Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is a book about secrets. As the 10th anniversary of a tragic accident and death of a young girl approaches, tensions are high.

The book centers on the death of Phoebe and questions surrounding the accident that caused her death, and why it took her brother, Grant, twenty-seven minutes to call for help.

I had high hopes for this. It started well. However, I quickly found all the characters, even the dead girl, unlikeable. And that's unfortunate. Also, I was not too fond of the portrayal of mental illness and the fantastical nature of some of the latter parts of the novel.

Overall, I thought some of the twists were interesting, but not enough to make me fall in love with the book, the plot, or the characters.

The synopsis sounded so good but this book fell a little flat for me. The characters were all very unlikeable and I felt like 90% of the book dragged a little. I never wanted to quit reading at any point, but I really didn’t feel as invested in what happened as I normally would. The characters really frustrated me throughout. I will say that the ending was shocking and I did not see it coming. I read the last 20 pages with more interest and investment. Overall, not the best or worst book I’ve ever read. I don’t regret reading it, but won’t be recommending it to everyone I know. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This is my first book by Ashley Tate and I enjoyed it. I do think the book drug on for too long. I love the multiple view points of the main characters being tied back to an accident that happened 10 years ago. I didn’t guess the plot twist at the end at all.

I think I'm in the minority here- there book was not for me. Initially I was gripped with the premise of what happened during the 27 minutes that elapsed between the car accident and when Grant called the police. However, I found the pace of the book slow and found most of the characters unlikable. I nearly DNF multiple times.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a small town mystery that is tearing a few residents apart from fuzzy memories and guilt.
A memorial ten years past its time is set for the teenage girl that was killed in a car accident unleashing a tide of memories and feelings for those that were there or know what really happened.
Mental illness seems to be a major theme running throughout and at times is difficult to follow who is in the grip of its claws. There are many characters that seem to have a loose tether on reality which was a bit overdone.
Overall, I would have loved to have more focus on a couple of characters and less mania that builds to the reveal. One character that stood out to me was June. Her loss and deep loneliness were genuine emotions that kept me engaged in the story.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for an early e-galley via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is one of those books that needs an afternoon because once you get into it, there's no way you're getting anything else done. The pacing is on point, the character development is strong, and the style hooked me. I had a few false starts but once I got 2 chapters in I was reading this everywhere. In the elevator at work, while making supper, while walking down the street, and in the driveway after returning home. I couldn't even wait the minute to get back into it in the comfort of my living room.

I really enjoyed the writing style in this book. While there were a good amount of characters it never felt muddy nor as if you didn’t know what was happening. The plot spans some time and you get to know the characters quite well I feel like over the span of the story. The twists were great and the ending I never saw coming. I can understand how this book wouldn’t be for everyone but definitely give it a chance if it intrigues you. Thank you the author and the to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This book is told from multiple view points. All the main characters are tied back to an accident 10 years ago. There is a huge twist at the end of the story that came completely out of the blue. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I really struggled with this book, and wanted to DNF multiple times, but pushed through so I could give a fair review. It started with a really strong prologue and I was excited about it, but then things fell flat for me. I found the story to be very disconnected, and although the big twist at the end was something I didn't see coming, it didn't make all that much sense to me.
I thought the premise was good, but the execution, in my opinion, was poor.

There are many, many flawed characters in this novel, some so unlikable that you want them to fade away and never come back. And yet they do, all for the good of a good story. The ten year anniversary of a young, model high school students death has arrived in a small rural town. Her name was Phoebe and she was the golden girl of the community. There are still no solid answers as to how this accident actually occurred and who was involved in the car accident that killed Phoebe on an infamous bridge that locals now want to tear down. Phoebe's brother high school football star Grant was driving, but he says he does not remember... says he swerved to hit a deer. Becca, a young and impressionable teen is asleep in the back seat, why was she there and what did she see. Ten years later she still does not remember until the distraught and depressed mother of Phoebe decides to hold a ten year memorial for her beloved daughter. Suddenly memories begin to float to the surface and the main characters involved begin to put two and two together. It is a riveting read to say the least. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review and advanced copy of this very intriguing novel.

