3.5 Stars

Missing Clarissa is about two quirky juniors, Cameron and Blair who decide to tackle the town’s unsolved mystery as a project for journalism class. I loved both of their characters. Cam is incredibly brilliant, but lacks so social skills. She also struggling with the fact that she thinks she’s attracted to girls and she doesn’t know how to come out to her friends and family. Blair is the athlete. She’s also very pretty. She’s dating one of the varsity basketball stars, James. I enjoyed watching the characters learned throughout the story. The setting for the story was also beautiful.

There was just one sticking point throughout the whole book that made me mental….there was just too much liberal perspective being thrown in. Race and class were often pointed out and it was used to describe how characters looked instead of just telling the characters what they looked like.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and Ripley Jones for providing me with an ARC.

Sorry had to DNF this... I love the podcast true crime aspect but I just could not get into the book.....

Was super excited about the plot and I did enjoy this book a lot. interesting characters but I had trouble with the plot. The story was all over the place but I did like the twists and enjoyed the story as a whole. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

I originally picked up (requested) this book because the premise sounded so good, like AGGGTM good. While I enjoyed the book for what it was - two teens who start a podcast about a Clarissa, a girl who went missing in 1999 - it wasn’t my most favorite book this year. It was fun and a little twisty, and I loved the podcast parts of it. However, the main characters, while quirky and the epitome of teenage girls, I couldn’t really find myself interested in them or caring about what happened to them. They were sort-of naive and wishy-washy and I didn’t really form a connection from the beginning. Also, something that rubbed me wrong was how, every time a new person was introduced, the author had to describe them by using their race. No descriptive features like hair or eye color, just race. Ex: “martlemickey are two pimply white boys who play video games.” Or “Irene’s Mexican-American, Cam’s dad was white.”

A missing girl, two friends who decide to look into the case for their journalism project and create a podcast, and the deadly consequences. In 1999 a popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington. Everyone from her friends, teaches, to adults who knew her were questioned but they all have something to hide.... and the case goes unsolved. Twenty years later, Oreville highschool juniors and best friends Blair and Cam start a true crime podcast for their class and are determined to unravel the story and possible solve the case. Yet the more the dig into the small town secrets and the truth behind who Clarissa was and what her relationship to her boyfriend and art teacher were.... things begin to get deadly. Cam is relentless in her journey to solve the mystery, even if it means she could die. This one is formatted between different POVs and podcast snippets, the story unfolds. This one just felt meh for me, I felt like the mystery wasn’t as interesting and the two protagonists weren’t as engaging or fun. I found myself not invested in the mystery or the characters. It felt kind of bland to be honest and unfortunately it just missed for me. Definitely give it a go if you are interested in podcast themed true crime mysteries.

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Missing Clarissa involves young adults present and past facing much the same temptations. However, with the improvements in technology news travels more extensively and more quickly. But, then solutions to bad decisions are still critical and murder is this relevant. Cam and Blair's investigation is superb making for a winning novel.

Missing Clarissa tells the story of two best friends who set out to make a podcast about a twenty year old cold case that happened in their small town.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Cam and Blair were both interesting characters who I found compelling. The story didn't follow a straight line and I liked all the twists and turns. Was some of it a little far fetched? Sure. But it was still a fun read.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC.

There were two things about this novel that made it a spectacular and engaging read:
1) The mystery of Clarissa. I had no clue whodunnit until I was told point-blank. And that makes this a first-rate mystery in and of itself. (Granted, my days of binging Snapped are far behind me, so maybe my detective skills are rusty.) I was totally rapt by the mystery of Clarissa for the duration. I stayed up late and woke up early just to read more. I could not get enough!

2) How long has it been since I have read a third-person omniscient narrative? Aside from one instance where the narrator interjected via parenthetical note, the writing of Missing Clarissa is magnificent! Such a clever form of storytelling, jumping from character thoughts and perspectives to create depth and intrigue. It really helps flesh out the characters well and in a believably timely format.

