Twenty-seven Minutes refers to the amount of time between Grant Dean's car accident and when he called 911 for help. The opening scene of the book where Grant's sister dies while waiting for help is gripping and gave me positive vibes for the book.

The story is told in two timelines and with multiple POV's. Grant is haunted by visions of his dead siter as the 10th anniversary of her death approaches. He is joined by Becca who was a passenger in Grant's truck and was badly injured at the time. Then there is June, whose mother has just died and she's missing her brother who seemingly ran away the same night as the accident. All the characters are well-developed, my problem was that none of them were likeable an there was a lot of seeing things and people who were not real. I can handle a little of that, but this was more than I can handle.

The mystery did pull me in and I wanted to keep reading just to find out if some of my perceptions were correct.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A small town is rocked by the death of a young high-school girl and ten years later, secrets surrounding the accident are starting to find the light as the impact of her death and the looming anniversary take their toll on all those involved.

This novel was very character-focused and the characters were odd. The relationships and dynamics took some getting used to for me and there were times when I felt that I had to suspend belief to understand them.

I did like the mental health aspects and all the secrets, and there were definitely some twists that I totally did not see coming. There was a small element of horror that I also thought added a lot to this novel. However, the thick of the plot was buried in complex and strange characters so if character-driven novels aren't your thing, you may struggle to get into this one.

Overall, the plot was slow to progress and I occasionally felt myself wondering where the story was going. I will say, the novel went out with a bang and I loved how Tate tied everything together. Had the first 80% of the novel been more plot-driven, I think I would have connected with the story a little more.

This was a great debut and one I definitely recommend. I'm looking forward to reading more by Tate in the future.

This is the type of book that leaves you thinking. It’s a small town mystery with a twist I didn’t see coming, I almost want to read it again knowing the ending and looking for any hints I may have missed. I really enjoyed this book, it’s a 4/4.5 star and I definitely recommend it.

There was a good initial hook, but then the writing went downhill with endless unlikeable characters, lies, secrets and repetition. By midway through, I really didn't care why it took Grant 27 minutes to call 911. Quite frankly, I was more interested in what that community was going to do without a bridge. Repair, replace or move the bridge, but don't leave the community just stranded without a bridge. IMHO none of the plotting was thought through - it was all simply off the cuff, grasping at straws.

I wish Ashley Tate well in her career and am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher, Poisoned Pen, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll start with what I liked. I loved the look at grief in this book. Between Grant, his mom and really the whole town grieving Phoebe and June losing her mom and feeling alone in her sadness, I thought the way the author wrote about grief was the best part of the book. The big twist at the end, I probably should have seen coming, but I didn’t and I did think it was a pretty good one. It made sense and everything fit together pretty well. I did also enjoy the back and forth timelines and the multiple POVs. Now onto what didn’t work for me and it’s a big one: the characters. There was not a single character that made me care about them. Grant and Wyatt were frustratingly vague and mysterious. Becca had her moments of fascination, but I honestly just wanted to shake her for the majority of the book. June, I had a bit of sympathy for, but she had absolutely no personality. Also, there was so much opportunity to dig in deeper with these characters like Grant’s relationship with his mom and Becca’s mental health issues, but they’re felt glossed over to me. And PHOEBE. My god. She was obnoxious. How she had that whole town in the palm of her hand, I’ll never know. Overall, this was a miss for me, but again I did appreciate how well the topic of grief was done in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's been 10 years since Phoebe Dean died one cold night after an accident on the bridge in town. And now, following the death of another resident, the town is planning to tear the bridge down. It's just too dangerous. With the news of the bridge and a 10-year memorial planned for Phoebe, wounds are being re-opened for many people in the small town of West Wilmer.

First there is Phoebe's brother Grant, who has never recovered from losing his sister. Then there's the town psycho, Becca, who is in love with Grant and has been for 10-years. Then there's June who's mother has just died, but who really lost her family 10 years ago on the night of Phoebe's accident when her brother disappeared.

There's a ton of small-town dysfunction and tragedy wound up in the pages of Twenty-Seven Minutes. I really wanted to know what had happened that night and I couldn't put the book down.

I would have given the book a higher rating but there were a few elements missing for me. For example, it was never explained by Phoebe had been so critical and possessive of her brother while she was alive. And some of the details got a bit repetitive as the book went on. But in the end, it was a great read!

Special thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now!

I enjoyed the small town setting of this novel and it did have a very good twist at the end. However, the characters were all unlikeable, and often frustrating, and the book was repetitive at times.

Overall this was readable but I felt it could have been a bit pacier.

It took me forever to read this book because I just could not get into it. It was difficult for me to keep the characters straight, there was too much introspection for me, and I was just waiting to figure out what was going on and to get to the point. I did not connect with anyone, didn’t care about any of it and it was just not a good read for me. Would not recommend.

