For their journalism project, Blair and Cam decide to do a podcast focused on Clarissa Campbell- a girl who went missing in their small town 20 years ago. As their podcast gets more popular, and they uncover more and more clues, things start to take a dangerous turn for the girls.

I liked this book! There were a few parts that felt a little too YA for me, but otherwise I liked the story. I thought the character growth for Blair and Cam were organic and great to see and I liked seeing how their respective romantic relationships played out.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. I had heard a lot of buzz about this book ahead of it's publication and was anxious to get my hands on a copy. There are many similarities between this book and "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" but it also has many differences. Like the previous mentioned novel, this book involves girls attempting to solve a crime and utilizing a podcast to do so. In addition this is also for a school project, their journalism class. It also involves the disappearance of a high school girl. Some differences is there is the addition of one of the main characters struggling with her sexuality and there are 2 sleuths working together instead of one.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a fun read and perfect for fans of books like "A Good Girl's Guide.."

I really enjoyed this book. It couldn't stop reading to find out what really happened to Clarissa. I liked the podcast idea and how it progressed.

3 stars

I don't read a whole bunch of YA anymore, especially YA thrillers, this one was marketed to fans of Sadie and A Good Girls Guide to Murder probably because of the podcast element.

Two girls start a podcast looking into the disappearance of a local girl who went missing in the late '90s. They hope that they will be able to shed some light and look at the case through fresh eyes and doing new interviews will help close this case, however, there are things people want to keep buried.

This book was ok if you are the intended audience. As an adult I kind of figured out who did it as soon as they were introduced, however, everything was laid out nicely and the formula was followed well.

Overall it was a fine read just not really intended for my age group.

Overall, this was intriguing, entertaining, and had an action packed ending with diverse characters. I enjoyed this novel with its fascinating story line. This is the first book I have read by this author. This novel should appeal to those who enjoy young adult mysteries or true crime podcasts. I would definitely recommend this author and look forward to reading more for Ripley Jones.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Matins Press, Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

From the synopsis: In a gripping novel perfect for fans of Sadie and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, two best friends start a true crime podcast—only to realize they may have helped a killer in the process. First off, this book gets a bit of a disservice by being called a YA novel. People unfamiliar with YA may take that to mean it is light, fluffy, without much impact, but the opposite is true. This is some smart writing of an interesting story that kept me turning pages to find out what the girls can uncover. The author did a great job in bringing together the past and present within the story. Highly recommend this read.

This was a great YA thriller! If you enjoyed A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, or anything similar, you will definitely enjoy this book! The main characters Blair and Cam are well-developed, as are their supporting characters. I am biracial, half white and half Afro-Latina, so I identified a lot with Cam and Irene and their family dynamic. I loved the representation in the book, as well as some of the harder topics touched on such as prison abolition. The only critique I had was that the head-hopping(switching of character POV) was a little confusing at first, but once I became accustomed to the author's style, it got less confusing. I know this can be an issue for a lot of readers though!

Overall, great book and would definitely recommend!

A short fast paced YA thriller. This book had quite a few comparisons to other books by popular authors I'd say it's best going into reading this one blind as not to feel the need to make such comparisons while reading it.
This was a fun read with the mystery set in the 90's the missing popular cheerleader captivated the country until the case ran cold.
20+ years later Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast set to solve the mystery from the 90's, Clarissa the missing cheerleader who's case remains cold.
If your looking for a YA mystery\ thriller to finish up over a weekend I suggest picking this one up.

An entertaining mystery that kept me on my toes! I was unfamiliar with this author, but will definitely keep the name in mind for future reading. The story was cleverly plotted and entertaining from start to finish. Recommended!

I am always down for a good small-town mystery, especially since this was compared to a good girls' guide to murder and Sadie which are two of my all-time favorite books. This book had me gripped from the very first page. I loved both of our main characters and the wit and banter that was scattered throughout the serious topics that they were dealing with and how great they handled the difficult situations they were put into. Aside from our main characters I also found all of the side characters to be likable as well. I loved the small town setting especially since this was a small town where nothing ever happened. The plot was very well-paced and I sped through this one in just one afternoon. overall I can't wait to pick up more from Ripley Jones in the future.
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Thank you netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes a good whodunit novel just hits the spot. In Missing Clarissa two teens set out to solve a twenty year old cold case.

I enjoyed the true crime podcast aspect of this story. I’ve never listened to them, but I know they’re incredibly popular, and I have several friends who’ve listened to numerous ones featuring true crime. Blair and Cam decide to host a podcast of a twenty year old murder/disappearance of a teen from their high school for a journalism class assignment. Although she’s a talented writer and dreams of being an author, Blair suffers from a serious lack of self esteem. Seeing her come into her own by the end of the story is a treat. Cam is incredibly intelligent and driven, but is also headstrong and immature at times. Their friendship is strong, but it’s not without its clashes and challenges.

As Cam and Blair delve into the disappearance of Clarissa, there’s no shortage of suspects – but I guessed the culprit the second their name was mentioned. They also discover there was more to Clarissa than just the dazzlingly popular cheerleader everyone believed her to be. A bit of suspension of disbelief is required that two high school students could solve a case that perplexed authorities for two decades, but it was fun to watch.

