A review by babewithabookandabeer
Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for my Netgalley copy of TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES by Ashley Tate, out today - 1/30/24!

This thrilling debut involves a small town grieving the loss of a teenage girl named Phoebe, ten years after she died in a car accident with her brother Grant as the driver, who waited twenty-seven minutes to call 911. If he would have called sooner, she would be alive. So what happened that fateful night?

This was a very unique premise with a wild case of characters - the problem was you really couldn’t root for anyone. Many of the POV’s were downright insane and awful. Becca, who was also in the car accident that night, was UNBEARABLE. I hated her chapters. And Grant was incredibly mean and disgusting to everyone around him. June, a townsperson whose brother Wyatt went missing that same night, is really the only redeemable character and I think the story could have been amazing if it was solely from her perspective. 

Everyone in this town has secrets that slowly get revealed as the story goes on. The problem is the story went on and on and on… it could definitely have been edited down quite a bit. Some of the side characters like Grant and Phoebe’s mother and one of the town’s jocks (Ashley I think?) could have been fleshed out more, because sometimes it felt like they weren’t important enough to be included.

All in all, this thriller is a fast read and the twist is pretty fun. I figured it out about halfway through which is probably why I wanted the author to speed it up a little, but it was still fun once it was unveiled. A fun read that also has some gut punches about the tragedy of grief and the holes secrets burn in you if you let them linger too long.