Ivy Banks, a future nursing student from London, has been saving for months to visit her best friend, Bailey in Pennsylvania for the summer working at a camp in the town Bailey grew up, Lake Sylva. However, when she arrives the last thing she expects is to be paired up with her best friends brother, Lucas Miller. The more time she spends with him, the more attached she grows. How can she survive the summer knowing everything will inevitably end? The only way it would ever work is through a twist in fate.
This book was possibly the sweetest thing ive ever read, the way that lucas treats ivy is so adorable and “sunshine” omg omg 🥹🥹 my only downfall with this was there are a few minor typos throughout and the ending kinda felt as if it contradicted itself
Did I read this in one night and in one sitting? Yes
This book was amazing to me and just because of the fact I read it in one sitting is what makes it a five star book but the MMC reminded me so much of my boyfriend like I swear to yall it was insane But I related so much to Ivy and weirdly Mila in the first couple chapters (yes I did relate to a 9 year old but in the wise words of Mrs. Bea Arthur/Dorothy Zbornak in the episode of golden girls Stand by your man “WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME?!?”) But I ADORED this book playlist and just the overall structure of the book Im pretty sure this is her debut book too So…idk I think thats pretty good but thats just me lolll
“I am in love with you ivy banks. And nothing in the world can change that. I will still be in love with you if you break my heart and leave. I will still be in love with you if you live halfway across the planet. All I am asking is that you will love me too. I don’t care what we do or where we love one another. Your worth everything. You are everything.”
Ahhh Criminally such an underrated book. It was soo cute, and the summer vibes at summer camp! Didn’t know how much I would love this book until I read it! I love the fond friend group. There everything I hope I can have a group like that! Then ivy my Shaylaaa she deserves everything she’s so relatable! And Lucas you are actually everything.
Overall I loved this book I ate it upp, and hope in the future we can get the others books to! (The friends I’m talking about)
I understand that she’s young but there should still be some editors or someone seeing the mistakes she’s making. I’m younger than her, and I know I’ve got much to learn in the future, though if I’m spotting her grammatical mistakes then that’s a problem. The story was sooo mid and I don’t want to be rude because of her age and how this is her first book ever, and it’s hard to write a book, but everything was just so messy. She kept repeating things over and over again, the plot was kinda stupid and unoriginal and it felt like a grade 6 student wrote it. I’m sorry but I’m giving this 1 star only because I was able to at least read the whole thing without dnf-ing it.
I wanted to read this book after I saw the author on tik tok. It was a cute summer romance, but nothing special for me. I found the behavior of the sister kind of strange and annoying. I liked the Twist, it was the perfect ending.
IM SORRY, I really needed a very quick book to finish in 2 days. I read two chapters and basically every sentence was so hard to read because of the amount of typos. Maybe I should keep reading? But for now, it’s a DNF 💔
I was really hoping to enjoy this, however the combination of the many typos (as well as the use of the wrong names in places) and the naivety of the plot made it a really difficult read for me.
I appreciate that the author is very young and that is it very impressive to have written a full book alongside studies etc., however I really had wanted to be wowed by this book and sadly this did not happen.
The plot & its twists felt very unrealistic, specifically at the end, and due to this I never felt captivated or as though I fully understood the characters.
It is worth mentioning that I did adore some of the poetic descriptions and wording used, and that I’d love to see this author progress in the future with more experience (and better editing).
ahhh! This book is so freaking adorable. I caught myself smiling multiple times throughout this book. I love how they are both so in love with each other. i could barely explain how this book made me feel earlier. I would rate it 4.5 stars
I cannot call this book a Novel. I really cannot. Look, I understand, with great sympathy, that writing a book is an arduous task which requires diligence, discipline and ardent dedication. But, not only do I find the entire production and formation of this “book” second-rate and shoddy, but overall extremely insulting to authorship.
The character construction is lousy and callow. The entire plot is an identical reminder to some sort of slap-dash Netflix Romance Teen series, which once you begin to watch, you most likely beg for it to end, or consider physically pulling your eyes out. It’s conspicuous in its plot that it is written by a 17-year old influencer-type. The entire characterisations and overall homodiegetic narrative is just puerile and far from ineffable or interesting. There seems to be a proclivity in this book to follow exceptionally expectable and predictable plots, which yet so many other superior authors have used.
