DNF at 60% - I read enough to know that I'll recommend it to teens who cannot get enough true crime stuff but it was decidedly not for me due to the tone and my lack of interest in the characters (aside from the mom back story parts, I liked those).

Brenna Ehrlich writes a compelling YA thriller/suspense focusing on a mother and daughter in small town Ferry, Connecticut. Natalie and her mother, Helen have a strained relationship at best; Helen is over-protective and strongly disapproves of Natalie’s obsessive interest in true crime while18-year-old Natalie, on the other hand, is tired of her mother’s over-protective nature and her refusal to tell her anything about her father.

When Natalie’s favorite teacher is found murdered, it shocks the small town sparking a host of rumors and speculation. Natalie, a true crime podcaster and soon to be (hopefully) investigative journalist decides to secretly investigate the crime, at times walking a dangerously thin line between what’s ethically correct. Told in dual timelines and alternating chapters, it goes back to Helen’s freshman year in college when the murder of a classmate rocked the school. Mother and daughter have much more in common than they realize as Natalie’s investigation uncovers secrets that those in the past had hoped to keep buried.

Well-plotted, twisty and a great choice for any fan of YA thrillers and suspense!

Laura Knight Keating does an amazing job narrating, effectively pulling me into the story with her compelling voice! So emotive and pleasant!

My thanks to Inkyard Press for this gifted DRC and to RB media for this gifted ALC.

First things first- this is a YA thriller. I am not personally a huge fan of YA thrillers typically, and I probably would not have requested this one if I had realized that. With that being said, I mostly enjoyed this one anyway.

The pacing was steady throughout, not too fast and not too slow. This is told through a dual timeline format, with the past describing her overprotective mother's first semester in college investigating a classmate's disappearance for the school newspaper. I love a good dual timeline but it moved a little slow in these parts for me. It was important to the story though, explaining her overbearing nature with her daughter, while tying everything together plot-wise.

Natalie runs a true-crime podcast with her friend, which helps inspire her investigation along with her relationship with her deceased teacher. I wanted more podcast talk with this. We know she has a podcast because it is mentioned several times but it is never shown to us. Honestly, I feel like the podcast could have been deleted from the whole book and wouldn't have really been missed.

I guessed the main twist, but there were a couple things that still surprised me. While it was mostly a predictable ending for me, it was satisfying. Everything came together nicely and there were no loose threads that I could see.

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Having recently finished the "Good Girls Guide to Murder" trilogy any YA murder mystery, podcast themed or not, was going to have a tough time measuring up. Sadly, Killing Time, simply wasn`t up to the task.
Flipping between current day Natalie's POVV and her mother Helen's college day, I was never able to really connect with either narrator.
It was quickly obvious Helen' POV was there to explain her adult hatred of true crime and over-protetctiveness of her daughter.


There were some cute pop culture references that made me smile, and it was a quick read.

Workable Debut. This is one of those debuts where the author clearly shows quite a bit of promise - even if trying to wrap in as many tropes as remotely plausible within the story - yet could clearly still use some polish. The mystery (ies!) is actually quite compelling, and the reader finds themselves *wanting* to know who the murderer (s!) is. That noted, using third person to tell the stories of both timelines makes them a bit harder to distinguish - particularly without any kind of time reference at the beginning of the chapters. Ultimately, this is absolutely an author whose sophomore effort I would love to read, and I look forward to seeing her growth. Very much recommended.

Ferry, Connecticut sounds like an idyllic, seaside town filled with lazy summer days by the ocean, kids riding their bikes on the sidewalk, and ice cream from the local parlor. Until the body of a beloved teacher is discovered after she’s murdered, and the rose-colored glasses are officially shattered.

The novel actually focuses on two cases – the murder of Natalie’s teacher and a missing college student several years prior. It’s told from alternating chapter POVs between Natalie and her mother Helen, owner of the local diner and a former college journalism major. Natalie also dreams of becoming a hard-hitting journalist and devours true crime books and shows. She and her best friend Katie even host a true crime podcast – which is all kept secret from Natalie’s mother, who forbids her from reading or watching anything crime-related. Headstrong and determined, Natalie decides to begin her own investigation on the sly after her teacher’s murder.

If you think it’s naive of a teenager to take on a murder investigation, you’d be right. Against the advice of Katie (a voice of reason), Natalie makes one bad decision after another without regard for the consequences. It’s not difficult to figure out who’s involved with the murder, but the why may keep you guessing and come as a total surprise. The missing college student from Helen’s college days is also an intriguing story and explains her distaste for journalism and true crime stories.

