This is addictive and wild (and 'mad' to be honest) but in all the good ways and it had me laughing and gasping at all the right moments. It got even more ridiculous as the plot went on but if you suspend your judgement and just let yourself roll with it, you are in for wild ride.

A dark twisted thriller and certainly thrilled me right until the end. I loved the main character as she was so unapologetically diabolical. The book certainly lives up to the title and I can't wait to read the sequel

Quite funny, in a dark and twisted way.
This was actually quite funny - obviously totally unrealistic, but I did have to laugh at some of the bits. I particularly liked the luggage-swipe - in real life I would hate this, but I have to say it just seemed funny. I'm not quite sure why this book has produced such negative feedback, it is not the worst book I have read, nor the best. But at the moment, I think I am grateful for anything that can make me smile, for however short a time.

This is different to a lot of other books I have read so like the unique nature to the story. It kept me hooked throughout and had a good ending which is where most books fail

Holy Mother f*cker, I can’t stop grinning now I’ve finished MAD. This is like Killing Eve with Dildo’s. It’s rude, crude and downright dark and I absolutely LOVED it.

Alvie (Alvina) is a 26 year old twin, living (slumming) in London, working in a dead-end job and basically hating everyone and everything around her, when she gets an invitation to visit her estranged, identical twin sister Beth, who lives in Sicily in a life of riches and luxury and married to the man of Alvie’s dreams.

Without spoiling the story for you, once Alvie arrives in sunny Sicily things take a rather sinister and murderous turn. Alvie, basically, is a horny psychopath and events in Sicily allow this dark and disturbing side to come out with jazz hands and bells on.

MAD is absolutely MAD, it’s hysterical, sexy, shameless and completely outrageous and 100% highly recommended by me.

Well that was a Mad journey that I thoroughly enjoyed, full of murder, craziness and sex. Hold on tight for a roller coaster of a ride that won’t disappoint!!

Alvie and Beth are identical twins but in personality couldn’t be any more different. When Beth invites her to visit at their villa in Italy Alvie has nothing to lose after being sacked and about to become homeless. Beth has a small favour to ask of her.

From the moment she arrives in Italy the story is Mad and absolutely addictive!! I was never quite sure where this story was going to go and I cannot wait to read the next instalment in this trilogy.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review



Read the two chapters so far. Didn't like Alvina at first but quoting my inner goddess made me laugh and changed my view of her. If anyone hasn't read 50 shades of grey the inner goddess was used a lot in the book.

The crazy twists and turns into the story kept me reading into the early hours. Yes is far fetched fantasy but for me that was a welcoming break from boring formulas that some authors stick too.

This story was totally different from the description I read. The overall story was good. Parts of it are totally unbelievable. The characters seem to be shallow and not likeable and have no morals. Despite all that I still wanted to know what happened. The outrageousness of the story kept me reading. This is pure over the top fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

This book was insane. Not at all what I was expecting. I thought this was a contemporary! And if you’ve read this you’ll know how screwed up that really was and how much it took me by surprise. There is so much violence and killing in this book. Not only that but she truly enjoys it. Oh and it’s very graphic with a lot of sex with quite a few different men. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that). Alvie is one seriously messed up chick in what turns out to be a bunch of seriously messed up people. She has a twin sister Beth who she lives in the shadow of. One day Beth invites her to stay with her in her house abroad and she asks her to swap lives with her for one night. So Alvie pretends to be Beth and Beth pretends to be Alvie. The next thing you know one of them ends up dead. I know right? And from there it just gets weirder and weirder. I don’t even know if I’m gonna read the next two books in the trilogy. I don’t really know if I could take it. I’ve read some crazy books this month and this is right up there with them.

Just reading a sample I know this novel will leave me uncomfortable. Alvina is an extremely dislikable character and expertly presented by the author to the reader as a villian. She's so repulsive you just want to read on in the same way as you watch docusoaps and are entertained by the horrid people, not the boring nice ones.

This is not an ideal gift for those romance readers in life but you never know it could become a very guilty pleasure. It's written in a very adult style and should carry a warning label likes an 18 film!

The plot is hypnotising as we wait to see what phychotic move Alvena will make next as she bounces from mad to bizarre reactions to situations. Her tweets about watching porn at work are the mildest acts.

Alvena is suspiciously schizophrenic and at times even she is not sure if she is herself or her much more loveable twin.

I cannot wait to read the next installment of insanity.

I received a free copy from net galley.com for my fair and honest review.

Beth has everything that Alvie ever wanted. As the book opens Alvie loses her job and Beth invites her to stay at her villa in Sicily. Alvie isn't really keen to go, but decides to anyway, particularly as not only does she lose her job but her flatmates kick her out as well.

It does appear that Beth doesn't live the charmed life that Alvie thinks she does. As they are identical twins Beth asks to swap places for a night. Alvie doesn't understand why her sister wishes to do this but Beth ends up getting killed.

Alvie then appears to get a taste for killing people and thus ensues more people getting murdered. It is a dark book but written in a light, slightly comical way.

I recently downloaded this book from netgalley and oh my goodness, what a fabulous book. The storyline kept me hooked right from the start, with superb writing, interesting characters and fantastic plot. This book is completely unputdownable and I would definitely recommend it,! I can't wait to start the next book in the trilogy.

I wasn't very keen on the book. It didn't hold my interest as much as I thought it would. The cover and blurb caught my eye, but the story just didn't do it for me.

