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cucombine's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
nwong12's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
valeriereadsss's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
chickensaregreat's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
ajb24's review against another edition
1.0
That ending: >:(
I almost dnf’d this right at the beginning, but I was determined to get through it because I thought “surely it has to get more interesting and less obvious.” And it did that, but that didn’t make me enjoy the book any better. I don’t know if I can explain *why* the twist wasn’t compelling, maybe because it was set up so clearly through earlier interactions (like Becca’s conversation with her art teacher where she goes “oh, I never liked Tasha, she was controlling you guys, blah blah”).
Both narrators - Becca and Tasha - were insufferable to me. I hated Becca’s attitude of “adults just don’t UnDeRstAnD teen feelings! UGH.” Like, I get that that’s how teens can feel, and in this story there are actual deaths so I suppose there’s higher stakes, but I PROMISE you, whatever drama is happening will NOT matter the minute you graduate high school. Becca was also so mean to Hannah just because she like, wasn’t popular?? Becca’s her “friend” but put her down so much and then there isn’t a true resolution to these feelings?? That was really frustrating to read.
I didn’t care for the Jamie/Detective Bennett dating storyline - it felt unnecessary and basically only served to wrap up the ending.
Why was there so much time dedicated to showing how all the girls in the school wanna jump the bones of the drama teacher?? I mean, in hindsight it’s clearly to take attention away from Mr. Garrick, but it wasn’t plot element I cared for.
The ending itself was dumb and unsatisfactory.
I definitely feel like the theme of “teen girl social hierarchy is actually an insidious force” has been done better in other novels. I can’t name specifics, but it’s definitely something I’ve seen before.
*edit: this book won AWARDS???? HOW - the concept is promising but the characters are so awful!!
Also, I can’t believe this book was written in 2016?? I was gonna guess 2010 during the heyday of Facebook when young people actually used it extensively and in the way the characters do in this story. I just don’t believe that in 2016 people were getting bullied by posting on classmates’ facebook walls...IDK maybe they were, my high school experience was very isolated to my close friends
I almost dnf’d this right at the beginning, but I was determined to get through it because I thought “surely it has to get more interesting and less obvious.” And it did that, but that didn’t make me enjoy the book any better. I don’t know if I can explain *why* the twist wasn’t compelling, maybe because it was set up so clearly through earlier interactions (like Becca’s conversation with her art teacher where she goes “oh, I never liked Tasha, she was controlling you guys, blah blah”).
Both narrators - Becca and Tasha - were insufferable to me. I hated Becca’s attitude of “adults just don’t UnDeRstAnD teen feelings! UGH.” Like, I get that that’s how teens can feel, and in this story there are actual deaths so I suppose there’s higher stakes, but I PROMISE you, whatever drama is happening will NOT matter the minute you graduate high school. Becca was also so mean to Hannah just because she like, wasn’t popular?? Becca’s her “friend” but put her down so much and then there isn’t a true resolution to these feelings?? That was really frustrating to read.
I didn’t care for the Jamie/Detective Bennett dating storyline - it felt unnecessary and basically only served to wrap up the ending.
Why was there so much time dedicated to showing how all the girls in the school wanna jump the bones of the drama teacher?? I mean, in hindsight it’s clearly to take attention away from Mr. Garrick, but it wasn’t plot element I cared for.
The ending itself was dumb and unsatisfactory.
I definitely feel like the theme of “teen girl social hierarchy is actually an insidious force” has been done better in other novels. I can’t name specifics, but it’s definitely something I’ve seen before.
*edit: this book won AWARDS???? HOW - the concept is promising but the characters are so awful!!
