Intertwisted: The haunting psychological thriller that explores obsession, delusion and the dangerous power of the mind in a world where nothing is as it seems

by Talia Mclavy

After a devastating accident leaves Cecelia hospitalized, she finds herself isolated and abandoned and the person she thought would be by her side, Oliver, vanishes from her life. As Cecelia battles with her recovery, strange emotions stir inside her, pulling her deeper into confusion and paranoia.

Consumed by a growing sense of unease and betrayal, Cecelia’s mind begins to unravel.

But in a world where memories deceive and emotions run wild, nothing is quite what it seems.

And as the truth emerges, Cecelia discovers that what she thought she knew about herself, and those around her, is far more disturbing than she ever imagined.

When the truth finally comes to light, it reveals a twisted reality that will leave Cecelia—and the reader—reeling.

This haunting psychological thriller explores obsession, delusion, and the dangerous power of the mind in a world where nothing is as it seems.

91 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2024

Reviews

[Carmen Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant!!!! From start to finish, the twist was amazing!!! If you haven’t read this short book then you definitely need to, what a very talented writer, I am definitely looking forward to reading more from her.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! A page-turner that kept me asking "what happened?" Told from two perspectives, Intertwisted shows just how out-of-hand a codependent relationship can get. Despite the need for a little editing, This was a quick and easy read that kept me entertained and invested.

[Nia Winning · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5 for me - half a star off because I wanted it to be longer. It ended too soon, I would have easily devoured another 100 pages of this book!!

I absolutely loved the writing style of the author. I am always partial to a dual POV, and the twist with it being a diary entry on one of the POVs was really clever.

I did not see the twist coming at the end, and honestly I think it was very cleverly written to conceal this until the pivoting moment!

[Reads_Must · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intertwisted
Thriller
Talia McLavy
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• ᴏʙꜱᴇꜱꜱɪᴏɴ • ᴅᴇʟᴜꜱɪᴏɴ • ᴅᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴏᴠꜱ •

This was an interesting book. I liked how it was told through diary entries and memories, as well as a police interview towards the end.

The pacing was a little slow to begin with but it helped me to understand Cecelia's frustration as she struggled to get her memories back.

I completely misjudged the characters. I didn't predict any of the plot twists and the reveal was done well.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Intertwisted
Author: Talia Mclavy

Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 2/5

Of the 15 readers:
11 would read another book by this author.
10 thought the cover was good or excellent.
14 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
9 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
11 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“It’s a little slow out of the blocks, but it gets better. Very short for the ‘thriller’ genre, and it’s not what I’d call a thriller – despite what the blurb say. It’s very character-focused, so if that’s your ‘thing’, this is for you.” Female reader, aged 43
“Strong writing style with plenty of energy. The plot is clever; the ending is a gem!” Female reader, aged 44
“I must say, it’s original. The VERY short diary chapters didn’t work for me. In many ways, that’s what the story suffers from – being too short. The author can write; no problem there, but I just felt it was over too soon.” Female reader, aged 50
“A smartly plotted psychological thriller that’ll keep you guessing till the very end.” Male reader, aged 18
A smart author who knows how to keep readers turning the page. I just wish there had been more pages to turn. Too short.” Male reader, aged 33
“This is a good example of a story that’s trying to be everything but ends up not being 100% anything. It’s sort of a thriller – but not. It’s sort of a character study – but not. Saying that, she’s a talented writer, and the POV style works for this sort of novella. Good twist too. Personally, I think this author’s best book hasn’t been written yet. An up and coming talent, I’d say.” Male reader, retired publisher, aged 69
“Clever writer. Spent a happy 2 hours devouring this book. Would happily read another by her.” Male reader, aged 35
“A super-fast read with strong characterization and a fab twist in the tale. Not bad at all..” Female reader, aged 32

To Sum It Up:
‘A well-written novella filled with twists, turns and a mind-bending twist you’ll never see coming..’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Jerrica Peterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't take any book with this amount of errors in it seriously. For such a tiny book, the amount of times "I'm" was misspelled is laughable. I counted near a hundred easily fixed errors in the time it took me to finish this book.