Phoebe Dean died in a car accident ten years ago. Now her small town is planning a memorial for her. But some poeple are still wondering why her brother Grant who was in the car with her waited 27 minutes before calling for help.

There are a few storylines in this one and you really have to be patient for them all to come together. Grant is a terrible character/person and he kind of ruined the story for me. The way he treats Becca is terrible and I still can't really figure out why she put up with it. Even as things fall into place, it's still hard to understand.

This is a solid story, though it did drag a bit. There was a lot of running around trying to keep secrets that didn't seem like they needed to be kept.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available January 30, 2024.

I love a good mystery and while this was enjoyable, I didn’t love it.

I always enjoy when stories switch between characters because it helps keep it fresh, the problem is if you don’t like many of the characters, it can make it harder to find the motivation to read a chapter. I struggled with quite a few of the characters in this book, I guess I just didn’t like them, and maybe they could have been fleshed out more (as in more well rounded, and relatable) and made to be less self involved.

That being said, I did enjoy the storyline. It wasn’t anything dramatically out of the ordinary, but it was enjoyable all the same. Just don’t expect it to be fast paced, and while there’s some twists and turns, don’t expect them to necessarily blow you away.

Thank you to the publisher & @netgalley for the #gifted e-ARC!

The story begins with Phoebe’s final moments in a car accident that happens on a bridge in small town West Wilmer. At the ten-year anniversary mark of Phoebe’s death, the town still doesn’t have answers on how it happened and who’s at fault. However we are grappled with a heavy question as to why it took Grant, Phoebe’s brother, twenty-seven minutes to call 911 that may have saved his sister.

The book is broken down into chapters of 4 main characters’ POVs: June, Grant, Becca and Wyatt. All characters have direct or indirect links to Phoebe’s accident but are each holding secrets from each other and the entire town. The town council has scheduled a vote to get rid of the bridge on the tenth anniversary and each character has strong opinions on how the vote should go depending on their experiences on the fateful night.

A small town mystery where main characters hold on to dark secrets that could have changed the narrative of events is a trope that has been used in many novels. However this particular book had some very unique twists that I guarantee most readers won’t see coming. However all the characters were unlikeable and extremely toxic to each other. Lot of gaslighting involved and I cringed at how the male characters spoke down to their female characters to the point that it felt overdone. The slow pacing didn’t help much either and this was going to be the first book I wanted to DNF this year. However I was glad I read it to the end because I would never have guessed how the story converged in the end.
.

Twenty-seven minutes. That’s how long it took for Grant Dean to call for help the night his sister Phoebe died. The single witness, Becca, still has no memory of the accident…although few actually believe that. Now, ten years later there’s a memorial. Ten years later someone is ready to talk, to tell what they didn’t before. This is a story about a small town unable to move forward after a tragic accident claims the life of a popular young woman, leaving too many unanswered questions.

Ashley Tate’s debut sets up the story well, told through a duel timeline, with large cast of characters. Technically a suspense thriller I think it’s strength lies in the slow burn look at loss and profound grief. Narrators are unreliable, sometimes morally grey, often unlikable …and yet I couldn’t look away! A more seasoned mystery reader may have figured out the twist much earlier on but I feel it’s almost beside the point. My investment was in the characters journey.

I recommend for readers that love a mystery suspense that doesn’t sacrifice character driven themes. I’m excited to see what Tate does next and think she’s an exciting new author to watch.

I received a review copy from the publisher @PoisonedPenPress via @Netgalley

I enjoyed this book. The beginning felt very slow, but I thought the twists were suspenseful and I did not see the end coming. The story alternates between both past and present as well as has multiple POVs which does get a little messy at times. While sometimes hard to follow, the main characters do have depth to them. I did not find any of the characters very likable which made it hard to relate and have significant interest in the outcome of the story. Overall I enjoyed the premise, story, and writing style and would recommend to someone that is looking for a slow building suspenseful thriller with multiple points of view.

3.5 Stars
I was pleasantly surprised with how this book ended, I found that I was intrigued by the mystery of what happened from the start and I didn't mind all the different POVs in this book (I feel like it made me want to know more because of that actually). The beginning and ending of this book went fast (maybe the end even wrapped up too fast for me) but I felt it dragged in the middle and I did want to skip a lot because of that. Overall, a pretty good mystery/thriller debut from a Canadian author!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

I struggled with this one. My biggest complaint is that this read like a young adult book. Also, there were multiple points of view, which only works if the characters are distinct and have been described in such a way that they stand out from each other. I was halfway through the book and still struggling to keep straight who was who when they were speaking. I just didn't care about any of the characters or truly the outcome.

I really didn’t care for this book. I found all the characters to be lacking personality. I feel like the book was 100 pages too long with some details that weren’t relevant at all. The book was just boring to me.

