Twenty-Seven Minutes! This is the amount of time it took Grant Dean to call for help after getting into a car accident that took the life of his younger sister. If he had called sooner, she may have survived. Ten years later, as her memorial approaches, many of the locals are still deeply affected by the tragedy. What really happened that night?

This book takes place in the town of West Wilmer - a town that comes across as quite gloomy, depressing and mundane on its face. There are many conflicts happening in the characters' lives. Is anyone happy? It doesn't seem like it. And who knows what really has happened in the past? Everyone has their own version, and many of the locals love to gossip. Tate introduces quite a few prominent players and her character development is decent, but sometimes it is hard to keep it all straight - I read the beginning several times to make sure I understood each person. And some of the relationships between these people are weird, but I was willing to accept that because I truly wanted to know what was going to happen next. Tate was able to build suspense as she gradually revealed new aspects to the past, but these revelations are coming from the characters themselves so the reader is not always convinced it's the truth. I enjoyed much of this book, especially a huge part of the middle as I was getting to know the characters and learn more about the past and present. But the ending fell a little short. It was a long build-up to get to the final revelation which was somewhat predictable. And although there was some closure at the finish, it all still felt heavy and dark because so many of the characters had to return to their dreary lives. That being said, the majority of the book kept me turning the pages. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC.

I tried to like this book but it was lack luster and dragged on and on. I found it boring

Thank you Netgalley for the free advanced reader copy to try out.

Omg! What a terrible secret everyone is living! Grant Dean was driving his sister Phoebe and Becca a friend home one night and they had a terrible accident on a bridge. Unfortunately, Phoebe didn’t survive the accident and she was definitely the golden girl of the town.
June had just buried her mother and she was struggling because her brother Wyatt had been missing for the last ten years right after the terrible accident that took Phoebe’s life. Suddenly he shows up and is in terrible health, teeth falling out and so forth.
Can they all end up working together to bring out the truth why it took twenty seven minutes to call for help?

I received this ARC for free from Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It's difficult to believe this stunning book is a first novel. The writing is pitch-perfect, the characters deeply developed, and the story compelling from beginning to end. Ashley Tate raises the small town mystery to new heights in this accomplished story of grief, secrets, and corrosive suspicion.

The reason I wanted to read this book is the same reason that had me rabidly reading it like a fiend: Why?

Why did Phoebe's brother wait 27 minutes before calling 9-1-1 after they were in a terrible car accident? Would she have lived if he had called for help immediately? I had to know the answers to these questions, so the author successfully hooked me before I had even begun reading.

This story is presented to us from the perspective of 5 different characters. Perhaps a more accurate way to describe it is the story unfolds through their memories, as each character is trapped, reliving their pasts. Phoebe Dean's mother is hosting a memorial of her death - this tragic loss a pivotal moment for all the characters. Their memories take over their ability to function properly, though it seems they've all been barely functioning these last 10 years, each one holding on to survivor's guilt for different reasons.

I never lost my desire to know why. I typically don't jive well with stories that are little to no action, where everything is told to me by a character or through dialogue, but even so, I couldn't stop reading. Like I said, Ashley Tate had that hook in me before I even started.

I had a lot of fun trying to determine what really happened the night of the accident, but was a little disappointed that it's written in a way that the reader cannot possible solve the mystery....or so I thought! I went back through and looked at all of the quotes I had highlighted and do you know, every single quote had a clue as to what was right there in front of me the whole time! I just sat there looking at all the quotes, shaking my head in awe. I comfort myself by saying my subconscious figured it out, lol.

It was interesting to me to see how each of these characters handled their grief and guilt. Each were affected differently and got through their day-to-day lives in the best way they could. Some had support systems, other did not. I enjoyed seeing who was able to come out on the other end stronger and those who succumbed.

I'm glad I took a while to think this one through, go back through my notes and quotes before determining my rating because I actually enjoyed this one more than I realized upon immediately finishing the book.

A great debut from Ashley Tate - I look forward to seeing what else this author has up their sleeve!

Wow! This book was simply amazing, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see how it was all going to end. Great thrilling story!

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. The title caught my attention and at times the book was fairly entertaining but didn't really hook me like other thrillers usually do. The foul language was a bit excessive for me and the drama was a little much. Overall it was an okay read but it was missing something.

This is a story about several characters that are sad, stuck, and in constant inner turmoil. June just lost her brother and her dad and brother abandoned her ten years ago. Grant’s sister died ten years ago in a wreck. Becca was in the car during the wreck. And the twn year anniversary is a major stressor for all involved. A decent story overall and a good ending with closure.

This story moved way too slow for me. I was so distracted by the timeline jumping around and new characters being introduced that it took away from the big mystery. The reveal took so long to work up to that I stopped caring about what happened 10 years ago and what happened in those twenty-seven minutes.

