This has an interesting premise and then turns sideways into twists and other things that were just more than were needed. Jae-young and Hyojin. meet by chance on a train when both are trying to escape their circumstances. Hyojin however, has her baby son with her and when she abandons him, Jae-Young impulsively decides to pose as his mother and take the boy to his grandparents. That's where things go off the rails. No spoilers from me. There are dark secrets of course. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I liked the setting in Korea and the atmospherics if not the larger picture. Over to others.

What do you get when you combine a soap opera plot with incredibly boring prose? Read on to find out!

Oh, who am I kidding? It’s this book. You get this book.

<b>The Good</b>
The premise: The blurb got my attention and my butt in the seat. It made me think I’d be getting something like <i>Strangers on a Train</i> with two Korean ladies, and who doesn’t want that!

The cover: It’s striking, thematically resonant, and just plain looks good.

(Parts of) the ending: Okay, I admit it, the team-up/double-cross at the end was satisfying. If only if it was better foreshadowed and fit Jae-young’s ongoing characterization better.

<b>The Bad</b>

The writing: The prose in this book is best described as greige. It’s basic to the N-th degree, bordering on See Spot Run. Normally, I’d be tempted to blame the translator. I’ve read way too many translated novels where nuance and idiom were lost and what was left on the page was dullsville. However, the problems with this novel run deeper than the sentence level, so in this case, I’m hesitant to point fingers at the translator alone.

Jae-young’s characterization: This chick mood-swung so much, I’d have a hard time describing who she is at the core. Her two defining traits throughout much of the book are self-pity and waffliness, and that’s not a good look.

And speaking of waffliness… The amount of redundancy in this book/Jae-young’s characterization nearly made me hemorrhage. ‘Okay, something here feels sketchy.’ ‘But I like being rich/being treated nicely.’ Over and over and over and over again. It feels like Jang read some writing advice about how truly rich characters must have contradictory desires within them, then ran with that advice way, way further than necessary. The first time I was presented with Jae-young’s contradictory desires/instincts, I was on board. By the twentieth time, I was growling “ugh, I read that already two pages ago!”

I’ve said this before (apologies for my own redundancy,) but I am not freaking Dory! I have the capability to form and retain short-term memory. If I read something two pages ago, I’ve got it already.

The melodrama: Oh, the melodrama. I’m not kidding when I say this was a soap. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen permutations of this plot in at least two different telenovelas my whole neighborhood used to watch when I was a kid. (And you have not truly lived until you’ve watched a telenovela with the original Spanish voice track in the background, while a single guy translates over it in absolutely monotone Russian.)

Setup for the ending: The writing was just not good enough to pull off the amount of unreliable narrator necessary to foreshadow the teamup/double-cross without giving the game away. Nor did Jae-young’s previous characterization make a transition to endgame badasasitude believable. Which is a shame, because I was primed to like that twist.

<b>The Ugly</b>

This book’s treatment of mental health/mental illness is execrable. From the narrative treating Jae-young taking anti-anxiety medication early on as an addiction. To everyone just going ‘oh yeah, that guy had some trouble with depression/anxiety as a teen—no wonder he became an abuser.’ And the less I say about the portrayal of one character's supposed ‘sociopathy,’, the better.

A couple of other elements also didn’t sit well with me, in a values dissonance way. Illegitimate kid? Clearly evil! I kept expecting him to break into “thou, Nature, art my goddess!”

I will give one bit of credit here: I was bracing myself for having to dress this book down for characterizing Hyojin as evil because she felt nothing for her baby. But the narrative is surprisingly even-handed about it. Honest points to Jang on this one!

Did I have a good time? No, I did not? Was a lot of potential squandered? Yes, it was. But seriously though? Someone please write me an actual <i>Strangers on a Train</i> type story with two Korean ladies. Bonus if it’s as homoerotic as Highsmith’s original.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions within are my own.

