DNF @ 50%

Thank you so much for NetGalley for the ARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes. I feel horrible leaving my first DNF review but this book just couldn't keep me. I LOVED the premise and the first chapter hooked me right away, but I lost interest after several chapters because the story started to feel repetitive. The writing is good and simple to follow. I know people who would really like this book, but it just wasn't for me. I may try to finish it one day.

Ten years ago, life changed for Grant, Becca, and June: Grant and Becca were involved in a car accident that killed Grant's sister, Pheobe, and June's brother disappeared after a fight with their dad. As the ten-year anniversary approaches, Grant begins to feel suffocated by the secrets he's keeping - just why he waited the fateful 27 minutes before getting help for his sister. Becca's patience with Grant is unraveling, and June, reeling from her mom's recent death, encounters someone who might know what happened to her brother.

The premise of this book was good, as was the prologue. The majority of the book was very slow with unlikeable characters. I did want to read to the end and see what the outcome was, but it was slow-going for me. Most of the action happens in the last 10% of the book.

Decent debut, but not a gripping one.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I am a big fan of suspenseful books that have lots of twists and turns and this book has it all.

The entire town of West Wilmer knows the story of Phoebe's disappearance but there are also secrets that have been hidden for years. What really happened at the bridge that night? The truth is bound to come out and will the family members be able to handle it? Grant lost his little sister that night and he has been keeping secrets that haunt him. June's brother Wyatt also disappeared.

This book is fast paced as the plot covers just 3 days. It will keep you reading right through the night.

Murder Mystery
This story is about a group of people who were affected by a car accident 10 years ago. Phoebe lost her life and a boy went missing, and the whole town morns her loss but has completely forgotten about him. Phoebe’s brother Grant was driving that night and is eaten up with guilt. We all know that there is more to the story than was told.

Grant is really not a nice person, but we can’t tell is that is part of his grief from losing his sister who he was so close to or if that is who he really is.

Becca was in the car last night but she is constantly upset by the fact that the whole town seems to have forgotten about her. She is delusional and a stalker.

The ending didnt flow as well as it should have. I feel that the flashback of what happened that night should have been moved up at least 1 chapter. I had a bit of difficulty following the ending.

Twenty-Seven Minutes, by Ashley Tate

Short Take: In a book, there are twists, and there are TWISTS. This is the second one.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Duckies, where did the year go?? One minute I’m floating in the pool, soaking up the sun and a yummy book, and now I have to put away the Christmas tree (no worries on the cookie front however, I put those away first thing). I will never understand the tricks that time plays. It speeds up, it slows down, and when you’re not paying attention, it might slip a few extra hours into your day. And if you’re really not looking, time will take away some days and then be all “Surprise! It’s Tuesday!”

Stupid time.

Time, however, is also the theme of this week’s book. In Twenty-Seven Minutes, the lives of three young people (and by extension, all the people closest to them) are destroyed in an instant: In a horrific car crash, following a drunken party, Phoebe is killed, her brother Grant (the driver) becomes the town pariah, and Becky, who was in the backseat, is alive but most definitely not OK.

But it’s not the split second of impact that the town of West Wilmer is fixated on, rather, it’s the twenty-seven minutes that elapsed between the crash and Grant’s 911 call. Nobody knows for sure why he waited so long to call, but everyone has their own ideas.

Another family was forever changed that same night. June’s older brother Wyatt, a troubled and troublemaking young man, also disappeared the night of the crash, and has not been heard from since. Because of Wyatt’s bad reputation, nobody really paid much attention, assuming he’d skipped out for greener pastures.

But now it’s the tenth anniversary of the crash, and someone is finally ready to tell the truth. No matter who it destroys.

Well, my nerdlings, I’m just gonna come out & say it. This twist shocked me. Like, I had to close my kindle and pace for a few minutes to digest it. I thought for sure that I had figured out the big shocker, but I wasn’t even close. Not in the same state, not in the same country. My gob was most thoroughly smacked, and so on, and so forth, and [insert clever euphemisms for very surprised here].

So I was genuinely impressed with this one. Ms. Tate knocked me for a loop in a way that not many authors do anymore, and I must give her loads of credit for that.

My only issue is that the leadup to that astonishing revelation was, at times, a bit of a forced march. Obviously, a book about a beautiful, brilliant young woman who died prematurely, and all the survivors who are dealing with their own ruined lives isn’t going to have a lot of joy or fun in it. But sometimes, it all just felt too heavy. The misery is unrelenting, the settings are uniformly bleak, the entire cast of main and supporting characters are all doing nothing but suffering.

