4.5 Stars. This is a stunning character-based mystery by author Ashley Tate. It is her debut novel and is based on grief, desperation and tragedy. The gripping story is twisty and twisted, with partly revealed secrets, memories, lies, and coverups. It is told with suspense and tension by portraying four agitated and desperate teenage characters and escalates through an ominous atmosphere. Its author is now on my must-read list for her next book.

The story is told mainly through the thoughts and behaviours of four well-developed teenage characters and revolves around a car accident ten years earlier. The car crash happened on an old bridge after leaving a late-night party where liquor was involved. The story was that the car swerved to avoid a deer on the road. Now, a memorial service is being planned to remember the death of Phoebe and to honour her life. An elderly lady recently died on the same bridge, and the townspeople have been asked to vote on demolishing the bridge. The decade-old tragedy still haunts the small town.

Phoebe has been long-regarded as a perfect, popular, intelligent, hard-working student engaged in community activities. The car was driven by her brother, Grant, a school athlete and magnet for the girls. Phoebe was dominant and possessive in the brother-sister relationship and determined to keep her brother on the right path. Grant kept his girlfriends and many activities secret from Phoebe, or she would disrupt them. Also in the car was Becca, who was severely injured and hospitalized. She claims to have only scattered memories of the accident and will go to any length to protect Grant. She tends to be delusional and obsesses about Grant. She believes he is secretly in love with her. Before Grant, she was accused of stalking another high school athlete, and a restraining order was placed on her to leave him alone.

Not present at the accident but badly affected on that night is the teenage June. Her brother Wyatt disappeared the night of the party, and there has been no word of him for ten years. Her mother died in the hope that he would return with a reasonable explanation for his absence. Now, June is alone and has fallen into a state of depression. Wyatt had been regarded as a 'bad teen,' expelled from school, and possibly involved in selling drugs and minor crimes, but June misses him badly. A supernatural element may be present with answers about the tragedy.

All these young characters come from dysfunctional families with parents who left or died, resulting in grief. The remaining parents were overly critical or dismissive of their offspring. The older adults only play a minor part in the story. What is known of the accident may be only partly true or a complete falsehood. The story was that the car swerved to avoid a deer on the road, and no drinking had been involved. There had been a distracting argument between Becca and Phoebe. The injured Becca held Pheobe while she lay dying, while Grant was some distance away shouting, "Why!" It took 27 minutes before he called an ambulance, and Phoebe's life could have been saved if the paramedics had been called sooner.

With the memorial service rapidly approaching and the vote on tearing down the bridge, the desperate Grant, Becca, and June unite to sort out the shocking truth of what really happened on the night of the car crash and Phoebe's death.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this book. I recommend it highly for readers who enjoy an absorbing character-driven mystery. The publication date will be January 30.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is an unusual thriller full of crushing grief, dead-end small town mentality, dark secrets and invisible class lines drawn in the sand.

When reading this, my mind immediately went to the cringey small town I went to school, lots of poverty, alcohol and general angst. Not a pleasant environment, similar to this book. Phoebe was killed in a car accident and her brother Grant, the driver, waited a full twenty seven minutes to get help. Fellow residents have always wondered why. Friend Becca was in the car but lived through it, though drowning in complicated grief no one understands.

A decade later, June is left completely alone after her brother disappeared years earlier and her mother dies. Her raw grief and despair clutched at my heart. Very real and relatable. Seeing her sorrow through a window was symbolic and impactful.

Though at first keeping track of characters was a bit challenging, after getting them separated into my mind they were hard to get rid of. Most characters are unlikable and off-putting and they chose to either be consumed by resentment or struggled to move on. This is not a feel-good book but recommended for those who want to dive a bit deeper.

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this engrossing novel.

Mini synopsis: Tension is high when a 10 year memorial of a tragic car accident starts to unravel a dark past and a bunch of lies between a group of former friends about what really happened that night. Decent quick thriller read.

