13 minutes by Sarah Pinborough is an interesting novel- it's a bit creepy, tense, and unsettling. It's also equivalent to Mean Girls on Crack. There is bullying, lying, secrets, and even murder. True to the authors form, there is a major twist to the story- one that left me shocked and surprised, but also excited. The author knows how to pull these twists that will leave her readers reeling. This is one of the major reasons I wanted to read this book in the first place and I think many readers will really like it.

Pretty and popular Natasha was found in the frozen river, brought back after being dead for 13 minutes. She has no memory of that day or the day before that led to her being dead, but she feels like maybe she should try and figure it out. With so many possible suspects with perfectly reasonable motivations, how can she possibly figure out what happened. What do her best friends, the other Barbies, have to hide? And why is her old best friend Becca, the girl she shunned for not fitting the perfect image she wanted, hanging around again, waiting for her attention. Will the missing memories ever show up, and if they do, who will be responsible?

Wow what an interesting, unexpected ride I just took with this story (and I love the new cover!). The ending, just WOW! I knew that I wanted to read this story because the synopsis was intriguing and I am always looking for new mystery books to get lost in. The story is set in high school, where a group of mean girls rule, everyone wants to be them, but somebody wants to kill them (or at least one of them). The story was a different kind of mystery, but expect a very dark read with murder, manipulation, drugs, sex, betrayal, and surprises.

I am usually really motivated by character driven books, where I have characters that I root for and really care about, but I am not really a fan of anyone in this book which was really a first for me, yet I still found the book compelling. The story was dual narrated by Becca and Natasha, alternating at chapters. I expected to like at least one of the girls, but both of them had secrets and mean behaviors that were expected of them but were a put off for me the reader. Becca was a stoner, spending much of her time high so that she could escape her feelings of loneliness, lack of self-confidence and sorrow, seeking comfort from her boyfriend and secretly wanting to belong to the girls who rejected her for not being enough. I really thought I was going to root for Becca, but she was hard to connect to due to her desperation and neediness. Well, Natasha, was a tough shell to crack. That girl lacked total compassion for almost everyone and judged everyone, be it her parents, friends, doctor by her exact standards. She was bossy, rude and pretty mean so it was hard to be invested in her well-being- to be fair, she was super interesting, but not at all a likable character by any means. It felt like she was unable to relate to anyone, and that made her very different from most characters I have read before.

I think my favorite thing in the story was the in between chapter interactions, be it the text conversations from the other Barbies, Haley and Jenny, where it hints at guilty behaviors and paranoia, notes from the Investigator on the case trying to solve what happened, snippets from the diary Natasha was instructed to keep to help her regain her memory, or case notes from the doctor that has been seeing Natasha to help her memories. Each little clue increased my curiosity and suspicion, sometimes sending me in the complete wrong direction but still add pieces to the overall plot. I wanted to solve the mystery so bad and I was convinced I had everything figured out, but alas I was wrong, so so wrong.

The plot itself was the best part of the book, with a slow build until a crazy resolution. Yes, that is all you get from me, super vague answers since this is a mystery book and I refuse to be a spoiler so all you get is that this was really good mystery with twists and turns that keep the reader guessing and an ending to make your jaw drop. I highly recommend this story to any one looking for something dark but different but with the high school mean girls flair. This was my first adventure with Sarah Pinborough and I will gladly check out more stories she wants to create.

I received this title for reviewing purposes. Come to https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ to take part in the book's tour

At first, I thought this book is the kind of story that I’ve ever found. You know, mainstream ones about a character who wants to know who the culprit is. But, I found that this book is extremely… OUTSTANDING! Here’s the reasons why I like this book very much:

1. 13 Minutes is full of lies, deceit, and manipulation.The characters are manipulated. This makes the narrator is unreliable. You can’t just believe it just because you feel pity about the characters. I really like this kind of narrator because it gives me a feeling to not believe everything the narrator said whatever emotional it is. I thought whose good and bad. Throughout the book, my perceptions of each character changes as more is revealed about them.

“Nothing. Nothing real. Sometimes I dream stuff, but it’s more about being afraid and in the water than anything else. Thinking something’s in there with me, something I can’t quite see.”

