Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. A Twist of Fate opens with a bang— our main character, Jae-Young, who meets a new mother and her baby on a train; following this chance encounter, the young mother leaves her baby with Jae-Young and with instructions to take the baby to her in-laws, who can provide them with all the wealth and comforts they could ever need. On the run herself, Jae-Young gets swept up in this world pretending to be the baby’s real mother and a member of this family.

This was a fun, propulsive book! The pages kept flowing and this is a great beach read for summer, something to keep your attention thoroughly engaged. I did struggle with the language in this book but I think that’s probably owed to the translation. The language did feel a bit stunted and elementary at times, making the plot and characters feel a bit ridiculous at times. I do also think some of the plot points were a bit predictable but, the tension built up in this story made it still feel very suspenseful and kept me engaged to find out what happened next.

I think thriller readers will enjoy this one and know that this book will be a fun one to get lost in. I’d recommend this for a great, quick read!

A Twist of Fate is a masterful Korean novel that delves into the intersections of wealth, violence, and female agency with unflinching precision. The story begins with a fateful encounter on a train: a privileged woman, overwhelmed by motherhood, leaves her baby with an abused stranger—a decision that catapults both the child and the reluctant caretaker into the opulent, morally fraught world of the baby’s ultra-wealthy grandfather. What follows is a gripping narrative that interrogates the brutality of hoarded privilege while weaving a surprising, deeply satisfying emotional arc.

What sets this book apart is its refusal to simplify its characters. The women here are vividly drawn, their choices treated with nuance rather than condemnation. In a refreshing departure from narratives like The Push—which often frame maternal ambivalence as a failing—this story acknowledges the messy, sometimes painful realities of motherhood without judgment. The abused protagonist’s sudden immersion in luxury is intoxicating yet unsettling, especially as she navigates the attentions of the family’s charming second son. But the novel never lets us forget the violence underpinning such excess, building to an ending that feels both inevitable and perfectly executed.

Park’s sharp social critique is further elevated by the brilliant translation, which cleverly employs splashes of AAVE to mirror class distinctions in Korean society. This localization choice not only bridges cultural gaps but adds texture to the characters’ voices, making the power dynamics visceral for English-language readers.

A Twist of Fate is a rare gem—a page-turner with depth, heart, and a razor-sharp lens on inequality. Highly recommended for anyone who loves layered, thought-provoking fiction about women defying the roles imposed on them.

Wow, this page-turner of a book felt like a movie! In fact, I frequently found myself thinking about Parasite while reading. Both thematize the vagaries of class relations in contemporary South Korea, both feature infiltration through imposture, both turn a spooky rich person's house into something of a character, and both depict the unexpected formation of working class solidarities. A Twist of Fate adds in more gender politics, which I appreciate. It's also even harder here to recuperate a morally pure protagonist. At the same time, even the most seemingly deranged and evil characters have empathizable dimensions (unlike Parasite). I was initially surprised about how Jang described her relationship to Soohyun, yet upon reflection, I can see where her attachment and empathy come from.

Although my discussion here has been pretty academic, I emphasize my initial characterization of this book as a page-turner. I recall balking that I was only 45% of the way through because there had already been SO many jaw-dropping twists!

This book was aptly named because it was absolutely full of twists and turns. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going I was surprised. The characters were well written, feeling like real people even in some unusual situations. There was a great sense of tension throughout the story that made it a really quick read for me.

The writing in this book is not very good, but I am assuming this is at least in part due to the fact that it's translated from Korean. Puting that aside I thought the plot was very interesting and kept me invested....until about half way. I began to lose steam and found it predictable. Began to dislike the characters and overall just didn't enjoy the latter half of this book.

"A Twist of Fate" is a great name for this twisty, domestic thriller. The vividly written characters, the well paced plot, and the continuous twists in the storyline kept me reading it straight through in one day. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for an advanced reader copy.

Good lord the twist and turns this book took blew me away. Just when I thought I had it figured out another curve ball. Was a really good book about Jae-Young a young women trying to escape an abusive relationship. She meets a young mother on a train, this encounter changes everything. This book was amazing and kept me wondering what was next. I couldn’t put it down.

A Twist of Fate offers a moody, immersive backdrop and an intriguing case of mistaken identity, but it doesn’t quite make the most of its potential. i am looking for a faster pace and stronger twists and I came away wanting more. Readers who enjoy character-driven thrillers with a slow build may find it rewarding.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. It captures you from the beginning and really keeps interest to the end with various twists and turns along the way. It’s a great summer beach read. Some people had issues with the translation. Yes, there are times it’s obvious this was not written in English but that didn’t bother me at all. If anything it was interesting to read literal translations of Korean sayings. I like the short chapters and found it very well written. The end pages say the rights were already purchased as a possible movie and this would be perfect. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Great read. I loved the characters and the plot and of course the twists !! Well written!! Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantyne for the arc in exchange for a fair review !!

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC! Unfortunately, this was not something I could engage with. The novel had a promising start with action and suspense, but it shortly tapered off and the storyline became tedious and bland, if not a bit corny. I felt like it became a bad translation, but I’m not sure.. I wasn’t able to complete reading due to these reasons.

The twists of one woman disappearing from a train and the other woman deciding to take her place, thinking life will be better... but will it? There are so many twists, and the book was fast-paced. i highly recommend this one!

