Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Phoebe Dean, a promising student, died ten years ago. A car crash that claimed her life. Her brother, Grant, left bereft but also criticism as to why it took him exactly twenty seven minutes to call the emergency services. Grant is continuing to live and grieve, but what he doesn’t know is that another person who knows what happened that night is back.

This was a slow burn of a story, and we read from the current time to ten years earlier, to gather a picture of exactly what happened to Phoebe. The characters were well written, and perfectly unlikable, which suited the story. The ending was a surprise, and a bit of a twist on a slow story. Great for fans who enjoy a slow mystery.

Twenty-Seven Minutes is the first novel by Canadian author, Ashley Tate. Ten years after the car accident on the West Wilmer bridge that took his sister’s life, Grant Dean’s mother is planning a memorial. At the same time, the town is voting on the removal of the bridge that has recently taken another life, but it seems that not everyone is in favour...

In a dual timeline narrative, multiple characters relate the events of the few days leading up to the memorial for Phoebe Dean, and those preceding the fatal accident a decade earlier, and several of those narrators are unreliable. Turns out, in this tale populated with toxic males and bitter, downtrodden, naïve, obsessed, nosy or lonely females, there’s plenty of grief, guilt and blame, and lots of secrets and lies.

But the journey to the reveal goes on for far too long, the true facts drip infinitesimally slowly into the story, and when the author finally drags the reader to that point, the twist is lame and the reader will have to don their disbelief suspenders for quite a few aspects of that truth. There are no characters with whom the reader can connect or empathise. It’s hard to recommend this one.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Headline Press.

This was a really slow burn. The story was narrated over several time periods and went backwards and forwards a lot, which at times made it difficult to follow.
It tracks the lives of various “main characters” and took me a while to get into their individual stories. I can admit that I did not find many of the characters likable either as a result of their actions or their own gullibility. Also I felt the book took ages to get going, with lots of bits repeated in the narration which got a bit boring.
Overall an okay read which I wanted to finish as I wanted to see the conclusion and truth of what happened.
On a positive note for me the last 20-25% of the book was much better and better paced which improved my rating of this book to 3.5 stars.

You read the synopsis of a book and you think great this book is for me!!!
However, I was disappointed, the characters are well written but the overall story was slow paced and it really did drag!
I did struggle with this book.

I was drawn to this book by the intriguing synopsis, and really looked forward to finding out what had happened in those 27 minutes.

Unfortunately, the story didn’t read as the tense thriller I had hoped for.

The story is told from multiple POV, in a dual timeline. All the narrators seem to be unreliable, and unlikeable too.

The characters who were contemporaries of Phoebe’s, must now be in their late twenties/early thirties. They don’t seem to have matured in the intervening ten years. They seem emotionally under developed. Consequently, it has the feel of a YA TV drama to it. I have nothing against YA books, I wish it had been sold to me this way.

I’m afraid I wasn’t the right reader for this book, though I’m sure others will love it.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did, overall it is a good story, however I found it a little slow paced and it dragged on a little, the characters are well written, but there are a few too many and I struggled to keep track of them off, I did enjoy the plot twist within the storyline.

My main issues with this book are the plot and the characters. I did enjoy the writing style where each character got to tell us their story, it's just a shame that so many were obviously unreliable and mostly unlikeable too.
With the plot, I did guess the ending quite early on and even with the deception around that eventuality it didn't shake my belief that that was were this book was heading, it was the only outcome that could possibly make sense of everything that had happened.

This book had a great start that hooked me in immediately but unfortunately felt quite drawn out for the majority of the time and I had guessed the twist quite early on. Has the hallmarks of a good story but needed to move faster to keep interest

This is the story of Phoebe Dean and the ten year anniversary of her death. The town where she lives is using this memorial to decide whether they should tear down the bridge where she died.

The plot is difficult to follow, told by multiple pov and none of them are particularly likeable. The writing is very graphic, outline the injuries and illnesses that befall the characters in great horrific detail.

A slow burn that I guessed the main plot twist towards the second half and was then waiting for the characters to catch up.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

As time goes on what happens in the past haunts you more....why did it take Geant 27 minutes to call for an ambulance?
I struggled with this one I have to say and found it laborious to finish. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity for an advanced copy.

The title and description enticed me to request this book. But I found it lacking, first half was a little long winded and the I worked out the ending relatively quickly.
I feel this was written for YA rather then an adult thriller.
Book is well written, the whole vibe of a small claustrophobic town and small minded people is portrayed well and we get a decent amount of backstory for the characters. But no character is particularly ‘nice’ you don’t root for any as not likeable.

interesting synopsis but after the first few chapters it was really a slog to get through and the climax of the story wasn’t worth it. ended up being just a generic, forgettable thriller unfortunately.

This is my first novel by author Ashley Tate and I really enjoyed this book.

The novel centres around Phoebe Dean, who was extremely popular whilst living and she was tragically killed in a car accident.

We learn that Phoebe's brother Dean took 27 minutes, hence the title of the book, to call for help and this is really the premise of the book.

We meet a fair few characters and the novel is told from the past and also the presence and how the death of Phoebe has impacted many lives as it was such a tragic loss to, not only her family, but the others in the car that were with her that fatal evening as well as the community.

