The question that has been haunting the town for ten years is clear from the beginning. Why did Grant take so long to ask for help when his sister Phoebe was dying because of a car accident they had?

I was never bored while reading this but wasn't hooked or invested in the plot. I saw the big reveal coming early on and kept reading to prove my theory.

This book is written from multiple POVs and alternating timelines, which are the things I enjoyed the most. These characters were unlikable, I never really connected with any of them. At times the story started feeling repetitive. The ending felt rushed, even if I didn't care about the characters I would've liked to know more.

There was so much drama between the characters. I was hoping to be more on the edge of my seat with the story but it was more about the characters' introspection and flaws. Overall I felt neutral about this, didn't hate it, didn't love it.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a slow burn thriller told from multiple POV after a tragic accident took a young girl's life. I liked the mystery and intrigue surrounding the story and the way it was told made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next. I feel the pacing was a little bit slow and the book maybe didn't have to be so long. Overall it was a good thriller.

Ten years ago, Grant took twenty-seven minutes to call for help the night of the car accident, minutes that cost his sister Phoebe her life. Now, on the ten year anniversary, someone is ready to reveal all that really happened that night.

This wasn’t always the easiest book to read. I think it’s because a few of the characters were so unlikeable, which I think was the point. One of the twists at the end felt like it came out of left field, but looking back, it worked. The other twist was also surprising, and I do think Tate set up these twists well.

This is a read it or don’t for me. It’s certainly not bad, but there are a lot of other, better books out there in this genre.

What happened in twenty-seven minutes ten years ago? It's hard to know, when the minutes were frozen in time with mystery, questions, and secrets. Tate's debut novel has four points of view about a car accident on bridge a small town. As we hear from Becca, June, Grant, and Wyatt, Phoebe's death gets more and more complicated.

This novel is intriguing, but it is a slow burn of events, perspectives, and relationships. It kept me guessing, however, until the shocking ending. The book is not joyful or light to me in anyway. Instead, it a finely crafted complex narrative about grief, longing, and memory leading up to the truth.

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press
for an advance reader's copy. My review is my own.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is Ashley Tate’s debut novel, it reads like a seasoned thriller writer wrote it.

One night after a drunken party, Grant Dean, his sister Phoebe, and their friend Becca all got into a vehicle to get home. With Grant driving, they got into a horrendous crash on the bridge. Grant and Becca survived the crash. Both were badly injured, and Becca doesn’t remember the crash. Grant explained how he hit a deer and swerved into the guardrail. If that was the story, then why did it take Grant twenty-seven minutes to call for help?

June remembers that night very well. That was the night her brother vanished. She blames Grant's family because all of the police manpower went into Phoebe’s case, instead of the search for her brother.

As the ten year anniversary and memorial services are to be held, another car crash in the same location occurs stirring up memories and gossip. Dark secrets are revealed and horrifying truths come to light.

I did enjoy this book. I think that it started as a slow burner, then really picked up the second half. I would recommend this book, as it was a 3 ½ star read for me. I can’t wait to see what Ashley comes up with next.

Ashley Tate delivers a gripping debut thriller that delves into the intricacies of guilt, grief, and regret. The narrative unfolds in the three days leading up to the memorial marking the 10th anniversary of Phoebe’s tragic death. Tate skillfully weaves the perspectives of Grant, Becca, June, and Wyatt creating suspense as the reader learns more about a tragic night.
Twenty- Seven Minutes, the time it took Grant to call for help after the accident that took his sister Phoebe’s life, becomes the haunting backdrop to the story. Ten years later, speculation and town gossip linger in the air of this small Texas community where secrets are hard to keep, and even in death, Phoebe remains a central figure due to her immense popularity. But there’s a dysfunctional family element that adds to the mystery.
The narrative focuses on the four main characters, most with shades of unlikeability which makes me question their motivations and actions. Grant was a high school football hero and is tortured by memories of the night of the accident and consumed with the secret he’s keeping. He is haunted by Phoebe’s ghost and has turned to alcohol as a means of coping. Becca was a passenger in the accident who knows the truth- or a version she is led to believe. Her character intrigues me because she doesn’t have a grip on reality- she resents all the attention towards Phoebe when she has suffered too.
While the events leading up to the memorial raise questions about the town’s suspended time, the author captures the nuances of grief and guilt in the characters’ experiences and emotions. Becca’s struggle to keep Grant’s secret for a decade adds a psychological depth even though I found it challenging to believe. June’s mourning of the death of her mother and Wyatt’s return after ten years raises questions about the past. Was it a coincidence that Wyatt left town the night of the accident? He’s back and is ready to share what really happened that night. The inclusion of interspersed chapters from ten years ago provides an important element to the narrative which helps gradually unravel the mystery of Phoebe’s death on the bridge.
The author’s writing shines in depicting the weight of loss in a claustrophobic small- town and creating deep and complex characters. The story builds towards a riveting conclusion with a major twist, skillfully revealed, leaving me astonished. I will be anticipating future works by this new author.

