I started out liking this, but the awkward writing got so bad by the end and the characters' choices so absurd, that I was taken totally out of it. The way Jones constantly just out-loud described people ("white guy" was used ad nauseum here) was so strange, not because of representation or lack thereof but because it was just... a descriptor every time a character was introduced. It was lazy.

I'm always down for a YA-murder-podcast-thriller, but I'll admit the POV shifting was a bit dizzying for me as a reader. This book does have one of the best prologues I've read in a long time, though. It was a gorgeous way to set the scene and raise the stakes.

I love a good YA murder mystery. I’ve read probably over 50 of these at this point but for some reason, they just never get old. I don’t know why YA murder mysteries are so entertaining but they just hit different.

The case of the missing Clarissa Campbell went viral in 1999 and her case is on every true crime and conspiracy theory forum. Despite the general public’s obsession, she is never found dead or alive. Twenty years later, two teens from the same rural town think that they can uncover what happened by digging into the secrets of their small town.

What I like about this book is that these girls are not anything extraordinary. They are the epitome of regular high school girls. They could not be more normal or more naive. Having two extremely normal and unremarkable girls attempt to solve a 20 year old murder mystery and actually get somewhere kind of reaffirms that anyone can do anything lol. I liked that these girls weren’t super smart, super good at solving cases, or anything other than ordinary. In fact, Cam makes the absolute stupidest decisions, like confronting a killer on her own and walking right into their home knowing they’re the killer, and also telling no one else who the killer is or that she going to confront them at their home. These girls truly are just high schoolers with the classic teenage mindset of bad decision making and thinking they’re invincible. This makes this book much more relatable than the Truly Devious books, for example.

I personally enjoyed this book much more than A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder or the Truly Devious books. The plot was more interesting and it was a much more fun read. This was a fun way to pass a couple of hours.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

“None of us saw Clarissa leave the party. And none of us saw her again.”

Clarissa Campbell had the perfect life- she was beautiful, a cheerleader and had the football player boyfriend everyone wanted. That is until she disappeared from the forest one August night in 1999. No one knows what happened to her. No body was ever found and no one was charged, but everyone knows she’s dead. We’ve all heard the stories, there’s no other outcome.

Fast forward 20 years. Blair and Cam decide to focus their semester-long journalism project around solving Clarissa’s disappearance and what better way to do that than with a podcast? Everyone loves a podcast. They set off on their journey by interviewing people who knew Clarissa or who were involved in her case. Naturally, they start with Clarissa’s mother who is oddly eager to speak to them and believes her daughter is still out there somewhere and speaks about her in present tense. It’s sad really, but sometimes hope is all we have.

As Cam and Blair dig through Carissa’s past, secret after secret bubbles to the surface. Secrets not only about their beloved town of Oreville, but about themselves as well. Can they solve the case before it’s too late or will someone do everything they can to make sure some secrets stay buried? More importantly to the girls, will all of this tear apart their friendship?

I’m not used to reading third party pov stories as they often tend to bore me. However, the writing style in this particular instance drew me in and kept me hanging on every word. The ending shocked me, but when thinking back, it was so obvious and completely textbook if you’re obsessed with true crime (like me 🤣). This was a fantastic and fast paced read. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a little bit of mystery.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I'm a sucker for a good true crime podcast and am beginning to be a bigger sucker for books about true crime podcasts. Missing Clarissa is definitely one of my new favorite of those books! Blair and Cameron are great characters and I would love there to be another book with more of their podcasts. Loved the story line, the pace of the story, the suspense and twist. Highly recommend.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: March 7, 2023
Ripley Jones' debut novel "Missing Clarissa" is a modern and fresh suspense novel with relatable characters, all wrapped up in a clever "who dunnit".
Clarissa Campbell went missing twenty years ago, while at a party with her friends and there has been no trace of her since. Her boyfriend at the time was questioned and released and no one in the small Washington town had any idea what happened to the beautiful cheerleader. Now, Cam and her best friend, Blair, decide to make a podcast about the disappearance for a journalism project. However, their investigation opens new wounds for the town and their new discoveries put their lives at risk.
The premise of "Missing Clarissa" is not new or novel. In fact, I have probably read two or three novels recently with an investigative podcast at its core. Jones, however, makes "Clarissa" unique and relevant, highlighting societal issues (like feminism and racism), and making her characters young and diverse. Cam and Blair are the epitome of “high school bff’s”, with the current challenges of social media as their main stressor, and they are both naïve and delightful. As they try and muddle their way through high school, while investigating a former murder that no one wants re-investigated, it is easy enough to cheer for the friends, and the ending delivers a satisfying outcome for the two.
The story is told by both protagonists, which provides more background for the girls' friendship as well as making for a more well-developed plot. Although the plot takes place primarily as the investigation is ongoing in present day, there are snippets from the past that shed some light on the mystery behind Clarissa’s disappearance. Jones can deliver a captivating, seat-of-your-pants read, and with the knowledge that this is a debut novel? Good things await!
Although the ending was not entirely surprising, I really enjoyed Jones' build up and slow release. Smart and taut, "Clarissa" is an engaging read and if Jones continues along like this, she will be someone to watch for!

