I tried to finish this book but there are so many things I don’t like. The writing rhythm is not my style. It reads like a millennial’s blog post. It may be for younger audience than me, I gave up at the 13% mark. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this advanced copy and I wish them well. I won’t be posting this review on other platforms because I think it just wasn’t for me.

Have you ever sat still for 27 minutes??? Not me, but once I started reading I definitely sat still longer then that because this book just sucked me in.
A small town with secrets. Is there or is there not a reliable character? Dont think too much on who’s telling the truth and who’s lying because at some point everyone lies.
Is Phoebe Dean a good person like the public thinks or was she really a controlling and problematic person?

I stuck in for June, who is one of many points of view in this book. I couldn’t help but root for her, for her freedom and peace of mind.

I did enjoy this book, but getting into the heads of horrible characters just grates on me. It’s a classic case of it’s me, not the book.

To be honest, the ending was almost worth it. It bumped my star rating up. Unfortunately the sometimes cliche writing and unlikely character traits pulled it down still.

I received this book from Netgalley for my honest opinion.

I like this one and overall it was a good story well told but it kinda lost me in the middle but overall good read
Thanks yo Netgalley for letting me review book and publisher for letting me review the book

This was quite a story – when I started it, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but as continued, it became more interesting with all the characters. A young girl was killed in an auto accident but why did it take 27 minutes for anyone to call the police and get help. The whole town mourned her for years. Takes place in a small town, a poor town, and people who wanted to leave and couldn’t leave. At a point in the story, someone appeared and it gave me a jolt as to where was he all this time – the ending is not what I expected. It was a slow start but it kept building and I had to finish to see what actually happened and why. I would certainly recommend this read. Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this story.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes in exchange for my review.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a dark novel told through various characters’ accounts at two points in time a decade apart. The story starts with a car accident in a small town that alters the lives of two teenagers and ends one more. Leading up to a commemoration ten years later, everyone who was directly or indirectly involved is trying to make sense of their role and figure out how to get on with their life.

The story is well written and the differing accounts pull the reader forward through the action. However, there’s not a well adjusted character in the book, so it’s not a particularly enjoyable read. The author wrote the book after her mother’s sudden death from a brief illness, and a mood of hopelessness and despair permeates the whole thing. Know what you’re in for when starting this book.

This book was a bit of a tough read, I definitely had a hard time getting into the storyline. I had a strong feeling that there was a link between the disappearance of Wyatt and the accident that claimed Phoebe and was interested to see how that panned out. The characters were all pretty complex and it was bittersweet how it all ended. Overall not a bad book, but it took me a while to finish the story.

I have a new favorite thriller author! I could not stop reading this and I didn't want it to end. The characters are amazing and made me feel so many emotions. I kept trying to figure out what really happened in the Twenty-Seven Minutes and I was wrong. I did not expect the ending at all! It was amazing! I can't believe this is Ashley Tate's first book and I can't wait for her to publish more. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone.
#twentysevenminutes #NetGalley.

TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES
BY: ASHLEY TATE

This well written character study that examines the corrosive damage lies and cover-ups do to peoples souls over time can be incredibly insidious. It also examines grief and loss as seen by the narratives of several characters. Those of you that are looking for a fast paced action oriented plot based on the synopsis this will not be for you. I loved the revelation of the twist which surprised me during the final 10 percent.

This isn't in my opinion a thriller as it is marketed but rather a very slow burn glimpse into isolation, grief and family dysfunction. Overall, the surprise at the end of the book is what elevated this to be a solid four star reading experience. Do not expect it to be a linear experience of plot as stated in the description of this novel's blurb.

Grant is the driver of a truck that during a rainy night in an accident on the drive home from a high school party ends up killing his sister Phoebe. Becca is in love with Grant and was in the truck and both her and Grant have lied to everybody and themselves for ten years about what really happened that fatal night of the accident. Why did it take twenty-seven minutes for Grant to call for help? Could his sister Phoebe's life have been saved if Grant called immediately?

It happens in a small rural town where an elderly woman ten years later has an accident on that same bridge where Grant, Becca and Phoebe had theirs ten years earlier. There is controversy in this small town to demolish the bridge and it's the catalyst for Grant's mother to have a memorial service for Phoebe ten years later.

June has just lost her mother to cancer when her brother Wyatt comes back home ten years later. I don't really know if I would label the characters as unreliable narrators but there is an aspect of Wyatt's return that is my favorite part of this novel. At first it's not clear how June and Wyatt are relevant to this story, but by the ending it becomes evident how they tie into what happened ten years ago which was a very clever plotting device used by this talented author. It also makes this a worthwhile reading experience of a slow going novel until you have finished it.

This novel Twenty-Seven minutes is author Ashley Tate's debut novel which is as I said a very slow paced mystery and terrific character study. It is haunting and ethereal and one that I won't soon forget which I highly recommend. I'll definitely be interested in reading Ashley Tate's future work.

