Okay, Taylor Adams knows how to grab your attention quickly and then take you on the craziest ride.

Hairpin bride was action packed and compulsively readable. I had to know everything and it was impossible to put it down for long, though I do think No Exit was more gripping and stressful, but I loved No Exit so much so it’s hard to top.

I loved how the story unfolded, alternating between the present situation, Camrys story and Lenas blog. Camrys chapters were STRESSFUL and my favorite, naturally.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend to anyone who loved No Exit or who loves gritty and action packed thrillers.

This book is intense! It is hard to explain without giving away most of the book, so I will say that the book takes place over a few hours and has very minimal characters. At times some of the story seemed unrealistic, and based on the timeline probably couldn't have happened in the amount of time the story takes place. There were also a few plot holes that I noticed, but nothing major.

Good for you if you like DARK thrillers with many triggering events (murder; death/murder of a child)

3.5 rounded up

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy to review!

Yeah, yeah, I know! Before you comment on the lack of stars in my galaxy, just let me say that this was always most likely going to be a “it’s-not-you-it’s-me” type of read for me, considering I am one of the few readers on here who wasn’t overly enamoured by NO EXIT.

I remember a biking holiday on a small Indonesian island a few years ago, where the road was so full of potholes that even going at 10km/hr felt like risking life and limb. We took it as a challenge, but it just wasn’t all that enjoyable. How is this relevant, you ask? Well, I felt a little bit like this here, dodging the plotholes, expecting yet another farfetched twist or stereotype to hit me every time I rounded the corner.

HAIRPIN BRIDGE is a story which played out over a few hours, starring only three (almost four – or five, if you count the reptilian kind) characters and one single setting. To fill 320 odd pages with a very minimalist cast was never going to be an easy feat. Not only would the characters have to be very complex and enigmatic to pull the reader in, but they also had to have a multi layered and intriguing backstory. That was a lot of pressure on our main protagonist Lena Nguyen, a young woman investigating the apparent suicide of her estranged twin sister Cambry. Basically, the whole book revolves around Lena’s meeting with the police officer who found her sister’s body, and her multiple theories of what could have happened to Cambry in the days and hours leading up to her death. I give bonus points to the inclusion of blog entries, in which Lena shares her findings and theories with her followers. The rest is one epically long stand-off between Lena and two other characters, which I shall not name because this is the only mystery element you are going to get here!

My personal views are that if you have a slightly built female who will turn action hero, sharp shooter and indestructible bionic powerwoman, she needs to have a) a plausible history of what made her this way; b) very powerful motivation; and c) some sort of genetic mutation that makes her immune to assaults on her body that would incapacitate, maim or kill the rest of us mere mortals. Google “action movie tropes” and you will find most of them in the scenes on the bridge (bonus points for the snake, though!). Some stereotypes were so crass that I am surprised no other readers commented on them (the small Asian “girl” turned ninja vs the big ugly brutish badies – pleaaaaseeee! *eye-roll*).

Okay, let’s just cut a long rant short by saying that this book was never going to be a good choice for me. If it had not been a buddy read, I would have DNF’d very early on and moved on with my life. As it was, I did a lot of sighing and eye rolling and wishing that I was enjoying it as much as the other readers in the group. However, if you love action movies, car chases, an indestructible badass female lead and badies who are almost caricatures, and aren’t put off by lots of graphic violence and stereotypes, then you will probably love this book (I must admit that the first car chase did ratchet up the tension because who doesn’t love a good car chase?). I can see that for most readers attracted to the premise of the story and those able to suspend disbelief, this will be a fast, entertaining and adrenaline fuelled read. Best go and judge for yourself.

This was intense! Totally action packed and had me at the edge of my seat with clammy hands! A twin is trying to find out the truth about her sisters suicide that she suspects was murder. The single setting and less than a hand full of characters makes you feel completely immersed in this fast paced book. If you enjoyed No Exit then you will love Hairpin Bridge. So much fun.

🌉Book Review🌉
*
Summary: Three months ago, Lena Nguyen’s estranged twin sister, Cambry, drove to a remote bridge sixty miles outside of Missoula, Montana, and jumped two hundred feet to her death. At least, that is the official police version.

But Lena isn’t buying it.

