A Dream Within A Dream: 13 Minutes Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/tour-schedule-13-minutes-by-sarah.html

13 Minutes
Author: Sarah Pinborough
Genre: YA Contemporary/Thriller/Crime/Mystery
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Publisher: Flatiron Books

Synopsis:

"Mean Girls for the Instagram age." --The Times (London)

The New York Times bestselling author known for her thrilling twists is back:

They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you're a teenage girl, it's hard to tell them apart.

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 that her friends love her. But does that mean they didn't try to kill her?

13 Minutes is a psychological thriller with a killer twist from the #1 internationally bestselling author Sarah Pinborough.

13 Minutes is a dark and twisted young adult thriller that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. I'm a huge fan of these types of books and was immediately drawn in by the description. I can easily say that it didn't do the story justice at all. It makes the book sound much more two dimensional and simple than it turns out to be. The plot itself was intricate and fascinating with lots of red herrings and twists you don't see coming. I do have to say that there were parts of the story that felt like they drug on and slowed things down, which is never a good thing when it comes to a thriller. Another aspect I wasn't crazy about was the writing style. The story is told from multiple points of view and in varying contexts - some of it is done in the third person, following Becca, other parts are done from Natasha's first person account, and other parts are taken from case file notes from the police investigator, the psychologist, and even newspaper articles. It was an ambitious mix of writing styles and one that would be almost impossible to pull off for anyone, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong - I loved the variety and especially liked the added bonus of case notes and newspapers, but the way it all came together felt somewhat confusing and jumbled. There was a lot happening in the plot and with the storytelling, and (for me, at least) it got a bit overwhelming in spots and I got lost a bit. I can't really remark on the story line without giving anything away, and I don't want to ramble. As a fan of the genre, I really enjoyed the overall story, the characters, and the writing technique. I think fans of mysteries and thrillers will enjoy reading this one, because it's different from anything else out there right now, at least in certain ways (like the writing style). Although it wasn't a complete home run for me, I liked it and recommend it to fans of the genre.

Sarah Pinborough is a critically acclaimed adult and YA author based in London.

Sarah was the 2009 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story and also the 2010 and 2014 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and she has four times been short-listed for Best Novel. She is also a screenwriter who has written for the BBC and has several original television projects in development.

Her next novel, Behind Her Eyes, coming for HarperFiction in the UK and Flatiron in the US (January 2017) has sold in nearly 20 territories worldwide and is a dark thriller about relationships with a kicker of a twist.