I was able to read this title before it's release date thanks to Netgalley. I began reading this book in JUNE 2023 and only finished in JANUARY 2024....I almost DNF this book.. But I pushed through because I was getting an advanced copy to read so I felt obligated to finish, which is never a fun way to feel while reading!
At the back of the book the author included an interview and Book club questions. While reading through the interview the author mentioned that she wanted to write this book about grief and loss because she had recently lost her Mother and had experienced these emotions first hand. While that's sad I feel as though it caused the book to feel a bit pointless at times. So let's get to what this book is all about and what my thoughts on it were.
This book is told from several perspectives of people who were effected by the events of a car accident that took place on "the bridge' ten years ago. This accident ended Phoebe's life, but if her brother, Grant, hadn't waited twenty-seven minutes to call for help would she have made it?
On the night of 'the accident' another local high school student, Wyatt, goes missing as well. The entire plot of this book revolves around discovering what these two events have in common and unraveling what happened in that twenty-seven minute span.
This book had some really interesting aspects, and some really dull and overused ones as well. The interesting aspect was that we got to see Wyatt's perspective throughout the book, only to learn that at the end he had passed away that night. The really dull aspects are the limited character development and honestly I've read about more interesting characters on the back of cereal boxes. One character who bothered me in particular was Becca, who seemed to be stuck ten years ago in high school. Becca also had some really creepy behavior's.
Overall, this book was very disappointing and underwhelming for me. The plot of this book felt very implausible to me and wasn't very interesting. The 'mystery' and 'thriller' were sorely lacking in this one. Sorry Ashley Tate and NetGalley, this one just wasn't for me.
#NetGalley #AshleyTate #Mystery

A great debut effort! Surprises, I developed feelings for the characters, and a story that held my attention.

A small town that is shook with a tragedy years ago. Souls who need to heal, and an anniversary reminder.

I am going to keep this review vague, as this book is better though a readers discovery. Your emotions will get a workout; your brain will be in constant guessing mode. Not a deep thriller, but that could come in time with this author. A recommended read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review.

Not my type of thriller - too slow paced and not suspenseful enough. Nothing happened, but curiosity kept me reading to the end where there was an unsatisfying twist.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

The story started out interesting for me but I began to lose interest as I realized I seemed to have landed in a crazy madhouse of a town. West Wilmer is described as claustrophobic and I agree, the small town can almost qualify as some kind of locked room (town) situation. As the story is told in two timelines, ten years apart, it seems like even though the characters have grown older, they never seem to have matured. The teens of ten years ago seem to be stuck in bodies ten years older (and most worse for the wear) but still with the mind of dysfunctional teenagers.

But it appears no one had a very good start in life in this place. When a parent hadn't physically escaped this town sans family, they still seemed to have emotionally and mentally escaped the town (and reality). This created dysfunctional kids, several who desperately needed psychological help. No POV can be trusted, these are messed up people. Now, ten years after a horrific accident, with a memorial service to commemorate the date, long kept secrets are oozing out of their hiding places, to destroy the tenuous relationships in this town. Things were never good here but now folks are going to know just how bad things are as this pot of secrets boils over and scalds the lives of many.

I was interested until I realized this story, if I could ever uncover what the story really was about, was going to be dribbled out to me much too slowly for enjoyment. The characters seemed so immature and unable to care for themselves, much less anyone else, that it's a wonder that the town can function. But that might be because the POVs we are seeing just aren't able to push a story along. Nothing said or thought can be trusted and then there is "other stuff" going on and I was ready for things to be over and done. Too bad that didn't happen ten years earlier. Actually, I'm not sure how things stayed secret so long since none of the characters seem competent enough to pull off what they pull off. I know the story worked better for others and there are some big surprises here for those who hang in to the end. Still, the surprises almost seemed anticlimactic by the time I got to the end.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Ten years have passed since Phoebe died in a car crash with her brother Grant behind the wheel. What baffled the investigation, why did Grant call 911 27 minutes after it happened? This was a pretty fast-paced book with a captivating plot that keeps you hooked. Written in multiple POVs, it took time to get to know different characters as the plot gave each character a back story, grief and trauma that made things complicated. The twist was amazing, but it takes 90% of the story for something to happen, and once it happens the book is basically over. With such a grief heavy plot, it slowed the book down so that by the time the twist happened, I was just ready for it to be done. Overall I found the book to be a captivating and entertaining emotionally packed read.

What really happened the night Phoebe Dean died?

A small town tragedy, family secrets, and a truth, hidden for 10 years, that finally comes to light.

This was such a great debut! I really enjoyed following the various perspectives and the flashbacks not just to the night if the accident, but the other flashbacks that gave some background on the main characters. It really helped build that small town feel that I think was really important for this book.

I'm not gonna lie, I teared up a little bit at the end, but I really enjoyed the "reveal". This was just a really good read, and I cannot wait for this author to release her next book!

I received an ARC of this book. I found this book to be interesting but a little hard to follow. It is kind of slow in the beginning but picks up as it goes along.

