Member Reviews

I really wanted to love Hairpin Bridge as I have read No Exit and was blown away by that but unfortunately Hairpin Bridge just didn't live up to my expectations. I found it drawn out in places and a little too long in my opinion. The ending was great though with a twist I didn't see coming and I am sure this book will be a hit for most people.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for my ARC.

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First I want to thank Netgalley & William Morrow for allowing me to read and review Hairpin Bridge before it’s pub date. I honestly thought I was going to be the unpopular opinion with this one, but as I’m seeing more & more reviews, it seems like I’m not alone in this. This one just wasn’t for me.

Three months ago Lena Nguyen’s twin sister, Cambry, drove to a remote bridge and plunged to her death. At least that’s what the police reports said, but Lena isn’t buying it. The two sisters couldn’t be any different from one another, but Lena knows her sister would never do that. Corporal Ray Raycevic agreed to meet Lena at the scene of the crime to go through the events of the night, but something seems off about him. Lena will do anything to figure out the truth of what happened that night, even if that means fighting for her own life.

I went into this one already cautious because No Exit wasn’t exactly my favorite. But I figured I would give it a try anyway. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it. It seemed a bit repetitive and slow for me and at times really “out there”. I felt like I was losing interest quickly throughout the book because of that. I know this is a highly anticipated one for so many of you, so hopefully you all enjoy it more than I did.

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Do not finish this book. Too slow and too many details that didn’t make sense. Didn’t keep my attention. Made it 30% through and was dreading finishing. Unfortunate as I was looking forward to this one.

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”It starts with a bridge...”

Hairpin Bridge was an engrossing page-turner that kept me up until the wee morning hours, desperate to see how the story played out! I was on the edge of my seat through most of the book and thoroughly enjoyed the adrenaline-pumping, heart-racing scenes like car chases and hostage situations and gunfire exchanges.

”They say space and time are malleable around the hallowed bones of Hairpin Bridge, and as you cross it, past and present can intertwine a bit.”

I did feel like some of the characters jumped to some pretty amazing conclusions without a ton of information, making their behavior seem implausible and unlikely. That made it hard for me to engage 100% with the story; I had to work to suspend disbelief as I read.

”Twins share a soul, they say. It’s an abomination when one dies. The other is cursed to wander the earth incomplete and alone.”

Without giving any spoilers away, there is a situation with a child, near the end of the book, that really doesn’t sit right with me. At first, I thought it was just something peripheral and unnecessary, thrown in for added horror and shock value, but the story circles back to this later in a way that just made me really sad for everyone involved. Honestly, I wish this hadn’t been part of the book at all.

”Nightmares do come true, but never in the shape you expect.”

But the narrative moved quickly, the plot never got boring, and there were so many twists & turns that were entirely unexpected. The shifts in perspective happened at just the right times to keep things interesting, and kept me guessing the whole way through about who was telling the truth.

”This isn’t a movie. It’s real life, where death comes abruptly and unfairly.”

Overall, this was a mostly enjoyable read, that I would have rated much higher were it not for the storyline with the child. I would recommend Hairpin Bridge to readers who prefer fast-paced action stories (with a fair bit of blood-and-guts) to sneaky psychological thrillers, because it’s definitely the former!

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Thank you to Taylor Adams, Joffe Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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Follow @letteredlibrary on Instagram!

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This book was a wild ride from start to finish! I wasn’t sure what to expect and went in mostly blind on this one and it was entirely worth it.

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I'm a bit conflicted on this one to be honest. While I couldn't put it down and flew through it faster than a Toyota Corolla in a high speed chase, I found the book as a whole to be a bit bittersweet. We don't get the perfect happy ending that we so desperately wanted, or even some kind of closure. That being said, I loved how we heard from Lena's blog, Cambry's perspective, and the live coverage of the bridge. Like his previous books, this is full of gore and sinister characters that you'll hate. If you love suspense and want a high-octane read, this one's for you.

*Thank you to Joffe Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review*

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I was glued to my seat (well, my phone) for most of this ebook. It was so good, I stayed up 3 hours past my bedtime just to finish it. Seriously.

The premise is somewhat depressing, though. It's about a suicide of a young woman, and her twin sister's determined search for what really happened. She says that she's writing a book to tell the world exactly that, but she's assuming some things and that gets confusing. Even though they were twins, they weren't close in any way, so some of her assumptions are wrong.