It’s true to life, but it’s also numbing after a while. I did get a kick out of Becca’s histrionics, however, she was so out there that at times she nearly circled around to entertaining.

Overall, I would still recommend this book, because although it can be a little rough to get there, the end is absolutely worth it.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and a few extra days on the weekend, please?)

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes. The synopsis intriqued me, but unfortunately the book didn't meet my expectations. My one positive note is that the writing was good - easy to read and descriptive. However, I found the tone to be very dark, most of the characters annoying and pathetic, and the relationships between the characters just odd. The relationship among some of them was a bit unclear. Although the premise was that the accident happened ten years ago, there was very little explanation of what happened during those ten years. It was as though people didn't think about it until the anniversary approached. For much of the book I felt like nothing happened and it all felt very repetitive. While the ending was a surprise I felt that there were some things that needed explaining that were not.

Since this was a debut novel and I enjoyed the writing I would give this author another chance.

3.5 stars. It took quite a while to actually get a good investment going in the story. This book is the definition of slow burn. I’m not a DNF kind of girl but sometimes there comes a point when slow is too slow…the last 20% (really 5%) was the saving grace for the entire thing. The characters are trash- but they are suppose to be. The ugly side of human interactions are definitely on full display. While not my favorite read so far of the year, the ending did leave me satisfied

Review will be posted on goodreads,

This story started strong with an engaging beginning and a cast of addictively unlikeable characters. However, it lost its appeal due to repetition and a lack of coherence in the plot. By the midpoint, the introspection from the multiple POVs made the narrative feel unplanned and disjointed.

ARC provided in exchange for honest review of Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate. #twentysevenminutes #NetGalley

Twenty-Seven Minutes 🚘🦌😱🚨⏰
by Ashley Tate
4.7/5 ✨

Wow wow wow wow wow. I am very rarely surprised by the ending of a twisty story, but this one had me holding my breath until the very last page. I did NOT see that coming!

This story kept me hooked the entire way through. I really enjoyed the chapters bouncing between characters; it really opened up the storyline so much further. Make sure you have time to set aside once you start this because you’re not going to want to put it down. This story is going to stick with me, and for that I am so grateful!

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this ARC!! Be sure to grab a copy of Twenty-Seven Minutes on January 30th, 2024!! ❄️

First I want to thank NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Ashley Tate for my ARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes. Wow! I was hooked on this book from the start! Normally I don’t like reading books where each chapter is a different character but this one just flowed smoothly! Right from page one this book draws you in and has you guessing till the end. I couldn’t put it down! I could feel the emotion and trauma of all of the characters. I love that this book really ties all of the characters together. What a crazy ride! This may have been my first book by Ashley Tate but it certainly will not be my last.

First and foremost, as a debut novel I felt this was a decent read. I am always ready to dive into a psychological thriller and unfortunately this one fell flat for me. There were many great components of the book, but I think the plot got lost a few times. I would be interested to read the next novel by Ashley Tate and see what comes next for this author.

3.5 stars
I feel like I have polarizing opinions on this book. I hated the characters, but I also couldn't put it down.
This book is about the 10 year memorial service for Phoebe. When she was 17, her brother got in a car accident that kills her. He waited twenty seven minutes to call for an ambulance. If he had called sooner, it might have saved her life. Most people think he was driving drunk and trying to sober up before the cops came. One other person, Becca was in the car with them and corroborates Grant's story that he hit a deer he couldn't see in the rain.
I honestly didn't like any of the characters. Becca was absolutely obsessed with Grant and their secret relationship, so much so that she totally loses herself despite the fact that Grant goes months without even texting her sometimes. But they are linked and Becca is keeping a secret to protect Grant and herself. Grant is absolutely cruel to Becca even though I didn't like her. He feels guilty for killing his sister and their mother has never had any love for Grant even when Phoebe was still alive. Another character we focus on is June. June's family has always been overlooked. The same night of the crash, June's brother Wyatt (a known runaway) runs away again and this time doesn't come back. But no one looks for him because he is a known runaway and Phoebe's death eclipses it totally. A short while later, June's father leaves, and then at the beginning of this book 10 years later, June's mom dies of cancer. She is alone.
Despite the characters being so unlikable, I couldn't put this book down. I really wanted to know what secrets everyone was hiding. It's immediately alluded to that the official story of hitting the deer isn't 100% truthful especially because of the 27 minutes before an ambulance was called. We slowly learn things but then learn something that may contradict something else and you don't know what's true or not.
I feel like I should have guessed the ending sooner, but I really enjoyed that "oh my god" moment when I did figure it out right before it was revealed.

