On the night of a drunken high school party, Phoebe Dean died in an accident on a bridge in her small town. Her brother, Grant, was driving, and their friend Becca was also in the truck. Grant and Becca lived, but were both badly injured, emotionally and physically. Becca can’t remember much about the crash, but Grant explained how he hit a deer and swerved into the guardrail. He did wait twenty-seven minutes to call for help though…what was that about?

Ten years later, a woman in her 90s also crashed and died on the bridge, and now the town is debating whether to take it down. Most people in town would like to see it disappear, but there are a few people who would be devastated if the bridge was removed - for a variety of reasons. As all this is happening, a memorial is scheduled to honor the ten-year anniversary of Phoebe’s passing, and emotions are running high in this little community.

This book has relatively low ratings, and I think I may know why. This started as a straight mystery book, but ended almost as a horror novel would. I like horror more than mystery, so I enjoyed the ending much more than the slow beginning, but I can see how it might throw off people who don’t like that genre. When you think you’re reading a pretty straightforward book, then it leans into horror or fantasy, sometimes the cohesiveness of the story is lost. I think that may have been the case with this one.

Overall, I do think this is a decent book, it’s just not one I’d read again. There were a couple of really good shocks, the writing was good, and I liked watching the troubled characters’ layers peeling away as the story went on. For a debut that tackled some hard subjects, I think the author did just fine and I’m interested in seeing what their next book will bring! 3.5 stars.

(Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press, Ashley Tate and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on January 30, 2024.)

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate is a mystery set in a small town where the tragic death of a high school student rips apart more than just the victim’s family. What happened the night of the accident? If the ambulance had gotten there earlier, could her life have been saved? And why did twenty-seven minutes pass before emergency services were called? These are all questions that haunt both the reader and those left in the aftermath of her death. Told from multiple points of view, see the mystery unfold both 10 years after the accident and in the characters’ memories of that fateful night.
I was given an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book, it was well written with complex characters, and a great mystery! I highly recommend!

I picked this one up, cause I was DESPERATE for a book to hook me. After picking up and putting down 5 in one day, I decided to see if switching it up and reading on my kindle would help, AND IT DID.

I was immediately hooked by this book, the multiple POVs, the dark, the creepy factor and a what actually happened story line made this a totally bingeable read.

I will say not a single character was likeable which is why I’m only giving it 4⭐️s. Other than that I love the story and the way it plays out.

Thank you @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Definitely give this a read in January!

I wanted to love this book. It started out good, but then quickly died down, I wasn't a fan of the characters, and the plot kept losing me.

I found this very slow and repetitive, it didn't really hold my interest. Told from multiple perspectives, the whole book was the main characters talking about the fact that they couldn't talk about what happened 10 years ago. By the time the big reveal came, I had pretty much lost interest. The character development was good and the premise was creative but it's not one I can recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced reader copy

Thank you NetGalley and Ms.Tate for the opportunity to review "Twenty-Seven Minutes." This thriller is written from different view points, which really gives the reader a story with a lot of twists and turns. I had no idea till the very end what had happened. A real page turner!

A lot of chitchat and not a lot of twists and turns. The whole 300+ pages revolve around an accident we learn about in the very beginning and the rest of the story is a lot of whiny young adults reminiscing. The first 10% and the last 10% are good.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for letting me read author Ashley Tate's debut novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book is 288 pages long, but the events only take place over 3 days, aside from flashbacks to the night Phoebe died, and Wyatt disappeared, 10 years ago. It has multiple POVs, and each chapter is named after the character who's POV you're reading, which I like. The flashbacks are italicised, which makes it clear what parts of the story are in the present vs the past; all in all, the book is clearly structured. Onto the things I'm not so much a fan of: despite the multiple POVs, it's told in 3rd person. There was a lot of narration, which at times felt like I got a lot of information I didn't necessarily need. It's also told in past tense - which I'm mostly neutral on.

It is described as "a gripping story about what happens when grief becomes unbearable, dark secrets are unearthed, and the horrifying truth is revealed." To me, it felt like 288 pages of waiting to find out why Grant took 27 minutes to call 911, and why Becca has been keeping his secret all these years. I kept reading, because I wanted answers, but like I said above, it felt like there was too much narration and info-dumping at times, and not enough plot. I liked the premise, but I think I personally would've preferred a different narration style. In the end, this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

If you like stories with lots of information about characters, flashbacks, and finding out their thoughts and feelings about events that happened a decade ago, I think you might like this story.

This was a bit of a slow burn, but I thought it was a really good story. It centers on the mystery surrounding the death of a promising high school student named Phoebe. Those involved have been keeping secrets and it all starts to come out as the 10 year anniversary of Phoebe’s death looms. The story is told in both past and present timeframes and in alternating POVs.

I liked how the small town setting and related gossip really added to the story. I thought the characters were fleshed out well and although there are a lot of them, they weren’t at all hard to keep straight. I didn’t love that Grant kept seeing Phoebe everywhere- that took me out of the story a bit. There was some repetition that could have likely been edited out to make the story move more quickly, but I was fascinated by the characters and didn’t really mind it much. I saw the big twist coming but there were still some surprises. The end was just sad but it all came together well.