It’s been almost ten years since Phoebe died in a car crash where her brother was driving. What the heck happened during the twenty-seven minutes between the time the accident occurred until a call for help was made? After ten years it’s time truth to come out. The story is told via dual timelines. (present and of course ten years ago when the incident occurred.) This is a solid debut for author Ashley Tate. She does a very good job of showing us the effect that horrible night has had on people of this small town and then slowly dolling out the details of what really happened. I thought the character were well drawn and while not exactly a thriller it was an entertaining drama with hints of mystery and a number of unexpected twists. I’d like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RDY5UH3YVQFAW/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I found Ashley Tates new book to be well written, but I feel it struggled with the lack of likable characters. Every chapter gave a lot of suspense but something was missing to really connect me to the story- perhaps it needed more plot?
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in return for my honest opinion.

Twenty-Seven Minutes was a mix of teenage angst and dysfunctional families. Tate’s use of 10 Years Ago and now chapters was very effective and I did like the various point of views expressed in the 10 Years Ago chapters. The twist at the end was not a surprise. I did not find the characters to be likable, with the exception of Wyatt. They seemingly never grew up or moved on, with the exception of One of them. The descriptions of Wyatt led me to figure out the twist quite easily while my heart felt pity for him. I loved the description of the small town and all of the gossip that defines living in one.
The power of this read for me was the dichotomy of family life - how a parent’s clear preference for one child over their siblings can have lifelong repercussions for the entire family.
Many thanks to Ashley Tate, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this read, to be published on January 30th. Three stars for an enjoyable read.

Yes! Yes! Yes!
I did not see that coming at all! Hello my precious! I am loving this suspense book! Thank you!

This was a solid debut. Small-town high-school brother and sister, Grant and Phoebe are driving down a road, there is an accident, and it takes Grant 27 minutes to call 911. In the meantime, Phoebe dies. Another girl also goes missing that night. Ten years later, Phoebe's mother has a memorial, and this gets the whole town talking and wondering all over again. What follows is a twisty, turny, slow-burn of a story that kept me turning pages. Great detail of the small-town with so many secrets and not a lot of options for ever getting out. I felt like I was actually a part of it. There are a LOT of characters to keep straight but I think the author did a decent job of giving most of them a story. This is told from multiple POV's and as I mentioned, it is a slow burn but stick with it. I look forward to more form this author.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Ashley Tate and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I will post my review to Amazon, Instagram and other social media and retail sites upon publication.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a mystery thriller with a large cast of characters. The premise is how did the popular girl, Phoebe Dean, die and why did it take 27 minutes for her brother Grant to call for help.
This novel is told in two different time lines, current and ten years ago on the day Phoebe died. Each chapter is told from a different person’s perspective of their life now and their connections to Phoebe and her family.
The characters all have secrets and dreams they are hiding. Sometimes you don’t know what is reality and what is a person’s imagination. I found the characters to not be very likable. The one I felt the most empathy for was June, who recently lost her mother to cancer. Her brother Wyatt disappeared the same night that Phoebe died. What was the significance of that? Any coincidence?
The suspense of what happened on that fateful night was given to the reader in bits and pieces. It was up to the reader to determine who was telling the truth or telling lies. Lots of twists and turns, with the big reveal coming at the end. I have to say that I was taken by surprise.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. for the digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Published January 30, 2024.

Despite my rating, I did not hate this book, I was just left disappointed by it. The writing is really well done and the characters were well developed. (That being said, 90% of the characters were unlikeable and made reading this a little more difficult because I just didn't really care about them).

The build-up to the twist was strong but I felt as though the reveal was a bit of a let down because I think I had guessed it, or it felt like it was anticipated to turn out the way it did.

This was a slow developing story and if you're just along for the ride you will probably find this enjoyable!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty-Seven Minutes follows several characters through the present and flashbacks from ten years ago, when their lives changed forever. A teenage party ended in tragedy when Grant, Becca, and Phoebe were in a car accident, leaving Phoebe dead. Ten years later, Phoebe's family is ready to have a memorial for her and it is stirring up a lot of memories for those involved. Becca is still obsessed with Grant and has been protecting him all these years by thinking she cannot remember what happened that night.

At first I was thinking there were too many point of views, but the characters were developed really well. I can't wait to read more by Ashley Tate.

Thank you to Ashley Tate, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the copy in exchange of my honest review.

This book was actually a slow burn thriller

Phoebe Dean was one of the popular girls in the town and she was found dead. Within twenty-seven minutes, she could have been still alive yet she died on the spot.

Now nearly a decade later, the town in holding a memorial in Phoebe Dean. There are so many questions arising, why did her brother Grant took twenty seven minutes to call for help? There is someone in the town, who knows what really happened to Phoebe Dean on the night of the accident.

