This is a YA thriller that tells the story of Natalie, a teen obsessed with true crime that has a non-popular podcast too. When her favorite teacher gets murdered, like any good sleuth would, she decides to investigate what happened to bring justice to her teacher and get a good story for her podcast.

I was SO damn excited about this book when I read the premise. I love love love YA thrillers and teen sleuths and this sounded right up my alley. Sadly, I'm a bit divided on how I feel about this book.

There are certain things I did enjoy because the story itself was interesting and I do like how it developed. The twist was cool and it all connected well in the end. The ending too, I thought was a good way to wrap up the story!

It has a dual timeline which I enjoyed and I liked seeing Nat's mom as a young adult. However, and I think this might be why I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped...I did not connect to Nat as a character at all, she came off as annoying to me during most of the book.

The writing style wasn't my favorite. The story is told in third person and there were tons of references, and while I do enjoy references here and there, it felt like a bit too much, as if it's merely for showing off knowledge about true crime.

I would have also liked to see more investigating because some things felt a bit too convenient, like the clues would come to Nat rather than her working to get them.

In the end, this wasn't bad, but it was just okay for me. It's a quick read and it keeps your attention.

I would definitely give it a chance if you like small town mysteries and true crime.

*Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the audiobook e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

What’s the only thing better than true crime?

A fictional book about true crime where the mystery actually gets solved.

In Killing Time, Natalie Temple - high school true crime club resident and amateur true crime podcast host - finds herself in the middle of the true crime story when her favorite high school teacher is found murdered.

She sets out to solve the murder and discovers some secrets that need to come out and some that were never meant to.

I really enjoyed Killing Time. The story (and resolution) was satisfying and I enjoyed discovering all the twists along the way. It wasn’t as creepy as true crime podcasts or many suspense novels (probably because it’s YA fiction), but I thought it was well done and a nice change of pace.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for an audiobook ARC to review! I loved it!

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.

Natalie is a recent high school grad and her favorite teacher has been murdered. She is a True Crime junkie and hopes to cut her teeth on investigating the murder while she grieves her loss. Her single mother Helen, however, is not ready to let her go and ties her to the family diner for work and to keep her out of trouble. Little does Natalie know, her mother Helen has had her own experiences with investigating crime and the experience changed her life..

Thus begins two story lines: past/present with murders to be solved. It's very engaging and real to learn about both Helen and Natalie's lives and their inner monologues. To be clear, this is not a podcast based novel as it is promoted, I believe the podcast theme (if you can call it that) is meant to illustrate Natalies True Crime interests and tie in her friendships. I think she could've been a True Crime podcast listener as many of my students are! Another critique for me is that Natalie seems to be far too young as an 18 year old. I could be wrong, I did believe and enjoy her relationship struggles, I just thing they happen a lot earlier than after high school.

The two storylines tie together at the end and although there are many components that require suspended belief, it's an enjoyable romp and I would recommend to any YA thriller and mystery lover #KillingTime #RBmedia #netgalley

This story is about a girl who is obsessed with true crime. Her mother doesn't want her to have anything to do with it. When something happens to someone close to her she wants to be the one to solve the case, causing her to be in the middle of this true crime story. The story is told in two time lines, Natalie and her mother, Helen at Natalie's age. It was a good way to show the readers why Natalie's mom is so against her digging into true crime events, however, I was so interested in Natalie's story, that when it switched to Helen's it felt stilted. I usually don't mind POV but I just wasn't interested in Helen's story. Even after finishing the book I feel like Helen's story could have been just her mother recapping it to Natalie at the end. I also felt like the ending seemed to drag on for me. Despite these two things, it still is an enjoyable story if you like YA mysteries I definitely suggest you pick this one up.

This review will be shared on Goodreads and Amazon

KILLING TIME - BRENNA EHRLICH

⭐⭐⭐/5

Thank you @netgalley & Brenna Ehrlich for the ARC of Killing Time.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! It is a YA cosy thriller where Natalie seeks to find answers and solve the mystery of who killed her favourite teacher.

A bit slower in pace for me in some places but full of mystery with lots of suspects!

It is released in a few days on 8th March and I would definitely recommend a read/listen for anyone who wants a YA cosy thriller😍👌

#bookblogger #bookrecommendations #bookmum #bookblog #bookgoals #bookreviews #bookstagramaustralia #booklover #killingtime #brennaehrlich #netgallergy

2.4 stars
Our protagonist Natalie Temple is an eighteen and is true-crime obsessed. She has her own pod cast called “Killing Time’.
When her favorite teacher is murdered, Natalie’s obsession now possesses her. She uncovers secrets.
The secrets turned out to be a twist.

I had a problem liking any of these characters ~ most of the nasty language just was not necessary.
I didn’t care for the audio narrator; however, I believe she did a good job performing these unlikeable characters.
I hung in there and it turned out to be a tad better than I expected.
I know this story has and will find the right audience; however, it never got to the point of being a good read for me.