There are red herrings and detours to the story, which, although I figured out the ultimate twist, were very enjoyable. Surprisingly, the action starts about half way through the book and almost never lets up. It does slow down at times when the sister is talking about her blog, and her relationship with her twin. But, I was amazed at the excellent pacing of it, and the beautiful writing stayed in my head for the time I was reading it.

My only complaint is that she includes a blog within the book, and it refers to her followers as "Dear Readers". I didn't like that, and I follow several people and they never refer to their followers in that manner. Also, the book gets a little confusing at the end. I wasn't sure if some of the action actually happened or was made up by the surviving sister. No matter, the ending was satisfying and made sense. I highly recommend this book.

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I’ve heard great things about this novel thus far, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

I would love to give you a quick synopsis of <b>Hairpin Bridge</b>, but I believe you would be better served to read the official one as I am not sure I could do it justice without revealing something key.

<b>Hairpin Bridge</b> is told in a mishmash of ways. Sometimes I was confused because the segue into another “voice”, so to speak, wasn’t clear to me. Mainly, the story is told in Lena’s voice in the present, as she investigates and interrogates Corporal Raycevic regarding her sister’s death. We also have snippets of her blog post “Lights and Sound”, snippets of past events shared between Lena and Cambry, and snippets of Cambry’s experiences in the last couple hours of her life.

It all fits together as you read along, and I actually began to enjoy the storytelling once I understood what was happening. The segues are <u>perfect</u>! Adams keeps you on the edge of your seat by switching perspectives right when you least expect it. There is so much suspense peppered in throughout the novel, with so many twists that keep you guessing from beginning to end. I definitely had trouble keeping up and piecing the mystery together. I always felt like I was a step behind!

There is a lot of gore and violence throughout the story, leaving little room to the imagination. I can see how some may find this to be too heavy and disturbing, so definitely be mindful of that if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy it.

The grand reveal ties off the story really well, and allows you to process everything you’ve learned and leaves you with a sense of satisfaction at putting the whole story together. This has been my first experience with this author, but will not be the last!

Lena is a well-developed and tenacious character. She is strong-willed and determined to unravel what truly happened to her sister. I enjoyed reading through her accounts of what was happening and her ingenious planning to capture the man who found her body ‘red-handed’.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced digital copy and the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.</

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HAIRPIN BRIDGE by Taylor Adams is a sometimes thrilling and sometimes weird ride.

When 24 year old Lena Nguyen’s identical twin sister dies, her twin-tuition tells her that it was not a suicide — she was murdered. Lena formulates a plan to uncover the truth behind her sister’s death and possibly reveal the murderer. With the plan in place, she meets up with Corporal Raymond Raycevic, the man who found her sister’s body, on the same bridge from which her sister jumped... allegedly. Will Lena uncover the truth? Will she live to tell the tale?

Like ‘No Exit’, Adams’ writing is exceptional and atmospheric. He makes you feel like you’re in the story and you can visualize every detail with ease — Adams always delivers a cinematic feel in his writing. There’s a highway chase and a gun fight that are both edge-of-your-seat INTENSE and action packed. So darn good!

While the actual writing was fantastic, I thought the story was all over the place and lacked structure. The story is told from several POVs — present day Lena, blog Lena, Lena as her sister and snippets from 2 other characters. The twists were unpredictable, but not as shocking as I would have liked, and the ending made me roll my eyes... severely. 🙄

Recommend to a friend? I wouldn’t personally recommend this, but I think it’s one that you need to read for yourself in order to judge. I buddy-read this with Gema and Jess. Jess loved it and Gema didn’t love it as much. You’ll just have to decide for yourself. Publication date is June 15, 2021.

A respectful 2.5/5 from me (rounded up to a 3)

I still love Taylor Adams and will read anything he writes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

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Easy to read, hair raising psychological thriller about a sister and how far she will go to prove what really happened to her twin sister.

I set out to read this book with super high expectations after reading No Exit and I’m sad to say I was a little disappointed. The story line is there and has the potential to be great but unfortunately I felt like much of the story is a bit repetitive...Lena asks the same question over and over in the same exact spot for 2/3 of the book. The ending is non stop action though, never knowing what’s going to happen next but even that eventually reaches a point where I couldn’t help but wonder if the story would ever reach an end or if the loop would just continue.

Overall, not a bad book, just not as great as I know it could be. I truly believe if the story had been made just slightly shorter and less drawn out this book could have gone from okay to great. Not sorry I read it and definitely still worth the read.

