*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for my honest review.*

It took me a while to get into this book enough to finish it. I jumped right in and couldn't really figure out if it was a mystery or a rom com because I didn't read the blurb's since it was on my Netgalley list as "next." It really didn't ever feel like a mystery though and it definitely wasn't a rom com.

Jolene is an on air reporter for a Phoenix TV station and she catches a breaking story of a radio station star dying on air. Or maybe during a commercial break. And she follows the story until the murderer is caught. Quite a lot of details about the minutiae of local stations vs national stations and how the local station is run in the newsroom. Interesting, but not something I was keen on reading about.

I listened to the audio version and it didn't do much for the story. But this would be great for anyone wanting to see how the inside of a newsroom works!

Unfortunately, there isn't really a lot to recommend "Off the Air.' I didn't find any of the characters likable (including the main character). The murder victim was someone whose banter was cringe-worthy, so there wasn't a lot of compassion for his death. Everyone was portrayed as a caricature of their stereotype, and there was no character development taking place.

Thank you to Christina Estes, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This book examines the cutthroat world of local news. How reporters will lie to get ahead. How their ethics have been mostly placed in their rear view mirror. This was interesting but also uncomfortable. What really made the book less than comfortable, though, was the inclusion of several characters who are so conservative that they’re like a parody of themselves. Yes, the main character didn’t seem to agree with them often, but having to read their disgusting commentary got to be too much.

Off the Air by Christina Estes is a quick fun read. Our main character, Jolene, is a reporter for a local television news crew in Phoenix who is reporting on a suspicious death of a local/national celebrity. In a competitive environment where news is old as soon as someone else reports it, Jolene finds herself in the story rather than reporting it. It's clear that the author has experience in this area and it was interesting to get a glimpse of the dynamics in a local news station. The mystery itself isn't too complicated, and aside from Jolene, the characters lack depth or complexity.
I will admit that the line that made me laugh was in the Acknowledgements where the author wrote, "If you're like me and read the acknowledgements first..." I'm hard pressed to think that anyone turns first to the acknowledgments, unless they think they're in it, but hey, maybe they're out there.
In short, it's a decent beach read, light and fast-paced.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

I was just expecting more. From the journalist side this is great but the mystery/thriller side lacked a lot, everything was pretty set from the beginning and didn't change much. I wish there was more for a shock. I would definitely pick up another one though to see where Christina can take the journaling aspect of it.

Thanks to the Publishers and NetGalley for access to an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Jolene is in a race against time - to save her job and solve the mystery. Interesting portrayal from a reporters side with trying to find the truth while having to do what you have to do to get a front page worthy story. Not only is Jolene putting herself in danger, she is testing her ethics on how she gets that story. The tension and pressure she is feeling will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see “whodunnit!”

I had an Ecopy as well as the audio version. I found myself mostly listening on audio, but it’s been a multitasking kind of month.

Jolene Garcia is a news reporter. Young, and female, she’s relegated to general assignment (mostly puff pieces) and sometimes special reports. When a controversial radio host is found dead at the radio station, Jolene sees her chance to prove herself. She was the last one to interview him. Now she’s determined to discover who murdered him. But the clock is ticking because now it appears the murderer is after her.

Author Christina Estes has a long career as a reporter. Her years of experience are reflected in her writing, providing a realistic slant to the frenetic pace of the newsroom and the on site craziness of a crime scene as each reporter tries to one up their competition. It was the realism that drew me in to this story. It was the rapid pace and constantly moving story line that kept me reading. The secondary characters were a blending of obvious stereotypes, yet they bring a hint of humor and a comfortable familiarity to the story.

The mystery was well constructed and kept me guessing until the final surprising reveal. Even better was Jolene's reaction. I found this an enjoyable, engaging mystery. I am thrilled to find out another Jolene Garcia book is in the works and look forward to it.

I had several issues with this debut, however it was not a bad book for the half of the book I could get through.

When I requested a copy to read, I was expecting a debut mystery that would hold my attention and engross me in a story. As I was reading I found this was more centred around journalism than the mystery of the novel. I actually lost the mystery within the journalism.

I had to walk away from it a couple times & come back, rereading to remember points, when I finally gave up. This was not a book for me. Overall, though I would say the research and/or the amount of knowledge pertaining to journalism is great, but I don’t necessarily believe this is marketed towards the right audience.

