This one took a while for me to get into, but I appreciate that it's a different approach to a typical mystery novel.

Jolene is an interesting and unique main character and narrator, and the inside look into "under the hood" of what it takes to be a competitive reporter was a new point of view for me that I appreciated. However, I felt that the underlying mystery of this book was a little underwhelming and low-stakes, which made it hard for me to get invested. It's another slow burn with a climax that kind of made me go "... so what?"

It was well-written, and unlike some reviewers, I appreciated the in-depth reporting and journalism background and explanations. This was a solid effort for a debut novel, and I think Estes has a solid future ahead of her as a novelist with Jolene as a lead character.

Thank you as always to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All views and thoughts are my own.

I’m really confused with some of the reviews I’ve read about this book because I absolutely loved it and really enjoyed the characters (especially those we love to hate or who aren’t quite as reliable as we’d like them to be). I’ve seen some comments about this book not just zooming like a fast paced thriller, but to me, this felt like a cozy mystery which I love. Overall, a great read!

This is a book I should have DNF'd. It was not what I expected.

I love a good mystery and this was not that. It fell flat.

Off the Air is the story of TV reporter, Joleen, covering the murder of Larry Lemmon, a local radio talk show host. The story is set in Arizona, and reflects the conservative nature of the state. It also highlights the importance of contemporary journalism, which includes a lot of social media hype.

Unfortunately, I didn't seem to be able to connect with much in this book. Solving a murder can be quite interesting and entertaining, but there's a lot in this book that's more about culture and history, and that just didn't pique my interest. I was not able to get beyond 74%.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Off the Air.

I got this as an early release arc.
I normally enjoy mystery books but I thought this was absolutely horrible. It was one of the worst books that I read in a long time. I was not the slightest bit interested until 90% done with this book. I told several people I should have DNF’d it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of Off the Air in exchange for this review.

This is an enjoyable, behind-the-scenes story of a TV news reporter trying to get the scoop on an ongoing murder investigation. Jolene must walk a fine line between being overbearing and proactive as she pursues an exclusive interview or story for her station.

The murder investigation plot line is engaging and interesting. However, now that I’ve finished reading the book, I’m not sure that the characters or the action are completely believable. Some aspects of the plot are better developed than others. Additionally, there are many examples in the text of real news stories that are used to explain news processes or characters’ approaches to doing their jobs. In some cases these explanations come across as didactic and a bit heavy-handed.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, but it’s not the best mystery I’ve read recently. It was fun to read something told from the perspective of a news reporter, which made it unlike other books I’ve read.

Many thanks to NetGalley for making this book available.
I was excited for a quick and easy read. I went into it mostly blindly, but quickly found myself searching for positive reviews to keep me going.
I called TOD at 101 pages…. Just couldn’t do it. The main character had no depth. She was whinny and annoying with no real gravitas. The murder aspect wasn’t really interesting. I have no experience in the world of journalism- other than acknowledging it’s highly competitive. This book leaves me with no desire to read about it from the angle portrayed.

This just in: In the world of investigative journalism, you better have a killer story.

Jolene Garcia is a TV reporter who spends most of her time investigating groundbreaking stories such as which dry cleaner is the best at removing stains and which nail salon gives the best manicure. When controversial radio host Larry Lemon is found dead, Jolene, who conducted his final interview, siezes the opportunity and races to solve his murder.

This was an interesting look inside the world of journalism. It was interesting to see the protocol behind breaking news and what can happen when those rules are broken. The mystery was well-crafted and unpredictable.

I felt like some of the side characters in Jolene's personal life were a bit unnecessary and didn't add much to the plot. In general, none of the characters were very likeable. I was also expecting the book to be a bit funnier, but at times it felt dry and seemed to drag on.

Overall, this was a unique story that provided an interesting prospective on journalism. However, much like the news, it was informative but not the most entertaining.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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3/5 very inconspicuous cookies

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. This was a different novel than I usually read but I enjoyed the Arizona setting and the uniqueness of the reporting storyline.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Jolene wants more out of her career. When she hears theirs ben a murder she wants to get a keg up on everyone else. This book dragged in a few places.

Not my usual type book but Arizona was a great place to park my head over winter.

Story started out interesting touching on all the different types of stories a typical journalist gets involved in until a fellow journalist of social standing is murdered, and Off The Air.

This book did not live up to they hype it received for a new author. The competition must have been relatively weak for it to have won the Tony Hillerman Prize. It does come close to that level of writing. The best I can say is that it is a quick read if you can stick with it. I found the main character to be particularly annoying after the few chapters with her lack of common sense and somewhat self indulgent view of herself. Solving the murder won’t take long for a reader of this genre. Another positive for the book is that is does present a look at the dog eat dog world of media reporters. This is not surprising as it is the background of the author. Others seem to enjoy the book so I leave it to you to decide if it is worth the time.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net GAlley, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

I had a hard time getting into this book. Too many characters and too much information. I prefer simple storylines that are easy to follow.

I just reviewed Off the Air by Christina Estes. #OffTheAirBook #NetGalley

I thought this was a great premise,but overall did not enjoy this as much as I hoped. The main characters are good and well developed but there are too many asides to explain things that the reader might not know (by breaking the third wall). Felt slow while I was reading it, as well.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review, but all opinions are my own.

I’m sorry but this book is just simply a miss. It needed to be edited more thoroughly I think. There are too many times when important information is left out or especially when unimportant background information is put in and takes up way too much time. It made the book drag. It is not the fast paced thrilling mystery that is suggested by the synopsis. Additionally, the main character, Jolene, is NOT likeable. There’s nothing that gives you any desire to root for her or give her empathy.

A cozy murder mystery for the mystery lovers. This is a debut novel about a journalist who's trying her hardest in one of the most competitive yet dying field- journalism. This story takes place in Arizona and readers get to learn a lot about Arizona and the journalism field. News is evidently dying because of social media and how the field is trying really hard to stay afloat. Jolene (yes I couldn't stop singing the song while reading this) works at a news station that is covering the death of a controversial radio host. She is trying her hardest to have some breaking news but she is constantly being challenged by her competitors. She does some questionable things to finally figure out the murder. I truly enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of local news. Totally had me watching the news differently.

A newspaper reporter with something to prove becomes the last person to interview a popular radio host before his death. Working with a grumpy cameraman, a disgruntled cop, and her 2 best friends, she manages to make major headway and in the end, becomes the hero. In places the book dragged, where the end felt super rushed. Overall, just an okay for me.

What I appreciated about this one was that it wasn't just a mystery, but it was an exploration of the "stuff" around said mystery. Specifically, it was how those in the media reported, investigated, and just engaged with the case and another. I was perhaps even more drawn into this component of the story - in a good way. This was a unique angle for a cozy mystery that was a great addition to the genre. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the look at this March 2024 release!

Solid 3 stars for a good debut novel. However, the reporting lingo, long Wikipedia-like parts (i.e Indian Schools and Emmy), and political banter kept it from being a four star book for me.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked it, but I didn’t love it. There were a lot of named characters and that was hard for me to follow at times. I kept picking it up and wanting to get into it, but something made me keep putting it down. I think the story would have been more interesting if it focused more on who was leaving Jolene threatening messages while she tried to solve the murder and do her job. I did really enjoy all of the current events and political references. It was fun to see real life news written into a fictional book in that way.