Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Publishing for an advanced copy for an honest review. A tragic event from 10 years ago is slowly revealed within chapters from present time. Each chapter alternatives between the viewpoints of different characters. A great twist at the very end. This is Ashley Tate's first novel and a great thriller. Absolutely couldn't put it down.

The premise of Twenty-Seven Minutes seems clear from the start: a young woman is dying on the side of the road as she waits for the young man she was with to call for help. Phoebe waits for, you guessed it, twenty-seven minutes and then dies.

The rest of the book should seemingly be about what he was doing for those twenty-seven minutes, but it doesn't feel like it. Instead, the book jumps ten years and follows the people most affected by the accident that took Phoebe's life. You've got Grant, Phoebe's brother and an asshole of epic proportions who treats Becca so horribly it's shocking that she lets it happen for ten years. But Becca is weak and miserable and thinks that Grant's treatment of her will somehow absolve him of any guilt. Then you've got June, who's another miserable character just biding her time in existence wondering where her brother Wyatt's been all these years (because he also disappeared the night of Phoebe's death).

Maybe if one of the characters was relatable I wouldn't have disliked the book. But Ashley Tate doesn't weave the story in an effective way to make the reader feel engaged. The characters are introduced without any context in their relation to the accident, and while I understand the need for mystery, a lack of information is just frustrating. We don't find out why it took the young man 27 minutes to call until the last chapter. Very unstatisfactory.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review of this book.

Twenty-Seven Minutes | Ashley Tate

WOW what a debut novel!!

Small town drama with *lots* of baggage from high school, this dual POV mystery thriller gripped me from the prologue. The characters were complex, flipping from 10 years ago to the present day, you are intertwined with their thoughts and feelings, with grief, longing, and loyalty at the forefront of this incredible storytelling.

Although a bit of a slow burn, I was sucked in by the ‘did they, didn’t they’ aspect of this story. There were so many what’s ifs and second guessing of the truth, the borderline between real and not real (or in Beccas case, straight up coo-coo lol)

There were a few bumps along the way, getting background characters confused, the timelines and wording sometimes made me have to re read a paragraph, but overall a non stop page turner. My jaw was on the floor the last 50 pages when everything comes together, Tate makes you wait for the shock!!
No spoilers, but I do love a bit of spookiness hehe

So happy I got the chance to read this one, thank you @netgalley, @poisonedpenpress, and @ashleytateauthor for this ARC
Due to release in January 2024

Rating: 4/5 STARS

I'm sad to say that I did not love this book. The story was well written with excellent character development, and it deeply portrayed the anguish and turmoil of grief and its effects on those who have suffered trauma and/or loss. This is why I gave it a 3-star rating. But it was extremely slow! It took forever just to find out what happened during that twenty-seven-minute time period. I was also disappointed to learn that what I thought was paranormal turned out to be something else. Despite the mystery of what happened "that" night, there was no other suspense or thrills. I think this book was mislabeled and misleading. I would classify it as more fiction than mystery/thriller. The characters gave off a YA feel, like they never really aged after ten years, and the story seemed to be all about emotions and feelings. Not what I thought I was going to be reading.

Thank you to the author, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for allowing me digital access in exchange for my honest opinion!!

"Twenty-Seven Minutes," by Ashley Tate, follows the life of several small town characters - June, Becca, Wyatt, and Grant - as they deal with the 10th anniversary of the death of Phoebe Dean in a car accident. Even after all this time, the biggest question that remains is why it took Grant, Phoebe's brother, 27 minutes to call for help. As mystery/thriller, it provides an image of small town life, dreams lost, and the weight of regret.

Athough I found the story to move quite slowly, the character development in this novel is fascinating, as the reader often feels both disdain and pity for each of the main players. Depth of character is achieved uniquely by depicting memories within memories, however, these moments do not always move the plot forward and at times, the story seems to slow down when there is a need for it to speed up. For any book clubs interested in a unique character study, I would recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday Canada for the ARC.

Well, I was wrong on all counts when trying to solve this book.
Well written with lots of twists and turns, and very fast moving. Not giving anything away!!

This thriller was a difficult read for me to judge. I didn't like any one of the characters. Grant, a young man, was in an accident with his sister and another young woman. Why did he take 27 minutes to call the authorities. I will say that this was a fast moving and well plotted book. It was full of twists and turns, but I wish I'd cared more about any of them.
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A compulsive thriller with characters who were easy to dislike, with murky motivations. 10 years ago a young woman died in a car accident - her brother Grant, the driver, and another young woman, Becca, survived. What really happened that evening is a mystery to everyone but Grant. Why did he wait so long to call for help? Was he really knocked out? Why has his life spiraled out of control ever since, and what was his sister so angry about?

I enjoyed reading this novel but I didn't like any of the characters - which is fine. It was hard to understand why anyone would like the hard-drinking, philandering, and mean Grant even back in high school. He was kind of a one-dimensional ex-jock, and several of the female characters seemed to be defined mostly by their relationships to him. That being said, if you are looking for a page turning narrative with a strong sense of place this is a great read.

A gripping read that had me hooked from the start, interesting characters, lots of twists that kept you guessing. Would recommend this definitely

This is the story of a small town with secrets -- always an intriguing premise. The town's golden girl, Phoebe, died in a car accident ten years ago. And everyone can't stop wondering why her brother, the driver, took 27 minutes to call an ambulance, when Phoebe likely would have survived had he called on time.

