I don’t have too much to say about Twenty Seven Minutes, I was mostly bored and felt the small-town drama was so forced.

The different POV chapters got very repetitive and the big reveal fell flat. There seemed to be a real connection being made between women grieving and immediately being portrayed as mentally unstable.

There are a lot better thrillers out there with a better payoff.

Twenty-seven minutes. That is all it takes twenty-seven minutes and lives can be changed forever. It is always so humbling to remember that life can change in just minutes. People you knew and loved can just be gone. Nothing should be taken for granted. This book weaves the ghosts of the past with the present as Grant and June are forced to come face to face with what happened ten years ago. Lies upon lies building up finally come to light when secrets no longer remain hidden. Readers will enjoy all the different revelations throughout the book. It is very fast paced and hauntingly beautiful.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me - I tried to put it down and pick it back up a few days later but still couldn't get into this. Although the writing was fantastic, it is a no for me.

DNF @ 10%

The writing style felt overly descriptive and long winded. Found this one boring early on and not very thrilling.

You know a book has you in its grip when you theorize with almost every turn of a page, what could have happened on that dark and stormy night 10 years ago. You know the writing is good when you start out connecting and empathizing with the characters but as the story unfolds that empathy turns to annoyance and pity, finally ending in disappointment and dislike. This definitely isn't and edge of your seat nail biter, I felt like the pacing could have been a little faster but if you love to unravel a mystery within the pages of a book, to constantly question what you thought you knew from the beginning, this is the book for you!

A fast-paced , small-town thriller set in the Midwest that is told through multiple POVs in past/present timelines . I really enjoyed the premise of the story and I liked the dynamics between the characters , but several areas fell flat for me - it was a weird mix repetition of details but also lacking in details to flesh out the story and characters . The author did do a good job at showing the effects of grief , guilt , and the importance of honesty . Overall , I give this read 2 stars .
Publication date :: 1/30/24 .
From @goodreads :: 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.
As the anniversary of Phoebe's death approaches, Grant is consumed by memories of that night on the bridge and everything he lost: his future, his reputation, his little sister. And the secret he's been keeping all these years is suffocating him. But he and Phoebe weren't the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there. She knows what happened—and she will do anything to help Grant keep his secret.
Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for this ARC and the opportunity to review prior to publication .
#twentysevenminutes #netgalley #ashleytate #arc #advancedreaderscopy #goodreads #goidreadschallenge #bookstagram #books #bookrecommendations #bookreview #booklover

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

The premise of this book is really interesting amd the prologue starts off very strong. Then there's buildup, and buildup, and buildup, and...oh my gosh 300 pages of repetitve buildup to give us a 2 page wrapup at the very end. I started skimming at the 50% mark because it was just too much...or, actually, not enough. Mental illness and grief are treated insensitively and incorrectly. And nonsensically.

Unfortunately I was very disappointed in this book and very glad to finally finish it.

Thank you netgalley for this early read in exchange for an honest review.

What did work for me: the plot is captivating.

What didn’t work for me: In my opinion there are just too many characters to keep track of. I also think there’s so much repeating. Not enough action or ah ha’s throughout the book in order to keep me captivated.

I’ll be honest, it took me a LONG time to get through this book. It just wasn’t for me. This book is about why it took the dead girls brother 27 minutes to call for help while his sister lay at the scene of the accident dying.

Despite a promising prologue, unfortunately I ended up DNFing this book.

The prologue was intriguing but what followed felt like a chore to read due to the excruciating slow development of the story and the 4 POVS that felt unnecessary.

I could have continued reading despite the slow pace if at least some of the characters were likeable but every single one of them were highly unlikeable. As such, it was hard to connect or care about any of their stories or about what was going to happen. Even Phoebe, the girl who tragically died, was unlikeable and I found myself questioning why I would care about what happened to her when I couldn’t even bring myself to like her.
In addition, I can’t quite put my finger on why exactly, but it also felt very YA, but without the ease or enjoyment that usually comes with YA books.

Nevertheless, I’m thankful to the publishers & NetGalley for the opportunity to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Twenty Seven Minutes was a riveting and nail biting thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!

Ashley Tate masterfully weaved a sgripping story from start to finish. I loved the characters and the setting which just added another amazing layer to the story!

Interesting read. What is reality and what is not. Tate weaves the two well so that the reader is engrossed on what truly happened those missing minutes. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Grant and Phoebe are brother and sister. June and Wyatt are brother and sister, too. Grant and June lost their siblings on the same day. Phoebe died in a tragic car accident and Wyatt left the town. Grant was with Phoebe on that faithful day. Him, Becca and Phoebe. He was driving the car and he waited 27 minutes to call an ambulance after the accident happened. The question that the entire town has is: WHY?

Ten years have passed since this, and Phoebe is still one of the main topics in town, especially with her death anniversary approaching. Wyatt is forgotten, almost by everyone. The only person who is still wondering what happened to him is June.

