Title: Killing Time
Author: Brenna Ehrlich
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Contemporary
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: March 8, 2022
Rating: ★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Summer in Ferry, Connecticut, has always meant long, lazy days at the beach and wild nights partying in the abandoned mansions on the edge of town. Until now, that is.
Natalie Temple, who’s never been one for beaches or parties in the first place, is reeling from the murder of her favorite teacher, and there’s no way this true-crime-obsessed girl is going to sit back and let the rumor mill churn out lie after lie—even if she has to hide her investigation from her disapproving mom and team up with the new boy in town…
But the more Natalie uncovers, the more she realizes some secrets were never meant to be told.Expertly-plotted and brimming with suspense, Killing Time is more than just a mystery. It’s a thoughtful novel about true crime stories and how we tell them.
Review:
Natalie Temple is obsessed with true crime. When her favourite teacher is murdered, Natalie wants to investigate it herself to put on her podcast. Her mom disapproves of Natalie’s true crime obsession because she has a secret history with a criminal investigation. Natalie sneaks around, behind her mother’s and her best friend’s backs, to get the story, but she ends up getting more tangled up in the murder investigation.
This was a very suspenseful story about a teenage girl investigating a murder in her small town. Natalie’s mom seemed a little extreme in the way she controlled everything Natalie did, but she had her own reasons which were told through some flashback chapters. Though her mom was overprotective, there were a few moments where Natalie was able to sneak around without getting caught. If her mom was as protective as she said she was, I don’t think Natalie would have been able to get away with so many things. She did get into some very dangerous situations so I can’t blame her mom for trying to protect her.
There were some potentially triggering scenes. There was murder, suicide, assault, and a couple of non-consensual kisses. The non-consensual kisses were kind of brushed off. Since it was clear that Natalie didn’t want them to happen, I would have liked that to be addressed more to make it clear that she didn’t want it and that it wasn’t a good situation.
I figured out some of the twists before they happened. The murderer was in my top two suspects, but I still enjoyed this story.
Killing Time was a suspenseful thriller!
Thank you Inkyard Press for providing a copy of this book.
What to read next:
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh
About the author:
Brenna Ehrlich is a journalist, YA author, and editor who has worked everywhere from MTV News to Rolling Stone. She resides in New Jersey with her husband Morgan and their two cats, Nimbus and Hazel. She enjoys horror movies and romcoms in equal measure.
Have you read Killing Time? What did you think of it?
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