Release day is March 7 2023 so make sure to grab a copy

This can easily be read in a couple of hours.
Not enough podcast for my opinion.
It took me a bit to get into but once I did I couldn't put it down.
Uping my stars to 4 because I didn't see the ending coming I thought it was headed down another path and the twist and turn was great.


My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This short YA thriller started slow but I found myself really getting into it the more the girls delved into a girl from their hometown who went missing 20 years before. I felt like the book tried to illustrate the discrpencies between why certain people have more media attention drawn to them then others, teenage sexuality and many other things. Overall the book kept my interst and I didn't see the end coming.

There are so many books about teens using a podcast to solve a cold case - any new story needs to bring something different to stick out, which this one didn't do for me. It was entertaining but I felt like I had read it before.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Clarissa is a girl who disappeared twenty years before our story starts. Now, two high school seniors have decided to do some amateur sleuthing for a podcast as a journalism assignment. Their investigation leads them to a few different suspects, but also puts them in danger.

Honestly at first I was prepared to DNF. I am really choosy about my true crime and even though this wasn't a real crime (it's a fictional story, after all) I did NOT like the attitude that the girls had, or the fact that they were using the disappearance of a teenaged girl for a grade. Eventually, their attitudes changed, so I'm glad that I stuck with it, but I was initially put off by it.

I had my suspicions from the beginning, and was correct, though there were a few things I didn't see coming. The story was well fleshed out and I think by the end it wrapped things up pretty neatly, which I always appreciate. I'll definitely read more by Ripley Jones.

Missing Clarissa is a fast-paced YA thriller.

For their journalism class, two high school students start a true crime podcast about Clarissa, a popular cheerleader who went missing in 1999. Cameron and Blair, mostly Cameron, believe that they can find the person responsible for Clarissa’s disappearance. The podcast quickly grows a dedicated following, and the situation becomes dicier as the girls get deeper into their investigation.

This YA thriller is a short and easy read. It follows Cameron and Blair’s perspectives. Most of it was well-written, but a few sections were starkly repetitive and juvenile.

Cameron wasn’t the easiest character to like. She’s super impulsive, jumping into things without thinking of the consequences. Blair has low self-esteem and has always been Cameron’s trusty sidekick, but she is becoming tired of that role.

I did like that this book raised the issue of pretty dead/missing white girls receiving the most media attention over people of colour.

But it’s still unrealistic to believe two teenagers could solve this cold case and not the authorities. If I were younger, maybe I’d be able to overlook it.

Overall, this was a fun and adequate thriller, it just won’t stick with me for long.

2.5 rounded up.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

We’ve all seen the headlines, the breaking news, the faces on the front of newspapers and magazines of people who have gone missing without a trace and, perhaps who are suspected to be dead. Who gets the full-page coverage, the top story on the news? Girls like Clarissa Campbell, a beautiful, Caucasian cheerleader with a football player boyfriend who comes from a good home. What happened to her back in 1999? Could she still be alive? Who could have wanted her dead?

For their journalism class, Cameron and Blair decided to do a podcast aptly named Missing Clarissa. What better subject to discuss than the mystery of a missing girl who attended their small-town high school over twenty years ago. Nobody ever forgot about Clarissa. The mystery surrounding her disappearance has haunted the town, her family, and her close friends.

A book is nothing without its characters, and this book had some great ones. I loved Cameron and Blair and their friendship. While they seemed like opposites, their bond was solid. Cameron was extremely intelligent (and she knew it), but she was socially awkward. Blair was athletic, had a popular boyfriend, and was thoughtful, but she lacked self-confidence. Their journey was not limited to just discovering what had happened to Clarissa Campbell, theirs was also a journey of personal growth.

This duo found themselves uncovering town secrets, taking some risks, being brave, and making some big mistakes. What began as a school project ended up turning into a passion project, leaving these girls needing to know what became of Clarissa. I was equally as invested and read on with my suspicions raised and my own theories swimming around in my mind.

