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.

If you're a fan of true crime podcasts or books like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, then you will adore Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones!

The book follows Cam and Blair, who make a podcast for their journalism class where they review their small town's cold case of Clarissa's disappearance. Clarissa went missing in the 90s, and though assumed dead by many, a body was never found.

I really enjoyed Missing Clarissa. Jones does a great job with the plot, and leaving clues along the way on who the culprit was. I appreciated the attention to detail, where it wasn't immediately obvious, but there were hints and clues peppered in along the way. The teenagers felt real, not too young or too old for their ages, with the appropriate amount of being bratty and annoying. Some may see this as a detriment, but I felt like it was an honest depiction of your average teenager in high school.

I would for sure recommend listening to the book on audio. There are 5 narrators, and the audiobook is so well done.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

YA true crime novels are becoming some of my favorite to pick up. Missing Clarissa also incorporated a podcast which has become another of my favorite elements. A good YA read that I will be encouraging others who like AGGGTM to try.

Missing Clarissa follows high school students Cam and Blair, who start a podcast for their journalism class about a cold case in their town 20 years prior, where a high school girl went missing and was never found.

The characters in this one were a bit tough to deal with. I know they're high school students, but they could be pretty insufferable, especially Cam. The cast of characters was pretty undeveloped as well, which didn't help matters.

What kept me moving through this book, especially at a quick pace, was the story itself. I was invested in Clarissa's story and learning what happened to her. Admittedly, I did see the big reveal at the end coming, but it was still interesting and intense to read.

It wasn't my favorite YA crime novel, but it was still a pretty fun story to read.

Content warnings: Adult/Minor relationships (off-page), sexual assault (off-page), murder, gun violence, violence, cursing, homophobia

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had two of the most authentic teen voices I've read in a really long time. Blair and Cameron sounded and acted like teenagers I know and not like teen characters who were being channeled by an adult. There's a huge difference, and here it shows.

The story, also, was compelling because Blair and Cameron don't play it safe, and their recklessness often gets them into trouble. Even with all of the information available to them from true crime stories, the best friends still do stupid things and handle the consequences in a realistic way. It's so refreshing to see characters take such huge chances, even when they know that it's probably the dumbest idea to do so. Again, this makes them real and relatable.

Clarissa's story was sad, as stories like these are, but the fact that the best friends in the present day learn to assert who they are and stand up for themselves was reassuring. It also shows that no matter how much technology advances or what's available in the latest meme or GIF, people are still fascinated with the intents and motivations of how others think and act.

At times believing the girls were working on the podcast was a little bit of a stretch only because they get so caught up in Clarissa's case that that's ultimately more compelling. But for the most part, Ripley Jones made this as satisfying read. Great job!

While I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for my review, all opinions remain my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. While it was a great concept, it felt a little overdone. There have been so many of these books lately and I didn't feel like this one stood out much from the rest. It was a pretty good read, but nothing amazing to me.

This was an enjoyable YA thriller, which reminded me a little bit of A Good Girls’s Guide to Murder. The audiobook narrator really brought the personalities of the girls to life. Had a little humor along with a good mystery!

Podcast journalism has slowly become one of my favorite tropes and Missing Clarissa is the latest young adult mystery to use it.

This was a fast paced read that I mostly enjoyed. Cameron and Blair were good investigators, asking the right questions to get people to open up to them. There were a few red herrings and I didn’t expect who the doer ended up being.

While working on the podcast, Cameron and Blair both learn more about themselves, giving the story a personal touch. I also liked how the author highlighted how certain missing girls get more attention in the news and the need for that to change.

There were a couple things that didn’t quite work for me. Cameron acted a little too immature and so unaware of her actions and words that she came across as annoying. And while I liked the social commentary and see it as important, the book tried a little too hard to be woke.

I would say that I have had an incredible year of books thus far.

Missing Clarissa, was one of them

Being a part of the bookstagram community opens your eyes to new genres and authors that you would not otherwise know about if it weren't for the fabulous suggestions amongst avid readers like myself.

I never considered myself a fan of young adult. I like serious gore, blood, twists and well, sex but when an author can weave together a story in a way that Ripley Jones does, I would just about read anything they publish.

Missing Clarissa was incredibly well done and thorough. There were many elements of surprise that I was unable to predict and an intricate and detailed plot that kept me engaged from the first chapter. This book was an easy read that I flew right through and I am beyond excited to see what this author will come out with next.

Ripley Jones, you have made a fan out of me.

Teaser:

In August of 1999, dazzlingly popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington and is never seen again. The police question her friends, teachers, and the adults who knew her—who all have something to hide. And thanks to Clarissa’s beauty, the mystery captures the attention of the nation. But with no leads and no body, the case soon grows cold. Despite the efforts of internet sleuths and true-crime aficionados, Clarissa is never found—dead or alive.

Over twenty years later, Oreville high-school juniors and best friends Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast, determined to unravel the story of what—or who—happened to this rural urban legend. In the process they uncover a nest of dirty small-town secrets, the sordid truth of Clarissa’s relationship with her charismatic boyfriend, and a high school art teacher turned small-town figurehead who had a very good reason for wanting Clarissa dead. Such a good reason, in fact, that they might have to make him the highlight of their next episode…

But does an ugly history with a missing girl make him guilty of murder? Or are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man—and help the true killer walk free?

I couldn’t put this down. The podcast, the mystery, the small town, the main characters were all great.

4⭐️

<b>Everybody loves a dead girl.</b>

Blair and Cam decide to make a podcast for their journalism class and look more into the disappearance of a local girl, Clarissa Campbell, that occurred 20 years prior. They interview people who knew Clarissa back then to get a better idea of who she was as a person rather than the urban legend she became after her disappearance. As they dive deeper into the mystery, they find themselves in trouble as they start to uncover what really happened to Clarissa in 1999.

I devoured this book. It’s so easy to read and well written, and I love Blair and Cam so much. It <i>is</i> a little convenient that so many of the adults that they interviewed were so forthcoming with a couple of random teenagers brining up sensitive subjects, which is addressed in the book. Overall, a good book if you’re looking for a quick, easy read!

<b> Do we have to be lovable to be loved? Why do girls have to be perfect for their absence to matter?

Clarissa wasn’t perfect.

But people will make a girl who isn’t there into anything they want.</b>