In short, <i>Hairpin Curves</i> is an okay book. It involves two former friends going on a road trip to a wedding. It's an f/f romance. Unfortunately, it was not for me. There were some cute moments but I didn't swoon which is what I like to do when reading romance books.

When Megan and Scarlett are invited to a wedding in Quebec, Canada by the last part of their friendship trio, the two former friends decide to road trip their way to Canada. Megan wants to step out of her "beige" life and this is the opportunity she has been waiting for.

I liked the road trip through the United States. Megan and Scarlett went to some more hidden places but also my tourist places like New York City. I also liked Megan and Scarlett reconnecting as friends and later lovers. However, I, unfortunately, did not fully swoon throughout the book.

If you like road trips and f/f relationships, feel free to pick this book up. I really hope you will enjoy it more than I did :)

Megan and Scarlett where once best friends. When they went off to college several years ago, Scarlett stopped talking to Megan for no reason. Now at 25, Megan is working as a waitress at a diner in some town in Florida. She has never even been out of Florida, her slacker brother lives with her and she doesn't really know what her future holds. Scarlett works from home picking up data entry jobs. She has a roommate to help pay the rent but she doesn't really have much money to do anything. Scarlett and Megan both receive invitations to a wedding in Canada. Scarlett suggests they drive there and Megan has enough money to cover the cost and decides she wants to visit some places on her bucket list. So off they go driving to Canada from Florida.

Hairpin Curves was cute but wasn't totally my type of romance. Overall both characters were likable, but they were immature in many ways. Sure at 25 both characters should still have some growing to do and I think it was fine for this romance, but I just found a hard time relating to some things in this romance. If you like YA romances you probably will find this romance fine. I am by no means saying this was not a good book. It just wasn't my speed for most of the book and I do think that this book was overall cute. I did start to connect more with this romance towards the end because both Mains decided to talk more to each other and really understand some of the reasons they stopped talking in the past. By the end, I settled more into the romance and was happy with the ending.

I will rate this book 3.5 stars.

This arc was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

This was a great romance with a lot of my favorite tropes. One woman applying her love interest's lipstick >>>>>

Who doesn’t love a good road trip romance!?!?

Is there a better way for two characters to come together then through the tight confinement in a car and the shared experiences through the journey?

Megan and Scarlett were best friends in high school until Scarlett decides at the last minute not to go to the same college as Megan. With hurt feeling they drift apart until five years later when another mutual friend puts then into the position of needing each other again. Megan and Scarlett put their feelings aside and join forces for the ultimate road trip for their friends wedding.

I really enjoyed Elia Winters writing. This was the first work of her that I have read and I was swept away with the road trip excitement from the beginning. She created characters that had depth and she continued to dive deeper into them as the story progressed. The relationship between Megan and Scarlett developed and grow organically and I liked how it was taken one step at a time.

The road trip was just a fun to read about as the story progressed, overall this was acute story of friendship redeemed and love found.

As always, Carina Press delivers the happily ever after I crave! A cute read that I totally recommend!

Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters is scheduled to release July 28th, 2020.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin and the Harlequin Publicity Team. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#HairpinCurves #EliaWinters #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

Characterising the old enemies-to-lovers storyline, Hairpin Curves follows the story of Scarlett and Megan. Former best friends, and now no better than strangers, they embark on a road trip from Florida to Quebec for a mutual friend’s wedding. Barriers are crossed, walls are broken down, and the women find something that surprises even their own secret thoughts.

Road trip romance stories are always enjoyable, and this one is no exception. However I did find it a little difficult to connect with the characters and found the dialogue to be a little stilted. In saying that though, I couldn’t put it down and read it in one sitting.

Hairpin Curves is a fun, flirty romance that’s perfect for a cold, grey, winter’s afternoon.

Many thanks to Elia Winters, Harlequin- Carina Press, and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've said SO MANY TIMES this year that I want to read more romance, but I inevitably get drawn in by my go to choices of fantasy and sci fi instead, so when I got an invite to the Hairpin Curves tour and the blurb had plenty of things to intrigue me, I decided it was time to finally do some more of that romance reading!