Missing Clarissa was riveting, compelling, and dealt with relevant subject matter. I caught myself saying that I would just read one more chapter, but I was just lying to myself, because I did not want to put the book down. I am already looking forward to reading this author’s next novel.

*4.5 Stars

DNF at 10%

I normally try to give a book closer to 30% before deciding to DNF, but I cannot read any more of this writing. Maybe others will get on better with it, but the choice to use present tense in this way is weird, the characters are irritating, and the jumping around feels chaotic. In addition I am a big supporter of diverse representation in books but this is EXTREMELY heavy-handed and awkward in the way it's doing that. And I didn't even make it very far in. Again, others may like this better. The premise of high school students doing a podcast to investigate an old missing person's case is interesting but my brain just cannot deal with the writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review but unfortunately this one is a miss for me. All opinions are my own.

Short and Sweet Review
20 years ago Clarissa Campbell went missing after a party in the woods. Everyone was questioned and seemed to have something to hide, because of Clarissa’s status as a cheerleader and her beauty her case made national headlines. None of the leads led police to find Clarissa or arrest a suspect so now her case is cold.
20 years later high school juniors Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast and decide to cover the Clarissa Campbell case. The podcast is for a project for their journalism class, and Blair and Cameron realize that digging for information isn’t as easy as they thought it would be. The girls learn more about Clarissa, even a secret boyfriend, when they decide to make him the topic of their next podcast they could be letting the actual killer walk free.
The synopsis of this book sounded really good, who doesn’t want a cold case from 20 years ago to be solved by two teens from the same town who just decided to start a podcast. Granted the podcast is basically for their class project. I really wanted to like this book but there were just a lot of problems and my biggest one is the characters. Cameron would just go off and do things that aren’t ethical in the world of journalism and she knows they’re not because its what she’s learning about in class, also its like she’s too impulsive she’ll do things without realizing how it’s going to affect those around her. Blair on the other hand is like Cameron’s lackey she’s filled with a lot of self doubt and just about goes with anything Cameron wants to do. The girls do interviews with people who were the closest with Clarissa to find out more information about her life and what happened at the party. I feel that the girls got the information easily, no one made them work for it or even seemed like they were trying to hide something, they were all just spilling their guts. The thing that bothered me the most was when they found out that Clarissa was secretly seeing a teacher and Cameron decides he’s the murderer. The man was guilty of other things but not murder so I thought the girls got what they deserved when he retaliated.
Missing Clarissa was unrealistic and predictable and the ending was rushed. The plot was good but the way things were executed just didn’t work. Cameron and Blair were the biggest let down, I couldn’t relate to either of them and the decisions being made by the two of them were just impulsive and showed no care for a career path people actually take seriously. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book, but maybe someone else would like it.

The idea of Missing Clarissa had me from the start! There’s nothing like a good murder mystery that involve podcast and being advertised for fans of Karen McManus, Holly Jackson and the podcast My Favorite Murder. Truly all of my favorite things. But the execution? It just wasn’t it for me unfortunately.

The writing style was very much all of the place, there was no clear indication of which of the two POV’s were talking ( as in a chapter heading or something along those lines), so at times, it was hard to keep up with. While we’re talking about chapters, this book had the LONGEST chapters I’ve ever read in my life. There essentially weren’t chapters, just 7-8 sections in a book that’s about 250 pages. That definitely through me off. The writing style felt very choppy at times as well so I had a hard time getting into the story.

As for the story itself, the characters truly felt like teenaged sleuths. They weren’t spectacular or extremely smart so it was actually believable tbh. I thought they were well written. However, the adults in the book? For some reason one girl calls her mother by her first name, and I don’t believe the author ever says why. I thought it was strange tbh lol. Also the fact the these adults have no problem spilling their life long secrets to two teenagers but not the police or anyone else?

Overall, didn’t love the writing style but I really didn’t know who did it until the end somehow so that’s a plus! There’s also LGBTQ rep and maybe some triggers!