A Twist of Fate written by Se-Ah Jang was well interesting. The first half of this debut novel was a strong four stars for me, but the second half took a complete turn of events that just didn't make any sense, I felt like it was executed very poorly, it was rushed, it took a weird turn that just didn't sit well with me, so it pains me to give this debut novel a three star rating. The twists and turns were completely wild and caught me off guard even though I sought out a few of the twists, but the second half and the ending just didn't work out for me. I was so invested in this story, it was full of lies and luxuries, but like I stated about the second half, I just couldn't wait to finish this book because of the poor execution. Initially that stunning cover caught my attention, but when I read the synopsis, I was completely sold, but unfortunately I think my hopes were a bit too high, I mean, look at the beautiful cover. I do applaud this author because she did mess with my head with all of these wild twists that left me yelling oh no. Despite not having the best luck with this book, I'm still going to recommend to it to people that enjoy having their minds altered and to those who enjoy mind games, A Twist of Fate is the book for you, so mark your calendars for July 29th, 2025 for the release of this debut novel. Please keep in mind there are heavy topics, so be sure to check my review for trigger warning's. Let me just be clear, this book wasn't horrible by any means, but like I stated earlier, the second half and the ending didn't sit well with me, so please be respectful of my OWN opinions. I know others will love this book and I only hope it's the best for you.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP- BALLANTINE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

TRIGGER WARNING'S
Physical Abuse
Mental Abuse
Cheating
Overdose
Mentions of Suicide
Opioid Addiction
Murder
Graphic Violence

"Love is a dangerous, unpredictable emotion that will uproot your life in a heart beat".

"When you are running away from something, you can't act predictably".

"That's what photographs are: embodiments of false memories. You think you have captured the truth of the moment, but it's really just a glorified illusion".

"A rich brat always whines the loudest".

"Money is good and all, but what is life without some devilish entertainment?"

"To return evil for evil, you must join forces with your enemies".

Two women meet on a train and they are both running from a deadly secret. One night after being abused, Jae-Young Yoon hit her monster of a boyfriend in the back of his head with a frying pan instantly killing him, Jae-Young left his blood splattered body in her basement apartment and ran to the train station trying to become invisible. Jae-Young is a bruised and battered woman whose just trying to escape the shit show of her life. Jae-Young has had a pretty rough life, she grew up in an orphanage, and never had a real family in her entire life. Her "passionate lover" of a boyfriend gave Jae-Young bruises where people couldn't see them. On the train with purple bruises on her wrist and just a wallet to her name, Jae-Young meets a young woman with a baby, they are pretty friendly with each other, but Jae-Young doesn't really want to socialize. Jae-Young went to the bathroom and then when she returned to her seat, the young mother is nowhere to be found, but she left her newborn baby behind with a note. Jae-Young is to take the baby to the young mother's parents in law's house, Jae-Young arrives at a grand Western style mansion and she thinks both of the baby's parents are irresponsible shits. At the mansion, Jae-Young pretends to be the young mother and she gets her own room in this huge mansion. Jae-Young plays the role perfectly while she pretends to be a sister in law and a daughter in law.

Hyojin Cha and her three month old baby boy, Seung-Joon Jung are on the train going to Juyoung-Si which is the new city near Seoul where her in laws live, they have never met before and they haven't even seen the baby yet, because Hyojin got married to the baby's dad even though her in laws didn't approve of their marriage. Hyojin is now on the run because the baby's dad ran off and moved in with his mistress. Hyojin is now alone except for her baby, her parents died when she was little, she has no relatives nor family. Hyojin plans on showing up to her in laws out of nowhere because she wants the best for her baby but Hyojin can't raise her son as a single mother, so she plans on taking her baby to her in laws so he can have the best life, but Hyojin has other plans. Hyojin left her baby abandoned on the train curled up and wrapped in a tiny blanket, Hyojin is no where to be found but she left her luggage on the shelf full of diapers, baby bottle, clothes and bibs, and left behind a note begging Jae-Young to take the baby to Hyojin's in laws. Hyojin is sweet like a fluff of cotton candy, so why would she just abandon her baby and where did she disappear to? well, you will need to read this book to find out all of the juicy secrets and twists. I will say that in the ending, Jae-Young goes batshit crazy and that's when this book took a downhill turn for me. I loved meeting these two women, but I truly felt heart broken over their past stories, abuse is extremely scary, but I enjoyed watching Jae-Young trying to help out Hyojin and her baby despite not knowing anything about them.

