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Sierra Cody is on fire. A rising star in women's professional downhill mountain bike racing, she has all the tools to become a world champion. All she needs to do is fully commit herself. Something far easier said than done. As stubborn as she is independent, Sierra has always carved her own path, refusing to fall in line with the controlling, commercialized aspects of the sport. Her trademark no-holds-barred, reckless style of riding has earned her as many cheers as it has jeers.

Dr. Kara Davies, a highly regarded and accomplished physician, is well on her way to achieving her dreams in chiropractic research. Commitment to her goals has never been an issue, but her personal life is a different story. Preferring the comfort and safety of her lab over personal relationships, Kara's one-track mind allows no deviation.

But life is full of twists and turns.

After an accident on the track lands Sierra in Kara's on-site medical center, the doctor suddenly finds she has more on her mind that work. Blindsided by mutual attraction, Sierra and Kara struggle to accept their feelings for each other and to deal with the change it brings.

Will love be enough? Or will life's little switchbacks send them both careening off course?

396 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2017

96 people are currently reading
421 people want to read

About the author

S.W. Andersen

11 books99 followers
S.W.'s latest, "A Call To Justice," is the third book in the Sarah Sawyer gunslinger series.

From old west gunslingers to a love that transcends time and space, S.W. Andersen offers a variety of romantic adventures, including the best selling lesbian romances, "Love By Design," and "Switchback."

Having been raised by her mother, a strong female character in her own right, she has always been attracted to stories that depicted independent, determined, capable women. A romantic at heart, her characters are rooted in hope and perseverance.

She has spent a large part of her life around horses and rodeos and has always had an affinity for the cowgirl lifestyle. Her love of the mountains, westerns and stories involving strong female characters were the driving forces behind the Sarah Sawyer series.

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5 stars
131 (30%)
4 stars
169 (38%)
3 stars
90 (20%)
2 stars
35 (8%)
1 star
11 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
Profile Image for Sandra.
549 reviews130 followers
May 27, 2018
Romance and sport, in fact, downhill biking, sounded a perfect match for me. And I wasn’t disappointed. I liked the whole package of Sierra and Kara.

On the first sight, the two main characters are very different, but after a while, it seems they have much more in common than thought. Sierra wants to become the worlds best downhill biker, but don’t want to be with a big company. She has to pay a price for her independence and has to work harder than the others. She is on a point, where she takes more and more risks during the races, sometimes she's reckless to herself and she knows she has to change some things, but she still doesn’t know what exactly. She lives with her best friend Ronnie, who’s also her greatest competitor in the races. She is a funny and mostly extroverted person, but with some great uncertainties and doubts. She hasn’t found a woman who could hold her heart for longer than a few months, that’s till she meets Kara.

Kara is a chiropractor with a great love for research. She want’s the athletes to be more capable of succeeding with her treatments and adjustments. She is extremely focused on her work and has therefore always trouble to stay in a relationship because always work comes first. She has no clue if she’s capable of a loving relationship and HEA. And she always has to be in control. That’s till she meets Sierra.

Both women are drawn to each other like moths to the light. The sparks are there from the beginning, when they first met, during a downhill race. Can they really build something big together? Or will they miss a great opportunity at love, because of some doubts and insecurities? I liked every part of this story. The pace was good, the romance wasn’t rushed. Both characters are likable and had great chemistry. But they have to learn how to manage a good and honest relationship, despite the lack of experience in this area.

I recommend it to everybody. There are some sports activities, but you don't have to know downhill biking to understand the story. I’ve very much enjoyed it, and I will certainly read more books from S.W. Andersen.
My rating 4.25 stars.
Profile Image for Linda.
856 reviews132 followers
August 12, 2018
Didn’t enjoy reading this as much as Love by Design. It’s a love story between the 2 main MCs - Sierra and Kara. It tells us their journey from the day they met, their insecurities and inhibitions and how they finally get their HEA with a ring at the end of it. Was an ok read for me though I must say it gets a bit too slow at times.

Ratings - 3.75
Profile Image for C.
737 reviews77 followers
June 16, 2017
Another enjoyable read

S.W. Andersen has easily become one of those authors that I am always excited when something new is released by them. The teasers for thks book has kept me checking Amazon pretty much daily. With that said, I really enjoyed this read overall. I still don't exactly know what a switchback is and I think it was only mentioned like once or twice in the book...
Anyway, the two main characters Sierra and Kara are very likeable even though Sierra came off very stalker/clingy and Kara bipolar. The two worked. It was nice seeing how they did bring the best out of each other.
I will say the story started off at a good pace. Good interaction, story progression, and everything. The middle kinda dragged with a lot of what each character thought and how insecure they each were. The pace slowed down a bit too much for my liking. But the ending picked up pace and things started happening.
Overall, an enjoyable read with light referejce to the downhill biking sport, sport science, and a bit of falling in love.
365 reviews42 followers
November 28, 2017
Mountain bike rider and dedicated doctor race to their own finish line.

