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Twisted

Marjorie Brody (Goodreads Author)

3.73 · Rating details · 73 ratings · 24 reviews

Sarah Hausman must hide a secret-even from herself. If she acknowledges the truth, it will destroy everyone she loves.
Timid fourteen-year-old Sarah wants her controlling mother to stop prying into what happened the night of the freshman dance. Confess to the police? No way. Confide in her mother? Get real. The woman is too busy, too proud, and too jealous of Sarah to real ...more

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Paperback, 252 pages

Published March 20th 2013 by Bell Bridge Books

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International Thriller Writers YA/MG Books

20 books — 20 voters

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3.73 ·

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· 73 ratings · 24 reviews

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Apr 29, 2013 Rose rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, arc-or-galley, realistic-fiction, drama, contemporary, crime, great-premise-lacking-execution, netgalley, multi-povs, tough-subjects

Marjorie Brody's "Twisted" lives up to its name aptly, because it's quite a ride trying to figure and follow events within it. The story toggles between two perspectives: Sarah and Judith - as the two girls navigate some difficult times that end up bringing them together in a closer measure than either of them expect. Sarah's story was a little easier to follow given the story starts off with a traumatic event in her measure, but Judith ends up having a life changing event in her measure a bit a Marjorie Brody's "Twisted" lives up to its name aptly, because it's quite a ride trying to figure and follow events within it. The story toggles between two perspectives: Sarah and Judith - as the two girls navigate some difficult times that end up bringing them together in a closer measure than either of them expect. Sarah's story was a little easier to follow given the story starts off with a traumatic event in her measure, but Judith ends up having a life changing event in her measure a bit after Sarah, which is the basis for which the two meet in the latter part of the novel. Sarah's only 14, while Judith is 17, but the two have their own distinctive voices.

There were times when I raged at some of the content in this book - more on the level of what the characters do and how they react to some tough measures (which include rape, teen pregnancy, etc.) It wasn't so much Sarah or Judith I raged against as it was their parents (I wanted to throw the book at Sarah's mother for calling her a "slut", especially in the vein of what happened. No amount of denial ever makes that okay). I don't know if it painted the most realistic portrait for events, but I will say that it kept me reading through the narrative for what it offered. It's quite a bit of drama, and the convoluted nature of the story in turns almost lost me because of the jagged nature of the narrative. If it had been evened out a bit and given more foreshadowing with some of the story threads, I probably would've liked this much more.

I predicted the ending, but there were no clear cut threads in the beginning of the narrative to assert that it would go in that direction. Not even with respect to foreshadowing. That annoyed me, because I'd followed the story all the way up to a point and then get hit by a curveball that comes out of nowhere. Even then, the explanation doesn't feel entirely vetted, like it was thrown in at the last minute.

This is one of those reads where it may be hit or miss for the person who picks it up. I'm conflicted over whether I could say I liked it, but it did keep me reading through the narrative. I just wish it'd been more even in its respective presentation and had more substance and realism to the matters it touched upon.

Overall score: 2.5/5 stars

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Bell Bridge Books. ...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Elle rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs-netgalley-edeilweiss, ebooks, clueless-female-protagonist, fiction, mature-young-adult, realistic-fiction, suspense, wtf

Original review can be found here: http://www.yourentertainmentcorner.co....

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Twisted. While the book blurb is vague, it does hint at what to expect within its pages. My emotions ranged from outrage to confusion at various points and never settled on calm. But I was okay with that. I enjoyed not knowing what to anticipate, and therefore, had no spoiled expectations. I related to some of the things the characters experienced, but shook my head at their asinine choi ...more

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Mar 21, 2018 June rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-actually-owe, contemporary, e-books, ya-books

This is not your usual ya novel. For a free Amazon ebook with almost few reviews I was skeptical about how good it could be. But Twisted has been aptly named and was quite a ride.

The writing is engaging without being superficial. Even though the setting or time is not very clear, this has a contemporary feel. Written with a dual perspective, this novel is more of a psychological thriller. The last 10% the narrative unfolds too quickly with lots of key revelations. The author relied heavily on f ...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Chantelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc, high-school, angsty, dark

To see the full review that's posted on my blog, click here.