I was GASPING. The whole time. One twist after another. Set aside time because once you start you won’t want to stop

Twenty-seven Minutes refers to the amount of time between Grant Dean's car accident and when he called 911 for help. The opening scene of the book where Grant's sister dies while waiting for help is gripping and gave me positive vibes for the book.

The story is told in two timelines and with multiple POV's. Grant is haunted by visions of his dead siter as the 10th anniversary of her death approaches. He is joined by Becca who was a passenger in Grant's truck and was badly injured at the time. Then there is June, whose mother has just died and she's missing her brother who seemingly ran away the same night as the accident. All the characters are well-developed, my problem was that none of them were likeable an there was a lot of seeing things and people who were not real. I can handle a little of that, but this was more than I can handle.

The mystery did pull me in and I wanted to keep reading just to find out if some of my perceptions were correct.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A small town is rocked by the death of a young high-school girl and ten years later, secrets surrounding the accident are starting to find the light as the impact of her death and the looming anniversary take their toll on all those involved.

This novel was very character-focused and the characters were odd. The relationships and dynamics took some getting used to for me and there were times when I felt that I had to suspend belief to understand them.

I did like the mental health aspects and all the secrets, and there were definitely some twists that I totally did not see coming. There was a small element of horror that I also thought added a lot to this novel. However, the thick of the plot was buried in complex and strange characters so if character-driven novels aren't your thing, you may struggle to get into this one.

Overall, the plot was slow to progress and I occasionally felt myself wondering where the story was going. I will say, the novel went out with a bang and I loved how Tate tied everything together. Had the first 80% of the novel been more plot-driven, I think I would have connected with the story a little more.

This was a great debut and one I definitely recommend. I'm looking forward to reading more by Tate in the future.

This is the type of book that leaves you thinking. It’s a small town mystery with a twist I didn’t see coming, I almost want to read it again knowing the ending and looking for any hints I may have missed. I really enjoyed this book, it’s a 4/4.5 star and I definitely recommend it.

There was a good initial hook, but then the writing went downhill with endless unlikeable characters, lies, secrets and repetition. By midway through, I really didn't care why it took Grant 27 minutes to call 911. Quite frankly, I was more interested in what that community was going to do without a bridge. Repair, replace or move the bridge, but don't leave the community just stranded without a bridge. IMHO none of the plotting was thought through - it was all simply off the cuff, grasping at straws.

I wish Ashley Tate well in her career and am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll start with what I liked. I loved the look at grief in this book. Between Grant, his mom and really the whole town grieving Phoebe and June losing her mom and feeling alone in her sadness, I thought the way the author wrote about grief was the best part of the book. The big twist at the end, I probably should have seen coming, but I didn’t and I did think it was a pretty good one. It made sense and everything fit together pretty well. I did also enjoy the back and forth timelines and the multiple POVs. Now onto what didn’t work for me and it’s a big one: the characters. There was not a single character that made me care about them. Grant and Wyatt were frustratingly vague and mysterious. Becca had her moments of fascination, but I honestly just wanted to shake her for the majority of the book. June, I had a bit of sympathy for, but she had absolutely no personality. Also, there was so much opportunity to dig in deeper with these characters like Grant’s relationship with his mom and Becca’s mental health issues, but they’re felt glossed over to me. And PHOEBE. My god. She was obnoxious. How she had that whole town in the palm of her hand, I’ll never know. Overall, this was a miss for me, but again I did appreciate how well the topic of grief was done in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's been 10 years since Phoebe Dean died one cold night after an accident on the bridge in town. And now, following the death of another resident, the town is planning to tear the bridge down. It's just too dangerous. With the news of the bridge and a 10-year memorial planned for Phoebe, wounds are being re-opened for many people in the small town of West Wilmer.

First there is Phoebe's brother Grant, who has never recovered from losing his sister. Then there's the town psycho, Becca, who is in love with Grant and has been for 10-years. Then there's June who's mother has just died, but who really lost her family 10 years ago on the night of Phoebe's accident when her brother disappeared.

There's a ton of small-town dysfunction and tragedy wound up in the pages of Twenty-Seven Minutes. I really wanted to know what had happened that night and I couldn't put the book down.

I would have given the book a higher rating but there were a few elements missing for me. For example, it was never explained by Phoebe had been so critical and possessive of her brother while she was alive. And some of the details got a bit repetitive as the book went on. But in the end, it was a great read!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now!

I enjoyed the small town setting of this novel and it did have a very good twist at the end. However, the characters were all unlikeable, and often frustrating, and the book was repetitive at times.

Overall this was readable but I felt it could have been a bit pacier.