This was pretty much a typical romance book. Characters were formerly friends. POV alternates between love interests. Characters are thrust into an unusual situation where they are required to spent copious amounts of time together in small spaces. There are arguments, some soul searching, etc, etc. Readers looking for a LGBTQ option in this genre will be happy with the read.

I am a sucker for second chance romance with forced proximity. What I liked about this book was the car trip and how they rekindled and rebuilt their friendship. The part I found frustrating is the lack of communication between Megan and Scarlett. I loved how they made the road trip fun for each other and their adventures along the way. Thank you to @harlequinbooks and @netgalley for the ebook. ⁣

This was a very enjoyable read. I enjoyed the road trip aspect of this story, as Megan and Scarlett travel to Quebec to attend their childhood friend's wedding. I liked the second-chance friendship/romance aspect as well. Both women played a role in this dissolution of their friendship, but once they decide to take take this road trip together you could see how well they work together. Scarlett pushes Megan to stand up for herself. Megan reminds Scarlett that having test anxiety and needing a 504 plan does not make her less intelligent than others. I liked the development of their relationship as well. The ending felt a bit rushed, especially since Megan was so resistant to commit to a relationship. However, I appreciated how quick and enjoyable this read was.

Hairpin Curves has the summer road trips vibes I'm desperate for, despite taking place in February. Road trips are usually times for intense conversations and adventures and that's exactly what's happening in this book with two women who have been estranged for years. Megan is uptight and maybe a little judgmental. Suddenly flush with cash after receiving a generous severance package, motivated by Julia's plea to attend her wedding, and Scarlett (her ex-best friend) convincing her to take a road trip to Quebec for the wedding, Megan's life is in an upheaval. For her part, Scarlett is also a little lost, not having managed to achieve her dreams and pretty convinced she can't do so.

The road trip is also the perfect opportunity for them to rebuild their friendship. Maybe. But Megan's still a little mad and the two of them are pretty defensive for quite a ways into the book. The opening lines of "mad woman" kept coming to mind reading this book for a while: What did you think I'd say to that? Does a scorpion sting when fighting back? They strike to kill, and you know I will

Honestly, that's the main thing that caused me to dock the book a star, but I think that's really just a personal thing. It's fairly low angst overall, but the mutual pining without necessarily recognizing their own feelings was a whole mood throughout this book and I liked how Winters showed that. This was my first book from Winters, but is definitely not going to be my last. Other things I really liked were how the only one bed trope was handled and getting to see Nashville on the road trip. Nashville is one of my absolute favorite cities and I'm always happy for a glimpse of it. Overall, I really liked this one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. I am providing a voluntary review, and all thoughts and views are my own.

I’ve been meaning to read something by Elia Winters for a while now, so when I was offered the chance to participate in the blog tour for her latest release Hairpin Curves, you can bet your booty I was all over that. And after finishing, I was left wondering why I hadn’t succumbed to this brilliant author’s words before now.

Megan and Scarlett’s story is a friends-to-quasi-enemies-back-to-friends romance with a road trip and forced proximity and just all the delicious tropes as far as the eye can see! I am here for tropes, as long as they’re approached with a careful hand and a touch of something fresh. All of that and more can be said about Ms. Winters and this delightful trope-tastic tale.

She also does a wonderful job of handling bisexuality in both characters. As a pansexual, I often find myself frustrated by the way characters who are attracted to more than a single binary gender are portrayed in romance. Sometimes it’s just a convenient plot point. Other times it’s a mostly unrealistic revelation tied to dramatic moments and fails to be handled with respect and honesty. Sometimes it’s used as a weapon, where love interests refuse to believe their potential partner who is attracted to more-than-one-gender could possibly be happy with only them. Because, after all, bi- and pansexuality automatically means a person can only be happy in a polyamorous situation or else they’ll be prone to cheating. <<insert biggest frustrated eye roll ever>> That all being said, this is not how Ms. Winters portrays either of her bisexual characters, and to that, I cheers her!

This story kept me engaged and turning the page. I believed in their romance, and I wanted them to find their much deserved HEA. My pom-poms were out from very early on, and when they came back together after the black moment, I let out an audible squeal. Those kinds of reads are the best. The kind you can sink into, wrap up your emotions into, and when it all comes out the other side rainbows and roses, heave a great sigh of readerly relief and contentment.

I’d recommend this story as an excellent one for readers interested in diving into lesbian romance for the first time, because I think it is handled so very well. It would be the perfect springboard to show readers who might be unsure of the genre just how beautiful it can be!

*2.5 stars*

Hairpin Curves was a nice romance, but the characters felt a bit young and the story was too slow for my taste.

