I was excited to revisit the characters from the first book. The mystery of Lola and whether or not she was who she said she was interesting. In the end I was kind of let down, the ending felt in a way similar to the first so that wasn’t fun

“𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬.”

Ripley Jones' debut novel, Missing Clarissa, was such a fun suspense that I was glad to rejoin Cam and Blair as they use their investigative skills again.

I loved how Jones didn’t have Blair and Cam dive back into podcasting and investigating, becoming the newest crime solving duo, rather having them push away due to the scrutiny and backlash they faced from solving the case of Clarissa. I, at first, found the new mystery to be very intriguing - is the Lola that returned to her family after being missing for five years the same person, or is she an imposter, as her sister Mattie thinks? Mattie’s devotion to Lola’s memory was touching, and Jones did a great job at having you question whether Mattie was correct or not (especially in acknowledging that they were 9 when Lola disappeared, and that she may not be as they remembered). Once again, the chapters are uniquely titled (no numbers used), and are often quite humorous. I also loved the return of previous characters, especially Brad (previous suspect turned caring boyfriend/mentor) and Mr. Parks (journalism teacher). Overall, the story wasn’t quite as strong as the first book in the end, due to the focus more on Cam and Blair’s drama; I found there was a lack of suspects and things became a bit melodramatic, but I did love the idea of a found family, emphasized in the final chapters.

The Other Lola is a story of guilt, trauma, despair, and decisions. Although not as solid as Missing Clarissa, I still loved reuniting with some of these characters and would be happy to do so again. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books & NetGalley for the ARC!

The Other Lola picks up after Missing Clarissa ended, featuring my favorite two teenage sleuths, Cam and Blair.

The mystery kept me guessing; I never knew what to expect. And once again, the characters stole my heart. I love that Cam and Blair are flawed and make mistakes. They still remind me so much of what it felt like to be that age.

The ending felt a bit anticlimactic, but also more realistic…in a way. A lot of life isn’t satisfying, all the bad guys don’t get caught, good guys don’t always win. And I think that’s what I loved about this one. It felt real.

Another engaging and enjoyable read from Ripley Jones.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the review copy.

The Other Lola, by Ripley Jones
2.5/5⭐️⭐️

TRIGGER WARNINGS-
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Murder, death, drugs, drinking

The second book to Missing Clarissa

I don’t remember Cam being so insufferable and so self righteous…For someone so smart she was kind of dumb and air heady, which was annoying. I don’t recall the writing being as bad in the first book; too overly descriptive and a bunch of unnecessary things that didn’t add much to the story. It made it seem like this was their first book and not their second. The concept/plot was good but just poorly executed. I loved that the characters were inclusive regarding race and sexuality.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press/ Wednesday Books for giving me an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Other Lola is the follow-up novel to Missing Clarissa. It occurs several months after Cam and Blair solve Clarissa’s cold case. Blair and Cam had been put through the wringer by the press, the people in town, and people worldwide. Dealing with the repercussions of solving her case, they swore they would never do another podcast or look into another mystery. So, when Cam agrees to listen to Mattie’s tale about a sister disappearing and reappearing after five years and how they suspect the person who claims to be their sister is an imposter, she is inclined to laugh it off. But something about Mattie strikes a chord in Cam, and she has Blair listen to their story. The deeper Cam and Blair dig into Mattie’s story, the more they realize that something isn’t right with the family.

The Other Lola was such a great book to read. Right from the beginning, the storyline caught my attention. As the story went on and Cam and Blair dug into Lola’s disappearance and the events surrounding it, I couldn’t put my Kindle down. This was a well-written story with so many layers.

The mystery angle of the book was terrific. The author does reveal something major about Lola in the first chapter. Even with that reveal, this storyline had so many twists and turns that I almost had difficulty keeping up.