I received a free copy from NetGalley. It seems like, "lets do a podcast about an old murder," is the new plot line for a number of books recently. Time and a fresh set of eyes helps, but lack of training for the teenagers doing it always leaves me with some doubt.

Date made up. I feel behind on reviews.

Thank you to #NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones. This YA mystery will be published in March 2023. All opinions are my own.

In August 1999, recently graduated Clarissa Campbell goes missing in the small town of Oreville, WA. The case makes national news, but Clarissa is never found. Twenty years later, her story is almost mythical and high school students Cameron Munoz and Blair Johnson decide to investigate the story and create a podcast for their journalism project. The two dive into the case and bring old wounds to the surface. It's clear that someone doesn't want the mystery solved, but the question is who.

My official rating for this book is 2.5 stars. It echoes A Good Girl's Guide to Murder to heavily and the writing is chunky and difficult to get into. The point-of-view rapidly changes between Blair and Cam without notice which can be befuddling. Additionally, the story just isn't super believable. Two high school girls start interviewing adults without much research or planning, pretty much just going on a hunch, and the adults pour their hearts out and share secrets they've kept for 20 years without much prompting. It's just too easy and not very realistic. There is also a discussion about the prison system, not appropriating stories, and the mistreatment of subjugated populations. These are important topics, but I felt like the book tried to cover too much in one go. There wasn't a focus and it felt unconnected from the central plot.

Clarissa Campbell disappeared without a trace twenty years ago. Her disappearance was sensationalized in the news, television, and magazines. Back then, it was unheard of for a teen to go missing in the small town of Oreville.

With Clarissa’s disappearance still unsolved twenty years later, it became a journalism project for classmates and best friends, Cameron and Blair to uncover clues that may lead to solving the mystery.

Through a series of interviews with Clarissa’s classmates, friends, and teachers, Blair and Cameron slowly uncover hidden truths and secrets. Truths and secrets that laid dormant for many years and are now coming back to haunt the people that hid them

Missing Clarissa was an engaging read from the get-go. The story unfolds through multiple points of view with flashbacks to the past. There are a number of plot twists that kept me guessing until the end. But in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t that surprising.

I liked the characters in the novel. They were descript and so real. Each character had a unique personality and I really loved how the author managed to transition from teen characterss to adult characters.

Missing Clarissa is author Ripley Jones’ debut novel. And what a novel it turned out to be! Five amazing stars.

I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Cam and Blair are high school students who are best friends, even though they are quite different. Blair dreams of becoming a writer, and is dating a jock bro. She is quite insecure. Cam is naive, headstrong and impulsive. She is self confident, and feels that the ends justify the means. The start a podcast for their journaliism class. It is about the unsolved case about a local girl who went missing 20 years ago. As their podcast evolves they go from reporting about the case to investigating it.

Overall this was a interesting and quick read. I liked most of the characters, although Cam was extremely irritating. The plot was good, but not that unique. I think that fans of YA mystery/suspense will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

I'm a big fan of the "intrepid teenagers starting a podcast to solve a local cold case" trope, and this was a perfectly executed example. It felt smarter and much more pulled together than other YA thrillers I've read, due in large part to Cam and Blair being realistically crafted, fully-developed main characters. I don't say this lightly, but Cam is on par with Pip from AGGGTM and Stevie from Truly Devious (!) and Blair was more than just a sidekick/foil, which was refreshing. I'm looking forward to reading whatever Jones comes up with next (fingers crossed that there will be more books starring Cam and Blair in the future). Highly recommend!

Everybody loves a dead girl.

Picture it: Oreville, before the new millennium, partying like it was 1999.. because it was, in fact, 1999. The town sweetheart Clarissa goes missing from said party, never to be seen again, and it changes the fabric of the small town forever.

20 years later, students at Clarissa's very school want to do a podcast about her disappearance. Blair and Cam are best friends. Cam is the quirky genius and Blair is the beautiful girl with the preppy boyfriend who sells herself short. At first Blair is reluctant to do the show, so many people are warning them not to, but she soon becomes as engrossed in it as Cam.

As they investigate, a picture of Clarissa emerges that is different from what they'd initially heard. She was ambitious and loved art and wanted to get out of this town. Could she have run away? It would make her a bad person to leave people hanging like this but is being a bad person better than being dead?

This started off really strong but I had to start skimming toward the end because I was rolling my eyes. I kept reading to find out what really happened and I felt less than satisfied with the results, but I try not to judge books based on the ending but by the journey there.

