The plot twist I never saw coming in the end!! Oh my goodness! This book was my favourite mystery and it was intriguing. I definitely recommended to my friends because they love mystery/suspense books like me. The story was well written and it was a first book of the author. Wow! I could only imagine what else she has in store for the mystery loving readers! I couldn't help but continue reading even when I was busy because this story has me wrapped up haha! I'm looking forward to the upcoming books!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for an opportunity to read arc!

In Twenty-Seven Minutes, the town is still mourning the death of Phoebe although it is coming up on the 10th anniversary of her death. She died in a car accident on a bridge with her brother Grant driving and Becca, a girl with a massive crush on him, in the backseat. At the same time, June is grieving the loss of her family. Her mother just died of cancer and her brother disappeared the night of Phoebe's death, with their father leaving shortly afterwards.

The story is told from multiple POVs (Grant, Becca, June, and Wyatt) with flashbacks to ten years ago. A lot of the story is devoted to each person's grief and the pace is extremely slow. I struggled to keep reading as I didn't feel like I was getting any traction in the story. Once I got to about the 90% mark, things really picked up in the story's pace. The ending is a great twist, but I think it took way too long to get there. Overall, the book was just ok for me.

thank you net galley and to the publishers for the arc. this was an extremely intriguing mystery with a nice twist at the end. its a good book to read for passing time.

OMG I did not see that ending coming!!!

Grant waited twenty-seven minutes to call for help after his sister was gravely injured in a car accident on the town bridge, and his inaction resulted in her death. The question is: why did he wait so long to help her? Now it's ten years later, and the past is coming back to haunt him—and everyone involved—when an old woman gets into an accident on the same bridge. What happened during those twenty-seven minutes?

This book starts with an amazing prologue. Then, the multi POV chapters made me suspicious of literally everyone. I had to go back through once I finished and look at the clues I missed, which I love in a mystery.

I was so intrigued by the dynamic between Grant and Phoebe. Becca was such an interesting character as well, and had vibes that reminded me of Misty from YELLOWJACKETS so I was utterly enthralled. I could see this book being adapted for film or a miniseries. If you love mysteries that are character-focused, you will LOVE this book. Excited to see what this author does next!

This was my first book by Ashley Tate but it definitely won’t be my last! This book kept me on my toes until the very end!!

I absolutely tore through this book! The writing style, storyline, and atmosphere hooked me from the beginning, and the natural pacing and feel of the dialogue kept me going until the end. The only downside to this book is that it's a debut novel, so I nothing else to read by Ashley Tate right now!

2.5/5

I really wanted to like this book. It had a promise of a horror/thriller blend and I was craving that kind of read. This book fell very flat. With chapters divided up by characters, it was confusing to read seeing as POV never changed. This would’ve worked better as a “then” “now” style read with all the flash backs. The plot was very repetitive and it felt as if I was just re-reading the same chapter. I found that the last 10% was the most interesting, however it would’ve worked better if that was earlier in and there was more resolution and building within the story. It was paced nicely, but overall it did not keep me entertained and was very predictable.

Thank you NetGalley & the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So many of these characters felt so shallow. Becca was so irrational and her faded memory suddenly coming back was not realistic at all. The twist of Wyatt being dead made me roll my eyes.

A dual timeline from today and ten years prior.
A decade ago, an accident on a bridge caused many changes and turmoil within numerous families.
Today, they are having a memorial of the event.
Small town, long time friends, one night of 27 minutes changed so much!
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Quick read, but that’s because the opening chapter made me realize that there wasn’t going to be a lot of depth here. Do people really think about what their last thought will be as they’re dying?

This was a decent debut. It’s not perfect, it’s messy and could use some tightening up. The twist was pretty easy to spot, but I liked it. The characters were all unlikeable, but that was fine by me.

I’ll read the next book from her, but this was a decent starter book.


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are mine.