The opening sequence of this book is heartbreaking. We are witness to Phoebe's last moments after being in a horrible car accident 10 years prior. Why did her brother wait 27 minutes to call 9-1-1? This is told from differing viewpoints from 10 years ago and current day. The other mystery is that another character Wyatt went missing that same night after a fight with his father. While a slow burn at times and a bit YA feeling, the ending did not disappoint. I definitely didn't see that coming. I recommend this to anyone who likes mysteries and small town feel to a book.

I love a good mystery. This was a slow burn tho and was a bit slow in the middle and i struggled to keep up with all the characters. The ending was surprising tho!

This book was such fun--loved the setting, so atmospheric and rich--and the premise was unique and interesting. Felt fresh and new and tightly plotted.

Read this book in two days! Very fast paced story with great supporting characters. I was shocked at the ending, and didn't see it coming.
Instabtly an Ashley Tate fan.

Thank you Netgalley fir my ARC in exchange fir my honest oppinion.

Very confusing to follow with many different characters. Interesting at times but very slow at times as well. Many parts could have been cut. The book builds up to a promise of a good ending, yet ends with a disappointing ending. Not my favorite.

I really wanted to love this book, but it’s only a like. Twenty-Seven Minutes is a ‘thriller’ taking place in small town West Wilmer. The community is dealing with the death of Phoebe, ten years ago, and those that were affected by the accident and her death. First off, I had difficultly keeping track of the characters. Who was related to who? Who was involved with who? Quite a challenge.
It started off great, grabbed my attention and then slowed down, to the point that I was just skimming pages. As I was getting closer to the end, I was more invested and wanted to figure out ‘who done it”. I have to say, I thought it was going down a different path than it did, much to my surprise!
This is Tate’s debut novel. I would be wiling to give her an other try.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This needs to be advertised as a mystery and NOT a thriller. There is absolutely nothing thrilling about the story. It makes a solid mystery, but I wasn’t in the mood for such a slow paced novel. It felt more like a character study on the effects of grief. The writing was fine and I did like the big reveal at the end, but this book put me in a bad slump because I just didn’t feel like I was making any progress and kept avoiding picking it up. If you know what you’re getting into, then this could be an enjoyable read for you, but don’t go into it expecting a thriller.

2.5/5

The question
For the last ten years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe? If he'd called sooner, she might still be alive.

This question drew me in! What was Grant doing for 27 minutes before calling for help?

Twenty Seven Minutes follows the lives of four young people 10 years after the tragic accident that killed Phoebe as the truth is finally revealed.

Things I liked - even though the book is a slow burn I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what happened.

That being said, I struggled to connect with the characters as I found them unlikeable. Each seemed to have lots of issues and were not trustworthy. I managed to figure out what had happened half way through but felt the story its self took way too long to get there with not much else happening.

Overall, this is a good debut novel. It could have used a main character that you could cheer for and connect with though. And maybe less of a predictable ending. I will try out Ashley Tate’s next book though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy in exchanged for my honest review.

This is the debut novel of author Ashley Tate! I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to read this prior to its publication date! Releasing on January 30th, be sure to grab this new book! This story goes back and forth from present day to the past in order to piece together what happened in one particular night where 27 minutes are in question. 27 minutes that changed everyone's life that night. Imagine 27 minutes defining the rest of yours, and others, lives! No matter what else you accomplish throughout your lives, everyone thinks of those 27 minutes and that is what defines you. Thank you to Ashley Tate, Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy.

This was a book that really gripped me right from the beginning.

An accident late at night in a small town 10 years ago, shook the locals to their core, and changed the lives of several young people forever.

Grant, the high school football star, was in the car with his sister Phoebe, and a friend Becca. After the crash, Grant who was injured can never play again, and is almost a pariah, blamed for the accident that killed his sister. It was twenty-seven minutes after the crash that the authorities were called, and why the gap? Would Phoebe, the talented shining star expected to make something of her life, have survived if help had been called earlier? Becca can't remember most of the details, but is still traumatized over the incident. A friend June, is still grieving over the fact that her brother Wyatt went missing that night, and has never returned. But nobody remembers him.

We soon discover that there was a lot more that happened that night and that almost everyone involved is keeping a secret. Those secrets are becoming harder to live with, and as the 10th anniversary of the night approaches, it is clear that something big is about to happen. Grant is consumed by thoughts of everything he lost that night, and how Becca is going to react. Becca is obsessed by Grant, and whether the few memories she has of the accident are accurate. June, who's mother recently died, and is feeling totally alone, receives a visitor she must keep hidden.

Told from multiple points of view, all unreliable, we finally come to understand the 27 crucial minutes that night.

This was an excellent debut novel, and I was very invested in all of the characters, however weird and unlikable some of them were. The small town setting amplified the sense of connections, good and bad, between all of the characters.

I look forward to reading more by this author!

Overall a good book. It took me a little longer to read because the characters just didn’t grab me. I felt more pity than anything. For a first novel, I think it was good and will definitely read more by this author. Would I recommend this? Yes. Is it a “must read”? I wouldn’t go that far. But it was an enjoyable book and I don’t feel like I wasted my time.