I received this book for free (hey, thanks!) in exchange for an honest review. I promise that this does NOT affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. For real.
Killing Time by Brenna Ehrlich Genres: Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Published by Harlequin on March 8, 2022
Format: eARC (336 pages) • Source: Publisher
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Killing Time follows a true-crime obsessed teenage girl who sets out to uncover a killer when her favorite teacher is murdered. With a dual POV that sends the reader back twenty years, this engrossing and twisty thriller is perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Karen McManus.
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’s favorite teacher has been murdered, 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. Not if she has anything to say about it – even if she has to hide her investigation from her disapproving mom and team up with a new boy in town with a mysterious smile and a talent for making fake IDs.
But the more Natalie uncovers, the more she realizes some secrets were never meant to be told.
With two interwoven mysteries, Killing Time is a deathly warning to a generation of murderinos: what happens when the stories we’re chasing finally catch up with us?
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Book Review
KILLING TIME immediately sparked my interest – any time a mystery/thriller includes a true crime podcast element, I’m there. I’m also always excited to read books set in Connecticut. This one ticks both of those boxes. I didn’t realize right away that there’s a “past” and “present” back-and-forth throughout the story too, which was really intriguing. I kept wondering how the two timelines would connect.
I have to admit that I didn’t love the main character, Natalie. She was kind of frustrating to read about because she dove headfirst into things without thinking. She definitely ignored red flags all over the place. Her mom was arguably even worse to read about. She was extremely strict. I assumed from the beginning that this connected to her past that we were reading about in alternating chapters, but it didn’t make it any easier to read. It made it harder to stay focused on reading and it took me longer to read than I hoped.
The setting and references to Connecticut places were definitely some of my favorite parts of this. The ending of the story was pretty fast-paced after a major THING happens and I was intrigued to see what would happen. It was hard to put down – I was super tired and literally fell asleep with my Kindle in my hands because I didn’t want to stop reading.
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.
Author links: Website // Twitter // Instagram
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