Twenty-Seven Minutes, Ashley Tate’s debut novel, is a must read for readers who love a novel full of suspense and heartbreak. It is a fast-paced story of grief and loss with unexpected twists and turns in the narrative. The story revolves around the death of Phoebe 10 years ago in an accident involving the truck her brother drove.. Why did Grant wait 27 minutes before he called for help? I could not stop reading this book until I got to the end. But sometimes it was difficult to follow the story as the timeline of events was not sequential. Although this technique helped to create suspense and an opportunity to know the characters better, at times it made the story confusing. However, I highly recommend this book to readers. Ashley Tate’s debut novel is amazing, and I look forward to her future books. Thank you to. NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book.,

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity.

"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."

Twenty-Seven Minutes is told from the perspectives of four characters: Grant, Phoebe's brother, who was driving that fateful night; Becca, in love with Grant since childhood, she now stalks him; Grant, a reputation as a troublemaker, he disappeared the night of the accident; and June, Grant's sister, who seems to be the only person remembering Grant disappeared the night of "the event."

If you enjoy novels with seriously flawed characters, this one's for you - this is a group of characters each with serious mental health issues, teen-age angst, and oh, the secrets they each hold. The plot twists and turns back upon itself keeping the reader guessing until the end when all those secrets come together and connect to "the event." A prime example of how one decision can impact the lives of so many individuals.

The synopsis on this book grabbed me straight away. Unfortunately it didn't really grab me. It was quite repetitive. Its told by multiple POV's with a past and present timeline. What I liked the most about this book , was that it was unpredictable.

I wasn’t sure where the book was going for the first 25% and I was trying to keep the characters and timelines straight. Once everything was unfolding and all making sense I really did enjoy the story. Getting into it felt like work for the reader. I gave it 4 stars and not 5 due to being confused at first and jumping perspectives with little to no introduction of each character

What an unexpected treat! This book was so good that I had to read it all in one day. I enjoy town dramas where they are searching for answers in order to move on. I was suspicious about the reveal at the end but that is part of the fun. Ashley Tate has gained herself a fan and I cant wait for her future novels.

TW: Gaslighting, mental abuse/manipulation, mental illness

This book started out so strong - it's the night of the car accident and Phoebe is dying while she wonders why her brother isn't calling for help. That chapter was so beautifully written and I was so excited for the rest of the book. However, that was the highlight.

The book then fast forwards 10 years and is told with 4 narrators: Grant, Phoebe's brother; Becca, who was in the car that night and is in a secret relationship with Grant; June, whose brother Wyatt disappeared the same night but no one cared because they were focused on Phoebe; and Wyatt, June's brother who comes back into June's life after their mother passed. Confused yet? If not, you will be.

The first problem is that the narrators are hard to tell apart. Grant and Wyatt both have anger issues and secrets. I would be reading a chapter and it would mention the guy being with June, and I was so confused why Grant was with June - nope, it was a Wyatt chapter. The voices were way too hard to differentiate. It was better with Becca and June, but still confusing. Up until one of the last chapters, I thought Debbie was June's dead mother, not Becca's living sister.

Becca's was the most unique voice - she's in a secret relationship with Grant but Grant treats her horribly. She also is a bit unhinged. But then June also was struggling with (I think) depression and general mental unwellness and so sometimes I would think I was reading about Becca, but nope, it's June.

I also could not keep the back story on the families straight. Grant/Phoebe's father died when they were young and their mother blamed them for it. Wyatt/Becca's father left after Wyatt's disappearance. As I wrote those last sentences, I had to sit for a minute to make sure I got that right, but I'm pretty sure that's it. Throw in some similarly-voiced secondary characters and everything blends together.

The actual story was slow. I don't mind a slow burn, but this was painfully sluggish. We get it, everyone has a secret, what happened on that bridge THAT NIGHT isn't what people think, it will change EVERYTHING when it comes out, yes, yes, got it, moving on. Even the climax was a bit slow - the truth comes out in a pretty calm discussion.

There was one big twist which was really well done. The author gave enough clues that I figured it out and had a "dannnng" moment, but it wasn't obvious. That part and the opening chapter were the best parts of the book.

The rest of the reveals were meh. I was hoping for more shocking revelations about what happened, especially with all the buildup, but ultimately it was a letdown.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

I received a free copy of, Twenty-Seven Minutes, by Ashley Tate, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Why did it take 27 minutes for Grant to call for help for his sister Phoebe. it could of saved her life? This was a bizarre read, I don't know if I liked it actually, I did not like the swearing, I know that. The characters were not very likeable though.