The small, nonsensical doodles on the pages are just bizarre and bewildering……. Is this a toddler’s bedtime story or a teen-fiction book. Now, I must make it clear, I would never read a Romance or Teen- Fiction book, simply due to the fact that it is far from profound or captivating. But, I wanted to simply due to the girl’s promotive monopolisation on TikTok. From the get-go I could tell it was an asinine and substandard book, simply from the cover. Now, they say that you should never judge a book by its cover, but in this sullen case it is most apt.
In conclusive terms, I do not recommend this book to any other readers out there, despite the magnitude of your intuitiveness. The writer tries so desperately hard to engross the readers with a “twist” in the utterly farcical plot, but fails so miserably. Utterly, utterly boring and mediocre. It’s insulting the literary canon.
— this is a dnf for me. i san the author on tiktok and was so excited to read her book because it seemed so cute and it was on KU aswell so it was perfect. unfortunately i found it really corny at around 30% and dnf’d it at 35%.
— from chapter 4, the mmc already has a pet name for the fmc, who he has only known for a week. he is flirty with her even when she tells him not to be and he just genuinely became a corny and annoying character to me.
— the fmc however was super sweet and i honestly love her. she’s similar to me in a lot of ways which made me feel connected to her. one thing i do think i need to add about her character though is that some of the british interpretations didn’t seem right to me. i’m not exactly sure where the author is from, so maybe we have different perspectives, but it didn’t feel like ivy was fully british. idk, my opinion
— i also found that the book is supposed to be about bailey and ivy having a summer together but ivy falling in love on the way, but instead it just felt like the author only wanted us to know about what happened between ivy and lucas. maybe i would have found more best friend scenes along the way if i’d made the effort to read more, but unfortunately it js wasn’t for me.
— i feel like 2.75 is def generous for a dnf, but i appreciate when people take the time to read my book and give good reviews. kudos to layla for publishing her first book.
I don’t got much to say about this book besides that I absolutely completely and entirely loved and adored it. Lucas and Ivy are the definition of the cliche couple and all the cliches like, accidentally touching each other, looking into each other’s eyes and totally loosing themselves. And as someone who is not a big fan of cliches I loved this book and everything that goes along with it! This book is really recommended to all Lynn Painter fans out there because this author is really amazing and I can’t wait to find out what she writes for her second book
Layla you did an amazing job as a debut author who is simply 17 years old, you truly blown my mind away
I really enjoyed reading A Twist In Fate by Layla Beretta!! I loved the camp setting so much. This kind of reminded me The Kissing Booth!! There were so many cute and lots of emotional moments. The only reason why I gave “A Twist In Fate” 4 stars was because there was lots of typos and grammar mistakes. Besides that i loved this book and will be reading all of Layla Beretta’s future novels!!
I couldn’t get enough of ivy and Lucas they were so cute, there is no way this book was wrote by a 17 year old. It’s too good, honestly one of the best books I’ve read in a while, if I could I’d rate it a 6 star because the amount of emotions this book made me feel is insane. I always loved movies with summer camps and reading books with them is even better, I now wanna spend my summer at camp sylva. I do have to say my phone started playing on my headphones careless whisper and when they broke up, it played the line, “and I’m never gonna dance again, the way I danced with you.” In all honesty I loved this book, if I could inject it into my veins I would. I can’t wait to get laylas next book, I’m genuinely so excited. I read it so slowly because I never wanted it to end but I love this so much, keep writing Layla, you’re amazing at it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I feel bad rating this book because it’s the authors first book, but I’m sure she can improve. This book just wasn’t for me. I think this book would be PERFECT for a girl in middle school with anxiety. I can see someone like that really liking this book. I am not sure it was made for well adjusted highschoolers or above, though.
The first 13.5 pages are just a huge info dump and incredibly boring. I skimmed them.
Once again, the main characters only problems is working too hard and her grandma dying. I honestly don’t care if the main character has problems but I hate it when their problems r TINY but we’re supposed to feel sympathy.
