13 MINUTES by Sarah Pinborough

Natasha was dead for 13 minutes. And it changed her world completely... 

 I was dead for 13 minutes. 

 I don't remember how I ended up in the icy water but I do know this - it wasn't an accident and I wasn't suicidal. 

 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. My friends love me, I'm sure of it. But that doesn't mean they didn't try to kill me. Does it? 

I was really looking forward to reading this YA thriller. And as soon as I started, I couldn't put the book down. 

Natasha was technically dead for 13 whole minutes. If it wasn't for the insomniac musician and his dog, she would never have been saved from her watery grave. But she was, and when she eventually wakes up, she can't remember what happened and how she ended up in the river.

Everyone's excited about the most popular girl in school surviving. Especially her fellow Barbies, as well as the friend she dumped years before. Now, while Tasha tries to unravel the mystery of what happened, and hopefully get her memory back, she starts to suspect her two best friends, Hayley and Jenny, are hiding something.

With Becca's help, she might be able to figure out why someone would want her dead. As things start to unravel and tragedy strikes, the girls soon realise that sometimes you really can't trust anyone...

Wow! I just need a moment to let everything sink in. Yes. I'm okay now. LOL.

This book is amazing. Not only does the story highlight the very complicated friendships teenage girls weave around each other, but it's also an intriguing study of popularity and control. About just how crazy people can get when they feel like they're spiralling out of control.

In spite of all the BS, I really liked Becca. She was probably one of the most accurate portrayals I've seen of a teenage girl trying to enjoy the everyday things that make her happy. She has many emotional scars from her past friendship with Tasha and Hayley, so she's not big on friends and pretty much floats between a few people. But even that's not enough to stop her from falling back into old habits. 

Tasha, however, is the complete opposite. Where Becca is insecure, Tasha is confidence incarnate. When Becca is easily strung along, Tasha is not. Although Becca wants to focus on her boyfriend, Tasha doesn't care much about boys. They are the complete opposite of each other, but it doesn't stop them from working together. It also doesn't stop them from being the perfect opponents.

And that's about as much as I can say about this book without going nuts with spoilers. ;)

13 Minutes is a super twisty story about friendship, betrayal and lies. It's a story that keeps you guessing until the wicked truth starts to seep through. And when THAT happens, you just can't believe what is actually happening! Oh my... This is one awesome thriller, that kept me guessing and led me along quite nicely until the wow! bit hits.

Yikes! I'm not kidding here. This story is not to be missed. Seriously. There's just SO MUCH that I couldn't include in my review because the best way to walk into this book is to just know the basics.

Loved this book. It's definitely another keeper!

I'm having a great reading month. :)

13 Minutes, April 2016, ISBN 9780575097230, Gollancz