The story overall was pretty good, but the amount of build up to only deflate towards the end kind of burned me on it. Definitely a good YA story though, and I can see so many teenagers really
Enjoying the story.

I truly wanted to like this book as it talked about a podcast and solving a murder. Like, let's get this show on the road. Yeah, umm, I was just over it by the middle of the book, but I wanted to keep going. Our main character Cameron just about drove me nuts. As well as, there were way too many crushes and romances going on for my liking in a murder mystery solving book. Yes, they did When Cameron and Blair decide to take on the topic in journalism class of solving the murder of Clarissa, you would think they would hit nothing but dead ends. Yet, what they uncover is way more than that. I couldn't understand why when told by others, 'you sound muffled are you recording in a bathroom' why Cameron or Blair never fixed this. It was mentioned several times. I did like the surprise of knowing who was behind the murder as that was one person I was not expecting. I liked how there were consequences when not having the correct information, and it was not just swept under the rug.

Solid 3.5 stars. A fun fast paced whodunit. I wish the girls actually had some interest in podcasts as I found the beginning of the story to be clunky. I’ll be honest, I definitely disliked Cam and her brazen immaturity, but the story itself and her mom, Irene, made up for it.

Also, now seeing the cover, it seems a bit too on the nose given the conclusion.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two teenagers start a podcast for a school project, looking into the disappearance of a pretty, popular cheerleader from their school 20 years earlier. I was anticipating loving this, but it was just all right for me. The mystery was okay, but the characterization was off-putting. Both girls were aggravating and hard to get behind, particularly Cam. Perhaps that's true to life and many teenagers are little sh*ts who need to grow up and learn how to behave appropriately and/or grow a backbone (depending on which of the girls we are talking about), but that doesn't mean I want to read a book about them. Also, it seems unlikely that adults are going to spill their guts to two teenager girls digging into highly personal stuff.

Great concept for a book! What starts as a class assignment becomes so much more to Cam and Blair. A teenager goes missing in a time before these girls were even born; the disappearance becomes the great unsolved mystery and legend of Oreville. Everyone has a theory, but there are not enough facts to lead the case in any direction. When the teens take on the assignment, they begin to shake things up in their little town as they interview people present at the time of the disappearance. So many lives were changed by the disappearance; even more lives are changing with the girls' podcast as they finally bring to light what was happening in the last months of Clarissa's life. Both girls develop their journalistic skills while dealing with the insecurities of youth. Great use of the highs and lows of high school: the arrogance, the feeling that now is the most important time of your life, the mood swings. I would have like a few more details about what actually happened, but this is more realistic. A truly captivating story from beginning to end!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this title ahead of publication.

Interesting concept! Unique characters, even the ones I wanted to strangle. The pacing was something of a struggle. This was a perfectly fine read.

After binging the INHERITANCE GAMES series this was the perfect galley to pick up. It totally scratched that teen murder mystery vibe I was going for.

Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones publishing date march 2023. What happens when two high school friends decide to do a podcast for their journalism class. They are trying to solve the mystery of a disappearance twenty years ago. When a beautiful high school cheerleader disappears at a post graduation party in the Washington woods. What secrets are the people of this small town hiding. This is a great book. I highly recommend

Two high school students decide to investigate the mystery of a local girl who went missing twenty years earlier for a school project, giving this book a fresh take on the slew of podcast-themed novels to hit the market lately. The diverse cast of quirky and endearing characters shed light on small town politics and secrets while providing readers with a variety of potential suspects and motives.

This fast-paced thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for the girls as I raced to read the suspenseful conclusion of a tale that is sure to appeal to both YA and adult audiences!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOWWWWW. This novel was so intense! Very suspenseful and mysterious. The writing style was fantastic and the storyline was one that really made you think and gave you a shock at the end. Excellent!!

A solid 3.5⭐ but I've rounded down to a 3 for a few reasons.