I'm always looking for killer lesbian romances, but this one just missed the mark. Plus, I keep reading road-trip stories but I don't know if they are for me. There is something about the long, drawn-out trip that makes the pacing difficult to get right.

Hairpin Curves is an ex-friends-to-lovers story, which always appeals to me. There is a lot of history between the two MCs, but, oddly, they didn't seem to know each other that well. There were some definite communication missteps in their past, and I found it odd that ex-best friends had so much unknown about each other.

I related hard to one of the MC's struggles with her 504 accommodations in college as my children have learning disabilities. It made me want to reach out an advocate for her. There was also a lot to like in the quiet moments of the story, and I enjoyed the unexpected amount of heat.

What the story lacked for me was in the need to read it factor. It took me over a week to finish this story and that's with forcing myself to continue. It all felt kind of boring to me, which isn't what I want in my romances. I also feel like the MCs were too juvenile for their age. I would have preferred them to be high school graduates and make the story YA as I was frustrated reading parts of the story.

While I'm sure this will please contemporary romance lovers who like a slower-paced story, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Who isn't a sucker for a road trip romance?

Hairpin Curves features Megan and Scarlett and not many more characters, as a fair amount of the book is spent in the car with the two of them. They're former best friends, embarking on DAYS of forced proximity.

I really liked the way the author created tension without angst -- overall, this was a really happy book. There's conflict, but no emotionally heavy issues for the reader to endure.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the author's sentence structure -- something about it just didn't quite work for me. So it's a real testament to the story and the characters that I still tore through this book, and enjoyed it.

Hairpin Curves is a bit of a slow burn (consider yourself warned) but does feature open-door sex scenes.


Note:
Reviews posted to instagram (@Christine_QueenOfBooks) and Goodreads (both linked here).
Run date: July 28, 2020

I really enjoyed this! Though I’m not particularly surprised, as I tend to like Winters’ writing. This is such a beautiful story of these two friends reconnecting after several years and slowly realizing that they want to be more than friends. It was rather melancholy and sad, as both Scarlett and Megan are unhappy with their lives and spend a lot of time discussing what went wrong with their friendship, so definitely don’t pick this up expecting a lighthearted romp. But it was such a lovely story, and I enjoyed it so much. It was also fun for me to see them stop in New York (yes, New Yorkers absolutely avoid Times Square), and I can’t tell you how much I love the fact that they got snowed in together with just one bed. One of the best tropes!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Sweet WLW friends-to-enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance featuring a road trip to a wedding? Count me in!

This book had me sucked in from the beginning. The two protagonists are interesting, dynamic, and just enough is revealed to make you want to read and find out more. Megan and Scarlett were childhood best friends who had a falling out just after high school and years later, they're both invited to a wedding. They end up driving together from Florida to Quebec, confronting their history and what drove them apart, as well as their growing attraction and feelings for each other. It has nearly every romance trope that I love: Enemies to lovers, road trip attraction, snowed in together, there-is-only-one-bed-at-the-hotel, everyone thinks we're together, and more :)

Elia Winters' writing is engaging, funny, and the steamy scenes are VERY hot. All in all, it is a book I definitely recommend! The only thing that took off one star for me was that all of the secondary characters seemed flat to me, which is fine in romance, but it's my threshold between a 4 and 5 star romance. Truly a great book and I'm excited to read more from this author!

Elia Winters is a new to me author, but yet another of those delightful people I follow on Twitter. I heard good things about Hairpin Curves before seeing it on NetGalley. It was a fun road trip romance read. I received this as an arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Megan and Scarlett were friends as teens, but that ended when Scarlett ghosted Megan after they made plans to be college roommates. When another childhood friend invites them to her wedding in Canada, the two agree to road trip together from Florida to Quebec and back. Megan has never traveled but she has made a scrapbook of the places she wants to go. Scarlett would like to be friends again, and hopes a road trip will allow them to rebuild their relationship. Megan isn’t sure she can forgive the way Scarlett abandoned her,. Her life is at a turning point and she hopes a road trip, even one with Scarlett, will help her find some clarity about what’s next.

I particularly enjoyed the road trip aspect to the story. I lived in the mid-Atlantic for a couple of decades and have driven a lot of the roads Megan and Scarlett take. I actually got google maps out and plotted the course as they drove. I particularly appreciated the late winter timing of the road trip. At any other time of year there would have been a lot of sitting in traffic. I miss living out there, and I miss being able to take long car trips.

I thought Winters did a great job with the tension between Megan and Scarlett, the desire to reconnect and the wariness about being hurt again. The slow build of trust and the gradual acknowledgement of desire really worked. There are multiple layers of pining before Scarlett and Megan get their happily ever after. It’s a lovely soft read.

Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters


Megan and Scarlett were friends growing up, but they’ve been estranged for a few years. Now they’ve been invited to a wedding in Quebec; money is tight, so they’re going to drive there.

