An enjoyable thriller; told in two timelines. Present day with the POV of four (mostly unlikeable) characters who were present for a tragic death. The circumstances of which are slowly dropped throughout with a thrilling conclusion at the end

The issue I had was getting to the end because I found all of the characters quite dull and flat, so couldn’t really bring myself to care about the outcome.

Sadly not my favourite recent read but would give the author another read in future.

This is a book with incredible pace and plotting, populated with characters that are convincing – sometimes heartbreakingly so. Like ripples in a pond, the ramifications of one night spread out through a town's inhabitants, seeping into their lives and consciousnesses. With Ashley Tate, you're in the very best of hands to navigate each character's journey and the myriad faces of grief. Yes, there's a twist (which I sincerely hope no other reviewer ever reveals) and it's so deftly and beautifully done that it left me in awe. Bravo - what a great read.

This book was a decent enough read, but I felt the pacing was just too slow and repetitive for a real thriller/suspense novel. I just didn't have quite the sense of anticipation and build up I wanted so the final conclusion was a bit of a damp squib. The writing is good though, and it's not a bad book, it just didn't quite live up to its promise for me.

This story is cleverly told with the use of flashbacks to a fateful night when a young girl died in a car crash and her brother waited 27 minutes to call an ambulance. What happpened in thise 27 minutes is only known to Grant, the brother, and through the course of the story, different characters lend their voice and point of view as we try to establish what happened. using the different character chapters and the flashbacks cleverly works towards the climax of the story where readers find out the truth and I couldn't put it down towards the end. I had many theories about what had happened but only realised the truth very close to the end.

What a debut!!

And what a storyline! We knew that the 27 minutes made a difference but seeing the story unfold as to what actually happened in those 27 minutes was brilliant.

I liked that fact the the storyline was centred around 2 different families who 'lost' people on the same night, with one of those taking priority over anyone else in town, even their own brother.

Really well written and I had no clue what had really happened until it was revealed in the book. I was literally like - woah - that makes sense now!

I feel like I could write a dictionary’s worth of words about this book, and yet simultaneously I am speechless. No spoilers in my reviews, that’s a given.

The plot - this book, I believe quantifies as a mystery, suspense, thriller type book. It is multiple point of view - up to 4 people, I believe - which follows these people as the decennial memorial for a tragic accident approaches. There are secrets, lies and manipulation at play, and we get to witness firsthand as it all unravels.

Now for my thoughts;
I loved the premise of this book and I loved the idea of the 27 minutes being featured as a repeating point for dramatic effect. I was quite disappointed that we never really got much in the way of that happening, and the whole concept seemed pointless as it was never mentioned. All of the characters need therapy because not a single one was a reliable narrator, which becomes disorienting and unpleasant to read through. I hate the fact that I sat through 90% of ‘lore’ just to get the last 10% of ‘juiciness’ where one thing happened and even that was muddy and unclear. If I had to recount the events of the BIG night in this book to save my life, I’d be dead because I’m not entirely sure that I understand what went on. The proofing needs work (the layout was weird for me), and really a TON of clarification needs adding for this to be the bestseller it has the potential to be. The plot twist was great, didn’t see it coming, but that was the best praise I could give it unfortunately.

Family secrets, unsolved mysteries, human fallibility, and small town intrigue all combine to make this a book full of twists and turns and must read.

This book moves between the scene of a terrible accident and a memorial service for the girl who died taking place 10 years later. It is told from the point of view of the main characters who are a strange unlovable bunch who could all do with the help of a good psychotherapist! I did wonder if I was going to make it to the end but a need to find out what actually happened on the night of the accident kept me going and the explanation was very satisfying. Proof reading needs some work.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

OMG
I loved this!
An amazing story, fantastic characters! A must read in 2024!!! You need to add it to your to read list as soon as it is available!!

Becca what a well written character, what a psychological book!

It is such a rare treat to read a genuine, page-turning thriller with considered prose, characters and setting. Twenty Seven Minutes is moody, atmospheric and cinematic with a tension that simmers in every scene and an ending that is powerful and devastating. It was a joy from start to finish and is proof that you really can have it all. More of this please!

Great read with intrigue throughout.

The story is set ten years after the accident that led to the death of Phoebe, Grant's sister. The mystery as the book is titled is based around why it took Grant so long, or Twenty-seven minutes to call for help to assist his dying sister. If he had she would still be alive today.

