This is a true crime book about a college student, Lauren Spierer, who goes missing from Indiana University in 2011. I don’t recall hearing of this case and, now living in Indiana, it caught my attention.

The author does a good job of summarizing what happened the night she went missing, as well as in the early days of the investigation, in a clear timeline. It is touted as having new information, but that information wasn’t really anything of significance. I applaud the author’s efforts in trying to contact persons of interest and trying to renew interest in the case, but I didn’t feel like there was anything groundbreaking. However, I hope this book eventually leads to a resolution in the case.

If you like true crime and aren’t overly familiar with this case, you’d probably enjoy this book as it’s fast-paced and interesting. If you are already familiar with the case, it may be redundant.

As a side note, I’ve read a lot of reviews saying the author focuses too much on himself, but I did not get this impression at all. Yes, he brought up a ”scandal” that he was involved in, but had he not done that, some of the comments made to/about him would not have made sense.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the chance to read and review this book early.

Really interesting story. Crazy someone can just go missing in this day and age. I love a mystery. Quick paced and interesting read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

Okay, so I have complicated feelings about this book. I’ve disengaged from most true crime (outside of stories about scams) because I feel like a lot of it is a bit too sensationalist. Also, no true crime novel has ever topped Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone in the Dark and tbh don’t think one will ever come close.

However, I think it’s vital to keep talking about missing person cases and unsolved mysteries. I didn’t know about Lauren’s case in 2011, and I hope that a new wave of interest can come from the TikTok detectives so we can finally give her family some peace. What happened to her is horrific, and the fact that the police were so slow to the chase, allowing the main suspects to lawyer up and the garbage to be quickly disposed of just makes me so angry. Someone knows something, and I truly believe they lawyered up to protect themselves. The police are often too slow or too lazy or too negligent — it happens with so many unsolved cases, and it’s so frustrating!

However, I struggled because I believe that true crime novels should come with a wider commentary about the world, and very often, I felt like the author was getting there only for him to drop the point a few sentences later. There are a lot of points to be made when it comes to this case - about toxic masculinity, about how missing white blonde women are held to a higher standard, about slut shaming, about police malfeasance, about substance abuse. But they were never expanded upon, and I felt that this book did a huge disservice.

I also felt that sometimes Cohen’s reporting methods were a little brash or unorthodox, but I respect how hard he tried to get answers. I just think showing up to a girl's apartment unannounced for information is a little creepy idk.

But at the end of the day, this is a real case about a real girl. I hope that enough people take an interest in it so that her family can find answers and the people who did this can get justice.

"College Girl, Missing" recounts the baffling disappearance of Lauren Spierer, a student at Indiana University who vanished without a trace. On the night she went missing, Lauren was seen out with friends and captured on multiple security cameras. The last footage shows her entering a townhouse complex belonging to wealthy, well-connected male students, who have since provided inconsistent accounts or claim memory lapses.

As an avid true crime enthusiast, I was surprised by my lack of familiarity with this case. The book handles the story with sensitivity and thoroughness, allowing all involved parties to present their perspectives. While no groundbreaking revelations emerge, I hope the publication of this book may jog someone's memory and provide answers for Lauren's parents, who continue to seek closure.

I’ve read and listened to a lot of stuff about this case and yet was somehow still hoping this book would have a happy ending. I enjoyed the writing style because it very much reads like a podcast or like having a conversation with someone about the case.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I can think of no greater tragedy than losing a loved one without ever knowing what happened to them. I had hoped that this book would be the resolution to the crime of Lauren's loss, but there will be no answers until the man who was with her that night tells people what he did with this young woman's body.

Anyone who says that they "cannot possibly remember " what was discussed via a call they received when they were involved in a crime or a cover-up during a traumatic situation is so obviously lying. This was not a normal day that was a non-event they are being asked to recall. I remember days and very specific details from DECADES ago, that were imprinted with far less traumatic or dramatic recollections than this.

Something happened in that man's apartment at college, and he reached out via a phone call at 3 AM to seek advice. The recipient of that phone call would certainly remember the content of what was discussed that night. Her own actions spoke as loudly as an admission to that fact, as she hid in her house and forced her dogs to wait for 8 hours before they relieved themselves. Pretty damning evidence she has secrets to share regarding that night. Isn't she worried that the "friend" she is working so hard to protect could similarly turn against her some day?
Pity she would rather become an accomplice in what is at the very least a cover-up and at worst a murder - than having human compassion for a family who need the truth. They will never can never truly move beyond that night until someone talks.

The young man their daughter was with that night and the woman he phoned at 3 AM BOTH know what happened. The question is will one of them ever "grow a conscience" and give the family and friends of a young woman who was just starting out in life answers. The woman hiding this man's secrets is as guilty as he is..

Read the book, come to your own conclusions and please POST your comments. Maybe somehow your words it will be read by the guilty party or accomplices who know the truth and your words will be one small stone added to the weight of crushing guilt and responsibility that triggers either to finally reveal the truth.

Tragedy, compounded by lies, which never allowed a young woman's family the dignity of the truth forces them to live in a hellacious limbo I would not curse my worst enemy to have to endure.

Solid investigative reporting, found inconsistencies, keep pushing, perhaps someday just the right magical lever will be pushed that will force the selfish ego-centric man who spent the last hours of this girl's life with her to tell the truth. He will never and has not "forgotten" anything about that night, nor has the woman he called at 3 AM. , it is not as though he is asked to remember what he ate for lunch a certain day decades ago - this was likely the most significant event in this person's LIFE. We all remember details from our lives, these memories do not "fade" in time.