Scarlett and Megan are ex-best friends who, thanks to a combination of reasons and possibly some poor judgement, decide to go on a road trip to another friend's wedding. That would be awkward enough, but Scarlett's long-buried feelings for Megan make things even more complicated.  As the two travel across the country and into Canada, they're forced into a mixture of fun adventures and uncomfortable conversations that keep the tension throughout the story without ever becoming too bleak. I don't think I've ever read a road trip story before, (unless maybe you count American Gods), but it made for a really fun and unusual perspective for the romance.  Winters has taken two people with a troubled past relationship, not-particularly-stellar communication skills and a whole tonne of sexual tension and stuck them in a car for a long period of time without any escape from each other. It's massively stressful - they've effectively moved in together temporarily - but at the same time it's like a really long first date too, with both women showing off their best features and their most irritating habits. I really liked seeing the places they visited, hearing about the reasons why they chose to visit each and particularly getting to see both women's points of view of each stop. At the moment, stuck at home with holidays cancelled etc, this was escapism at it's very best and exactly what I needed!

The two women are vastly different, but neither is a stereotype which I LOVED. As a bisexual woman I know this is a hot-button area for me and I was thrilled that there isn't a cliche bisexual-sex-obsessed-sleeps-with-everyone character. There's no sex shaming or judgement, and there are frank conversations about being adult women who are comfortable enough to admit they have sexual desires (or that they don't!) and that's okay, which is something I feel we don't see enough of, particularly in the LGBT+ stories I've read. This isn't a coming out story or a figuring out their sexuality story, it's a romance that happens to feature a F/F couple - there's a lot more to Megan and Scarlett, and to the story, than just the women's sexualities and who they're attracted to. Megan and Scarlett feel like real people, with contradictions and surprises, just like you'd expect, and seeing the way the two women see themselves as well as each other is great. Megan is the one who loves routine, who has returned to her home town, is organised and loves planning; Scarlett sees her as a bit anal and predictable, but Megan has plenty of surprises up her sleeve and shows that she can be the more adventurous of the two at times. Megan sees Scarlett as a bombshell who is always put together, while Scarlett sees herself as the one who can't handle it when things get rough - less of an adventurer and more of a flight-risk.  As time goes on on their road trip, they get to know each other better and gradually start to figure out who they've become in the years since they last spoke. Each woman also pushes the other, as great relationships do, forcing them to step outside their comfort zones and learn a little more about themselves.

Hairpin Curves was much steamier than I expected, but I loved that about it. I've said before that I don't read much romance, and some of the romances I have read fall into the trap of so-much-sex-and-so-detailed-you-don't-really-care-anymore. Obviously lots of the novels I read, although not romance, do still have a love story, but it's often in a hints-only-and-fade-to-black kind of way (particularly the LGBT+ novels I've read). Hairpin Curves doesn't fall into either of those traps: it's genuinely a romance and a love story and it also happens to have plenty of steamy, sexy scenes. I thought Winters did a brilliant job of balancing the romance and the sexiness, keeping things steamy without ever descending into porn without plot. You care about the characters, and so the sex isn't just hot, but it's heat you're invested in too. Yes, at times, Hairpin Curves is a bit predictable, but that in no way lessened my enjoyment of the story - I don't think many of us pick up a romance without expecting a few things to feature, and we'd be more disappointed if they didn't than if it was predictable because they did! I'd have liked it to be a little longer, because the ending felt a bit rushed and then wrapped up a little too neatly but all in all, a fun, enjoyable, sexy read. Just beware, this maybe isn't a title you want to read on a busy commute but instead should save for an evening (that might just be me though!).

Included as a top pick in bimonthly July New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached).

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really enjoyed this story, it was reminiscent of Thelma and Louise, only gay. I loved both Megan and Scarlett and felt privileged to accompany them on their physical and emotional journey.

