This is a non-fiction novel based upon the real events of the disappearance of Lauren Spierer. Lauren went out one night with friends, and then she vanished. No one knows what happened, and she was never found. Investigative journalist Shawn Cohen is trying to shine light on to what happened. The case has never been solved, and this novel is to help bring awareness to the case, and hopefully lead to some answers.

My opinion: I would say 2/5⭐️ for this book.

I had never heard of this case, so it was completely new for me. I cannot say whether the facts Cohen wrote were accurate or not. So, I am completely going off of his version of the story. I felt like there was so many unanswered questions for what happened to Lauren, that the book was almost repetitive. Which I think is genuine with the case, but I just didn't love it. It seemed like some parts could’ve been left out.

As much as I liked getting to learn about the case, this book was just not for me. I personally just didn’t like the way it was written. Maybe I am just not used to it, but having the journalist also write about his life and his personal views was odd for me. I just would rather read the facts, and so when the author talked about himself, I lost interest. It was a quick listen, but I just didn’t love this book. It was okay for me.

Even though this wasn’t for me, I do think this book is a great way to keep bringing awareness to this case.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

College girl missing is a true crime story about Lauren Spierer, an Indiana University student who went missing on 06/03/2011 in Bloomington and remains missing to this day. This book was a thorough review of a case I had never previously heard, although I listen to a lot of true crime. The audio book narration was well done, and easy to listen to.

Lauren was a pretty, popular, empathetic, and promising young girl from an upper class New York neighborhood. She was also suffering from a genetic cardiac arrhythmia known as long QT syndrome. This predisposes due to potentially fatal cardiac rhythm. Her disappearance is further complicated by rich persons of interest just out of reach of questioning, protected by high powered celebrity attorneys, college students binge drinking and abusing drugs, blurry memories of the night, jealous boyfriends and competing love interests, claims of amnesia due from a head injuries sustained during a fight on the night of her disappearance, security camera footage showing the last sighting of Lauren, claims of “shadowy figures”, and finger pointing at Israel Keys by other persons of interest.

Author Shawn Cohen, tells the story of how he initially broke the story as a crime reporter for the New York Post, and has developed a deep knowledge of the case over the years since he broke the story and has continued the investigation as an independent writer. Over the years, he developed a close relationship with the family, and interviewed key persons of interests as well as investigators on the case.

Note: I was provided an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

Shawn Cohen has done a great job of piecing together the timeline of the details surrounding the disappearance of Lauren Spierer. I was not familiar with this case and feel that his retelling of interviews and events in a logical order made it easy to follow and understand.

Shawn’s dedication to Lauren’s family and perseverance with keeping this story in the public eye is to be commended.

Sadly, there is no resolution as Lauren has not been found. I hope at some point in the future her family can learn what happened to her.

The audiobooks sounds like a podcast which I enjoyed. It was a suitable length and not filled with irrelevant information.

Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge audio for access to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a short book, which made the audiobook feel like a podcast or limited series. It was done extremely well, informative and entertaining. The only thing missing is the author doesn’t actually give his own theory, which I would have liked to see since he was so close to the family and case. Instead he is writing an extensive journal article.

Book: College Girl Missing
Author: Shawn Cohen
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Kyle Snyder
Publisher: High Bridge Audio
Genre: Non Fiction, True Crime
Audiobook Pub Date: July 30, 2024
Rating: 3
Pages: 251

Lauren Spierer—is the missing college girl in this non-fiction story. It was June 2011 and Lauren was finishing her sophomore year at Indiana University in Bloomington.
She and her close friends are from New Jersey and before heading back home for the summer they are out partying. Bloomington is a fun college town and the IU community is usually ready to party. Lauren had been seen in public by witnesses as well as security cameras, and ended up in a townhouse complex when there were several male students—but never seen again.
The police investigation was not able to solve this case and her body was never found.

Story kept me interested -however, it was not an enjoyable read.

Personal note:
I read very few non-fiction book however back in April 2018, I read [book: I'll Be Gone in the One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer] written by Michelle McNamara who died before the killer was caught. I finished the book April 14, 2018.

So surprise and pleased that on Wednesday April 25, 2018 ~ DNA brings an arrest!!! Former Police Officer, James DeAngelo who was fired
in 1979 was arrested TODAY!
Yes! The Golden State Killer’ had been found and arrested after 40 years.

Unfortunately Michelle McNamara died in her sleep on April 21, 2016 at her family's Los Angeles home, at the age of 46. She had been suffering from and insomnia as result of the stress in writing about the golden state killer.

Although I wish Shawn Cohen no harm but hope in reading this – the Lauren Spierer mystery will be solved as well!

Want to thank NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 30, 2024.

This is the tragic story of Indiana University student Lauren Spierer who vanished the night of June 3, 2011 after a night out. She has never been found. Journalist and author Shawn Cohen does a masterful job of recreating the incident including timeline, details, interviews, and family interactions and emotions. It is clear Mr. Cohen has over a decade, dedicated a huge part of his life to helping the family find answers to what happened to Lauren. The book reads like a Netflix true crime documentary. Sadly, the ending is without the sought after revelations as to what exactly happened to Lauren, but the author has given good insight and recent communications with the family which gives you hope the search is not over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge audio for access to this book for my honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

Although I’m not the biggest fan of first-person narrative in books, this is otherwise a gripping and heartbreaking story of a troubled but loved college girl gone missing in plain sight. It is obvious that the author put a lot of time and research into this piece of nonfiction. I can only imagine the pain that the family has to live with, and I hope this case will be solved one day.

