This is really an awesome story. Two teens decide to do a podcast about a girl that has been missing for over a decade. They make some mistakes, at first. I mean, this is their first try at podcasting. They meet some nice, some weird, and some creepy weird people during their journey. In the end, they solve the crime of the century in their little town.

I think this book showed how a person’s disappearance can affect people close to the story/person years later. It starts some good conversations about how these missing stories get picked and how they can make a girl like Clarissa not fully seem real or perpetuate some of the problem. Cam and Blair had a great friendship dynamic and both seemed like real people. I appreciated that it was both an interesting mystery and a take on some issues with gender, violence, colonialism, and race. On one hand Cam is headstrong and can be impulsive, but with how scared she was when talking to the art teacher, I had a hard time believing she went to Allen’s house by herself. I’m also not sure she would have put Irene and Blair in danger with the podcast on the art teacher.

A huge thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin's / Wednesday Books and of course the author for providing an e-ARC for my review purposes. This did not influence my review in any way.

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.

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.

I was so excited to read this book but I couldn't get into it. I couldn't connect with the characters. I did enjoy the twists but felt like a few parts just took longer than they should have.

This was a fun YA thriller! I chose it because the title and I share a name, but I'm typically not a YA reader. I enjoyed reading it, but it won't make my best books of the year list. This was a solid 3 star book for me. However, I think if I had read this when I was a teenager (which is the target age), I would've given it 4 stars. I'll be recommending this to my cousin who is in high school!

“Missing Clarissa” is the debut novel for author Ripley Jones. This story focuses on Cam and Blair, who decide to start a podcast an attempt to solve a local mystery. Clarissa Campbell, beloved cheerleader in Oreville, WA disappeared 20 years ago during a party in the woods and no one has seen her since. ‘Is she dead? Who killed her? Or did she run off somewhere? Maybe she was taken by a Sasquatch!?’ The people of Oreville (and the internet) all seem to have their own ideas as to what happened to Clarissa. Will Cam and Blair be able to solve this decades old mystery? Or will they be stuck guessing what happened like everyone else?

I am generally not a huge YA reader, but this novel was well written. It does deal with sexuality and politics of the main characters, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea. This was a shorter and fast paced book, which meant I was able to read it in a single sitting. It was nice to see the characters reflect and learn more about themselves as the progress in their search for knowledge. Clarissa goes from an intangible concept to someone that these girls have humanized and will carry with them in life.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books for the ARC of this book.

Good friends Cam and Blair decided to do a podcast of a student, Clarissa, who disappeared twenty years ago for their journalism class project. It was a big case, but with no leads. There’s rumors that Clarissa ran away. This is a slow burn YA mystery. Thanks to Wednesday Books for a copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

For fans of Sadie by Courtney Summers and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, this book is perfect for fans of twisty thrillers and especially for those who enjoy true crime podcasts.

This book follows two main timelines. 1999, when popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell goes missing without a trace, and 2019, when two friends decide to start a podcast for a school project to try and solve Clarissa's disappearance.

There are enough twists and turns to keep even the most avid thriller enjoyer satisfied and keep them on the edge of their seat from cover to cover.

I read Missing Clarissa in a single day!! I couldn’t put down this engrossing mystery once I had started. When passionate Cam and her more cautious best friend Blair are assigned a journalism project, they choose to research an unsolved mystery in their town that is more urban legend. Cheerleader Clarissa went missing twenty years ago and seemed to vanish into thin air. Oreville is a small town, not a dangerous place. So why didn’t Clarissa make it home? Cam and Blair make waves as they investigate the truth behind what really happened to Clarissa. But are they right in their suspicions or has their podcast fervor taken over?

As the girls investigate, they find themselves asking: why does the world only care about pretty, dead white girls? And how come the most interesting thing a girl can be is dead? I really appreciated how these serious questions were framed and explored within the mystery. Readers familiar with true crime will find many truths mixed in with the fictional case, such as the real victims of murder and unpacking why the public cares about certain violent crimes and not others. Missing Clarissa would be a great book club pick; it could provoke excellent discussions about these issues and more.