The book is split between 3 main POVs and the story bounces between what led up to the horrific event ten years about and present day as the town gets ready for the ten year memorial service commemorating a teenagers tragic death. For a thriller, the build seems to drag on a bit, and although it does pick up pace at the end, I felt that the suspense ramps up too late in the book. Some of the characters, particularly Becca, have frustrating personalities and I feel there isn’t enough attention and depth on June’s character and POV even though she plays an important role leading to the conclusion (this might make sense when you read it). I did think the ending was a solid ending to the lead up and it wrapped up the story nicely, but it also wasn’t entirely unpredictable or shocking.

This ended up being an interesting read. It was kind of slow and all over the place, but at the same time, I kept reading because I wanted to know what exactly happened. The plot twist at the end, I did not see! I will have to read more by the author.

This could have been a contender! A story about a group of young kids that harbor a great secret. They all attended a party 10 years ago where one of them died in a crash on the way home. Now after an elderly woman has a crash on the sane bridge the town is coming together to vote on whether or not to destroy it. It brings back too many memories for the kids. The basis of the story was good but there was too much filler in the book to make it anything but a chore for me to finish

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for Andy advanced copy

I cannot believe this is a debut novel, it is so good. Fast paced, gripping story about Grant who lost his younger sister in a tragic car accident he was driving the car in. There have always been questions about the accident that Grants younger sister Phobe died in, specifically why it took him 27 minutes to call for help, 27 minutes that could have been used to save her life if she had gotten help. As the 10 year anniversary of the accident approaches Grants mother plans a memorial which Grant is firmly against as he has many secrets about the night of the accident. Sad, multilayered story that is difficult to put down.

"Twenty-Seven Minutes" delves into the harrowing aftermath of the accidental death of Phoebe Dean, a beloved girl from a small town. As the community reels from the tragedy, questions surface about the circumstances surrounding the incident. Amidst the grief, the townspeople begin to unravel the mystery of why it took twenty-seven minutes for anyone to call for help, opening a Pandora's box of hidden truths and shocking revelations.

The story unfolds through multiple viewpoints, providing a multifaceted look at the events leading up to Phoebe's untimely demise. Every perspective unveils layers of complexity, leading to a series of unexpected twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Featuring a cast of unreliable narrators, "Twenty-Seven Minutes" delivers a thrilling and fast-paced narrative that captivates from start to finish. Prepare to be engrossed in a tale of secrets, deceit, and the startling climax that will leave a lasting impact.

I absolutely loved this book. It was really well written and it was also surprising. Thank you for the arc. I really appreciate it.

Ashley Tate's debut novel is a study in the slow unfolding of the truth behind an awful tragedy that has disrupted the lives of everyone in the town of West Wilmer for ten years. Told from multiple third-person viewpoints, the novel unveils the twisted motives of everyone involved in the accident that took the life of Phoebe Dean, the town's shining star who was destined to do great things...until she died. The question in everyone's mind -- why did the driver, Phoebe's brother Grant, take twenty-seven minutes to call for help? There is a surreal quality to the narrative as it delves deeper into the mystery, and the atmospheric setting descriptions add to the nightmare feel of the story.

Tate demonstrates a masterful command of her characters, shifting from one to the other with just enough new information to keep the reader anxious and eager for the unraveling. I highly recommend this read!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a quick read because it was pages and pages of nothing happening. Told through multiple POV and flashbacks to that fateful night ten years ago, I loathed every single person in the book. So props to the author for writing well enough to cause such strong emotions in a reader!

Every single person either dreams situations up, has flashbacks, or hallucinates. I get trying to confuse the reader, but ultimately I felt like there were too many damaged people, I've never lived in a small town but felt like ALL the character should just leave and get a fresh start. And therapy. Lots and lots of therapy.
 
Anyone that's read a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys book will figure out the "shocking twist" at the end long before they get there. In fact, one of the characters is even accused of being a Nancy Drew. Points for mentioning my favorite teen sleuth.

Overall, good in the fact that it kept me out of a reading slump and it passed the time, but the execution fell flat in the end.

Had me hooked at the start, fell a little flat at the end. Maybe I just wanted a bit more of a dramatic big reveal.
Considering the characters were all pretty unlikeable I still enjoyed this book and was invested in finding out the truth about THAT night.

