I enjoyed listening to this story as an audiobook! It was like a true crime podcast only a much deeper dive into the story (and without ads!).

This unfortunate story seems all too familiar as the missing college girl, Lauren, would’ve been at college at the same time as myself. This story is a bit haunting as it’s too reminiscent of my own experience in college with roommates or friends. The college sophomore went out to bars and then headed back to a friend’s apartment late into the night, never to be seen again. The story is that she then drunkenly left the apartment on her own and never made it back to her home. Was she abducted? Did she ever leave her friend’s apartment? The author digs into the details and of that night.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Shawn Cohen for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 Stars

The strange disappearance of college student, Lauren Spierer, in the earlier morning hours of June 2011, on her Indiana University campus, is the stuff of crime podcaster super sleuths dreams. She was a popular pretty student who had a substance problem and after a night of partying disappeared from an acquaintances apartment and was never seen again. There are a bevy of suspects but none the police could pin down. Her case remains unsolved to this day.

My review is only of the book itself not the tragic disappearance.

This written by, Shawn Cohen, one of the journalists that covered Lauren's disappearance over 20 years ago like most mass media outlets. The first part of the book focuses on Lauren and the time leading to her disappearance, details of the night she went missing and the heart breaking aftermath. It reads like a 20/20 report (which she was featured on) with a heavy focus on a few of the men who interreacted with her the last evening. The author claims to be sharing new information about the case, I will admit I am not familiar with her story so I can not confirm how much was actually new. Later, he adds a few phone conversations with the suspects, who repeat that they didn't do anything to Lauren and that they don't want to talk to him. Other than to revisit a long forgotten case, I am not sure what the point of this book was. He seems to be attacking everyone who was around her and considered a possible suspect in the case, "hoping to make them talk". While I rally for holding the real culprit responsible, some of the people he is going after have to be innocent because they are not ALL at fault. He switches between first and last names which are pretty similar so following who is being talked about or is talking becomes difficult at times. Cohen interjects a lot of his own opinions which muddies the water even further.

The second part of the book is where I have the most issue. The author spends the last part talking about himself and his career and his torrid past. His history has nothing to do with Lauren's disappearance and it is completely irrelevant to finding out what happened to her. He presents as buddy-buddy with Lauren's family and friends but based on the quotes from them, I do not get the sense that it is sincere. This feels like a desperate grab at money and a little more fame for the author and not to bring justice to the Spierer family. I wish her family and friends luck on one day learning the truth but this book is a hard pass.

I had the audio version read by Kyle Snyder who does an excellent job. He is easy to understand and enjoyable to listen to. I would recommend listening to other works read by him.

I wanted to like this so bad. College Girl, Missing about is about a young women who disappeared from Indiana University. There are parts where he really went into detail, but I was hoping for more detail about who she was before attending IU. Towards the end, it seemed more about him and his resume after the story. I think there could have been a better ending of talking about what her friend group is doing now.

The realization that this tragedy has not been resolved is difficult to grasp. I was unaware of the case until now, so I am grateful to the author for shedding light on it. I hope that this information will eventually lead to closure for the family.

A gripping true crime audiobook about a girl who disappears in plain sight. Back in 2011, Lauren Spierer's disappearance did not seem to be just some random abduction, especially considering that the 20-year-old was out with dozens of classmates in a bustling university town on the night she went missing.
I generally enjoy reading and listening to true-crime stories, so of course when I saw this tittle in Netgalley, I had to request the audiobook for this one. The structure of College Girl, Missing unfolds in a way in which it manages to keep the listener's attention, making them want to know more. In terms of the content of the book, I think it takes a lot of courage to keep looking into a disappearance that happened thirteen years ago. Cohen had the opportunity to talk to some of the students who knew Lauren for the first time, since many mistakes were made by authorities when Lauren banished that night. He hints to the readers what he believes happened that night and puts the focus on those people who were not investigated at the time.
Personally, I was not the biggest fan of the narration by Kyle Snyder; and in some parts, the author focus too much on himself. I did hope for the Spierers to finally get closure, but unfortunately it was not possible -at least for now- despite the author's efforts to help the family. Overall, it was a great audiobook, and I definitely recommend this one if you like this genre.

An important story but to be honest, I'm not sure what this book is trying to achieve. I came in expecting a true crime read, but left feeling like the author was writing an autobiography where a key part of his life was investigating the disappearance (but adding what appears to be little). I learnt about the case I'd never heard of so I'm not sure what is new but from what's said, seems nothing but trying to add some pressure on those who may know something. I think there could have been less about the author and more about the intended story. I feel bad for the family and friends of Lauren, and of course Lauren herself, and I hope one day they have answers.

This book was truly heart breaking. As someone who loves true crime stories I absolutely loved this one. From the amazing way that it was written to the way the narrator voiced the characters, and put so much passion behind everything that was said and done. My heart truly rests with the family of Lauren Spierer. I highly recommend this book.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I had a hard time getting into the narration or story. I do wonder if I had read this as a hard copy if I would've been able to get into it more.

As someone who started school at another Indiana college just months after Lauren Spierer’s disappearance, this was a must listen for me. Although this book brought more questions than answers, hopefully it’ll lead to some information for the family. The story was approached well and the narrator was great.

Thanks NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for a copy of this audiobook.

I really enjoyed this audio. I found the narrator so engaging, and he kept you very intrigued. I listened to the entire book in about two days. I had no prior knowledge of this case so I went into this blind and was so drawn into this story. I would love to listen to more audio books narrated by this narrator. This was great!