Also, I can’t believe this book was written in 2016?? I was gonna guess 2010 during the heyday of Facebook when young people actually used it extensively and in the way the characters do in this story. I just don’t believe that in 2016 people were getting bullied by posting on classmates’ facebook walls...IDK maybe they were, my high school experience was very isolated to my close friends
teklagyorgy's review against another edition
5.0
http://www.teklakonyvei.hu/2018/03/sarah-pinborough-13-perc.html
Az alapfelvetés, a történet érdekes, és rengeteg potenciál van benne már az első soroktól kezdve, amivel az írónő szerencsére remekül bánt. Nem csak a cselekményvezetés tetszett, hanem az, ahogyan Pinborough többször csavart a dolgokon, amikor már-már azt hittem, hogy tudom mi történt, akkor bizony megmutatta, hogy behúzott a csőbe – az olvasót is, és bizony a szereplőket is. Ez gyakorlatilag az utolsó oldalig így is maradt, ami számomra elég nagy plusz volt abból a szempontból, hogy sosem éreztem azt, hogy lelassulna a történet, vagy hogy innentől úgymond biztos minden, mert nem. A könyv lezárása is ilyen volt, mert vártam, hogy ebben is mi lehet a csavar, de ha elfogynak a betűk, onnantól már nyilván nincs csavar. Nagyon tetszett a befejezés, mert nem számítottam rá, és valahogy számomra egyébként így volt „fair” is a történet, így került fel a pont arra a bizonyos i-re.
Az alapfelvetés, a történet érdekes, és rengeteg potenciál van benne már az első soroktól kezdve, amivel az írónő szerencsére remekül bánt. Nem csak a cselekményvezetés tetszett, hanem az, ahogyan Pinborough többször csavart a dolgokon, amikor már-már azt hittem, hogy tudom mi történt, akkor bizony megmutatta, hogy behúzott a csőbe – az olvasót is, és bizony a szereplőket is. Ez gyakorlatilag az utolsó oldalig így is maradt, ami számomra elég nagy plusz volt abból a szempontból, hogy sosem éreztem azt, hogy lelassulna a történet, vagy hogy innentől úgymond biztos minden, mert nem. A könyv lezárása is ilyen volt, mert vártam, hogy ebben is mi lehet a csavar, de ha elfogynak a betűk, onnantól már nyilván nincs csavar. Nagyon tetszett a befejezés, mert nem számítottam rá, és valahogy számomra egyébként így volt „fair” is a történet, így került fel a pont arra a bizonyos i-re.
shameelaa_'s review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
5.0
Female friendships can be complicated, and there’s a definite love/hate dynamic in 13 Minutes. Jealousies, manipulation, suspicions, loyalty and love, this has it all. They are all that that point in their lives where things are changing; friendships don’t last forever, people do grow apart or break apart, and sometimes it’s just better to leave it. Yet there is still that desire to belong, no one wants to be that kid after all.
None of the characters are perfect. Becca is just as capable of being mean as the mean girls, or the Barbies as she likes to call them. Even when Hannah is supposedly her best friend, she’s still pretty disparaging about her, wishing she had more backbone or wasn’t such a goody two shoes. The girls drink, smoke, do drugs and have sex. They lie to their parents and sneak out. They lie to each other.
The main narrative is third person, mostly following Becca. However there are also Tasha’s journal entries, notes from the police investigation, text message conversations and newspaper reports. I liked how there were a number of papers used for each event, showing how different the slant can be, from pure facts to sensationalism. The use of narrative styles is crucial to how the whole thing plays out. We put so much trust upon communications that we can’t verify.
There was some really interesting things to be said regarding teenagers’ perspective on adults, that they feel there is a huge gap between them. School may be different now to when their parents went, but every generation thinks their own world is unique and how could adults possibly understand anything. Yet as things become clearer to Becca, you also see her responding to adults differently, seeing them through new eyes.
There was a point where it was all wrapping up and I was nowhere near the end. And then this dawning realisation creeps up. It’s so good. And it's no coincidence that the school play is The Crucible. I think I was expecting something more supernatural based on Sarah’s previous books and the imprint. There’s a hint at something other, but you could read it either way really. It’s a very strong contemporary, young adult thriller without it.
Review copy provided by publisher.
None of the characters are perfect. Becca is just as capable of being mean as the mean girls, or the Barbies as she likes to call them. Even when Hannah is supposedly her best friend, she’s still pretty disparaging about her, wishing she had more backbone or wasn’t such a goody two shoes. The girls drink, smoke, do drugs and have sex. They lie to their parents and sneak out. They lie to each other.
The main narrative is third person, mostly following Becca. However there are also Tasha’s journal entries, notes from the police investigation, text message conversations and newspaper reports. I liked how there were a number of papers used for each event, showing how different the slant can be, from pure facts to sensationalism. The use of narrative styles is crucial to how the whole thing plays out. We put so much trust upon communications that we can’t verify.