With that said, I found myself really frustrated with Cam. It felt like she was making the same impulsive mistakes over and over again, when I would have appreciated seeing more character growth from her. I also would have enjoyed seeing Blair demonstrate more agency sooner in the plot and stand up for herself more. My favorite character was Mr. Park, their journalism teacher, who does his best to teach journalistic ethics and provides the girls with context about the emotional cost of stirring up old cases. It was very cool to hear his side of the story and learn how he was related to the case.

I was definitely blown away by the ending and reveal of who the killer is! Missing Clarissa would be perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus and readers who enjoy true crime. Missing Clarissa ( which is such a good title!) will make you want to listen to a true crime podcast and go out and start solving cold cases (with only the best journalism ethics, of course!). It’s clear that Ripley Jones is a talented writer and I can’t wait to see what they write next!

Missing Clarissa is available March 7, 2023. Thank you to Ripley Jones, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Missing Clarissa was just the book I needed to finish up my yearly goal. A fast paced story of two best friends in high school who start poking around in a local cold case, a la Pip from AGGGTM. I noticed the similarities and knew I would instantly be drawn in and I was! Ripely Jones had me hooked. And although I did not guess the murderer, I felt the ending was a little rushed and could have used a bit more info. Solid 4 stars from me for great story and easy binge read.

Clarissa Campbell disappeared from a party in the woods 20 years ago. Now, two high school best friends are on a hunt to find the truth.

What starts as a fun podcast with the hope that Clarissa is somewhere alive and well, quickly turns sinister. Blair and Cam are soon in way over their heads and facing danger they didn’t believe existed in their quaint little town.

As their true-crime podcast takes off, the friends refuse to back down until they find the truth about Clarissa’s disappearance. But will her killer find them before they find her?


Thank you Netgalley for gifting em an advance copy in exchange for my honest review and opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of MISSING CLARISSA by Ripley Jones. The partial podcast format of this book reminded me a lot of Sadie by Courtney Summers. Even the regular prose sections were very dialogue heavy, which I enjoyed, and added to the podcast feel. It was very pacey and the two high school girl MCs were so real and relatable and I loved them both. It was easy to get invested and a quick read I sped through in a couple days. It also took a nuanced view on the true crime phenomenon, pointing out all that is problematic about it and why we're so obsessed. I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday books for the advanced copy for review.

Cam and Blaire start a podcast for their journalism class to try and find out what happened to a girl from their town who went missing in 1999. Back then, the local police performed an exhaustive search and interviewed almost everyone and still never found what happened to Clarissa.

In Missing Clarissa, Cam and Blaire start to dig into the cold case of their town's most famous case. They keep getting warned off by well meaning people who were around during the time that she went missing. They don't listen because soon they're sucked into the mystery themselves.

I truly enjoyed how this story played out! I didn't guess any of the next steps which is really hard to find these days with books of this nature. I really enjoyed Ripley's writing style and will read more of their books in the future.

Loved this one so much and already one of my fave YA books of 2023 and hope to show this off fingers crossed with a physical copy. Thank you to Wednesday books for the advanced copy

A YA thriller with a podcast angle is bait for me. I really enjoyed seeing them develop the podcast and delve into Clarissa's disappearance, especially when we got to see the final interviews in writing. There were so many subplots unfolding throughout and it was hard to know where to look. The build-up to the reveal was a little questionable at times - mostly because I wanted to understand the motive and how they got away with it more - but it was still compelling. I'd be interested to read another book about Blair and Cam, as there are still more mysteries in Oreville to solve!

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

This story is about two polar opposite best friends who start a podcast as a class project surrounding a 20-year-old local mystery. I like that there were parallels between the main characters and the older characters that explores what matters and what doesn’t as you’re finishing high school. I also liked that Cam was given a lot of drive and genius, but is also given rep as a lesbian who seems to be on the spectrum socially. It was entertaining enough to read in a day, but the 4/5 was mainly because the mystery’s end was something I saw coming.

