I loved the podcast episodes at the beginning of chapters. That was different and it was fantastic!

The mystery behind the entire book was okay. It wasn't a surprise reveal of what happened to Clarissa or who was responsible, but it didn't seem like that's what the author was going for anyway. She did a good job of showing different levels of guilt, privilege and corruption which was both interesting and infuriating to read.

The characters could've been more than they were. I liked Blair, but some of her traits hit a little too close to home and I found myself hating her for things that I do. I was so freaking proud of her at the end of the book! Cam was horrible. She is easily classified under the Sheldon-syndrome (smart with no social skills). To be honest, I'm tired of this character. Genius-level IQ does NOT mean someone has no social skills. I was also furious that in the end, after everything Cam had done, there were essentially no consequences for her. A 30-page paper on journalistic ethics for a genius is a joke. I really don't like that the book made it out like, if you're right, you can escape all consequences in life, even if you break laws in the process. Terrible message for YA readers.

I was find with Missing Clarissa overall. It didn't jump off the page for me, but it wasn't bad either. This would probably be a very specific recommendation for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a digital copy for review.

This was a solid young adult mystery with interesting characters and a compelling story. Clarissa Campbell went missing in 1999 and her case quickly went cold. As the years went by she became more like a myth to the residents, especially the younger ones. More than twenty years later two teenagers, Blair and Cam, decide to use her story to start a podcast for their journalism class. Though it starts as just a project, it quickly becomes personal, and as their podcast grows in popularity, they soon gather the attention of the killer.

Overall a good read. Though it was short, I felt like it was a good length and all that the story required. I would recommend this to fans of young adult and good mysteries. Looking forward to the next book by this author.

This book just ended up not being for me right now, so it is a did-not-finish. Perhaps I will come back to it someday and update this review.

In the summer of 1999, beautiful cheerleader Clarissa Campbell goes missing without a trace in the state of Washington and is never seen again. The case grows cold after no leads and no body found. Twenty years later, Blair and Cameron (students at the same high school Clarissa attended) start a true crime podcast for their journalism class about the disappearance of Clarissa Campbell. They call the podcast "Missing Clarissa." What starts as just a school project turns into something more as the girls become invested in their interviews with Clarissa's haunted shell of a mother, her burly former boyfriend, the nerd-next-door who helped Clarissa's parents after the disappearance, and the art teacher with whom Clarissa might have had a questionable relationship. The girls dig deeper and deeper and start to unearth secrets... and real danger.

I LOVED listening to this one on audio! The format of this story - partly narrative, partly podcast episodes - was PERFECT for audio format. I loved the full-cast of narrators! The story itself was very entertaining and I loved that the girls' podcast episodes were weaved into the story. Blair and Cameron were very loveable main characters and complemented each other perfectly. They weave a narrative that is intriguing and captivating, even though they don't realize it at first. I found myself invested in all the interviews, characters, and the eventual resolution (no spoilers here!). I can honestly say I didn't see the ending coming which I LOVE in a mystery/suspense novel! Highly recommend for fans of YA mystery, Good Girls' Guide to Murder, Tell Me What Really Happened, etc.

I had a good time with this one. I liked the overall premise - two kids just wanting to create a fun podcast for an assignment based on an unsolved mystery in their town and then it snowballs into something bigger.

I specifically liked the conversation they had in the middle of the book of "why are they telling us this stuff" and the response being that people had been holding onto secrets for too long. It made the podcast a little more believable and addressed why two teens might be able to solve a mystery that professionals had not.

Quick, fun, fast-paced read. Probably a great summer/beach read.

🎙🎧Book Review:
Title: Missing Clarissa
Author: Ripley Jones
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 3 stars

High school best friends, Cam and Blair, decide to start a true crime podcast for their journaling class, and the first case they choose is the disappearance of Clarissa Campbell.

Clarissa is a missing person from the same high school that the best friends attend. She disappeared over twenty years ago, and the case has gone cold. Clarissa was a popular cheerleader and yet surrounded by many secrets. What started out as a school project turns into the passion to find answers and justice for Clarissa.