This book starts with an incredibly heartbreaking prologue as Phoebe lays dying in the rain. Then we flash forward ten years, to Grant, Phoebe's brother, who is not doing well. In fact, no one in this town is doing well. This is a multi-POV story that tells us the perspective of a few different people who were there the night Phoebe died, jumping back and forth in time between the present and the events leading up to the accident. I admit I could not figure out what had happened, and did NOT see that twist at the end coming. If you like small-town mysteries, unlikable characters, and mysteries with a twist, definitely pick this one up!

I like the basic premise of this book with the accident and keeping secrets for ten years, but I really didn't care for how it was done. I thought it was verging on some paranormal stuff, and then I realized it was mental illness, but being inside the head of MULTIPLE mental illnesses just wasn't super fun for me.

This reviewer was excited to receive an e-ARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes from Poisoned Pen Press, and so it pains me to say the book simply didn't work for me. I read the novel in its entirety, and though the ending tied the plotlines together well, I failed to engage with the characters or the story. So sorry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing a copy to read and review. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

A moody, sad, dramatic mystery with twists and turns! Highly recommended for fams of One If Us is Lying.

Twenty Seven Minutes is the time it took before Grant called for help after an accident in which his sister, Phoebe, died.
The town shared a collective grief.
A decade later, Grant has been consumed with grief - and that of the town is stirred back up. Someone out there has the truth of what really happened 10 years ago.

Another couple - brother and sister also experienced loss when the brother disappeared that night.

A chilling thriller. It takes take it's time getting to the great reveal so just stay with it.

I loved this. The amount of twists and turns in this book made for the best reading experience. The characters were so well written and intertwined. The pace was perfect and it was just a great book to read.
10 years ago there was a car accident that took the life of Phoebe Dean and injured her brother, who was driving, and Becca. The details surrounding the accident have always been a bit foggy. What really happened that night Phoebe died? Why did it take her brother 27 minutes to call an ambulance? When the 10 year anniversary of her death comes around these questions are brought back up along with that secret that Grant has kept all this time.
Then there’s Wyatt. He disappeared on the same night of the accident. Could his disappearance be connected somehow? When he returns to town it seems he’s been forgotten by everyone, except his sister June. But when June finally understands where her brother has been all this time, it may be more than she ever really wanted to know.
I would highly recommend this book. It was thrilling and full of suspense and kept me guessing until the end.

The plot & characters kept my interest throughout the whole book. The characters are well developed and have their own unique perspectives. Very satisfying with a very unexpected twist.

Four teens, one crash, death, hope, secrets. From the time the car left the party with the teens until the ambulance was called there is a missing twenty-seven minutes. What happened? Could it have saved a life? What secret is so powerful that it must be kept for over 10 years? What happened that night?
Becca, Wyatt, Phoebe, and Grant (driver) all leave the teen party that fateful night. They crash on the old rickety raised bridge. But why? Someone dies and the whole community mourns. There is a secret being kept about the truth of the accident and one teen runs. Ten years later, a second accident occurs on the bridge and rehashes the death of the teen, the secret still untold but the runaway returns with a secret of his own.
Will we ever find out what really happened that night? Why the secret? Why run? Can you solve the puzzle?
Author Ashley Tate does a wonderful job maintaining the constant time warps between the present day and ten years ago. The dialogue is real and authentic. The story grabbed my attention from age one and I’m still holding on to my seat.
I highly recommend this book to mystery, thriller and general adult fiction fans. I love it!
Thank you to Ashley Tate, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for this copy to read and review. All opinions are my own!

I liked 27 minutes but it got a little strange by the end.

The book starts where there's been an accident and someone is lying dying wondering how he isn't helping....
Forward near 10 years and it coming up to the anniversary of phoebe's death.
The book focuses around 4 main character's,
GRANT: The brother of Phoebe and the one that was driving the night of the accident, he didn't call for help for 27 minutes after he crashed car on bridge...
BECCA: (crazy Becca) She was in the car that night and was unconscious after crash and has lost memories, but what does she know now? is she hiding something because she says she loves grant and thinks he's protecting her.
JUNE: She went to school with others and at first wonder why she in story, but turns out her brother Wyatt went missing that night 10 years ago but no one really cares or remembers as all focused on Phoebes death.
WYATT: He has returned all of a sudden after 10 years and the death of his and June's mother, but there is something off he's all bruised and his teeth are falling out...

The book goes between few chapters from now to a chapter from 10 years before and what really happened that night... the truth is going to come out but what is the truth? what happened that night? why did grant wait 27 minutes to phone for help?
What is so weird with Wyatt??

want to know then i'm not going to spoil it for you, read the book when it is released as I was lucky enough to get ARC copy

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This novel was just...fine. The mystery at its core: why did Grant wait 27 minutes to call for an ambulance after a car accident? Its tied up at the end with a neat bow, but it's a weird and windy road to get there. The timeline shifts between 10 years ago and present day, and there are shifting character perspectives as well. All of the character kind of suck...seriously, none of them have redeeming qualities.

I was completely transfixed by Twenty-Seven-Minutes, a taut, raw, powerful suspense that centers around a decade-old tragedy that's traumatized a community. Every character carries both a darkness and moments of goodness inside them as each wrestle with their own memories and secrets of the night that took one of their own. An entire town obsessed with the death of their most promising high school senior. Phoebe's death rocked the town to its core. There have always been mysterious circumstances surrounding it - from the illegal teen party to the amount of time it seems that it took her brother to call the ambulance that may have saved her. At the ten-year mark, a celebration and remembrance is planned. Those who have kept secrets from the night become more and more agitated and those that are searching for answers may not like what they find. Such a great read, the plot and such a great twisted l ending, you'll be surprised!