13 Minutes

13 Minutes

Sarah Pinborough,

13 Minutes

Gollancz, 2016

ISBN 9780575097377

14-16 Shortlist 2017

 

On this shortlist:

We have received 15 reviews of 13 Minutes. You can add a review or scroll down to read reviews.

Write a Review

To send in your review of 13 Minutes, please fill in the info below and click the button labelled Send Review Now. Reviews will be checked by our team before they appear on the website. Your last name will not appear on the site, but we need to know who you are in case you win a prize!

out of 5
 

 

 

Who Wrote It?

Sarah Pinborough is an award-winning writer of young adult and adult novels and a screenwriter. Her recent novels include the dystopian love story The Death House and 13 Minutes. After spending much of her time travelling Sarah now lives close to where she was brought up in Buckinghamshire with her two cats Mr Fling and Peter.

What's It About?

Popular and beautiful, Natasha doesn’t remember how she ended up in the icy water of the river but she does know it wasn't an accident and it wasn't suicidal. 13 Minutes by Sarah Pinborough is a gripping psychological thriller about friends, fears, manipulation and the power of the truth. 

Fact File

13 Minutes has been bought by Netflix for adaptation into a TV series.

Sarah’s influences include Stephen King and Madonna.

Sarah has published over 20 novels!

To find out more about Sarah visit www.sarahpinborough.com or follow @SarahPinborough on Twitter.

Your Reviews

Sam from King James's School:

I did really enjoy most of this book however I found it a little long winded

in places. I like the character of Natasha because of some of the really clever things she manages to do. I love the twist towards the end and I was not expecting it at all. Although I think some parts could have been shortened I did enjoy reading this book a lot.

Sam gave 13 Minutes 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Call by Peadar O'Guilin.

Cameron from Cardinal Heenan:

I really enjoyed this book because I thought that the twist at the end was very interesting and unexpected. The start was a little slow but I quickly began to like it and I loved how the book was ended.

Cameron gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Trap by Alan Gibbons.

Grace from Prince Henrys Grammar School:

This book was really good. There was lots of drama and as soon as you think you know what's going on some new evidence comes along. Loved the ending.

Grace gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read The Call by Peadar O'Guilin.

Ciara from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

The book was quite good because it was layered and at the end you don't expect it to end like that

Ciara gave 13 Minutes 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence.

Chloe from Prince henrys grammar school:

This book was great. You think you have solved the mystery and then the entire story changes. It was gripping and exciting. I liked the way it had chapters from different characters.

Chloe gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence.

Emily from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

I enjoyed this book. When I started reading, I wasn't sure that I'd like it, because I'm not interested in the whole romance-girly-girl-typical-teenager-type-genre, but once it started getting detective-like I began to really enjoy this book. I enjoyed the interesting character personalities and the plot.

Emily gave 13 Minutes 4 out of 5 and now plans to read The Call by Peadar O'Guilin.

Aleksandra from Cardinal Heenan High School:

13 Minutes was an incredible book and definitely one of the best I have read. It was filled with drama, mystery and a lot of plot twists. I also liked the alternating view points and how hints were dropped throughout the book yet it still kept me guessing. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down! In my opinion, Sarah Pinborough has done an outstanding job writing this.

Aleksandra gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence.

Katarina from Prince Henry's Grammar School:

This book was absolutely fantastic! It was so gripping and had me hooked for the entire thing. The language and perverse sense of twisted justice and revenge was strangely life-like but still so unusual to see written in a book it shocked me. The ending entirely surprised me because around chapter forty five I thought everything was being tied up but then the story seemed to change direction and it was a pleasant surprise. At first the language was so intense I almost put it down but then got caught up in Tasha and Becca's world and never looked back. I loved every secound of this fenomenal book.

Katarina gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Broken Sky by L. A. Weatherly.

Victoria from Cardinal heenan catholic high school.:

This book was amazing.No words can describe the amount of drama, twists and turns and action within this book. At some points i had to read over and over in order to grasp the information .Over all it was exceptional! I would recommend it to any 14 year old but not under.

Victoria gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Broken Sky by L. A. Weatherly.

Una from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

I think that 13 minutes is an excellent book and is extremely well written. I especially liked the different narratives provided throughout the book, such as diary entries and newspaper articles,as it provided different views on each character and I was able to learn more. I was gripped throughout this book and I loved the ending, which was not predictable in the slightest.

Una gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence.

Anna from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School:

I think that 13 Minutes is a brilliant book and has definitely been my favourite on the scheme so far. I loved the characters and how I could relate to certain aspects of all of them, particularly Becca, and it was interesting to see their personalities and thoughts change throughout the book. The structure of the story was very effective, as different chapters were dedicated to the point of view of different characters and newspaper articles, which enabled me to grasp the thoughts and opinions of all the characters, further adding to the mystery and confusion of the plot. Overall, I was gripped the whole way through 13 Minutes and I thought the ending, particularly the last chapter, was excellent.

Anna gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence.

Kate from Cardinal Heenan:

'13 minutes' is definitely the best book i have read so far on the Leeds book awards scheme. I really liked Becca's character and how her character developed during the novel. The ending was completely unexpected and I was gripped throughout. The alternating characters were really clever and added an extra dimension to the story.

Kate gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence.

Jessica from King James's School:

This book was really exciting. I really liked Becca's character. She was really clever but she did not think it. The twist at the end definitely made up the whole book for me. However, I was not really comfortable with the language and I found the way it was written, how it alternated between Natasha, Becca and newspaper articles, a little bit confusing as I was not sure who was speaking at which time. I did enjoy this book and would read more of Sarah Pinborough's books.

Jessica gave 13 Minutes 4 out of 5 and now plans to read Broken Sky by L. A. Weatherly.

millie from king james's school:

I found this book incredibly thrilling . I have read books like this but not one as powering as this. If you like murder mystery this is definitely the one to read. I think some people could relate to this as it often refers to the facts that popularity means everything in school life. Near the start I felt sorry for Natasha , but soon started to realise , she not the angel she seems. I think the characters are so well described and the twists and turns in the books are so unexpected. It made me feel like I was on the edge of my seat all the way. This physiological thrilling book is definitely a must read.

millie gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Eden Summer by Liz Flanagan.

Phoebe from King James's School:

I found 13 minutes an excellent book because it had so many levels and view points. I liked this because it showed how every character was seen by the others and how they think. The characters seemed so real and I really enjoyed how the plot twists and turns. I thought that the story was beautifully written and really mysterious. If one thing could be improved I think that it would be to not swear as much because if it wasn't swearing it would be suitable for younger readers. However I think that this is also a good thing because it makes it seem more realistic. I really enjoyed this book and I think that if Sarah Pinborough wrote another book I would like to read that too.

Phoebe gave 13 Minutes 5 out of 5 and now plans to read Broken Sky by L. A. Weatherly.