15 Minutes: A YA Time Travel Thriller

Rewind Series, Book 1

By: Jill Cooper

Narrated by: Wendy Pitts

The future can be a dangerous place when you changed the past....

Fifteen minutes is all the Rewind Agency gives a person when they travel to the past, but for Lara Crane it's enough for her to race through the city, find her mother, and stop her from being killed in a mugging that happened over 10 years ago.

But the story she's been told all her life is a lie. When Lara takes a bullet meant for her mother, her future changes forever. A new house, new friends, and a new boyfriend turns Lara's life upside down. She thinks if she can save her father from prison, reunite him with her mother, everything will be fine.

15 Minutes is an edgy high-octane YA thriller where the people Lara trusts change in an instant. She is in a timeline she doesn't understand, and is about to make one fatal mistake as she faces an enemy so familiar, he's family.

©2013-2014 Jill Afzelius (P)2014 Jill Afzelius

What could you do in 15 minutes?

"15 Minutes" is a YA science fiction thriller that deals with times travel. As I am a sucker for time travel, I felt this book would be right up my alley, and I was not disappointed. Along with paradoxes time travel stories have to offer, there are also a couple of love triangles involved in the story. All in all, I think it is the perfect YA novel and suitable for adults also.

Lara Crane's mother was murdered when she was very young. Being raised by her father is fine with her, even with him not earning great money. She loves her father and he loves her. What Lara misses is her mother. So when time travel becomes available, Lara saves her money and buys a package of several time travels for one low price at Rewind. When people travel back in time, they are only supposed to be holograms and would not be able to interact with their surroundings. But Lara is different. She finds on her very first trip back that she is able to physically touch items and people. And so the plan forms in her mind to save her mother. How great would it be if her father, mother and herself were a family once again.

But Lara has only 15 minutes in each time travel. She has practiced the quickest route to get to the alley where her mother was shot. And so with her last paid time travel, she races to the alley and takes the bullet meant for her mother and thus saves her life. When she wakes up, she finds that more has changed than just her mother being alive. Her father has been imprisoned for the attempted murder of her mother, her mother has married Jax Montgomery and her name is now Lara Montgomery. Her old boyfriend Rick, with whom she shared a special bond, was never involved with her. Living in the well off district, she is now dating Donavan James, son of Senator Patricia James, and only known in Lara's other past as a playboy out for a quick score. And Lara's mother is always working, at Rewind she discovers, and she still never gets to spend any time with her.

She has deep feelings for Rick, but the more she is with Donavan the more her feelings for him grow. She is confused that the past she remembers does not mesh with the present she is living. She is unsure who to turn to with the news of her changing the future. Not to mention her father being in prison, still in love with Lara's mother Miranda, and trying to prove his innocence from behind bars. Lara must find a way to free her father and re-unite their family again. But it isn't going to be easy. Senator James has been secretly funding Rewind's research, most notably Miranda's, which they are hoping to find a subject that can interact with the past for he own sordid gain. When they discover that Lara is the one, the search is on to capture her.

The plot was tightly woven and very readable. I found myself pulling for Lara even though the odds were against her. I heartily recommend this book to any time travel fan as well as those interested in YA reads to fill their summer. A 4 star plus read for me. Very well done.

Wendy Pitt's performance was average at best. She sounded as if she was half asleep or wacked out on drugs, seemingly slurring her words. Maybe it was just her accent, but it took quite a long time for me to get used to it. Also, she didn't seem to try very hard to distinguish the voices of the different characters. Overall, the story was good but the presentation was just average.

Hard to listen

Mother's voice sounded like a child's the boys voices were OK but the cadence of the reading was all wrong absolutely knew I was being read to

loved it

I loved it. Wendy always brings every character to life. the story was great and can't wait for more.

liked the story

I enjoyed the story. The narrator was awful. Ended up reading most of the book because of lack of emotion and bad attempt to do multiple voices.

WOW! THIS IS A THRILL A MINUTE!!!

If you could sum up 15 Minutes: A YA Time Travel Thriller in three words, what would they be?

Travel Changes Lives!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lara Crane is the time traveler and my favorite character. We wonder what is happening right along with her. The more she changes things in time, the more dilemmas develop. She is torn between her "old memories" and the "new memories."

Have you listened to any of Wendy Pitts’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to several of Wendy Pitt's performances and think this is one of her best. She certainly brings Lara Crane to life and definitely gives each character a distinctive voice. You can feel the excitement mount as she reads.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I definitely did have a reaction to this book and while it didn't make me laugh or cry, it most certainly did stretch my imagination and arouse my curiosity. With every chapter you wonder how can this end well for everyone? And there is a wonderful surprise ending. O. Henry couldn't have done better.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book -- Read it, you will, too. Time travel is fascinating and this one is a doozie!!!

YA

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed this story and enjoyed listening to the audiobook. I can't wait for the next audiobook.

loved it. what a ride.

interesting, fast paced and we'll developed.
good age appropriate characters and interactions. jumps around a bit.

Rough start, entertaining finish

The slow start and the odd pacing of the reader made for a rough start. I got passed both and found the story enjoyable.

Horrible narrator

What did you like best about 15 Minutes: A YA Time Travel Thriller? What did you like least?

I love time travel books, and this has an interesting twist. The narrator is terrible. Her inflection is all wrong on many phrases and she is clearly reading in a rather sing-song manner. Very distracting as you are trying to listen to the story. Her British accent is a joke!

What did you like best about this story?

You really never know what is coming. Each jump introduces you to new twists in the plot.

Would you be willing to try another one of Wendy Pitts’s performances?

Absolutely not.

Could you see 15 Minutes: A YA Time Travel Thriller being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, this could definitely be either a movie or a TV series.

More of a jr high level book

Not a huge fan of this one. I did finish the book but don't plan on reading further unless the books just drop into my lap. More of a middle school book than a young adult or beyond. Very formulaic and convoluted. I didn't buy the premise and too many holes in the story line for me.