Venture into the mesmerizing world of "Twenty-Seven Minutes" by Ashley Tate, where secrets linger like shadows and redemption hangs in the balance.

From the very first page, I found myself utterly engrossed in the gripping tale unfolding before me. Set against the backdrop of a small town grappling with tragedy and loss, this debut novel is as haunting as it is compelling.

Tate's masterful storytelling draws you in, weaving together multiple perspectives with effortless grace. Through the eyes of characters like Grant, Becca, and June, we are invited to peel back the layers of deception and uncover the truth hidden beneath the surface.

What truly resonated with me were the intricately drawn characters, each grappling with their own inner demons and struggles. Grant's overwhelming guilt, Becca's unwavering loyalty, and June's relentless search for closure are portrayed with such depth and authenticity that they felt like friends I had known for years.

As the story unfolds, secrets are revealed, and the past comes rushing back with devastating clarity. Tate expertly navigates the complexities of grief, forgiveness, and the enduring power of love, leaving a profound impact on the reader long after the final page is turned.

In "Twenty-Seven Minutes," Tate has crafted a truly remarkable debut that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. With its richly textured narrative, unforgettable characters, and hauntingly beautiful prose, this novel is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the power of storytelling to illuminate the human experience.

A slow burn suspenseful debut! It is told in dual timelines with four different POVs. I thought the author did a nice job propelling the story forward with each shift in perspective. I also appreciated having different perspectives from the main characters when the story was in the past. This book has had me thinking days after finishing, partly because I had unanswered questions about the surprising ending. Overall, I believe this story was more about surviving a trauma and working through grief than a thriller. These characters were raw, messy, and damaged. I am really excited to see how Ashley Tate grows as an author and can’t wait to read her next book! 4⭐️

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really like how the book starts out with a glimpse of the past then jumps forward 10 years, with little of the past thrown in! All the characters are well developed and complex, some even felt like people I know personally! I wish the ending would’ve been drawn out a little bit more because it felt like a whole lot of build up to an event that quickly is over. If you like mysteries and thrillers you might just want to check this book out!

This was a great character driven story.

Phoebe Dean may have survived a car accident, but for the 27 minutes it took for anyone else involved to call for help.

The opening of the book is startling and raw. As it unfolds, we get multiple points of view as those 27 minutes are pieced together little by little.

This one was a little bit slow, with a lot of character development. It is definitely not a light popcorn thriller, as it contains a lot of deep concepts surrounding grief and pain.

Personally, I found all of the characters to be unlikeable, so it was a little hard to entirely relate.

Overall though, I loved the twists and turns, and didn't see the ending coming.

Anyway, this book stressed me out. Twenty Seven Minutes is a thriller that tells the story of a small town 10 years after a teenage girl died in a tragic car accident because her brother waited 27 minutes to call 911. The brother, the best friend, the brother’s girlfriend, the neighbor - all a mess from this accident. It was one of those books where facts were slowly leaked out so I had no idea what direction things were going in and who was a reliable narrator. It was a bit dark and like I said, stressful, but it kept me hooked until I figured out what really happened that night.

This is a quick and fun read! Told in multiple POV as the ten year anniversary of a teenager’s death looms near, secrets of what really happened begin to shake a few of the locals

Phoebe was the younger sister of Grant whose life was taken suddenly and tragically too soon. His mother never forgave him. Questions still rise as to why it took him 27 minutes to call for help..

Becca was there. She’s always backed up Grant’s story. They’re in love so of course she believes everything he says, right?

June just lost her mother and is surprised that her brother Wyatt has returned after a decade of being missing. He’s subdued and not talking about where he’s been so she takes it upon herself to find out.

What could all of these plots and people have in common? You’ll have to pick this one up to find out!

