This was the perfect book for my growing obsession with suspenseful YA novels. I think a major importance in this was the characters, although I didn't like some of them so early on in the story, they eventually grew on me and the book was too fascinating not to put down though some scenes seemed to slow the pace a slight bit. Overall, this was an impressive read!

It’s the Millennials version of the early 2000s Mean Girls. It is a bit predictable and as the answers to the great mysteries start pouring in you’re probably going to feel like you saw that coming a mile away BUT the story did manage to still be interesting with characters you want to know more about so it’s a win besides there are some decent twists and suspense. It did remind me a bit of PLL as you have that character who thinks she’s loved yet was ‘killed’ by one of her friends? Flashbacks to Season 1 of PLL and who killed Allison?

This did help fill my PLL hole since I’m still grieving over the series ending but it’s like the R rated version with sex and drugs. The author does know how to write good psych thriller scenes though.

Told from multiple viewpoints (including items from the police reports), 13 Minutes tells the story of selfish, spoiled, hateful teenagers, trying to figure out what happened on the evening that their friend, the Queen Bee Tasha, was found unconscious in a freezing river. At least, some of them are. It seems like others know, but we are not privy to their thoughts...

I flew through this book! It's predictable and unpredictable in a good way. The characters are terrible, but it definitely shows that you don't need to necessarily like any characters to enjoy a book. There's a lot of sex and drugs in it, and it just deals with a lot of higher level, psychological stuff, so I would not suggest it for immature high school readers.

A rollercoaster of a ride with plenty of twists and turns that keeps you guessing!

Natasha, the most popular girl at school winds up in the hospital after nearly drowning in an icy cold river. For 13 Minutes she was dead. She has amnesia and doesn’t remember being in the river but suspects her posse of friends have something to do with it since they have been acting strangely towards her. Natasha doesn’t trust them and asks her former best friend Becca to help her figure out the events of that evening.

I am so glad Netgalley/publisher/and author allowed me to read a copy of this book before it was released. I don’t tend to read a lot of mystery/thriller type stories but this book has now sparked an interest in picking up more books in this genre. Holy cow! I burned through the pages and just when I thought I had predicted the way this story was going it totally turned a different direction. At about 50% through of the book BOOM Natasha remembers the events of the evening and case closed. I was really worried about how this story was going to continue but at this point of the book you’ve really only gone around one sharp turn on the rollercoaster that has many more turns ahead. All the characters are beautifully developed especially the four teenage girls, Natasha, Becca, Jen, and Haley. Your opinion of them will transform from finding them likeable, and sympathizing with them to all of a sudden finding them pathetic, and despicable. The story itself progresses nicely and all of the pieces of the mystery and perimeter characters make sense when it all comes together.

This book was so intriguing and was a joy to read. I will highly recommend this book. My only negative comment and this is barely a negative comment is it doesn’t necessarily end in a cliffhanger but it does end abruptly that leaves you wanting a bit more to wrap it all up. This book is categorized as a teen/young adult mystery/thriller book but in my opinion it’s more appropriate for young adults than teens.

13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough, is a brilliantly written young adult psychological thriller. Even though, 13 Minutes is being labeled as young adult, I believe most adults just like myself will devour every page of this novel. This gave me the vibes of Mean Girls, but with so much more substance. I was addicted right from the first page; it was impossible to put down and has left me with a book hangover. 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough, is a brilliantly written young adult psychological thriller. Even though, 13 Minutes is being labeled as young adult, I believe most adults just like myself will devour every page of this novel. This gave me the vibes of Mean Girls, but with so much more substance. I was addicted right from the first page; it was impossible to put down and has left me with a book hangover.

Natasha washes up on the freezing river shore and is dead for 13 minutes. From there the search is on for why she ended up in the river and who might have put her there. At first, I thought this was a trite mystery of high school girls being bullies, but I underestimated the author. There are several twists and turns that will keep you guessing. It also showcases just how much popularity and bullies are still endured in schools. Girls might not be overt, but are more calculating as Becca Crisp clearly knows. I'd definitely not recommend this book for anyone under 16 as there is explicit reference to teenage sex and drug use.

Oh, Sarah Pinborough is devious.

This is a very clever little thriller that plays with your head - again, and again, and again.

I enjoyed it even when I thought I knew exactly what was happening. Then, when the author turns everything upside down, I loved it even more. I simply didn't want to stop reading.

Pinborough brings us a couple of characters who end up being so very unexpected and so fascinating.

Brava to the author!

13 Minutes had a great premise, but it was hard for me to get into. It just had a lot of things going in different directions and I had a hard time keeping up with everything that was going on.

Wow. I'm honestly in shock. This book was so fucking clever. I thought I had figured it out from the beginning, honestly, but this book had so many twists and turns that I was left stunned by the ending.

Although, lets talk about that ending for a second: I didn't like the ending. I would have preferred a different ending, [where Tasha faced justice from the police (hide spoiler)] like many of the other readers of this book, but I do respect the decision that the author made. I felt it was a little bit of a cop out but hey I'm not a writer and the build up to this ending was woven through the entire book.

The writing for this book was brilliant. Just the sheer planning that had to have gone into this book, it boggles my mind. This is definitely going onto my standout books of 2017 shelf, although for probably darker reasons than the other books.

Five very deserved stars.

13 Minutes is a gripping mystery that will appeal to teens who are fans of Pretty Little Liars. Natasha is dragged from the icy water after being technically dead for 13 minutes. The mystery unfolds as she tries to remember how she ended up in the water.

Full of teen drama, but a well developed mystery. The British setting may be a stretch for some of my readers, but definitely a step up from April Henry for mystery lovers who are ready for something more challenging.

13 minutes, that’s how long Tash was dead. Luckily a dog walker found her in the water and emergency services was able to revive her, but she remembers nothing of the night before and how she ended up in the water. Her two friends/sycophants rally by her side, even as the two exchange ominous text messages about hoping Tash doesn’t remember. Meanwhile, Tash’s best friend from elementary school, Becca, discarded by Tash when she didn’t measure up as popular or pretty enough, senses something is wrong with the Barbies, as she calls Tash’s two hangers-on. What evolves is a twisted story of jealousy, sex and revenge. Just when you think you have this story figured out, you’ll discover you’re wrong. Terrorists have nothing on teenage girls!

Sarah Pinborough is a new favorite of mine.
13 Minutes is about a high school girl who thinks she is pretty much god's gift to the school population. There is a suspicious accident where she dies for 13 minutes which plays out in the entire books.
She has dropped her childhood BFF and brought two "pretty girls" into her fold. Certain events take place that make everyone question these three "pretty girls" and what they are truly about. The former childhood friend is seeing their old friendship in a whole new light and is determined to get to the bottom of the events that have taken place. Throughout the book clues are given to the reader and even though those clues pop up here and there I still was somewhat shocked by the ending.