Overall, while not super fast paced, this is a heart wrenching and well told story of keeping secrets in a small town. I enjoyed it and would recommend to those who like psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Tate's debut novel, Twenty-Seven Minutes, unfolds in the small, tight-knit town of West Wilmer, grappling with the aftermath of a tragic car accident that claimed the life of Phoebe Dean. The central mystery revolves around the titular twenty-seven minutes it took for her brother Grant to call for help. While the first half of the book captivates with an engaging premise and a desire for answers, some readers may find the latter half losing a bit of momentum. However, Tate excels in portraying the lasting impact of grief and secrets on a community. The novel navigates the intricate web of relationships, guilt, and hidden truths, keeping readers on edge with unexpected twists and well-developed characters. Despite the minor drawback of a difficulty connecting with some characters, the book provides an enjoyable and suspenseful read, with a promising debut from Ashley Tate in the psychological thriller genre.

This is a gut wrenching, nail biting suspense. The twists and turns had my heart in my throat.
Thank you so much to NetGalley; and Ashley Tate for providing an Advance Reader Copy to me in exchange for an honest review.

Overall the story had a good topic and was excited to see where it went but I felt like there was so many fillers and unnecessary information that wasn’t needed. It was hard to read how self centered Becca and Grant were chapter after chapter, that was probably one of the points, but personally this was not my favorite book. I’d rate it as a 3/5 for me.

This wasn’t bad but it was very weak. The pacing was a little slower than I would prefer for this genre, and there was nothing about it that made me excited to be reading it. The multiple perspectives made it feel messy and I didn’t particularly enjoy the perspectives as the characters were a little flat and melodramatic for me.

ARC provided by NetGalley:

Thank you Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book! I’ll be honest, while I appreciated the story here and the alternating time lines, I sometimes struggled to keep track of what was happening. I was eager to figure out how the ending was going to play out, and it didn’t disappoint. While I didn’t find the majority of the book to be terribly riveting, the revelations uncovered at the end redeemed this book for me.

Well, this was a book. It was supposed to be a psychological thriller, but in the end it was a story that slogged along, and could have been wrapped up as a short novella, if it needed to be written at all.

The chapters were told from four points of view. This was two too many perspectives. Everyone’s voice felt the same, and everyone kept repeating the same exact things. Becca’s voice was slightly unique, but only because of her undeserved obsession with Grant. And nobody actually progressed the story past talking around the fact that Phoebe died because Wyatt waited 27 minutes to call for an ambulance and that their lives haven’t been ideal ever since.

This was slower than a slow burn. And the twist at the end related to Wyatt? A total cop-out that ruined the book even more than anything else (that didn’t really happen in the book). What was the point of that? Other than wasting the reader’s time with a bogus storyline that we’re forced to care about.

Three stars, rounded up from 2.5.

Unlike most people who read this book, I just couldn’t seem to get into it. It seemed to drag. I found the main characters sad and not very likeable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Welp… for a mystery thriller, this was not thrilling.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a mystery novel that revolves around the death of Phoebe, a star student who died in a car accident. Thereafter, Grant and Becca, two lovers who weren’t supposed to be together, face PTSD and conflicting memories in relation to the incident 10 years later. This is a story that explores the agenda of why Grant took 27 minutes to call the police when he could have called sooner and potentially saved Phoebe’s life.

At first glance, the starting chapters gave me far from you and a good girl’s guide to murder vibes, which were immaculate. However, nearing the middle, I began to realise what irked me. The characters were not fleshed out entirely and had stale personalities throughout. This made me unable to connect with them and I felt like I was watching events unfold from afar.

Secondly, there was a whole lot of nothing happening. Like, literally nothing. It was repetitive throughout and I felt very bored while reading it. Coupled with the boring characters, I could not help but dnf the book early on.

While this may not have been my cup of tea, I appreciated the multiple povs which added to the suspense. However, if only the stakes were high enough, I would probably have been more attentive and intrigued by the story.

Twenty-Seven Minutes - a town grieves the loss of a young girl—but some fight to keep the truth about her death a secret. This blurb intrigued me to read this book by first-time novelist, Ashley Tate. I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. The book alternates its chapters with different narrators, within two different timelines of the past and present. Characters were well developed and the pacing was fast. I would recommend giving this suspenseful thriller a read. I look forward to reading more from this author.

A small town is still grieving after a fatal car accident that took place ten years ago and is now approaching the 10th anniversary of the event. Feelings are still raw and mysterious circumstances swirl during present day times. Why did it take twenty-seven minutes to call for help on the night of deadly accident?

The author has written a thoughtful, authentic, atmospheric story involving great characters who pulled me in and I could feel their emotions. A great twist was the cherry on top. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

The book starts off with a bang. However, I felt like the story really slowed down and drug out before the twists and secrets were revealed. I did enjoy the twist and like the way the book came together in the end.