The author also focused on Blair and Cam’s relationship and their separate ones. It was a little heartbreaking to read about Cam’s anxiety and her flashbacks. It was also sad to read about Blair and how she felt her friendship with Cam was suffering. I also liked how the author portrayed Cam’s relationship with her girlfriend. Now, Blair and her relationship with Lola’s twin was creepy, considering why she had started dating him. I never felt she was really into him, but that ending scene on the boat made me wonder.

The end of The Other Lola was sad. I was not expecting the book to go in the direction it did, but in hindsight, it did make sense.

Many thanks to Saint Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, NetGalley, and Ripley Jones for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Other Lola. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Their true crime podcast solved a mystery, but also threw their lives into chaos. Blair and Cam have no intentions of ever getting involved in a mystery again, but then Mattie shows up. Mattie’s sister, Lola, disappeared years ago, and seems to have now reappeared. But Mattie swears that the new Lola isn’t truly her sister, and is desperate for help as no one else believes her.

I really loved the author’s book Missing Clarissa, and the sequel was very good too. Jones makes readers care so much about the characters, and the mystery is so unique and compelling. I was disappointed there was no podcast aspect, but that made total sense within the context of the story. I would recommend this book.

I didn't love Ripley Jones' debut for a variety of reasons (the number one is that I fully predicted the mystery/whodunnit and thought it was absurdly predictable). For some reason, I told myself I'd give their second book a shot. I ended up liking THE OTHER LOLA more, so I'm glad I did.

This story centers around another missing girl from the same town as the first book. I didn't fully realize this was a companion novel but it follows Cam and Blair, the podcasters from MISSING CLARISSA. They are approached by a younger girl at their school whose sister went missing five years ago and suddenly returned. The catch? She thinks this Lola is an impostor. Her family doesn't believe her so she enlists the help of Cam and Blair to figure out what's actually going on. 

I thought the mystery here was quite interesting but took a little while to get going. Cam and Blair are going through their own stuff, which takes up a lot of the plot. If I really think about the progression of the mystery and investigation, it honestly didn't get as much page time. I liked the found family vibes of this one with Cam's mom's new boyfriend and Mattie joining in their little crew a bit. Those were wholesome chapters.

This book has a ton of political references and discussions. I don't want to get into it in depth here but I am a very liberal person, so I agree with many of the things that Cam regularly brings up due to her mom and girlfriend's influence. That's not my issue. There were a ton of places where she would go on a rant (again, which I generally agreed with the content of) that didn't fit in with the plot or progression of the story. It often felt more like the author was just inserting some of their political beliefs in here. I wouldn't say that it took me out of the story but just reads very heavy-handed. This was true of the first book as well but I feel like I really noticed it here more.

I predicted a good portion of the ending but not as much as MISSING CLARISSA, so I would consider that a win and general improvement in their sophomore novel. I'm on the fence on if I would read any upcoming novels at this point but we'll see.

I enjoyed Missing Clarissa and was looking forward to this one.

The mains are the same, with a new "mystery" to solve. This one seemed to progress much slower than Clarissa, and seemed a bit more YA.

I liked that they included some more diverse characters.

This was a good read, but I really just liked the first more. I did enjoy the narration on the audio.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for an ARC and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

In The Other Lola, the sequel to Missing Clarissa, Blair and Cam are tired of the publicity from last year and trying to move on.

But noooo, Mattie a freshmen at their high school hunts them down and wants help proving her missing sister Lola, that just came back, is an imposter and not her sister at all.

This was fun and a really good continuation to Blair and Cam’s story with some closure for both. Add in the mystery of Lola, and you get yet another great smooth YA sleuthing thriller book.

Is it a bit unbelievable? Yeah it is but it’s also a blast. So glad I got to read this one.

Give me more Blair and Cam please.

