Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Minotaur for the gifted e-book ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this if you like: Reporters, competitive workplaces

This is a pretty good debut. It was interesting. I did not predict the end. I do think that it was on the slower pace side and was very repetitive. Other than that, I really liked it. You can tell the author was/is a reporter.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the digital ARC of "Off the Air" by Christina Estes which was published March 26, 2024!

This was a super interesting look into the world of reporting and it was so interesting reading a mystery with this aspect. It kept me wondering who may be the one responsible and every time new things were discovered I would change my mind! If you like mysteries the the idea of this book sounds intriguing to you I would defintely try it out!

I love a cozy mystery, but this one was just meh for me. The characters play a big part in these types of stories and I wasn't a fan of Jolene. I enjoyed the plot though, which is what kept me going.

When the synopsis promises a thought provoking read, I expect it actually provoke thought, not tell what it wants me to think.

This was a fairly basic mystery with rather superficial characters. I was a bit bored and found its beginning far too drawn out.

I am immensely grateful to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own. G

𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗶𝗿 follows a Phoenix-based tv news reporter, Jolene who’s covering the biggest news of her career so far - the suspicious death of a controversial and polarizing radio personality. Feeling the pressure to appease her bosses, outdo a rival, and stick to her principles has her making some questionable decisions, and crossing boundaries that land her in the middle of the investigation, and possibly danger.

This was a good cozy mystery set to the background of the news industry. The POV of a reporter especially one as intrepid and assertive as Jolene was a nice change. It’s an insight into the nature of the job which I came to view as challenging for the reporter, and intrusive to anyone in the crosshairs of a news piece or an investigation. However, i appreciated that it didn’t seem sugarcoated.

The political subplot will be hit or miss for readers especially since we’re in an election cycle. I wasn’t sure about it initially but I’ll say that Jolene came off relatively neutral. The author provided context to news headlines, bringing to the forefront her journalism background. Solving the crime held my attention, and I felt the stress from the mad hussle of Jolene’s job.

This is a good debut. The narrator
was good as well. Her interpretation of Jolene made her sound professional, and to the point. If Jolene has more adventures, I’d be up for reading them.

Highlights:
* Mystery with lots of suspects
* Strong, bold FMC
* Context/insight for news events

Heads up: politics & hot button issues (e.g. immigration), abandonment issues

My heartfelt thanks to @netgalley @minotaur_books & @dreamscape_media for my ARC & ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley & Minotaur Books for this ARC! My review on this is later than I normally post for ARCS so my apologies!

I wanted to start by saying that the initial synopsis of this that I read & the email that I received inviting me to read hyped the book up & made me excited to read what I thought was going to be a cozy murder mystery. In reality, this was more of a story about how to be a journalist & get your exclusive, regardless of what it took to get there. While Jolene, our MC, tries her best to be a principled journalist, she often falls into the same desperation that her colleagues in the journalism world are criticized for by her. The mystery portion of the story could maybe be shortened down to 4-5 chapters at most. Overall, the story was more about journalism & how Jolene had dedicated her life to being a journalist, how to get the most “exclusive” interview/ story, & how she could come out on top of the Larry Lemmon story.

I can’t say I would want to read this again or recommend it to others.

This book was sold as a mystery with a plucky heroine, but maybe because I went into it with that expectation, it turned out to be kind of a let down. I really liked the vivid Arizona setting, but the book was more of an exploration of journalism than the mystery I was expecting. I wanted an escape, and instead got a blow by blow - including lots of politics - of the non-credible circus that i modern media. This reminded me of the stress of reading about Covid in fiction, during the pandemic, which is just too stressful. I can see how this would be a fun read for the right reader, but it was not for me.

**3.5 stars**

Description: Jolene Garcia is a local TV reporter in Phoenix, Arizona. When word gets out about a death at a radio station, Jolene and other journalists swarm the scene, intent on reporting the facts first. The body is soon identified as Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host, who died under suspicious circumstances. Jolene conducted his final interview, giving her and her station an advantage.

Review
There were some things I LOVED about this book. One of those things was all the real life references such as Pat Tillman, which I think made the book even more interesting. I wasn't just reading a book with a 'fun little plot' there were real life events sewed into it. It felt like a treasure hunt to find which even of the events were real or not. I also loved the pace of the book, there wasn't a time that felt hard to get through. The last point I want to point out if the complexity of the 'villian' in the book made the plot a little easier to swallow.

