13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough | Spoiler-Free ARC Review

Title: 13 Minutes
Author: Sarah Pinborough
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Genre(s): Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Source: NetGalley
Pages: 320
Add to Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

Synopsis

Natasha’s sure that her friends love her. But does that mean they didn’t try to kill her?

Natasha is the most popular girl in school. So why was she pulled out of a freezing river after being dead for thirteen minutes? She 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.

Now Natasha’s two closest friends, who are usually her loyal sidekicks, are acting strangely. Natasha turns to Becca, the best friend she dumped years before, to help her figure out the mystery.

At first Becca isn’t sure that she even wants to help Natasha. But as she is drawn back into Natasha’s orbit, Becca starts putting the pieces together. As an outsider, Becca believes she may be the only one who can uncover the truth…which is far more twisted than she ever imagined.

Review

Lately, I’ve been in a bit of a mystery/thriller mood and ah this book totally delivered. This book follows a couple different POVs and that was one of the strengths we had. Learning how the different characters felt about the events going on simultaneously really added a level of depth to this novel.

I’m not going to act like it’s the most unique story out there because it’s not. The ending is something that you can figure out if you want to, maybe when the book first starts, maybe just a page or two before it’s revealed, or maybe you won’t guess the ending. What I love is that regardless if you do guess the ending or not, reading the story is still super enjoyable. Oh and I like how the story takes time to develop but doesn’t linger too long. There was time for things to happen, for characters to process things and have time to develop, but the book still felt like a fast read. I listened to the audiobook for this one and just wanted to up the speed so I could find out what was happening.

I also enjoy the characters. No one is clearly good or clearly bad, they all do shitty things, but you can also sympathize with them. It wasn’t explicitly stated, but I was wondering if Natasha was asexual due to her thoughts revolving around sexual relationships. People who are ACE, mind weighing in?

Final Thoughts

This book was fast-paced, fun, and kept me up because I was so invested in the story. I thought this was a great YA mystery, there were some twists and turns that kept me wanting more. The POVs added to the depth of this story and the characters were so enjoyable to read about.

If you’re looking for a YA mystery to keep you up all night or to fly through for a readathon, I think this is the book for you! I loved it way more than I was anticipating.