This series is so fun. Although it's technically YA, I really enjoyed Cam and Blair as they work their second case in The Other Lola. Although The Other Lola technically can be read as a stand-alone, I think I would have missed a lot if I hadn't started with Missing Clarissa. Maddie is a great addition to the Cam and Blair duo, and I'm hoping that, not only will there be a third book in the series, but that Maddie will be featured again. I have to say that, after reading both books, Cam is my favorite character. I love her spunk and wit, and her relationship with her mother, Irene, is everything a parent-child relationship should be.

Ripley Jones provided us with yet another fantastically written story, involving those beloved characters from Missing Clarissa. I went into this book unsure if there would be any similarities to the first book, and was beyond ecstatic to realize that we have many of the characters returning for this fun, intense, and mystery-filled read!

Ripley Jones has skyrocketed into a spot high on my list, and I cannot wait for whatever comes next!!

Easily, easily a 5+ star read for me, and I highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sharing this arc with me in exchange for an honest review.

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

This book was okay. Not great, not terrible. I think I liked the first book in this series better because I was more compelled by the mystery. This mystery was okay, and I liked the twist of the missing girl coming back but her sister believes she's literally a different person. But I was never super compelled to pick the book back up and the characters weren't super interesting. Hard core fans of young adult, and young adult mysteries will probably like this, and again, there's nothing inherently wrong with it. It just felt okay. If there is a third offering in the series, I might check it out.

Fun fast read follow up to the first book. It was very easy to slip into the world and writing style of the author. While you don't necessarily have to have read the 1st book, it fleshed out your overall experience if you do read the first one. Looking forward to the next book by the author.

#NETGALLEY #RIPLEYJONES #THEOTHERLOLA

The Other Lola brings us back to Cam and Blair from the author's "Missing Clarissa". After what happened with the podcast and the trouble they found themselves in, the girls decided they needed to stay away from that kind of stuff in the future. But when a girl comes to them and says that her sister Lola disappeared five years ago and suddenly returned, they're intrigued. Even more so when the girl says she doesn't believe it's really her sister. Nobody believes her, but she wants Cam and Blair to help her find the truth.

All the original players are back - the teachers, Cam, Blair, Irene, Sophie... It was a great sequel. It could also be used as a stand-alone story. Just know that it will ruin the first book. However, the plot of this one is fully separate, as Missing Clarissa fully wrapped itself up.

I'd recommend this for anyone who enjoyed the first book in the series. I'd be willing to read another one, but I'm not sure if there's really a way to make it work.

The last thing that Cam Munoz and Blair Johnson expected was for their investigative podcast into the disappearance of Clarissa Campbell to not only put them in mortal danger, but also to earn them the sometimes irrational ire of numerous people, many of them anonymous online trolls. Now that the case is closed and their notoriety has mostly died down, the high school seniors are focusing on their futures. Brilliant, eccentric Cam fully intends to study physics at MIT, joining her girlfriend on the East Coast. Blair’s goals, however, are hazier. She’s always been the good, perfectly average girl her parents have long expected her to be, but she chafes at their assumption that it was Cam who dragged her out of her comfort zone and into trouble in the first place:

QUOTE
[S]omething stings about her family’s willingness to attribute everything the podcast accomplished to someone else.

Because, though the podcast was Cam’s idea, Cam could never have pulled it off without Blair. Blair’s the one who got Clarissa’s family and friends to talk. Blair’s the one who steered the madcap engine of Cam’s brain. Blair’s the one who figured out what was really going on with Clarissa and her teacher, and Blair’s the one who came to the rescue when Cam got herself imprisoned in a basement and almost murdered.

She doesn’t want her parents to hate her. She doesn’t want anyone to hate her. But she sure would like some credit.
END QUOTE

When young Mattie Brosillard approaches the duo with another potential investigation, Cam has zero interest in accepting. Cam is still pretty traumatized from what happened last time, but Blair is both intrigued by Mattie’s plea and tired of being seen as the sidekick. Besides, all Mattie wants them to do, at least initially, is attend a party.