From Florida.

In February.

Along the way, they stop at all sorts of landmarks while reconciling their friendship and finally discussing the issues that drove them apart. All that time together makes it hard for them to ignore the crushes they’re both harboring.

Let me tell you, friends—this book has it all: only one bed, snowed in, friends to lovers—plus, throw in a fun road trip, and this book was simply delightful.

The romance was definitely a slow burn, and even when things became physical, it was more a case of them doing the same thing at the same time, but only with each other in the same room, not to each other. Regardless, it heightened the tension a million degrees, and only made me want them to get together even more.

The road trip was fun, especially since they didn’t plan ahead, and this meant that they occasionally ended up in somewhat random lodgings. But they almost always had a good time, and that’s what makes road trips fun.

Because so much of the plot focused on driving to Quebec, there wasn’t a lot of room for secondary characters, but I never felt as though the book was lacking because Megan and Scarlett only had each other to talk to; on the contrary, it allowed more time for them to really get to know each other after a few years apart.

I would recommend Hairpin Curves. This book was sweet and fun, with minimal conflict/angst and maximum unresolved sexual tension. Also, since current conditions have made road trips virtually impossible (not to mention the closure of the Canadian border), being able to read about a road trip provided a nice escape from reality. I’m looking forward to reading more from Winter in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Carina Press/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars. Estranged friends to lovers.

Megan and Scarlett were best friend right up until college, when they had a falling out. Now their mutual HS friend is getting married in Quebec (far from Florida, where they live), in February. Circumstances conspire and they end up road tripping together.

A sweet story about facing the past, living in the present, and making new choices for the future. The road trip was fun and gave the characters time to show care for each other in various ways. The forced proximity made them confront their issues and deal with what was holding them back. And of course they get stuck in a cabin during a snow storm and things get heated....

It's a lovely story, I enjoyed it, but it didn't make a very strong impression on me. No particular criticisms, just didn't resonate strongly for me personally.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Megan and Scarlett used to be great friends, now? Not so much. Megan felt left behind as Scarlett moved from Florida for college and life. When Juliet invites them to her wedding in Quebec, they reluctantly agree to road trip their way from Florida to Quebec.

Megan packs her scrap book and polaroid camera, hesitantly ready to see what she’s been missing out on. Even with ground rules, Scarlett manages to surprise Megan with her thoughtfulness in planning stops that Megan might enjoy.

I liked that we eventually got to find out what split Megan and Scarlett apart and upon learning those reasons, they were able to address it and move forward in their budding relationship. They both complimented and challenged each other. Their chemistry and attraction to each other grew with each stop they made and I loved it.

Their romance was a slow burn that grew in intensity. There were a few moments that had me fanning myself lol. I was a little surprised by the boldness of Scarlett at first, but then I can’t see Scarlett being any other way but bold, even in the bedroom.

I again had such a great time in this love story. But besides the love story, I really enjoyed myself as the characters explored and evolved as the story goes ahead. You get to know the characters well as there is depth in them and they are more than just lesbian girls. At some places though I couldn't make out who is speaking maybe because it was an uncorrected version of the book. If you want to enjoy steamy romance and in depth characters this book is for you.

This is an adorable slow burn to explosive ex friends to lovers romance. Megan and Scarlett were easy to love characters and I enjoyed seeing them figure out their feelings toward each other. Both Scarlett and Megan have reached a crossroads in their lives and they are being confronted with the choice of reaching for more and better for themselves versus just settling for what they usually do. I really appreciate that Winters chose to have her characters be on the latter side of their 20’s because it was refreshing to read about “older” characters trying to figure out what they want out of life. It is a nice reminder that you don’t need to know want you want out of life coming out of high school or college. Another aspect of this book that I really admired was how sex positive it is. We deserve more romance books that show women having more control and normalizing the “kinkier” side of things. Obviously, the road trip part of this book was so fun and I loved all the adventures they went on. Each stop led to them stripping away their walls and I was swooning watching them get closer and closer. And the ending did not disappoint and had me melting.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love this book! It's a cute enemies-to-lovers book, and it's a quick and easy read.

this was a breath of fresh air, i flew through it

i really enjoyed the pacing - i don't usually read road trip stories

a list of things that hit very close to home at certain points:
not being able to leave your hometown
the best friend resentment
feelings of incompetence
the childhood crush on your best friend
being at a crossroad and the confusion of the future

the most unrealistic thing about this book is that they spent so much time road tripping together and they didn't want to kill each other two days into it - they fell in love instead

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing my review copy

This book was all sorts of adorableness, fun, emotional, real, and hot hot Hot!!! For about the first 60% of the book I was thinking this was a solid four star read. I was really enjoying it, but then that last 40% came. And boy oh boy, did it come. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️😂🤣 (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

The emotions in this story were so real that I was totally invested in the girl’s and their drama. And their sex scenes were some of the hottest I’ve ever read, and that is definitely saying something! Phew, I mean really, very explicit and sexy.