I was satisfied with the ending – it wraps up all the loose threads, and the plot moves along at a brisk pace. If you’re a fan of true crime podcasts, don’t expect many details in this novel. Other than hiding it from Natalie’s mother, it’s not explored further, but this is a book true crime buffs will enjoy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

While I enjoyed the story overall, with how each element tied together and how every detail is relevant by the time we get to the end, the middle kind of dragged and Natalie was... Not a very compelling main character. I was much more interested in the "Then" sections where we're seeing Natalie's mom Helen in her first semester as a journalism major in college.

Natalie has very selective self-awareness, making jokes about her stupid decisions but not actually planning around them. Maybe that's just because of her age, but she never really makes up for those stupid decisions or takes steps to mitigate them.

I liked Katie a lot and wished she had more screentime. And I did like the ending.

3.5 stars, rounded up

This is a well-written and engaging YA mystery novel, centering on two cases--one is the death of a beloved teacher in the present, and one is a missing college student in the past. How these two cases play out is surprising and interesting.

Natalie has just graduated from high school. She has a very overprotective mom, Helen, who disapproves of Natalie's true crime obsession and has done everything possible to actively discourage it. Natalie has even kept the fact that she and her best friend have a podcast called Killing Time. Helen even goes so far as to keep her away from her favorite teacher, Mrs. Halsey. When Mrs. Halsey is murdered, Natalie wants to pay homage to her teacher and help solve the crime.

In the past, we flash back to Helen's time in college when she has dreams of being a newspaper reporter. When an acquaintance from a class turns up missing, Helen uses the connection as leverage to get assigned to the story. But does she go too far to find out what happened?

The investigating by both Helen and Natalie is very amateurish and not very realistic. I thought it was odd that she had a podcast, but it didn't feature in the story at all, except for being mentioned as a reason for her investigation. That was probably my least favorite part of this book.

I saw some references to some situations dealing with Natalie's consent with kissing and I thought it was actually handled in an authentic way. It's clear that Natalie didn't like it, but she also really went around and around in her head about it. I know that readers like to think they would just immediately confront the guy, but in this real world, most of us, especially as inexperienced as Natalie is, would have reacted the exact same way.

But all in all, the solutions to both of the cases in past and present are clever and inventive. There are some twists and surprises as one would expect in a mystery/thriller. I listened to this as an audiobook and I really liked Laura Knight Keating's narration. She was great as both Natalie's and Helen's voices, keeping them distinct and easy to follow.

If you like YA mysteries, I definitely recommend this one. Don't come into it expecting a podcast-driven story, because it's a much more straightforward boots on the ground type of investigation.

The book follows 2 different points of view: one in the past and one in the future. The beginning grabbed me and drew me in to the possible crimes that had been committed. This book follows 2 very popular tropes right now, True Crime, and podcasts about true crime.

For though the book really failed to grow in the middle and it lagged a bit in certain spots. The ending was very interesting though. If you are a fan of the tropes, definitely think about picking this up.

A solid YA thriller mystery. Interesting views on reporting for facts versus reporting for glorification. Main character took some warming up to and in the end I still didn't love her. The twist at the end was not predictable but didn't make much sense to me.

What's the difference between a true crime enthusiast, a journalist, and a macabre thrill seeker? Natalie thinks she knows, but everyone around her is certain her true crime podcast is 100% thrill-seeker.

As she shifts gears from observer to grief stricken participant in the investigation of her beloved teacher, Natalie finds the answers she is looking for and some answers she wasn't.

This is a great YA title for any True Crime podcast junkie, and is sure to be a hit.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read!

5/5 Stars!

This book is a great YA mystery/thriller with a modern twist - the podcast, the new way true crime enthusiasts get their stories out there. I liked that, it was a nice take on a budding journalist story. This book was told from both Natalie's perspective in the modern day and her mother's in the past, when she was in college and a budding journalist herself.

I liked Natalie's character, she was hopeful and hard working, though she made some mistakes along the way in her quest for information. But she's young and still learning, so she's bound to make mistakes along the way. (Some bigger than others - much bigger!) I think she meant well and her antics certainly kept me turning pages, as I was totally invested in the mystery, (both the murder of Mrs. Halsey and the mystery in Natalie's mother's past)

Speaking of which, I liked how the mystery was resolved. The author really did a great job and I enjoyed how she was able to wrap everything up. She is a really good writer, and I would totally read her work again. I was completely satisfied with how that all ended!

If you're a fan of YA thrillers, you'll want to pick this one up!

Plot included lots of twists and turns and kept me guessing. Great character development. There were a few areas in which the plot was long but overall a good read.

With so much small town charm, it's easy to think that bad things don't happen in Ferry, Connecticut.