Off the Air is the debut novel for Christina Estes, an Emmy Award-winning reporter. Off the Air features Jolene Garcia, an Arizona TV reporter who is seemingly in the middle of the murder investigation of a controversial local radio show host. I felt like the story was good but there wasn’t a lot of depth. I didn’t see a lot of character development and there was a lot of commentary. I didn’t mind the political aspect of things, it made the story seem more real to me, but there was a lot of dialogue. I would have liked to see more background and set up of the plot. I also feel the resolution felt a little underwhelming after some slow points in the story.

I feel that there was a lot of slow paced chapters that were hard to get through, there wasn’t a whole of of mystery, and long-winded commentary, this debut wasn’t all that it could have been. I will definitely look for Christina Estes next novel to see how that unfolds, though.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, Minotaur Books and Christina Estes for the eARC of Off the Air, publication date for Off the Air by Christina Estes was 26 Mar 24.

This was really a great book. I read it in one day. I even laugh at some places in the book. I would definitely recommend this book.

I enjoyed the mystery and the characters quite a lot. Jolene and the author certainly know their way around a newsroom and it was interesting to read.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

"Off the Air" is a debut novel featuring Jolene Garcia, a local TV reporter thrust into the midst of a murder investigation involving a controversial radio host. Unfortunately, for me, the murder plot itself lacks depth. Despite Jolene's determination, the investigation unfolds tediously, and the resolution feels underwhelming.

Estes, an Emmy Award-winning reporter, brings authenticity to the newsroom setting, but the story lacks the necessary tension and pacing to sustain interest. Jolene's pursuit of the truth feels hindered by lengthy digressions and unnecessary political commentary, detracting from the central mystery.

TLDR; While "Off the Air" offers glimpses of Estes's journalistic expertise, the novel ultimately struggles to deliver a compelling narrative. With slow pacing, minimal mystery, and long-winded commentary, this debut falls short of its potential.

Off The Air by Christina Estes, this was a debut novel and a new author for me to try out. How far with people go to get a story, some play by the book others don't. The book is classified as a mystery and to some it can claim that, but for me it was more about what people will think is the right way to do things. This wasn't my type of book, but does have some redeeming qualities and I would suggest it to others because I know not everyone enjoys the same things.

I receive an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Off the air is the debut novel by Christina Estes. I was hoping for a funny cozy mystery, but was disappointed. It was really hard to get into the book, as it was really slow-paced, and spent way too much time on American politics and journalism.
Thanks Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

Off the Air is a mystery that is about Jolene who is a local tv reporter in Phoenix Arizona and when the word gets out about a death at a radio station all the journalist swarm the scene. This book was my first time reading anything by this author and she did a good job writing this book. It was a decent read with a fun mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good or cozy mystery read. Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC read in exchange of my honest review of Off the Air by Christina Estes.

As always, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this advanced reader ‘s copy. Christina Estes~ thank you for a great book with a character in Jolene that I absolutely rooted for!

The behind the scenes at the station felt very genuine and timely as it seems that the push is all about social media and the hits, not necessarily the actual news. There were several strong side characters: the neighbor, the source, the besties, that could and should lead to another book with Jolene~ I’d like to see where she takes us next.

Jolene Garcia, a local Phoenix AZ TV reporter happens to catch an interesting story. A controversial radio personality dies and there is a flurry of speculation, about the who what and why. All the networks and other journalists are vying to get an exclusive and any breaking coverage, but are they willing to put themselves in the path of a murderer to get the scoop?
This was just OK, I did not feel a lot of suspense with this story. I did find the behind the scenes in a newsroom interesting, but there was far too much of that and not enough story. The characters were likeable and well rounded, but the story itself just fell a little flat. It was good, not great. Thank you to Netgally and Minotaur books for the opportunity to review this one.

DNF at 20% it's focusing too much on explaining journalism instead of the murder mystery. It's not bad, I just think it's categorized incorrectly.

Every once and awhile I stumble upon a read that’s just not for me. Something where I didn’t love it, but nothing was necessarily wrong with it. With this one it was just a little too slow and formulate. I like predictable, but with some added bits as well and that was just missing for me.