Jae-young has just left everything she’s ever known, not that it was much. Her thankless job, her infested apartment, her abusive boyfriend—who happens to be dead on the kitchen floor. Murder was never the way she envisioned leaving, but it was desperate times. Now, escaping her transgressions on a train to the bustling city of Seoul, Jae-young is just hoping to become invisible—safe.

On the train she meets a chatty mother with her infant son who seem to be running from a similarly harsh life with her unfaithful husband, hoping to find refuge with the in-laws she’s never met. To avoid further conversation, Jae-young excuses herself for a moment. When she returns, the woman is nowhere to be found, but her crying child remains with a note, pleading with Jae-young to take him to his grandparents in a remote province far from Seoul.

There were a good amount of twists in this book, but most were not very believable. The character development didn't really happen until the last quarter of the book so I believe it that happened earlier, I would've been a bit more invested and a couple of the twists more believable. The language was confusing but I felt like the end pulled everything together. I do think some things do not translate and this is by no means the fault of the author. The ending again felt pretty unrealistic but I can’t say I was disappointed in how it turned out. Its a fun read and di keep me engaged throughout.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Bantam, and Se-ah Jang for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is scheduled to be released on July 29, 2025

I think this is a very ambitious debut. The premise is intriguing, the Korean cultural depictions are interesting, and the twists are genuinely surprising. However, the pacing felt uneven and I didn't care about the characters as much as I'd have liked. The writing also felt a bit choppy at times, which might be due to translation or new writer syndrome. Overall, a promising debut!

Fleeing the basement apartment she shared with her abusive boyfriend, Jae-Young finds herself alone on a train, holding a stranger's abandoned baby along with a note asking her to deliver him to his grandfather's house. All she knows for sure is that the other young woman had never met her in-laws and that they knew nothing about her. It's all to easy to pose as the mother and make herself at home in the elegant manor, just until she figures out her next steps. I thoroughly enjoyed this Korean thriller. It's full of dramatic twists and turns and although I found myself straining to suspend my disbelief a few times, it was extremely entertaining.

<b>Drama. Deceit. Danger.</b>

One look at the gorgeous cover and I had to read this debut. From the synopsis it kind of sounds like a take on <i>Strangers on a Train</i>, but it isn't.
This was a four-star read up until the final chapters. It pains me to rate it at three, but I had to deduct a star for the convenient moments and convoluted turns. However, up until that point I was drawn into this world of lies and luxury. One thing is for sure despite guessing a few twists some caught me off guard. And I'm still thinking about it so kudos to Jang in that regard.

Jae-young is running. Her crappy life just got worse when she killed her abusive boyfriend in self-defense. She jumps on a train to leave town and disappear. A talkative young mother with an infant boards the train. You know those people that within ten minutes of meeting them you know a chunk of their life story? She's one of those. She explains to Jae-young that her cheating husband has left her and their baby. That she has no family, and she wants a good life for her son. So, she's taking him to her wealthy in-law's home. They've never met her or the baby because her husband wanted nothing to do with them. Jae-young excuses herself to the restroom to get a break from this chatty mom. When she returns the baby is alone with a note begging Jae-young to take him to his grandfather's address. It's the last thing she needs but being on the run she can't go to the authorities, so she decides to make the pit stop. The family immediately thinks she's the baby's mother. Jae-young looks around at the mansion and thinks what better place to hide out. No one would ever look for her here. She just goes with it.

When something seems too good to be true it probably is.