Five years ago, Mattie’s older sister Lola disappeared. Their mother Ruth insisted that troubled young Lola had just run away again, but Mattie knew that Lola would never just leave without saying goodbye to them. Now, someone claiming to be Lola has reappeared in the Brosillard’s lives. The new Lola says that she spent the last five years kidnapped and constantly moved from place to place, and that her memories otherwise are hazy. Ruth is thrilled to welcome her prodigal daughter home, but Mattie is convinced that this other Lola is a fake, and wants Cam and Blair to help them prove it.

With varying degrees of reluctance, Cam and Blair agree to attend Lola’s homecoming party. Despite their misgivings – as Lola seems to genuinely be who she claims – the high schoolers can’t help but be drawn to Mattie’s genuine need for emotional support. The more they investigate though, the more unsettling truths they learn about the Brosillard family, and about the new Lola, who is certainly not as innocent as she seems:

QUOTE
It’s easy enough to come back. To walk into this house and see where the old Lola failed. Where her edges didn’t fit. To smooth herself into a shape that slots into the void the old Lola left, and then remake it. A gentler, more pliable version of the girl who left for good all those years ago. A light, gentle Lola whose mother will want to keep her, not hide her away in shame.

The new Lola has valuable skills. She can feign softness, hiding what’s hard beneath. She can smile sweetly. She can ask for nothing in a way that makes other people want to give, and give, and give.

It’s easier than you think to be a girl everyone wants to love.

All you have to do is lie.
END QUOTE

Meditating on the themes of self-invention and the strength of chosen family, The Other Lola is both thoughtful and surprisingly fast-paced, as the secrets our characters are keeping from one another emerge with devastating effect into the light of day. It’s hard not to sympathize with both Mattie and the new Lola, even as they’re seemingly at odds. Similarly, Cam and Blair each have their own angle on this investigation that neither fully wants to share with anyone at all, much less with each other. The ways in which these relationships dovetail present a striking, nuanced vision of the many different ways in which modern young American women and non-binary people have to adapt in order to survive.

All of this is wrapped up in a healthy dose of social consciousness, with witty banter to help leaven the occasionally somber mood. While slighter than its predecessor, the excellent <a href=”https://www.criminalelement.com/book-review-missing-clarissa-by-ripley-jones/”>Missing Clarissa</a>, this is still a terrific Young Adult mystery novel that isn’t afraid to tackle the real challenges facing young people of good conscience today.

{3.5 stars}

Cam and Blair are back and after their last mystery, they have sworn of podcasting. They are enjoying their senior year and planning for their futures. Their investigation healed some serious wounds in the town. But Clarissa isn't the only girl to have gone missing and an underclassman wants them to investigate the disappearance and subsequent return of Lola. Mattie is non-binary, so there's some new pronouns to get used to, and is suspicious of their miraculously returned sister. Lola is different but no one seems willing to say it or find out where she was. Mattie can't rest and eventually drags Cam and Blair into it and ultimately danger once again.

I missed the podcasting aspect in this one. Here we get letters as a device to provide us information that isn't readily available in the dialog. I like the different mediums but much preferred the podcasting style. I enjoyed seeing some of the characters from the last one have evolved into new roles in this story. The mystery itself didn't compel me as much and the reveal was a little underwhelming. I would still read another story with these two though.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

I enjoyed meeting Blair and Cam in the previous book and looked forward to a sequel. We see the characters about a year later, dealing with the fall out of their fame after the case, as well as some PTSD and trauma. Cam wants to move forward with her life, go to college, and reunite with her girlfriend. Blair is trying to capitalize on the success to help her with a future career.

I thought this was a bit slow moving and didn't have as many twists and revelations as the first installment. Cam has become a Sophie clone and constantly goes off about social justice, racism, capitalism, and anything else she thinks is unfair and it got old. I get putting a bit of awareness in this, but how many causes do you need to go on about, especially when it doesn't relate to the plot?