On the flipside, there are a few things that I didn't love about the book. I think there were parts of that book that felt unnecessary. Why did Jolene have to have a little tiff with Nate? It happened and resolved so quickly and easily it didn't feel necessary to the plot. Also Oliver (is that even his name), was he supposed to be a red herring? Also Jolene just gets creepy ass notes and thinks "wow thanks for the info creep"????

Overall I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend to a friend looking for a high-tempo mystery read. I enjoyed the viewpoint of a TV reporter, as I feel like most recently the 'reporter' side has been someone doing a podcast or writing a book, but working for a TV network adds an interesting element to the book.

My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

DNFing at 29% in and my main complaint is that the plot is basically about drama in the newsroom and not about an actual death. I really don’t care that reporters are mad about not local reporters coming to town or that they need to post more on social media. Give me more substance

This was a great debut! Love the cover. There was a lot of politics in this one and a good amount of trigger warnings so be warned! Thanks for the copy!

Off the Air is the story of Jolene Garcia, a local Phoenix television news reporter. Jolene is always hunting for the next big story. She is also always competing with the other local stations to air the big news first. When Larry Lemmon, a local radio host, is found dead at the station, Jolene has an “in” for the big story. She recorded the last interview with Larry before his death. Jolene is intent on proving she can handle to big stories and on solving the murder. In truth, I finished this book because I received an ARC. I’m not sure I would have finished it otherwise. It was a good enough story. But not something that pulled me in. It is easy to read and flows well. Something to add to your summer reading list.

I think the simplest review of this book I can give is: I finished it, it was fine. But if this is the beginning of series, I will not be continuing. I don't enjoy being bashed over the head with superfluous details and political agendas in my fiction.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and Minotaur for the audiobook for me to review. No favorable review was required. All opinions are my own.

Off the Air is a timely mystery. A controversial radio host, Larry Lemmon, collapsed at the station. His death has been ruled a murder. TV reporter Jolene Garcia wants to be sure to get the scoop, after losing an Emmy award to her rival. She fights and claws her way into the news cycle. Jolene has an inside source at the police, but he keeps her from releasing some details, and another reporter breaks that story. Determined to be the one that breaks the case, Jolene puts herself in a dangerous situation, all in hopes of finally getting the recognition that she feels she deserves. Social media plays a role in the story.
This was both fun and serious at the same time.

I really enjoyed this book! I have never experienced life in the world of journalism so this was a very fast paced and wild ride about the competitive process of getting a large, newsworthy sorry to press!

With that said, I did find some details a bit boring and not really needed to push the overall story along (filler maybe?) but even those scenes still didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of this novel.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advance copy. My thoughts are my own.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this book. I couldn't connect with the characters or the political nature involved in the case.

I thought the information about Arizona was interesting and thought provoking as well as the issues with journalism in the modern day.

I just reviewed Off the Air by Christina Estes. #OffTheAirBook #NetGalley. Very entertaining book. Delightful cast of characters. I would highly recommend.

I was excited to read this book and hear about the inter-workings of a TV reporter, but I think overall, the book fell flat. I thought it would be more of a mystery, and although it centered around solving a murder, it didn’t read like your traditional Mystery/Thriller. Some may see this as a positive; however, I personally prefer the more traditional approach.

I also didn’t particularly like any of the main characters, which made it even more difficult to get through. Overall, I wouldn’t say that I hated reading this book; however, I definitely did not enjoy it as much as I had wanted to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for sharing this digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

When a local talk show host dies under mysterious circumstances, Jolene Garcia, a local TV reporter, will do just about anything to discover what truly happened.

The story was a mystery but fell flat in my opinion. I struggled to get through the book and was glad it was over. The characters weren’t memorable and nothing exciting really happened.

This story takes you along with a Phoenix reporter as she covers a story about a right-wing radical radio show host being poisoned, and she was the last person to interview him before he died. I enjoyed reading about the challenges of being a local journalist competing with national news outlets on big stories as well as others covering the city. You can really feel and sympathize with the character's frustration at getting scooped by a competitor or brushed off by a source. And I definitely didn't see the end coming. I would have been more engaged with a bit more drama instead of the--probably very realistic--ups and downs of going out to talk to people who may or may not shut the door in your face. I think perhaps a little more background on the lead would create more opportunity to relate to the character as well. Overall, it's a fun read, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in how local reporting works.

This topic isn’t super interesting to me. That being said, it was incredibly difficult to dive in and remain invested in the characters & the story. I also think I tried to jump in with two journalism books back to back, so it could have been burnout.