The mind games have her wondering who to trust. Everyone seems to have an agenda. No matter, Jae-young decides to dig her heels in once she's had a taste of what wealth brings to the table. She's here to stay.

One of my pet peeves in thrillers is when the reader is kept out of the loop regarding what the character telling the story is doing. Adding a by the way this conversation took place at this point after the fact so a twist will make sense later just doesn't work for me. I know that it doesn't bother some readers, but it bugs me. It seems like taking the easy way out instead of reworking the plot to fit the direction of the story. (I can't go into specifics due spoilers.)

There is a lot to dig into in this story. Everyone seems to have skeletons in their closet so there's loads of drama. It was fun to try and figure out what was going on. This debut shows genuine promise I'll be curious to see what Jang writes next.

I liked this one but couldn't quite love it.




Content Warning
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graphic domestic violence
mental illness
graphic violence
murder
attempted suicide (the scene might be triggering although the motive behind it didn't land)

Thank you to Random House | Ballantine for providing an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was written by a first-time author and was translated into English. I really enjoyed this book. The story revolves around two women who meet on a train. Both are escaping an abusive relationship. One has an infant with her. During their stop at the station, she asks the other woman to watch the baby while she uses the restroom. The train takes off, leaving the baby and diaper bag with the woman. In the bag, she finds a note addressed to her asking her to take the infant to the grandparents. The story is full of clever twists and turns. I give it a 4.5.

Boy did this grab ahold of me. I found myself thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it. Would you switch lives with a stranger for freedom? Maybe what looks good in theory and on paper isn’t as wonderful as it looks. We get an inside look at a family who appears to have it all. Thank you netgalley for the arc.

This book was just awesome filled with twists and turns. So our main character Jae Young is in a very abusive relationship with her boyfriend and after a brutal fight she hits him with a frying pan while trying to defend herself. Believing she has killed him she leaves and runs to the train where she meets another young women who has a 3 month old son. They talk for awhile then Jae Young says she has to to bathroom. Upon her return, the other women is gone but she leaves a note for her to take the baby to his grandparent’s house who are very wealthy and say he is her child. The note also says they never met her so they will not know. She has no money so she goes to this palatial mansion where she meets her boyfriend’s half brother and they take her in. After a paternity test is done and proves the baby is their grandson she is welcomed in. But this is a twisted story with twist and turns at every turn right till the end. I highly recommend this book. It was a fantastic read. I want to thank net galley and the publisher for this ARC I received for an honest review. Read this book. It will be live the end of next month. Just awesome

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jae-young leaves her house one morning, abandoning her life and her dead, abusive boyfriend on the kitchen floor. She boards a train and meets a young mother with a child on their way to see her in-laws. When Jae-young excuses herself to the restroom, she returns to her seat to find the mother gone and her crying baby left behind with a note saying to take him to the house of her mysterious in-laws. Out of obligation, Jae-young decides to take the baby and is welcomed into the luxurious mansion of the in-laws. Jae-young, believing that there’s no better way to hide than to have a new identity, embraces her new life and will stop at nothing to keep it.

Imagine being so desperate in life that you eagerly trade places with a stranger! This is a fast paced thriller with secrets and wild twists that will suck you into the story! The characters are well developed and interesting. It reminded me of Julie Clark's' Last Flight, which is another fabulous read. Highly recommend!!

A Twist of Fate follows a woman as a twist of fate has her running from a murder to a glamorous mansion. But things aren’t as easy as they seem. I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed wondering if the narrator was reliable or not. I would definitely recommend.

I’ve read some incredible foreign thrillers, most recently Spanish and Nordic ones, and “A Twist of Fate” is my first Korean one. Two women trying to escape abusive men meet on a train, but this story is much more than “Strangers on a Train.” We follow Jae-Young as she leaves her crappy apartment behind (maybe with a body in the kitchen) and meets chatty Hyojin, mother to infant Seung-Joon. Her husband has left her for a mistress and she hopes that his estranged wealthy parents (who have never met her) might take her in. But, she suddenly disappears, leaving Jae-Young with the baby — and an opportunity to step into the life of a daughter-in-law when the family mistakes her for Hyojin.

