Much thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks for the ARC of "Twenty-Seven Minutes" in exchange for an honest review.
Even though these four terribly damaged souls aren't people I'd ever want to hang out with, their stories and fates gripped me for the entire length of this book.
The story unfolds through the POVs of Dean, Becca, June and her brother Wyatt. While high school seniors, their futures all ahead of them, a tragic accident upends their lives, and thwarts their dreams, leaving some of them keepers of dark secrets.
Grant, a high school golden boy football star drove home from a fateful drunken party with his sister Phoebe, an equally admired scholastic overachiever. In the backseat of his truck sat Becca, whose passionate love of Dean, if revealed would enrage the all-controlling Phoebe. A fatal swerve of the truck on a dangerous bridge kills Phoebe, severely injures Becca. and cripples Dean, After ten years, he's still forever suspected for the mysterious 27 minutes it took him to finally call for an ambulance.
Also deeply affected by the accident were the painfully introverted June and her beloved brother Wyatt, a notorious town bad boy who apparently fled their small town that very night
Ten years later, Dean, Becca, June and Wyatt's already shattered lives careen toward a planned memorial for the late lamented Phoebe, whom the town adored as their shining star and role model. And right on time, author Ashley Tate lets loose with everything you'd ever want in a thriller like this...... gut punching revelations combined with a double-beef whopper of a twist.
Without a doubt, I found "Twenty Seven Minutes" as one of those can't-stop-reading, up-all-nighters that just won't let you go until every last secret gets laid bare. (But you'll never want an invite to these characters' high school reunion parties.....)

Thank you Netgalley, Ashley Tate, and Poison Pen Press for this ARC.

This one drew me in immediately and kept me hooked right until the end. There were so many secrets, and lies, and betrayals between all the characters. The ending threw me and I honestly had no idea what was coming. It was a fantastic twist and I loved every page of this book.

2.5 stars. Phoebe Dean, a vibrant teenager in a small town, was killed in a car accident ten years ago. The premise of this novel rests on a single question: Why did it take her brother, Grant Dean — who was driving when the accident occurred — twenty-seven minutes to call an ambulance or for help? Not even Becca, another passenger in the car, knows why Grant delayed so long. However, now that Phoebe’s mother is planning a memorial for Phoebe marking ten years since her death, this question (along with others) surfaces and plagues many of the townspeople.

Despite its interesting premise, this novel has a LOT of repetition and is truly a slow burn. Suspense is thus extremely slow to build, and hints as to the events of that night ten years ago only dribble out here and there. I did keep reading because I was intrigued to find out the answer to the main question underlying the plot, but I was very disappointed in how slow-moving the facts giving rise to that answer were doled out to the reader.

What happened the night Phoebe died? Where is Wyatt? Grant didn't call for help that night for 27 minutes and Becca, who was also in the car, knows why but she's not talking. June knows something but she really wants to know what happened to her brother Wyatt. All the tensions and secrets boil up on the 10th anniversary of that terrible night. This is told from multiple POVS, common in the genre and that works. This didn't keep the tension up for me in part because I realized early on what happened. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

I really wanted to love this book, but I just couldn't. So much drama. I didn't feel connected to the characters. Some were just annoying. I waited for a shocking plot twist but it just didn't happen.

Thanks to netgalley for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
I was very excited to get into this based on the other reviews & synopsis.
Unfortunately I did not like this book at all. There were far too many POVs for this storyline. I can handle unlikeable characters but every single one in this story is so badly written. They're almost straight out of a 'writing workshop' where you start to build your characters with bullet points. No depth, personality, or flavour. They were all boring except for Becca because she was 'crazy'... but even she was boring in her repetitive-ness.

There's no story or character development throughout and nothing happens in the chapters other than the characters constantly ending each chapter with "no one can know about what happened" like I actually did not care at all when everything was revealed in the last chapter. I think the readers should've been given SOMETHING throughout each chapter. It would've actually improved the suspense aspect.

The ending was also exactly what each person has once written in their writing assignment in 6th grade. I couldn't believe what I was reading, and not in a good way.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

Unfortunately the ending did nothing to make the beginning or middle of this book worth my time. This book was to long and drawn out and felt so slow I almost couldn’t finish it. This was not a “slow burn” but more like agony to me. The plot had great potential as a thriller, the writing is good, but there are several POV’s which became confusing and seemed unimportant. There were so many that I couldn’t always tell why they mattered in the story. The biggest issue for me was there was nothing happening most of the book and I became bored until the last 10-15%. Sorry it was just an okay book for me because of all these issues. I’m sure some will enjoy it but just wasn’t a fit for me. Rounded up from 2.5 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced opportunity to read.

