
Member Reviews

Congrats to Ashley Tate on her first novel- a dramatic and suspenseful story that will break your heart and keep you guessing! Ten years ago Grant Dean crashed his car after a party, killing his teenage sister. The biggest mystery of the night, and what gives this tale it's title, are the 27 minutes that Grant waited from the time he crashed to calling 9-11. These minutes have sparked rumors and gossip in the decade since the crash, which are reignited in the wake of a memorial service planned to mark the anniversary and catapult the four main characters at the center of this event towards the truth.
The cover made me think this was going to be a thriller- this was no psychological thriller. This was definitely a dramatic suspense story thickly woven with grief, sorrow, and dread. It is a DOOZY, but totally worth a read.
Thank you to Ashley Tate, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this story.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at 33 percent. The book wasn't keeping my interest and I wasn't able to keep remembering details for the story to make sense. I appreciate the ARC and look forward to reading other titles. I'm sad this one didn't work for me.

This is a story of a death in a small town that continues to haunt them even ten years later. A quick read, but ultimately forgettable.

10 years ago, the ever popular Phoebe Dean was killed in a car crash wherein her brother was the driver of the car. He waited 27 minutes to call 911 (hence the book's title!) What happened in those 27 minutes?
As time went on, rumors spread about why Grant (the brother) waited so long to call 911. Now at the 10 year anniversary, the crash is back in the spotlight again.
This story is written from several points of few, on multiple timelines. It is a slow burn type story. I would not recommend this if you are looking for a fast paced thriller. The characters do the talking in this book, and if you like a character study, this book would be for you. This is not your typical psychological thriller, but rather a slow burn, with an element of surprise for an ending you don't see coming.
Special thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a bit disappointing. The plot was messy, with multiple perspectives and time jumps from 10 years ago to the present. While I hoped for a twist that would justify the confusion, it fell short. The characters were unlikable, and the story’s unraveling after a decade felt irrational. Originally, I’d have given it three stars, but after reflection, I’m lowering it to 2.5 stars.
Thank you to Ashley Tate, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a big hit for me! I as initially drawn to the cover and premise. I love a mystery with a hidden trauma or incident that gets reflected on throughout the adult lens. We follow June, Grant, and Becca as adults and in reflection ten year prior about a horrible car accident that took the life of the towns golden girl Phoebe. Becca was such a sympathetic character I wanted her to be believed and heard but for some reason everyone discounts her and she is stuck in some delusion about her relationship with Grant. The way this story builds gives it such a good pace and flow. I didn’t want to put it down!
Twists and slow unraveling lead to a vindicating ending. Love this and will look for more from Tate.

This book was right up my alley, an intense thriller with many twists and turns. It is highly recommended for those who love a quick thriller.

The question? The truth? The answer?
This was ok, but it wasn't really for you.
But let give it a shot, hopefully you'll love it better than u did.
2.75⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded down
The question: why did it take Grant Dean 27 minutes to call for help in the night of the car accident that killed his sister?
Small town gossip, delusions, gaslighting, and some really unreliable narrators in this one.
Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A sad DNF from me. The premise, title and the cover were all interesting. The first few chapters set the scene well but the book went downhill afterwards.

This one was a bit slow for me. I enjoyed the plot and was invested. The small town setting was relatable. I love how the characters had flaws just wish a bit more happened through the middle. Thank you Netgalley!

I need to preface this review by stating that I received an ARC that may have not be the final manuscript, but since this is the file I was given to review, this is what I must base my review on. Multiple typographical errors and flow issues marred this book for me. I think it could be a good book with a LOT of editing. It was very repetitive, beyond what was needed even to get across the grief and issues of the characters.
Small town drama with some interesting twists and characters, but overall pretty predictable. I did yell at this book quite a few times because I really wanted a particular character to get what they were due, but the book ended before that happened. Twenty-Seven Minutes is a good study in grief and how it affects parents, siblings, friends, and others in their circle. Secrets and memory are also given a decent treatment and the book is readable but needs a bit of clean-up to be ready for primetime.
I agree with the comparison to Ashley Flowers (this book has many similarities to All Good People Here) and Ashley Audraine (The Push (but this book doesn't have enough creepy kids) and The Whispers). Not so sure about the comparison to Celeste Ng, this book isn't nearly as mature has her work.

This was a slooooow book. The characters were whiney.
Ten years ago there was a car accident where a brother, sister and friend were injured or killed. Grant, the brother was driving, possibly drunk, the sister, Phoebe, was killed, and Becca, the friend was injured. Grant was the high school football star; Phoebe a bright rule following student; and Becca was what one would call a "hanger on" who had been accused of stalking another football player. There were allegations and suspicions about what happened to cause the accident and what happened in the twenty seven minutes between the time of the accident and the time the ambulance was called and whether those minutes might have saved Phoebe's life. The three of them left the party of a friend and their lives, and the lives of others would never be the same. Ten years later another woman is killed on the same bridge. There is a community vote to take down the bridge and a 10 year memorial service for Phoebe.
June and Wyatt were also high school students with Phoebe, Grant, and Becca and their mother recently died from cancer. Wyatt disappeared the day of the accident on the bridge. Their verbally abusive father disappeared shortly after that and June had been trying to hold her mother together as well as her own life.
The story is told in current day and in flashbacks to the day of the accident and the party at another student's home. All the characters have issues and secrets and they were all unlikeable. I didn't care about any of them, even poor June, who lost everything and everyone. Becca was the most whiney and yes, I understand that she had some mental health issues before the the trauma of the accident that night, but she was creepy and whiney. I guess the author did a good job in developing her character for her to be so unlikeable.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for free in return for an unbiased review

I wasn’t a fan of this. The plot felt thin and the character development seemed to be a last thought. Twists could have been more intricate. I won’t recommend

Twenty-Seven Minutes, by Ashley Tate, has a bit of a Twilight Zone feel to it. In a good way. When I finished reading the book, I had to go back through it and see for myself all of the foreshadowing and the clues dropped. I have seen other reviews where people found the ending dissatisfying, but I loved it. Thinking through what was real, WHO was really there, and each character's backstory was fascinating. It's probably not a book for readers who need the author to tie everything up perfectly and who don't want to have to spend too much time in thought after the book has been finished, but for me, that is a treat! And while I wouldn't call any of the characters---living, dead, or otherwise---particularly lovable, I did find them sympathetic at least some small part of the time. I look forward to reading more from this author!

I have been in a bit of a reading slump and was really hoping this would grab me out of it but unfortunately that didn’t happen. The characters fell flat, the timeline was confusing and didn’t seem to fit and the story just left me feeling blah. It was a little to soap opera and not enough grab you and drag you in.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a good concept, but messily done. Some of the details may have been corrected in the final version, and that would improve my opinion. Overall, there were too many stories that only sort of intertwined in the end, and the reader was left to fill in a lot of blanks and guess what's real and what is not.
Still, this title will be recommended for purchase by the Scottsboro Public Library.

this one is the epitome of disfunction. A group of high schoolers are linked by a car accident and a death in this twisty roller coaster ride.
Told in the present leading up to 10 year anniversary and in the past leading up to the accident, it starts out character driven and ends with an explosion.
It was quite the slow burn up until the end, but a solid debut novel.

A solid, heart wrenching, karmic read. Complex characters with depth helped bring this story to life. An author to watch!

This book was just alright for me. I felt like it was going around in circles. In the end you figure out what happens but get left hanging on if justice is served. It just wasn’t anything crazy. Good book but nothing to write home about.