2. The different point of view for each chapter. This gives the readers another side of thoughts and perceptions which doesn’t make it boring. The writer uses point of view from the characters, but the most interesting is that it gives the excerpts from interview conducted by the local police, the newspaper man, and the psychiatrist. It can broaden our perspectives towards the main event.

3. The character building is obvious which makes it develops really well. I love how the writer describe the characters really well with their own unique personality. In this case, I am really in love with Natasha’s character because it gives me surprise! :D

4. I love the ending! Oh, my, goodness… The author executed the story really perfect. It seems like the writer leaves the ending to the readers. Let the readers think. Wow, salute to Sarah Pinborough. FYI, Sarah Pinborough is a critically acclaimed adult and YA author based in London. She was the 2009 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story and also the 2010 and 2014 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and she has four times been short-listed for Best Novel. She is also a screenwriter who has written for the BBC and has several original television projects in development.
You can follow her on Twitter @sarahpinborough

5. One of the issue in this novel is very crucial. It’s related to sexual abuse or sexual affair. I think it is a thought provoking issue that needs to be taken seriously.

“Sex is ugly in my head. It shouldn’t be, but it is. Maybe I’ll never do it. Sometimes power comes from not doing it. Look at Jenny. She has no power. She gives it away. She says she loves it, but I’m not so sure she always does. She believes it’s all she has and she just wants to be loved. How terrible is that? She does that for “love.” I don’t think I want to be loved that much.”

Natasha, Hayley and Becca were childhood BFFs. That’s up until when Becca’s baby fats did not shed in sync with Natasha’s and Hayley’s. They deemed her not worthy of their squad and had her replaced by Jenny. The new trio became the Barbies, your resident mean girls. But one morning, Barbie leader Natasha’s body is found tangled on twigs, floating by the icy river. She survived, despite being dead for thirteen minutes and in a coma for days, but cannot remember how and why she almost ended up in a watery grave. And when she wakes up, she inexplicably feels gravitated towards seeking comfort from ex-BFF Becca, instead of turning to her two current BFFs.

A person such as Natasha is as expected, hard to relate to. She is the spoiled reigning queen bee of the wild hive that is high school. She basks in the glory of her popularity. She does things just for kicks, she manipulates people, she loves drama. Nothing really bad went off in her charmed life until her thirteen-minute death. Then enters average-student Becca, who keeps the narrative grounded. She is the person we can most probably relate to. Becca is our conduit to finding out what really happened, when Natasha slowly sheds her veneer and asks for help in piecing together her missing memories.

Most of the narrative follows Becca in 3rd person point of view but the author did not skimp on giving the reader a lot of vantage points. There are chapters with 1st person narration by Natasha through a journal she was asked to keep in helping her recover her memories and there are excerpts of her consultations with a psychologist. These elements really fleshed out her character. There are news clips of the incident and related incidents which give more background info or sometimes help move the plot forward. There are interspersed text messages between Hayley and Jenny which shows their desperation with the investigation and also provides a build up to the plot. And the notes scrawled by the investigating police detective gives an observer’s perspective of how these teens are reacting with everything going on.

The most notable thing about “13 Minutes” and what made me glued to the pages is its affecting prose. In the first few pages, there is a sense of urgency there while Natasha is drowning to death, with a succeeding sense of relief when she was saved. When characters are questioned or invited to the police precint, the book makes it believable that they are really possible suspects. So as not to reveal a lot of the plot, let me just say that all through my notes, I have scribbled a lot of “OMIGOSH!” moments for varying reasons and emotions. It is just astounding how this book can make you feel eerie things while just sitting and reading.

The teen characters are complex and affecting, too. One instance they show glimpses of vulnerability and kindness then the next, they say and do things that makes my skin crawl. There is an element of power play here between these teen characters. Adults (parents, teachers, police, counselors) are visibly around but they are subtly relegated to the back, like mere spectators in a game of chess. And the book is smart in letting these angsty teens toy with control and power while making the adults one step behind or completely oblivious with what’s really happening. The whole flipped set-up where teens seem tough and adults seem frail adds a layer to the eerieness to the book.

“13 Minutes” is ultimately a story of childhood friendships gone awry. It gave me this new askewed grasp of what having a bestfriend means. Yeah sure, having a bestfriend is one of the nicest things: a support system, a confidante, someone who gets you and can totally read you like a book. But having someone know you through and through can also sometimes backfire. The phrase “Be my bestfriend” is probably ruined for me because of this book. Damn, this book is deliciously dark! You wont feel sorry indulging in this YA mystery thriller.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review.