Firstly, you will want to read this book, it's bringing the masterful telling of a great thriller to the young adult genre. Secondly, you will need to clear your day for when you do, because Twisted will ensnare you from the beginning and not let go until the bitter end.

The novel begins with the night of the freshman dance, and it is delivered with shocking honesty. What surprised me was the high quality, poetic writing style of Marjor To see the full review that's posted on my blog, click here.

Firstly, you will want to read this book, it's bringing the masterful telling of a great thriller to the young adult genre. Secondly, you will need to clear your day for when you do, because Twisted will ensnare you from the beginning and not let go until the bitter end.

The novel begins with the night of the freshman dance, and it is delivered with shocking honesty. What surprised me was the high quality, poetic writing style of Marjorie Brody, and even in that first chapter, there were three stand-out sentences.

"Evening had stolen all the blue from the sky, draping it in veiled shades of black. The lone glimmer of light, a slender, curved moon high overhead, dangled among sooty clouds."

"Inside me, adrenaline bubbled like a shaken bottle of Dr. Pepper, its foam out of control, making me dizzy with risk."

"Dollars fell like rose petals on a dying breeze."

I remember reading each of those sentences and admiring them, reading them aloud and rereading them. I remember thinking - hook, meet line and sinker because this book is going to be amazing.

Fortunately I was not disappointed. Twisted is a psychological thriller centred around fourteen year old Sarah Hausman who hides a secret, and everyone keeps wanting to know what happened the night of the freshman dance. The relationship she has with her mother is rocky at best, who's a fourteen year old girl supposed to confide in if not family? Eighteen year old Judith Murielle has the perfect life, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect future, but then it all starts to unravel...

This book deals with some extremely serious and sensitive topics, it's usually something that I shy away from when choosing books. However since I had no idea what I was getting into, (I only found out when it was too late) I was extremely surprised that it didn't bother me. I have to attribute it to how masterfully Marjorie Brody explored these situations. It was suffocatingly intense, at times heartbreaking, and very well paced. The foreshadowing of this novel is so well constructed, that I picked up on it, and yet was still blindsided by the last 10% of the novel which was when the avalanche of realisation came and everything made sense. Through the alternating POVs of Sarah and Judith, the wrenching plot is delivered flawlessly. Her ability to handle these issues without coming across as bias or judgemental was magic.

Twisted had me bed ridden all day, completely antisocial and by the end, completely mind blown.

For more reviews, please visit my blog Looking for the Panacea. ...more

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May 02, 2013 Kara rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

This gets 3 stars because, well, honestly, I don't know where I land on this. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. But I'm not sure what to make of it.

After a traumatic experience, 14-year-old Sarah is trying to cope on her own - her mother (easily one of the most despicable mothers since that Joan Crawford movie) approaches life by pretending that everything is fine, praying to God, and irrationally blaming her daughter for all her flaws, while her father, who she loves dearly, she doesn't trust to This gets 3 stars because, well, honestly, I don't know where I land on this. Don't get me wrong, I liked it. But I'm not sure what to make of it.

After a traumatic experience, 14-year-old Sarah is trying to cope on her own - her mother (easily one of the most despicable mothers since that Joan Crawford movie) approaches life by pretending that everything is fine, praying to God, and irrationally blaming her daughter for all her flaws, while her father, who she loves dearly, she doesn't trust to handle things responsibly. So Sarah tries to cope on her own, without alerting her ignorant and oppressive mother or her well-meaning but clueless father.

Meanwhile, high school senior Judith is devastated to learn that her college boyfriend is returning home a few months shy of their respective graduations because his mentally ill father is running the family business into the ground - putting their plans to get married on hold.

For much of the novel, though I was intrigued, I wanted to know more about the characters. Though her mother was batshit crazy, I didn't think that the mom would be unsupportive when she found out what happened...that is, until she found out what happened; and then I wanted to know how anyone, let a mother, could react that way. Similarly I wanted to know a lot more about Judith. How long had she and Carlton been dating? How did her mother die? There were a lot more layers that could have unearthed but that I felt were just skipped over.

And then the end happened. I really don't know what else to say. Given the end, I'm not sure the Judith storyline worked. Or, it needed a lot more background to make sense. And while it was a complete and total surprise, that's because it came out of left field; it wasn't built up or hinted at previously.