Well, this book definitely lives up to its title!
When Alvie leaves her humdrum, dead end life to visit her "perfect" twin with her "perfect" life, you certainly end up on a mad trail of mayhem and destruction!
I loved it! I can't wait to follow Alvie in her new adventures in the sequel "Bad".

I would give Mad 3*** for a good start to a trilogy. Mad was not what I was expecting. The description drew me in initially “seven days to steal her sisters life”. Sibling rivalry at its worst. Totally disliked Alvina, who was mean. This was probably due to parenting and favourites. Beth is self centred and acts like she deserves everything, again due to parenting. The language and sex scenes were entirely believable and added weight to the plot. Finding out that Beth is not the sweet and innocent woman she is portrayed to be was a surprise. Mafia connections through ambrogio could have had more weight. Good start by the author and look forward to finding out more about Alvie.

The cover of Mad is stunning (the one with the Infinity Pool) and the description had me intrigued as soon as I read it so I was keen to get started.
This a perfect summer beach read, Chloe Esposito has created a gripping and fantastic story. I became lost in Alvie's life and the novel flowed at such a great pace that before I knew it I had reached the last page.
Mad is a thrilling story and an addictive read that will capture your attention and have you eager to get to find out more. Mad is the first book in a trilogy and I can’t wait to get started on the next book, Bad.

Oh my, I loved this novel. It had everything, sex, drugs, murder, you name it, it all happened.

The whole novel centres around Alvie, twin sister to Beth but less popular, less beautiful, less successful. She obviously had a huge chip on her shoulder, resented her mother’s indifference to her as they were growing up and the less she had to do with Beth the better, but what I loved about Alvie was that she was an opportunist and the loss of her job and a roof over her head sends her flying out to Siciliy and her sisters flash, expensive villa.

In normal novels, you might have expected a big reunion and much sisterly love and yes there is a hint, before absolute chaos ensues. Swapping their identities sets of a chain of events that are what I can only describe as total and utter madness.

I had to forget that what I was reading was based on any kind of reality and instead I immersed myself in a story that had me laughing, cringing and recoiling in horror at Alvie’s escapades

What I loved most was Alvie’s transformation from a down and out individual with no prospects to a self assured, gun toting, criminally minded person out for everything she could get and more. Her personality, and drive leapt from the page and if at first I didn’t like her, I was soon an admirer, gasping at her antics, her audacity and the ludicrousness of the situations she found herself in. If ever there was a character made for the big screen then Alvie was it!

Eposito’s narrative was fast and furious, the imagery just superb. I felt myself transported to the sweltering summer heat of Siciliy, the dark sultry nights just perfect for the odd bit of criminal activity.

The plot itself was full of twist and turns, one twist slightly more outlandish than the last, the pacing at times frenetic and tension filled. My page turning was equally as frenetic as the plot as I raced through the pages eager to discover just what Alvie would do next.

This isn’t a novel for the faint hearted, nor is it a novel steeped in reality. It is a novel that will transport you away from the everyday mundanity of life, hold you in its clutches, put your head in a fast spin before spitting you out unceremoniously at the end, leaving you wanting more of the character that is Alvie.

Thank goodness Esposito has written a sequel, Bad, and I am hoping that it will be even more outlandish and fabulous then Mad!!

Thank you to Katie Ashworth and Penguin for a copy of Mad to read and review and for inviting My Bookish Blogspot to participate in the blogtour.

About the author

Wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but the title is definitely correct. Alvina has a twin sister Beth. Life has been good to Beth she has a handsome husband a beautiful baby lives in a gorgeous villa and wants for nothing. Alvina shares a flat with a couple she calls the slobs has a job she hates and no money. The complete opposite of her sister. Out of the blue Beth buys a ticket for Alvina to go and visit her. Is this just a nice holiday or does Beth have other ideas. You need to read this book to find out about all the scraps Alvina gets into. One minute a would be poet and next a gun for hire. A fun read.

'Mad' the first book in the 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know' trilogy is a curious mix of bonkbuster and mystery. Alvie, the anti-heroine is an identical twin and in her words, the antithesis of her perfect sister, Beth.

Alvie's recollection of her childhood is that she was always second- best, regardless of whether this was the case, it damaged Alvie emotionally and destroyed the twins emotional connection.

Alvie's life is a mess, and she glorifies in it, projecting the bad girl, don't care persona that people expect of her, she lives to shock and usually manages it. When her life implodes, she decides to accept her estranged sister's invite to stay with her, to escape. A pawn in a dangerous game, she finds nothing is what it seems. Her life changes irreparably, but as usual, she embraces the horror rather than running from it.

Alvie is a complex character, who isn't easy to empathise. She is foul-mouthed, takes drugs, drinks to excess and steals anything she desires, including men. Despite losing her moral compass, she is vulnerable, often naive, desperate for someone to love her and a natural comedian.

The story's dark comedy will appeal to many, and all the characters vivacity and the settings' vivid description draw you into the story, following the breathless action. I can't wait to see what scrapes Alvie gets into next.

If you like you mysteries, set in paradise, with larger than life characters who exhibit all of the seven deadly sins, you'll enjoy this.

I received a copy of this book from Penguin UK -Michael Joseph via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

After reading some of the reviews I had a few mixed feelings about reading this book.
I really enjoyed it. I laughed out loud so much and although Albina ends up being a murderer, I kind of fell in love with her. She's not right in the head, but then I'd be the same with the upbringing she had.
Plenty of sex, drugs and murder. Can not wait for the next one.