Missing Clarissa is the story of two teens in a town of about 20,000 people, who have grown up hearing stories about a teen who disappeared one night in 1999. The case has never been solved. Cam and Blair decide to make a podcast about the disappearance for their journalism project; they have no idea how many people want this case to go away.

I very much enjoyed the characterizations of the main characters. Cam is highly intelligent, raised by a single mom, a minority in a mostly white town, socially awkward, and in the closet to her mom and friends. Blair is a pretty girl who is dating the school’s basketball star, and she thinks any day people are going to find out she’s really not that interesting. She has such low self-esteem, she’s never shown anyone her writing, which is what she wants to do with her life. Her parents are very traditional and keep her on a tight leash. You really get the small town feeling as the teens investigate and upload their podcasts, frequently being referred to as “Nancys Drew,” which I got a kick out of, of course.

The young ladies’ investigation into the disappearance of Clarissa starts off slow, with neither of them knowing who to interview or what to ask them when they do figure that out. As a teen journalist-wannabee, I remember the same feelings the girls feel, but naive enough to not let that stop them from charging forward. The girls get a few key players in the disappearance to talk: Clarissa’s mother, who still lives in a fantasy world that Clarissa is out there somewhere, Allen, a geeky man who was friendly with Clarissa back in high school and was helpful to her parents in the months following her disappearance, the boyfriend, who was the only suspect police pursued at the time, the best friend, recently returned to the area, their journalism teacher, who, it turns out, was the reporter for the local paper at the time of Clarissa’s disappearance, the sheriff, who was the lead officer on the case, and a major artist, who was the art teacher at the high school in 1999. Almost all reveal parts of Clarissa’s personality that never seemed to make it into the national coverage that the case received when it first happened and in subsequent years.

I figured out who the murderer was as soon as the character was introduced, yet that didn’t prevent me from enjoying the teens’ journey to find out what really happened to the popular teen.

There is a substory worth mentioning about the indigenous people of the area and wish the author had gone a little more in-depth with the discussions the young ladies were having about the subject. It seemed out-of-place at first, but then it was brought up again by Cam’s love interest. I wish the book was a tad longer to explore something so important.

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from NetGalley and Wednesday books through St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Missing Clarissa was an engaging and captivating read. I read it in one sitting, despite only planning to read a few chapters. Once I had gotten a few chapters into the story, I was hooked. The characters of Cam and Blair, while brash and insecure respectively, were also clever and interesting. They are realistic depictions of two teenagers who have stumbled onto a crime that is far more ready to be back in the spotlight than they realized. All in all, I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone looking for a binge read with a satisfying end.

I’m conflicted about this book!

The good things first. I liked that this was fast paced. The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing. I thought for sure I knew who it was, but then when the big reveal happened it turned out I was wrong 🤷🏻‍♀️ I like that bc the author was able to trick the reader. And it felt natural like “okay yeah this makes since that the murder is this person” The final fight scene was fantastic too. A lot more action than I expected from YA!

What didn’t work for me was the writing style. It felt like on every single page Blair and Cam’s names were mentioned one thousand times. It’s like the author didn’t want to use she/her/they/them/he/his/etc for any of the characters. It was exhausting having to read blair did this then blair did that while blair washed the dishes. At one point I counted and “cam” was on page 8 times on one page! I don’t normally have much to say about writing style this but one didn’t mesh with me at allllll. I also thought it was strange that the author made a point to say that blair had this great descriptive narration style to her podcast script when the book itself has very little descriptors and relays heavily on dialog.

Overall, I thought the concept and the plot line was interesting. The author crafted a good story with enough moving parts and characters that kept me entertained. However with the writing style, I’m not sure if I’d pick up another book by them. I will probably see what the next one is about & check out reviews. I think this book is good for the age range it’s intended for.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
2.5 stars

This one was not my favorite. There were times where I was intrigued by the plot but that's really the only thing that kept me hanging on. I didn't like any of the characters, and Cam specifically drove me crazy. She made mistake after mistake, there wasn't any character growth at all. Also her interview skills were awful, and I was constantly irritated by how she'd just randomly start shouting and asking difficult questions of whoever was being interviewed. It was unrealistic how her and Blair ever got any answers at all with the way their interviewing skills were portrayed. I also was unhappy with the ending, and I felt like it was really rushed.