I loved the idea of the book also. I think everyone would love to have a road trip like these girls. I was so happy that it wasn’t just a story about sex, which a lot of lesbian novels become. It was just a story of two women finding themselves and each other, like in the real world. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

5*****

Close to 4 stars, but I got a little annoyed with the characters early on. The reason? They are two 20 something year olds and they act like their whole adult lives have been a complete disappointment. I wanted to strangle them as a mother, and tell them that their lives have barely begun!

I did appreciate the theme of being scared to leave your hometown, which is something Megan is dealing with. I found that very relatable and thought the tone of her age came through very well.

Scarlett was a little of a conundrum. I wasn't really sure if she was interested in Megan or annoyed with her. The author would tell us she had/has a crush on her, but then she was constantly rolling her eyes at her (metaphorically mostly).

The road trip was where the book really shined, and was the reason I was contemplating a 4 star review. I thought how that series played out was very entertaining, but then they get to the wedding and it's a nothing burger. Nothing happens there, and I thought it would lead up to the climax. So, I was a bit confused with the structure.

Overall, I'd read another book from this author, but wouldn't re-read this one.

*I was gifted this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review*

Description:Megan feels stuck, she has been a waitress at the same diner for years and never managed to leave Florida despite dreams of traveling. Scarlet is unsatisfied with her mindless data entry job and another breakup. When an old high school friend invites them both to her wedding in Quebec it seems like fate, the only problem being the cost and the fact that Megan and Scarlet haven't been friends since their falling out in college. They decide to put aside their differences and road trip to the wedding. The wide stretches of open road rekindle past friendship and more.

My Review: This was very cute, if somewhat predictable romance. It was part enemies to lovers and part second chances, both romance tropes that I adore. The road trip really focused the plot and dialogue exclusively on the two leads, it was all about their character development and romance. This made the book focused which was nice but also fairly straightforward plot wise. But what it lacked in plot surprises it made up for in steaminess lol

I do love a good road-trip romance, and I've been a fan of Winters for a while so this was right up my alley from the beginning. Childhood friends who have fallen out of touch with each other due to misunderstandings and whatnot end up forced to drive to their mutual friend's wedding in Canada and rediscover their friendship — and more — along the way. This was a sweet, hot story and a great indication of the Carina Adores line, so I'm looking forward to whatever titles come next!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm a big fan of the roadtrip trope when it goes up in fanfic, but I've never actually read a roadtrip novel before. Weird, right? Also, a big mistake.

I really enjoyed Hairpin Curves and the journey Scarlett and Megan are on throughout. I mean, if you want to get technical, they're on two journeys, one of self-discovery and one from Florida to Québec. It plays around with another of my favourite tropes, a second-chance friendship/ friends-to-lovers relationship.

I really liked the two girls and the whole opposites-attract dynamic they have going on. They each had district personalities and their own quirks, neither felt like too much of a pre-fab character and both of the girls had little moments where they went against my expectations without going out of character.

The best bit about road-trip romances is getting to see lots of different locations and play around with all sorts of tropes. Hairpin Curves visits some well-known tourist spots (Time Square in NYC and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville) where the real novelty is seeing how the characters react to the sights, a well as some more off-the-grid spots that open up the plot for some great romantic moments.

Hairpin Curves is a fun contemporary romance which I really, really enjoyed. I liked the story, the writing, and the pacing. It has great characters, real chemistry and a lot of fun sights to experience along the way. I'd look out for more of Elia Winters romance books in the future.

I mean, who doesn't love a forced proximity road trip romance? Megan and Scarlett were friends in high school, but stopped talking right around college, and haven't really been in touch since. They are contacted by another friend who is getting married and wants them both to come to her wedding, and they reluctantly agree to roadtrip from Florida to Canada. When they are almost to the wedding there's a storm and they get stuck for a few nights in a cabin, and yes the sparks do fly!

Each of the women in this book brought baggage (no pun intended!) in the form of low self-confidence and doubts of being comfortable in who they are. It was sweet to watch how they validated each other, and the more comfortable they became, what other facets of their personalities came out.