On the 10th anniversary of a teens death her mother holds a memorial. People that were related, friends, or just knew of her are looking forward to the 'event'. This starts a slow unraveling of those that were present at the girl's death. You know someone has a secret, but which one? Maybe they all do. Definitely worth more than 5 stars. I was gifted this from Net Galley

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

This book kept my interest, but can’t say I really liked it. It got a little dragged out and the ending wasn’t that great. The characters weren’t very relatable. I was hoping for a better ending. This the three stars. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to trade this pre release copy for an honest review

This has a very good storyline. You had to keep going so you could figure out what really happened in the past.
The beginning was slower than I liked, I think I got confused trying to learn all the key players and keep them separated.
About halfway through, it picks up and we start getting more in depth with the plot and characters. I really started to get swept in then.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this one.

Pub date: 1/30/24
Genre: thriller
Quick summary: Ten years ago, Grant Dean waited for twenty-seven minutes to call for help for his sister Phoebe after a car accident. The town has been talking about this mystery ever since, and the truth will finally come out.

I love dual timeline thrillers, so I had to give this one a try. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a miss for me. I had trouble keeping all of the different perspectives straight because each seemed so similar - we didn't get much information on what happened until late in the book. When the ending came, it felt unrealistic and rushed. I think I would have enjoyed this one more at ~300 pages rather than at 384. However, lots of other readers liked this one more than I did, so if you don't mind a slow burn, you might enjoy this one!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this much more than I actually ended up liking it. The core of the story is interesting and you are hearing it from multiple perspectives, which I enjoy. However, it moves so slowly that it is hard to get through many parts of the book. It could have been 75-100 pages shorter and would have been much more compelling. There are aspects of the ending that I felt could have been explored further and fleshed out rather than feeling so rushed. As someone who reads lots of books in this genre, this one is just average.

I thought this book was just okay. Everyone involved directly or indirectly the night of the crash 10 years prior are all dealing with it poorly. Lies, guilt, rumors and a small town make it difficult to move on and they are all stuck. I liked the different points of view but found that it got a little repetitive and slow. Wyatt’s appearance was a nice twist, but it was clear early on that Grant had something to hide by his manipulation of Becca and I found it difficult to see how he strung her along for all that time.

Phoebe Dean, the town's golden girl dies in a car accident. She was so sure she was going to get out of this small town and make something of herself. Her bother waited 27 minutes before he called for ambulance. Those involved have terrible guilt about what happened that night.

This book shows the power of grief and how each person deals with it differently. I liked that it was told from many different points of views. Now the truth of what happened will set them free. The story builds as you learn the secrets they were all keeping. It gave off creepy vibes and I loved it.

Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate takes in a small town with a tragic accident that happened 10 years ago. The story is told through the eyes of Grant, June, Becca with scenes from the high school party on the night of the accident. I needed to remind myself which character is narrating. Plus there are many secondary characters which contribute to the story. It’s a slow burn to get to the climax. But I did keep reading. I’m not sure I liked any of the main characters, but I did feel sorry for June. Thank you to NetGallery and Poisoned Pen Press for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story is told in two timelines - the present and ten years ago.

Ten years ago Phoebe, a promising high school student, died in a tragic car accident. The details of this accident have never been fully determined. Her brother Grant was driving and he was likely drunk. The accepted version of the accident is that he hit a deer. A passenger in the car, Becca, upholds Grant's version of the story. On the same day of the accident, a young man disappears. Is his disappearance connected to the accident or is it a completely separate event.

I felt like every chapter in this book was trying so very hard to be SHOCKING , SUSPENSEFUL and INTRIGUING that the overall plot just got lost. The concept wasn’t overly original, and the characters were nothing special. Everything about this book was just fine, but that’s it. Fine. I wasn’t a fan of the reveal at the end, it seemed very anticlimactic to me and was quite a let down. Overall, the book was okay, but it wouldn’t be one I’d say you must read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. This book seems to drag a little but I got through it.

I am a sucker for a small town thriller and this book did not disappoint! There's just something so intriguing about a book where every character has a secret and they all have something to lose. I thought Ashley Tate did an amazing job creating characters who were believable, but still so awful. I felt myself wanting to shake some sense into these people! But it made for an amazing and gripping story. I HAD to know the ending! I think with the alternating POVs in this book, Tate did a great job giving each character a unique voice so that it was easier to follow. It could have very easily been a confusing book, but her ability to make each character stand out really set this book apart!

Everyone in West Wilmer remembers Phoebe, but only June remembers that another person was lost that night. Her brother Wyatt has been missing for ten years and now June is alone—no family, no friends. Until someone appears at her door. Someone who may know where Wyatt went all those years ago. Someone who knows what really happened on the bridge that night. Someone who is ready to tell the truth.

This book was not for me. I thought it was too long and repetitive. The build-up most of the book and it took so long to get to the end that it felt anti-climactic.