This was an exciting thriller that draws you in from the very first chapter and keeps your attention throughout depsite the slower start.

While entertaining and intriguing, this books also delves into some deeper topics adding more layers to the mystery. Definitely interested in seeing what this author does next!

This was a very interesting read and it kept my attention from start to finish. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

Having spent my high school years in a small town I greatly understand and appreciated the authors use of the small town gossip and the stubborn inability to let a big event go. I thought that was well executed especially in the way that the characters carry their baggage and work through their grief. I wouldn’t say this is a thriller but more of a mysterious reflection. All in all I thought it was a good story. There were a few chapters where I thought the story was a little lacking and repetitive but overall it was good.

I struggled to get into this book for quite a while before ultimately DNFing it. The story seemed promising, but the characters felt so flat and stereotypical.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

This book was not for me. I was excited about the story, but I couldn't get passed the pace and the writing style. It was very slow. Thank you, NetGalley.

Ten years ago, Grant Dean was driving his sister and a friend home from a party where all three had been drinking. An accident occurred in which his sister, Phoebe, lost her life, and Grant and Becca both suffer injuries. What no one can understand is why it took Grant twenty-seven minutes to call 911. If he had acted quicker, Phoebe may have lived. Grant has spent those ten years haunted by the secret he’s kept and manipulated Becca into keeping, too.

Grant and Becca aren’t the only ones suffering from loss. The night Phoebe died, Wyatt, the brother of Phoebe’s friend, June, runs away after an argument with his father and is never heard from again. June’s father leaves the family a day later, never to return, and more recently June’s mother passed away, leaving June alone.

Now a memorial service has been planned by Grant and Phoebe’s mother, and it’s bringing painful memories to the surface for Grant, Becca, June, and others. Will all the secrets finally be revealed?

Ashley Tate is a new-to-me author, and I enjoyed the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The premise was promising, but the delivery was lackluster. I enjoyed the multiple POVs, but it did lead to repetition. Sadly, the characters were one dimensional and annoying. The pace was way too slow for the genre, and the ending was predictable and unsatisfying.

I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn’t there for me. The storyline was interesting but just that. I didn’t feel it came together very well and then the ending felt very rushed.

Twenty-Seven Minutes revolves around an incident a decade ago when Grant, at the wheel, faced a catastrophic accident on a bridge. In the car were Becca and Grant's sister, Phoebe, who tragically lost her life in the crash. The narrative unfolds during the crucial 27 minutes between the accident and Grant's call to 911, exploring the mystery of what transpired during that time. Also on that fateful night, Wyatt, another resident of the small town, mysteriously disappeared.

The story is skillfully narrated through multiple perspectives, including Grant, Becca, Phoebe, Wyatt, and Wyatt's sister, June. Each character grapples with the events leading up to the accident and the aftermath. Amidst the psychological challenges stemming from that night, they confront their memories to uncover the truth about what truly unfolded during those critical 27 minutes.

A tale filled with suspense, the novel builds towards an unexpected conclusion that will leave readers astonished.

I love the way this one starts. It is very brutal and sad. It hooked me right away.
Grant was all "m mother never does anything for me except feed me." He is a grown ass man! I hated him right then.
I hate Becca too. It makes this all SO good!
This was weird but brilliant and I had fun reading this bizarre story.

The book Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is the story of the small town of West Wilmer and their obsession with a decade-old car accident. The main question everyone wants to know the answer to is why Grant Dean waited twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the night of the accident that took the life of his sister.. It is beyond comprehension because if he had called sooner, she might still be alive.

There are lies, there are secrets - the whole novel takes place over three days and there is a shocking twist at the end that I was not expecting.

I was so excited to read this novel based on the description and when I started reading I could not put it down, but about mid-way through I found that it lost some of its steam and started to get a little repetitive - that is until the twist at the end..

The characters were well crafted in that they added a another level to the story. Their nuanced traits, motivations and evolution contribute to a rich and immersive reading experience.

In the end, it was a good debut novel and I would definitely read another one by this author.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to review this novel via NetGalley.

Many thanks to Poisoined Press and NetGalley for my #gifted copy. 1/30/24

This was a slow burn thriller that had lots of drama! I just did not vibe well with any of the characters, and I felt was a little over the top. This was not a bad book just not one of my favorites.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley! Without getting into the plot, I want to commend Ashley Tate for writing on grief. It was well written and made you think about it. That said, this book was well written! The scenes we very vivid, the characters felt real and the suspense made the pages turn fast. I look forward to recommending to others!