This thriller was just not for me. It felt so slow, so predictable and just unmemorable. I’m kinda excited to forget that I read this book.

Twenty- Seven minutes is a psychological thriller about the accidental death of a small town girl, Phoebe Dean, on a bridge one night. Despite multiple people being involved in the accident, everyone only cares about losing Phoebe, and trying to figure out why it took the others twenty-seven minutes to call for help. Told through alternating viewpoints, and with plenty of twists and turns, the answer is shocking.

This book was such a fun, quick read. I loved all of the unreliable narrators and enjoyed the big surprise ending.

Thank you NetGalley, and Ashley Tate for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was an incredibly slow burn for me. It was not at all what I expected and I didn't care for any of the characters. I pretty much figured out what happened half way through, minus one crazy revelation at the end.

DNF I'm sorrryyyyyy! I really am going to try to read this book again, but after reading maybe 20-30% I was just lost and not enjoying the reading experience.

I had a hard time keeping up with the many characters and multiple POVs. I felt every character was trying very hard, but I wasn't attached to any of them.

Same with the plot, it was just a lot of nothing for me. HOWEVER, this could very well be because I read this so slowly, I could've lost part of the plot. I just didn't have any desire to keep going. Who knows though, this book may have the best second half ever and I just couldn't get there.

Like I said, I'm def def def going to try again at some point when I am ready to deep dive a complicated thriller lol. Hopefully I can edit this in a few weeks with a much better review!

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Ashley Tate for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

🚑 But the ambulance was called too late - TWENTY SEVEN MINUTES too late 🚑 … holy gripping thriller alert! “Twenty Seven Minutes” by Ashley Tate is sinister, manipulating, suffocating, raw, gut wrenching and bone chilling!!!!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

10 years ago, the small town of West Wilmer faced a local tragedy. A teenaged girl died in a shocking car crash and the story behind what happened that night just never seemed to add up properly 🤔…

Phoebe Dean had a PLAN for herself and her brother Grant to get the hell out of their mother’s house and their suffocating small town after graduation. Leading up to the party that changed everything THAT NIGHT, Phoebe was on edge and smothering her brother a lot more than usual. Both siblings held on tight to dark secrets … and the truth began to unravel at the party. Wasted and behind the wheel leaving the party, Grant survives the crash but sadly not Phoebe. It took Grant 27 minutes to FINALLY call for help. It was that 27 minutes that could have kept Phoebe alive. And Grant will have to live with that guilt for the rest of his life.

Now it is the 10 year anniversary of Phoebe’s death and Grant is DROWNING in the secrets that he has had to keep all these years. Someone else was there that night in his car … WILL the truth come out OR stay locked up forever?

Thank you kindly to Canadian debut author @ashleytateauthor (you go girl) @poisonedpenpress @netgalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on January 30, 2024 and is 💯 percent worth checking out!!

This wasn’t the worst book I’ve ever read, but it wasn’t great either. It seemed like there were just too many reveals, and the end of the story didn’t necessarily go with the amount of buildup that it gathered. It wasn’t enough to make me never want to read another one of Ms. Tate’s books, but this one just wasn’t it.

The twist is like that moment on a roller coaster when you suddenly plummet 100 feet to the ground. 😳 It makes so much sense, but it never crossed your mind and so, WHAT?!

Great debut novel from Ashley Tate! I can’t wait to read more from her.

I did really love the multiple perspectives and different story lines, but the story was so similar that it was hard to love any of them. What would Harley’s story have been like?

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Ashley Tate for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ten years ago, Phoebe died on the old bridge. There have always been questions about the incident that are only now getting answers.

This book had a lot of promise but fell short for me. There are a lot of characters that are all very unlikable. While this isn't always a bad thing, in this case I had no one I wanted to see succeed. The drive to find out what happened to Phoebe was strong and that is what kept me reading.

Overall, if you love thrillers with many characters that are all hiding something, this is the book for you!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

An incredibly slow burn. Was it worth it? I'm still deciding. None of the characters were relatable because there was very little character development. The twist was cool, but it felt like we were never ever going to get there.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.