"Bad Press" by Rachel Mucha is a gripping mystery thriller that delves into the dark side of media manipulation and scandal, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

It’s rare that I can’t figure out has done it by the middle of the book. Great job! I'm so glad I decided to read this one! It's not often I find myself unsure how a mystery book is actually going to end. I was dying to know who actually had done it or if it had even actually been done. Really fun reading experience

Not what I expected at all unfortunately. My rating reflects my personal enjoyment of the book rather than its quality. Review not posted anywhere else. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Evie, news reporter, loses her job so she goes to a small town. She resolves a murder case and gets involved with a cop. It’s an ok suspense.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from City Owl Press and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Relatable characters, witty dialogue and a great sense of what the reader wants.

Bad Press was a fun read with a witty, relatable reporter who was easy to cheer for. Rachel Mucha has an enjoyable writing style that keeps the reader engaged. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Small town reporter Evie Hunter used to be a crime reporter on the Washington Post. But she was fired and ends up in a small Virginia town, the only place she could find a job. Desperate to get back on the crime beat, she is determined to take her chance when it comes along.

Getting close to an attractive local detective seems a good start. And finding a serial rapist doesn't hurt either. So Evie decided to investigate a local mystery: the disappearance of a young girl almost ten years earlier.

Bad Press is a quick read. There is little depth to the characters and the plot feels rather Nancy Drew. Evie doesn't really work, alternating between young reporter and love sick teenager. I just couldn't see her as a city reporter on a prestigious paper at all. And the ending is all rather obvious.

Evie is stuck in Bristol Virginia after her crime beat career crashed and burned in DC. When she gets the chance to get back on to the crime beat in her small town she finds herself getting on the wrong side of the police department, including handsome detective Marcus Pennington.

This book really started off great! Right off the bat Evie showed that she was smart and a badass. The story sets up the antagonism but attraction between Evie and Penn really well.

However, that starts to fade a bit as we get into the story. The crime Evie investigates was interesting, and exactly what I would expect her to look into to boost her profile as a crime reporter. The crime part of this story worked really well. However, the way Evie allows herself to be manipulated by some of the main suspects was aggravating. From the description of her as a big city crime reporter and intelligent woman, it felt a bit out of character that she was so easily swayed by the male main suspect.

And in terms of the romantic part of the book, though we had a really great start. But the bulk of the middle of the story was a back and forth with Marcus but so much more back than forth. It took a bit too long for either of them to even acknowledge an interest in each other. The continued denial was tiresome. That being said, both characters were great, and I was rooting for them to get together (just like Grace!). And just a note that there is absolutely no spice in this book other than some light kissing.

Overall I think this was a good romantic suspense story, but was missing something to push it over to ‘great’.

Read and reviewed this Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, a great who done it and even some romance! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I will definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Evie Hartley – once a crime reporter for a big city paper is now the writing stories about up-and-coming local artists and cultural events in a small town. The current crime reporter is fired and Evie jumps at the chance of proving herself to take his place. Has she learned her lesson and will she be able to work by the book? Back to square one, with no connections in the police department how will she finish writing the story? Through process of elimination and some adventure her contact becomes Detective Pennington, or Penn as she nicknames him. The 2 develop a bit of a complicated relationship which makes the reading fun. Penn sticks to her and has her back but she still seems to find trouble.
I hope there will be more stories featuring Evie and Penn.
It’s a fun, easy but still interesting mystery read – a nice balance between a cozy and more thriller/mystery genre