Friday, October 20, 2023

Book Review: Twenty-Seven Minutes

Title: Twenty-Seven Minutes

Author: Ashley Tate
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: January 30, 2024
Rating: 3 out of 5

The premise of the book is great: a car crash on an isolated bridge, three high school students hurt, but the driver takes 27 minutes to call 911 for help. Why did Grant wait so long? As a result, his sister Phoebe died. And their small town is stuck in the aftermath of the tragedy, with lives disrupted and forever altered. 

The story takes place 10 years later. Chapters alternate between four points of view: Grant, the other passenger, Becca, and siblings June and Wyatt. Also interspersed are flashbacks to that tragic night , exposing the events of that night little by little.

I found the story to be too slow, and strangely I got lost in the characters, having a hard time keeping track of who was who. I kept having to rethink who Becca and June were, and what their relationship to Grant was. I don't know why. The pace did accelerate as the end approached, and the climax was a surprise. But I probably would have stopped reading far earlier if I had not committed to writing a review. The book did not live up to its premise and potential. 

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. I received an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review. 

No comments:

Post a Comment