Want to thank NetGalley and RB Media for this audio eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 8, 2022.

**3.5-stars**

Natalie Temple is on the cusp of adulthood. It is summer and she should be out partying and enjoying time with her friends while she can before heading off to college. Unfortunately, that is not in the cards for Natalie after she discovers her favorite teacher/mentor has been murdered.

Natalie's greatest interest is true crime, much to the chagrin over her over-protective mother, Helen. In fact, her teacher, Mrs. Halsey, is the only adult who ever seemed to understand, and even nurture, Natalie's curiosity regarding true crime. Even though the pair had a bit of a falling out, Natalie still cherishes Mrs. Halsey as a person and feels determined to discover what happened to her. It seems only natural to Natalie to begin her own investigation into the crime.

Over the course of the book, you get both Natalie's present-day perspective, as well as her Mom, Helen's, past-perspective, which occurs while Helen was in her first-year of college. Through these two perspectives, the Reader gains insight into the complexity of Helen and Natalie's relationship, as well as the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mrs. Halsey.

I usually enjoy alternating timelines and perspectives and this was no exception. I liked getting to see Helen's background. It definitely helped to understand some of her overbearing behaviors; at least her motivations behind them. I certainly wouldn't say I agree with her parenting style. You trying to push her away, Helen?!

Natalie, for me, was the weak spot of this story. I did not enjoy her. I could relate to her on being obsessed with true crime at a young age and not having people understand you because of that, but dang, I found her so abrasive. The way her perspective was written rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed overly aggressive, or brash. I'm not quite sure how to explain it. It turned me off from the story.

Pushing that aside, however, the mystery itself, I was into. I did want to know what happened to Mrs. Halsey. I was absolutely taken along on that journey of discovery. I also found it interesting to see the connections between the past and present; to see how much Helen's own backstory shaped the present. That was very interesting.

Overall, this was a good reading experience for me. I wasn't blown away by it and there were a few aspects of the story I felt could have been handled better, but yeah, I liked it. The audiobook kept me engaged and I would definitely pick up future work from Brenna Ehrlich.

Thank you so much to the publisher, RB Media, for providing me a copy to read and review. I really appreciate it!!

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.

Killing Time by Brenna Ehrlich really appealed to me with the premise. I enjoy it when an author takes two timelines and weaves them together. The story kept my interest and had some unexpected twists. Laura Knight Keating performed the book very well. The author wrote some great descriptions. Thank you #NetGalley and #RB Media for letting me review an early copy of this book.

Nothing ever happens in this small town...until now.
Natalie is heartbroken to find out that her favorite teacher has been murdered. While rumors are flying about, Natalie decides she must get to the bottom of it. She won't let false information spread about someone she cared about. Natalie must hide her investigating ways from her mom as she doesn't approve of her daughter's fascination in true-crime. Thankfully, Natalie has friends by her side who support her, including the cute, new boy in town. As Natalie starts to hunt down answers, she starts uncovering truths that were never meant to be told. Will she find out what really happened to Mrs. Halsey and put an end to these rumors once and for all?
This was my first read by Brenna Ehrlich and I enjoyed the overall idea and story. I loved that there were two stories being told, Natalie's present and Helen's past; The dual story was executed very well. It was different reading a story from third-person POV, as most books I come across are first-person POV. Along with reading the e-book, I also listened to the audiobook. Overall, I enjoyed listening to the story, however I did find that narrator's breathing was distracting at times. The recording equipment seemed to pick it up a lot, more specifically when the author was inhaling before starting a new sentence or reading on. When reading the description of the story, I was excited to see it was being marketed as a read for "murderinos", a term if not originated from, then made popular by the True-Crime/Comedy podcast My Favorite Murder. I was then disappointed to see a paragraph in the book that mentioned a podcast with two hosts who talk about their favorite murders that are "gleeful and error-riddled" and "don't deserve the story" because they "can't get their facts straight." This appears to be a bash towards the very podcast with a "murderino" following. Overall, I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to those who enjoy a YA thriller.
I received a free copy of this audiobook via NetGalley and e-book via Edelweiss+. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

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.

In a world obsessed with true crime podcasts and TV shows, teenage Natalie Temple is not immune to the lure of the seemingly easily solved world of crime. When her favorite teacher is murdered, Natalie is determined to put her detective skills to work and ferret out the killer. What does our obsession with true crime say about us? That’s the question behind this thought provoking cook

This was a grear ya thriller. The determination brings everything that was burried on the surface. I likes the charecters and the story. I was more interested how the MC was feeling about what happened and even more it was interested what was happening to her. Mom and daughter story that keep me wondering was really greeping and nice narrated.

Thank you RB Media and Netgalley for this ALC.