Sierra Cody races downhill on her mountain bike. Her goal is to win the World Cup. Kara Davies studies athletes for her research into sports medicine and treats riders injured while speeding down the course. They meet after Sierra's epic failure to complete her run. She took a header and nailed a tree. Doctor Davies treats her injuries, but Kara hopes to investigate Sierra more closely. Kara sees a woman who "toes the line between butch and femme" and was "the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes upon." The first statement means nothing to me. The second one goes to the heart of the story. What line between butch and femme? How does someone "toe" it? Is it just me or have butch lesbian characters been banned from lesfic? Girly girls are nice, especially the lesbian ones, but why limit romance novels to just feminine beauties when so many others exist? Despite the famous quote, beauty isn't in the eye of the beholder. It resides in the heart. Attraction, and the willingness to act on it, begins in the imagination. If it's to lead anywhere other than fantasy, the heart must be willing to act and take huge risks.

I enjoyed reading Switchback. The characters, setting and plot worked nicely together. Kara (the workaholic Doctor) and Sierra (the high spirited cyclist) fall in love without glossing over the difficulties incumbent in having a relationship. The main characters do learn how to communicate, but talking isn't always helpful. Watching Kara and Sierra, from start to finish, as they begin to love and learn how to be in a relationship is a rewarding experience.
Profile Image for Val.
412 reviews16 followers
July 8, 2017
I simply could not get into this book and struggled to finish it. The dialogue was super cheesy and the whole thing felt awkward. I read Love By Design by this author and loved it. I'm sure I'll check out other offerings by Anderson but this one wasn't for me.
Profile Image for Les Rêveur.
461 reviews148 followers
September 3, 2017
Sierra is at the top of her game in the mountain bike racing world and is ready to take on the championship when she meets Doctor Kara Davies and the world to starts to spin on its axis. Sierra has never been into long term relationships but she might be willing to try for Kara if only she could convince Kara of the possibility.

What I loved about this book was that the author was able to create the correct formula that gave the right amount of angst with the correct amount of time together as a couple! This for me is a hard balance to crack in many books. I especially enjoy seeing my characters having time together where they are seen to be living their happily ever after and SW Anderson wrote that extremely well in this novel.

I enjoyed the character/ love development and couldn't stop turning the page. I love the premise of the cycling story and it gave me insight to something I've not read before.

Thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to what come next from SW Andersen.

4.5 stars
Profile Image for Cristina.
88 reviews36 followers
July 7, 2017
I was so close to not finishing this book. I don´t know why but I couldn't connect with the story nor the characters. I was so bored that I only want to be done with it.
Profile Image for Nolly  Frances Sepulveda.
383 reviews23 followers
July 31, 2017
Loved it

Lovely story, wonderfully written. Every beginning has it's downfalls but with love, courage and resilience anything is possible for true happiness to prevail. Sierra and Kara are two women who faced doubts and uneasiness in their lives and careers, that come together to make a relationship work while fighting their insecurities. The journey is intense and very well worth it.
Profile Image for Heather Henkel.
1,404 reviews23 followers
July 2, 2017
Great story

This was a really epic story! I loved all the different aspects of the characters and I liked the nerd references too! I really recommend this book!
Profile Image for Loek Krancher.
1,042 reviews68 followers
July 21, 2017
Perfect!

The realistic portrayal of the racing and the rivalry between the two friends is excellent done. You can feel the vibe around mountain bike racing. There is no rush to the finish as regards the romance. The building of their relationship is steadily paced. The main characters are very different yet so perfect together. One lives her life with reckless abandon and the other is a workaholic and a control freak. Both women don't have any successful experiences with relationships but both work hard to make amends and are trying not to repeat their previous mistakes. This with the help of their best friends. Nothing is easy and also because there is a championship at stake. Even when things look rocky, their feelings for each other was never in doubt. Before they could move on, they must overcome their fears and jaded views on relationships. The chemistry sizzles and the strong attraction goes beyond the physical. I loved every bit of it and I highly recommend it to everybody.
Profile Image for Carol Hutchinson.
1,113 reviews73 followers
May 29, 2019
I really enjoyed Sierra and Kara’s exciting ride of a story.

Sierra is a mountain bike racer, competing professional but she isn’t focusing properly because she suffers from commitment issues. When an injury leads to a meeting with Doctor Kara that begins to change.

