As someone who has been a true crime enthusiast for many years, this book was right up my alley. I was surprised to find out about this case and shocked I had never heard of Lauren Spierer. Her disappearance after a night out has opened many different ideas about what happened. I appreciated the insight from the original reporter on her case. You will be gripped and can read this book quickly. Highly recommend!

I received a free advance digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. Working on getting through the rest of the advanced books I received.
This book took me a while to get through because of the case it’s about. I tend to need to take breaks when reading true crime cause the stories are so raw and heartbreaking. I learned new things about Lauren Spierers disappearance from this book. It makes me hope even more for her family to get answers about what happened that night. The book is well written and I recommend reading it if you want a deeper look into the case. Just wish anyone who knows something about that night and what happened to her would speak up.

I really appreciated the level of detail the author went into with his investigation. I have been following this story since Lauren went missing and I think this was a very good introduction for someone not familiar with the case. There are many unexplained events from the night she went missing and the author didn’t shy away from pointing them out.

I didn't know a lot about this case before reading this book. I appreciate how in depth the author goes and how he covers so many possible scenarios and theories. Highly recommend for all true crime readers. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This true crime book about a young college girl going missing was intriguing. The author really dove into the story and did lots of research. There were lots of details on the case that seemed to be told concisely while also telling the story.

This would have been better as a podcast. College Girl, Missing is the very familiar story of Lauren Spierer. As a crime junkie, I pride myself on being victim focused, but the first half of this novel felt the author was justifying Lauren’s partying and use of drugs. Did she deserve to disappear? Absolutely not, but we do not need fifty pages telling us of her drug use. Sympathy for the victim significantly decreases. The second half of this book needed to be removed. If the author and Lauren’s parents wanted to put pressure on a suspect, then do so, but do it in a different format, preferably one that promotes an open dialogue.

I don't know if I am happy to give this book 5 stars or not. This is an absolutely heartbreaking story and I truly wish it would have ended with answers for this family. To be honest, I had never heard this story. So everything was brand new to me when I started to read it and I was in it. I liked the authors writing style and felt smooth and continuous and sometimes I was like where are they going with this and then I would be like Oh I follow now I see the connection. I was truly captivated by this and even started googling things and wanting to get more information about this tragic story and I truly hope there are answers for this family one day or someone decides to speak up. Even though this is a tragic true story it was a very informative book that grabbed me from the beginning and had me wanting to know more and more and more.

3 STARS

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I had never heard of this story before seeing this book pop up on NetGalley. I was expecting to hear more about the case and less about the author writing the story.

This is a thriller book based on a real story. My thoughts and prayers go to the family of Lauren. I can't imagine the ordeal that they had to live with.

As an IU graduate, I was thrilled to see a book finally published about this story. Brilliantly researched and tactfully detailed--Cohen did this story justice. I hope it helps solve the case and bring closure to her family. This could have happened to me...and a lot of other girls.

An interesting look at the disappearance of a young college woman who vanished one June night.
The forward says new information is only in this book.
However, Lauren remains missing and no one is quite sure of what happened. The book offers many suppositions and I have my theories but how agonizing for the parents.

Really enjoyed this True Crime and have reccommended it to other TC readers. I found it to be compelling with lots of good information as well as speculation, as it is unfortunate that the case has not been solved yet. I think its difficult to write true crime when there is not a "solution" however this author did a good job of it.

I am constantly looking for new nonfiction to use with my AP class in high school. And it’s always difficult to find one that holds their interest throughout the whole story. For me this book is going to be a great addition to my classroom when it comes out because it deals with students that are not much older than my students and You turning pages as fast as possible to find out what’s going on and weigh in on the case yourself.

All that being said, it does very much feel like the purpose of the book is to solve the mystery and not to tell the story objectively. The author clearly had an agenda and while it is a noble one, it come through in the story telling.

College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen is a gripping exploration of the unsolved disappearance of Lauren Spierer, a college student who vanished in June 2011 after a night out in Bloomington, Indiana. The book provides a thorough and detailed account of Lauren's final hours, the subsequent investigation, and the ongoing search for answers.

Cohen, an investigative journalist, brings his expertise to this case, meticulously reconstructing the events leading up to Lauren's disappearance. The narrative is well-organized, combining interviews with key figures—including Lauren’s family, friends, and private investigators—with a detailed analysis of evidence and police records.

The book’s strength lies in its comprehensive coverage of the case. Cohen presents a clear timeline of Lauren’s last known movements, supported by surveillance footage and witness statements. This detailed approach helps readers understand the complexity of the investigation and the gaps that remain.

While the book does not offer new breakthroughs, it succeeds in consolidating existing information and shedding light on the enduring mystery of Lauren’s disappearance. The emotional depth of the narrative is evident, highlighting the ongoing impact on Lauren's family and their relentless search for closure.

Overall, College Girl, Missing is a compelling and well-researched account that will resonate with true crime enthusiasts and those interested in the intricacies of missing persons cases.