And finally, it wasn't clear when this story occurred - aside from one mention of a cell phone, there was absolutely no mention of cell calls, text messages, emails or Facebook. Which is fine, but I like to have a vague idea of when I'm reading.

Nonetheless, while I think this could have been a fascinating and engrossing character study, it was still an entertaining read that kept my focus till the end.

Revised to add:

I just realized my issue with this. This would properly have been billed as a psych thriller. Even still, 95% of the story was written as simple lit fic, with a psych thriller ending. Which is why I was so thrown off. My rating stands, because I like lit fic and a like psych thrillers. And in their separate components those portions of this book were very good. I just am not sure that this one blended the two well. ...more

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Sep 08, 2015 Carl R. rated it really liked it

I was steered toward Marjorie Brody's Twisted by friend and mentor author Les Edgerton. Brody bills herself as an author of psychological suspense, and there's plenty of truth in that sobriquet. Starting with the title, a word which conveys multiple layers of meaning both about the plot and the characters, Brody pulls us into a world of deception and double-meaning. Everyone is hiding something. Sometimes the concealment is meant to hurt, sometimes to shield. But always it's destructive.

We're in ...more

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Jun 26, 2014 L.A. Starks rated it it was amazing

This book heartily deserves its wins: an honorable mention in the Great Midwest Book Festival and first place from the Texas Association of Authors for its 2014 young adult fiction category.

Without giving anything away, I did not see the ending coming--particularly the fate of one character. This book indeed twists throughout.

Twisted is perfect for anyone who liked Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and/or Sister: A Novel, by Rosamund Lupton.

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Mar 26, 2013 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: r2r-complete, read-2013

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Bell Bridge Books and Netgalley.)
14-year-old Sarah can’t believe what’s happening to her when she is lured behind the school gym during the spring formal and gang-raped by four boys.
Hiding her dress in the trash, and hiding her bruises from her parents, Sarah tries to pretend that the rape never happened, but when the boy who lured her outside confesses to the police, and a doctor’s exam reveals that Sa (Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Bell Bridge Books and Netgalley.)
14-year-old Sarah can’t believe what’s happening to her when she is lured behind the school gym during the spring formal and gang-raped by four boys.
Hiding her dress in the trash, and hiding her bruises from her parents, Sarah tries to pretend that the rape never happened, but when the boy who lured her outside confesses to the police, and a doctor’s exam reveals that Sarah is pregnant she can’t hide from what happened any longer.
Is there really any justice for Sarah though? Will her parents support her in her decisions over the baby and pressing charges? And what other truths is Sarah hiding?

Well, this book was really different, and I totally didn’t guess what was really going on!

Sarah came across as quite a quiet, Christian girl at the beginning of this book. She believed what her parents had taught her about no sex before marriage, and was even hesitant to allow a boy to kiss her. What happened to her was truly horrific, and I’m not sure how anybody could cope with something so awful.
I totally got why she felt so victimised, and didn’t know what to do, and I also understood why she felt she couldn’t confide in anybody.

The storyline in this book was very interesting because of the two major twists at the end. There was basically no warning about these twists, and I have to say that when they happened I was quite surprised. I have to say that the whole plot-line of rape was pretty horrifying though, and I can’t imagine how awful it must really be to go through something like what Sarah went through – both because of the actual ordeal, and then being unable to talk to anyone about what happened to her.

While the twists were good, the majority of this book felt a little slow to me. There was so much in there that I felt didn’t really add to the story, and I felt like I was constantly waiting for something to happen, and constantly waiting for answers, which was a shame.
I did like this book overall, but the slow pace/constant waiting for something to actually happen made this only okay for me. Other than the rape scene at the beginning, and the weird twists at the end, this was a bog standard ‘teenage girl gets pregnant and doesn’t know what to do’ story. The ending really was quite different though.
Overall; teen pregnancy, with a twist.
6.75 out of 10.

