I read a great deal of modern suspense thrillers and loved the premise/pitch on this one but I found it a very slow read for a thriller. I enjoy the dual timeline technique and multiple points of view and while this work employed both techniques I couldn’t find any way to anchor identify with a character or feel suspense. Work seemed to lack the necessary red herrings and cliff hangers to seam together the novel. I abandoned reading 60 pages in with a sense of confusion about what was happening or why all the points of view were included.

Ten years ago Phoebe was killed in a car accident. Her brother Grant was driving. It took him 27 minutes to call for help. If he had called sooner, Phoebe may have lived. What is Grant hiding? Why didn’t he call sooner? This has been on the minds of everyone in town for a decade.

This book was so poorly written it took me longer to finish than it really should have. The plot sounded great and I was excited to read it, but the execution was a wide miss. Not a single character is remotely relatable let alone even likeable. They are all written with superficial stereotypes and absolutely no substance. If you can’t connect with a character in a book you really don’t care what happens to them. And that’s where I was. I felt like the story just wasn’t all that believable.

I understand that the author is new to writing thrillers so I don’t want to be too harsh. But this is a genre with a lot of different books and authors out there as well as readers who, if they get bored with a book, will simply drop it and move on. I will never not finish an ARC if given one but this one was a hard one to complete.

There really were too many characters and POV’s in this book to keep track of with so many crossing storylines. I don’t think the author did a great job keeping everything separate. The use of alternate timeline was helpful but again with so many points of view in the present it just drug on forever. Had the ending been more satisfying we could call it a slow burn, but instead it just fizzled.

The final twist in the book I think will shock a lot of people and make their star rating higher. I actually did wonder if that was happening early on in the book because there were plenty of clues to it. If you aren’t someone who figures out twists easily in a book, you may really like the ending. I felt like with all the characters some endings were left untold and the twist wasn’t a big shock to me. Pretty unsatisfying.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. 1.5/5⭐️, rounded to 2.

Twenty-Seven Minutes
Ashley Tate
Pub Date: Jan, 30 2024
Poisioned Pen
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Pros - captivating plot. However, most of the action occurs in the last ten percent of the book which is ridiculous.
Cons - Multiple Point of views - it took awhile to learn about the characters. Because of the pacing it lost its impact.
This book was gory and had vivid imagery of death. I cannot recommend this book.
3 stars

Brilliant book told in multiple POV. The characters felt like people you know keeping you invested in the story. I kept trying to figure out what really happened, but this is not a predictable plot! The prologue was one of the best openings I’ve read. Highly recommend this book!

will be frank; the title and synopsis of the book Twenty-Seven Minutes caught my attention the moment I came across it. For a long time, I have been stuck in a rut of historical non-fiction and science fiction titles, so the opportunity to read and review and upcoming thriller was a welcome break. The premise of Twenty-Seven Minutes focuses on the death of a high school student, Phoebe and the turmoil that has plagued two survivors and the town for nearly a decade. As the title implies, Phoebe’s death occurs because her brother, Grant waits Twenty-Seven Minutes before phoning for help (not a spoiler). A decision that ultimately costs Phoebe her life. With that information noted early on, the central plot of the books builds around a 10-year memorial for Phoebe and a forthcoming decision to remove the bridge after a second accident occurs there.

The rest of the book should have focused on what transpired during Twenty-Seven Minutes, but instead it jumps back and forth between several characters (Wyatt, June, Becca, and Grant) who had varying levels of involvement in the crash, either directly, or indirectly. And while the author does a good job of alternating between characters and flashbacks without causing the reader any confusion, I was often left wondering why the story focused instead on providing so much backstory to characters who all seemed miserable.

As a reader, I struggled to relate to any of the characters, who dealt with varying levels of anxiety, paranoia, and flashbacks throughout the story. These negative attributes did not paint any of the character in a positive or relatable way. To the author’s credit, she did keep the mystery of the story a true mystery until the very end. However, as a reader, I typically enjoy context clues or flashbacks that hint at the outcome of the story. I found that very few, if any, existed here. The opinion of this attempt at maintaining a true mystery may vary by reader.

Ultimately, I gave this book 3 stars, although it was closer to 3.25. I’d classify this as an enjoyable summer or weekend read. Easy to pick up, easy to put down.

Twenty-Seven Minutes was such a grippy and thrilling thriller. It left me on the edge of my sit the whole damn time. I wanted to try and guess the end of the book but could never get it.

Thank you for the ARC!
The book did start off kind of slow and i had a hard time getting into the story. I kept with it and the story did start to develop and get more interesting. I do like the characters and how it ended!

This book was such a rollercoaster of emotions. I really liked the plot and story telling of this book. Definitely recommend!! The ending was such a twist I did not see coming!

hank you Net Galleyfor the advanced reader copy of this book that will be released in early, 2024.

This story takes place in a small town. A ten year old accident that killed a young girl still encompasses the town and its people. The story is told in a dual timeline with several characters and backstories. At first I thought it was a little hard to keep track of the different characters and their relationships. That seemed to clear up some as the story develops. This book encompasses grief, lies, and heartbreak with an unusual twist at the end.

Easily one of the best books I've read, especially in this genre. Ashley Tate, I can't wait to read more from you!