Now she’s come to that very bridge, driving her dead twin’s car and armed with a cassette recorder, determined to find out what really happened by interviewing the highway patrolman who allegedly discovered her sister’s body. Both the officer and Lena have ulterior motives for meeting...
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
*
My thoughts: this one was a bummer for me. No exit was one of my favorite thrillers last year, so I was ecstatic to receive an early arc of this book! The characters were meh and the cause of the twins death and what actually happened were revealed way to early. There was no real mystery or thriller in this one. Just overall really disappointing, but I did finish it .

Another stay up late because I can't bear to put it down book from this author!

Following one twin's search for answers to the other's apparent suicide and set over a 3 hour period I was gripped from the start.

My anxiety for the main character was reminiscent of how I felt reading No Exit and I loved it!

Can't wait to read more from this author.

The blurbs all said this was the 'must read book of the summer' and as I read, I couldn't help but think - - seriously?! The first half of the book seemed so slow and it was hard to distinguish whether things really happened - or were they Lena's imagination. The action picked up the last half of the book but = for me - it was SO over-the-top and unrealistic, I was still thinking - seriously?

I couldn't wait for this book to be over. Not that I was so eager to finally learn the truth of what happened, but just that it would be OVER! Still, I'll give it 2 stars because I see potential for the author and the book did keep me reading to the end (granted, it was a struggle, but I try to never leave a book unfinished).

Lena has set out to find the truth behind her sister's death. There's only 1 person who can give her the answers she needs and he's agreed to meet with her. He underestimates Lena and she holds certain beliefs about him. There's no way both are walking away with what they want.

Hairpin Bridge is a dark thriller and I definitely enjoyed this book. It was a little slow/repetitive but I think it worked for the story. A solid thriller.

A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy. I was so looking forward to reading this book and I wasn't disappointed.

Maybe this was my own fault for going into this book with REALLY high expectations after loving No Exit, but this was a complete dud for me. Nothing happened throughout the entire book until the last 80% and the same questions were being asked over and over! I am not writing this author off though because I know the potential is there and I do like his writing. I was just wanting so much more from this one. If you are just getting into the thriller genre you may like this one. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early reader's copy and all opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review (which is only four days late... eek)

"Hairpin Bridge" follows Lena Nguyen on her quest to discover what really happened when her sister, Cambry, died. Cambry's death was ruled a suicide, as it seemed clear that she jumped from Hairpin Bridge to her death, but Lena doesn't think things add up. Lena drives herself to meet with Officer Raycevik, the officer who supposedly discovered Cambry's body, and things quickly get intense from there.

I was pretty excited for this book, knowing that Taylor Adam's previous novel, "No Exit," left my heart racing at every turn. I was slightly disappointed in the first half of the book (which is probably my fault for having expectations it would be so similar to "No Exit.") I was confused by some of the plot and not knowing what was real and what might have been Lena's guess to what occurred. I actually thought, by the end of the book, that having Lena's blog post and book written into the story was brilliant and important, but in the beginning of the story, it was quite confusing for me (maybe intentional?) Either way, it affected my reading experience.

My favorite part was the last 50% or so, where the action and intensity really picked up. Not only did we start to get concrete answers as to what occurred with Cambry's death, but we also started to get some of the heart-stopping intensity that I loved from "No Exit."

To me, this book was not as enjoyable as I anticipated, but I still enjoyed it. Adams seems to have some really great, clever ideas for plotlines and twists, and I'm looking forward to reading more from him in the future.

This was an action-packed thriller that I couldn’t stop reading.

Lena and Cambry are twin sisters. Three months ago, Cambry jumped off Hairpin Bridge in a remote area in Montana; at least that’s what the police reports say.

Lena doesn’t believe her sister committed suicide, and she’s determined to find out what really happened. Alone, Lena goes to the remote bridge and speaks with the police officer that found Cambry’s body. Lena doesn’t buy the cop’s story because something just doesn’t add up. She’s determined to find the truth, but will the truth put Lena in danger? Will she make it out of the remote town alive, or will she be found dead just like her sister?