Interesting characters that develop as the book progresses pulling you into the question that keeps you engrossed in the book until the end.

This is a raw, powerful four-star read. I would have loved to give it five-stars as in some ways it was great, but the overall story layout was lacking. The charcaters and the way they develop and grow and are brought to your attention is so well done, but the long drawn-outedeness just doesn’t work for me, if there were a couple smaller drops through the story it would have definitely been five-stars. I am eager to get more from this author, as I have a real good hope that they are going to go from strength to strength.

The prologue for this book was as good as any I have ever read. Never have I become so invested in a books opening pages.

And what made this so good was the fact the thrills never let up from page 1.

Fantastic debut novel and I can't wait to read more

This is my first book from Ashley Tate, and I found it brilliant! The book starts with the end scene as the first glimpse of what this story will gradually lead up to; of course, it leaves more questions than answers. I love murder mystery scenes as they turn my brain into detective mode. I loved all the characters involved, and I think the author spun a brilliant story that kept me guessing how they are all connected to this night. I really enjoyed it and especially the unexpected twist right at the end. Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to have this advance reader's copy.

Thank you for my free ecopy of this book.

When Phoebe Dean dies in a car accident it leaves a whole town devastated and when there is a new accident on the same bridge nearly ten years later people call for it to be taken down.

The book flicks between then and now and we meet characters who were there that night, her brother Grant and her friend Becca.

The book kept me reading to find out what happened that night all those years ago, although there did seem to be lots of crazy different characters all in one place and not many of them were likeable at all.

rated - 3.5

An intriguing and thought-provoking debut. Twenty-Seven Minutes is a standalone psychological thriller by author, Ashley Tate. I enjoyed the multiple timelines showing us the events of the past slowly drip feeding the audience piece by piece. This created a lot of suspense and made me want to keep reading. What happened during those twenty-seven minutes? I just had to know! The book is told from multiple POV which took a little while to get to know each of the main characters. None of the main characters are particularly likeable or people in which you feel compelled to care about, however this just shows the authors talent in keeping us reading despite this. You just want to know what their motivations were and the truth behind this ten-year mystery. There were many times in this story that I thought I had it all figured out, only to be blindsided when the actual truth was revealed. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will be looking out for the authors future works

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Headline publishers for an #ARC of #TwentySevenMinutes.

How soon after an accident would you ring for help?? This story focuses on the 10 year anniversary of an accident where there was no call made for 27minutes. What was happening? Would it have changed the outcome?

I found this a very tense book, I was almost holding a breath while reading it. It felt quite dark with little to no uplifting moments. Having said that, none of that is a negative with regards this book. It keeps you reading and reading and reading into the night. Although I foresaw the ending, it was still a decent read.

The twistiest most engrossing read of 2023!

West Wilmer just comes to live as a location and sucks you in to the mystery Grant is trying to uncover. A huge success

I found this ploddy, predictable, and a little bit generic. The characters were meh, and the plot needed to be amped up. Sorry!

The victim of an accident lies dying. The prolugue tells us what she is thinking and feeling, that she’s “too young to die” . Not only is she too young, she is too beautiful and too good. She has suffered terrible injuries, so much so only her dental records will identify her once she’s found, but she comes from a small town where everyone knows everyone so everyone will know it’s her. Oh, and as well as being too young, too beautiful and too good to die, she is also “interesting and kind”, demand “truth, trust and loyalty”. So these first two paragraphs tell us all we need to know about said victim – she’s just too darn perfect, in fact she was “so special she glowed”. How much more can this author pile on to this dying girl?

After the prologue the action, if it can be called that, moves ten years later to a few days before a memorial for the dead girl, the Perfect Phoebe Dean. We now meet a cast of annoying, irritating characters, none of whom I care about or sympathise with. Among them we have Phoebes brother, Grant, who took twenty seven minutes to call an ambulance, which was too late to save her, and his mother, who can’t stand him. Grant’s “harried pulse vibrated below the surface of his skin” and whose mother’s back was all he saw of her….”his mother’s rounded back was still to him. This is what he saw most of and had for nearly ten years; the back of her. He still lived at home but could go weeks without seeing her face; sometimes he could forget what she looked like”. Oh dear, oh dear, this is just awful.

Apart from the awful errors in this downloaded ARC – half words, chunks missing out of the middle of some, lack of punctuation, long clunky sentences which just ramble on and on – this is just so bad it’s not even funny. I know I should read more of this. I wished for it, and my wish was granted, but I cannot continue.