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Taylor Adams delivered again! This book, like No Exit, reads like a movie and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Once I started it, I could not put it down and read it in one sitting! Can't recommend this one enough!!!

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Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first book I read by this author, No Exit. I think the reason I didn't like it as much was due to the "flashback" scenes from Cambry's POV, which were really her twin sister Lena's account as she believes it happened (since she is writing a book about it).

Three months after Cambry allegedly jumped from Hairpin Bridge, her twin sister Lena is on a quest to find out what exactly happened because she doesn't believe her sister would commit suicide. Lena meets up with the cop that found her and they proceed to go to Hairpin Bridge, so Lena can find "closure" and understanding of Cambry's sudden death.

There are definitely a lot of suspenseful, exciting parts, but I think it would make a better movie than book. The twists just keep coming as Lena finds out more and more about Cambry's final moments and nothing is like it seems. A fast paced thriller!

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WOW!! How can a story set mostly on the same stretch of road be so freaking exciting and explosive?!? Leave it to Taylor Adams! Definitely couldn’t put it down! Just as good as No Exit! Read it! Read it now!!!

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Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of this ebook.

Firstly, I'll admit that I wasn't a huge fan of 'No Exit', my first Taylor Adams book but the premise combined with the reviews made it seem like compulsive read. And I'll admit this was a step up.

The first half of the book had me hooked. It seemed it Adams had redeemed himself by creating if not a psychological thriller, an action thriller with better characters than the last time. BUT it didn't last. In the second half, the flaws I found frustrating in 'No Exit' started to show up and I'm really sorry to say that the last quarter was a slog to get through.

My issue was the repetitive action sequences, the dragging storyline simply because everyone just manages to somehow live and the frustrating dialogue.

But if you, like most people, enjoyed 'No Exit' you'll definitely like this book too. It just wasn't my thing.

2.5/5

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Hairpin Bridge is a fast-paced, “what’s going to happen next??” type of thriller.

Taylor Adams does a great job of keeping the reader engaged. There are many twists throughout the book that I personally didn’t see coming. Especially at the end. The last page of the last chapter and the epilogue shocked me. How, Taylor Adams, how??

I really enjoyed reading this. It was a different type of thriller than I’m accustomed to. This thriller is action packed and typically I don’t like action packed storylines. This book did a great job of keeping me on my toes and keeping me engaged. I found myself not wanting to put it down.

If you’re considering reading this, make sure to research trigger warnings. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it’s important you know what you’re getting yourself into before reading this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to read an ARC copy of this book!

Hairpin Bridge is out June 15, 2021!

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I wish to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to read Hairpin Bridge in return for an honest review. I was excited to obtain the ARC, as I had read No Exit by Taylor Adams, which I thought was a brilliant, riveting thriller. In fact, it was one of my favourite suspense stories the year I read it. However, I regret this one was a disappointment for me. I believe many readers will find this a compelling read and enjoy its non-stop action, but it didn't work for me.

Lena has been grieving for her estranged twin sister, Cambry, since she committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. They were estranged, and the introverted Lena had not seen her twin for a long time before her tragic death and didn't know her well. The more outgoing Cambry had some mental health issues, left home, and was on the road, living out of her car and surviving by her wits. Unfortunately, she had a history of involvement with terrible men. Their grief-stricken mother is a very religious woman who believes Cambry is in Hell as punishment for suicide. The story contains gore, with some are described through Lena's nightmares and imagination. There is also violence and implausible action scenes.

Cambry's body was found by a Montana highway patrolman, Corporal Raymond Reycevic. By coincidence, he issued her a speeding ticket an hour before she arrived on the fatal bridge and jumped. His name was mentioned on a vague, cryptic suicide note. Lena refuses to believe that her sister committed suicide and is obsessed with the suspicion that the police officer is involved in her death.
She plans to meet him at the bridge and question him about what he knows, hoping to record a confession for his part in Cambry's death.

Car chases and shoot-outs often add to the intensity and thrills of a book. Unfortunately, I found them repetitive and thought they went on far too long. What should have been gripping and exciting became far-fetched, redundant and boring for me.

There were details I found unnecessary, and the format was confusing. Abrupt transitions from Lena's encounter with Reycevic and Cambry's story containing facts and Lena's speculation and guesses about her sister's thoughts and experiences often came without warning and made the story seem disjointed. There were also selections from Lena's past and future blog, furthering the switches between perspectives. I was unable to invest in the characters on an emotional level, finding none likeable nor sympathetic. A suspension of disbelief was essential as I found the drama too over the top and far-fetched. Many may like how Lena's quiet, withdrawn personality changed her into a forceful, vengeful woman.