I was given early access to the audio recording of this book, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this!

This book was one that really conflicted me. On the one hand, the fact that it’s a true story about a case that is still open and unsolved, makes it an incredibly moving and important read, and this book seems fairly exhaustive. On the other hand, I think the author made the book too much about himself - it seemed like an opportunity to make money from tragedy and it certainly did not read like an objective account. There was a lot of bias present in this book that was not addressed.

The speaker in the audiobook version of this, however, was very good. The pacing and intonation was excellent, giving a lot of information in an engaging manner.

This book really does not give new information about this cold case. I also did not like how the author seems to focus on this case and writing this book after having personal issues. It makes it feel like he is trying to capitalize on this crime. The Crime Junkie podcast did a much better job of covering this missing person cold case.

Thank you NetGalley, Shawn Cohen, and Sourcebooks for the advanced listening copy of College Girl, Missing. Prior to listening I have never heard of this tragic story of the young college student Lauren Spierer disappearing in plain sight. I am not rating this book based on the story but by the authors telling of it. I do not feel comfortable rating a true crime story based on the events that occurred. My heart goes out to Lauren's family as this was a very sad story of what happens all too often in this world.

I enjoyed how passionate the author was about seeking justice for Lauren and her family. It seemed like Shawn Cohen was the long term fighter for Lauren and her family. If you enjoy true crime podcasts or shows like 20/20 and or Dateline then this audiobook will be for you. There was a lot of information and a lot of likely suspects and the author really does do his best to cross every t and dot every i.

Again, my rating is based on the authors portrayal of the story not Lauren Spierer's disappearance. Now that I was made aware of this story I will be looking into it more.

This audiobook releases tomorrow July 30th.

College Girl, Missing was a fascinating audiobook. I appreciated the level of detail the author used and the storytelling made this feel like fiction. Excellent and I liked the narrator.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Kyle Snyder does a fantastic job narrating this story! I highly recommend the audio version if that is of interest!!!

A lot of times, when reading a true crime book, the author gets bogged down in the details and loses sight of the story. This is NOT the case here. This is one of the best true crime books I have read or listened to.

After a night of heavy partying, college sophomore, Lauren Spierer, leaves the apartment of an acquaintance and disappears, never making it home. The entire case was bungled by the cops and unfortunately, the investigation was never solved. Such a sad story but very well written.

Highly recommend for true crime lovers!!!

This is the shocking and terrifying true story of Lauren Spierer's disappearance.

On the outside, Lauren seemed like any other Indiana University student, rushing off to classes, embracing her independence and spending time with her friends. But suddenly, everything changed. On June 3, 2011 Lauren went out with some of her friends, but what seemed like a typical night out on the town, would alter the course of Lauren's life. In the small morning hours of June third Lauren disappeared, seemingly vanishing into thin air.

It is important to mention that Shawn Cohen - the author - is one of the top true crime reporters in the USA, but more importantly he was one of the first reporters involved in Lauren's case. I don't think there is a better person out there to tell Lauren's story, not only has he been involved since day one, but because Shawn has dedicated years of his life in the pursuit of the truth and justice for Lauren.

What really stuck with me about this book, is the attention to detail. I truly felt that no stone was left unturned in the telling of Lauren's story, starting from her early life, touching on her family and friends, and detailing every single step - and misstep - in the investigation. It's easy to feel overwhelmed with that amount of information, but the story is written in such a way, as to allow the reader to feel completely immersed and present in the case.

I really appreciate Shawn's honesty and openness, regarding the lengths he went to to speak to some of the persons of interests, and to track down other potential leads. I think Shawn's telling of the story beautifully showcases the human condition, stressing that ultimately everybody has secrets and things they don't want everybody to know. But in a case like this, those are the exact details that are most important. Shawn emphasizes that in a case as baffling as Lauren's, you never know which minute detail could open a new avenue for investigation, or lead to new questions.

As an avid fan of true crime, I loved that Shawn presented all of the information without trying to lead the reader to any specific conclusion. He paints the picture as is and allows for each reader to form their own opinions and theories about what may have happened to Lauren. He is not afraid to ask tough questions, nor discuss touchy topics. I think this is exactly why I enjoyed this book as much as I did.

I often felt frustrated while listening to Lauren's story due to the lack of cooperation among some of the persons of interest, as well as the missteps in the course of the investigation. Ultimately, I was left with more questions than answers. But this is exactly why, I think it is so important for people to hear Lauren's story. It has been 13 years since Lauren Spierer disappeared, and someone out there knows exactly what happened to her.

Written by journalist Shawn Cohen who was writing about this case early in the disappearance of Lauren Spierer. This book discusses the suspects and lack of due diligence by local law enforcement. He does not shy away from the topic of the victim's drug and alcohol issues. This book will go far in keeping Ms. Spierer's case in the public eye.

College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen - This was your typical "true crime" story. It did have some interesting bits of new information in it. The narrator was a bit monotone but the content was interesting. The book was a quick read.

I do enjoy true crime stories and this was a good one to listen to. The author read the book - his voice was easy to listen to. The book was on the short side because Shawn was concise, direct and straight to the point. I really liked that he didn't try to send you down wild goose chases. He just let you follow him on his fact finding mission. It is sad that this is still an open case and the parents are still living with unanswered questions.

Enjoyed listening to this book as it was interesting topic & easy to breeze through. I feel like there weren’t enough details to make an entire book out of the story though, so it started to get boring at times with repeat details. All in all, glad I got the opportunity to listen.