Blair and Cam are best friends. Blair is kind and empathetic. She has dreams of being a writer, but her insecurities have kept her from sharing this dream with anyone, even Cam. Cam is brash and arrogant. We are told that she is highly intelligent but we do not directly see this in the writing. She is impulsive and judgmental. The characters mention that while Cam isnt a nice person she is a good person which is hopeful for her character. She does seem to grow and mellow out a little when she begins to date.

The girls have a project for their Journalism class. They have decided, or well Cam decided, that their project would be a podcast about a local girl who went missing twenty years ago. Clarissa was the popular cheerleader who had a wild streak. Everyone who knew her said she was a kind person, a great artist. The night she disappeared she had been fighting with her boyfriend, Brad, which made him suspect number one to the authorities. There were also rumors swirling about a teacher who was too close to some of the girls, Clarissa included. Clarissa was at a party in the woods, did I mention that this novel is set in the PNW with all the gloomy forests and winding roads? I digress, the party in the woods, a place where the kids still party twenty years later, was well attended. She was seen by a great number of people and then she wasn't. All of a sudden she disappeared right in front of everyone's eyes.

Cam and Blair, twenty years after Clarissa's disappearance, embark on their podcast. At first for a grade, but as they get deeper they begin to want to find Clarissa for justice, to help heal those affected most by her disappearance. Sticking their noses into the lives of the people left isn't the safest endeavor the girls find.

I like the plot, it's engaging and kept me engaged through all 500+ pages (!) in the Next Galley app. I did feel that the descriptions were long winded and could have been cut short, which would help with the length a little. Cam's character is very abrasive. I'm not sure if that was intended but she's much more likable towards the end of the novel. I also wish that the podcast scenes were more fleshed out. Half the time I don't even realize that the girls are recording a podcast episode until they've put it up. I just feel like high school seniors doing a project would be taking this more seriously. They put the same thought into their podcast episodes that I put into an IG story post and less than I put into my book reviews.

I would recommend this to thriller lovers and those that enjoy the PNW setting.

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.

This is a fun, easy to read YA mystery/thriller with likable main characters. If you liked "The Good Girls Guide to Murder", you'll probably enjoy this one too. The central story is pretty much the same--teenagers start a podcast to try and solve a local disappearance. The mystery is more simplistic, but it gives more time to commentary on why certain murdered women gain more media attention, and I thought it made some interesting points. It's a very fast read and the story could have benefitted from more fleshing-out, but it's fun.

This was an amazing debut that both young adults and adults will love. I enjoyed the mystery of Clarissa and how the two best friends were seeking the truth that no one else had found. I especially loved the layout of the book with each chapter being an episode of the podcast they were creating.

I liked both of the MCs, Blair and Cameron, and how different they were but still were best friends. This is a pretty fast-paced book and will have you speed reading to try to figure out the mystery. There were a lot of suspects and small-town secrets in this that kept the book interesting. The writing was also very good and reminded me a little of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

The one thing that took the book down from a 5-star rating to a 4-star was how obvious the ending was - but maybe that was just me. A non-seasoned mystery/thriller reader might never have seen it coming. But as a true crime lover, criminal justice degree-holder, and mystery aficionado - the obvious suspect stuck out to me immediately. I still did enjoy the twists at the ending and how the girl's wrapped everything up. The author includes a lot of other current event issues in the book as well which seemed a little preachy at times but they were well-made statements that could get the younger generation more involved.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and other similar YA mystery/thrillers. It is a quick read and will keep you entertained throughout the entire story! I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books by this author.

I'm an adult who reads a great many mystery/thrillers. What's unique about this one, MISSING CLARISSA, is that it appeals to both YA and adults. In fact, this would be a good one for my 13yo granddaughter.
The book also brings the craze for podcasts about everything into the plot, with two teens, working on a a school journalism project, decide a podcast would be the perfect form of media.
They latch on to a mystery in the town from years back, when a popular cheerleader goes missing during a party in the woods.
I also like that many of the townspeople still remain in the town, which gave the girls a lot to investigate.
They learn, along the way, that danger can come with any age.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC of this title.