For a long time both Sierra and Kara are holding back. They are very complex characters, sharing similar traits but their personalities are so different. Where Sierra is outgoing and bold, Kara is shy and nerdy. They really complement each other well, and it is those personalities that create the interesting tension built as fight against their emotions and feelings for one another because of past experiences.

The tension and pace of the story was well set. Each chapter bought something new, or unexpected to keep the story exciting and the reader hooked up until the wire. I would really like to see a sequel and what the future holds in story for these too women.

An enjoyable sporty romance read.

Profile Image for Dee Martin.
3 reviews
July 17, 2017
Am I the only one bothered by Sierra and her inability to take responsibility? She literally threw a tantrum, slept with her ex, omitted that she slept with her ex, ignored Kara's attempts at communication, and didn't even apologize. She didn't give Kara a chance to explain but was quick to jump to conclusions when she didn't immediately see Kara in the clinic after the race. Let's not forget Ronni harassing Kara in her place of work without having the full story. Should Kara been more upfront? Perhaps. However, she didn't do anything wrong yet she's made to grovel and beg. Sierra didn't even bother to try. When Kara gave her an easy out she pounced. I would have been able to finish if there had been an equal level of maturity in both characters. At least show that Sierra was remorseful and that they could endeavor for a mature adult relationship. I've read other work by this author and enjoyed it, this however, was disappointing.
2 reviews
July 17, 2017
Had me in tears

Can't read at work, to embarrassing to be caught in tears. I love the opportunity to read work in this or any genre that evokes genuine emotional response.
12 reviews1 follower
Read
March 16, 2018
Loved it!

Mountain biking, microbrews, chiropractic doctoring...all mixed into this awesome love story. I really enjoyed this book by one of my favorite authors.
153 reviews
July 9, 2017
Enjoyed The Story

But I thought it dragged in places and I found myself thinking, "just hurry up already!"

I liked the characters, but I wish Ms. Andersen had developed Blake and explored his budding relationship with Ronni more fully. There's nothing wrong with adding an opposite sex relationship in lesfic when it adds to the story.

I must warn my fellow grammar geeks that there are some eye rolling moments, and a couple of times when i wanted to throw my Kindle across the room.

All in all, though, I can recommend this to lesfic fans as worth the read.
83 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2020
‪Pro:‬
‪Excellent chemistry between MCs‬
‪Realistic and interesting personal development for both MCs‬
‪Perfect amount of angst‬
‪The book isn’t just how they meet, you get to experience when the MCs live their HEA‬
‪Con:‬
‪None‬
51 reviews1 follower
July 7, 2017
Fantastic

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book awesome characters and a load of fun i definitely recommend reading this book :)
Profile Image for WLWBookReader.
31 reviews
July 4, 2017
A perfect summer time read!

A perfect summer time read! Mountain biking, hot women, funny friends, nerd appreciation and a satisfying happily ever after...it has it all! I enjoyed this story and highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a sweet romance with lovable characters.
1,149 reviews15 followers
June 25, 2017
I loved this book.

I loved Switchback. It combines the thrill of mountain bike racing with romance and friendship. The setting in Oregon sounds beautiful and I learned about a sport I knew nothing about. Excellent book.
Profile Image for lauraღ.
2,326 reviews168 followers
February 29, 2020
Eeesh. I didn't really like this.

On a basic level, a bunch of things just didn't work for me. I tend not to like love stories that lean heavily on jealousy and mistaken feelings and misunderstandings, and there was a lot of that. I tend not to like stories that include evil/bitter exes, and there was a double dose of that. I didn't enjoy a lot of the so-called comedy (like... Ron's overprotective BFF antics: breaking into Kara's office, the meanness, the little threats... it was just super weird and uncomfortable and I know their little short-lived rivalry was MEANT to be mostly comedic but it was just overwrought and silly IMO!). The descriptions of Kara's ex were. Something. (Oh, those feisty Hispanics!) And the two main characters weren't very compelling at all! I especially found Sierra to be obnoxious. The dialogue was stilted and cheesy, the writing wasn't anything special and v. repetitive at times, and the plot (a mountain biker and a chiropractor... neat!) could have been interesting, but it dragged pretty hard. I LIKE character driven romance novels that don't have a lot of plot going on, but there are ways to make those kinds of books engaging for the reader, make the reader feel like things are at stake, make them want to keep going. This book just didn't do a very good job at that. I especially didn't like the way conflict was brought up. For example... 'Sierra and Kara had been dating for about a month and things were going pretty well, except that Kara was spending too much time at work and Sierra didn't like that!' The book would just... tell us that, instead of taking us through those first few weeks of dating, showing us how Kara slowly began to sink herself into work, show us why. And man, the thing is, I feel like other books have brought up conflict in this way too, and I've enjoyed it, because other aspects of the book were really good! But here... :(

Honestly? I picked up this audiobook because I saw that it was narrated by Nicol Zanzarella, who has a voice that I love. And she did a fantastic job; it was pretty much the only thing I liked about the book. No, that's a lie. I also enjoyed that the secretary (whose name I forget now) wasn't just a random bitchy side-character made for Kara and Sierra to hate; turns out she had been modelling her responses to Kara based on Kara's unintentional behaviours to her! It was kinda refreshing. (Though I still don't get what was the point of her early lecherousness.)

