I really wanted to love this. The whole idea was so intriguing but honestly, this was a hard read. It felt like it was all over the place. Jumping from one girl to the next and it lacked...heart I guess. I never connected with any of the characters or even the storyline, which really did have so much potential.
It sadly ended up feeling a lot like the author repeatedly described Cam, a big hot chaotic mess.

The mystery was very predictable and I found myself wanting to just put the book down and not pick it up again. I think this sadly, just wasn't for me.

Three girls,
One outspoken and outgoing
One shy and reserved
One missing and presumed dead.
Two best friends decide to do a podcast about a girl who went missing in the woods during a party during the years their parents were in highschool.

Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones is a YA novel about two teen girls who start a true crime podcast. The storyline is good, excellent pacing...but, yet, not a real fan. A tighter edit removing the long paragraphs about prisons being part of white supremacy and slavery could have left. The references to ACAB. They added zero to the story line and frankly knocked me off the groove of the story line.
The pacing is tight and the suspense builds well. I would definitely read more by this author and hope her future editor uses more red ink.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of MISSING CLARISSA by Ripley Jones in exchange for my honest review.***

Main characters doing podcasts has become a frequent trope in mysteries and thrillers of late, so when a writer makes this sub genre feel fresh and, I’m excited. Two small town high school juniors examine an unsolved disappearance from their moms’ high school years for their journalism class. They aren’t experts or even skilled at first, sometimes they go live and wing it

MISSING CLARISSA has no shortage of suspects, innocent bad guys and red herrings. The major characters were flawed yet easy to champion when when I wanted to strangle them.

In a crowded mystery/thriller field MISSING CLARISSA stands out with character and plot and has crossover adult appeal.

I really love how YA is bringing in the concept of true crime and how the books are being written. This one had me hooked from the beginning and was well-paced throughout.

I really enjoyed this book overall, but one of the characters was had dialogue that was strange in her approach and the other was self deprecating in the first half, so it was a little hard to deal with their dialogue at times but the story was good, it definitely had some fun twists towards the end. I definitely would recommend this book!

I am giving my five stars without thinking any further but my main reason to enjoy this book so much is not related to the mystery about young cheerleader’s disappearance!
The characterization of this book is perfect! Cam is my kind favorite weirdo I truly adored! She’s extra intelligent, socially awkward, eccentric, over enthusiastic, impatient, impulsive. Thankfully her best friend Blair is quite opposite of her characteristics, balancing her in positive way. She’s kind, observer, fixer with great storytelling skills even though she has insecurities about her own abilities.

When Cam comes out with an idea out of nowhere to start a podcast about town’s most effective tragedy, Blair reluctantly finds herself buried into this project.
20 years ago, Clarissa Campbell: popular cheerleader, talented art student, disappears in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington. During their podcast, they will bring out different perspectives to this incident. How hard it can be? They will just talk and discuss new theories!
They both want to pass with flying colors from their journaling class. This is the best concept they can focus. This is the heart wrenching mystery has been hunting the town for years.

They never found the body! Clarissa’ mother thinks she can be still alive but most of her loved ones, including her father, her boyfriend who was also person of interest for the involvement in her disappearance and her best friend think otherwise.

Cam chose the subject because of the popularity but when she and Blair start hearing from different perspectives, there’s a lot of drama coming out from Clarissa’ inner circle who truly miss her!

The press objectified Clarissa as a young white girl with a perfect face! But she’s more than that! Most of the people truly know her talk about the secrets they’ve been hiding with Cam and Blair. Because they are tired to keep things to themselves.

Both girls finally realize Clarissa’ disappearance is more than just a project they have to work on or podcast success with climbing numbers of followers! They want justice for her and other girls who are mistreated just like her! But her good intentions to bring out true justice may endanger their safety! Because there are people out there not so happy about the town’s longtime kept secrets coming out!

Overall: fast pacing, unique, absolutely different from other YA mysteries with its emotional POVs from the people who are involved into the podcast project and smart writing style! The character stories are more alluring than the entire disappearance mystery!

I also enjoy how Cam and Blair discover the realities about themselves during their investigation. Cam comes clean about her sexual choices and starts building a great relationship even though she doesn’t know exactly what she’s doing. And Blair sharpens her writing and shooting skills. Finally she discovers what she wants to do with her life.

I’m looking forward to read more Ripley Jones books in near future!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

I love a good mystery, and I couldn't put this one down — I read it in one sitting! The story was thrilling and tense and kept me guessing until the very end. If you like true crime podcasts and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, you'll love this book.