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>

Nothing bad to comment, but nothing to rave about. I read, enjoyed, and moved on.

An average read, done well, and the plot flowed but nothing special. Enjoyable. Average.

In small town Oreville, Washington nothing exciting ever happens - except once. Twenty years ago Clarissa Campbell, a recent high school grad, vanished without a trace after attending a summer party. Current high school journalism students, Blair and Cameron, choose Clarissa’s story for their capstone project and decide to create their own podcast, Missing Clarissa. In the tight knit community it is easy for the girls to find interview subjects. In fact (almost too conveniently), Clarissa’s entire inner circle: her parents, best friend, favorite teacher, and popular boyfriend all still live locally. The reporting duo, and Blair in particular, starts to push hard for answers to this cold case and the consequences of her podcast speculation could not only cost them their GPA, but also an innocent person’s freedom. Ripley Jones does a good job with plotting and pacing of this YA thriller, while also creating memorable characters. Blair and Cameron are particularly well-realized and feel like two authentic teenagers not only trying to solve Clarissa’s cold case, but also figure out their own paths in life. The one character that unfortunately reads a little flat is Clarissa herself, so the title plays out for the reader as well.

Missing Clarissa is a fascinating debut from author Ripley Jones. I absolutely loved the premise of two girls getting in over their heads when they get a little too involved in their school assignment of trying to uncover the mystery of a missing girl case from 20 years ago, The podcast idea was perfect, and I appreciate the research that went into certain aspects of the novel. I was not expecting the 'who done it' at the end. My only gripe, is the near constant need to point out every characters race every time we see someone new. It didn't relate to the story at all and felt a little unnecessary.

Blair and Cam are doing a project together for their teacher’s assignment. They have decided to do a podcast about Clarissa Campbell. She was the captain cheerleader for Oreville High School. She disappears at a party in the woods in 1999. Carissa is never seen or found anywhere again. The police question her friends, teachers and adults who knew her. No one knows anything. Blair and Cam uncover dirty small-town secrets. Finding out Carissa’s secret with her boyfriend and high school art teacher who became a figurehead has a good reason for wanting Clarissa dead. Did one of them do it?

The author gives the reader an awareness of problems withe the police and their prejudices. The characterizations of Blair and Cam made me want to know what they were going to do next. This young adult novel is an intense suspense/mystery with thought-provoking themes that took me for an unexpected ride.

Two teenagers decide to start a podcast for their journalism class assignment and decide to try and find out the truth about the town’s most famous cold case, the disappearance of Clarissa Campbell who vanished 20 years ago.

I really wanted to like this as this was recommended to fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder which I loved, but.. it just didn’t hit the mark for me.

Both main characters kind of annoyed me unfortunately and I guess it just wasn’t credible enough for me?

I recognize Im not the target audience. I would maybe recommend this book to teens but there are TW in this story such as SA.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

(3.75 stars)

The main characters felt very overwritten at the beginning. It was almost as if the author was trying to convince us they were teenagers which felt a little odd. However, as the book goes on, this definitely gets better.

I see how for some people Blair and Cam's decision making skills would seem outlandish and
unrealistic but personally, they felt very in character for two ambitious teens.

Because of the short length of the book, we don't really get a ton of time to be in the mystery of Clarissa Campbell's disappearance, but we do get to see a more human and emotional side of it through the interviews with the people she left behind. That's not necessarily a common occurrence in stories like this and it was an interesting perspective to read from.

Overall, it is a fast read and a fairly well done mystery that I think would appeal pretty widely.

I enjoyed this one but feel it was a bit too short. The timeline went by pretty fast so it sometimes felt like the book was rushed. I enjoyed the alternating POV and the personalitie of Blair and Cam and the story was interesting, I just wish there's been a more in-depth mystery.

Completely enjoyable young adult novel.
Full Murder in Common review here:
https://murderincommon.com/2023/03/19/ripley-jones-missing-clarissa/

I’m not sure what got me interested in Missing Clarissa—whether it was the general description, the podcast element, or I just felt like taking a chance. Thrillers aren’t normally my genre of choice. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by Ripley Jones’s debut novel. It was darker than I expected yet also has plenty of light character moments. Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

Clarissa Campbell went missing in 1999. The cheerleading captain at Oreville High, Clarissa was in many ways a town darling. Yet even after nationwide coverage, no one turned up any trace of her—dead or alive. Now, over twenty years later, two students at Oreville High decide to make Clarissa the subject of their journalism project. Blair and Cameron start a true-crime podcast, Missing Clarissa. As you might expect, there are many in their small town that don’t want this mystery stirred up again. As Blair and Cameron dig deeper into Clarissa’s disappearance, they find that it’s one thing to talk about a mystery and another to actually solve it.

As I intimated above, I wasn’t expecting to be so engrossed with the narrative. There’s something about how Jones crafted this mystery, however, that kept me engaged. I like how, even as the book dangles an obvious culprit in front of us, it’s also clear that we’re not expected to believe this person is the true culprit—we are led to expect a twist, which is indeed forthcoming in the final act. Honestly, the way that our intrepid podcasters uncover the true identity of Clarissa’s assailant, and the action-packed climax that follows, was the least interesting part of the book for me. It’s the journey to that moment that had me hooked, especially when Blair and Cameron are investigating their various leads.

Jones’s writing reminds me of another Wednesday Books author, Courtney Summers. Missing Clarissa feels a little bit like Sadie, one of my favourite Summers novels. Both involve podcasts about missing girls whose fates are unknown. Both ruminate on how our society treats lost girls, how we romanticize them, how we give them more attention if they are white and pretty. Sadie is much darker than this book. However, Missing Clarissa still has its moments of asking hard questions about misogyny and patriarchy.

This is apparent in how Blair and Cameron interact with the many male characters. Blair and Cameron are well aware of how their age and gender might lead most adults, particularly men, to underestimate them. At times they exploit this to their benefit; sometimes it is more of an impediment than anything else. Jones also explores how the power and privilege that many men accumulate—especially in a small town like Oreville—mean that they can avoid the consequences of their past actions, even if those actions might have landed someone else in jail.

I also love the respective characterizations of Blair and Cameron, the way they play off each other as best friends and then also the romantic subplots each of them has. Blair’s delusions about her relationship are classic. Cameron’s obliviousness to Sophie’s interest in her is adorable. The way that the two of them support each other, even when they fight, makes for such a compelling duo—I would read more stories featuring these two. Jones writes with humour and empathy. Blair and Cameron are two very distinct personalities with sharply different voices, and it comes through. As a podcaster myself, I greatly enjoyed the running gag wherein other characters criticize the sound quality of their podcast!

While it has many rough edges—especially in regards to how rushed the ending seems to be—Missing Clarissa is that rare thriller that held my attention. I literally didn’t want to stop reading it. This is high praise from me. I recommend it for fans of mysteries set in small towns, as well as people who want to read about intrepid girls setting out to investigate the disappearance of another girl. It’s not true crime—which, fortunately for us, means we get the closure inherent in the ending.

Best friends Clair and Cameron are looking for a fun way to complete their next journalism project. They start a true crime podcast around their small town mystery, Clarissa Campbell. She went missing in 1999 and no one has seen her since. Unfortunately for Blair and Cam, this story is more than they ever expected. They find themselves navigating sordid secrets and complicated relationships. But will these two teenagers be the ones to solve a case the case that tore their community apart?

I became so obsessed with these characters, especially Cam. She was so relatable and funny and awkward and I couldn’t get enough! I also loved the way social justice topics were discussed and education provided so seamlessly throughout the book. I was incredibly surprised by this YA novel!