College Girl, missing - Shawn Cohen

A gripping true crime book about a college girl who disappeared in plain sight…

….And still the mystery remains of what happened to and the whereabouts of Lauren Spierer. So much more should have been investigated early on in her disappearance and maybe her family would have had some answers. Charlene and Robert Spierer deserve to know what happened to their daughter back in June 2011. The family need answers and they need closure and to echo Charlene Spierer the only way they will ever get answers “is if somebody comes forward with information.”

A true crime page turner, was unaware of this case prior to this ARC. Appreciative of the research and insight to an unsolved case, very well written.

I had never head about this case before, she it was a very hard read to put down, the impact from this book will forever stick with me.

I think this was beautifully and respectfully done, it shed more light and I really hope that the case is truly solved and I can read a follow up on Lauren and her friends and family ca finally get some answers

I believe that as someone brand new to the case this book is amazing, it brings everything that was in the news all in one area, however, if it's a case you knew and followed it's very much repeating the same info you can find online if you take the time to dig deep so it may not be as captivating.

I did not know a thing about this case until I picked up this book. What a heartbreaking and frustrating case to read about. As a parent myself, I cannot imagine not having answers to one of my children going missing. Reading about the inconsistencies in the stories from witnesses who were with Lauren that night, how slow the police were to investigate, how much the police focused more on bureaucratic and political nonsense rather than using all of their resources (and accepting help), is incredibly disheartening and frustrating.

The story was easy to read and follow. I was a little nervous going into a non-fiction story (since I don't read many of those), but it was just as captivating as a fictional story. The author's writing style keeps the story moving and keeps the facts straight. I never had to go back and reference prior paragraphs/chapters to gleam information; the story offered quick reminders of facts throughout, as to keep you apprised to what was happening and unfolding.

I sincerely hope this family gets answers and that whoever did this finally comes forward with answers.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank You to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC copy.

To me this book was made in mind for anyone that knows what happened or has any info on what happened to Lauren about her disappearance to speak up. The first part of the book recounts Lauren's last steps and her life before her disappearing. Then we come into the authors moments and accounts of him being a journalist and his journey into the vanishing Lauren. He wrote this book so that we do not forget about Lauren and wants whomever that knows what happened to her to come forward. I enjoyed this book and hope something will come to light someday.

The story is heart breaking but the book is brilliant. I had never heard about this case before and I had to go down a rabbit hole after finishing the book. Shawn did a really great job at covering all the intricacies and the amount of research out into this book was alot. Highly recommend for true crime fans.

I liked this book. The story of Lauren and how there are no answers still is heart breaking. The story about the actual crime and Lauren made me feel like I was watch a documentary about it. With the detail and timeline it was really easy to get sucked in.
Especially when the author discussed issues with missing white women syndrome. This is something that to me is very true. If there were breaking news of everyone that has gone missing that’s all that would be shown because there would be no time for anything else.

The reason for the 3 stars is the part of authors’ life story of getting fired and all of that mess. After reading that it made me feel that they were only writing this book to revive his career.

As someone who enjoys true crime forecasts and books, I was excited to read this one!

While I’m seeing mixed reviews, I thought it was well done. It did read more like a podcast with the author’s opinions sprinkled into the narrative but I found that interesting. It’s such a sad story and unfortunately we don’t get any resolution as the case is still unsolved.

I appreciated that the author explored some different possibilities for what happened the night Lauren disappeared but wish they had been fleshed out a bit more. I also had a bit of trouble getting people confused as some of the names were similar, a glossary would have been well utilized for me!

Overall, if you like true crime I think you will find this book engrossing.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

College Girl, Missing was an interesting story to read about. While I don't remember reading about the events described in the book as they occurred over a decade ago, it was fascinating to read about them. I enjoyed the structure of the book and the author's ability to go back and forth between events that occurred previously as well as what was more recent. It was an interesting story, and I hope one day there is a resolution to the events that transpired.

An interesting read. As I understand reading the book and on further research that there is no real new "evidence" to this case. I personally believe one of the boys knows exactly what happened to Lauren. And the reason the author wrote this book I feel are two-fold: firstly to remind folk that Lauren is still officially missing and also now, as he has become a father, things like this hit a parent differently than a non-parent. I hope that one day her parents can find out what happened to her and get some sort of closure.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this read. As someone who lived in the midwest, I found the case very interesting. I dont read many true crime books and this one set the bar pretty high. Seems like this reporter was doing his best to tell a full and complete story and the players that be were not going to allow that to happen.

This is a tidy recap of the Lauren Spierer case. Anyone who hasn’t heard of it, or read about it long ago, will appreciate the succinct summary and exploration of the theories. There isn’t much new information here for those who’ve already done a deep dive on the case.

A quick and easy read that kept me engaged until the end. I normally would agree with others, I hate when authors talk about themselves instead of the victim, but in this case, I surprisingly didn't mind. I enjoyed seeing an investigation through the eyes of a reporter and how they work.

((There is a factual error referenced in this book regarding the Moscow, Idaho student murders. The author says the victim's DNA was found in the trash at the suspect's parents' home, but it was in fact, the suspect's DNA. They were attempting to find a match to the suspect DNA found on the knife sheath left at the victims' home.))

Thank you so much for the ARC, Netgalley and Sourcebooks! I had never heard of this case prior to reading this story and I found it very interesting and heartbreaking. I thought it was overall well-told. I think for me the speculative side of what could have happened and interviewing so after the fact lost me and I lost interest.