What do you think?
A Twist in Fate
Is this love doomed to fail?
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 they spend together, the more attached they grows. How can they survive the summer knowing everything will inevitably end? The only way it would ever work is through a twist in fate.
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 they spend together, the more attached they grows. How can they survive the summer knowing everything will inevitably end? The only way it would ever work is through a twist in fate.
313 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
March 23, 2026
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 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
Have an amazing day lovelies,
Allie
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 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
Have an amazing day lovelies,
Allie
August 8, 2025
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
August 20, 2025
2.75 stars
this book just really infuritaed me....that's all i can say. the plot line could have been so good, and could have been so cute but it just wasn't!
this book just really infuritaed me....that's all i can say. the plot line could have been so good, and could have been so cute but it just wasn't!
May 17, 2026
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.
April 3, 2026
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 💔
August 14, 2026
Sadly, I didn’t like this at all :(
It’s kinda funny, after reading the first chapter I thought it would be one of my fav reads because I loved the main character but after reading 2 more chapters I already had a bad feeling about it.
I want to start by saying that this is really impressive for a 17 y/o though. I’m about the same age and REALLY intimidated by starting my own book even though it sounds super cool. I don’t however feel like I should sugarcoat my review just because of that.
I had three main issues :
1. It was SO insta lovey oh my days. They basically fell in love after seeing each other and I don’t really think they had that many deep conversations. Lucas and Ivy were cute, but I didn’t really feel it.
2. Someone should’ve read over it. There were so many inconsistencies that I started highlighting them on ku and quite a few things got repeated very often (eg her hair getting curlier and blonder)
3. The telling not showing. I think the author was obsessed with describing characters because I could legit name you all the hair colours of all the side characters but there weren’t many convos sadly. I really liked the 6 main characters but it didn’t really feel like found family because they we mainly got told about their interactions and not shown.
I do have to say though that I really loved Ivy and found her to be quite relatable and I also liked her friendship with Bailey. I adored the fact that Ivy also put her best friend first, before her boyfriend.
In the end, I think I would’ve actually been able to enjoy it more if it had romance only as a sub plot 🤷♀️
It’s kinda funny, after reading the first chapter I thought it would be one of my fav reads because I loved the main character but after reading 2 more chapters I already had a bad feeling about it.
I want to start by saying that this is really impressive for a 17 y/o though. I’m about the same age and REALLY intimidated by starting my own book even though it sounds super cool. I don’t however feel like I should sugarcoat my review just because of that.
I had three main issues :
1. It was SO insta lovey oh my days. They basically fell in love after seeing each other and I don’t really think they had that many deep conversations. Lucas and Ivy were cute, but I didn’t really feel it.
2. Someone should’ve read over it. There were so many inconsistencies that I started highlighting them on ku and quite a few things got repeated very often (eg her hair getting curlier and blonder)
3. The telling not showing. I think the author was obsessed with describing characters because I could legit name you all the hair colours of all the side characters but there weren’t many convos sadly. I really liked the 6 main characters but it didn’t really feel like found family because they we mainly got told about their interactions and not shown.
I do have to say though that I really loved Ivy and found her to be quite relatable and I also liked her friendship with Bailey. I adored the fact that Ivy also put her best friend first, before her boyfriend.
In the end, I think I would’ve actually been able to enjoy it more if it had romance only as a sub plot 🤷♀️
September 13, 2025
4.75 rounded⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
“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)
Book available on KU!
“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)
Book available on KU!
October 21, 2025
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)
August 9, 2025
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.
September 20, 2025
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).
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).
August 31, 2025
Dnf, the idea is really cute i just didn’t really like the writing style
August 21, 2025
☀️˚⋆ ʚ 2.75 stars
— 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.
— 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.
Read
August 28, 2025I think this is the sweetest book I have ever read, everything about this book is perfect :)
September 23, 2025
ugh this was actually everything the sweetest cutest book ever i could cry
May 8, 2026
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
August 1, 2025
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.
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.
July 25, 2026
i loved this book SO MUCH.
Layla is an amazing writer and this book was soo cute!! I really liked Ivy’s character and her friendship with Bailey. Lucas had me giggling almost ALL OF THE TIME 🤭.
Side note which may sound weird but I really loved her writing style since she tends to almost never repeat a description of something. Whenever an action/movement gets repeated (for example whenever Lucas wraps his arms around ivy) she always describes it differently every time and that’s what’s REALLY HARD (as an author myself i know what I’m talking about). Something about the way she describes things and her vocabulary (so basically her writing style yeah) is making the whole story even more interesting.
Also i LOVED the camp vibes here, so so cozy. Reminded me of ‘Wildfire’ by Hannah Grace a bit.
I am so so proud of my friend and she really is talented!!🫶🏼
Layla is an amazing writer and this book was soo cute!! I really liked Ivy’s character and her friendship with Bailey. Lucas had me giggling almost ALL OF THE TIME 🤭.