Want to know the twist? MAJOR SPOILER! (view spoiler) ...more

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May 24, 2015 The Bookend Family rated it really liked it

I don’t know if I have ever read a novel where the epigraph sums up a work so well. In this case it is nothing more or less than the definition of a word from Webster's Dictionary. The word is twist, and the novel is Twisted, by Marjorie Brody. Twisted is a YA book, and it can be read by a YA audience, but don’t think for a minute that this is an easy book to read. Twisted is one of the most psychologically sophisticated novels I have read in a long time, and it manages to deal with several diff I don’t know if I have ever read a novel where the epigraph sums up a work so well. In this case it is nothing more or less than the definition of a word from Webster's Dictionary. The word is twist, and the novel is Twisted, by Marjorie Brody. Twisted is a YA book, and it can be read by a YA audience, but don’t think for a minute that this is an easy book to read. Twisted is one of the most psychologically sophisticated novels I have read in a long time, and it manages to deal with several difficult and disturbing issues, without dumbing them down or making them less troubling, in such a way that they are accessible to the audience that needs to hear them the most.

In Twisted fourteen year old Sarah is gang-raped by four boys on the night of the Freshman Dance. It’s horrific, and Ms. Brody manages to convey that with shirking detail but keeping the scene from being graphic. Also horrific is the fact that Sarah decides to hide the fact from her family because her Mother is too proud and would probably blame Sarah somehow. So not only does Sarah hide the tor dress and her bruises, she in fact hides the trauma even from herself, until the boy who lured her into the rape confesses to the Police. In the middle of this fiasco the only person Sarah feels that she can trust is an eighteen-year old schoolmate,Judith. The older girl's life seems ideal; she has a great family, is engaged to a guy who loves her, and has plans for college. She is also pregnant, and encourages Sarah to tell someone. Through thick and thin it seems like Judith is mysteriously drawn to the younger girl, and she encourages Sarah to tell the truth, but Sarah seems like she will do anything to keep the situation quiet.

If this was all that there was to Twisted, it would be solid, but remember the title; Ms. Brody has a bunch of finely tuned surprises up her sleeves, and she tends to drop them in just when I started to get comfortable. There are big twists and small twists, but they are all so integral to the story that I can’t let them slip without spilling a barrel of spoilers, so I won’t. Just be prepared to be surprised.

The characters are all solid, along with the prose. I was a bit confused at times about the narrative voice, but even that might be a deep and truly subtle twist,so I can’t complain too much. There were a few times in middle where the pace dragged a bit, but never for too long. Just when things got a bit calm Ms. Brody unfurled one of her psychological bombshells, and pulled me to the edge of my seat once more. The last few, near the end were particularly shocking, and best of all, planned and executed with restraint and style. All in all, Twisted is a stiletto of a suspense novel, short, sharp and sleek. I ‘d like to see Ms. Brody take a shot at an all-ages thriller soon; I sure that she would really blow my doors off.

Review by: Mark Palm
Full Reviews Available at: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.com ...more

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Aug 23, 2013 Sharon rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, other-reviewed-books

This is an interesting, very complicated story. Lots of twists,as the title suggests, but of course, it suggests more than that. I can't say I really liked it, although I did get involved with it -- after a slow start in which I thought I knew exactly where it was going, and I didn't like it. Well, I was wrong about where it was going. It's pretty unpredictable. Though the situation is tragic and suspenseful, and the characters are sympathetic and have depth, i didn't think it worked so well as ...more

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Dec 11, 2014 Francis Hicks rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Teen girls and their parents

First, a confession. I am a 62 year old male, so my take on this young adult thriller may have a distinctive twist. I purchased the book at San Antonio's Book Fair and didn't get around to reading it for a while. The first time I picked it up, I stopped reading it. Rape is a tough subject. Coupled with the wicked social divisions of middle school and a family incapable of honest communication, I found the beginning overwhelming. But, the characters were interesting enough I wanted to know what h ...more

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Jul 21, 2013 ♡B♡ rated it really liked it

Shelves: high-school, angst, taboo, 0-netgalley-0

Wow.

