There's something to be said about the tragedies of small-town living, and Ashley Tate's Twenty-Seven Minutes does a nice job marrying these tragedies with a twinge of mystery and liberation.

Ten years ago, in the stagnant town of West Wilmer, it took twenty-seven minutes for Grant Dean to call for help following a horrific car accident that left his sister, Phoebe, dead. As the decade anniversary of the accident creeps closer, the town closes in on Grant and why it took that shocking amount of time to call for help. Was there more to the story? Will a long-held secret be set free? Or will those desperate enough to weave a web of lies find themselves safe?

I really enjoy stories told in multiple POVs and alternating timelines, so it's a no-brainer that I appreciate that with Tate's debut. I think that the characters, while unlikable, were a master class in the exploration of the power of trauma and keeping secrets. I would not say that this story was at all a thriller, but instead dramatic fiction with an edge of mystery. This one reminded me a lot of "After We Vanished", which I also enjoyed, as it included some of the same themes of grief, trauma and loss.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ten years ago Grant crashed his truck killing his younger sister, Phoebe. She would have lived, but it took him 27 minutes to call for help. Why? With a memorial coming up, those involved in the crash are forced to face what happened and how it has affected their lives. Someone is ready to tell the truth.

What I loved:
- Multiple POV
- Unreliable everyone
- Unlikeable characters
- Short chapters

What didn’t work for me:
- Very repetitive
- Too long, drags a bit
- I guessed every single twist

Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is her debut novel and one of those stories that I wanted to love. I bounced back and forth, between a three and a four. I always up the rating when that happens.

My biggest complaint was the repetition. At two thirds of the way through, it became tedious, but, I understand why it was done that way. Shifting from different points of view and past to present and back again, it was inevitable. It never stopped me from having a need to know the ending and did create tension, making me read faster to find out the truth and why it was such a big secret.

Wyatt became the most intriguing character to me. I loved the twist and my heart broke for June. Through no fault of her own, I feel she suffered the most. I cannot tell you all the whys. You will have to find out for yourself.

As the truth comes to light and the secrets are revealed, I felt many emotions. Anger at the liars and the ones that chose to cover up. Empathy for June, the one I feel who struggled the most and paid the biggest price. Satisfaction that those who deserve it were haunted by their part in the cover up and the price they paid for keeping their secret for ten long years.

Karma…

We have a Conversation with the Author at the end of the book and a Reading Group Guide.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Twenty Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate.

See more at http://www.fundinmental.com

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Mystery📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
This one wasn’t my favorite but the ending makes it worth the read

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Multiple POV
Unlikable characters
Small towns
Dual timelines
Themes of grief
Dramatic mysteries
Dark secrets
Captivating plot

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
The ending!

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
Wasn’t really much of a thriller
Overall I feel like not much happened
Slow burn

Why would it take someone twenty-seven minutes to call for help after a car accident? That is the central question behind Ashley Tate's new novel Twenty-Seven Minutes. Ten years ago Grant, his sister Phoebe and Becca were involved in an car accident that left Phoebe dead and the town mourning the loss of such a promising young life. Now, as the town prepares to hold a memorial for the anniversary, questions start to simmer. What really happened that night? Why had it taken Grant so long to call for help? Tate slowly unwinds these threads to reveal what really did happen in those twenty-seven minutes.

Unfortunately, this story did not work for me. The main issue is too many POVs that cause a lot of confusion. There are 4 main perspectives and interspersed are POVs from random characters in the flashback chapters. Very little character development happens in these characters minds and the refrain of references to THAT NIGHT repeat for 95% of the book until the "big reveal" in the last chapters. The premise is strong but the execution was poor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC o Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate for an honest review.

This book started off strong and pulled me in. It is told by multiple POV and a current and 10 years ago timeline. I liked the different timelines so you could see what happened the night of the accident and what was going on prior to that. The story is about siblings in high school that are hoping to get out of their town. There is a tragic accident that changes the future for many people in the town.

There was some suspense, however I felt the book was very drawn out. I found myself scanning pages because there was so much of the same story leading up to the ten year anniversary of the accident.