You don’t have a hard life if you’re rich but your grandma dies and you work hard in school. Everyone’s grandma dies. Get over it, you’re not special, your life isn’t hard. It’s easier than most peoples. And working hard in school is not a bad thing.
The anxiety issue is fine, I guess. But again, info dump. Show, don’t tell us you have an anxiety disorder. Booooooring.
Also bro thinks she’s better than the other rich girls at her school just because they’re rich? She’s rich too… they’re at the exact same school.
And she has ONE friend and she met her online. Like I’m tired of reading books about losers. Give me a normal girl with normal friends. Not a weird girl who can only make friends on her phone. It’s just WEIRD to me.
I stopped after like 30 pages oh my god this book is so boring
What is the point in reading this book if it’s dual perspective and the reader knows in the first 30 pages that both people like each other…?
Insta-love and weird. Nobody thinks this way. When I open a book like this I don’t expect it to be realistic, but this is just weird. The instant this guy sees her he basically says “I want to know everything about her and she clearly wants to know everything about me by the way she’s looking at me”
Like…. Ok? So then u both like each other immediately 30 pages into the book and can tell u both like each other
What is the point in reading this book
All that aside, I really do think a middle schooler with anxiety would LOVE this book. And I do think it is important to see yourself in a book like this. I just wish that there were more YA romance books with regular girls in them. But the only actual issue with this book is info dumping, which I doubt lasts much longer than the few pages I’ve read, and if I was a middle schooler I would not have found the info dumping to be annoying.
i was so excited to read it, and i found countless spelling errors, even on the back..! the sentences felt so long, and the writing was cringey at points. i can say it is impressive that a 17 year old got published….but it’s a self-published book. not surprised. layla, you’re amazing, and you have so much potential, so where is it??? there were some small snapshots that she posted that convinced me to buy it ($17!!) that were written beautifully, but now i see why she chose only those. this book was not impressive at all, my 16 yr old sister would write more descriptively. (my honest review, sorry, i’m being harsh)
I ended up dnfing it BUT it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the book or the writer it is more so just because I wasn't in the mood to read a summer camp romance. But I would say the only thing that I didn't enjoy was the writer did over explain alot. For example, she would write whole paragraphs on the side characters and for me that was not necessary. But I would recommend this book to younger audiences as I think it would be good for them but maybe not so much for older ones. And to the author! You are only young, so keep writing and keep making books!! :)
""Keep telling yourself that, Ivy. I am happy to wait for you." As I say it, it feels like a promise. A vow. Our eyes lock for a moment but she shuts the door before they can linger. Well, that went well. I am determined to be hers, in any way. I know that she believes that being with me can't work and maybe she is right but all I know is that I want to spend every last moment with her if possible. I don't want to have to ignore the fact that I find her impossibly stunning and incredibly amazing to be with or to talk to. My only intention right now is her and I won't give up easily."
wow. if i had to describe this book in one word it would be: cinematic. i finished this whole book in one sitting on my train journey. it was so good. especially as a debut novel. layla truly outdid herself. this book had me hooked from the beginning especially when i realized its the best friends brother trope. i loved the setting of the summer camp. this book had every important scene to be a good romcom—one bed, him listening to her favorite music, "fuck it", "just shut up and kiss me" AND running for the love of you life. this would be such a great movie. i love ivy so much. the anxiety representation was so good. i see myself so much in her. especially because i also six months abroad after graduating secondary school and know what it’s like having a constant timer in your head, that this won’t last forever. lucas was the biggest yearner ever. i need him as my boyfriend asap. i love the friendship between the friend group but especially the one between ivy and bailey. i held my tears together the whole time but during that scene when she leaves for the airport, end of august by noah kahan started playing on my playlist and i couldn’t hold it in anymore. so i had to look out of the window like a dramatic main character in a movie. so underrated. everyone should read!!
The Verdict: Good Writing, Wrong Timing It feels strange to give 4 stars to a book I didn't finish, but I have to be fair. Unlike the influencer "cringe" or the "cloud palace" fluff I’ve been reading, this actually had substance. The prose was tight and the stakes felt real. However, my brain is so tuned into John Locke and Atomic Habits right now that even "good" fiction feels like a distraction from the real-world knowledge I’m craving.