Sarah Pinborough boasts two of my favorite things: she is a masterful writer and she's British. When I saw the opportunity to read 13 Minutes, her upcoming American release, I knew I had to have it. I enjoy reading YA contemporary romance from time to time, but never before had I read a YA crime novel. This book is top-notch with twists and turns I didn't see coming. It is Mean Girls on crack.

When an unsuspecting dog walker stumbles upon a teenage girl in the river, the whole town doesn't expect to be turned upside down. Natasha was dead for 13 minutes, but she wasn't suicidal and she can't remember how she ended up in the water. Everyone loves her, she's the queen bee of the Barbies -- surely she couldn't have any enemies?
Natasha turns to her friend from before popularity, Becca, to help her determine exactly why she was floating in the river and who she can trust. If a teenage girl can trust anyone.

"...they laugh and joke and say how much they love each other, but as true as that might be, they still watch each other for weakness. For chinks in the armour. I don’t think boys are the same. Boys are dogs. Women are like cats. Individuals by nature. We are not pack animals."

This novel reminds how truly vindictive girls can be. The purest form of evil just may be a vengeful teenage girl. I was impressed with how easily I was sucked into this story and how unpredictable it ending up being. It's told though multiple perspectives, including first person, third person, diary entries, and newspaper columns, allowing readers to have an all-encompassing understanding of the motives and actions of each character involved. I was absolutely engrossed in Pinborough's skillful storytelling and didn't want to put this book down! I had no idea what was coming next until it was hand-fed to me. I felt like one of the pawns in this riveting game of chess.

One of the most interesting elements within the plot was the modernity with the use of social media and cell phones. Pinborough's use of this feature shows just how harmful this face-paced and highly connected society we live in could be to teenagers. It makes me extremely thankful social media wasn't such an essential part of life when I was a teenage girl myself.

I was also excited to learn this novel with be adapted into a Netflix series in the future! It will without a doubt keep everyone on the edges of their seats, and I'm so anxious for the day it will show up. Be sure to pick up 13 Minutes on its release day, October 3, to read the book before it hits your TV screen.

DNF @ 26%

I really really tried to, but I just couldn't get into it. It's incredibly slow paced that I tend to put the book down for several times because the suspense was on and off which stops the momentum of the story. I also found the narration confusing because of the POV switch.

I'm disappointed because I was really looking forward to this book but it wasn't just for me. I'm glad other readers enjoyed it though.

And finally, a YA thriller with all of the high school popular kid dynamics that I so very much adore!

This one was creepy. The way that scenes from Natasha's 13 minutes of death were woven in was very well done, and chilling. I could very much envision the scenes playing out.

The ultimate ending was a little bit hard to buy, yet it was clever enough that it worked for me and did the job effectively. I loved all of the set up that it took, how the clues were visible throughout the story yet challenging to put together, and how many aspects were all tied together.

If you're not into the cliché high school dynamics, don't read this. Me, I devour them unabashedly. Seeing the way the "friends" in this book interacted made me absolutely gleeful with the impending disaster, and seeing the way that the parents looked upon their little angels, too, was intriguing.

A very enjoyable thriller, I recommend this for younger readers of mystery.

Ahoy there me mateys! I received this young adult thriller eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .

13 minutes (Sarah Pinborough)

Title: 13 minutes

Author: Sarah Pinborough

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publication Date: TODAY!!! (hardback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1250123855

Source: NetGalley

I was perusing fer treasure as I do and I came across this. I previously read poison and charm by this author and truly enjoyed her writing style. So when I saw she had a young adult thriller me curiosity was piqued. Luckily I managed to snag a copy.

The book begins with a girl in the process of drowning. This girl, Hannah, is found by a passerby and is subsequently saved but not before being dead for 13 minutes. She wakes with amnesia and begins to unravel how she ended up in the river and who wants her dead. She trusts no one and so enlists the help of her former best friend, Becca, to figure out what happened.

This book kinda reminded me of the movie "Mean Girls" with some murder mystery thrown it. The chapters in the novel changed perspectives though the majority of it is told through Becca's point of view. Add in a sprinkling of text messages and other documents that give the reader clues that add excitement but certainly still kept me guessing.