This is a twisty domestic thriller, a different experience for an American reader with the unique Korean family culture on display. It met my expectations as a page-turner. My difficulty (resolves when I decided to keep notes) was only regarding the gender of characters since I wasn’t familiar with female or male Korean names. But once I mastered the cast of characters, I could definitely see a film version in the future! 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO I wasn’t expecting any in a Korean thriller.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO But, really, shouldn’t you remember where in the garden you buried the body?

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Thank you Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for an early copy of A Twist of Fate. This was a Phenomenal book!!! Absolutely Fantastic, I did Not want it to end. What an Amazing plot, the characters were outstanding in each one and who they were. I Never expected this read to be sooooo good. Then a quarter in is a twist that I NEVER SAW COMING!!!! Just a WOW, WOW type of read. Thank you again. This needs 10 stars.

I featured A Twist of Fate in my July 2025 new releases video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5JWYTfUVq4, and though I have not read it yet, I am so excited to and expect 5 stars! I will update here when I post a follow up review or vlog.

Quite enjoyed this twisty story line. Took me a bit to get into a book taking place in a country I’m not familiar with but I did enjoy hearing about a new place and customs, etc. Story went a whole new direction than I thought it would be.

The story line for this book was good but it was a very slow read for me. I just couldn't keep interested in it as it seemed the chapters just drug on with needless information. If you took out the filler I think you would have a very interesting short story. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a ride! This novel kept me on the edge of my seat; I was constantly coming up with new theories and there were numerous plot twists I did not see coming (I had to pause for a bit at the end of Chapter 16). I felt stimulated, involved even. It’s mostly the reason why I went with four stars instead of three, because I must admit we get to a point when we’re not really rooting for anyone anymore. As Jang Se-ah rightly mentions in the author’s note, all characters are both victims and assailants. It could be frustrating. It’s also what makes them human, though things go way too far.

They gaslight one another, play mind games with each other… but also with us readers. When Jae-Young becomes an unreliable narrator I wanted to bang my head against the wall. I couldn’t fathom how clueless and gullible she was!! Well I guess she fooled me, too. And it took time but we eventually got the female alliance I was desperately hoping for. I honestly had a hard time understanding Hyojin’s hate towards her ex’s abused girlfriend; the Jung brothers are the main problem here. This is what made the denouement so satisfying, despite its few loose ends. Also, very beautiful art on the front cover.

Title: A Twist of Fate
Author: Se-Ah Jang (Debut Author)
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam
Genre: Thriller
Pub Date: July 29, 2025
My Rating: 3.4 Stars
Pages: 336

Story starts with Jae-Young who is desperate to leave behind her old life- her job, her apartment, her abusive boyfriend. Murder wasn’t something she planned but desperation has driven her to escape and become invisible—and safe.

She boards a train and meets a woman who is also fleeing. Her husband has been unfaithful so she is escaping to her father-in-law who will help her. Jae-Young doesn’t want to get involves and excuses herself to go to the restroom. When she returns, she finds the baby crying alone - with a note. The woman pleaded in the noire for Jae-Young to take him to his father’s family. Certainly not something Jae-Young expected to be doing- however, for the sake of the child, she can’t ignore the request.

The amazing cover definitely ‘Got’ my attention as did the beginning of this story. However, I soon started to struggle with story and wondered if ~ something got lost in translation?
I hung in there ~ the Epilogue as well as the Anther’s Notes were Great!
Pulled it all together!

I wish to Thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Bantam for early debut eGalley.
Publishing Date Scheduled for July 29, 2025.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, for this eARC.

I wanted to love this more than I did. I love an unreliable narrator and this had an interesting premise, but the pacing was off and it felt like it didn't QUITE all come together. Still. solid 3 stars.