Missing Clarissa is about a cold case from 1999 that involves a missing girl from a small town. The case is enough to capture national attention when it happened, but now over 20 years later it is still town talk but nothing more. Two students needing to find a subject for a journalism assignment decide to create a podcast to figure out what happened.

Overall, the store read pretty fast, but it was a bit on the uneven side. This story handled the podcast aspect a bit differently from books such as Sadie or A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and because it was handled differently it didn't create the same spark in the storytelling. Also, some of the chapters had randomly placed interludes about secondary characters that I felt created a disjointed reading experience.

To me it's a solid three stars, not one to bowl me over, but not terrible either.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for this ARC.

I first heard about "Missing Clarissa" by Ripley Jones on a website while looking for upcoming released books. I read the synopsis and I was hooked. When I found it on NetGalley I was elated. There are many books that bring podcasts into the forefront, but "Missing Clarissa" puts a refreshing take on it. The characters are loveable and relatable. Set to be for a YA demographic, "Missing Clarissa" will be one adults will enjoy as well. With many twists and turns it is a book to devour in one sitting. "Missing Clarissa" is a book that will stay with me for awhile.

Super fun mystery - more than a YA Thriller, really interesting and fun plot.
Missing Clarissa introduces us to some strong high school aged characters. Blair and Cameron are still finding themselves in their small high school in. Oreville, Washington and as best friends, naturally team up to work together on a Journalism project. Brilliant Cameron always wants to go big, and plans a podcast that covers the disappearance of Clarissa Campbell in 1999 - a popular and beautiful caucasian cheerleader.

As Clarissa was never found, the disappearance is not labeled a kidnapping nor a murder. Blair and Cameron begin questioning all the locals still around and connected to that fateful night. There is a lot of interesting personal information about the two as they begin to grow into themselves but it's not done with a heavy hand and I enjoyed their journey. The whole story was fun and thrilling ! If you like a podcast based thriller, love the small town mystery, or want to read a new up and coming author, Missing Clarissa is for you! #MissingClarissa #RipleyJones #STMartins

Missing Clarissa was SO. SO. SO. good. It had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the very end!

Missing Clarissa starts off in 1999 when high school student Clarissa goes missing. The case was never solved because Clarissa is never found. Flash forward to present day two high school students Blair and Cameron want to know what happened to Clarissa. So they start a true crime podcast called Missing Clarissa. And soon dirty secrets are exposed.

Overall I thought this was a really good YA mystery/thriller book. I keep reading because I wanted to find out what happened and I thought the plot was interesting enough. But here is where I think it went wrong...it is way to similar to A Good Girls Guide to Murder. A Good Girls Guide to Murder is one of my favorite YA mystery/thriller books. Essentially these books have the same vibes just different characters. So if I were to pick one I would have to choose A Girls Guide to Murder becuase, that book was just better. But by no means am I saying this book was bad, I do think it is worth the read. However, it was just too similar for me. 
Thank you Netgalley, Wednesday Books, and Ripley Jones for the ARC of this book.

Do you love True Crime? Are you addicted to True Crime Podcasts? Do you consider yourself a true crime sleuth. ? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, this book is for you!

It was 1999, the school year was coming to an end, students were graduating and that meant a party in the woods. What was supposed to be a fun night turned into tragedy.

Beautiful, talented, Clarissa went into the woods and was never seen again. It's as though she disappeared into thin air. She was never heard from again nor was her body found.

It's been 20 years since Clarissa went missing and the little rural town of Oreville, Washington hasn't forgotten. A new generation knows the story of the popular cheerleader who went missing. A school assignment leads Blair and Cameron into producing a True Crime Podcast about Clarissa. The slowly uncover secrets the town holds but will it be enough to find justice?

The story is told from different point of views. It's fast paced and a great addition to YA books.