Ten years have passed since Phoebe died in a car crash with her brother Grant behind the wheel. What baffled the investigation, why did Grant call 911 27 minutes after it happened? Becca was in the car with them and injured. She has promised to keep Grant's secret.
As the ten year anniversary and memorial services are to be held, another car crash in the same location occurs stirring up memories and gossip in the small town of West Wilmer. Everyone knows and points, stares and talks in whispers about what happened that night. One person in town, June remembers the night well when her brother vanished. She blames Grant's family because all of the grief went into Phoebe instead of the search in her brother's disappearance. Dark secrets are revealed and the horrifying truth. This story shares regrets, loss and how the past can never be changed. As it haunts the small town, the twist will haunt you even more.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this e-arc.*

A small town thriller with a big story and even better plot. Highly recommend this twisty unputdownable book. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Secrets and lies have plagued a small town for the last ten years. A girl died on a bridge and now her mother is planning a memorial. Everyone in town is talking again about the accident. The other people who were at the scene are getting more worried about the secrets that have haunted them to the point they fear they are losing their minds. Will the long held secrets and lies finally be known?
Very good debut novel.

So well written you will think you are in the story. It’s been a long time that a book to me by surprise but this one did. Ten years ago Phoebe dies in a car accident….the car was driven by her brother Grant. The questions start right off with why. Why did Grant wait 27 minutes to call 911. Will the truth come out or will it stay hidden for another ten years? This book was amazing. It will grab you and keep you wanting more.

"Forever a lingering presence, never there but always there; slipping into moments without warning—at the dinner table, on a walk by the bridge, when the leaves started to turn."

Ten years after a tragic car accident that took the life of beloved local teen Phoebe Dean, the lives of those involved, or in proximity, are still shambles. With the decennial memorial coming up, and a vote on whether or not to tear down the bridge, the community is on edge.

What happened that stormy night is still a mystery. Some people think there's more to the story than hitting a deer. Why did it take 27 minutes to call for help?

Resentments are boiling over as the damaged teens, now adults, were left behind to stay underneath the thumbs and disappointed eyes of their toxic parents, in an ode to small town misery and uncomfortable complacency.

Things are changing, though. People from the past are coming out of the woodwork, tired of holding onto these secrets, and nothing will be the same after this memorial. Some involved may choose to finally clear the air, rather than continue to suffocate under the secrets of yesteryear.

This really surprised me! I didn't see the end coming and I have mixed feelings about all the things this book tried to dabble in, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. It could have been slightly shorter, it dragged on at times, but the characters were really built well, which is important to me if there are several narrators. This was an amazing debut and I can't wait for more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy to read and review.

2.5 stars!
Personally, this book was not one that I enjoyed much! I was interested in the story at the beginning but I found myself becoming less engaged as it went on. The book was full of drama between the characters and unstable and toxic relationships which I felt took away from the thrilling aspect of it. I really hoped to enjoy this book, however, it wasn’t for me.

Actual Rating: 3.5⭐

Twenty Seven Minutes is a suspense mystery told in multiple POVs and dual timeline.
It started with a strong opening with a suspicious set of well developed characters that makes me wonder who to trust.

While it started out great, the pacing turns slower as the story goes building up the suspense with unreliable narrator and also the flashbacks chapters to ten years ago, to the night Phoebe died.
As for the characters, it’s hard to like them. At times, I feel sad toward them but their action makes me feel frustrated as well. But, considering the environment of the house they grew up as well as the pressure from parents and school, no wonder they had a hard time which eventually affected their mental health.

The twist at the end wasn’t really that surprising since I was able to figured out early on before the big reveal.
It ends with the truth finally out in the open, but I still feel slightly unsatisfied with that epilogue.
I really wished it showed more of what happened after the truth was revealed especially to the culprit and also the town’s reaction, instead of only showing one person's reaction.

Overall, for a debut novel this is pretty good. I enjoy reading this intense book despite the slow pacing to build up the suspense from the beginning until the end.
I would recommend this to those who likes a slow-paced character driven mystery drama with unreliable narrators.

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Death, grief, gaslighting, addiction, alcoholism, brief mention of drugs and cancer

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, NetGalley and author Ashley Tate for this ARC to read and review!

