Secrets come to light 10 years after a tragic but suspicious event happened in a small town. This book had a very intriguing plot but moved a bit slow for my liking. I also had a harder time following the different perspectives at first. Once the story picked up it had great suspense elements. I love stories set in small towns so that was a plus as well.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

“Twenty Seven Minutes” is a mystery by Ashley Tate. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this book - other than wondering why someone waited 27 minutes to call for help. From reading reviews, I realized that was what the book was about - but that question wasn’t answered until the end of the book - which was a bit disappointing. So, what is this book about? It’s a dark book … and deals with the death of a teenager. The teenager is being “remembered” ten years after her death with a memorial service. Look, I know people grieve differently - but a “ten year remembrance” while it might give a parent closure, just seemed odd. This book is told in both present and ten years ago - easy to keep track of these timelines, but the fact that things change (actually what happened changes due to memories) was difficult - who remembered what and how accurate were their memories? I’m not sure any of the characters were relatable - the “perfect” child had huge flaws, one person was a pain in the tush - and these characters, obviously flawed, just didn’t move me to feel compassion for them.

10 years after a horrific car accident, those affected and/or involved come together for a memorial. All still live in town, except one and we don't know why or how he is involved.

His sister is on a quest to figure out where he's been hiding, was he there that awful night, why did he disappear for 10 years, and was he involved in any way?

For me personally this was a slow paced book and it took me several days to complete. I wasn't able to get into the story line and there were way too many perspectives to follow.

The plot had me very intrigued however I found it to be too slow. Nothing really happened until the 80% mark. None of the characters were likeable so I found it hard to connect with any of them.

The plot twist was good! Although I did guess it quite early on, it was still enjoyable watching it unfold.

I do recommend this to readers who maybe don’t read many thrillers and love small town vibes.

Overall, impressive for a debut!

I was provided an ARC - thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Publishing. The description of this book had me intrigued from the start. The book is written from four perspectives. June and Becca were easy to keep straight but Wyatt and Grant had me confused- I think their names were too similar, as they had similar personalities. The end of the story was great. I just wish there had been more about the after. What happened to the characters later?

The premise of this novel was a good one: three teenagers get into a car accident one night, killing one of them. The ten year anniversary of her death is imminent which causes the two survivors to recount the events and second guess their memories and decisions. The execution of this story, however, was muddy. It's hard to believe that Becca would still be pining away for Grant for ten years, even if she seems to be a bit delusional. And the "resolution" of the 27 minutes fell a bit flat.

I could not put this book down! I was very intrigued by the secret they were all keeping. It is a great thriller! I love a thriller with a large cast of characters and a "who dun it" trope. I did not guess the big twist at all! I love that the author dropped clues throughout. I had so many theories, and none were correct. This, to me, is a huge win with a thriller!

I found Twenty-Seven Minutes to be very appealing. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The story is based on a high school girl named Phoebe who was killed in an automobile accident with her brother Grant and her brother's girlfriend, Becca. Grant was an athlete who was being scouted. He was also a substance abuser. Phoebe had big plans for her and her brother to leave town together, to go to college together. She did everything she could to keep her brother on the straight and narrow. But when she found out about his substance abuse and that June's brother, Wyatt, was his drug dealer. Grant owed him a lot of money. She threatened to tell the coach about his drug abuse.

They gone to a party together where they'd both been drinking and ended up drunk. Phoebe was so drunk that Grant grabbed her and drug her out of the house and put her in his truck to take her home. When he got to the truck Becca was in the back seat. It was while they were in the truck that Phoebe made the threat Grant tried the reason with her to know avail. It was raining out and they left the party heading home.

Grant decided to take the bridge but when they got there he hit something and the trucks swerved and crashed. He was cut up from the windshield glass but he decided to get out of the truck to see what he hit. But before he checked, he got Phoebe out of the truck. She was seriously injured.. He kept telling her to hold on, that he was going to get help for her.

It turns out he hit a person. He decided to throw the person over the bridge. By the time he phoned 911 for help, it had been 27 minutes and Phoebe had died. Grant and back over taken to the hospital in an ambulance. While they were there, Grant went to Becca's room and told her that he had hit a deer, and that's what they told the sheriff. That Phoebe was angry with her and that they were fighting in the truck and that's why they had the accident. So basically, he blamed Becca for the accident and thus Phoebe's death. The truth was that Grant was arguing with Phoebe and that's why they ended up in the accident.

10 years later, Grant's mother decided to have a memorial in Phoebe's honor. All this time Grant had told Becca that he wanted to keep their relationship a secret. He told her they were going to run away together. In actuality, he was seeing someone else behind her back. By this time Grant was spiraling out of control because of the guild of what he'd done.

Wyatt sister, June, attended the memorial. While there, she confronted Grant about his drug abuse. She told him that she knew her brother had provided drugs to him. Of course Grant thought this was a big secret. Nevertheless, Grant just couldn't take any more. The guilt was eating him alive, so he decided to call the sheriff and tell the truth. In the meantime, Becca figured out the truth about Phoebe. She realized that Phoebe was an angry with her, that she hadn't caused the accident. Also, at the memorial, Becca went upstairs to Phoebe's room and Grant Carter in their reading Phoebe's diary. It was at that time that Grant blurted out the truth about the fact that he was seeing someone else. He also told her that he had no intentions of running away with her.

This story was spell binding. I found once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. The characters were very well developed and the storyline was easy to follow. I gave it five stars.