I also have to complain about the way social issues were addressed in this book. I'm all for individuals advocating for social justice and any other causes they believe in. However, there were parts of this book that were ridiculously pushy and at times where it really wasn't relevant to the story. It felt really clear that the author had not even one but multiple special agendas that she was trying to push, and it was just a little frustrating to read and unexpected in a fiction book. I believe that writing is a great way to spread information, and I do believe that it can be done in all stories, especially fiction. However, the level of unwanted information being given in this book was too much in my opinion.

Although I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book, I"m again grateful for the opportunity to read this ARC. I don't want to be unfair or cruel toward the author because I know it takes a lot of work to write a book and I absolutely respect that. I just wanted to share my personal opinion on the book but that should not keep others from reading it if they feel they'd be interested.

Cam and Blair are high school juniors who decide to make a true crime podcast for their journalism class project. Their subject matter is the mysterious disappearance of cheerleader Clarissa Campbell over twenty years ago. Clarissa vanished in the wee morning hours after reportedly fighting with her boyfriend at an after graduation party deep in the woods where local teenagers escape to drink and party hidden away from the eyes and reach of parents. Her disappearance garnished national attention, but with no clues the case went cold. Her story, however, has never completely died down as the internet is still buzzing with speculation.

Cam and Blair start researching the disappearance of Clarissa seemingly sure they can do what authorities couldn't . . . solve the mystery. They begin conducting interviews with players including suspects from that time - some of whom speak freely while others shun the spotlight with veiled threats. During the course of the filming of their podcast, the girls unwittingly rattle some old skeletons, making some people unhappy. Questions arise about some of the small town's prominent people, including the local sheriff and an old art teacher. It seems the girls have dared to poke a hornet's nest, letting a swarm of dark, dirty little secrets escape. Will their podcast end up getting one of them murdered?

Missing Clarissa is an entertaining, young adult mystery with an intriguing plot line. While Blair and Cam start out motivated by earning an A in their journalism class and gaining followers, they quickly become addicted to finding real answers to the mystery of Clarissa's disappearance. Characters are well-defined and developed with the main characters empathy-worthy with representation of different social groups including LGBTQ, social class and color. Jones's writing flows smoothly as the story unfolds at a steady pace. The intensity and anticipation increase as the girls dig deeper into the mysterious disappearance, serving to sound a warning bell in readers. Several red herrings are evident as possible villains, and I wasn't exactly certain of where this one was going until the reveal.

Ripley Jones's debut novel Missing Clarissa is an intense, young adult mystery rendered through multiple points of view. While it seems the utilization of a podcast to tell stories is becoming common now, the premise is well done and appropriate within the boundaries of two teenage girls for delivering the story in Missing Clarissa. Fans of young adult mysteries will enjoy this one. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next for this talented author.

Missing Clarissa was a fast paced book. While I found the characters to be a bit unlikable and immature, I appreciated the how the relationships were written. This is a solid mystery and the ending was a good one.

Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones is a remarkable young adult novel. The plot was certainly interesting but the characters sometimes felt a little flat to me. I was really excited to read this book with its topic and I really wanted to like it. Overall, it is an okay read. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley courtesy of Wednesday Books and St. Martins Press.

Tropes: Amateur detective, high school student, podcast, LGBTQIA+

I enjoyed the fast-paced story in this book. While I have not read Good Girls Guide to Murder, I know that the general premise is a podcast so I think that fans of that book would also enjoy this book.