I enjoyed the audio version of this book! It was a quick, easy read, and I loved the music that was incorporated into the podcast.

Published: March 7th, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @stmartinspress, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Overall, a fast paced read that kept me interested from start to finish but I did find it to be a bit predictable and the ending seemed super rushed.

In a small town where nothing ever happens a pretty blonde high school cheerleader disappears without a trace. 20 years later 2 junior girls in high school make a podcast about missing clarissa. This grabs you from the first page and keeps interested until the end. Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Fast-paced, thrilling, and knife-sharp, Missing Clarissa is your next YA true crime favorite! Definitely for fans of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, two friends make it their mission to solve a decades old missing person’s case that’s turned into local urban legend through their journalism podcast assignment.

Heart-hammering chapters spliced with podcast interviews (mixed media writing is en vogue right now) will keep readers turning pages well into the night.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND the audiobook for the premium listening experience!

I feel like YA thrillers with a true crime podcast element are becoming increasingly more popular and trendy - thankfully, I think Missing Clarissa did this trend perfectly!

It took me a bit to get into - mostly because I felt like our two main characters were a bit off-putting and, dare I say, annoying? However, once the story really began to pick up, I was rather invested - particularly when our main characters were putting their own lives in danger and acting a bit foolishly for the sake of their project.

While I definitely was rolling my eyes at some of the choices they made, you can't deny that you get a fast-paced, book with several suspects and tense moments.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
For fans of true crime and stories told in podcast format, like Sadie and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Missing Clarissa needs to be added to your tbr.
Two best friends pick the story of an old cold case to examine for a school project for their journalism class. They throw themselves wholeheartedly into the mystery, not always skillfully or wisely but definitely with youthful enthusiasm.
This story gave you plenty of suspects, red herrings, and friendship feels. I loved the two friends they had different personalities but you could tell the long history between them, it wasn’t just told but shown. They frustrated me at times but they are also high schoolers so, on the whole, pretty accurate.

Twenty Years ago while attending a party in the woods, popular cheerleader Clarissa gets in an argument with her boyfriend, she storms off into the woods and is never seen again. The small town of Oreville Washington is devastated as her case goes cold.
Cam and Blair who are juniors in high school are taking a journalism class. When asked to pick a project they decide to create a true-crime pod cast, and the the case they choose is the infamous Clarissa. They begin by trying to interview the people who were closest to Clarissa, like her mom and boyfriend and friends. They begin to see Clarissa in a new light and realize she wasn’t that different than them. She loved art had dreams but she also had her own secrets. Did she just decide to start over and runaway? As their numbers of listeners begin to climb , it’s soon apparent that someone knows more than what they told police. The girls begin to receive threats and someone wants what happened to Clarissa to stay buried. I enjoyed this book, I don’t usually read YA but this book held my interest. I loved Cam and Blair!

I've been searching recently for a good young adult book and this one was exactly what I was seeking! I love a strong female friendship, especially because the main characters were so opposite, I love a podcast storyline, and I LOVE a thriller - this book had all three! I found some aspects of this book to be a bit unbelievable and had to FORCE myself to suspend by disbelief, but it didn't detract from the storyline at all. I think I read this one in two settings - and I never would've guessed the ending, which is the hallmark of a good thriller, in my opinion. this is exactly the kind of book I would've picked up when shopping at Barnes & Noble with my mom in high school - and I loved it as an adult too!

Very much reminded me of the Good Girl's Guide to Murder meets Nancy Drew. I loved the aspect of two friends starting their own true crime podcast, the various issues they go through learning the hows and whats of podcasting, and their detective work to discover what truly happened to Clarissa.

It is very obviously a YA novel, but it was enjoyable and kept my interest the entire time. I quickly figured out the 'who' in the 'whodunnit' but it was enjoyable watching everything fall into place. If you're a fan of Good Girl's Guide to Murder, I think you'll enjoy this one too!

