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.

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.