Side note which may sound weird but I really loved her writing style since she tends to almost never repeat a description of something. Whenever an action/movement gets repeated (for example whenever Lucas wraps his arms around ivy) she always describes it differently every time and that’s what’s REALLY HARD (as an author myself i know what I’m talking about). Something about the way she describes things and her vocabulary (so basically her writing style yeah) is making the whole story even more interesting.
Also i LOVED the camp vibes here, so so cozy. Reminded me of ‘Wildfire’ by Hannah Grace a bit.
I am so so proud of my friend and she really is talented!!🫶🏼
October 13, 2025
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
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
May 6, 2026
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!!
June 27, 2026
though i felt like there were some inconsistencies in this book, this was a good debut novel, im definitely going to read book 2!
August 14, 2025
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.
September 28, 2025
Amazing book and I’ve never finished a book so fast. I could not stop reading and cannot wait for the second book!!
Read
June 5, 2026DNF
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 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.
June 12, 2026
I loved this book, every second of it!
Ivy and Lucas are so cute and the setting is so brilliantly described!
5 stars!
Ivy and Lucas are so cute and the setting is so brilliantly described!
5 stars!
Did Not Finish
August 27, 2025I 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!!
:)
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!!
:)
August 22, 2026
i apologize in advance for this rating. i truly do feel bad.
this was the summer read i was most excited for. i discovered the author on tik tok, marketing is nicely done and her account in general is very aesthetic. layla is just about a younger than me, self publishing when you're still a minor is incredibly impressive! definitely a milestone worth celebrating.
since a twist in fate is her first ever release, i want to give her some grace. i will explain what i disliked while still remaining respectful. she has a lot of time to learn and grow :)
well, unfortunately it took me extremely long to properly get into the overall story. i can read a three hundred page book in four to five days, but it isn't what happened here.
camps are extremely rare in romance. i'm currently working on my very own debut with the same trope, so i was even more excited about reading ivy and lucas' love story. i couldn't wait to notice the little differences and similiarities between her fictional town and mine.
fmc is taking a gap year after graduating high school, she's waiting to begin med school in london. it's her dream major but not where she actually wants to study, her parents are insisting she lives in the uk so she can be closer to them. she struggles with an anxiety disorder, and i sincerely think this part of her arc was depicted accurately. i am currently facing similiar struggles therefore i could totally see myself in her. ivy banks is a sweet girl and i adored her so much.
mmc is her best friend's brother. charming, joyful, blonde and a big family person, he lost his dad when he was younger and he doesn't open up about it with anyone. i felt bad for him, however as a character he still felt flat to me. he doesn't really have a personality aside from being gorgeous and giving nicknames on day one to girls he just met. lucas miller is a mystery.
as a pairing overall, i think they were cute but not enough to admit i saw any hints of real chemistry. they have fun together, get deep about things they don't talk about with anyone else. still, their romantic tension felt too fast paced in my opinion. they've barely gotten to know each other and there's already a first kiss. c'mon... physical attraction much?
now, onto the character i despised the most. fmc met her best friend through her anxiety issues, they're online best friends. their bond consists of shared playlists and laughter with tears. that's cute, except i can't get behind the fact that they've been talking every day for two years yet ivy doesn't know the first thing about bailey miller. she has a brother, a sister, her father died and her mother adopts animals constantly. this girl arrives to the camp knowing NONE of that stuff. how does it not come up? i can understand the situation with her grief and not being able to talk about it at all, but every other aspect of her life? what do they talk about? if they had been friends for, say, three or four months i could justify it.
and do not get me started on the whole "you can't date him, he's my brother. you're going back home in eight weeks. you're long distance, it would complicate things". your so called bestie already stresses enough on her own, why would you worsen it by feeding into her paranoia? it's not being protective at all. if she really is your platonic soulmate, you're supposed to encourage her not to be a shell of herself. so, this relationship is momentary. why deprive yourself of a beautiful experience? especially with your first love at nineteen years old. bailey should have been reassuring ivy that she can let herself trust people, that distance means nothing if the person means everything. she got there eventually, but at the very end.
now, if lucas were a player, i'd understand warning ivy, but he's literally the definition of a golden retriever, basically boyfriend material. he grew up in a house full of women and knows how to respect them. so why all of this unneccessary prohibition?
the side characters existed just to... exist. we only know what they look like, where they go to school at, what they do in their free time and which foods they prefer for breakfast. ivy grows apparently extremely close with them, but we see very little of that.
that's why the plot didn't make sense to me. it was supposed to be about ivy discovering herself, forming real friendships and love. but also every scene was about lucas, his growing feelings of affection for her and vice versa.
now, what REALLY overwhelmed me was the writing. so much info dumping, wrong punctuation, bad grammar, repetitions and really long sentences. i had a hard time trying to understand what was going on a lot of the times.
the ending was a bit rushed and expected. her best friend and parents were holding onto information that would have spared ivy two months of heartache, but i am happy she got her happy ending. she deserves it truly.
i'm certain layla will only improve as she grows. she's coming out with her second book, congratulations girl!!! <3 the plot of her next one seems far more compelling and i am intrigued, i may give her books a second chance. hopefully, i will give us against the world a better rating.
please do not be awful to this girl. i tried to be as constructive as possible and i'm sorry if i have accidentally offended anybody!