Admittedly it took me some time to invest in this book because I downloaded on to my phone and I have a harder time with digital media than print media - totally my fault. However I am requesting a Kindle for Christmas because I don't want to miss out on such high quality stories/books like this one! I CAN do this digital thing:).

A poignant exploration of the human psyche, the weight of guilt, and the impact of buried secrets. With its compelling characters and a narrative that keeps you guessing until the final revelation, this novel is a riveting journey through grief and redemption.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and author Ashley Tate for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Ashley Tate for the advanced copy of Twenty-Seven Minutes in exchange for my honest review.

This one was just okay for me. It had alternative POV chapters which I always love, but the ending just wasn’t very satisfying and there was no big “oh dang!” moment in my opinion.

There were a couple somewhat supernatural elements as well that just didn’t really do it for me.

Ultimately this was well written and I wouldn’t hesitate to read this author again in the future!

I'm someone who is really picky about thrillers and, unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me. I feel as though 85-90% of the book was building up the suspense and by the time we got to the exciting bit it felt like i'd been waiting too long.

I thought this book was a little hard to follow. I was able to finish the book without DNFing but Im still confused about most of the plot.

I was looking forward to this one because of the title and plot! This one was a little disappointing for me. The plot was messy. The book had multiple different character POVs and timelines from 10 years ago to present, I will say the tension was great. I was disappointed because I couldn't relate to any of the characters.

I can’t believe this is the author’s first novel! Such a great book. Read it in 2 days. Keeps you engaged and hard to put down. Looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

"Twenty-Seven Minutes" by Ashley Tate is a compelling debut novel that delves into the aftermath of a decade-old tragedy in the small town of West Wilmer. The story revolves around the Dean family, haunted by the untimely death of Phoebe Dean in a car accident. The central question that plagues the town is why it took her brother, Grant, twenty-seven minutes to call for help on that fateful night, potentially influencing Phoebe's survival. The book explores the complexities of grief, the weight of secrets, and the repercussions of tragic events on a small town. With its unpredictable twists and emotional depth, Ashley Tate establishes herself as a noteworthy new talent in the realm of literary suspense.

27 minutes. Those 27 minutes can mean life or death. 27 minutes can change the lives of many.

A town is grieving the death of a young girl who died on a local bridge. As the 10 year anniversary approaches, another death occurs on the same bridge. The question remains why Grant waited 27 minutes before calling 911 to report his sister’s accident 10 years ago. If he had called right away, she may still be alive. This is a gripping and horrifying story that follows all those involved in the accident, and some that weren’t.

I couldn’t put this book down. The story was so well written and it brought me back to the stupidity of my high school years. I could relate to all the characters and really felt their pain and heartbreak. Looking forward to reading more of Ashley Tate’s.

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

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a slow burn thriller with multiple POV's and multiple timelines leading you up to the car crash that ended up killing teenager Phoebe. Right from the beginning we know that if her brother Grant hadn't waited 27 minutes to call the police, she very well could be alive... but why did he wait so long?

This is an emotionally gripping thriller that really had me wondering what was going on and why it was taking to long to find out!

I did feel like it was a little slower paced for my taste, but all in all it was a very good slow burn thriller.

I recommend this one if you're looking for an emotional thriller with lots of secrets and questions on what really happened that fated night.

Since my review is middle of the road, I am only posting it here. I don't believe in posting average to below average reviews on Goodreads, because I don't want to hurt the author's rating. The only times I do that is when a book is problematic (racist or something), which this book definitely was not.

This was a middle of the road read for me. On one hand, I truly loved and enjoyed the exploration of grief and trauma. The characters were plentiful and are well fleshed out overall. Community pain is heavily explored, which I appreciate, because many books only discuss personal trauma.

The book kind of lost me when it dragged on without any major developments until the very end. Slow burns have power in their own right, but this read could have been just a bit shorter. It takes too long to even begin to guess what happened, and it was hard for me to stay hooked. I would suggest just a bit more of a bread crumb trail to build suspense!

The author has the stuff to write fantastic material, and I will happily give any future works they create a genuine try! Twenty-seven Minutes has some powerful points and could easily be a five star read with some minor adjustments. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press publishers and Netgalley for my e-ARC!