But unfortunately, this is a 3-star review. What drug Missing Clarissa down from being a solid 4 stars is the frequent and objectionable liberal pandering. It's not unbelievable but still shocking to read such fastidious views injected into literature targeted toward the most influenceable of audiences. Yeesh. And I must point out how absolutely hypocritical this entire book is. So much talk about how disgusting it is when people romanticize dead girls, and how unfair it is that dead pretty white girls get all the publicity when so many others are murdered every day--which, yeah, I agree--and yet, what is this whole book about? Missing Clarissa is a fictional story of a pretty white girl who got murdered. Why didn't Cam and Blair find another local dead girl and write about her, try to find her? Wouldn't that have made a stronger point? Did you think of that when you were spewing your feministliberalabolitionist views all over this novel, Ms. Jones?

Politics and political correctness aside, I really enjoyed Missing Clarissa! (Though I probably won't read more by this author in the future.)

A quick read that kind of fell flat for me at the end. I didn’t love the characters and while I know this book is young adult, the girls felt super immature and stuck up which I wasn’t a fan of. If you enjoy young adult and mystery with a podcast thrown in, this is for you!

A story within a story, Ripley Jones’ Missing Clarissa follows the investigative journalism work of two high school students who create a true crime podcast based on an unsolved murder in their hometown.

In the same vein of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Missing Clarissa is a story about how amateur podcasters unravel a cold case mystery that forever altered the town they live in.

What’s different is the mystery itself — in a GGGTM, the big reveal is big, indeed, and the thrill factor worked into a fast-paced plot keeps readers on the edge of their seat. Missing Clarissa doesn’t have the same impact — the plot is too easy to work out early on, and the unmasking of the killer at the end is neither interesting nor is it pulse-pounding.

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 her self.

Missing Clarissa wraps things up with a light sincerity that is a staple for the book. Although some parts can be played off as predictable, Ripley Jones creates an intriguing and accessible world.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of the book. This was a really well-written, smart, modern YA mystery/suspense novel. I enjoyed the friendship between the main characters and found their many poor decisions to be explained by their age and well-developed character attributes. It is a quick and fun read but notable in its self-awareness, diversity (race/ethnicity, LGBQT+, neurodiversity).

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones.

This is a YA thriller in which two friends start a true crime podcast for a school project - and there are dangerous consequences that come from it. In the summer of 1999, cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods and is never seen again. Over twenty years later, Blair and Cameron are determined to unravel the truth about what happened to Clarissa. In the process, the secrets of the small town begin unraveling.

I truly love thrillers with the podcast element, so was eager to jump into this one. I liked that we got to see the girls setting up the podcast instead of the book already jumping into it. Some YA books teeter on the edge of adult, but this one is truly YA. As the MCs interview individuals who knew Clarissa well, they begin uncovering secrets that they never had imagined. Love the LGBTQ+ representation in both the teens and adults in this story. This is a quick YA thriller read with a good twist, but found it just being OK for me as the main characters fell a bit flat, I wanted more depth from them, and I sometimes felt myself confused by who was narrating (Not sure if that was a formatting issue or what).

A thrilling and tense mystery inspired by true crime podcasts that will have you glues to the edge of your seat as you guess what happened to Clarissa when she disappeared from the small town of Oreville in 1999. This mystery/thriller, was fast paced and dynamic and will have you guessing till the very last pages.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the copy of Missing Clarissa. Don’t be put off that this is listed as a YA book, because this is a great read! I loved how when we learn what happened to Clarissa’s friends after high school they teach some wise lessons about people not always being who they seem to be. Blair and Cameron are captivating characters and complement each other perfectly. If you’re looking for a fast, engrossing read, try this one. I’m glad I did and will be looking out for more books by Ripley Jones.

An excellent and spellbinding read! I could not put it down. Have you ever read something so compelling you couldn’t rest until it was finished? Missing Clarissa did that for me. It was a little slow at the beginning as Jones unfolded both the mystery and our two protagonists, but by the first few pages, I was hooked. I’ve been recommending it to my colleagues and students. My students will just have to wait until it comes out in March, but it’s on my list to buy for my library! I’m looking forward to more from Ripley Jones.

A solid YA debut! When I saw this compared to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, I immediately added it to my TBR list. Missing Clarissa has a fast moving plot and extremely relatable characters. Blair and Cam are two sides of a coin who I think will easily draw in a diverse group of young adult readers. While the market is currently oversaturated with true crime novels, the prose and plot stood out enough to keep me engaged in the story from start to finish. I do have one complaint, which is why this is a 4 star, rather than 5 star read for me. As an MC, Blair seems to be slightly less fleshed out than Cam (how can you compare against her fiery personality though). With Cam you get a sense of who she is, what she wants, while Blair tells us her fears, she doesn’t have the same presence on the page. You’re told rather than shown. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, especially Cam’s growth and learning between beginning and conclusion. If you loved One of Us is Lying and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this one won’t disappoint.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

In 1999, the most popular girl in school goes missing, the case quickly became cold, and Clarissa was never found. Flashforward over twenty years later at the same high school, two juniors decide to create a true crime podcast with the hopes of cracking the infamous case in their small town of what really happened to Clarissa.