After a high school party, a terrible car crash tragically killed local good girl Phoebe Dean. The ambulance came 27 minutes too late to safe her. But was Phoebe as much of an angel as everyone is saying? Why didn't her brother Grant call the authorities sooner? Had he drunk too much? And what about Crazy Becca who sat in the back seat of the car, what did she have to do with it? June cares more about the disappearance of her brother Wyatt. How much of a coincidence is it that he ran away the same night of the accident? Did he have something to do with it? All answers will come at the 10 year memorial of Phoebe Dean's death...

I really liked this story! The plot was very good and even though I read a lot of thrillers, the twist at the end still surprised me. I do think it shows that this is a debut, June seeing Wyatt for the first time in 10 years would have been more suspenseful and would have impacted the readers more if we hadn't already read a chapter from his point of view. I also thought there were too many POV's, which made it a bit confusing sometimes. Still, the writing style in Twenty-Seven Minutes is beautiful, there were some great plot twists and cliffhangers, and you could figure out what had really happened if you were able to connect all the dots correctly. Definitely recommend! 3.75 stars

Thanks to NetGalley, Ashley Tate and Ashley's team for providing me with an ARC!

Going into this one I was intrigued to find out what happened 10 years ago when they waiting 27 minutes to call for help resulting in a death. I appreciated the fact that we got feedback on each of the characters to get to know them and how they relate to the plot. However, it took a very long time for that and wished we spent more time on revealing the truth behind the accident. Once we did get to the reveal I was surprised and liked the ending. It just took too long to get there.

Twenty-Seven Minutes. That's the time it took Grant Dean to call 911 after he got into an accident on a one lane bridge in a rain storm. It is also the amount of time it took his younger sister Phoebe Dean to die from her injuries after she was thrown from Grant's truck.

The Deans were at the top of the high school heap in their small town of West Wilmer. Grant had his pick of girlfriends and was about to be recruited to play college football, his ticket out of his go-nowhere town. And Phoebe was intent on making sure he got out. With her. But when she dies in the car accident, all of their dreams die with her.

On the 10th anniversary of her death, Pheobe's mother plans a memorial service that the whole town is talking about and everyone plans to attend. Everyone but Pheobe's brother Grant, who would rather avoid it, and June, the younger sister of Wyatt, a member of the Deans's extended group of friends and acquaintances, who went missing the night of the accident as well. June, alone after the death of her mother, wonders what happened to her brother and why no one in town seems to have noticed that he was gone.

The memorial has people talking again about what happened during those 27 minutes. Grant claims to have blacked out and can't remember. But he isn't the only person who knows. Becca, Phoebe's friend, was also in the truck that night. And while she knows what happened, she would do anything to keep Grant's secret.

The novel is told from multiple points of view and jumps around from the weeks leading up to the accident and the days leading up to the memorial service. It's a bit hard to keep track of all of the characters, with all of their traumatic back stories. (Most have generations of family trauma.) And while there is a steady build up of suspense (the book starts with a fairly high level of suspense and never lets up), very little of what happened is revealed until the end. Instead, Ashley Tate fills the pages with the character's traumatic back stories and their fraught realities ten years later.

Tate does a fantastic job of capturing the claustrophobia of living in a small town with no real hope of getting out. Unfortunately, her success makes finishing the book feel like a herculean accomplishment.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

Absolutely loved this one. The cover pulled in instantly but the story was really fun. It kept me entertained while surprising me throughout the entire book. Highly recommend to anyone looking for suspense with a great ending.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is a novel set in the claustrophobic town of West Wilmer. It explores the aftermath of a tragic accident through the eyes of Grant Dean, who lost his sister Phoebe. The book attempts to unravel the complexities of grief, secrets, and the search for truth but leans towards familiar genre tropes, especially with its predictable twist concerning Grant's character.

Despite its predictability, Tate’s narrative captures the essence of a small town's tight-knit community, dealing with themes of loss and the heavy burden of secrets. The story's setting and the multi-perspective approach add depth, although the climax might not surprise seasoned readers of the genre.

