Twisted Hate

A diverse steamy enemies-to-lovers romance from New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Ana Huang.

Gorgeous, cocky, and fast on his way to becoming a hotshot doctor, Josh Chen has never met a woman he couldn't charm―except for Jules Ambrose.

The beautiful redhead has been a thorn in his side since they met, but she also consumes his thoughts in a way no woman ever has.

When their animosity explodes into one unforgettable night, he proposes a solution that'll get her out of his system once and for all: an enemies with benefits arrangement with simple rules.

No jealousy.

No strings attached.

And absolutely no falling in love.

***

Outgoing and ambitious, Jules Ambrose is a former party girl who's focused on one thing: passing the attorney's bar exam.

The last thing she needs is to get involved with a doctor who puts the SUFFER in insufferable…no matter how good-looking he is.

But the more she gets to know him, the more she realizes there's more than meets the eye to the man she's hated for so long.

Her best friend's brother.

Her nemesis.

And her only salvation.

Theirs is a match made in hell, and when the demons from their past catch up with them, they're faced with truths that could either save them …or destroy everything they've worked for.

Ana Huang is a #1 New York Times, Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Best known for her Twisted series, she writes new adult and contemporary romance with deliciously alpha heroes, strong heroines, and plenty of steam, angst, and swoon.

Her books have been translated in over two dozen languages and featured in outlets such as NPR, Cosmopolitan, Financial Times, and Glamour UK.

A self-professed travel enthusiast, she loves incorporating beautiful destinations into her stories and will never say no to a good chai latte.

Twisted Hate by Ana Huang is a steamy, emotionally charged enemies to lovers romance that follows the explosive relationship between Jules Ambrose and Dr. Josh Chen, two people who have spent years disliking each other and are forced to confront how thin the line between hate and desire really is. Jules is a fiercely independent, sharp tongued law student who has always prided herself on handling life on her own terms. She’s bold, clever, and refuses to let anyone see her vulnerabilities. Josh, on the other hand, is a successful, seemingly charming and controlled doctor who appears to have his entire life perfectly lined up. He’s also her best friend’s brother—and the man she’s sworn to hate. Their hostility comes from a long standing history of misunderstandings, harsh assumptions, and walls built around old hurts. Both of them believe they know exactly who the other person is: Jules sees Josh as arrogant, judgmental, and self righteous, while Josh views Jules as reckless, manipulative, and not to be trusted.

From the beginning, their interactions are full of sharp banter and sniping comments. They push each other’s buttons almost instinctively, and neither backs down from a verbal fight. That tension, however, masks an underlying attraction they’ve quietly ignored for years. When circumstances force them to spend more time together—whether through friend group dynamics, overlapping life moments, or practical arrangements—their constant clashes start to reveal another layer: they are fascinated by each other. Jules discovers that Josh’s polished exterior hides a deeply driven, sometimes wounded man who cares intensely about the people in his life and carries the weight of his responsibilities heavily. Josh begins to see past Jules’s sarcasm and party girl image to the woman underneath—someone who is hardworking, loyal, and far more vulnerable than she lets on.

Their dynamic shifts dramatically when they agree to a casual, no strings arrangement. Tired of the simmering tension and convinced they can handle it like adults, Jules and Josh decide to turn their mutual attraction into something physical, on the strict condition that it will be purely fun and will not affect their lives. This decision opens the door to a much more intimate connection, but it also lays them bare. The more time they spend together, the more they start to see private sides of each other: Josh’s protective instincts and unexpected softness, Jules’s fear of being abandoned and her struggle to trust. What was supposed to be just a fling becomes dangerous territory, because it forces them to question whether the hatred they clung to for so long was ever real, or just a shield against feelings they didn’t want to face.

As their relationship deepens, the emotional stakes grow heavier. Jules has a complicated past shaped by instability, messy family issues, and the need to survive on her own. She’s used to relying on herself and expects people to leave or disappoint her, which makes it hard for her to believe in permanence or unconditional support. Josh, meanwhile, is weighed down by expectations—from his family, from his profession, and from his own perfectionist standards. He’s the golden boy who is supposed to get everything right, but that role comes with pressure, mistakes, and guilt he doesn’t always talk about. Their individual histories explain why they misjudged each other for so long: Jules saw his judgment before his kindness, and Josh saw her defenses before her loyalty. As they get closer, those defenses start to crack, revealing emotional scars that threaten to derail the fragile trust forming between them.

One of the central conflicts in “Twisted Hate” is the question of whether two people who built an entire identity around disliking each other can truly move past that and build something real. Old grudges and past wrongs don’t disappear overnight. They resurface in arguments, moments of jealousy, and knee jerk reactions when either of them feels hurt. Jules, especially, struggles with believing that Josh can accept her fully—flaws, history, and all—rather than trying to mold her into some neater version of herself. Josh battles his own tendency to judge and his fear that loving someone as messy and stubborn as Jules will expose him to chaos he can’t control. This push and pull leads to intense emotional scenes where they hurt each other, apologize, and slowly learn how to communicate instead of retreating behind sarcasm or silence.

The book also explores the way their relationship affects the people around them. Jules’s best friend, Ava, is Josh’s sister, and their close knit friend group means that secrecy is difficult. The risk of ruining friendships and causing family drama hangs over Jules and Josh’s decisions. They have to consider whether acting on their feelings is worth the potential fallout. This external pressure adds another layer of tension, because their romance isn’t just about them; it has consequences for a wider circle of people they care about. Their journey, therefore, isn’t just about transforming hate into love—it’s about learning how to be honest, respectful, and brave enough to own their choices in front of others.

As the story progresses, Jules and Josh are forced to confront not only their present feelings, but also the root of their original “hate.” Hidden truths, past events, and miscommunications that shaped their early impressions of each other come to light. Some of these revelations are painful, showing how easy it is to build entire narratives on half truths and assumptions. They realize that much of their mutual hostility formed around moments where they misunderstood each other’s intentions or judged too quickly. Facing these past moments, and acknowledging how wrong they were, becomes a crucial step in their emotional growth. It’s not enough for them to fall into bed or say they care; they have to dismantle the stories they’ve been telling themselves for years.

By the time Twisted Hate reaches its climax, both characters have been pushed to confront their worst fears—abandonment, failure, vulnerability, and the possibility that love might not be enough to overcome certain differences. They make mistakes, pull away, and hurt each other, but those low points reveal what they truly want and what they’re willing to fight for. The book doesn’t shy away from showing how messy it can be when two stubborn, prideful people try to change the way they see each other and themselves. In the end, Jules and Josh’s relationship becomes something built not on perfect compatibility, but on honesty, mutual respect, and a choice to stay even when it’s difficult. Their journey transforms from a spicy enemies with benefits arrangement into a layered love story about growing up, unlearning prejudices, and letting someone see you fully—even the parts you’ve spent years hiding behind a shield of hate.