Ok so this thriller checks all the boxes for me - it's fast paced, full of suspense, surprises and action. However, it’s almost too action packed (if that make sense), there is too much going on and it’s unbelievable/unrealistic. There are a lot of times I had to stop reading and thought “come on, really?!” Despite those issues I was intrigued and couldn’t put it down.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I may be in the minority here but I had a hard time following the storyline while reading Hairpin Bridge. I found it confusing and somewhat disjointed. It seemed to be a bit repetitive and many things happening that were just not believable.
Hairpin Bridge grabbed my attention in the beginning but not so much as I read on.
Like I mentioned already, maybe it was just me not being able to get into this story.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

A page-turning, edge of your seat, heart pounding thriller that has so many twists and turns you won't know what to belive.

This is my first book by Taylor Adam's and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. An intense, riveting, action packed thriller that's mind blowing, as the story unfolds.

I have read and loved a couple of Taylor’s books. I read the synopsis of ‘Hairpin Bridge’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of book I have come to expect from Taylor- a gripping, page turner with lots of twists and turns along the way. So without further ado, I grabbed a copy and settled down for an interesting afternoon of reading. Overall I did enjoy reading ‘Hairpin Bridge’ but more about that in a bit.
I have to be honest and say that it took me a while to get into this book but once I got into the story that was it and I was away. This wasn’t a book that I could read in the space of a single day but I did manage to finish reading it in about three days. I would become so wrapped up in the story that I would lose all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the book. I found ‘Hairpin Bridge’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and it also kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Hairpin Bridge’ is well written but then the same is true of Taylor’s books in general. He certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and entice them into the story. ‘Hairpin Bridge’ starts with a bang and the story is more of a slow burn type of book, in that the action slowly builds over time before leading to a tense and dramatic conclusion. Reading this book felt like being on an at times scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with many twists and turns along the way.
In short and overall I did enjoy reading ‘Hairpin Bridge’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Taylor’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

I don't read many thrillers these days due to the sheer amount of same-ness in the genre, so when I do pick one up, my expectations are considerably high. My book club chose this one and I have to say, I was excited by the subtitle ("The most gripping suspense thriller you'll ever read"). However, this one required so much suspension of disbelief, I might as well have been on another planet. I rarely dislike everything about a book but I'm sad to say that this was unfortunately one of those times.

Going back to suspension of disbelief, this one was as far-fetched as you can possibly go and took away all possible enjoyment as all I could think was that this could never logically happen. I didn't like or connect to a single character and didn't care at all what happened to them which certainly detached me from the story. The pace was all over the place, quite fast at the start and then so slow in parts two and three to a point where I really wanted to give up. I continually rolled my eyes at the character descriptions of big muscly man vs small-boned Vietnamese doll... like really? There were too many parts where the author purposefully withheld information for the sake of creating tension which is frustrating for the reader, especially when they've already worked it out and are just awaiting confirmation (which also loses any shock element). The plot was weak and the whole motive just didn't work for me. I felt that there needed to be more movement, rather than keeping everything in one isolated spot. The gun showdowns were lengthy and skippable and quite honestly, I just really wanted it to finish so I could move on.

I think this might be okay for new-to-the-genre readers but for those that have read a fair amount of thrillers, I wouldn't say there's much to really take you by surprise or keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thrillers are not my go-to genre but I do like to read them from time to time. One that I really enjoyed last year was No Exit by Taylor Adams so I was excited to read the author's latest book, Hairpin Bridge.

Lena Nguyen is devastated after her estranged twin sister, Cambry, is found dead at the bottom of Hairpin Bridge. The official report is that she committed suicide, but Lena is suspicious and doesn’t believe it. She decides to meet the officer who found her body, at the place where her sister supposedly jumped to her death.

The pace of Hairpin Bridge is similar to No Exit. I could have easily read this in one sitting if I’d had the time. I sometimes had a hard time following the events; Lena is trying to rewrite Cambry’s story and I was never sure what had really happened and what she was imagining. I also found it a bit repetitive, with too many car chases and shoot-outs for my taste.

I was however really impressed with how the story wrapped up and I liked the ending.

Thank you to @netgalley and @joffebooks for the digital advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Please Forgive Me. I couldn’t live with it. Hopefully you can Officer Raycevic”

3 months ago Lena Ngyuen’s twin Cambry drove to an abandoned bridge in Montana and jumped to her death. Or at least so the police say.

