I loved No Exit so I was very excited to pick up Hairpin Bridge. Unfortunately, this did not live up to the tagline on the cover. There were a few things I noted which were difficult for me get over. One, this book had a very long Part 2 that seemed to be one long gun fight scene that dragged on forever. Two, the majority of the book taking place in one setting was overkill for me. I do love the excitement and suspense that Taylor Adams creates, but I felt that it was just too redundant in this instance and ended up speed reading the majority of the second half. I think the novel read like a short story and should have been heavily edited and published as such. I thought the most interesting part of the book was Theo's crimes and wished this book focused more on what was happening there and less on the relationship between the sisters. I will however, continue to look for new Taylor Adams books as they come out because I believe there is better yet to come.

After reading <i>No Exit</i> and finding it completely gripping, I was excited to read this new release by Taylor Adams. I was hoping for the fast paced, nonstop thrill ride I got from the previous book, but unfortunately, this one does not pack the same punch.

In this thriller, Lena is searching for answers in the death of her twin sister. The official report is that her sister Cambry killed herself by jumping off of Hairpin Bridge. Lena does not believe this version of events. She decides to confront the trooper that found her sisters body on the same bridge and get the answers she needs in order to move on from this event. Unfortunately, things do not go as Lena had planned, and she finds herself in a dangerous situation that could lead to her own demise.

Lena believes she is smart in her planning, but she is actually quite naïve, which is frustrating. I found myself shaking my head at several of her choices. The flashbacks to her blog from the previous day add some context, but they also involve a some overly emotional confessions. Her emotions about her sister seem a bit overdone considering they were not even close. As for the trooper, he is an annoying character who is completely untrustworthy. Some things that come to light toward the end just make him pathetic as a character.

The pacing of the first half of the book is stilted by the frequent flashbacks to the blog. The plot jumps from the current day with Lena and the trooper on the bridge to Lena's blog from the previous evening. Mingled in there is also Cambry's story from June, which is really being told by Lena after the fact. The reader cannot tell at times if the details are real or just Lena's fantasies about what happened. I suppose this is meant to add to the suspense. By the second half of the book, the pacing picks up substantially and barrels forward toward a climax.

Overall, I'd say the first half of the book is interesting, but a little choppy; the middle is quite suspenseful; and the end is very fast-paced and adrenaline-filled, but a bit far-fetched in its conclusion. It is hard for me as a reader to believe that things would have realistically ended as they did. I would recommend the book to fans of <i>No Exit</i> but with the warning that it is not as constantly thrilling as that one.

4 ACTION-PACKED STARS!! Hairpin Bridge is a story of loss, pain, and inevitable retribution.

Lena’s twin sister, Cambry, is dead. Authorities say she died after jumping off the infamous “Hairpin Bridge.” But Lena knows her sister would never take her own life. So begins Lena’s quest for revenge.
Readers follow Lena as she meets Officer Ray Raycevic, the uniform who pulled Cambry over just hours before her death. According to Lena, his story isn’t adding up… but why would he lie? What does he have to hide? We also follow Cambry’s story as she battles fate in her final hours.

Told in alternating timelines with multiple perspectives, Hairpin Bridge keeps readers guessing the truth until its final pages. The duality of the timelines gives readers DOUBLE the action, and I truly could not put this book down after starting it! Sure, there were plenty of convenient “too-good-to-be-true” moments, but I really think that the action all came together in the end to create quite a compelling Good vs. Evil story. I absolutely LOVED Adam’s previous book, No Exit, but Hairpin Bridge has solidified him as an auto-read author for me now!

FYI Adams does not shy away from the gore in this one, which was perfect for me, but might make more squeamish readers a little queasy! Please keep in mind that this book contains CWs for: suicide, loss of a loved one, violence, etc…

Many thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately I was one of the few people on earth that didn’t care much for No Exit. I thought I would give Adams a second shot with Hairpin but it’s just not grabbing me. I think the way this is written makes differentiating between the storylines of the characters different to catch on to in the beginning. It’s just not the type of thriller for me

Meh--I really wanted to like this one. Half way through, I really wanted to feel even a small connection to the text. For a reader who absolutely loves thrillers because I typically fly through them, this one took me a week to read. I should have DNFd, but I felt like I needed to finish to give an accurate review.

If you like reading different version of the truth and trying to sort truth from fiction, then this one is for you. If you enjoy a setting that pretty much sticks to the exact same place and time throughout the story, then this one is for you. If you enjoy some gore, then this one is for you. For me, it just fell flat. I couldn't connect to the protagonist, and I felt little pull to keep reading.

I didn't love No Exit like so many other people did, so maybe that was part of my problem. I enjoyed aspects of No Exit, but this one I struggled with throughout. I did enjoy the closure at the end, so if you like to read and be sure you aren't left with questions (or at least a ton of questions), then this one is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I think this was like a 3.5 star read for me. I was really interested in what happened to both sisters and I enjoyed the POV jumps. I feel like the story started to go a bit haywire towards the end. There was almost a sense of an unreliable narrator, but I started to just question everything and lose track of what was real and what wasn't.

I still think this was an interesting thriller plot. I liked surprises along the way as the story unfolded. I think that thriller fans will enjoy this one.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

3 stars for Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams. Wow this book was creepy and kinda gory. I was actually on the edge of my seat the entire time and I couldn't put it down.

I did feel like there were some parts that dragged and I was confused with all of the POVs. I also felt like a lot of the action scenes were repetitive with all of the car chases and stuff that just seemed like a lot and got kind of convoluted.