Rating: 4/5 stars

I flew through this true Crime book. I enjoy true Crime and this was no exception. I was not already familiar with this case, so this ended up being a real interesting read for me. Even if you were familiar with the story already, I still think you would enjoy having all the investigatory information in one place. Though this crime remains unsolved, Cohen pulls together the most recent findings in the case as well as talks to the key players in the case and private investigators. The book is well researched and wrote in cooperation with the victim's family. A quick read, that will provided youw with much insight into the Lauren Spierier case.

This book was so relatable it was scary. a blond hair, blue eyed girl (same as myself) goes off to college around the same time I did in the Midwest (same) but the difference is I didn't go missing. Shawn Cohen does great justice to this still unsolved case and brings new light to a missing persons case. It is tragic to think of how quickly things can go wrong and even sadder to think that the person or person who took her are probably known but with no evidence or a body there is no way to convict. Lauren Spierer, although around the same age and location, her story was not widely known outside of the local area and thus her story was essentially lost in time. Again, I commend Shawn Cohen for bringing it back into light in a way that may reach more people and hopefully will bring new light on what truly has happened to Lauren.

I recently read a compelling book about Lauren Spierer's disappearance, a case I hadn’t been familiar with before. The author takes a unique approach to this true crime story, focusing on the events surrounding Lauren’s disappearance and the broader implications for those left in the wake of such tragedies. Through meticulous research, new evidence, and thoughtful interviews, the author invites readers to question the initial findings and consider the possibility of a cover-up.

The book is well-paced, keeping readers engaged without overwhelming them with details. Cohen does an excellent job of compiling a vast amount of information, tracing every step that led to Lauren’s disappearance and the subsequent police investigation. As you read through witness statements and review security footage, it’s hard not to be struck by how such a high-profile case could still be unresolved.

What I appreciated most was Cohen’s clear and straightforward writing style. He breaks down the complex details of the case in a way that’s easy to follow, striking a balance between presenting the facts and allowing readers to draw their conclusions. The book steers clear of sensationalism, instead offering a well-rounded view of the events.

“College Girl, Missing” by Shawn Cohen is a well-researched and thought-provoking account of the Spierer case. It raises important questions and offers a comprehensive look at an investigation that remains frustratingly unresolved. This book is a must-read for true crime enthusiasts and anyone interested in the complexities of criminal investigations.

College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen tells an account of the details surrounding the disappearance of IU student Lauren Spierer. Spierer vanished after a night of partying in Bloomington and hasn't been seen since. Shawn Cohen was a journalist covering the initial investigation and in the first part of the book he shares a timeline of the days and hours leading up to Lauren's disappearance, including a detailed look at her movements taken from evidence and surveillance footage that as of yet had not been available to the public. Cohen also spends a great deal of time in the book recounting his work as a journalist during the beginning days of the case. He claims to be the first journalist to break the case.

I am an avid true crime podcast listener, so I was familiar with this case. I found the beginning to be a good refresher about the details surrounding Lauren's disappearance. However, since this is a cold case and there isn't any new information, I found it to be a bit dragging during the second part of the book detailing Cohen's personal life/interaction with the case. I found it to be another informative look into how she went missing and the search for her with one common theme being that she was overly intoxicated, mixing drugs and/or alcohol and her underlying heart condition, she passed away, and the guys she was with probably freaked out and disposed of her body.

This was a fairly easy read with some good information and background that probably could have been a bit shorter in length.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A true, unsolved mystery of a young woman who disappeared, more like vanished. The author thoroughly explores her case, looks at evidence, interviews her friends and family and ultimately gets nowhere. A well written and researched case review that was a little unsettling and definitely unsatisfactory since the case is still unsolved.

**I appreciated the opportunity to read and review the electronic ARC. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher.

College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight by Shawn Cohen ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Mega thanks to NetGalley and Source Books for this Advanced Readers Copy!
This book is set to release on May 27, 2024.

This was like DateLine in literature format. I loved it and could not put it down.

On June 3rd, 2011, a 20-year-old Indiana University student named Lauren Spierer vanished after a night out with friends. Shawn Cohen is a journalist who covered the story then and remained dedicated to the Spierer family, with whom he formed a relationship.

The circumstances surrounding Lauren’s disappearance are bleak: She was very drunk, under the influence of several drugs, and ignoring her long-term boyfriend and leaving parties with rich, entitled frat guys with many intentions, none of them good. Regardless of all of this, as Lauren’s mom puts it, Lauren did not make herself disappear. Someone knows something.

First and foremost, Cohen wrote this book with the permission and support of the Spierer family. That matters to me.
The book compiles as much information about Lauren’s disappearance as possible; from police, private investigators, Lauren’s family and friends, and the crowd who saw her in her last, very vulnerable hours, Cohen captures the story from as many angles as possible. And he is honest - he paints an accurate picture of an imperfect young woman at a crossroads in her life. But he also doesn’t vilify her either. He acknowledges an innocent life lost, and works hard to bring out the story…or stories.

This was a great read for any true crime lovers out there. It got right to the point and did a great job presenting the case then, and now. Worth checking this out when it’s released in May.