I found meself enthralled with this book. I read this in one evening and actually stayed up into the wee hours of the morn readin' in me bunk because I had to know how it ended. It was a bit of a roller coaster actually. I found meself changing me mind about the perpetrator, which girl involved I sympathized with the most, which girl I wanted to stab through with me cutlass, etc.

One of me favorite bits was the tie-in to the crucible because I stage managed the show back in the day and therefore am very familiar with it. The layering of those themes was lovely. What made this a slightly less fun story was the last chapter which annoyed me and an "aha" moment that involved a grownup reminiscing. I was however entertained by the teens perspectives on how useless grown-ups were. I am very glad I never had friends that nasty or teenage apathy and angst that strong.

In any case, this was a super fun read that was outside of me normal young adult fantasy and sci-fi fare. I certainly will read more of this author's work.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Flatiron Books!

Netgalley's website has this to say about the novel:

Natasha's sure that her friends love her. But does that mean they didn't try to kill her?

Natasha doesn't remember how she ended up in the icy water that night, but she does know this—it wasn't an accident, and she wasn't suicidal. Her two closest friends are acting strangely, and Natasha turns to Becca, the best friend she dumped years before when she got popular, to help her figure out what happened.

They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you're a teenage girl, it's hard to tell them apart.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Sarah Pinborough - Author

To buy the novel go to:

13 minutes - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

One morning a man is out walking his dog when the dog seems to see something to get him worked up so investigating further the man comes across a young girl in the icy water. When he sees the girl move a bit he jumps into action calling for help and jumping in to save her and perform CPR until the authorities arrive and take over.

After being revived Natasha has no memory of what landed her in the freezing water that morning that lead to her being dead for thirteen minutes. She really can’t remember anything leading up to the event for the day and a half prior. Just what had happened that morning has everyone talking and Natasha wondering who she can trust.

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough is a young adult mystery/thriller read. The story changes the point of view between a couple of characters but is also told through things like text message, a psychiatrists note and case notes from the police as Natasha’s and another incident is investigated. Natasha and her other two friends are known as the Barbies and a bit of a mean girl clique that lived up to the mean and really weren’t all that likable.

Now for me going into a story knowing the characters are portrayed as the popular mean girls I felt that I should have at least fallen in love with the character of Becca. Becca had been an older friend of the girls that was dropped from the group for not being cool enough for them. But to be honest I didn’t even find her that likable and some of the actions of all of the characters just had me shaking my head.

In the end I found this one to just be on the OK side since I didn’t really connect with anyone in the story and then in the end I didn’t actually find the wrap up to be that shocking. It wasn’t a bad read just for me it will be on the forgettable side unfortunately.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I wanted to read this book because I loved the twists in Sarah Pinborough's Behind Her Eyes. This book did not disappoint in that regard; I was surprised by the twists and love when an author surprises me. Just when readers think things are "wrapping up," a whole new story emerges. I really liked this book, but as a teacher, I would not recommend to younger readers because of language and adult situations.

Think Pretty Little Liars Meets Gone Girl in this Amazing new Young Adult book by Sarah Pinborough. Natasha was dead for 13 minutes but can't remember what happened prior to her falling into. the water. This brilliant story unfolds through many different views which adds so much to the story. Each chapter switches from Journal entries / character POV/ Newspaper articles / Text messages it is so exciting and will keep you on the edge of your seat till the last page. MUST READ!!!

My Pretty Little Liars fans, Riverdale fans, etc. will love this book!

Wow! If you are looking for a mind bending thriller, this will do! Similar reading to newly released 'We Were IV' by Alexandra Sirowy. For YA readers of mystery and thrillers, a popular purchase for large collections.

In my opinion, this book is incomplete. It ends with hardly any resolution. What happens when the truth comes out? You can't write a psychological thriller with no resolution. This book needed two more chapters and an epilogue. Badly.

All of the girls (except for Hannah), even our "heroine" Becca, were catty, awful people. It was way overdone and every single one of them were beyond annoying. Usually our MC will be the one good person in the group to kind of give us a break from the immaturity, but that wasn't the case in this book. If you're iffy about YA novels, don't read this one.