Which is why everyone is so shaken when local teacher Mrs. Halsey is found dead. Murdered. Even the local crime reporters are shocked by the violence of the crime.

Natalie Temple always thought she'd have a chance to apologize tom Mrs. Halswy after their in the middle of senior year. Mrs. Halsey is the reason Natalie is going to her dream school to study journalism.

Instead, Natalie's favorite teacher is dead and no one knows why or who to blame.

Mrs. Halsey taught Natalie and her best friend Katie all about the power of true crime as a genre--an interest Natalie's strict and overprotective mother has never been willing to entertain. Now, Natalie knows the best way to honor Mrs. Halsey is to find her killer. The investigation could also help Natalie take her "blood drenched" podcast Killing Time to the next level--something she's sure no one would appreciate more than Mrs. Halsey.

Investigating the murder will bring Natalie face-to-face with the seedier side of Ferry--and some uncomfortable truths about her own family history--as Natalie learns that secrets never stay buried forever in Killing Time (2022) by Brenna Ehrlich.

Killing Time plays out in two timelines alternating between Natalie's investigation into Mrs. Halsey's death and flashbacks to her mother Helen's first year at college. All main characters are presumed white.

Natalie's first person narration is filled with smart references to narrative conventions in true crime stories and observations about the divisions between East and West Ferry--parts of town separated by train tracks as much as income brackets. Unfortunately, Natalie's singular focus on her investigation leaves little space for Natalie to gain dimension beyond her fixation on solving Mrs. Halsey's murder--most of the on page interactions with her best friend revolve around the podcast. Although Ehrlich explores more of Helen's past in the flashback chapters, Natalie's relationship with her mother remains very one note for most of the story without fully exploring any of the dynamics inherent to growing up with not just a single parent but one who had Natalie very young.

Where Killing Time excels is in highlighting the knife edge journalists and true crime afficionados walk while trying to balance morbid interest with compassion for the real people who are impacted by these crimes. As with many ethical questions, there are no right answers but Ehrlich explores both the good and the bad through Natalie and Helen's timelines.

Readers looking for a new true-crime-fueled story in the vein of Courtney Summers or Holly Jackson will fine a lot to enjoy in Killing Time.

Possible Pairings: They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, The Cousins by Karen M. McManus, Sadie by Courtney Summers, The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration.*

I'm confused about who this book is for. A lot of the promotional material and blurbs about this book mention that this is "to a generation of murderinos" which was what really drew me in because I love MFM (a podcast which popularized that phrase) and other true-crime podcasts. A book made for someone who loves that stuff? Count me in. Unfortunately I would like to be counted out after reading this. Early on there is a line which bashes podcasts for being relatable and journalistic rather than coming across like a lecture given from the world's most boring and droning college professor. I'm just...confused. The story opens with the MC, Natalie, finding out her favorite teacher was murdered and since she already has a podcast she wants to investigate the crime. But it's so...tactless; she is literally recording AT the memorial service. OH, also can we talk about Kurt? Natalie mentions that she is uncomfortable with him because he stole her first kiss, and he's really aggressive. But then she just....forgets that and decides that she does like him. What is this Stockholm syndrome of a relationship. There's more to this story but it's just so messy. The mom switches personality types like I change my hair-color. There's random flashbacks. I don't know. The characterization in this book just felt like it was centered around moving the plot, instead of the characters being people with motivations. The mystery itself was average, and there aren't really any lose ends, but it was just average overall. I think that the marketing for this book just did it a disservice. I thought that the pacing and overall narrative voice was interesting, though, and I would definitely check out more by this author. This just wasn't for me!

I think I was on a thriller/mystery high after binging the Truly Devious books last year and I added ALL the YA Thriller books to my tbr. And I have dnfed almost all of them. It's a me thing and not the books. I just don't usually like thrillers. Or podcasts. And as far as thrillers go, this one is ok. But I feel like there's nothing new here. If you like thrillers then definitely pick this one up and give it a try. It's just not my cup of tea.

This book was the straw that broke the camel's back for me with YA mystery/thrillers. Idk what it is about this subgenre, it just never really works and this book was no exception.

I devoured this entertaining read. It was fun to read how Natalie and Katie went about solving the murder of their favorite teacher. The identity of the killer really took me by surprise. Mother and daughter earned a new respect for one another. I loved the ending!

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the murder podcast angle (as someone who enjoys listening to murder podcast as well). I really liked the way this story unfolded with going back and forth in time and then the big reveal?! Damn. That was unexpected!

The action in the title begins quickly and young readers will appreciate the true-crime references. It is a quick read that will interest reluctant readers.

Readers of Holly Jackson, Karen McManus, and Stephanie Perkins.