Sorry, I’m getting distracted here. This was just such a great read and it also had me laughing too. I adored following along on this eye opening road trip and I also love how the focus was not on their sexual orientation. They are who they are and that was that. They talked about it and accepted each other and that was all. Awesomeness!!!

I want to read more books just like this one, but that’s probably not very realistic because I’d never get anything done!!! Now excuse me while I go stalk (jk, sort of lol!!) the author and see what she’s coming up with next... Oh, but before I forget, if you love romance, road trips, or books about besties, you’ve gotta pick this one up!!!! Like right now. Go.

Thanks you so so very much to NetGalley and Carina Press for proving it me with a copy of this book for my honest and unbiased opinion!!!

(Will post to Amazon when it is released)

3.50 Stars. This was a sweet romance with a surprising amount of heat. I’m not the biggest fan of second-chance romances, I prefer seeing the first ever meeting between the two mains, but I do really like enemies to lovers and I love a good road trip story. Two out of three was plenty for me to read this book and I’m glad I did because I liked this one.

I did not expect this to have a NA feel with the characters in their 20’s. I usually have trouble with characters in their early to mid-20’s because they seem immature and sometimes hard to connect with. I actually find YA easier to connect with, go figure. Anyway, while I did find the mains to feel a bit immature here, they were much better than I expected. The few immature issues didn’t bother me much and I found myself mostly just hoping for a HEA. I did find the characters hard to connect with in the beginning, but once the road trip starts, they open up and become much more likeable.

I ended up enjoying the romance more than I expected. The characters are stuck in a car together so you can’t have that big angst that causes a separation. The angst here was much more push-pull and because it wasn’t so heavy, it gave this romance a sweeter feel. What surprised me was the heat level of the intimate scenes. A sweeter romance with some spice, is something you don’t always see together in books. I’m happy to say it worked and I actually liked this book better because of the added heat. Plus, it was also a good mix of intimate scenes so it kept things fresh which is always appreciated.

I received an early copy of this book to review so there were a couple issues that need to be fixed. This is common in ARC’s so this didn’t affect my rating and I expect this book to be all perfect by the time it releases. The reason I’m bringing this up is that I could have used a few more dialogue tags in this story. I don’t know if they have enough time to add any but there were a few times I had no idea who was speaking. There is a lot of quick back and forth conversations so more dialogue tags would have made the flow of the book even better for me.

If you are looking for a sweet road trip romance, with a surprising amount of steam, this book is for you. I’m glad I enjoyed this NA read more than I expected to. I would read Winters again.

New to me author, Ms. Winters brings to life a very realistic nightmare. What happens when your hopes and dreams are placed on hold and you end up still working your waitressing job from your high school years? All that money and time spent on a college degree with loans to payback, and what is there to show for it? A waitressing job in a diner that is going under. This is a kind of scary hell that I would never want to experience. Unfortunately for Megan, she been stuck in a rut since she left college. All her hopes and dreams to travel and do great things never materialized. Luckily for her, she gets a kick start to try again.

The first part of this book is filled with dread for me because of the monotony Megan suffers through. Learning about how she ended up staying at the diner and how she lost contact with her best friend Scarlett made the story even sadder. Scarlett's reason for pulling out from going to college with Megan was easily anticipated. There are very few surprises in this storyline. What makes the story good is Megan's journey of self-discovery. Her chance to regain a friendship and start a new chapter in her life is so good to witness.

The second part of the story where Megan start to emerge from her prison of a hamster wheel life, this is where Megan comes to life. Learning about Megan's desire to travel and see places helps paint a picture of her dreams. Scarlett's interactions with Megan as they rekindle their friendship is beautiful to watch. All is not easily forgiven, instead, Scarlett has to work to get Megan to trust her again. I liked how the romance developed.

With the last part of the story, Megan and Scarlett finally examine their lives and how they want to move forward. It's interesting to see how Ms. Winters creates the plausible conflicts and how the two work through to a solution. For those looking for some ff action, the sexy times between Megan and Scarlett are sweet vanilla sex. Their explorations of each other and dispelling of misconceptions they had of each other at times are erotic and humourous. Specifically, Scarlett thought Megan was a bit more innocent. And who knew a sexually experienced Scarlett would blush red at thought of going to a sex store. These little nuances Ms. Winters adds to the developing romance makes it more realistic. This contemporary romance is recommended to ff readers who enjoy a second chance friends to lover romance theme.