True crime podcasts have become so common societal element since Serial's first season that books that are plotted around their creation continue to be compelling. I enjoyed this one about Cat and Blair and their search for the truth about what happened to Clarissa.

A lot of the book was more about their personal lives than about the mystery, which was compelling because it helped show how researching and making the podcast had positive and negative impacts on their lives. Of course, it was also frustrating as I was anxious to know whether the extremely obvious answer was in fact the right one (I'll let you find out for yourselves) and these personal life additions prolonged the book. I also appreciated that Jones called it out each time a character's race was white - rather than making it the assumed race and only calling out BIPOC where relevant.

If you enjoyed A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, you'll likely enjoy this one as well.


Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Missing Clarissa by Ridley Jones takes place in Oreville Washington. As part of their Journalism class, best friends Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast for their project. They choose a mystery from 20 years prior, a recently graduated senior, Clarissa Campbell, vanishes after a bonfire party in the woods. Clarissa is never found, questions start to swirl about the disappearance, did she leave on her own to start a new life? Was it something more sinister…possibly a murder, by her then boyfriend where she was seen arguing with at the party? The story of the small town, beautiful cheerleader mystery even hit the national news back in the day, but nothing was ever resolved.

As Blair and Cameron start to ask questions, they dredge up some dirty secrets that many in the community would like to keep buried. As they interview some of Clarissa’s friends, they uncover a possible affair between Clarissa and her teacher, her boyfriend who has never been the same since her disappearance, however, was it because of his guilt or his sincere grief, and the strange behavior of her mother, who believes her daughter is going to walk through the door at any minute as if nothing ever happened. Little did they know, the more questions asked, the more in over their heads they became, leading them right into dangerous situations with dire consequences.

I really enjoyed the concept of the book. True crime podcasts are absolutely my jam…so it had me at hello. I liked the unlikely relationship of Blair and Cameron, although Cam did get on my nerves sometimes, she continually went rogue with the project, putting herself in eminent danger with no real consequences. She was brass, and sometimes mean, but Blair seemed to be the Ying to her Yang, which helped balance out their relationship. There were a lot, too many, side notes, which were just left hanging. That’s why I’m only giving this a 3.5 stars. There were so many transgressions, which would have been great to follow through with, but they fell flat. Then the ending. I needed more. It was a tad predictable, and I felt unsatisfied. This could be a great book for an early teen YA reader, but I personally needed more.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Wednesday’s Books and Ripley Jones for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not the intended audience for this book. YA in general is tough to read for me. I’m far too removed from highschool.

The story goes- Blair and Cam are friends in HS and have decided that they want to do a podcast about a missing girl from their high school. She graduated 20 years prior and her name was Clarissa Campbell. She was never found, she basically just up and vanished after a party in the woods and nobody was ever arrested because they didn't have enough evidence to place on any of the suspects. Which as it turns out, the police ONLY looked at the boyfriend. Over twenty years later, Blair and Cam are determined to unravel the truth about what happened to Clarissa. In the process, the secrets of the small town begin unraveling.

The personal storylines are well-crafted, even if at times they move very slowly. Plus, protagonists Cam and Blair have an entertaining friendship dynamic. Also, Cam’s relationship with Sophie is a big redeeming factor in the book — and so is Blair’s slowly improving relationship with herself.

As an adult who takes in true crime in various mediums I wanted even more thrills, AND I could also see I wasn't the target audience for this one. For the target crowd, I think it has some good suspense to keep them reading!
I enjoyed reading this but it was easily forgotten after I finished and likely won’t stick with me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely loved this book! One of my favorite things is a book is setting it round a podcast and this one really delivered. Missing Clarissa is a great YA thriller for anyone who is a fan of true crime or podcasts, in general.

I struggled with this book. I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I didn't find them likeable or all that interesting. The mystery was okay, albeit a bit predictable. The narrative jumped around, which made it hard to follow and stay engaged. Something besides Clarissa is definitely missing from this book.