Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams

 Huge thank you to the publisher for the free ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

From the author of the “full-throttle thriller” (A. J. Finn) No Exit—a riveting new psychological page-turner featuring a fierce and unforgettable heroine.

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.

Corporal Raymond Raycevic has agreed to meet Lena at the scene. He is sympathetic, forthright, and professional. But his story doesn’t seem to add up. For one thing, he stopped Cambry for speeding a full hour before she supposedly leapt to her death. Then there are the sixteen attempted 911 calls from her cell phone, made in what was unfortunately a dead zone.

But perhaps most troubling of all, the state trooper is referred to by name in Cambry’s final enigmatic text to her sister: Please Forgive Me. I couldn’t live with it. Hopefully you can, Officer Raycevic.

Lena will do anything to uncover the truth. But as her twin’s final hours come into focus, Lena’s search turns into a harrowing, tooth-and-nail fight for her own survival—one that will test everything she thought she knew about her sister and herself...

Genre? Thriller

Backlist? No. Published June 15, 2021.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

I'm not even sure I could put my thoughts about this book into words, but I will certainly try. Starting with "WOW!". I think Taylor Adams is becoming one of my favorite authors. I really need to dig into their backlist a little more. I fell in love with the high energy thriller No Exit and then Hairpin Bridge kept that same energy up. One thing I really enjoy about this author is that although he's a male, he writes a very convincing female perspective. A lot of times writing through the lens of the opposite gender doesn't seem to work out so well, but Taylor is great at it. In fact, I really thought Taylor Adams was a girl until I looked into their biography! 

In Hairpin Bridge, Lena takes a trip to meet with the officer who found her sister's body after her "suicide". Lena is unconvinced that her sister would ever kill herself, so she's there to find the truth. Officer Raycevic's story doesn't add up with what Lena knows about her sister. She's set out to confront him about it, even if she's a bit worried about her own life in the process.

The twists and turns in this novel were incredible. I never saw them coming, but they weren't completely ridiculous either! I will definitely be picking up any future Taylor Adams novels and will start looking into the backlist. 

The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks by Julie Valerie

  Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

A wife, mother, and aspiring filmmaker clings to the pursuit of perfection only to have fate play with every plan she’s made in this quirky, contemplative, and empowering novel.

Holly Banks is on a desperate mission to have it all, but nothing in life goes according to plan. She’s quickly learning that keeping up with the Joneses is a full-time job, especially when the women of Primm, her new neighborhood, seem to have it together all the time.

With her husband’s job in flux, her daughter’s difficulty with learning to read, and her mother’s new zest for dating, Holly’s life is already anything but picture perfect. Then her dog digs up an old artifact in the village center, and the mishap draws the attention of local media. Because of course it would.

Holly finds herself at the center of a mystery between two rival towns that, if solved, could change the Village of Primm forever. Attention is the last thing she needs as she’s launching a new business, the village-wide “Parade of Homes” is approaching—though she’s hardly unpacked—and she needs to submit her entry for an upcoming film festival. Can Holly still create her perfect (looking) life? Or is fate about to go off script and give her a story she never could have imagined?

Genre? Contemporary Fiction

Backlist? Unfortunately, yes. I fell pretty far behind on my ARCs last year.

New to me Author? No.

What did I think?

I remember reading the first in this series, Holly Banks Full of Angst, and simply falling in love with Holly. She's quirky, she's fun, and she doesn't quite fit in when she moves to her new neighborhood. She kind of sticks out like a sore thumb and it's just fun to read about. 

This sequel did not disappoint. Holly is still dealing with some passive-aggressiveness from her neighbors. She's still trying to figure herself out. So when her dog is found in the middle of town after having dug up an old artifact, she has no idea what to do. Holly tries to stay out of the media attention surrounding this, but finds herself in an old mystery. 

This book definitely took a turn and had some elements that I didn't expect, but Julie Valerie was able to keep it fun and interesting. I can't wait to find out what happens in Primm next!

The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

  Huge thank you to NetGalley for the free audioARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer.
It’s what she prides herself on.

So, when she realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:
They will each date someone new once a week.
They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.

When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they’ve built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if ’til death do us part may come sooner than they’d intended.

Genre? Psychological Thriller

Backlist? No. This was published earlier in January, with the audiobook publishing July 1, 2021.

New to me Author? Yes.

What did I think?

The Arrangement is about Ainsley and Peter, a couple who have been together for quite a long time and are feeling the romance fizzle out. From the beginning, they sit down and discuss trying an open marriage. Once a week, they would get to go out with other people. No falling for someone. Purely just a hook up, which they will never discuss with their spouse. From here, I was expecting your typical story of one of them falling for the person they go out with, leading to divorce, etc. etc. NOPE!

Ainsley has promised herself she would never get divorced and she plans to stick to that no matter what. When she felt her marriage cooling off, she cooked up a plan to essentially force Peter to stay with her. I can't say much more without major spoilers, but just know that nothing is as it seems in their arrangement.