cover image Hairpin Curves

Hairpin Curves

Elia Winters. Carina Adores, $14.99 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-335-14665-6

RITA award winner Winters (Three-Way Split) crafts an insightful second-chance romance that works all the better for the wish fulfilment of its premise. Scarlett Andrews ghosted her best friend Megan Harris after high school graduation seven years ago and the two haven’t spoken since. But when an old high school friend invites them both to her wedding, Megan lets herself be coaxed into a Florida-to-Quebec road trip with Scarlett as her copilot. Their leisurely journey offers a gentle fantasy (with seemingly no financial constraints) as the pair hash out what went wrong in their friendship and rebuild their relationship into a romance. Impulsive detours create the space for shared joy—like when Scarlett takes Megan to see snow for the first time—and allow trust to grow. Winters is not always pitch-perfect with the details (it beggars belief that two 20-somethings would exclusively listen to FM radio chestnuts like Led Zeppelin and Pat Benatar, for example), but these slips don’t mar the pleasure of watching two believable women untangle their feelings on a genuine but low-stakes adventure. This is a trip worth taking. Agent: Saritza Hernandez, Corvisiero Literary Agency. (Aug.)