Why it earned a 4/5 despite the DNF: Sharp Execution: The writing didn't irritate me. It lacked the flowery, unnecessary descriptions that made me quit Daughter of the Moon Goddess. Beretta gets to the point.
Intriguing Concept: The "twist" in the fate of the characters was actually clever and well-plotted. It didn't feel like a cheap trope; it felt like a calculated move.
Competent Characters: For once, I didn't feel like I was reading about a whiny teenager. The characters had a sense of agency that I usually only find in my favorite non-fiction or in Holly.
So, why stop? The "Yanev" Effect: After reading about 200 names that changed the world, I’m finding it hard to stay invested in a fictional series. I kept thinking, "I could be learning something factual right now." * Series Fatigue: Knowing this is "Book 1" felt like a commitment I wasn't ready to make. I want the immediate density of James Clear, not a multi-book journey.
Final Thought: This is a high-quality read. If you’re in the mood for a well-crafted story with actual logic, this is a winner. But for me, it’s a "right book, wrong time." I’m putting it aside not because it failed, but because my focus is elsewhere.
i read this back ages ago when it first came out but i have never wrote a review. It was one of my absolute favourite books i have ever read and layla is litterally only just turned 18. She published the book at 16 🥺 that is beyond incredible.
her book is amazing, it is so well written and i loved every bit of it. The characters got me attached from the first chapter and it being set in America litterally makes it so flippen good. I love the whole entire idea of it being set in a summer camp in america and the relationship between the 2 main characters is absolutely beautiful. All the little sentimental parts make it even better (not gonna specify so i don’t spoil it). BUT i 100% think you should read it, especially in summer it is literally THE BEST summer book i have ever read.
This girl is one of the sweetest authors and she is genuinely such a kind person. She inspired me to write my own book and made me believe it was possible. Before reading her book i never thought i could be an author but after reading it i was so inspired i began writing myself.
honestly, if you are going to pick a book to read this summer, read a twist in fate because it is the cutest little romance book ever!
What can I say about this wonderfully sweet and caring book that will beckon you towards its Amazon page? Perhaps its insanely lovable, caring and charismatic characters, or its flowy, captivating writing?
A Twist In Fate is a book I wished that I read a bit faster than I did, but the fact is, I read it slowly because I didn't want it to end. I didn't want to be without these characters, much like Ivy and Lucas didn't want to be without each other.
This book is certified to tug at your heart and think, 'Damn, Lucas is insanely charming.' And Ivy is also a very relatable character. She has to learn to come to terms with leaving Lake Sylva and being without Lucas, a boy she has grown to like, and love.
The setting of this book is also amazing. Lake Sylva is described so vividly and it is making me want to go there!
All the side characters (most notably Alec and Violet) are not just there for filler, but they're a key part of the story and quite funny. Alec just loves his granola!
Overall, I implore you to sprint to Amazon and buy this book right now, and consequently read it in one sitting, because it is one of those books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was such a great book. One of the best books I have read in a while. As a UK girl it is nice to read a book that I feel like I can resonate with. I connected with lots of the elements of this book as I felt/ experienced similar things myself.
Absolutely love this book and it only took me a few hours to read as I was so engrossed in it. It was written very well and was very easy to read.
One small detailed I really liked is the way the author has written the dates. They use the UK date metric when the UK character POV was explored and the American date metric when the American character POV was explored. Such a small detail but I thought this was a very clever touch. This to me showed how the characters are different from different countries but ultimately they are together then and there in the book doing the same things on the same date.
I loved the doodles throughout the book breaking up the story.
I cannot wait for the next one in the series to come out!
Dear Layla, let me start this review by reminding you to not care too much about other’s people opinions, especially those who are too harsh and don’t even try to give you a constructive criticism in a light manner. It’s amazing you wrote and published a book at such a young age and I definitely strongly believe you will do even greater things in your future.
It might have some flaws here and there, but for a debut novel, I’m extremely proud of what you wrote down and had the courage to have shared with all of us.
The ending might’ve been a little too fast and maybe a bit unrealistic, but I also would’ve loved for this book to have more scenes between Ivy and her friends, as you promoted it to be a friendship centred book. I did love the Ivy and Lucas scenes, but I just feel like we needed to see more of the friendships and the side characters.