corrint's review
4.0
This book was light, fluffy, and escapist, exactly what I needed during a quarantine. The characters were well-written and relatable, and I loved watching their dynamic develop over the course of their road trip.
melski360's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jessicafavor's review against another edition
2.0
I have never read any romance novels aside from the Twilight series (and I’m not going to brand the entire genre based on my experience reading one series as an adolescent). So, pretty much, I had no idea what to expect when I started reading Hairpin Curves.
Overall, it was a nice read. It was gentle, it was sweet, it was… I don’t want to say boring, because I finished it in two days and didn’t struggle to keep reading, but there was definitely some blandness to the story that watered down the flavor of my reading experience.
The source of this blandness is the characterization. It took a long time — more than half of the book, actually — for me to feel that Megan and Scarlett were “real” people and not just slapped-together collections of stereotypes. Scarlett is the outgoing, impulsive one, and Megan is the introverted, steady, stuck-in-her-routines one. That’s all they are for over 50% of Hairpin Curves. However, after that midway point the two women start to open up to each other (and the reader) about who they really are and why they act they way they do, and then they become more complex and likeable. If they had been complex right from the start of the novel, I think I would have been much more entranced with this book.
There is also a lot of back-and-forth with how Megan and Scarlett feel toward each other. Some of this is jarring and feels odd and unrealistic — Scarlett complains about how everything about Megan and Megan’s life is “beige” and “boring” one minute, and then mentally describes her as cute the next, for example. The main conflict of Hairpin Curves is Megan and Scarlett’s journey towards a resolution for their feelings for each other, so I suppose the amount of back-and-forth makes sense. (This is where my lack of prior romance reading experience is tripping me up, I think).
The writing, however, was definitely enjoyable if not particularly flashy, and I liked the little adventures and moments of humor Scarlett and Megan got to share during their road trip. I really appreciated how they weren’t just in lust with each other, but really did repair their broken friendship and take the first steps towards individual positive growth.
Overall, it was a nice read. It was gentle, it was sweet, it was… I don’t want to say boring, because I finished it in two days and didn’t struggle to keep reading, but there was definitely some blandness to the story that watered down the flavor of my reading experience.
The source of this blandness is the characterization. It took a long time — more than half of the book, actually — for me to feel that Megan and Scarlett were “real” people and not just slapped-together collections of stereotypes. Scarlett is the outgoing, impulsive one, and Megan is the introverted, steady, stuck-in-her-routines one. That’s all they are for over 50% of Hairpin Curves. However, after that midway point the two women start to open up to each other (and the reader) about who they really are and why they act they way they do, and then they become more complex and likeable. If they had been complex right from the start of the novel, I think I would have been much more entranced with this book.
There is also a lot of back-and-forth with how Megan and Scarlett feel toward each other. Some of this is jarring and feels odd and unrealistic — Scarlett complains about how everything about Megan and Megan’s life is “beige” and “boring” one minute, and then mentally describes her as cute the next, for example. The main conflict of Hairpin Curves is Megan and Scarlett’s journey towards a resolution for their feelings for each other, so I suppose the amount of back-and-forth makes sense. (This is where my lack of prior romance reading experience is tripping me up, I think).
The writing, however, was definitely enjoyable if not particularly flashy, and I liked the little adventures and moments of humor Scarlett and Megan got to share during their road trip. I really appreciated how they weren’t just in lust with each other, but really did repair their broken friendship and take the first steps towards individual positive growth.
sunny_pipes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gillianc695a's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kburns2004's review against another edition
3.0
I skipped a big chunk of this book, but still got the gist of it. I just couldn't connect with the characters.
tifferschang's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
dianak99's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
mommasaystoread's review against another edition
3.0
Hairpin Curves was a smack in the middle of the road read for me, and the thing is a lot of the reasons I really liked it were also part of the reason for that meh feeling. It's a friends to enemies to lovers romance, which I like. There's also a bit of forced proximity. Either or both of those can make for an engaging romance, and the fire those tropes can generate between characters can lead to some pretty good heat and chemistry. The problem is that these two are almost apathetic toward each other. They exchange a few barbs here and there, and they're not friendly toward each other, but it's not enough to explain them not speaking for so long or to generate that earlier mentioned heat. The dialogue between them feels more like that of acquaintances rather than friends who fell out, which may be what the author was going for in the beginning, but that didn't give me reason to be invested in the relationship. That brings me to why they even went on a road trip together in the first place. It just doesn't feel believable after Megan and Scarlett going so long without a word, plus Scarlett doesn't seem to have the best motives when she's planning how to wrangle a road trip out of Megan since she can't afford to fly to the wedding.
All of that aside, my main problem with this book is the slow pacing. That's not to be confused with a slow burn romance because when that's done right, the anticipation builds until the characters finally figure it out. This isn't that. It may be what was intended, but the first half of the story lags enough that it never quite builds enough momentum to make it the page turner I was hoping for. Things do pick up in the second half, and I started to feel like this could be a couple worth rooting for. It's also pretty low angst, and that along with the pick up in pace saved this story for me.
I was really hoping for a better reaction to this book. I feel like female/female romance doesn't get nearly the exposure of male/male, male/female, or any other variation. This one does have its moments and parts of it, especially in the second half, have that something in a romance that grabs and holds my attention, but everything combined made this one just an okay read for me.
All of that aside, my main problem with this book is the slow pacing. That's not to be confused with a slow burn romance because when that's done right, the anticipation builds until the characters finally figure it out. This isn't that. It may be what was intended, but the first half of the story lags enough that it never quite builds enough momentum to make it the page turner I was hoping for. Things do pick up in the second half, and I started to feel like this could be a couple worth rooting for. It's also pretty low angst, and that along with the pick up in pace saved this story for me.
I was really hoping for a better reaction to this book. I feel like female/female romance doesn't get nearly the exposure of male/male, male/female, or any other variation. This one does have its moments and parts of it, especially in the second half, have that something in a romance that grabs and holds my attention, but everything combined made this one just an okay read for me.
emma__miller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0