Okay this is not like any books I have read so far. And to be honest it took a while to pull me in. I was confused at first. And maybe for me part of the reason I wasn't pulled in so easily or fast is because it is a fourteen year old girl who is raped. I know things like this happen but, having a daughter it isn't something I ever like to think about.
That being said it did take a while to pull me in to the point where I just couldn't put the book down. I did get sucked in at about 84% I hat ...more

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Sep 06, 2013 Stephanie rated it liked it · review of another edition

since I read a kindle, I can say I was exactly 51% through the book before I decided to finish it. I don't ever stop reading a book, but this one had me consider quitting about a dozen times. The characters were very immature, the story was disjointed, and it did not capture my attention. That said, it did finally turn a corner, and finally I was interested to see how it ends. There were definitely hints at twists and turns, and the hints had my mind thinking about so many possibilities. I becam ...more

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Oct 21, 2013 Kristi rated it liked it

Well, the title for this one is certainly appropriate. This story is so twisted and so crazy. As soon as you think it is headed in one direction it turns and it takes on another one, right up until the end...just like a twister. It made for compelling reading, but I wish it was just put together better. It is hard to do that kind of twisting and turning well in a novel, and perhaps if the book were a little longer and the story were given a longer timeline it would have come together. Also, cert ...more

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May 15, 2013 Naomi rated it liked it

Read my full review:http://bit.ly/11h4xfC

My opinion: This book was totally different than what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a mystery and it was FAR from it. It was good. I am happy I read it, but wouldn't call it ROCKIN'. It simply didn't stand out to me.

The writing and character development was good, but it almost felt preachy in its writing. It then took a turn to drama central. On that note, it is considered a young adult novel, so I cut it some slack for that.

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Mar 26, 2015 Kimberly Jayne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I knew Marjorie Brody would put out a great story, since she's already a noted and gifted author, but I didn't know just HOW great "Twisted" would be. I highly recommend this novel. It moves fast, has just enough tension and intrigue to keep you turning those pages, and the twists are unpredictable. Great ending too. Total surprise. Overall, this author has earned five gold stars from a very picky reader.

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Mar 04, 2016 Kyla rated it liked it

I have mixed feelings about this book. The plot was interesting and original. The dialogue, however, felt unnatural at times. There are some plot twists that account for some of the problems with the dialogue, but it still seemed to be an issue for me from time to time as I read the book. The story deals with rape and family dysfunction. I can't say much more without spoiling thIs very unique story.

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Aug 21, 2015 Wendy Pitts rated it really liked it

Though NOT a feel good book I do think it is a must read. One of the best gifts reading can give us is empathy for people in situations different than our own. This book has that in spades! Warning: it is also not an easy read but well worth your time, and as the title suggests the end is not what you would expect.

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May 06, 2013 Kay rated it it was amazing

This is a debut suspense novel that is uncommonly good. The plot is indeed twisted and I can't say more than that lest I give any spoilers out. The psychology of the teenagers involved is well portrayed, and the author understands what she's writing about, that's for sure. Majorie Brody is a trained therapist and holds a Ph.D. in psychology. Don't let that scare you. This is a very readable book.

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May 08, 2013 Stacie rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2013, fiction, netgalley-read

My brain is still trying to wrap cohesive thoughts around this book. The book had an interesting synopsis but overall, it was predictable, boring and I feel like it tried too hard to be something it's not. Do not recommend this one at all.

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Apr 13, 2013 Brianne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ng-ew

Twisted...is just ...wow...very powerful. This dramatic story stays with you. Marjorie Brody did an amazing job not only with the story but the characters. I find it hard to find a book that I can't predict the outcome and this book really surprised me. I highly recommend Twisted.

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Jul 30, 2014 Liz rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014

wasn't sure what I was getting myself into reading this book didn't know much about it. It just kind of sucked me in and was completely unexpected.

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Sep 19, 2013 Myra Coleman rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. Unpredictable with lots of twists. A very good read.

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May 11, 2013 Linda Myers rated it liked it

Rather a confusing book. I stuck with it but did not enjoy it that much. Too fragmented for my taste.

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About Marjorie Brody

Marjorie Brody

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As a licensed marriage and family therapist for over two decades, Dr. Marjorie E. Brody observed the joy, suffering, and potential of the human spirit. Now in her second career, she transforms her experience and passion for writing into tales of wonder, drama, and suspense. Her award-winning novels and short stories, some of which have been adapted for the stage, are characterized by extraordinary ...more

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