There were some good twists, especially the final, which I was expecting. However, I would read the next book by Taylor Adams based on how much I enjoyed No Exit, rather than my disappointment and misgivings with Hairpin Bridge.

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I read and loved No Exit by Taylor Adams so was so excited to read his latest, Hairpin Bridge.

This book is about Lena Nguyen, a 24-year-old girl whose twin sister Cambry committed suicide 3 months ago at the location which is also the title of the book, 'Hairpin Bridge'. Lena is convinced that her estranged sister could not have killed herself and thus goes there and meets the cop, Raymond Raycevic, who was the last person to have met and spoken to her. Lena is sure that the cop is the one who actually killed her sister and thus to prove her theory she meets up with him at Hairpin Bridge. And that's when it all goes to hell.

The story is a very quick, pacy tale filled with twists and turns where you can't wait to find out exactly what happened to Cambry.
Told in multiple POVs and timelines the story keeps you guessing right till the end.

I liked the book but did not love it the way I did 'No Exit'. It was entertaining enough but a lot of portions felt repetitive and long drawn.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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There are certain authors whose books I look forward to every year. Taylor Adams (maybe strangely for people who are not familiar with his writing is one of them). I fell in love with No Exit two years ago and his release this year is almost equally thrilling and captivating.

Hairpin Bridge is about Lena Nguyen who is investigating her sister's alleged suicide on the titular bridge. She thinks there was foul play and she invites Corporal Raymond Raycevic who found her sister to tell her more about it on the isolated location.

What follows is a thrilling and quite suspenseful (for Taylor Adams' standard) back-and-forth between the two characters. No Exit did not tone done the action, and neither does Hairpin Bridge. The action is non-stop. I love reading his novels, but I would love to see them on the big screen as well.

There are elements to the story I didn't find necessary. First of all, the blog posts and other media may have been limited but it took away from the action. Secondly, it may have been a little bit longer than necessary. I would rate this book 4.5 stars, but looking at all other books I read this year I rounded it up to 5 stars.

What I loved about his writing is mainly the knowledge he pours into the pages when he's describing a scene. It's so visceral it's almost like you're there and he's teaching you things about the attributes and tactics. It reminds me a little bit of how <b>Lee Child</b> writes. I've already mentioned the action-packed scenes. I liked the conversations between the main characters. The dynamics are insane and I was on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen next. The fact that it once again takes place on an isolated location is a big plus.

Taylor Adams' latest release is a real ride and I can't wait to see what he comes out with next!

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I was supposed to be packing for vacation today but instead I picked this one up and read the whole thing! If you read No Exit, then you know that Taylor Adams stories can’t be walked away from. They are action packed, intense and anxiety producing and you have to keep going to see how it all shakes out in the end. My best advice is to find a day with no responsibility, go in blind, and enjoy the ride! Thank you to Netgalley, Joffe Books, and Taylor Adams for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.! My best advice is to find a day with no responsibility, go in blind, and enjoy the ride! Thank you to Netgalley, Joffe Books, and Taylor Adams for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.y

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I have not read No Exit by Taylor Adams but after reading this I WANT TO!!
I was so excited to see this new book being released on June 15 2021 because I love a good summer thriller. This book did not disappoint.
This book follows Lena, a blogger that is out to uncover what truly happened to her twin sister Cambry the night she committed (what police say) suicide. Cambry was an outgoing girl with some mental health issues but suicide has never been an issue that had popped up in her past.
To find out what happened that unfortunate night, Lena asks Corporal Raymond Raycevic to take her to the bridge where her sister fell to her death. The officer from the beginning seems a bit put off by the whole thing when Lena starts asking a lot of questions of him, mainly because he was the last one to see her alive when he gave her a speeding ticket an hour before she 'committed suicide'.
Why did Cambry call the police 16 times before she committed suicide?!
I will have to admit the story did seems a bit slow at first. I wasn't connecting to what was so thrilling about this one...but just wait for iiiit!
The book goes to 100MPH real quick and you can't put it down.
I literally was late for work one day because I was so engrossed in this book and lost track of time.
This is a heart racing, page turning, statisfying thrill ride that is a MUST READ this summer!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this copy, I will definitely be buying this as a gift for a thriller freak friend of mine.

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