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.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I am not the intended audience for this book. I love YA fantasy, but YA in general is tough to read, this far removed from highschool. These characters were just nit likeable. I really didn't care about the outcome of the mystery or the podcast or thier small lives.

Cam and Blair have a high school assignment they have to pick a subject. Their subject is a girl, Clarissa who goes missing 20 years earlier. Cam and Blair start a podcast and hope to solve the case! I really enjoyed this YA book and couldn’t put it down. I look forward to more books by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published March 2023.

𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚛 𝙽𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝙳𝚛𝚎𝚠’𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚃𝚛𝚞𝚎 𝙲𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚍𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚝. 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚞𝚗 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙲𝚊𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚞𝚗𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚛𝚋𝚊𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚗?

🔖: mind baffling. Those in the light tend to be overexposed which hides their darkness. It was a slow start in my opinion, but it has a good plot, so I stuck to it and it didn't disappoint. The friendship dynamic and suspense kept me guessing and I was shocked at the ending I can usually guess where the ending is going. LOVED the way it was all wrapped together in a bow. Some topics were brought up (parentage) but no end result so I guessed for peace of mind. all in all I liked Cameron's Mother scenes and the way she fought for her child. Overall a thrilling read and plot.

i thought this book was just very deeply fine. the mystery, while at points compelling, felt rather predictable. the writing was confusing. and the narration jumped around a lot, making it difficult to understand who was talking. it took my about a month to read, which is a long time, especially for a thriller, and while i enjoyed it while i was reading it, i never felt particularly compelled to pick it up. the best part about this book was the characters, who read like actual teenagers for the most part. however, the ending of both their character arcs and the mystery felt very rushed and unfinished. lastly, this book felt like it wanted to make a statement about the flaws of the prison system in the united states, but it felt sort of haphazardly thrown in there, and like it had no actual bearing on the plot. it read less like a part of the narrative and more like something that was added in order to make sure it was addressed.

Well that was a fun story! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC. This story definitely puts you in mind of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. There is one major difference to me that I kinda preferred in this book. In this book, our main characters Cam and Blair are simply students…they know nothing about how to do a podcast or how to research or even how to be journalists. They ((mostly Cam)) were just trying to get a good grade in a class. While in AGGGTM, the main character was basically a professional. This felt more realistic. I knew who the killer was but I did enjoy the ride! I gave this one 3.5 ⭐️

For their high school journalism project, Cam and Blair decide to do a podcast about the disappearance twenty years ago of Clarissa Campbell, recent high school graduate, after a party in the woods. Her disappearance made national news, was a hot story for quite a while, resulted in made for TV movies, and is still a topic of interest on Internet forums, as her disappearance is still unsolved.

Cam and Blair will solve the mystery, but not without placing themselves in peril and disrupting multiple lives. Their podcast will gain a following but also sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom, as neither girl knows how to produce a podcast and Cam is not patient enough to figure out to do it correctly. They are able to talk with a number of people connected to Clarissa, including her high school boyfriend (who was a prime suspect at the time) and her best friend, and these people share a surprising amount of information with the girls. However, their investigation also uncovers some rather significant and damaging secrets.

Cam is extremely intelligent, except when it comes to people. She is also very headstrong and impetuous, doing what she wants/thinks is right without considering the consequences or how it will affect others. Her actions will land her family and Blair's family in legal trouble, almost destroy her friendship with Blair, almost destroy her very new relationship with her girlfriend Sophie, and almost cost her her life.

Some of the best moments in the book are Cam's interactions (often flustered) with Sophie. Although the central story focuses on solving the disappearance of Clarissa, a major aspect of the story is the realizations that Cam and Blair reach about themselves and others. Clarissa was portrayed as an All-American Girl, but there was a lot about her that others did not know, or few people knew, and no-one really understood her. Blair dreams of being a published author but has never shared that dream with anyone and has convinced herself that there is nothing particularly special about her, including her writing abilities. However, through the course of the story, she will develop a greater sense of self-worth. Cam will come to realize that she can relate better to people than she thinks, but also that her headstrong nature needs to be reined in at times.

I didn't love or hate this, I think I just was not the target demographic for this book. I found the main characters to be incredibly immature, and I had a hard time connecting with them as a result. I didn't agree with many (if any) of the choices they made along the way, which naturally left for an upsetting storyline and ending for me. The other aspect that bothered me was how unrealistic it was for these two teenage girls with absolutely zero knowledge or skill in the niche to start a podcast that essentially blew up into an overnight success.

I will say that the actual story of Clarissa was interesting, but unfortunately this story focused too heavily on other aspects that bogged it down and left me uninterested as a whole. That being said, I think this will be a big hit on pub day for young adult readers!

Clarissa Campbell disappeared 20 years ago from a party in the woods after graduation so of course, someone is making a podcast about it! I really did like the characters and felt they seemed real. I didn't quite like the mystery aspect. It seemed messy and rushed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

I wasn't super impressed at first, but I stuck with it. Cam is a deeply flawed character and she could be grating, especially since I'm now a decade removed from being a teenager. But she grew on me. She was arrogant and impulsive and witty and naive and innocent. I wish we'd gotten a little more Blair, but her development was amazing. This turned into the kind of thriller I'd put up there with Truly Devious and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder - it was smart and dark and funny. There was a lot of love in family, in all the ways it comes, and there was a queer love story that was delightful without ever taking away from the primary plot. I highly, highly recommend this one.