While Twenty-Seven Minutes may tread on well-worn paths and sometimes feels contrived, it offers a poignant look at the consequences of our choices and the pain of living with unresolved grief. The novel’s exploration of familial bonds and community dynamics might appeal to those interested in emotional narratives centered around tragedy and redemption.

Tate's work reflects on the impact of tragedy and the complexities of human emotions, making it a suitable read for those who appreciate stories with emotional depth despite their shortcomings in originality and predictability.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an e-Arc of Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate for my review.

Thank you Netgalley, Ashley Tate, and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced ebook! Wow! This book had me so hooked and had all my heart strings pulling and my heart beating fast wanting to soak up every word and every chapter to figure out what exactly happened that night. This was such a great read. Highly recommend!

Twenty-seven minutes can change a life. It can also alter an entire town's future, which is exactly what happened on a stormy night in West Wilmer. One family, multiple friends, the death of a young girl and a bridge on a stormy night = recipe for a tragedy that lives in the hearts & minds of those involved for a decade. But the question on everyone's minds is - what happened during the twenty-seven minutes from the time a deadly car crash occurred to when the police were called?

A psychological thriller with characters who actually pull you into the plot? Sign me up! I absolutely loved this debut novel from Ashley Tate. It's rare to find a thriller that twists & turns its way to the very last page, but this book did just that. And I loved that I wasn't halfway through knowing for certain what the end was going to be. Her writing style & character development was so on point, it's possible Sherlock Holmes would have struggled to unravel the truth behind this small town's greatest mystery.

I couldn’t enjoy the book. It was the pace.
The story itself couldn’t hold my interest. There’s no tension that we need in thriller.

A suspenseful intriguing mystery. Lots of twists and turns in this unpredictable page turner filled with complex characters. A tragic witty entertaining story that captured me on the very first page!m this is a must read!

Dark, tense and twisty.! The buildup for the ending definitely pays off. Overall, I think this is a true psychological thriller. The roller coaster of emotions the main characters experience are well detailed and kept the pages turning,

June, Grant, Becca, phoebe and Wyatt are characters that you can easily be invested in. I look forward to reading more by this author!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced copy and the chance to review it honestly.

I received Twenty-Seven Minutes as an ARC through NetGalley. I really wanted to love this book but it fell on the average part of the scale for me. Maybe it was just my mood but it felt repetitive and a tad bit long winded for me. What I did enjoy was that it was entertaining enough for me to want to finish the book and I would definitely give this author’s next book a chance. I am also happy with the way the book ended. I’d recommend this book if you like slow burn thrillers. The good stuff mainly happens at the end but it’s the first chapter that really hooks ya!

Happy reading!

"Twenty-Seven Minutes" promises a gripping tale of dark secrets, unbearable grief, and shocking twists, but unfortunately, the execution falls short, leaving readers wanting more from this story.

The central question that propels the narrative—why did it take Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the night of a tragic car accident—fails to sustain the intrigue promised in the book summary. The plot unfolds slowly, and rather than building tension, it struggles to hold the reader's interest.

Grant's internal struggle and guilt over his sister Phoebe's death are explored, but lack emotional depth. The character development feels superficial, leaving the reader disconnected from the supposed heart of the story. "Twenty-Seven Minutes" attempts to explore the consequences of grief and the impact of buried secrets but fails to deliver.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A decent debut novel by Ashley Tate. A small town dealing with the grief and unknown elements of a teenager's death ten years ago. Dual timelines and flashbacks reveal what happened on that tragic night. A slow build and a great twist toward the end as the truth is unveiled. Why did it take 27 minutes for the brother to call the police on that fateful night?

I received a digital ARC from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The characters, the mystery, the pacing, the plot, the writing and dialogue m, everything. Everything here is a HIT!
My only wish for people on this book is to not read anything going in before starting it. I knew little things from the book blurb and feedback, and was blown away by how great the pacing and twists were. Will (hopefully) make a good Netflix or Hulu series one day! Don’t miss this one. Five stars