All that being said, I think fans of quick=paced thrillers will definitely get sucked into this one but it just didn't live up to No Exit for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, William Morrow, and Taylor Adams for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was absolutely ecstatic to be able to read Taylor Adam's latest novel Hairpin Bridge because I absolutely loved No Exit. The plot sounds immediately engaging as we follow Lena to a small town in Montana to find out what really happened to her sister who seemingly committed suicide three months prior. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me in a significant way. I found the entire plot to be completely convoluted and honestly not at all gripping or suspenseful. It was just plain tedious and uninteresting. Thank you to William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I DNF at 70%. I just couldn't keep going. The shootout was lasting far too long and was so unbelievable outrageous, it frustrated me. I really wanted to love this book because I was a huge fan of No Exit, but unfortunately this one wasn't for me.

9 months ago, Lena Nguyen's estranged twin sister, Cambry drives miles away to Montana to jump to her death from a bridge known as Hairpin Bridge in the area.
Lena does not believe this. She decides to investigate by driving there and meeting the policeman who found her sister's body. Despite meeting with Officer Raycevic, Lena is more & more sure something is not adding up.
This is a dark psychological read. A little slow at first then you get to the thrilling parts. This is my first book my Taylor Adams and I hope to read more of his books.

Like, No Exit, a previous Taylor Adams work, Hairpin Bridge was a thriller of a different, violence-filled sort. It was, however, a compelling, can’t pull your eyes away from an accident type book. I’m not sure what it says about me, but my eyes and brain were glued to it for two days.

Set primarily in a more remote Montana locale with a ghost storied bridge as a backdrop, Lena was on a mission to find out the true story behind her twin sister’s “suicide”. No doubt, she’s sharp, prepared and full of the grit it will take to confront the truth and those involved.

Like Lena, the reader needs to be prepared for some very graphic and gory descriptions. Definitely not for the faint of heart or stomach.

Still another good offering by Taylor Adams. Thanks to him and Net Galley.

Such a disappointment. I had high hopes for this one because No Exit was mostly entertaining. However this one fell majorly flat. Too much suspension of reality on this one for me.

Whew..here we go! Another wild ride with Taylor Adams. I was blown away by Adam's last novel No Exit, so I was so excited to get an early copy of Hairpin Bridge. 

This started out a little slower than No Exit but it had my heart pounding and me itching to find out what would come next! I am a sucker for a fast paced thriller! 
My main issue with this book was that it was a little hard to follow at times. This was told in dual timelines but one timeline really wasn't accurate and made no sense. Also a lot of this novel was details about a car chase, and it just wasn't as entertaining as I thought it would be. I really thought the plot was lacking a lot of depth. The story had a lot of potential but just never got there unfortunately. 
This was a bit disappointing as I loved No Exit so much but I will definitely read more by Adams in the future in hopes he writes another gem like No Exit.

I'm here to tell you that if you enjoyed No Exit by Taylor Adams, you will probably enjoy this one as well! It's another super fast paced thriller that kept me turning the pages. Were parts of it a little unbelievable? Sure. But overall, I really liked this book and read it super fast.

It was about twin sisters, Cambry and Lena. Cambry suffered a tragic death and her twin sister Lena sets her sights on bringing justice to the situation, not entirely certain that the way her sister died was the truth. Things quickly get really sketchy when you throw in a shady cop and an old eerie bridge. I can't say too much much revealing the entire plot!

If you're into thrillers I would check this one out!

Lena Nguyen is a woman with a plan. She ignores reports her estranged twin sister, Cambry, committed suicide by jumping from Hairpin Bridge. The residents of the small town in Montana believe the ghosts on the bridge drive people to suicide.
She says that isn’t possible. She knows someone murdered her sister and threw her from that bridge. Cambry’s drawings are missing from her portfolio and Cambry documented everything she witnessed on her road trips. Did she see something she shouldn’t have? Lena will uncover the truth and announce it on her pod cast.
Corporal Raymond Raycevic has agreed to meet Lena. He is astounded that Lena and Cambry are identical twins and since he found her sister’s body; it makes his heart skip a few beats.
He says he can understand everything Lena’s feeling because when he was eighteen, his identical twin brother took his own life.
Lena doesn’t trust him. She knows twins don’t always bond in a good way. Identical faces, but a rough upbringing led to separate coping mechanisms.
Taylor Adams takes you for an intense ride down twists and turns that will make for page-turning events as you devour this story and sleeping with the lights on after you’ve read the last page.
Thank you #NetGalley, for the advanced copy for my honest review.

This was my first by Taylor Adams and while I heard great things about No Exit, Hairpin Bridge unfortunately fell short for me. While full of twists, I feel the story was too drawn out. Even things that are typically fast paced, like a gun fight or car chase, took chapters to get through. If you like disturbing, slower paced psychological thrillers then I would definitely give this a try but it just wasn't for me. I did however like jumping between the past with Cambry/the present with Lena and the Asian representation in this one! 👏 I am also still curious about No Exit and will definitely still check it out!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5

A huge thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Books and Taylor Adams for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

‼️CW: Please note this one is on the more graphic/disturbing side and includes murder, gun fights/shootings, gore, physical abuse, child abuse and suicide.

Believe it or not, I still have never read No Exit. But, I was really looking forward to Adams follow up novel. I love that this novel has a strong female protagonist the most. No matter what was happening, Lena was prepared and looking super tough. There were a lot of surprises in the book and a lot of gut wrenching action. The book left me on the edge of my seat. The one bone I had to pick with the book was how the “truth” about Cambry unfolded, it wasn’t my favorite delivery. Overall a fast action packed read. Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

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.