Why did it take Grant Dean twenty seven minutes to call for help on the night of the accident that killed his little sister Phoebe?
Told from a few people’s perspectives this edgy small town drama kept me hooked from the very beginning and I really enjoyed it! It gives me Riley Sager vibes and I would highly recommend. A brilliant debut!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut thriller by Ashley Tate - 4 stars!

Ten years ago, three teenagers were involved in a crash and one died. The other two, along with the town residents, are still trying to recover from the tragedy. There's a memorial planned and a vote underway to tear down the bridge where the accident happened. But too many questions are still floating around - mainly, what happened in the 27 minutes before the driver called the police?

Told in both past and present timelines from multiple POV, we gradually learn all the secrets that people have been keeping. The brother dealing with guilt over the fact that he was driving and his sister died; the secret girlfriend; the other girl in the car, along with all the town gossip swirling. I thought this was a tense thriller that kept me guessing and I didn't see that end coming. It was an interesting character study into grief, secrets, trauma. I'm excited to read more from this author in the future!

Ten years ago, Phoebe Dean lay dying on a bridge in the small town of West Wilmer. For years her death was quietly talked about, with most people asking why it too Phoebe's brother Grant twenty-seven minutes to call for help. Yet Grant wasn't alone on the bridge that night. Becca knows what happened but she remains silent, keeping Grant's secret...or is it her own. Grant and Becca are used to keeping secrets and what happened that night is just one more shared between them. But there are other mysteries happening in West Wilmer. As Phoebe lay dying, June's brother Wyatt disappears without a trace. Did he have something to do with Phoebe's death or did he, after yet another fight with his father, make good on his threat to get out of the cloying, claustrophobic dead end town?
As the ten year anniversary of Phoebe's death nears, the town readies to hold a memorial, June holds a funeral for her mother, to which no one attends. Once again, Phoebe's death overshadow the loss of someone June loves. As June prepares to grieve alone, Wyatt returns to explain why he left. In doing so, he will unearth the secret of what happened that fateful night on the bridge.

Ashley Tate's debut novel, Twenty-Seven Minutes, is tells a powerful story of life in a small town where many have secrets just waiting to be discovered. The story is well written and well plotted, although the end feels a bit rushed considering that the reveal is relatively short in comparison the the lead up to it. I really wanted short chapter or even an epilogue to find out what happened after the reveal. Despite this, I enjoyed the read. I feel that anyone who enjoys small town mysteries with some psychological twistiness. will happily while away a few hours on this read.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of the book!

This dual timeline story takes place in a small town that has been grieving the death of a brilliant young lady for ten years. I would say the main characters in this story are a bit unreliable and their mental health questionable. I would call this a psychological thriller because the way the story builds in slow burn that will keep the reader guessing and trying to figure out what really happened the rainy night of the accident that took Phoebe's life.

Grant, Phoebe's brother who was driving that night, and Becca, who was also in the truck the night of the accident have been traumatized and have suffered from keeping secrets for ten years. They have also listened to the whole town mourn Phoebe, but at the same time they feel like the town has forgotten about their injuries and traumatic experience.

During the whole story the town in gearing up for a memorial on the tenth anniversary of Phoebe's death and a vote that will determine the fate of the bridge where the accident happened.

June is my favorite character in the book. Her brother Wyatt disappeared the same night that the accident happened and no one in the town has cared or asked about him all these years. No one seems to care about the Delroy family at all.

Twenty-seven minutes by Ashley Tate was a page turner! I could not put this book down, I finished it in 2 days!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this early and give an honest review.

3.5 stars

I would really like it if in the future when authors are writing a book with a twist ending...they refrain from using a stereotypical supernatural twist.

Besides that, while the plot was interesting, I couldn't stand the characters. They were all so unlikable and I wasn't rooting for any of them or even rooting for the mystery to be resolved. I also felt like there were some plot holes (but that may be because I skimmed most of the book lol).

Pub date: Today

This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

A bunch of super unlikable characters, all of them so gloomy and depressing. But I guess that’s understandable considering their circumstances! I did have trouble keeping all the names and relationships straight, especially at the start but even throughout, as each chapter is from one of four perspectives. .

Bottom line is this book was a little too slow paced for me, but I enjoyed the writing style in general and will give this author another chance.

A town's golden girl dies and another boy runs away.
The town is full of gossip and sugar coating. Do they actually know what these kids were really up to? Or do they just continue to assume? ...