Ashley Tate's novel Twenty-Seven Minutes is haunting and filled with twists as characters from a small town all try and solve a mysterious death and disappearance of two of their own that occurred 10 years before. On the 10 year anniversary of Phoebe Dean's death the town is coming together for her memorial held by her mother who has never been able to let go. The town is in outrage and ready to tear down the bridge where the accident occurred after another one has happened almost 10 years to the day. Members of the town are torn over keeping it up or taking it down.

Phoebe's brother Grant has secrets about that night he doesn't want anyone to find out. Becca has longed to be the love of Gran't life for 10 years and is still confused by her role in the accident that night. Grant manipulates her into keeping his secrets hoping she will never remember what really happened. June Delroy has just lost her mother and is stunned when after 10 years her brother Wyatt who mysteriously vanished has shown up at her doorstep. Wyatt waits until the memorial to get his truth out about what really happened that night on the bridge. An explosive ending filled with a twist you won't see coming sets the story straight about the events leading up to Phoebe's death.

Ashley Tate wrote a truly incredible story about love, loss, and what happens when people truly cannot let the past go. The way she writes is so moving and descriptive enough you feel as you are standing there watching the story play out. The descriptiveness paints such a dark, gray overcast over the town as the secrets all come to light. She finishes out the story perfectly with the epilogue. The ending does not leave any unanswered questions but makes you think about the impact this crash has had on so many people for an entire decade. The story flowed well but was slow at times. I found myself putting it down and coming back to it because I wanted to know how it ended. By the last quarter of the book the plot picked up pace and ended wonderfully. Great job Ashley Tate. She is an incredible writer and I look forward to reading more of her books,

This book initially had me super hooked, but unfortunately I felt like it was easy to figure out. Gave YA small town mystery vibes which I enjoyed and always love an "it girl" who wasn't all she seemed. This was a super quick and easy read though. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced e reader copy.

3 stars. I wanted to love this book as I feel like the overall plot is really good but unfortunately for me the book just seemed to drag on. The pacing was very slow and it just seemed much longer than it needed to be to get the points across that it did. I believe this is marketed as a thriller but was really more about exploring the effects of trauma and loss on the main characters and how these affected their mental well being. By no means is that a negative just an observation. I generally love these types of books and have a hard time putting them down but for me this just wasn’t the case. I was surprised by the plot twist at the end. Overall this book was just kind of meh, average.

Complex characters, twists and turns, and a well developed story had me completely invested in 27 minutes. It didn’t matter if I loathed the character or was rooting for them, this was one of those books where you NEED to know how things play out for every single character. We’re thrown into the story right away being introduced to a few high school kids that had been in a car accident and one of the two girls seemingly is killed. At first glance, it appears he may have purposefully killed her but the story goes on with layers of each character unfolding with little tidbits of knowledge thrown at you where you never know what truly happened that night until the very end! I really enjoyed the included Book Club questions at the end, since I do think this is a perfect Book Club thriller read!

I think the book cover fits the book really well, the title “Twenty Seven Minutes” is the whole theme of the book, the character pondering and gossiping about what happened in that twenty seven minutes etc. The cover could be a scene from that night ten years ago with the headlights the only light in the darkness at the car accident incident.

Basically, the book tells the story of a group of people and how one particular night changed their lives and those around them. It's set in a small town that thrives on squabbles and gossip.

The book flashes back and forth 10 yrs, between the accident 10 yrs ago & the present day.

Each of the different characters has their own issues to deal with surrounding that night ten years ago. They all have their own secrets they are keeping too.

The book concentrates on two families, the Dean's and the Delroy's.

Grant & Phoebe Dean are the central characters of the book. There was a car accident 10 years ago and still that night is shrouded in darkness and mystery.
Why was Becca even in the car with Grant & Phoebe Dean that night. When the accident Grant waited a whole 27 minutes before calling for emergency services. The small town gossips say that Grant was drunk. Grant seems to be covering something up for Becca their weird on/off 'relationship' has to be kept secret even 10yrs later! I wondered at certain points in the book if the relationship was all in Becca's head the whole time.
I was also intrigued by the character of Phoebe, I wanted to know who was the real Phoebe? The straight A student so sweet & kind, helping Grant with his school work, the concerned sister wanting him to do his best, so they could escape together. Or a nasty conniving sister who saw Grant as her ticket out of their small town.

The other main character family is the Delroy's. Wyatt Delroy had argued with his father Hank the same night as the accident and disappeared. June has asked numerous times over the years where he was seen that night and where but it appears no knows anything. June nursed her sick mother until her recent death and now she is navigating her 'new life' but is still plagued by her missing brother and finding out what happened.