These characters became a part of me. The ending hurt. I thought I pegged the ending early on - second guessed myself as the book unfurled - and ended up being correct the first time, but desperately wishing I hadn't been (in the best way).

Each character felt 3D - flawed, imperfect, and with good bits and bad bits. I wanted to hug each of them at different times. I wanted to yell at them, too, at times. Your goal was to have your readers feel grief and loss? I felt them. The loss of every one of these characters as they were unearthed and transformed into different people. I felt them.

100% recommend. And this is a DEBUT book?!

Okay, so at first I was struggling to keep wanting to read this because of a few characters in the book, they were driving me nuts! But I’m glad I stuck it out because the ending was everything! The plot twist in this was absolutely written beautifully, I gasped, I sat here shook and I even started to cry a little at the end!

This book was definitely amazing!

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book!

27 minutes
A small town mourns the death of a young girl. For 10 years , the town folks wonder why it took her brother 27 minutes to call for help. The secret he kept for those 10 years have tortured this young man. Finally , the truth comes out during the twists and turns of this thriller!

Synopsis sounded great and I was excited to read it. It started out slow and going back and forth to past and present got confusing. I honestly could not figure out how June fit into the story! Wasn’t a fan of the writing style, it just seemed to drag with too many descriptive words. Ending was better but I expected more. Was a decent book but not my favorite. Thank you to NetGalley, Ashley Tate and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Wow I was blown away by this book, from the first page till the last I couldn’t put it down. A small town is bracing its self for the ten year anniversary of a horrific accident that killed a young girl and that has haunted the two that survived. The town has many questions such as what caused the accident and why it took twenty seven minutes to call for help. I highly recommend this book if you like a great mystery. Thanks to Netgalley for this arc.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
*********************************************************

THE QUESTION
For the last ten years, the small town of West Wilmer has been struggling to answer one question: On the night of the car accident that killed his sister, why did it take Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help? If he'd called sooner, Phoebe might still be alive.

THE SECRET
As the anniversary of Phoebe's death approaches, Grant is consumed by his memories and the secret that's been suffocating him for years. But he and Phoebe weren't the only ones in the car that night. Becca was there too - she's the only other person who knows what really happened. Or is she?

THE TRUTH
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 that her mother is dead, June has no one left - 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.

Oooooh what a creepy read --- the story of Phoebe and Grant will consume you for hours, as will the weirdness of West Wilmer as there is so much at play here. Once you think that you might have it figured out, it goes somewhere else. Definitely worth picking up and I will recommend it far and wide to family, friends and book clubs alike – it’s a must-read kinda book. #shortbutsweetreviews
4
PS - of all the covers, I like the hourglass one the most.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate
Rating- 3⭐️
Release date- 30/01/24

It took twenty-seven minutes for Grant Dean to call an ambulance whilst his sister Phoebe lay dying at the side of the road after a horrific accident. The delay in getting her help was possibly the difference between life and death.
Ten years later the town of West Wilmer still mourn Phoebes death, and with the anniversary coming up and a petition to knock down the bridge she died on dividing the town, someone is starting to ask questions.
Why did Grant Dean wait twenty-seven minute?

This books started with a gripping epilogue and was fast paced. It took a little while to get to know the characters as we follow four POV’s but after a few chapters it was easy to take in each characters individual personality, but my god were these characters THE WORST. If unlikable and unreliable characters are your thing then this is definitely the book for you.

I guessed the twist at the end just before it was revealed and whilst I prefer not to get the twist I still liked it although it was slightly underwhelming.

Overall this was engaging, had short chapters and I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for a quick read with interesting but unreliable characters.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow please allow me to pick my jaw up off the ground from this one. I can not even begin to express the love I had for this story as I continued to read it page by page. I couldnt put this story down for anything. The twists and turns and the plot behind this amazing story kept you on your toes and guessing for the who dun it all the way to the very end and then bam it smacks you in the face like a ton of bricks and whether or not you guessed correctly will determine by the end whether you guessed it correctly throughout the story. I have to say that I honestly thought I had it but then it would change and by the end I was picking my jaw up off the floor because I was so completely off. I can not wait to see what more Ashley comes out with next and I can say that I will be first in line to gobble the story up in just a few short hours like I did for 27 minutes. I can only give it 5 stars but in my honest opinion I would give it 100/10. The fast paced, edge of your seat, guessing page turning excitement she has packed into this book is over the top and amazing and hope all her books are just like this,
Jessica
Thank you for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this book

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review. I found it really, really hard to get into this book. I finished it, but found that there was nothing that really pulled me in and engaged me with the characters. I didn't really seem to like any of the characters. The prologue is what pulled me in the most, and I didn't feel that connection with the rest of the book.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is intriguing, but it's a little predictable and hard to root for many of the characters.

However, I still gave it 4 stars because I wasn't positive of the ending, and I wanted to get there. As far as not having characters to root for, I did admire that Tate made so many of them unlikable and/or annoying. I would imagine it's hard to write a book and know that the characters are pretty awful.

Overall, this is a mystery, but it's neither suspenseful nor thrilling. It's a drama that looks at people 10 years after a tragic accident in a small town.

Ok, I liked the idea of this and the story was interesting I just wasn't gripped. I struggled to read parts. The twist was excellent though. Didn't see it coming.