This story is a dual timeline. Present day and flashbacks to when they were in high school. So because of that some of it did read YA. Even the maturity levels of the present day as well. I did feel like part of it was kinda slow, but I still enjoyed the story and was very curious where it was headed.

The twist towards the end got me! That's what definitely pushed me to a 4. I thought of many scenarios but not that one. Lol

A fantastic debut novel for sure. If this is where Ashley Tate is starting I can't wait to see what else she releases in the future.

Thank you @netgalley @ashleytateauthor @poisonedpenpress for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

Well, this book was a wild ride! Ten years after the tragic death of Phoebe Dean, the town’s most popular teen, everyone is still grappling with her death and struggling with why it took her brother twenty-seven minutes to call for help. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Twenty-Seven Minutes was quite the soap opera drama full of unreliable narrators and confusion. It was over-the-top ridiculous but also very slow moving with not a lot of action. All in all, this one was fine— but I won’t remember it in a week. Three stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣⁣
⁣This book published today— January 30, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ashley Tate for an ARC for this debut novel!
I love a multi POV read and I was hooked at the start.
The building of suspense had me reeling, but it was hard to push through to the end.
The final twist was great and I loved the idea more than the actual story.

Twenty-Seven Minutes
by Ashley Tate
Pub Date: 30 Jan 2024

What an amazing read! Twenty-Seven Minutes is a tale of regrets, grief, loss and fear among other things.

The story tells you what trauma and secrets can do to someone over time.

I feel this is more of a Literary Suspense versus a Thriller. A great debut novel!

Many thanks to #twentysevenminutes #NetGalley and #Twenty-SevenMinutes for providing me with an E-ARC of this wonderful book!

Set in the small town of West Wilmer approaching the 10 year anniversary of a fatal car accident that claimed the life of well loved teen Phoebe Dean, Twenty-Seven Minutes is a page turner. Told from multiple points of view, and from the past as well as present tense, Ashley Tate does a fantastic job transporting you as the reader into the emotions of each of the characters we meet. From displaying very accurately in my opinion, how a small town tragedy creates an untouchable legacy for the deceased, while also portraying very raw grief and trauma for several characters and for several reasons. The title of the book is reflective of the time span that occurred between the time of the accident and the time help was called for, and finding the truth behind what actually happened that night, kept me interested through the entire book. A personal favorite character of mine was June. I felt her pain in losing the family she had desperately hoped would someday be reunited, and I felt the author did an excellent job in describing the raw grief she felt. Twenty-Seven Minutes is a book I would highly recommend for fans of suspense, mystery, short chapters, and a well told story from multiple points of view. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

Excellent debut. Why did it take Grant 27 minutes to call 911 the night his sister died in a car accident? The small town of West Wilmer has been unable to let go of the mystery surrounding Phoebe's death. West Wilmer, a small, suffocating town, is almost a character itself in this tense mystery. Grief and memory, self-preservation and loss, all tied up and threatening to be revealed in the 3 days leading up to the 10 year memorial for Phoebe Dean.

"Phoebe Dean was the most popular girl alive and dead.

For the last ten years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe?

Someone knows what really happened the night Phoebe died. Someone who is ready to tell the truth.

With Phoebe's memorial in just three days, grief, delusion, ambition, and regret tornado together with biting gossip in a town full of people obsessed with a long-gone tragedy with four people at its heart—the caretaker, the secret girlfriend, the missing bad boy, and a former football star. Just kids back then, are forever tied together the fateful rainy night Phoebe died."

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

First of all, props to the publisher for marketing this as a literary suspense because that is exactly what it was. I found Twenty Seven Minutes to be a well written, slow burn, character driven small town drama mystery that kept me interested and engaged as a reader. It was also an interesting look at grief, loss and effects traumatic events can have on individuals and communities!

Phoebe Dean’s tragic death changed the course of a number of lives and even a decade later it seems to affect dynamics in her home town. Why did her brother Grant wait 27 minutes to call an ambulance? And what about a young man who disappeared that same night? As the anniversary of Phoebe’s death approaches, secrets and truths are threatening to come to the surface.

I went through this one really quickly despite it being more character than action/plot driven. Some of the characters were quite unlikable but I think that makes for more interesting storytelling. I definitely recommend checking this one out!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada & Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!