What happened on that bridge ten years ago that changed the lives of so many teens in their small town? As each character relates their version of what they either know (or think they know) about that fateful night, readers are challenged to figure out who is lying, who is delusional and is who is telling the truth. As the ten year anniversary of Phoebe's death approaches and her mother plans a memorial celebration of her life, we discover that there are many in this town who don't want to revisit that night, fearful that the truth will finally be told and the consequences they will face for their actions. As we approach the end of the book and the clock is ticking down, we finally find out what happened during those 27 crucial minutes that could have been used to save Phoebe's life. The back stories of the characters are fleshed out and the setting of a small and almost forgotten small town plays a big part in the actions of those who are desperate to leave. I found I wanted a bit less personal anguish from a couple of the female characters --which I felt slowed the story down. Readers will want to get to the end to find out if they figured out what happened during those 27 minutes on the bridge that night.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate was a slow burn... but a burn nonetheless. It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, I was actively looking for opportunities to read.
This is a story about overwhelming grief, keeping secrets, and the pain of losing relationships. On a late, rainy night, leaving a party, Grant and his sister, Phoebe, along with resident crazy Becca, get into a terrible car accident on the bridge. Phoebe died as a result of Grant taking 27 minutes to call for help. What happened during those 27 lost minutes? Why does Becca feel so beholden to Grant?
On the same night, the town drug-dealer, Wyatt, disappeared after an argument with his Dad. He'd run away before but always came back. So where was he? And why wasn't he coming home?
Everything comes to a head on the day of the 10 year anniversary of Phoebe's death when her mother hosts a memorial. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

To use Reddit terminology... ESH. The characters are all awful, and the ending is so predictable that after just a couple chapters I skipped forward to see if I was right, and got tricked by the author's method of throwing us off. But in the end, despite my being thrown off, there's no "big twist" here. Exactly what I thought had happened did happen, and it wasn't even an enjoyable read to get there. Such misery on every page. What a waste of time.

Oh wow! This was a fantastic story td from multiple perspectives over a decade-span. I had an idea where the plot was headed, but there was plenty that I didn’t expect! It was a wonderful read and I found myself pushing bedtime back juuuust a bit so I could keep reading this. Quite a thrilling debut novel, I definitely cannot wait for more from her in the future!

'Twenty-seven minutes' written by Ashley Tate

Published on: 30th of January 2024
Positives:
● A strong hook at the beginning
● two timelines and times are included
● Every main character has an individually strong voice 
● Surprising story
● An ending twist
● There's a reading group guide of questions at the end of the book. I love this and believe it should be incorporated more.
● multiple perspectives

Negatives:
● There is an occasional wording error

You should read if you like:
● small town gossip and the stories that unfold
● mysteries
● multiple perspectives
● two timelines
● unlikeable characters
● who-dunnit stories

If you have ever watched one of those nature programs (and who among us hasn’t?), that features a pair of exotic birds, engaged in an elaborate mating ritual, then you have an idea as to what this book has to offer. Rich and colorful, building to a fabulous crescendo, filled with nuances along the way. Teasing, tempting, carrying you, willing or not, along with it. At first, the ride is slow and steady, but gradually it becomes quicker, more restless, more involved. You want to look away, if only briefly, but you can’t, swept up as you are, in all that’s happening.

The book, written in a unique character-driven style, I felt, was longer than it need be. As much as I liked it, three quarters of the way through I became weary of the sameness. I found it became repetitious and dragged a bit; it teased me longer than I would have liked to have been teased. I was ready to move on with things, to have something new happen, rather than continually rehash the past in a variety of ways, through a variety of voices. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the author surprised me. The reader has to be willing to suspend disbelief. I had many questions that I wanted answered.

That’s not to say that I didn’t like the book because I did. Very much. I just didn’t quite like being played the fool for as long as I had been. All of this said, the book is excellent. It’s hard to believe that this is the first book to the author’s credit. I’m eager for more.

This book was well written and had a great, but predictable, twist. I really liked of it displayed the intricacies of small town relationships; the “everyone-knows-everyone”. As a mystery/thriller it was a little slow for my liking.

It has been decade since a brutal accident that shook a small town took the life of Phoebe, the best and the brightest. Her brother, Grant, and Becca, the unfortunate passenger, are both still dealing with the accident in their own ways. There is more to the tragic accident than meets the eye however. Poor unfortunate, wrong place at the wrong time Becca is looking for more in her relationship with Grant and Grant is cold as ever as his guilt weighs on him. Meanwhile, it has been a decade since Wyatt, June's brother went missing, a detail that no one has really paid attention to until June begins to ask questions. The anniversary is stirring up emotions & everyone is on edge. The novel had a good premise, but the characters were boring (and Becca was annoying in my opinion, I really did not enjoy her POV) and at the end it just went all over the place.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is a good read that will keep readers interested until the end. The story is told through the lens of multiple characters and their perspectives but it is done in a way that flows seamlessly throughout the story. Each character has a unique voice. Well done story and I would definitely recommend.

I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were interesting. The plot twist at the end wasn't exactly what i had guessed it would be. I did find some typos or misuse of words.
Thank you to Net Gallery for a chance to read an advanced reader copy.