Olivia Twisted by Vivi Barnes

***I received this eARC from Entangled Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Olivia Twisted

Goodreads Description:

Olivia

He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.

At least at this moment, I don’t care.

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…

Z

I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.

It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.

Except that she’s not.

Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted.

My Thoughts:

This is a retelling of Oliver Twist. How does it compare? I couldn't tell you. I've never actually read Oliver Twist before, but I can tell you that this was an awesome book that I devoured quickly.

Olivia is a sixteen year old girl who has been handed a hard life. She's bounced from foster home to foster home. She recently had to leave what she thought would turn into her forever home only to be sent to a home of some very odd foster parents. Foster parents that turn out to be a lot shadier than I expected.

Olivia is a little standoffish at first but turns out to be a strong female lead with a good head on her shoulders. She goes through a lot in the book between new school, new friends, and dealing with her foster parents, but she doesn't depend on anyone else to get her through. I loved this about Olivia and it made it very easy to like her. 

Z was the definition of arrogant at the beginning. He was cocky and a show-off. I was actually a little turned off from him at first because of how he was, but as I kept reading I found that it was just a front. After cracking through his shell and finding out more about Z he won me over. He ended up being there for Olivia when no one else was and being completely selfless with her in the end.

NO insta-love. THANK YOU for no insta-love. I've been lucky lately not to read so many YAs with insta-love lately. I'm not a fan of it so I loved that there was a build-up for Olivia and Z's relationship and that they weren't completely head over hills inlove after one chapter. Their relationship felt very real and was a great part of the book. The romance didn't overshadow the main story line, only added to it.

The tech part of the book was really enjoyable to me also. Z and Olivia's new friend, Sam (who also lives in the same foster home as Z), are hackers when not at school for a mysterious man that keeps their foster home running. I enjoyed the little competitions in the book and seeing Z in his element. The hacking brought Z's attention to something that I really didn't see coming and made the book end in a totally different direction than I thought it would go. 

I would definitely recommend this YA to anyone that just enjoys YA in general. It's a quick read that will keep you glued from start to finish. I hope to see more from Vivi Barnes in the future. 

My Rating:

♥♥♥♥♥