I normally try to be gracious with my reviews, but with this one…I just can’t. I wanted to DNF the book about a fifth of the way through. The only reason I didn’t was so I could leave an honest review here. There are a lot of descriptions of characters, but this book missed the mark with helping the characters come alive and developing them into something more than words on a page. There was a lot of unnecessary journalism talk that ruined the focus of the plot. As far as the murder mystery part…this one’s a dud.
For the sake of the book and the author, I will not be posting my thoughts on social media or Amazon.

Debut novel that gives you a view of the life of a news reporter, a real cutthroat world.
A controversial talk show host is found dead. What happened?
Jolene Garcia tries to take control of this cat and mouse race as she wants to be the first to get that important interview. She wants an exclusive.
Wonderful characters and interesting plot.. The pace was slower times, but it kept me guessing.
A fun debut novel.
I received this ARC copy from NetGalley.

This missed the mark for me. I think a big part of it was because there was a lot of journalism word and lingo and talk that I just didn’t understand. Also it was very politically filled and I tend to stay away from that. Overall the writing was done well, it just wasn’t for me.

I really enjoyed this book. I never thought the journalism world would be so cut-throat. I liked learning more about the “behind the scenes” aspect of the journalist career. I thought it was well written and look forward to future books by this author.

I wanted to like this book. It has everything I need: great writing, a snarky protagonist, a world that intrigues me (journalism in Phoenix), and a murder to solve. Unfortunately, the ingredients came together to produce a flop.

Debut author Christina Estes has a background in journalism and IS a great writer. But she gets sidetracked by every side character’s backstory, while her main character moves beyond snarky into pessimism, manipulation, and self-centered moaning. The backbiting and bickering between journalists and their bosses left me thankful that I didn’t pursue journalism. And I wanted to track the breadcrumbs to the villain, I just couldn’t find them!

I think the author has potential. A few classes in characterization and plot and she could have a great story. This one, sadly, wasn’t that.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC of Off The Air by Christina Estes. In my opinion, this book is a slow burn. In the book, Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona. She splits her time between covering general assignments to special projects. Word gets out about a death at a radio station. This is when Jolene and other journalists rush to the scene to report the story first. The body had soon been identified as Larry Lemmon. Larry was a controversial talk show host who died under suspicious circumstances. Jolene actually conducted his final interview. As the story heats up, so does her competition. Jolene is determined to solve this murder. This investigation was something that could make or break her career. I would recommend this book if you like slow burns and journalism. 😊😊😊

I finished the book, but I must say that at 10% or so, I was feeling like DNFing it. The writing threw me off, it was so tedious and repetitive. The narrator describes every single action of the characters and also gives an explanation of so many things. Every new character is introduced by the narrator as she starts to recall how and when she met them. It felt like reading a diary where its owner tells everything that happens in their life. When historical events or locations were mentioned, it was always followed by an explanation as if I were reading an excerpt from Wikipedia.

All of these elements made the story very static. The story didn’t progress at all. It’s a murder mystery, but it felt like the story was too centered on the main character’s work and the dynamics behind it, but very little was explored when it comes to the murder mystery itself. The main character, Jolene, was extremely unlikeable and had very questionable work ethic, which made me feel very uncomfortable and actually root for her downfall.

Being an avid thriller reader, I was expecting a lot more than what I got. It’s not just that it’s very slow-paced, but there’s just not enough elements for me to be intrigued by the plot or charmed by the characters. It was a boring book overall that I could not wait to be over with.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of “Off The Air” through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The tense atmosphere was continuous throughout. Who killed the radio host?? But also prevalent was a rather juvenile animosity between two female journalists from different stations. Bravo to the author for a surprising conclusion.

Loved this book!! This author was new to me, will definitely be looking for more books!! Excellent read!!

Not as exciting as I thought it would. Based off the synopsis seemed like it would be a straight forward murder mystery. However there was more to it.

I found myself reading it just to get it over with or fill in time between my dreamt group/buddy reads. It was way more political than I expected but not that it was a deterrent. Just not what I was expecting. More of the book focused on the job of journalism itself as opposed to the murder that happened.

Really felt like it could have been more exciting focusing on the murder and interviewing of the suspects. Yes that did happen in the book but only for a few paragraphs if that.

It is a slow murder mystery that has minimal action and little excitement.

This book felt like a Janet Evanovich book- a main character that you root for, even if things just tend to go wrong all around her. It’s the story of an accident-prone reporter trying her best to out-scoop the competition and solve a celebrity murder in order to regain status as the best reporter in town. For me, it was enjoyable, but it didn’t keep me up reading late at night to find out what’s next.

This is a cozy mystery with characters you can relate to. It is a light read with some humor to it. The story has an easy flow to it and simple to follow. The plot is based on the competitive world of journalism. The protagonist is a female reporter going to any lengths to get the edge on a newsworthy story.
For me, I really like the plot and characters. There are parts I wanted more going on or something more to grab my attention. I did finish it but it is a book I can put down and go back to later. With that said, I think it was good for the author's debut. I would read another book, if written, by this author.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC through NetGalley. This is my personal review and I've received no compensation for posting it.

I got a copy via NetGalley, this is my honest review.