At one point there was a little more angst than I typically care for, but I really enjoyed the epilogue - I love when you can see the couple at a later point in the future.

This book releases on July 28th, 2020 - would five this three and a half stars!

Hairpin Curves is a sexy and sweet road trip romance that’s impossible to resist. Childhood best friends who have fallen out but are making amends? Check. Secret crushes? Check. Layered characters? Check. Sizzling sexual tension? Check. A sex-positive romance that makes your heart sing? Check. Elia Winters hits all the right notes and more in this story. Every bit of Megan and Scarlett’s romance worked for me and it was a delight from beginning to end.

Megan is at a crossroads in her life at the beginning of this book. She’s been in almost a holding pattern for years and her life seems as unexciting as, well, her beige home. When Scarlett approaches her about doing a road trip to Québec for a friend’s wedding, Megan is uncertain. She and Scarlett had a falling out right before college and they haven’t spoken since. But somehow Scarlett convinces her and they start of on an adventure that leads to more than either could have imagined.

What I loved most about Hairpin Curves is the layers Megan and Scarlett have. Megan seems staid and boring on the surface and on some levels she is cautious, responsible, and extremely risk-averse. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t dream of more. I enjoyed seeing her hidden talents come out and I was even more entertained seeing her dirty side revealed. Megan is a realistic mix of seeming contradictions and I loved that about her. And Scarlett…oh, she tugged on my heartstrings at times. Scarlett is a bombshell who seems to have all the confidence in the world. She loves with her whole heart and isn’t afraid of that. But Scarlett is also vulnerable in many ways. She doubts herself, her intelligence, and there are moments when she broke my heart. I desperately wanted to see Scarlett and Megan fall in love and get their happily ever after because I liked these two interesting, complex women.

It isn’t easy for Megan to let go of the past and the hurt Scarlett caused her, but Scarlett is determined to repair their friendship. Their road trip from Florida to Québec is filled with fun stops and quiet, intimate moments. The stops they make along the way bring out new sides of them and I loved watching Scarlett and Megan let their walls down and fall for each other. The sexual tension that simmers is hot and when it boils over… Well, I wouldn’t expect Ms. Winters to deliver anything but deliciously erotic love scenes and she doesn’t disappoint.

In Hairpin Curves the road to happily ever after has a some detours in the form of old wounds, insecurities, and a lack of communication, but each of these is presented in a way that’s logical to the characters and their situation. I enjoyed watching Scarlett and Megan overcome these internal obstacles because their love story was worth the work. Ms. Winters had me hooked from beginning to end. Hairpin Curves made me smile and sigh throughout and the pitch-perfect ending charmed the heck out of me.

4.25⭐️.

Tropes: road trip; childhood friends to enemies to lovers; opposites attract

Q: what’s something you really need for a long car drive?

I can think of few social situations that would be more awkward than going on a road trip with someone you’ve had difficulty conversing with—especially if that person is your former best friend who dropped you like a hot potato.

So it’s against her better judgment that Megan agrees to drive from Florida to Quebec with her former BFF Scarlett. They haven’t spoken in years, since the aforementioned hot-potato-dropping. Since then, both women have been pretty stagnant in the job department & Megan’s realized that, like Scarlett, she’s bi. A fact which she hasn’t yet revealed to Scarlett.

The childhood friends to enemies to lovers dynamic in Hairpin Curves totally hooked me. I love how both women carp at each other & then remember the vulnerable things about their former BFFs that stop them from drawing real blood.

As they travel closer toward Quebec making small detours along the way, the ice starts thawing & the attraction they’ve both been secretly harboring is no longer deniable. That’s when the book gets 🥵.

Emotionally, Hairpin Curves satisfies as well. It’s funny but also moving, & I loved how the road trip turns into an opportunity for Megan & Scarlett to re-conceive what their lives could be like.

The only real place the book falls short for me is the ending, where the resolution feels a bit rushed. But all things considered, Hairpin Curves is a journey I definitely recommend taking (*wink).