I might have enjoyed this more if so many of the basic plot elements were just... so wholly not my thing. But as it is...

1.5 stars.
Profile Image for PJ.
63 reviews5 followers
October 10, 2018
Poorly Defined Main Character Gives An Insulting Portrayal Of Female Mountain Bike Athletes.

I bought this book for the bicycling aspect, and that's the only thing playing into the 2 star rating.

My main issue is the utterly disrespectful way the female mountain bike racers in this novel are portrayed. They're cliches. They're written like Neanderthal, pre-adolescent boys. My guess is that the author has never spoken to one of these athletes in person, because everything about those characters (including one of the two main characters) felt forced and utterly fake, especially their vocal interactions.

Given that the two main characters are in wildly different places in their lives - their coming together never felt "right" ... especially due to the juvenile behavior of Sierra throughout the book. The ending felt especially rushed and seemed very much like a "hurry up/wrap it up" scenario.

While I did enjoy the writing describing the racing, and the outdoor scenery, that's all that saved this book from a single star rating.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book and would warn any Mountain Biking fan away if they don't want to feel insulted.
247 reviews5 followers
July 20, 2017
Cute

I read this book because I was looking for something appealing on the Kindle Unlimited list that I haven't read yet (I have to limit my Kindle purchases because I'm such a voracious reader). I didn't have preconceived expectations but found that I actually enjoyed the story and witnessing the emotional growth in the main characters. I will have to check out other books by this author. There were grammatical errors that should have been edited before publishing. Unfortunately that is commonly true with Kindle Unlimited books.
Profile Image for Brooklyn Graham.
Author 5 books13 followers
July 28, 2018
It was fun. Having done a smattering of downhill riding, I was easily drawn into this story. I found the relationship between Ronni and Sierra very entertaining, but the main romance a little unbelievable. I liked the match, Kara and Sierra made a cute, if not unlikely couple. I just found the way they were written was a little too convoluted. I enjoyed things when there was some consistency between them, but all too often, I was distracted by unneeded hostility, or turbulence. All in all, a good read though.
Profile Image for Lynn.
126 reviews2 followers
August 19, 2021
Epic romance and such a great finish line!!!

What happens when you put a hot, strict and passionate doctor of chiropractic and research medicine and a spontaneous, adventurous, and all-around reckless downhill mountain bike racer in the same recovery tent? Answer...Sparks with adorable pick-up lines and geeky medical terminology!!!! And did I mention the sparks!

Hits the beats, add well researched information, makes you feel like a friend at the table rooting on all the characters like they are your friends too!

Recommend!!!
56 reviews1 follower
March 27, 2024
A Great Ride

Switchback is such a fun read. The story is thoroughly entertaining while giving a bit of insight into the worlds of downhill mountain bike racing and chiropractic medicine. Sierra and Kara are so very different yet there's no denying the chemistry between them. Learning about themselves and each other, addressing insecurities and vulnerabilities, and growing both in their relationship and as individuals all makes for a great ride. So just sit back, hang on, and enjoy!
Profile Image for Kerstin.
135 reviews3 followers
March 13, 2018
3.25 Stars
A good solid read with an original setting, some minor angst moments.
I liked how the story progressed and all but I missed this spark that made it really really good for me and made me route for one of the charecters. I diddn´t do that so much because I just knew the obstacles where minor enough that all would end well.

The Sarah Sawyer Series was more my cup of tea but this is still a good read.
Profile Image for Rae Storey.
166 reviews3 followers
December 24, 2018
This story was beautiful, and frustrating, and sexy, and angsty, and romantic, and I loved every page of it. Kara and Sierra have so much chemistry from their very first interaction, and it never fades throughout their journey. I also have to add that by chemistry I don't only mean sexual (although they have plenty of that, too). They are so different from each other, but they still get and they compliment each other. Kara reigns Sierra in a bit, and Sierra pulls Kara out of her own head.
3 reviews
May 3, 2019
This had the potential, but it was soo sappy! As a married lesbian, I can say that lesbian relationships are not all heavy breathing and husky "I love you's" every 3 sentences. Both of them kept going back and forth with emotions, the whole damn book! And buying a house after 9 months of being together? This book fed into every lesbian stereotype there is. I had to force myself to finish.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews

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