Once I started Twenty-Seven Minutes, the debut novel by Ashley Tate, I could not put it down. I love small town mysteries and the characters within and this was a strong one. I considered docking one star as the major twist revealed at the end, while shocking in the way it plays out, was slightly predictable to me - however, readers should note that the story is not all about the twist and perhaps that's why the author slowly reveals it over the last third of the book. I read this book through two bands sets at an outdoor show on Sunday night, which also happened to be my husbands birthday - that might tell you how gripping it is :) Five stars!

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were both dark but had moments of good that shined through. Very heartbreakingly beautiful.

I was expecting a dark but wild ride but this surpassed my expectations. This book comes out January of 2024. Thanks to netgalley ancPoison pen press for the ARC. This was a slow but steady slow burn. Twenty seven minutes is a told in dual timelinesabout a town tragedy that has consumed it while searching for the truth about a teenagers death. Everything about this books story line had me intrigued.

Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

Characters: 5/5
Pace: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Suspense: 5/5
Overall Enjoyment: 5/5. I would rate it so much higher if I could.


OMG! Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is one hell of a ride that I was not prepared for and the ending was definitely a jolt that caught me off guard.
A car accident, twenty seven minutes to call for help, and a town questioning the events. The town of West Wilmer has been left wondering why after a car accident left a young woman, Phoebe, Was killed and her brother Grant Dean waited twenty seven minutes before calling for help. Would she still be alive if he had not waited so long? Maybe. The ten year anniversary is approaching and Grant is trying to deal with the grief but there is also a secret. A secret that must remain that way.. Yet Phoebe and Grant were not the only ones in the car that night. Emma was there also. She knows what nefarious secret has been consuming Grant and she wants to ensure it never gets out.

There is also another mystery going on with a missing person. Wyatt has been missing for ten years. His sister has wanted answers and wants to know what happened. Both happened the same time. Could they be connected? Someone knows something more and they really want to tell what really happened that night.

The twisted plot was very written with characters that while they had their own POV, meshed very well with one another. The fact that not all characters were likable also made the story great. The ending brought it all together perfectly. This is one hell of a ride.

Surprisingly it took a while for me to connect the dots, but once I did I couldn’t wait to see what happened next and where it was all going. There is so much psychological trauma involved in the plot and the characters that it was sometimes hard to separate what was real from what was manifested through the trauma. This is what made this book so exciting, and to see where the characters were going to end up and how they’d deal with the reality. This book was well thought out and very psychologically accurate. I couldn’t put it down once I got about 40% through it. Definitely would recommend this book for purchase. Great read!

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is a phenomenal psychological thriller that I found hard to put down.
In a small town a tragic accident happened, but there was a twenty-seven minute lapse before help was called.
That accident affected more than just one family, but the secrets from that night haunts the whole town.
This is what nightmares are made of when your teenager goes out to a party.
You absolutely need to read Twenty-Seven Minutes!
#TwentySevenMinutes
#AshleyTate
#NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

The beginning of the book started off good. You have classmates and siblings going to a party and then they have a car crash and one of them dies. 10 years later the family of the deceased, Phoebe, is having a memorial for her.

When I was 1/3 of the way through I started getting bored with the book and felt like nothing was actually happening with the plot and characters. I felt like I was reading the same chapters over and over again until the last chapter but still felt a little confused at the end. I didn’t feel like the story was wrapped up well. We never really got to know any of the characters.

What a great read! I feel like I am a pretty tough critic when it comes to books. I feel like I have read so many that it's hard for a book to wow me or standout. This book however was a pleasant surprise. From the first chapter to the last, I really had a hard time putting this one down. The author did an amazing job at character development and was able to convey the emotions of the characters in a way that made you really feel what they were feeling. I do feel like this book might not be for everyone. It is definitely a little dark, and WARNING if you have lost a teen to drunk driving, I would skip this book. Also, like any good thriller, there is the proverbial twist at the end, but I feel like most readers would have it figured out before it's revealed. That being said I still really enjoyed this read and it made me want to search for more titles by the author.

Immersive, Compelling..
In a small town, everyone remembers, no one forgets. West Wilmer is no exception to that rule. For ten years the town has been asking the same question. The grief unbearable. Dark secrets are everywhere. Will they ever get to the truth? A tautly plotted and powerful mystery, perfectly atmospheric and nuanced and sprinkled with pitch perfect prose, breathless twists and beautifully drawn characters. Immersive, poignant and compelling.

What really happened that night? Who is really responsible for Phoebe Dean's death? These two questions take the reader from beginning to end in a story full of hometown characters who have been grieving in their own ways since that fateful night in high school. The tragedy has kept most from truly moving on in the past ten years, but recent events and an upcoming memorial are bringing the past back, and with it questions about the truth of what occurred that fateful night. The writing here is wonderfully descriptive, without slowing down the flow of actions, which is unusual for this type of novel. Characters are deep and relatable. A very good debut novel. I will be looking for more from this author in the future.

Ashley Tate just blew my mind with this one. I’m a fan. The story is told by four perspectives: two guys who seem like assholes and two women who are.. really going through it. The story gives you little glimpses into what happened the night Phoebe died from different perspectives. Everyone has secrets and lies from that night, but the ultimate reveal was not one I was expecting. Right at the build up, my brain sparked and I said “damn, she’s a genius for this”. Truly. I’m obsessed.

This one definitely starts off as a slow burn. It took about 40% into for the pace to pick up and for me to not want to put it down. The character development was slow for me and I did eventually get the twist moment. I have some feelings about having the female characters be so helpless and mentally unwell, but it was an okay read.