Absolutely bingeable and unputdownable! It’s a drip, drip, drip of information until what really happened comes gushing out! The author uses very messy and unreliable narrators to tell the darkish story of that fateful night on the bridge and has you questioning everything as the twisty truth comes to light. I was so anxious to find out all the things! Captivated right to the end!

Thank you to the author Ashley Tate, publishers Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES. All views are mine.

This book is not for me! So much so that it seems like I really hated it. But I didn't; I think the concept works and style is pleading, except for some just huge, glaring stylistic choices that I couldn't avoid.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. I'm not sure where this takes place yet, but it's impossible to glean from story details because of setting clash. For example, characters studying for SATs places the story solidly in the US, whereas a character eating beans for breakfast places the story solidly in the UK.

2. This first Ten Years Ago scene, at loc.257, is unrealistic, really. Kids don't stay that calm when they're hiding someone else in their bed. But also, I don't really understand why this scene is necessary. The information didn't need to be delivered in flashback.

3. Omg who the heck is Becca? My only guess is she was the girl in his bed in the last scene? And I still don't have a hood feel for who June is.

4. DNF @ 10% This is definitely "a me thing" as I really don't get along with multiple perspectives, especially if there are more than two. Mix that already complicated form with alternating timelines and I'm done in. It's sometimes hard to know this is what you're getting with a book when you first grab it! But I'm spending most of my time confused in this first part of the book, which I don't like, even if things do clarify later.

Rating: DNF @ 10%
Recommend? Sure, for readers who like multiple POVs and alternating timelines
Finished: Jan 28 '23
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
👥️ multiple POVs
⏳️ alternating timelines
🏘 domestic thrillers
🔍 mystery
😬 suspense

At first, I was really confused with the amount of characters and the constant flashbacks. However about halfway through, I was flying through and wasn’t sure who I could trust. This book consumed me and I felt the pain of the characters.

Twenty-seven minutes is a mystery by Ashley Tate. 10 years ago, phoebe dean died in a car accident on the bridge in town during a rain storm. It took phoebes brother twenty-seven minutes to contact help leading to her death. 10 years later, the town celebrated the anniversary of her death and the story follows multiple narrators flashing back and forth between the decades. None of the narrators are particularly reliable, and they all have secrets about that night they are desperate to hide.
The premise initially drew me in, as I love the small town setting and the past affecting the present. However, there are too many characters to try to track and none of them were interesting enough to stand out apart from the rest. The timelines can become disorienting as well and the pacing is slightly slow. Great premise and I would be interested in seeing a follow-up as there is a lot of potential here, even if parts of this didn’t work well for me.
Thanks to the publisher and for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A car accident 10 years ago resulted in the death of a popular high school girl, but what really happened that night and what is everyone who was there still hiding? 🚘

2.5 ⭐️ This one didn’t quite work for me. In my opinion, the story is told from too many perspectives, resulting in a lot underdeveloped characters. Between the high school flashbacks and the fact that these now adults either still live at home or still act like they’re in high school, I also thought the book read a bit YA, which definitely impacted my reading experience. I thought the book was fairly boring and could have benefited from some slow reveals versus talking around “what happened” the entire book and revealing everything at the very end. There is also a twist, which for me is overdone and no longer feels original.

My thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 1/30/2024.

Twenty-Seven minutes is the well-written debut novel by Ashley Tate. Grippng your attention from the first page, you'll be treated to a story told over multiple POVs and multiple time periods. The chapters are short but efficient. There are bread crumbs of clues scattered throughout, sometimes containing confirmation of what you think is the truth and sometimes conflicting with it. This makes for a slow build but also keeps you turning the page.

The novel tells the tale of the death of young Phoebe Dean and the ripple effects it has through the small town in which she lived. It's a town full of secrets, but the biggest one is why did it take twenty-seven minutes for help to be called after the accident? Phoebe may still have lived had she gotten help sooner.

Told from the POV of several unreliable narrators, you soon learn that everyone has secrets and everyone is carrying around guilt or heartache over something. Guilt and it's side effects are a constant theme in this book.

There are no likable characters in this book which was something I did not care for. I also wish the conclusion had been fleshed out a bit more, but it was still a good ending. Overall the book was a very solid debut novel and I'm looking forward to see what the other comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

Unfortunately this wasn’t a book I enjoyed. I was expecting a book with thriller, suspenseful or psychological vibes and this is not that type of book. It’s a mystery in a small town told from multiple POV and in different timelines, both past and present.

I struggled to stay engaged and read this to the end. I can see where this would be some readers type of both, but unfortunately it’s just not mine.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.