Lena doesn’t believe them. Her sister would NEVER do that. Something isn’t right. Now Lena is going to find answers by traveling to the exact bridge her sister “jumped off of” 3 months earlier. The officer who found her sister, Corporal Raymond Raycevic has agreed to meet her there to go over what happened that day. Only his story isn’t make sense. When Lena finds out he pulled her sister over an hour before her death and that she tried to call 911 16x while dealing with him, Lena gets suspicious.

The most horrifying detail of all, he’s mentioned in her short suicide text. Lena will do anything to figure out what happened to her sister and she is prepared to fight for the answers she deserves.

What happened to Cambry that night? What is Corporal Raycevic not telling her? Did Cambry really throw herself off that bridge? Find out in Hairpin Bridge, comes out in June 2021.

AHH this was SO good!! I couldn’t put it down! It had my attention from the beginning.

Lena Nguyen does not believe her twin, Cambry killed herself by jumping off Hairpin Bridge, better known as Suicide Bridge. Several unusual fact about the case lead her confront the police officer that pulled Cambry over one hour before her death, Ray Raycevic. Lena convinces Ray to take her to the scene, then plans to pry out and record his confession. As she listens to the truth, can she handle it? Is it always better to know the truth, even if it hurts those left behind?

Hairpin Bridge is one twisty, freaky, hair-raising, skin tingling, thrill ride I enjoyed and could not put down. Just when you think the whole truth has been revealed, Lena or Ray discloses another curve ball you weren’t expecting. Excellent suspense!

HAIRPIN BRIDGE
Taylor Adams
William Morrow
ISBN-13: 978-0063065444
Hardcover
Thriller

I became a fan for life of Taylor Adams after reading 2019’s NO EXIT. That book had me from the jump. It wasn’t only because I do all my travel by driving, and have seen a lot of strange things at highway rest stops, as does the protagonist in that worthy novel. No. The plotting, the pacing, and the characterizations are what won me over. I accordingly was expecting a lot from Adams and HAIRPIN BRIDGE, his new novel. I got all of it and more.

The present time of HAIRPIN BRIDGE takes place over a very long and very tense few hours sixty miles from Missoula, Montana, by the Hairpin Bridge of the title, near a major fire which is a backdrop for an encounter that is up close and personal. The protagonist is a young woman named Lena Nguyen who has driven several hours to this middle-of-nowhere location to meet Corporal Raymond Raycevic, a Montana Highway patrolman. It was Raycevic who notified Lena and her family of the death of Cambry, Lena’s twin sister, three months before. Raycevic reported Cambry’s death as an apparent suicide as the result of her jumping from Hairpin Bridge. Lena has driven several hours --- in Cambry’s automobile, no less, perfectly preserved in the condition it was in on the day of her death --- to meet with Raycevic. The reason is generally simple and specifically complex. Lena believes that Raycevic is lying to her. It is clear almost before the festivities even begin that Lena is placing herself in terrible danger if she is right and possibly if she is wrong as well. Adams is in no particular hurry to let the reader in on what is going on from either Lena’s point of view or Raycevic’s, but we learn quite a bit about Lena and Cambry, who, it develops, had been estranged for several years, with only minimal communication between them. It is also revealed, as HAIRPIN BRIDGE bounces from the past to the present and back again, that neither Lena nor Cambry were/are wrapped too tight, in very different and very interesting ways. Lena is on a bit of a crusade to posthumously make things right or to at least atone for some things. She might be wrong, however. On the other hand, she may have no idea of how right she is. There is a lot of one-upmanship between Lena and Raycevic, even as Adams ever so skillfully lets the reader know little bits and pieces of what one character knows that the other doesn’t, while not giving us the entire skinny until the end of this wonderful, suspenseful, and violent book that is still throwing secrets and surprises into the binding until the very end.

I read HAIRPIN BRIDGE in one sitting, I didn’t do that because I had to. I did it because I wanted to. Actually, that isn’t right. I read it all at once because I was compelled to do so. I wager that you will be forced to as well by the twists and turns of Adams’s plotting that lob hand grenades into the mix every few pages, and the suspense that will cause you to all but leave finger indentations in the hardcover, or the eReader, or however you take this wonderful, suspenseful summer book for all seasons. And you will, methinks, be a fan for life as well. Very strongly recommended.

Review by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2021, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy

I have read No Exit and really enjoyed it and was looking forward to reading Hairpin Bridge. It did not disappoint. Same suspense and edge of your side.