The ending did surprise me, but I wasn't the biggest fan of how some of it played out. I did think it wrapped up fairly well though and showed where the characters were heading.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the copy.

In this book, the two girl's roles are reversed from the previous book. Cam is the cautious reluctant one, and Blair is the headstrong one who rushes in without thinking. The supporting characters involved in the mystery are much less cliched and predictable and much more interesting than in the previous book. The resolution of the story is much more satisfying as well. Even though the initial premise of the story might not seem like it makes sense, in the end, it all does.

However, at the heart of this book and what makes it so special are the great relationships between the characters. Not only is there the deep bond of a true and caring friendship between Cam and Blair but there are sweet relationships between each of the girls and Cam's mother too as well as the touching relationship that develops between the girls and Mattie, and more.

Thank you Netgalley & St Martin's Press for an eARC of The Other Lola by Ripley Jones. I was excited to see a follow-up to Missing Clarissa, following teen podcasters Blair & Cam. This one is definitely a YA novel but with serious themes throughout. Loved the LGBTQA+ and non-binary representation in this one - It's well done by Jones!

Cam & Blair are still reeling from the fallout of their podcast re: Missing Clarissa when Mattie approaches them, begging for help. Her sister Lola disappeared mysteriously 5 years ago and is now back - But Mattie is convinced that this Lola, is not her sister.

Great narration on this one if you go with the audiobook, easy to binge!

The Other Lola is a follow-up to the 2023-release, Missing Clarissa. These are YA-Mystery stories following two main characters: Blair and Cam. In Missing Clarissa, Cam and Blair investigate the disappearance of popular cheerleader, Clarissa Campbell, who went missing from their small town of Oreville, Washington, 20-years before. It starts as a project for their high school Journalism class and ends up being a viral podcast, as well as a life-endangering pursuit of amateur sleuthing.

At the end of the Clarissa case, Cam and Blair had sudden fame, but with it, a lot of unwanted attention. They vowed to never do it again; to stick their noses in where they don't belong, to make a podcast, none of it. Then they meet Mattie, a Freshman at their high school. Mattie shows up on the literal doorstep, begging for the girls' help with an unsettling family situation.

Mattie's sister, Lola, disappeared mysteriously five years ago. The thing is, Lola has returned. She's not talking about where she has been all these years, and Mattie is convinced she's an imposter, but no one else believes Mattie; not her mother, not her brother, Luke, no one. Blair and Cam, Blair in particular, are moved by Mattie's story. They seem so passionate about it. It couldn't hurt to help them out, could it? Look into it a little...

Before they know it, the two are neck deep in another dangerous investigation, but with secrets between them, how will they ever be able to get to the bottom of someone else's twisted family drama?

I was intrigued by this initially, and did enjoy following Cam and Blair during the investigation. For me, it wasn't quite as compelling as the first book, but yeah, still a solid story. The audiobook has great narration and I would recommend that format. I was able to fly through this story and I did find that the narrator helped to keep me engaged, even when I was rolling my eyes a little bit.

I felt like, and I could be misremembering, but for me, personal issues for Blair and Cam took much more of a front seat in this one than the first book. In a way, this almost felt like a straight YA Contemporary story, with a slight mystery happening in the background. By this I mean, the mystery almost took a back seat to Cam and Blair's interpersonal dramas. With this being said though, I do really enjoy both Cam and Blair as characters and I love their friendship.

So, it's not like I was disappointed with those aspects of the story, it just seemed more difficult to get as invested in the mystery surrounding Lola because of it.

Additionally, there were things at the end that I found unsatisfying; that just didn't make sense. I am mainly referring to the events following the big reveal, so sadly, I can't comment more without giving the ending away. Overall though, I still enjoyed Cam and Blair, their friendship and the idea of two smart high school girls taking on the world and solving mysteries. That's a fun concept, which is fairly well executed within these stories.

There are hints that there could be more with these characters in the future. I would be interested in picking up future books, if that turns out to be the case. Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review.