PS: the lantern scene was adorable. and the one where they watched tangled together. dream dates fr
this was the summer read i was most excited for. i discovered the author on tik tok, marketing is nicely done and her account in general is very aesthetic. layla is just about a younger than me, self publishing when you're still a minor is incredibly impressive! definitely a milestone worth celebrating.
since a twist in fate is her first ever release, i want to give her some grace. i will explain what i disliked while still remaining respectful. she has a lot of time to learn and grow :)
well, unfortunately it took me extremely long to properly get into the overall story. i can read a three hundred page book in four to five days, but it isn't what happened here.
camps are extremely rare in romance. i'm currently working on my very own debut with the same trope, so i was even more excited about reading ivy and lucas' love story. i couldn't wait to notice the little differences and similiarities between her fictional town and mine.
fmc is taking a gap year after graduating high school, she's waiting to begin med school in london. it's her dream major but not where she actually wants to study, her parents are insisting she lives in the uk so she can be closer to them. she struggles with an anxiety disorder, and i sincerely think this part of her arc was depicted accurately. i am currently facing similiar struggles therefore i could totally see myself in her. ivy banks is a sweet girl and i adored her so much.
mmc is her best friend's brother. charming, joyful, blonde and a big family person, he lost his dad when he was younger and he doesn't open up about it with anyone. i felt bad for him, however as a character he still felt flat to me. he doesn't really have a personality aside from being gorgeous and giving nicknames on day one to girls he just met. lucas miller is a mystery.
as a pairing overall, i think they were cute but not enough to admit i saw any hints of real chemistry. they have fun together, get deep about things they don't talk about with anyone else. still, their romantic tension felt too fast paced in my opinion. they've barely gotten to know each other and there's already a first kiss. c'mon... physical attraction much?
now, onto the character i despised the most. fmc met her best friend through her anxiety issues, they're online best friends. their bond consists of shared playlists and laughter with tears. that's cute, except i can't get behind the fact that they've been talking every day for two years yet ivy doesn't know the first thing about bailey miller. she has a brother, a sister, her father died and her mother adopts animals constantly. this girl arrives to the camp knowing NONE of that stuff. how does it not come up? i can understand the situation with her grief and not being able to talk about it at all, but every other aspect of her life? what do they talk about? if they had been friends for, say, three or four months i could justify it.
and do not get me started on the whole "you can't date him, he's my brother. you're going back home in eight weeks. you're long distance, it would complicate things". your so called bestie already stresses enough on her own, why would you worsen it by feeding into her paranoia? it's not being protective at all. if she really is your platonic soulmate, you're supposed to encourage her not to be a shell of herself. so, this relationship is momentary. why deprive yourself of a beautiful experience? especially with your first love at nineteen years old. bailey should have been reassuring ivy that she can let herself trust people, that distance means nothing if the person means everything. she got there eventually, but at the very end.
now, if lucas were a player, i'd understand warning ivy, but he's literally the definition of a golden retriever, basically boyfriend material. he grew up in a house full of women and knows how to respect them. so why all of this unneccessary prohibition?
the side characters existed just to... exist. we only know what they look like, where they go to school at, what they do in their free time and which foods they prefer for breakfast. ivy grows apparently extremely close with them, but we see very little of that.
that's why the plot didn't make sense to me. it was supposed to be about ivy discovering herself, forming real friendships and love. but also every scene was about lucas, his growing feelings of affection for her and vice versa.
now, what REALLY overwhelmed me was the writing. so much info dumping, wrong punctuation, bad grammar, repetitions and really long sentences. i had a hard time trying to understand what was going on a lot of the times.
the ending was a bit rushed and expected. her best friend and parents were holding onto information that would have spared ivy two months of heartache, but i am happy she got her happy ending. she deserves it truly.
i'm certain layla will only improve as she grows. she's coming out with her second book, congratulations girl!!! <3 the plot of her next one seems far more compelling and i am intrigued, i may give her books a second chance. hopefully, i will give us against the world a better rating.
please do not be awful to this girl. i tried to be as constructive as possible and i'm sorry if i have accidentally offended anybody!
PS: the lantern scene was adorable. and the one where they watched tangled together. dream dates fr
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2025
dnf at 68%. I can’t force myself to finish it 🤷🏼♀️
December 29, 2025
This is the sweetest book i’ve ever read
March 30, 2026
so adorable 🥹🥰 i loved ittt!!!
July 11, 2026
""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!!
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!!
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