My biggest issue is the social agenda being pushed(this is why I was rolling my eyes). It became impossible to ignore because it was just trying WAY too hard and it felt unnatural. Renegade antifa mom and constantly talking about the "missing white women" issue and I'm wondering why they didn't investigate the disappearance of someone else then. Blair and Clarissa are more than just cheerleaders but you made them cheerleaders. It's like this book disses all the cliches("I'm not like the other girls" energy) while using all of them and that feels phony to me. There was some light cop bashing too but I did laugh lol kidding(or am I?)! But seriously, authors, PLEASE lay off of this. I'm always going to point out an agenda whether I agree or not, unless I know it's going to be political beforehand. This just sounded like a fun little small-town mystery, not an ACAB rally.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

For sure to be the next book to movie YA thriller. This is so well written that it plays perfectly like a movie in your head.

All of the characters are relatable and realistic. Cam who is genius level smart, but lacking serious common sense. Blair who is smart and attuned to people's emotions, but lacks confidence in herself. All come together to create this amazing story of solving a cold case through a podcast, but also shedding light on serious issues about sexual assault and crimes against women,

Cam and Blair start a podcast about their hometown’s most infamous crime, a missing girl names Clarissa. At first, they think it’s a joke, something for an easy A on a journalism assignment, but they realize that Clarissa’s disappearance affected a lot of people. The good: the plot was intriguing, Cam and Blair’s friendship seemed realistic, there was LGBTQ+ representation, and the running jokes about the podcast sound quality. The bad: The angsty teen representation where Blair felt she wasn’t good enough no matter who told her otherwise and the completely annoying and lacking common sense character that was Cam. Cam was in a journalism class yet knew nothing about podcast recording, journalism ethics, or how to interview people, and she had no self-preservation. She blindly confronted people who were very likely involved in Clarissa’s disappearance with no thought to consequences. It was infuriating to read. So, to summarize, Missing Clarissa has an intriguing plot but infuriatingly bad follow through.

When I heard about this book, I really wanted to read it. I’m so grateful to have been provided an ARC. Missing Clarissa is a fast paced, easy to read mystery/thriller that will keep you guessing. This is a great book for any fan of true crime podcasts. I did figure out the killer pretty early on (I made a list of suspects while reading), but that was not because the author inadvertently revealed it, but because of my love of true crime. I appreciated that the entire book is told in the “now” and that we find out about Clarissa and her past through the interviews. Cam and Blair are opposites, and it really makes this book perfect. Cam is impulsive, eccentric, impatient, and Blair is reserved, pensive, and analyzes consequences. These two are a great duo together, and it’s easy to see why they are friends. Moreover, this is more than just a YA mystery. It’s also about Cam and Blair discovering who they are. Cam reveals that she is gay and begins to get comfortable in a world where people know. Blair starts to realize her potential as a writer, and the fact that it’s not just some silly dream.

The true crime podcast that Blair and Cameron started was just for a school project. Until, it wasn’t. It may have helped find a killer.

Clarissa Campbell disappeared in 1999 without a trace. After interviewing her friends and family as well as some of her teachers, there’s no leads or a body. The case grows cold.

I really enjoyed my time reading this one. I loved the podcast aspect throughout the story and all the interviews with all of Clarissa’s friends and family. You can definitely tell its a ya book though. There was some parts that were very childish to me but it was still a good read.

If you love true crime podcasts and a good cold case story then I highly recommend picking this one up on March 7th!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the e-arc!

I am not a huge mystery reader, typically I find them pretty predictable. However Finding Clarissa has enough twists and turns that pinpointing exactly how it would end was enjoyable. I liked the writing but wasn't blown away by it

2.5/5 stars! This book read as "Good Girl's Guide to Murder" meets "How to Survive Your Murder." The premise was great. A YA thriller with a crime podcast involved? Sign me up. My issue is that the story fell short in many ways. First, the author's use of descriptors felt odd at times. In the early chapters, I swear every sentence had a "that's a white guy" or "she was white." We get it! There are caucasian people in your book. It felt weirdly forced. Then, the main character just kept making the worst possible decision over and over again. Cue blond chick in a horror movie deciding to go to the basement alone with a killer on the loose vibes. I can't fault the author too much for this as it is a YA book and I get that teenagers sometimes make stupid decisions. But it was to the point I wanted to throw the book. It is a quick read and the twists are interesting, although the cover gives some of it away.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of MISSING CLARISSA by Ripley Jones in exchange for my honest review.***

I love this newish trope of the podcasts happening within a story. This was a great YA thriller and I couldn't put it down! Great job of keeping my attention and now I want more from this author.

I will be sharing with my followers on social media.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

Cam and Blair, best friends, are taking a journalism class in high school. Assigned a research project, they decide to start a podcast based on a missing person's case from 20 years ago that happened in their hometown and that got a lot of national attention. Clarissa Campbell, a promising and beautiful senior in high school, disappeared after attending a party in the woods, and no one has been arrested and her whereabouts have never been discovered.

What once was a fun assignment used to boost their extracurriculars for college turned serious when they discover the effect of her disappearance had on her family and friends. Cam and Blair take risks to try to undercover the truth.

Missing Clarissa, by Ripley Jones, is a fun YA thriller. The book was well written and I enjoyed reading it. The novel depicts a realistic friendship between the two protagonists and the plot was interesting and well written.