At a little over two hundred fifty pages, this is a short read with a brisk pace and can easily be read in one to two sittings. The mystery isn’t difficult to figure out, but it’s still an entertaining read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow! I thought this book was amazing. The characters, both good & bad, were excellent and the way the story unfolded was great! I loved following Cam & Blair as they tried to uncover the mystery of what happened to Clarissa while navigating young love, figuring out who they were and how to make it through high school. I enjoyed being introduced to Clarissa’s friends & family and hearing their part of the story. The ending was one of the best I’ve read in a while. It tied up the loose ends while also allowing the reader to imagine where the story could go past the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for the chance to read this book in exchange for my review. It was a great read!

**3.5-stars rounded up**

In August of 1999, in the small town of Oreville, Washington, local It-Girl, Clarissa Campbell went missing from a party in the woods. She was never seen again. Clarissa's disappearance and the mystery surrounding it made national headlines. It was exactly the type of story the public desires; a beautiful white girl, popular and beloved by all, vanishing without a trace.

Decades later, best friends and Oreville High School students, Cam and Blair, decide to take on Clarissa's case for their journalism class; creating their own podcast to document their investigation.

They know it's ambitious, but their goal is to solve the case, to finally see justice for Clarissa. With minor oversight from their Journalism teacher, Mr. Park, the girls set out in their investigation and start to post their podcast. Before they know it, they have a serious following. Will they actually be able to solve this?

Missing Clarissa is a solid and compelling YA Mystery. It was easy for me to get drawn into this story. I liked both Cam and Blair from the start and thought their relationship was believable. I really enjoyed their dynamic and how their personalities played off one another.

Cam is the one who is much more driven and focused in regards to this project initially, but Blair brings a lot to the table. Blair is great at reading people and getting them to talk to her, whereas Cam is a little more blunt in her interpersonal communications.

As the Reader, you get to learn about Clarissa and her story at the same time the girls are and I appreciated that. I feel like many authors would have included a past perspective, perhaps Clarissa's, to tell this story.

In my opinion. the way Jones laid this out worked really well in this case. Because you just had the modern perspective, it felt like you were actually part of the investigation with Cam and Blair. While I think I would have enjoyed the story either way, I liked how straight-forward this was. It was refreshing.

There were times that I grew worried about our mains. I grew connected to them and was worried they were going to get hurt. Especially Blair, because her character image sort of came to mirror Clarissa's. They left no stone unturned in their investigation, interviewing friends, family, teachers, even police who were around Oreville in 1999 and may remember something of import. The podcast took off.

I will say, in the second-half, there was a side character who started to be included more; a love interest of Cam's. I couldn't stand that person and after they became involved, it annoyed me and became a distraction. It changed the dynamic of Cam and Blair working together. I don't know, that just kind of threw me a bit.

Luckily, it did come back around in the end, so while there were a few narrative choices in here that drove me batty, I still think overall this is a fun, compelling story. I'm not over the fictional true crime podcasts yet...

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I really enjoyed this book! It was very fast paced, and I loved the podcast aspect! My only complaint is that I think this book could have been a little longer and a little more fleshed out. Overall though, this was a really enjoyable read!

Interesting story of two teenagers doing a podcast for a journalism project on the missing girl Clarissa. Will they find any information or will they get too close to a killer and wind up missing themselves?

This book reminded me a lot of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - just not as well done. I enjoyed Missing Clarissa but it was too predictable for me. Blair and Cameron were fun characters but i just did not feel very connected to them.

Overall, this was an entertaining read that had an action packed ending. This is the first book I have read by this author and i enjoyed it but it was just too similar to AGGGTM for me. I would definitely recommend this one to fans of young adult mysteries or true crime podcasts.

This is one of the best arcs I got from netgalley to date. I love the podcast element, the solving of a cold case, the dreams, friendships, suspense and everything in between. I want to get this in physical format I loved it so much!

This might be harsh but I am over the whole "true crime podcast" trope. I think the author and book was well-intended but it felt like too many books I've read before.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones.

Twenty years after Clarissa Campbell goes missing at a high school party, best friends Blair and Cameron take the case on for a HS assignment. They create a podcast called Missing Clarissa in hopes of FINALLY uncovering exactly what happened to her. But they never could have expected just how strongly reactions would be to their prodding, or the dangers that they could encounter...

If you read a lot of YA mysteries, then you've probably read this one, meaning you've already read a version of it. I LOVE a good true crime podcast, unfortunately, the podcast trope is being done a lot these days. The one thing that set this apart was Cam's character, a neurodivergent wonder who is barely coming to terms with her sexuality. She makes the book not only delightful, but equally exasperating.

This was a fun enough book, but if the plot sounds familiar, I would reach for something else.

Podcasts are the in thing now so of course their big in fiction these days. The first one I read that included a podcast theme was A Good Girl's Guide for Murder and it admittedly set the bar pretty high.

This book is similar to that one in that the podcaster's are high schoolers doing a school project and their podcasts are about a missing local girl. Both books have their podcasters making people uncomfortable with their questions and putting themselves into dangerous situations while they are 'investigating'.

I can admit I suspected the guilty party in this one before the podcasters did and the other book didn't shine the light on the killer quite so brightly. That being said Cam and Blair are best friends so the dynamic is different, throw in a little "coming out" and a family cat named Kitten and I did enjoy this book overall.