This book was also very, very long. Four hundred pages usually isn't a big deal for me, but it contained a lot of fluff without much character development. I would say about 75% of the scenes with Hannah in them were unnecessary and were there only to show how vain Becca could be. Hayley and Jenny were such huge characters in the book, but I feel as if I know nothing about them other then they're mean girls. I didn't feel bad for them, I didn't empathize because I didn't connect with them. Same with Aiden. I'm not sure if what he did was out of character or not because I didn't know anything about his character.

The book was somewhat predictable, but not entirely. I would have given this three stars if it had been completed, but I feel my time was wasted without a definite resolution. I decided to go with two stars instead of one because the psychological aspect of it was gripping and I did continue reading it. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book.

A fantastic read that really holds your interest with twists and turns at every corner!
I normally don't go for the thriller/mystery books but I was really intrigued by the description of this book.

While this book is aimed at YA readers, it really can resonate with an older audience as well. I wouldn't suggest younger due to the manipulation and otherwise nasty actions and behavior of some of the characters. As awful as that sounds, it is now our reality.

I absolutely love that the story is told through different types of media ie. texting.
Plot is fantastic and the story is well written - definitely will be recommending it!

This book was cray! I went in expecting a pretty normal YA mystery and came out not even sure what I had just read. If Reconstructing Amelia and Gone Girl had a baby, this would be it. While this won't be going on my list of favorite books, it was still a brilliant read.

It was impossible to read 13 Minutes and not connect one of the many complex characters to someone I know in real life. The mean girls, the frazzled mothers, the harried detectives, the unfortunate individuals in the wrong place at the wrong time; we all know someone(s) who fit the descriptions. Told from several perspectives and in various forms, Sarah Pinborough's 13 Minutes sucks you in with its engaging writing and study of human nature. Readers are treated to texts, therapist's opinions, the viewpoint of the rescuer, and a refreshingly realistic first hand account of what really happened the night that Tasha died for 13 minutes. Or is it really the truth?

"I have missed them, in my own way. They've been my best friends. maybe things will be different now."

Much of the novel is told from the perspective of either Becca or Tasha, ex-best friends turned allies when Tasha fears that her current best friends, The Barbies, are not as friendly as they seem. It reads like a young adult novel, the girls feel true to 16, but with college level suspense and mystery. The adult themes would normally pull me from a YA aged book, but in this case it truly carried the story into the right setting. 13 Minutes reveals the darker, more incestuous nature of the high school experience that we want to believe can't be true. The drinking, the drugs, the prevalence of sex, is completely spot on, especially when you consider the parties, a symbol of status to the youth fighting for either popularity or to remain in the shadows. Sarah Pinborough's novel can read as a very realistic warning, the events are of topical interest and her stunning ability to make everything seem so real only highlights the fact that any of this could truly happen.

"Forever. That word haunted her. Best friends forever. I'll love you forever."

13 Minutes is a Young Adult Thriller that is sure to interest readers of all ages with its mystery and psychological twists. Released in 2016, the new 2017 cover, and quiet rumors about a Netflix series, has this successful thriller back in the spotlight. It's a twisted novel, crafted in such a way that even your hunches of whodunit have little to back them up.

"They stared at each other, the winner and the loser, the way it had always been."

It’s the Millennials version of the early 2000s Mean Girls. It is a bit predictable and as the answers to the great mysteries start pouring in you’re probably going to feel like you saw that coming a mile away BUT the story did manage to still be interesting with characters you want to know more about so it’s a win besides there are some decent twists and suspense. It did remind me a bit of PLL as you have that character who thinks she’s loved yet was ‘killed’ by one of her friends? Flashbacks to Season 1 of PLL and who killed Allison?

This did help fill my PLL hole since I’m still grieving over the series ending but it’s like the R rated version with sex and drugs. The author does know how to write good psych thriller scenes though.

Told from multiple viewpoints (including items from the police reports), 13 Minutes tells the story of selfish, spoiled, hateful teenagers, trying to figure out what happened on the evening that their friend, the Queen Bee Tasha, was found unconscious in a freezing river. At least, some of them are. It seems like others know, but we are not privy to their thoughts...

I flew through this book! It's predictable and unpredictable in a good way. The characters are terrible, but it definitely shows that you don't need to necessarily like any characters to enjoy a book. There's a lot of sex and drugs in it, and it just deals with a lot of higher level, psychological stuff, so I would not suggest it for immature high school readers.