Much to their surprise, their modest podcast starts gaining popularity as the girls uncover secrets that have been kept well-hidden over the years. As the girls get closer and closer to the truth they must risk it all – including their own safety.

This was a quick, easy and fun YA thriller. It reminded me a little bit of Muderers in the Building and I enjoyed the dynamic between to the two best friends. Overall, I would recommend this if you are looking for a thriller but not wanting something too intense. ⭐️⭐️⭐️! Thank you, @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for for giving me this advanced copy for free in exchange for my honest review. Missing Clarissa will hit shelves March 7, 2023.

I can't wait to read another book from this author! I absolutely thought Missing Clarissa was an exciting and thrilling story. I know that the true crime podcast theme has been done a lot but I especially enjoyed that this book was about friends working on a high school project with podcasting! It provided an unique variation to read about and I was all for it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read this in advance!

In the vein of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Truly Devious, Missing Clarissa is (so far) a stand-alone YA book about a cold case mystery investigation by not one but two teenage girls via podcast (for school of course). Cameron P. Muñoz or Cam is the now-clichéd “I’m super smart in books and math but don’t get people” teenage girl (similar to Pip from AGGGTM series and Stevie from TD series). Blair is her best friend and gets roped into Cam’s impetuous schemes. Blair also has an inferiority complex despite her decent skills as an athlete, writer, and being an overall empathetic and caring person. What starts off as an “easy A and ticket to Harvard “ for their Journalism class turns into a full blown search for Truth and Justice (capitalization for a hint of sarcasm). Maybe I’m just a cynical middle aged lady but the rants on social injustice, racism, colonialism, etc. were a bit too preachy, idealistic, and self-righteous for my taste though all were valid points of course, just their presentation felt insincere and inorganic. I sometimes forget teenagers can be super intense but the characters sometimes lacked the depth or well-roundedness to seem real or believable. Overall I enjoyed the story and devoured it just like I did the entire AGGGTM and TD series. This book felt like it was just missing some element to be as good or compelling as those books. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Missing Clarissa is a gripping debut novel by Ripley Jones that tells the story of the disappearance of Clarissa Campbell, a popular cheerleader who vanished from a party in the woods outside her small town. The story is told through the eyes of Blair and Cameron, two high-school juniors who start a true crime podcast in an effort to unravel the mystery of what happened to Clarissa.

The characters in Missing Clarissa are brilliantly drawn - they feel like people you may have known in high school. Blair and Cameron are relatable and sympathetic, and the other characters in the book are well-developed and intriguing. The plot is well-paced and suspenseful, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages to find out what happened to Clarissa. The writing is a unique mix of dark, funny, and grit. Fully engrossing novel. I read this novel in a state of intense, breathless excitement and I NEVER SAW THE ENDING COMING. Which is rare. Extremely rare for me. There is outstanding LGBTQ+ representation in both the teenagers and the adults. There is neurodivergent representation (at least I think?). The twists were great.

I will be the first one to say that I think true crime podcasts are overdone in thrillers/suspense novels lately, but this one was done extremely well in a smart and sophisticated way.

I don't read a lot of YA novels. I told myself ''I'll just start this one and go to sleep. 8 hours later, it's 5 am, I haven't slept, I am absolutely dazzled.

Why am I not giving it 5 stars? I felt like the main characters were not given the same depth. Cameron was beautifully rendered, but Blair seemed like an afterthought. There wasn't the same progression of her character's traits or a satisfying conclusion for her and I really wish there was.

In sum, Missing Clarissa is a fantastic debut novel that won't let go of its readers until they reach the final page.
If you like suspenseful books, I think you'll really like this one.

Read this if you liked :
- One of Us is Lying
- A Good Girl's Guide to Murder
- Pretty Little Liars if the representation of Emily didn't suck
- Podcast My Favourite Murder / Crime Junkie