I was given a copy of this story to read; but thoughts and opinions are all my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the chance to read this book!

Missing Clarissa is a devilish tale of betrayal, murder, and things no teenager should ever have to deal with. What started as a school project becomes so much more as Cam and Blair begin to really understand what it is that they're doing, it's not about the grade, it's about bringing closure to not just a family but a town.

Understanding what happened becomes an obsession for Cam, one that will get her into trouble more than once, that will test the bonds of friendship and make her question what she believes happened to Clarissa on more than one occasion, and then there's that pesky lawsuit she gets everyone into.

Through it all though, both Cam and Blair are learning, not only about journalism but about consequences, what can happen when you go charging into situations without proof, just how dangerous the world can be.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this e-book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

In Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones, two best friends in high-school start a true-crime podcast only to realize that they may have helped the killer in the process! Yikes! This is a YA book but I am all for it! I loved the characterization, the storyline, just everything. Very engrossing and compelling!

I believe this is being marketed as a YA novel which I didn’t realize when I chose it. It didn’t matter. I enjoyed it. Mix a missing cheerleader in a cold case, two students in the present time, a podcast, a possibly evil politician and you bake a really good mystery.

In August of 1999, in the small town of Oreville, Washington, local It-Girl, Clarissa Campbell went missing from a party in the woods. She was never seen again.

Now that's a good hook if you love mysteries!

This is a compelling YA mystery that kept me on edge until the end. I liked Cam and Blair and really enjoyed their relationship. I thought their personalities blended together perfectly and loved how they played off each other.

Throughout the book you learn more about Clarissa and what happened to her with the main characters.

If you're a fan of A Good Girl's Guild to Murder then you'll love this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, I loved this story. I really connected with the characters and I found myself emotionally invested in the mystery of what happened to Clarissa, the bright, popular cheerleader that disappeared in 1999. The podcast / interview aspect reminded me of GGGTM, and bringing the adults that were the teenagers in Clarissa life in and sharing their stories reminded me of Yellowjackets.

Blair and Cam are two sides of a coin, they're very different people but I never questioned them as friends, they just fit. Blair is quiet and steady, a career in writing clearly in her future, but Cam was complex, ADHD coded, extremely impulsive and made rash decisions that ended up devastating those around her.

That's why, while I found Cam extremely relatable, I also became just as frustrated with her as the adults in her life. There is no moment of considering what the consequences of her actions might be with Cam, and her later decision nearly ends up breaking up her and Blair's friendship for good. In the future, she could be a brilliant journalist, but she has a lot of growth to do to get there.

While I did guess the culprit in this story fairly early on, I didn't mind going along for the ride as they uncovered Clarissa's secrets, and met the people around her. I loved that their stories were shared, humanizing both them and Clarissa, slowly pulling around the media crafted image of the perfect cheerleader. The last page had me in tears.

Can two highschool girls actually solve the most famous unsolved case in their hometown's history? What starts out as a way to get an A in journalism may end in a life or death situation. In 1999, Clarissa, a beautiful cheerleader, went missing, and her story spread like wildfire throughout the country. However, no evidence is found, and the case falls into obscurity. Twenty years later, sixteen year old Cameron comes up with the idea to record a podcast detailing the events of Clarissa's disappearance. She convinces her best friend Blair to partner up with her, and off they go, researching and talking to the people who knew Clarissa. This quickly becomes more than an assignment; as they investigate, the reality of the situation hits them. There are a lot of secrets in Oreville, and someone may be willing to kill to keep theirs.

This is a fun who-dunnit, with compelling, if naive, amateur slueths. The friendship between Cam and Blair really helps sell the story. It's genuine; they build each other up and fill in each other's weaknesses. The mystery was pretty well done, maybe a little obvious, but interesting to follow. These girls were in so far over their heads, and did so many things that make you shake your head. The author brings up that it's always the beautiful white girls whose disappearances make the national headlines, not those from marginalized groups. Something we all should take note of. Would recommend to fans of YA thrillers.