Honestly? DNF at 15%. I kept getting jerked out of the narrative to have more information thrown at me. There is a MURDER and instead of hearing more about that I keep getting more background, more history, more flashbacks. Maybe it gets better, but I came for plot and got reflections.

I was really excited when I received this ARC, without requesting it, from the publisher.
I have to be honest. I didn’t love this but I didn’t hate this either.
After reading the synopsis, I was expecting more thrills and less information from this book. I suppose because she’s a journalist the author wanted to give lots of information, but I really wish more of the book revolved around the story line. I feel like there were some loose thread fillers.
This is a debut novel so I don’t want to be too harsh, but I wish this kept my attention the whole way through.
I thought Estes voice was great and her writing was extremely easy to read. I would read her again for sure. I did enjoy most of the book, but I think I would have liked it more if there had been more action.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins Press for choosing me to read this ARC.

When tv news reporter Jolene Garcia learns that she had the last interview with a controversial radio talk show host before he dies, she thinks she’s got it made. That is until she gets out scooped when it’s discovered that the host was murdered.
But what comes after is more than she could’ve ever expected. Jolene brings us through the cut throat world of the news room all while she risks life and limb to crack this case. Because she has to. Her life depends on it in more ways than one.

I was really excited to read this book but ultimately it fell short for me. It's a very, very slow burn and I found it difficult to get through. I also don't believe I'm the target audience for this book. There's a lot of journalism jargon and behind-the-scenes descriptions of what goes on with news reporters. It was written beautifully, but I'm not interested in that information and was excruciatingly bored. I had expected this book would focus more on the mystery/thriller rather than journalism, the history of Arizona, and political conversations. Alas, I was neither thrilled nor shrouded in mystery.

As always, thank you to NetGalley, Christina Estes, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book. While engrossed in the narrative, I found myself eagerly anticipating the unfolding events of Jolene's quest to break the story first. However, I must admit that the beginning felt a bit sluggish. Jolene repeatedly found herself in the predicament of obtaining critical information from her police source, only to be hindered from using it until she could corroborate it with another source. This pattern repeated, and instead of Jolene exploring alternative avenues, she consistently lost out on breaking the scoop. Although I remained captivated by the story, I sensed an excess of filler content and unnecessary elaboration on certain details that might not have been essential for readers. For instance, towards the end of the book, there was an extensive discussion on older Native American school systems, which seemed disconnected from the ongoing plot.

The author, undoubtedly knowledgeable in news reporting as a former journalist, occasionally delved too deeply into workplace intricacies, leading to moments where I found myself skimming through certain sections. Additionally, the side plot involving the new neighbor felt extraneous and failed to contribute meaningfully to the overall narrative.

The final hundred pages were undeniably my favorite segment. All the lingering questions were addressed, and I appreciated how everything unfolded, seamlessly tying together loose ends. Despite Jolene making questionable decisions, especially under the intense scrutiny and pressure she faced, I felt they were believable, and many reporters might have found themselves in similar predicaments.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press Minotaur books for the opportunity to read this ARC. . The main character, , A Phoenix tv reporter,, Jolene, finds herself scrambling to keep ahead of the other networks as she races to report the facts first. Sometimes the tactics used by the reporters are immoral and invasive, such as approaching mourners at a funeral This award winning debut novel takes you behind the scenes, as the mystery unfolds. written by an award winning reporter.
The characters were well written, the setting was well described. I enjoyed reading a book set in the southwest.

I was offered an advance copy of this book by the publisher. I’m not really a cozy mystery kind of guy, but I thought I’d take a look at it.
The main character is a TV news reporter who just wants to get the story. When one presents itself, she goes after it with dogged determination.
As a debut novel, this was quite a readable book. It moved well and kept my interest. Its cast of characters were all varied and unique. I like it when an author builds up the background and has memorable characters interacting with the main character. It makes the world more lived in and real.
There were two real issues I had with this book. Jolene Garcia starts off the book as nice and likeable. As the book progresses, to me, she became very much the opposite. She was too obsessed with getting the story. I understand that in the news game, the story is what matters, but I honestly stopped caring if she’d get the story or not.
The other issue I had was the way the mystery unfolded. Yes, she investigated. Yes, she put information together. For some reason, all of that didn’t feel like she was really investigating like a detective would in a typical mystery novel. I hope that makes sense. The whole mystery just seemed…off.
To sum it up, I liked the book and I’ll be interested to see what the author does with her next book.

This was a fun read that felt realistic given the professional background of the author. Jolene’s story gives readers the perfect “behind the scenes” look into what it takes to be an award-winning reporter, and I quickly needed to know what was going to happen next.

Jolene is a Phoenix reporter that would much rather chase the big stories, but with the need for social media development, her boss is on the reporting team about constantly having the next big thing to post for their viewers. Having been burnt once before, Jolene hesitates to put anything out to the media before it’s proven legit, but now she is falling behind with one of the biggest murder mysteries her area has seen. The one thing she has under her belt that no one else does? She was the last person to interview Larry Lemmon before his death. With Jolene’s determination, there is nothing she won’t do to solve this case and be the reporter to shine in the spotlight.