A woman on the run meets another on the train. Her new companion is very chatty and has with her a small baby. She tells her she’s taking the baby to meet its wealthy in laws, that her husband has deserted her and she’s never met the in laws before. But the woman on the run is hesitant to engage. She’s just sacked her abusive husband over the head with a frying pan and left him for dead, and wants to remain as non- memorable as possible. She excuses herself to the toilet but when she returns the other woman is gone but has left her baby there on the train. It falls to her to take the baby to meet its uber wealthy family. When she meets them it’s a crazy game of who’s who, who’s telling the truth, and who is responsible for mysterious deaths in the family. Nothing is really as it seems and there are nonstop twists and turns. Just when you think you’ve figured something out a new plot is exposed. A Twist Of Fate is not light reading but it certainly can and will hold your interest.

This book was so intriguing from the very beginning! Two women meet on a train, both running from something…When one disappears, the other takes her place and the twist start coming from there! What a gem of a book.

I was immediately captivated by this story. From the moment Jae-young boarded that train, I felt the weight of her escape—the urgency, the desperation, and the sheer unpredictability of what was coming next. Every moment felt charged with tension, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I loved how layered Jae-young’s journey was. And when she arrived at the imposing estate, I could almost feel the walls closing in, the weight of secrets pressing down. The writing kept me hooked, balancing suspense with sharp emotional depth. I felt deeply connected to Jae-young’s inner turmoil, her need to survive, her reluctance to trust—and the growing realization that she was stepping into something far darker than she ever imagined. The tension built masterfully, keeping me guessing about who she could trust and what lurked beneath the surface.

This book was tense, emotional, and utterly addictive. If you love sharp suspense, complex characters, and stories where danger lurks behind wealth and luxury, this one is worth every moment.

A Twist of Fate is SO good! It takes place in South Korea, and the novel is a translation from Korean. At times, you can tell it's a translation. Some of the dialogue feels a little awkward, but that doesn't detract from the story at all.

Jae-Young is escaping from an abusive boyfriend. She has no idea where exactly she's going when she hops on a train to Seoul. She's in the train car with a chatty young woman and her infant. Jae-Young goes to the restroom and when she returns, the mom has vanished and left the baby with a note to please take him to his wealthy grandparents. Jae-Young decides to do so, and when everyone assumes she's the mother of the infant, she doesn't correct them. There are so many twists and turns, and everyone is hiding a secret. A Twist of Fate is very suspenseful and keeps you reading so you can find out what is going to happen next. Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the ARC.

This taut, atmospheric thriller delivers a chilling meditation on identity, survival, and the haunting cost of reinvention. The story of Jae-Young—a woman fleeing a life of abuse, poverty, and one irreversible act—unfolds with the breathless momentum of a train ride you can’t get off. And just like her sudden encounter with a desperate mother and an abandoned baby, the twists keep coming.

What begins as an escape turns into a descent into a carefully curated nightmare. Jae-Young’s arrival at a lavish estate masquerading as safety is seductive and unsettling. The opulence of her new life contrasts sharply with the gritty realism of her past, creating tension that hums on every page. The family’s willingness to embrace her as someone she’s not is both a lifeline and a warning—and the further she sinks into this false identity, the harder it becomes to surface.

The novel excels in building suspense while exploring themes of erasure, trauma, and the lengths one will go to in order to survive. Jae-Young is not your typical heroine—she’s morally gray, emotionally raw, and powerfully human. Her story lingers like a shadow, asking: What would you do if no one was looking, and you finally had a chance to disappear?

Equal parts psychological thriller and character study, this is a masterfully written, edge-of-your-seat novel that doesn’t just entertain—it chills, captivates, and cuts deep.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A true page-turner, it delivers twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, making it nearly impossible to put down. The pacing is masterful, and the storytelling is immersive, pulling you deep into its world. This is a book that deserves to be widely shared, and I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know!

A Twist of Fate, translated from Korean by S.L. Park, opens with Jae-Young, a young woman fleeing from an abusive relationship and her bleak existence. As she boards a train to Seoul, she serendipitously encounters Hyojin, a mother traveling with her infant son, Seung-Joon. Their interaction is fleeting, and upon returning from the restroom, Jae-Young discovers Hyojin has inexplicably disappeared, leaving a note instructing Jae-Young to deliver the baby to his affluent family in Juyoung-si. This unforeseen obligation thrusts Jae-Young into a realm of luxury and deception.

Upon her arrival at the family estate, Jae-Young is mistaken for Seung-Joon's mother. The opulent surroundings are both captivating and disorienting as she grapples with her newfound identity amid the grandeur. At first, she finds solace in her role, relishing the extravagant lifestyle that starkly contrasts her former reality. However, as she begins to settle in, unsettling truths about the family surface, revealing a complex web of deceit and peril that imperils her safety.

The narrative is rich in suspense and features numerous plot twists; and the family dynamics show how complicated Jae-Young’s existence is. Each character harbors their own secrets which amplifies the atmosphere of mistrust and intrigue. At times, the narrative seemed a little stilted and it had some awkward phrasing- which may have been due to its translation. However, it was still a worthwhile read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my review.

absolutely gorgeously written thriller with great plotting, dynamic characters, and a twist that just keeps getting better. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.