There was some really interesting things to be said regarding teenagers’ perspective on adults, that they feel there is a huge gap between them. School may be different now to when their parents went, but every generation thinks their own world is unique and how could adults possibly understand anything. Yet as things become clearer to Becca, you also see her responding to adults differently, seeing them through new eyes.
There was a point where it was all wrapping up and I was nowhere near the end. And then this dawning realisation creeps up. It’s so good. And it's no coincidence that the school play is The Crucible. I think I was expecting something more supernatural based on Sarah’s previous books and the imprint. There’s a hint at something other, but you could read it either way really. It’s a very strong contemporary, young adult thriller without it.
Review copy provided by publisher.
sclyndes's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely brilliant descriptive writing. Kept me hooked right until the end (and now I'm tired after staying up late to finish it!) but I couldn't give it 5 stars as I found it difficult to root for any of the characters! None of them were particularly likeable. The ending let me down slightly with the lack of detail afterwards too. However, a great read and I would definitely recommend it!
cmbarowsky's review against another edition
4.0
Date Finished: October 16, 2017
Rating: 4/5 Stars
13 Minutes, a fun thrill ride, revealed our closest friends aren’t always who they seem to be. Pinborough exposed the ugliness of humans – we believe the person who is most likeable rather than search for the truth.
Sarah Pinborough created an entertaining story, filled with secrets and drama. I felt it was a playful twist on Mean Girls. Pinborough adopted the perspectives of multiple characters to create the mystery of Natasha’s death. It was incredible reading Natasha’s, Becca’s, Jenny’s and Hayley’s views on what really happened at the river. Her transitions were smooth and clear. Her plot was fun and enticing. I couldn’t put the book down!
A few themes present in 13 Minutes include friendship, betrayal and loss. Hayley, Jenny and Natasha are best friends. They are inseparable and incredibly close. But once Natasha comes back, the friendship between them suddenly seems strained. Becca and Natasha rekindle a long-lost friendship, but will it last? The secrets and lies amongst the girls creates a lot of betrayal and bitterness. Loss is also a large player in this book in so many ways, but I can’t give any spoilers!
13 Minutes was an exciting thriller, but there were aspects I did not like. I don’t find the stereotypical popular girls being mean and bossy very realistic. That characteristic of high school girls is being overused in young adult fiction. Due to receiving an advanced reading copy before the final edit, there were a few instances where the paragraph would be cut off in mid-sentence.
Overall, I found 13 Minutes to be fun and engaging. I often found myself on the edge of my seat, heart racing, trying to figure out what would happen next. If you enjoy thrill-rides, you’ll love 3 Minutes!
Rating: 4/5 Stars
13 Minutes, a fun thrill ride, revealed our closest friends aren’t always who they seem to be. Pinborough exposed the ugliness of humans – we believe the person who is most likeable rather than search for the truth.
Sarah Pinborough created an entertaining story, filled with secrets and drama. I felt it was a playful twist on Mean Girls. Pinborough adopted the perspectives of multiple characters to create the mystery of Natasha’s death. It was incredible reading Natasha’s, Becca’s, Jenny’s and Hayley’s views on what really happened at the river. Her transitions were smooth and clear. Her plot was fun and enticing. I couldn’t put the book down!
A few themes present in 13 Minutes include friendship, betrayal and loss. Hayley, Jenny and Natasha are best friends. They are inseparable and incredibly close. But once Natasha comes back, the friendship between them suddenly seems strained. Becca and Natasha rekindle a long-lost friendship, but will it last? The secrets and lies amongst the girls creates a lot of betrayal and bitterness. Loss is also a large player in this book in so many ways, but I can’t give any spoilers!
13 Minutes was an exciting thriller, but there were aspects I did not like. I don’t find the stereotypical popular girls being mean and bossy very realistic. That characteristic of high school girls is being overused in young adult fiction. Due to receiving an advanced reading copy before the final edit, there were a few instances where the paragraph would be cut off in mid-sentence.
Overall, I found 13 Minutes to be fun and engaging. I often found myself on the edge of my seat, heart racing, trying to figure out what would happen next. If you enjoy thrill-rides, you’ll love 3 Minutes!