Hairpin Curves is out on 07/28. Thanks to Harlequin Publishing and Netgalley for my complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

This is my first book from Elia winters, and I couldn't wait to read it because I wanted to see what would happen with the Carina Adores line.

After the premise, the main part of the story takes place over a week where Megan and Scarlett work out their issues from ex-friends to girlfriends. The road trip aspect was fun, and watching the characters navigate their emotional pitfalls in the contained space of the car was really good.

I appreciated that this is an FF story with leads who are bi or pan. As a reader, I need more stories with bi characters. Bring it on!

My only problems with this are some errors I found in the ARC copy. I do sincerely hope they aren't part of the officially released version that comes out later this month. The type of car they were driving changed from the beginning of the story to when they actually started their trip. That wasn't a true vehicle change, but a continuity error. There were a few other things that have popped up for me reading Carina ARCs that make me wonder about their editing quality control

All that said, though, this is a fun fluffy romance. Feel free to read this for a few hours diversion with a satisfying end.

Note: I received a review copy from Carina Press and NetGalley.

HAIRPIN CURVES is a cute ex-friends turned lovers road trip story. Megan's life is due for a change. She has been working for the same diner for years- a job she doesn't love and does not even pay well- and lives with her brother, who does not pay his share of the rent. She wishes she could travel, but she has never left the state of Florida. When the diner is closing, they give her a kind severance, and Megan begins to dream.

Then, when an old friend asks her and their other childhood best friend, Scarlett, to come to her wedding in Canada. Neither really thinks they can make it- until they decide to road trip it together. Scarlett and Megan had a huge falling out in the past, and now they avoid each other as much as possible- something that becomes impossible when stuck together in a car. As the trip commences, so does a new relationship forged between the two of them.

Overall, I think this had a great premise, and I loved the idea of second chances plus a road trip across the country. In practice, it was a little too slow for my tastes. The background information about what happened in their pasts was slow coming, and you get pretty far into the book before anything really comes out. I did really appreciate that they were bisexual, and the romance once it got going was great. However, I would have liked a bit of a faster pace on this one to really connect with the plot.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

What Happens On The Road Trip... Won't Stay On The Road Trip. This was a fun road trip tale featuring classic road trip items, much angst, some increasingly hot sexy times through much of the back half (ish) of the tale, and, since it *is* a romance, a HEA to close. I'm not quite as prolific in the FF romance ARC scene as MF or MM, but this largely follows the standard romance format no matter the particular sexualities. (Though in my experience, MM tends to have the most sex for some reason.) If you like romance at all, this is definetly a book to try out. If you like road trip tales at all, this is definetly a book to try out. If you're looking for a good summer read or even trapped inside (for whatever reason ;) ) read, this is absolutely a good book to try out. Very much recommended.

This book was exactly what I expected, a fluffy, sexy read about two women who used to be bestfriends falling in love on a roadtrip from Florida to Canada. I chose to read this book in particular because they are heading to Quebec City, which is where I am from, and I rarely see books about my city. Clearly the author has been here before or has done a lot of research about the East coast. The timing of the roadtrip made sense, unlike some other roadtrip books I've read in the past where it's unrealistic. It's a sastifying read for sure

For a book about a road trip, this is aptly named.

When Scarlett and Megan receive a wedding invite from a high school friend they start talking to each other for the first time in 7 years. Mega has never left Florida and with her recent severance cheque in hand, a wedding in Quebec seems like an opportunity to change this. Reluctantly both Megan and Scarlett set out on this adventure. They haven't spoken in 7 years because Scarlett left without so much as a word for a different college than the one they picked together. They try and be civil and not let any other feelings get in their way. But there is a certain something that pulls at them both. As they make their way across the country at the very least their friendship seems to be on the mend.

The premise of this story is rather nice, but the execution wasn't for me. Maybe it's the age of the characters and them behaving even younger, they are in their mid-twenties but behave like college students. There is so much talk about hormones acting up that you'd think they are pubescent at best. The redeeming factor of this book was the description of the road trip and the places they visited.