This novel has a dual timeline, unreliable narration and multiple narrators. In spite of all of the curve balls, this debut novel is a winner with me because it was absolutely riveting from beginning to end. Phoebe, the deceased young protagonist, is introduced at the beginning of the book as well as the question about the twenty seven minutes. As I delved deeper into the story, I discovered that her brother Grant had waited twenty seven minutes before he summoned an ambulance. The why and the events leading up to the accident are what make up most of the story. The characterization is mesmerizing, the plot was moderately well paced and the twists just keep coming. I did get lost a few times in all of the details but I quickly found myself again and kept reading this engaging book. I cannot say that the characters are particularly likable. Phoebe is portrayed as almost perfect, or perhaps beyond perfect. Her brother Grant seems to be a mysterious entity, led by Phoebe and her desires to a better life somewhere that is not their small town. In spite of her plans, Phoebe dies before she can leave the town and it’s ironic that the townspeople then set her up as almost an idol, having a memorial service for her annually. This could be a morose and sad book to read but it really isn’t. I was reminded of “The Lovely Bones” as I read it as the tone and the atmosphere are the same. This debut novel would make an outstanding feature film as it has so many unexpected revelations during the course of explaining why Grant waited and how Phoebe ended up dead. This book is a must read for fans of psychological drama that draws you into the story, captures your imagination and just won’t let you go.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Twenty-Seven Minutes
by Ashley Tate

This is an interesting book – part suspense, part murder mystery, part ghost story. The story flips back and forth between a horrible night ten years ago and the fast approaching memorial planned for Phoebe Dean, who died on that night ten years ago.

It is the story of five people – two pairs of siblings and a mentally ill girl -whose lives were all changed by that night. Grant and Phoebe Dean had mutually promised throughout their childhood to do everything possible to escape together from their overbearing widowed mother. June and Wyatt Delroy spent their childhood under the thumb of an abusive father who finally drove his son away. And Becca Hoyt, mentally ill, constantly feeling overlooked, living a life made up of her own delusions and manipulated by the boy she thought loved her.

A cleverly plotted first novel, the book shows promise for Ms. Tate's future books. I look forward to reading her next one.

This book was so difficult for me to get into! I feel like it should be marketed as a Mystery rather than a Thriller, simply because I didn’t feel any of the “thrills.”

The beginning of the story felt clunky, jumping between POVs so often that I had a hard time keeping each story straight. This made it difficult to really get to know the characters. I do think Tate did a wonderful job representing grief and how tragedy affects everyone – even those not directly involved.

This is an entertaining, well-written, psychological thriller which is told in two time-lines by multiple narrators. It is a fast paced and suspenseful novel, which is focused on the secrets and mystery surrounding a small town tragedy. Its conclusion is gratifying and surprising!

4 stars

This is a mystery story, centered around exactly what happened on that night 10 years ago when Phoebe Dean was killed in a car accident. But even more so, it is a story about what grief, guilt and secrets are doing to people - and not just those directly involved, but everybody in the village is somehow a part of this mystery. It is a highly engaging read, and you don't want to put it down as this towns ghosts are unveiled one by one.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I absolutely loved this debut thriller. Twenty-Seven minutes is the amount of time it took Grant to call for help after a tragic accident, and it was also the amount of time it would have taken to save his sister’s life. The story is told from 4 different POVs of very tragically sad characters. Each is unreliable. Each has so much sadness to bear. And some have their unexpected skeletons or unknown truths to be revealed. It’s been 10 years since the tragic accident took Grant’s sister’s life, and the town is coming together for a memorial unearthing all kinds of emotions and feelings, and even perhaps some long buried secrets. It was a great suspense full of unlikable characters, yet despite being unlikable I really felt their hurt and pain and it doesn’t mean I wasn’t rooting for them. That ending was nothing like I guessed at all. Brilliant, tragic, unpredictable, and worth every minute it took to read this!

Phoebe Dean died nearly ten years ago. She was pretty and popular. She was in a car accident with her brother and two others. The small town of West Wilmer has always wondered why it took Grant Dean, Phoebe's brother 27 minutes to call for help.


The upcoming memorial for Phoebe has the town talking and asking questions. The truth of what happened that night lays amongst the survivors. They each have their own secret about that night.
The story is told from the point of view of four different characters. We learn how the tragedy affected each of them and the burden they carry. The reader gets to learn about who the characters were before and after the accident allowing you to see the personality shift and the impact of keeping dark secrets.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a fast paced read that is character driven. There is quite a bit of suspense and the reveal is quite shocking. The characters feel real and only one of my theories was correct. Making this a debut novel that just from past to present an excellent read. I look forward to what Ashely Tate will put out in the future.

Ten years have passed since the death of Grant's sister, Phoebe. A terrible accident on a rainy night. Lives damaged,, people changed. What really happened? Lots of suspense written well. Recommended thriller for fans of YA.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the book #TwentySevenMinutes by #AshleyTate. This book was non-stop stress with what really happened that night. All the secrecy and rumors that lead up to the surprising truth that will shock everyone.

This was an interesting but tough read. Everyone in this book was just a bag of dicks and were all lying. Except June and she definitely got screwed over by pretty much everyone in the book. At least the lies got put right in the end and June was released from the torment of her mother not knowing what happened to her brother. This was my 1st book by Ashley Tate but it will not be my last!

#twentysevenminutes
#NetGalley

Although this had great promise, the unreliable characters and dual timelines just doled out the plot way too slowly for my liking! It kept me engaged only because I was annoyed and wanted it to actually go somewhere.

While there are some clunky moments that don't work quite as well as I think they were meant to, this is a promising debut. There are a lot of characters and short perspectives that, within short chapters, weave together a complicated web of lies and partial truths about what happened ten years earlier on the night Phoebe died. I suspected one of the big twists of the story, but I thought the plot was cleverly done.