Publication Date: January 30, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Ashley Tate and Poisoned Pen Press for generously providing me with my eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TwentySevenMinutes #AshleyTate #PoisonedPenPress #NetGalley

Story was well written, I look forward to more this author. Characters well written, story nicely paced, as said before, I look forward to more from them.

I was very hopeful for this book! The synopsis had me intrigued, but that’s where it ended. The book read SO slow and didn’t keep my interest. It also seemed way longer than it needed to be. What I was hoping to be a page turner, ended up being almost boring; think more drama than thriller. The plot twist didn’t happen until 94-95% of the way thru the book and that made me roll my eyes even more. I was not a fan of all the death/doom and gloom/joylessness that occurred throughout this book. I understand it’s a book about grief, but every chapter was repetitive, depressing, and slow. The only reason I’m giving this book 3 stars instead of 2, is because of the plot twist. The ending saved this book, but it should have come a heck of a lot sooner, rather than in the last two chapters. Thank you to Netgally and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

From the description of this book, I assumed that it would be fast-paced, but it actually took me longer than expected to finish.

The premise is intriguing - 3 teens are driving home after a late-night party, and there is a devastating car crash. Grant, a star athlete is the driver, and his beloved sister, Phoebe is fatally injured. Becca, an odd, hanger-on, is in the backseat.

Grant takes 27 minutes to call for help - which makes up most of the book's plot since Phoebe would have lived if Grant had called earlier. Much of the book centers around figuring out why didn't Grant call right away.

To answer this, we get four narrators in alternating voices, each telling bits about what happened that fatal night. The ending is a bit of a twist (although it felt rushed,) and there are some unexpected turns, but overall the pace was a bit slow, and the characters weren't always likable.

It is a good debut and definitely worth a read, but it wasn't a book I couldn't put down.

A moody dissertation on the current lives of the survivors of a horrific accident ten years prior, this novel is completely joyless.

The sad tone of despair permeates the entirety of this book; there is no happiness anywhere. The characters are well drawn, especially June and Becca. June is a woman completely alone, friendless and destitute, following the disappearance ten years ago of her brother, then her father, and most recently, the death of her mother. Becca is the increasingly unhinged girlfriend of the brother of the teenage girl who died that fateful night.

This is a tale of how they, and all the other characters inhabiting this miserable town, interact and move toward closure over three days. It is desperately depressing and not so much a thriller, as we know full well who died and who was responsible. It felt more like a commentary on the lies and secrets that exist in a small town, when you think you know everyone so well, then realize you don't know anyone at all.

It is a slow slog, at times repetitive and on the verge of boring, with very little dialogue. Mostly just the inner thoughts and feelings of each character, rehashing the past and present from their own perspectives.

My biggest complaint was the Epilogue, which usually wraps up loose threads and tells us what the characters are up to a month or more after the end of the story. This one takes place only moments later. It would have been better called a final chapter instead.

This book was a little bizarre for me. The idea of a town being so obsessed with the death of a girl that they commemorate it 10 years later is extremely odd. I never connected to any of the characters and often found them so interchangeable that I couldn't keep their chapters straight.

Long-standing friends with a mystery to solve, and the death of one of their own… I enjoyed this book, it’s premise was good, and the story was good. It just took a long time to get there

When the ghost of your past come to haunt you they tell all! I really enjoyed this book and did not see the ending coming. It was really written to leave you surprised at the end. The only character I didnt care for was Becca but she just felt so childish and young to me as an adult but that could be because she was meant to be a little crazy and off. Overall it’s a good read.

This story takes place when Grant his sister phoebe and Wyatt and his sister June are all teenagers. Including crazy Becca who is obsessed with Grant. Its takes place at a party on a rainy night when nagging sister Phoebe is set on making sure her brother grant does not mess up their plans to runaway. Some drinks and drugs involved turn a ride home to a nightmare on a bridge. Ten years later whose ghost will come back and tell all. Can you really ever run from the past? This a truth tells all.

I almost don't want to review this book because I really did not have a great time, but I will submit feedback and just refrain from posting on Goodreads. This book felt like it was forcing itself to be something it isn't. The suspense felt forced and the plot felt dramatic rather than thrilling. I was not a big fan.

In a small town, 16-year-old Phoebe passes away in a tragic car accident on a bridge. 10 years later her mother is holding a memorial, and there is a petition to tear down the bridge. We follow the lives of several residents leading up to the memorial. Secrets start coming to light, it turns out there is more to the story.
The book is slow-paced, but the build-up is steady. There is good character development, and while we see the vile side of the residents, we can also empathize with them. This is well written, and I appreciate that there wasn't a tonne of twists and turns, it would have taken away from the story.

Thank NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate. I really enjoyed the prologue but it went all down hill from there. Story was repetitive and kind of boring. I don’t usually figure out the twist but figured it out pretty quickly in this one. Then I felt like it just ended without much closure.

I was granted an advanced copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
I found this book to be a little slow moving at first and was confused about how it all pieced together. Boy, am I glad I stuck it out. The author pulls you in so you absolutely have to find out what really happened in those 27 minutes. Towards the ending of the book there are a lot of twists that one would never see coming. I will certainly read more from this author!