Really said in places, I was utterly moved and did have to put the novel down to get myself out of that headplace, but I am glad that I read this novel.

Really good writing by author Ashley Tate and a very interesting plot with lots of twists.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ten years ago a car accident killed Phoebe Dean. Her brother Grant was driving the car and Becca was also with them. But it took twenty seven minutes after the accident before Grant called the emergency services. On the same day as the accident troubled teen Wyatt left the small town leaving his sister June behind with their mother. Told in dual timeline and from the perspectives of Grant, Becca, June and Wyatt this starts with an emotional prologue as Phoebe dies. In the present there has been another fatal accident on the same bridge and in three days time Phoebes mother is holding a memorial service for her. We have a group of unreliable narrators, which I like, but it does make for a hard time trying to guess what the truth of the matter is.

Briefly, the forthcoming memorial has brought all the hidden memories back to the surface and Grant is not happy. Becca is virtually stalking him and is convinced that they are girlfriend and boyfriend as she has supported him for ten years and now it’s time they declared themselves. June’s mother has recently died from cancer and she is grief stricken until Wyatt returns, but his return is bittersweet.

It’s a slow to medium paced read, very atmospheric and some wonderful descriptions such that I could envisage this insular town in my mind. Phoebe seems to have almost become a saint in the mind of the town since her death. The book explores the sibling relationships in some detail and the grieving process of those left behind, I thought this was particularly poignant in June’s story as she is grieving her mother and her missing brother. There is a massive twist near the end as the truth is revealed; and what a shocker it was. A very enjoyable read.

I chose to read a free eARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes but that has in no way influenced my review.

Everyone loved seventeen-year-old Phoebe Dean. She was excelling at school and had big plans for the future. Until one night when a terrible accident destroyed all her hopes and viciously snatched her carefully planned future away. The accident left Phoebe broken and bleeding, dying in the rain. But Phoebe was not alone that night. Her older brother, Grant, was driving her home when tragedy struck. Grant could have saved his sister's life, he could have called for help immediately. But he didn't. He waited twenty-seven long minutes. To this day no one knows why Grant waited so long. But with the ten year anniversary of Phoebe's death approaching, with their mother planning a memorial for the daughter she adored, and with Grant unable to escape the all-consuming memories of that night, he won't be able to hide the truth for much longer...

I adored Twenty-Seven Minutes. Literary in tone and full of believable, multi-layered characters, this debut mystery was so compelling and had my full attention from start to finish. The characters have real depth to them and the further into the book the reader progresses, the more you learn about them and how that fateful night changed their lives. They're flawed people with intricate, complicated relationships and I devoured their stories. When a second tragedy happens in the same location, memories of Phoebe's death from ten years ago are at the forefront of the town's mind. They still have unanswered questions and they are not afraid to point the finger at Grant. What really happened on the bridge and why did it take him so long to call for help? As the memorial approaches, it's all anyone in West Wilmer can talk about. Grant is consumed with guilt, the memories of that night are slowly destroying him and he's unsure how much longer he can keep the truth from being revealed. Particularly as Becca - who was also in the car at the time of the accident - knows exactly what happened.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Twenty-Seven Minutes is a rich, character-driven mystery full of well-written suspense and devastating secrets. The story is told from three perspectives - Grant, Becca and June. June's brother - Wyatt - disappeared the night of the accident but Wyatt wasn't as loved or as special as Phoebe so very little effort was put into finding him. The reader gets to see how the events of that night ten years ago unfolded which also gives a more honest insight into the personalities of the key characters. Was Phoebe as perfect as everyone believed? Their stories are so intricately interwoven and plotted so beautifully by the author with everything coming together as you approach the end of the book. I was able to guess the twist at the end but that certainly did not spoil my enjoyment one jot! I savoured every moment of this dark, character-driven tale. With themes of enduring grief and loss, and the complexities of family, this slow-burn literary suspense novel is a story for readers to really invest in. It was a true pleasure to read this book and I eagerly look forward to more from the author in the future. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Twenty-Seven Minutes. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Wonderful consuming with suspense. It's a whodunnit that is entailed with so much mystery to unwrap. The characters are written in depth and are intended to seem guilty.

Some excellent points to praise such as the tense interesting prologue and the most unexpected twist ever! However overall it was more a let down with too many POV’s and too much sound searching by all the characters. It took away the tension and pace.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. This is a very enjoyable read, the ending was a unexpected surprise, I didn't see the twist.

I think I'm still gathering my thoughts about this one - missing time, twist after twist, confusing characters. A dark and compelling thriller full of excitement.

This is a new author to me but I was intrigued by the title and the description. I didn’t like the constant reflective/rhetorical questioning that went on. Every character felt the need to analyse their actions or thoughts. As for the ‘ you won’t see it coming’ ending, I twigged about half way through! The small town setting was suitably claustrophobic and the relationships suitably dependent on each other. I thought the first half dragged a bit and the story only perked up two thirds of the way through. If this is a debut novel then perhaps the next one will be more gripping. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a prepublication ebook in return for an honest review.