When I read the description of this book, I was really interested in it. When I started reading, I really liked the story, and I had high expectations of it. Somewhere in the middle, my attention was lost, since the story wasn’t exactly what I expected. Still, the end wasn’t disappointing, and I think it fit with the whole narrative.

We are following the story from four perspectives: Grant’s, Becca’s, June's, and Wyatt's, and from two timelines: today and 10 years ago. These four characters, together with Phoebe, are more or less the main focus. I missed a bit more description about them because I have a feeling they were mostly presented through events from 10 years ago, and we did not meet them outside of this. I liked the dynamic of four different perspectives, but I was all the time anticipating some big reveal or great plot, which unfortunately, I did not get. Still, all of this doesn’t mean that the book is bad; it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and author for sending me this book for review consideration.

I’m in the minority here but I had such a hard time finishing this book. I just couldn’t get interested in the characters and found myself not caring that much what happened “they night”. I found the plot to be lukewarm and just not exciting. Kind of felt like a waste of time reading this one. But lots of other people enjoyed it so maybe just not my cup of tea. Thank you NetGalley for the advance digital copy

In this stunning and propulsive debut, a town grieves the loss of a young girl—but some fight to keep the truth about her death a secret.

A great mystery read! Well plotted, well developed, great twists and turns. I look forward to seeing what else this author does!

Phoebe, the town’s golden girl, is killed in a tragic car accident. The whole town knows that if her brother had called for an ambulance sooner she could have been saved. Why did it take him 27 minutes to call for help? Now numerous lives are ruined and all the secrets are finally unraveling as they all prepare for the 10-yr anniversary of Phoebe’s death.

. Told through four different POVs and alternating between the current day and 10 years ago - each character becomes more relatable and memorable with every turn of the page. I would definitely count this as YA book - it is filled with former high school drama that no one in this story has let go of.

I was hooked from the beginning and it held me to the end. The only reason I won’t give this 5⭐️ is that I have too many questions that I wanted answered due to little clues that were intentionally left for reader. But that’s totally ok. A debut novel that is this good means I will follow this author into the future.

I firstly just want to say a huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early copy of Ashley Tate's debut novel <b>Twenty-Seven Minutes</b> in exchange for an honest review.

This book unfortunately missed the mark for me, but I do just want to stress that although this was my personal experience and the book wasn't for me, it does not at all mean you will feel the same. So please don't let my review put you off from giving it a go ♥

<b>Synopsis</b>
10 years ago, a car accident tragically took the life of teenager, Phoebe Dean. Throughout the past decade, residents of this small town have all struggled to understand one thing from that night: Why did it take Phoebe's brother, Dean, 27 minutes to call for help? If he had called sooner, she may have survived.

As the 10 year anniversary of Phoebe's death approaches, dark secrets are unearthed and the truth surrounding this accident is revealed. Because Grant isn't the only person who knows exactly what happened that fateful night.

<b>My thoughts</b>
I was so very intrigued after reading the premise of this story, as I love a good mystery/thriller where characters will do anything to protect and hide their secrets.

This book contains four separate POV's and although the story is mostly told from the present day, there are a few chapters throughout which jump back 10 years to the lead-up of the accident. Although there were a few POV's, I did still find for the most part, this was relatively easy to follow along. My only note surrounding this is that there were mentions of quite a number of other "side characters" - most of which I don't believe had any significance to what was happening. So I did find this at times to be a little confusing.

As far as the main characters go, I found that I wasn't personally "rooting" for any of them and I believe this was because I found them all to be unnecessarily and incredibly rude, which all-round, make them very unlikeable.

There was a twist at the very end, which I didn't see coming and I do think was a nice addition to the story. However, since finishing the book and letting it sit with me further, although, yes, it was a nice twist - it does now leave me with far too many questions and plot holes in the story.
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Again, this was just my own personal experience with this book. Through looking at other reviews on Goodreads and NetGalley, I can see quite a few people who absolutely loved it! 😊

This was a quick read and had my attention from start to finish.

I really liked the 4 deferent POVS and thought that it helped keep the pace going and me made me want to keep turning the page to find out more.

I was not expecting the twists at the end.

Overall this was an enjoyable mystery!

A car accident on a bridge. Characters that are compelling and a plot that seems to lose its steam near the middle of the book. I pushed through and finished the novel and was glad because a question was answered bit this novel didn't really make me excited to continue reading it.

Unfortunately, I had to push myself to finish this book.

I'm giving it a two-star purely for the last 10%. Before then, nothing much happens.

It was all very confusing between the multiple points of view and the dual timeline.

The characters were all the same: no personality, unlikable and all suffering from mental illness and delusions.

I've never read a book that didn't contain at least one likable/relatable or redeemable character. 'Twenty-Seven Minutes' was the first!!!!!!