The two main characters are best friends and high school journalism students. They have to create a project, and Cameron decides that they will make a podcast about Clarissa. A high school student who went missing from a party in the 90s. She's an urban legend in their small town because the police never figured out what happened to her- she just disappeared. When the girls start researching they find out that they may get in over their heads- especially when they get run off the road after meeting with a potential "suspect".

This book had a really fast pace but I think the ending was rushed for me. I wish that we would have had some more build-up to finding out who the killer was. I definitely did not figure out who it was before the book ended, and I didn't really like who the killer was- if that makes sense. So it was someone anti-climactic IMO. I liked learning the backstory of the friends who still lived in the small town- kind of like the "where are they now" but would've liked some more about Mr. Parks.

Overall a fun and fast read. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley courtesy of Wednesday Books and St. Martins Press.

Tropes: Amateur detective, high school student, podcast, LGBTQIA+

I enjoyed the fast-paced story in this book. While I have not read Good Girls Guide to Murder, I know that the general premise is a podcast so I think that fans of that book would also enjoy this book.

The two main characters are best friends and high school journalism students. They have to create a project, and Cameron decides that they will make a podcast about Clarissa. A high school student who went missing from a party in the 90s. She's an urban legend in their small town because the police never figured out what happened to her- she just disappeared. When the girls start researching they find out that they may get in over their heads- especially when they get run off the road after meeting with a potential "suspect".

This book had a really fast pace but I think the ending was rushed for me. I wish that we would have had some more build-up to finding out who the killer was. I definitely did not figure out who it was before the book ended, and I didn't really like who the killer was- if that makes sense. So it was someone anti-climactic IMO. I liked learning the backstory of the friends who still lived in the small town- kind of like the "where are they now" but would've liked some more about Mr. Parks.

Overall a fun and fast read.

Clarissa disappeared 20 years ago without a trace and the case eventually went cold. Cameron and Blair decide to do a podcast for their journalism class in hopes to figure out what happened.

This is a pretty typical whodinit mystery with two high schoolers trying to figure out what an entire police force couldn't. The story was interesting and kept me guessing. I do love a good mystery. I didn't think the podcast portion was executed well. The main characters were pretty immature which made them unlikable. I also felt like this story had a lot of unnecessary side stories. While there was an inclusive cast of characters, which I love, it also felt a bit forced. Gah I know I have a lot of not so nice stuff in there. I did like the story and look forward to this author's writing developing a bit.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one to me had so much more potential than what I read. The synopsis was what drew me in. The mystery of Clarissa was intriguing and I enjoyed that. I was becoming too annoyed at the juvenile and whiny characters to really focus on the plot though. It's quite a bit unbelievable to think adults would just tell everything to a bunch of kids for a podcast. The book to me seemed to lack something that I can't quite put my finger on and some subjects that were irrelevant to the story just didn't work for me.

Overall, the mystery was a great storyline, but the book seemed to be a bit of a mess with bad characters that are very unrelatable.

3.75 stars

If you’re looking for a YA mystery/thriller featuring two precocious protagonists who have no idea what they’re getting into, Missing Clarissa is the book for you.

In the summer of 1999, town darling Clarissa Campbell disappeared after attending a party in the woods. Some members of the close-knit community think she up and left her life behind, while others suspect something far more sinister. The problem is that nobody who was there is talking about it. Twenty years later, high school juniors, Cameron and Blair decide to investigate Clarissa’s disappearance in a podcast for a school project. But what started off as a vanity project slowly begins to place the girls in a whole heap of trouble, and perhaps into the path of a killer.

I enjoyed the style and pacing of the book. The protagonists felt appropriately adolescent and made some annoyingly teenaged choices as a result. There were some elements of the plot that I totally guessed, but overall, the plot was enjoyable even if slightly predictable. I liked how the book also touches on the reasons why Clarissa’s disappearance would garner so much attention as opposed to others. There’s a self-awareness to the book about a missing white female that would not have been present even a few years ago.

Overall, it’s an entertaining, fun read that you could definitely finish in one sitting. And it’s a great YA thriller for the teenager in your life.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.