up ! an awesome read . i just wish they’d fallen for each other sooner lol idk they way it was almost a complete 180. but still loved it!!❤️

This is Emily McIntire's fourth book in her Never After series. This was a dark romance and a fractured fairytale, where the villain gets the happily ever after. This book is about Yasmin, her father owns a diamond company, and when he gets sick all she wants to do is make him happy in his final days. Well he wants to see his daughter married but she knows that Aiden, the boy that she's loved since childhood, her father won't approve of. Her father's right hand man Julian, has dedicated his life to this diamond business. But now Julian feels it all slipping through his fingers when he finds out the business will be given to Yasmin's future husband instead of to him. Julian will do anything to make sure everything he has worked so hard for doesn't slip through his grasp, so he comes up with a plan. He blackmails Yasmin into marrying him so the business will be his, because that's all he wants. Until it isn't. The more Yasmin is a part of his life, the more the business isn't what's consuming his thoughts anymore, it's her. This was such a good story! I loved the characters, Yasmin was bold, strong, and fiery. Julian was dangerous, protective, and fiercely loyal. These two are like fire and gasoline, they're explosive together! I really enjoyed this story, the narrators did great, and all the Aladdin references were so well done! 🩵📚

Twisted was an okay read, I was just expecting a little bit more from the romance though. This was also a dark romance book loosely inspired by the fairytale of Aladdin, which I really liked. While, this can be read as a standalone it is the fourth book in the Never After series. So I would recommend just reading the prior books first. I would also suggest checking the content and trigger warnings before reading. It’s dual POVs of the main characters, Julian and Yasmin, and has some great tropes, like an age gap, a forced marriage, close proximity and a dark romance. The overall premise was pretty decent. There were some interesting and amusing moments. I also really liked Julian more than Yasmin to be honest. His backstory was quite heartbreaking and I just loved his personal growth at the end. The romance between Yasmin and Julian wasn’t really my favorite. There just wasn’t a lot of romantic development between them for me to fully believe in their romance or love. While, they did have some really good spice, it just felt like their relationship was purely physical. I also felt that the subplot of Yasmin and Aidan dragged on for way too long. There was a lot of snippets and memories of their relationship from when they were younger, so it just made it difficult for me to fully believe in Yasmin and Julian’s romance. The last few chapters were really intense and action packed but a bit too rushed at the same time. I did like the resolution between Julian and his mother though. The ending and epilogue were nice as well. Overall, not what I was expecting but still a decent read.

This was my favorite Never After story so far! (I’ve read Hooked and Wretched at this point) Had a little bit of a slow burn which I thought was done to perfection. The pacing was great. It did not feel rushed. It did not make me cringe with the cheese. The spice was right. The ending felt well put together. I did listen to the Audio- it was pretty well narrated.

Twisted takes inspiration from Aladdin. Ali Karam, owner of Sultans Diamonds has terminal cancer. His final wish is for his daughter Yasmin to be married to a man who will take care of her. Ali has always been over protective of her, keeping her out of the business and even from learning how to really take care of herself. For example, she never learned to drive. Her father would absolutely not approve of the boy she is currently in love with, Aiden. He is the son of their housekeeper and one of her best friends since childhood. Julian Faraci, simply put, is my favorite mmc of the series so far. Personal bias out of the way, he has a heartbreaking backstory for his villain arc and excellent character growth. His best friend and partner in crime is Isabella, and I loved her, too. No, this doesn't mean there is OW drama. I promise. Yasmin and Julian have excellent chemistry. Unlike Yasmin and Aiden. It was...stale, although I think the author meant for it to be that way. There are many twists to the plot, mainly inspired by character growth, so I would recommend going into this mostly blind.

I LOVE IT This was so good, Julian my god, I love him. I wanted more of them, but I love this book

What a fantastic read, I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and the overall storyline was done so well. I love a good enemies to lovers, add in an age gap and forced marriage-so so good! I’m such a sucker for the villain who has a soft spot only for her, and this was exactly how Julian was with Yasmin! Julian had such wonderful character growth, and man is he an easy morally grey character to fall for! I loved the small moments when Julian becomes vulnerable and lets Yasmin in. Yas was really good! The sass she gave Julian was perfection, she really loved to push his buttons. I enjoyed how she really came into her own, stepped out of her comfort zone, and was so much more than people saw her as or gave her credit for. The attraction they have for one another is so high, but they both hate it and all the feelings. It was fantastic watching them struggle internally with those types of emotions. This was definitely a slow burn, but worth every moment of the journey! This is such a wonderful series with a unique take and always a great read! I can’t wait for book 5. 4.5 ⭐️

Ohhh this was an epic reimagining! The plot twists throughout were awesome and unpredictable as a reader. Great characters! Daddy Julian. Oh goodness! A ripper slow burn with lots of tension. A great overall read! Awesomeness!

Loved this book. The story is so good. The twist is amazing. I absolutely love everything about this book.

I LOVE this series! A great story with good twists. I can't wait to read the next one. Ill be sad when I finish these.