To me, this was a slow burn thriller. Not much twists and turns, and not only that, it was outright a little boring to me in my opinion. The story is told in multiple POVs--Grant, Becky, and June. It was slightly a bit difficult to distinguish between past and present but other than that, I found the book less appealing. The twist at the end was OK but overall, in the end, to me, the book was OK in my opinion. Would have been better if unnecessary parts were eliminated and made the story more intriguing and interesting. Overall this book worth 2.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

I enjoyed this book! It was a slow burning mystery with lots of character building!
It was told through the viewpoint of multiple characters with flashbacks to the past. There’s a big twist in the story I was not expecting and I thought it was a great ending!
Thanks Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for this Arc!

The opening and closing paragraphs of this book are beautifully written. I love Ashley Audrain’s work, and the author of this book, Ashley Tate, is her writing partner. I can see how they influence each other’s writing with this debut.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a slow burn kind of novel with lots of character building, and it took a while for something to happen and for all of it to make sense. But in the end, the author ties it all up neatly with this shocking plot twist that was just… wow. I don’t tear up easily but it made me cry.

Congrats to Ashley Tate for this moving and relatable novel. It depicted grief so well and made me remember that every life, no matter how flawed, is precious.

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

Ten years ago, a beautiful teenaged girl died in a car accident on a bridge…but what else happened that rainy night?

The town of West Wilmer has never forgotten the accident that took the life of Phoebe Dean in a car crash on a treacherous bridge in town years ago. Phoebe was smart, beautiful and popular, and over the years those attributes are what people most remember of her. There were two people in the car with her that night: her older brother Grant, who was a talented athlete being scouted by colleges and who was extremely close to his sister, and Becca Hoyt. Becca suffered head injuries in the accident and has little memory of what happened that night, but she and Grant both insist that a deer appeared in the road unexpectedly and that Grant had swerved to avoid hitting it, losing control of the car in the process. Grant sustained injuries as well that ended his sports career, and has also never been able to answer why it took him 27 minutes after the car crashed to go to a nearby pay phone and call for help. He has had to live with the knowledge that Phoebe might have lived if he had made the call earlier. His widowed mother, who had always favored Phoebe over him, now can barely stand to look at him. The town as a whole has condemned him for his actions that night, and he has to live with their scorn as well. He copes with the residual pain from his injuries, his guilt over failing his sister, and the dismal life he now leads by self-medicating with prescription drugs and alcohol. He and Becca have a relationship that he insists they keep secret, and Becca has agreed both because she loves him, and because she believes that she was the cause of the accident and that Grant has lied to protect her. She is getting tired of keeping things secret, though, and is making Grant nervous about what she might say and to whom. When an elderly woman from town dies in an accident on that same bridge, just three days before the tenth anniversary of the accident that took Phoebe’s life and the memorial gathering that has been planned to commemorate it, questions are being asked and secrets are coming to light. Another person disappeared from town on that stormy night ten years ago, which the town has forgotten, and he has returned at long last to reveal what really happened that night.
Twenty Seven Minutes is a tantalizing debut thriller that grabbed me right from the start and didn’t let go until the last page. The story unfolds in chapters which are narrated by alternating characters….Grant, Becca, June, Wyatt…and slowly the reader learns the story of the events of that fateful night ten years earlier as well as how the lives of the main characters have evolved. Each carries the trauma of that event in ways both physical and emotional, and none have had a particularly happy life over the ensuing years. As is true in real life, the death of one person has a ripple effect over the lives of those left behind. Survivor’s guilt, harsh judgements in the court of public opinion, and fault lines that open up in a family when a member dies all come in to play in the stories of these characters. Some of them are lying to others, some are lying to themselves; in short, the reader can’t be at all sure of what is fact and what is fantasy or obfuscation. There are points in the story when the brisk pace of the narrative slows down and becomes overly repetitive, but the underlying story is so tantalizing and with its truth remaining just out of reach I was determined to stay the course and find out what happened. Why would a loving brother let his sister die? What is the bond between Becca and Grant? And most critical of all, what happened during those 27 minutes on the bridge? I found it a quick and enjoyably suspenseful read, and recommend it to readers of Celeste Ng, Mary Kubica and Stacy Willingham as well to those who can’t resist a story that centers around the bad decisions that young people make and which alter the course of their lives. Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy of Twenty Seven Minutes..

Twenty-seven minutes. The time it took for Phoebe Dean to die after a horrific car accident. 10 years later, and Phoebe's mother is planning a memorial for her, and the people most affected by the accident are feeling the affects of the accident almost as if it had just happened with another accident at the bridge where Phoebe died claims another life. The town reels and plans a vote to tear it down, and secrets from that night 10 years ago start to surface...

This book, it felt like I read it in 27 minutes. It's super fast paced, and you don't realize how quickly you're just flying through it. The characters aren't particularly likable, all of them are hiding some horrible things in their past. A brother that has been missing since the night of the accident suddenly turns up, miraculously alive while his sister is grieving the loss of their mother. Phoebe's brother is hiding more than one secret, keeping multiple affairs secret.
I liked this book quite a bit, and it was a perfect thriller to curl up with on these cold nights. I always wanted to find out what secret we would learn out next, which twist was just around the corner. I think the characters themselves could have used a bit more fleshing out, some of them were a bit stiff, but overall this book worked fairly well and I'm looking forward to more by Ashley Tate!