At times I felt frustrated with the book as sometime it does feel a bit of a jumble, with lots of twists, turns and back and forth. It did sometimes feel repetitive and irritating but I was captivated enough that I had to continue reading. I honestly admit I was feeling really irritated that at 44% of the way into the book I still didn't know what actually happened that night. It is difficult to review and say much more without revealing spoilers. On the whole I did enjoy the book though it was a 'different' read in that everything is about that one night and how the car accident changed the route of so many lives.

Summing up I thought the book had lots of twists, turns, angst, mystery and suspense with an emotional but fitting tribute in the end.

I love a good small town mystery/suspense, because everyone in that town in involved somehow and there are so many secrets, I LOVE THAT!!!! 10 years ago, Phoebe dies in a car accident, she was coming from a party with her older brother, and then POW the accident, there was a 3rd passenger, who was also hurt but doesn't remember everything, and why did it take her brother Grant 27 minutes to call 911 for his sister????!!!!

The town wants to take that bridge down after someone else dies there, some people in town don't want it to happen, and some do. There is a 10yrs anniversary memorial for her, and at the same time we meet June, whose family are not even thought of, because not only did her mother just pass and no one was there to attend, her brother Wyatt went missing that night as well, up and left and never came back home, leaving his family devastated, but also thinking he has run off to do his own thing. But I will say this, when he comes back??? June needs answers, but he wants to wait until the 10 year anniversary memorial.

I felt so bad for June, but one thing I loved about her was that she was unafraid of asking questions, more and more now that her brother is back in town. he's slowly changing and she's scared that he's really sick and like her mom he's going to leave her. Then there is Becca, wow, she was one very convincing character, her mental instability, I felt horrible for her, this is a shitty town, and slowly things started to unravel and VERY SLOWLY.

This review is as long as it is, mainly because there was so many parts that I really enjoyed, I was hooked because I wanted to know what REALLY happened 10 years ago, we go back and from, but I felt it was very repetitive. I wanted it to get to the point already, and then of course 90% before the book finishes we get what we wanted, the real reason why it took Grant 27 minutes to call 911, and the secrets behind why Wyatt left, I will say this, that ending made me cry, it was heartwarming for a particular character.

4.5 stars. This book immediately drew me in and I couldn't put it down, literally fell asleep while reading it because it was so late while I was reading! The end was definitely a plot twist I didn't guess. It felt.like each character was different and I appreciated the difference between how they all dealt with trauma.

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before its publication date.

Now I love a good mystery thriller, and I did enjoy this one. The only problem for me was that all the characters annoyed me. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I kept finding myself wanting to like someone. That being said, the story needed unlikeable, unreliable characters in order to succeed. I was reminded of books such as "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "One of Us Is Lying", although this one takes place ten years after the accident that changed the lives of many in a small town. I did enjoy reading this, and would recommend it to others, but I did find places a bit predictable.

2.5 stars. Oof. This one was just not for me.

Ten years ago, beloved teen Phoebe Dean died at the scene of an accident. Her brother Grant was driving. And for some reason, Grant waited 27 minutes to call an ambulance. He claims to have been knocked out, and the other passenger corroborates his story, but was something more sinister going on? Did he wait to call on purpose, knowing his sister would likely die?

Okay, so. The premise is pretty solid, and the big "twist" reveal did surprise me in the best kind of way. The problem is, the pacing and plot points were abysmal. The entire book takes place over the span of a few days, and pretty much every scene is characters talking to themselves or others. It's a little bit torturous. I found myself skimming whole paragraphs because there was no important/relevant information contained within them, just the same flat characters going over the same basic character motivation points. No bueno.

I might have enjoyed this more on audio, where it moves along a bit faster and I can sort of zone out? I'm not sure. If you think you can handle that, like I said the reveal is great, so give it a shot. Otherwise, maybe look elsewhere for your next engaging thriller pick.

Thank you to Ashley Tate, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for my advance digital copy.

I finally finished reading Twenty-Seven Minutes and it was…repetitive and slow. I had a difficult time getting into it and motivating to finish. The storyline was ok, I do think it could have benefited from more editing. There was an interesting twist at the end. Not sure I would recommend this one.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the electronic ARC and the opportunity to review this book.

I really wanted to like this but from the beginning struggled to keep the characters straight enough to care. I was a little confused by the age range of the book too, since I think all of the main characters are in high school but constantly talk about drugs and alcohol. Ultimately the twists and reveals weren’t shocking and I had a negative reading experience overall.

WOW! Excuse me while I gather my wits! From the first paragraph it was INTENSE and gripping. I appreciated the multiple POVs as the story unwound into the full picture. This was my first read by this author and I will definitely be on the lookout for her next work. Fantastic debut!! MUST read!!