Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: October 3rd, 2017
320 Pages
Synopsis: Natasha doesn’t remember how she ended up in the icy water that night, but she does know this—it wasn’t an accident, and she wasn’t suicidal. Her two closest friends are acting strangely, and Natasha turns to Becca, the best friend she dumped years before when she got popular, to help her figure out what happened.
Natasha’s sure her friends love her. But does that mean they didn’t try to kill her?
I’ve been a fan of Sarah Pinborough for years, and have come to realize one thing when picking up one of her books: expect the unexpected. 13 Minutes, which I believe is her first YA novel, is full of secrets, lies and deception, which makes it a perfect read for fans of Pretty Little Liars.
I have to be honest and say this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, mainly because of the characters. Natasha, Jenny, and Hayley, aka The Barbies, at first come across as your typical mean girls. You really don’t find out what truly makes them tick until the second half of the book. Becca, who used to be BFFs with Queen Bee Natasha’s, before she was kicked to the curb for not fitting ideals of physical attributes, is the one I emotionally connected with the most. She’s a deeply flawed character, but I completely understood some of her questionable actions and decision making. I found myself not only emphasizing with her, but also rooting for her.
The majority of adult characters are in the background as is expected in a YA novel, but I was appreciative that for the most part they were portrayed realistically instead of cardboard cutouts which I’ve been finding in so many YA books lately.
The plot kept me guessing the entire time I was reading. It seems like the central mystery is solved about 60% of the way in, but it’s not. While shortly after that point, I began figuring out what really happened, the hows and whys continued to elude me until shortly before the end.
And, that ending! I still can’t decide whether I loved it or hated it. While the mystery is solved, there are some loose ends that Pinborough left dangling, I suspect deliberately so. It was brilliant yet frustrating at the same time.
I think with 13 Minutes, Sarah Pinborough has again showed herself to be a master of psychological thrillers. She does a great job at getting into the heads of her YA characters and bringing them to life, and if you’re a parent this may leave you wondering what’s really going on in your teenagers lives. Although this is a YA book the story is quite complex and I think adult readers will enjoy this. It seems as though Netflix is going to be making a series from this and I’m hoping they do it justice.
beetleypete said:
Still undecided about this YA genre for me. But 4.5 stars is always tempting.
Best wishes, Pete.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
If you ever were to try a YA book Pete, this would be one I’d recommend. But, Sarah (who’s a British author), has written several adult fiction novels that may be your cup of tea.😊
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Sunset said:
I read this when my sister recommended it- I thought it was a really great thriller sort of read… UNTIL THE ENDING! UGH!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I finished this yesterday and I STILL can’t make up my mind about the ending!😒
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Carrie said:
Nice review Kim! You finally did enjoy one more than me, I just couldn’t get excited about this one at all.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Carrie! I was keeping your review in mind when I said this may not be everyone’s cup of tea because of the characters. I know they weren’t exactly likable, but there was something about them that drew me to them, especially Becca. They were messy and complicated, but for me that made them more realistic.
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Carrie said:
I wanted to like Becca but she just seemed to be just as bad as the others to me, but my biggest problem overall was it was one that I pretty much figured out where it was headed so mix that with not loving the characters and it just didn’t work for me this time.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I understand Carrie.
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
I have never checked out this author but I’m definitely going to NOW!!!😍📚 Fantastic Review Kim and TBR!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank you Ms Dani! I think Sarah Pinborough is definitely an author for you!😚
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
It seems that way Kim!!! I’ve already got on the kindle app looking up prices telling the books I will be back for you later lmao
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Woo Hoo!🤗
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
Ordered one and done with my little budget for awhile! Can’t wait til I get to check it out! Thanks for the recommendation Kim!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think!😊
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Dani☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ said:
Awesome Sauce 🤗🤗🤗
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Jazz said:
Ooo I love books that keep you guessing you right up until the very end! Awesome review, it sounds like a good book!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Jazz!☺️
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KrystiYAandWine said:
Wow! This sounds really interesting. I hadn’t heard of it before. I can’t decide if this would be a book I’d enjoy or not. How intense is it? Fabulous review BTW!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I thought it was pretty intense Krysti. ☺️
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KrystiYAandWine said:
Ah, gotcha. I miiight skip it then. I’m feeling books with a fun tone or at least some whimsy anymore. I feel like we’re getting so much bad news all the time right now, and I need the escape. 😕
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I can definitely understand that Krysti.😊
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KrystiYAandWine said:
I’m sure! Dystopian is hard for me to read right now too. It all feels too real.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’ve been trying to alternate my books lately so I’m not reading too many dark ones in a row. Have you read The Luster of Lost Things by Sophie Chen Krysti? I think you’d really love it.😊
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KrystiYAandWine said:
I don’t blame you! It’s hard to do a lot of heavy ones in a row. I haven’t! I’ll definitely check it out though!
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raistlin0903 said:
Never heard of this author before (but that’s just me lol😂), but you already had me at Pretty Little Liars. Love that show! Great review 😊
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Michel! She’s written some great adult fiction as well.☺️
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Diana said:
Great review Kim. I haven’t read anything by the author but I really like the sound of this one and I love issue-based YAs. I hope to read this before the TV series. The fact that you are undecided about the ending intrigued me!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Diana! I think she’s an author you’d like.😊
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Raven @ Dreamy Addictions said:
Recently, I’ve been seeing this book everywhere in the blogosphere! This sounds very interesting! I’m glad you loved it! I’ll definitely check this out soon. Nice review! 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I do think this would be a good fit for you Raven.😊
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