College Girl, Missing, written by Shawn Cohen and narrated by Kyle Snyder, is a book written about the disappearance of Lauren Spierer, and the investigation into her disappearance. Lauren disappeared after a night out in her college town in June of 2011, and the author looks into the disappearance, and talks to her family, friends, and the last individuals to see her that night.
I think the author did a wonderful job in his investigations for this book. I found it very interesting how long he had been involved in the case, that he literally took a phone call at the newspaper he worked at when a friend of Lauren was reporting her missing. I appreciated how honest the author was about his own past, and the way that his relationship with the parents of Lauren changed over time. I also found it important that the author talks about how investigations differ from each other, often based on the wealth and the ethnicity of the missing person. I did not know much about this case going into reading this book, but for a quick read I think the author did a wonderful job!

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the author, publisher, and narrator of this book for an ALC in exchange for an honest review

Wow! This book was a great read/listen. I was unfamiliar with the case & I was completely sucked in by it. Diving in to this case with zero knowledge of it this book told me everything I needed to know. It was interesting to learn how involved the reporter got in the case & how he’s stayed in contact with Lauren’s family. I finished the audiobook feeling frustrated & angry for her family. It’s obvious people are hiding things. Stories keep changing. Details aren’t adding up. The narrator did a fantastic job keeping the listener engaged.

I had the chance to review "College Girl, Missing" by Shawn Cohen, thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio. This gripping book delves into the true story of college student Lauren Spierer and the mystery surrounding her disappearance. Following the author's investigation, this narrative is both intriguing and compelling. I was particularly drawn to the author's transparency regarding interactions with suspects and insights into his own past, which added depth to the storytelling.

I had high expectations for this book and it certainly met them, leaving me eager to learn more about the case. I look forward to following any new developments that arise from this ongoing investigation.

Thank you to NetGalley, HighBridge Audio, and Shawn Cohen for the audio copy of College Girl, Missing.

I have not heard about Lauren or read anything by Shawn Cohen. This was such a well written book, and so informative!

Thank you NetGalley and Highbridge for an ARC of College Girl, Missing.

As someone who graduated high school in the spring of 2011 and started college in the fall of 2011, I found this book completely chilling. I knew countless people in college who could be described in a similar manner to Lauren, and it is mind blowing how easily this can happen to someone.

I think this book is thorough and unbiased - it describes almost every avenue of what could have happen to Lauren.

But, this book takes weird forays into the authors past, and it included several personal anecdotes and statements that held no value to the rest of the book. It was almost like the author wanted the reader to be SURE of how qualified he was to write the book.

Overall, it was a very thought provoking read, and I hope that its publication can shed some light and give attention to Lauren’s disappearance.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up.

"College Girl, Missing" by Shawn Cohen is a compelling true crime narrative that delves into the 2011 disappearance of college student, Lauren Spierer. This book offers a meticulous account of actual events, providing a look at the complexities and heartbreak surrounding a missing persons case, particularly when the missing person is not squeaky clean.

Cohen also extensively weaves in aspects of his own life and experiences, offering readers a unique perspective on the toll such cases take on those involved in solving them. While some might find these personal digressions distracting, they do add a layer of authenticity and emotional resonance to the narrative, showing how Cohen can relate to those he’s interviewing with his own experiences of “bad press”.

The book’s pacing seems deliberate, reflecting the often slow and painstaking process of real-life investigations. Cohen does not shy away from the darker aspects of the victim’s life and story, instead presenting a raw and unvarnished look at the events and their repercussions.

I read this fully on audio, as I received an audio ARC in exchange for my feedback. The narrator was matter of fact without being too dry. I would like to thank NetGalley, RBmedia, and the author for this audio ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. I love true crime stories and am especially invested in missing girl cases, likely due to the “it could’ve been me” relatability.
I went into the book without having heard about the case before and appreciate how thorough the details presented were. It was definitely a challenge to keep track of all the names of people associated with Lauren but fully understand why they were all included and that her large social network is relevant to the story of how June 3 played out. It was also valuable to hear theories of potential serial killers and other people who could have been involved.
On the downside, I did not love the narrator. While the author is male so the first hand account of all the interviews and research make sense to be in a male voice, I couldn’t help but compare it to podcasts about similar topics. Those are often voiced by women who sound compassionate and there is greater use of voice intonation to convey the story. This narrator was a bit mechanical for me. Additionally, the reporter has quite a few self aggrandizing points. Maybe it’s to demonstrate competency but it came off, at least in audio, a little douchey.

Lauren is missing. Last seen out with a group of friends, she fails to return home and is never found. This is her story. Shawn Cohen, who covered the case as a crime journalist puts together a complete timeline of the case, interviewing the family’s PI and people involved. His reporting is thorough and well written, and it’s clear he’s spent time honing his craft as a journalist. Lovers of true crime will appreciate the attention to detail.

I listened to the book on audio and I don’t think that was the best format. I was not invested and found myself having to go back to re-listen. I found the book repetitive but I don’t know whether that was because the author said the same things…or because I kept relistening!

It’s clear the author is passionate about this case. In fact, in the note at the back of the book the author reveals he has become personally invested in the family and case. This case, only two years old, is still active and it too early for it to be written about.

This story just didn’t hold my interest or maybe it was the way it was told. Also, the author mentions a comparison to Natalie Holloway, but says she was from Mississippi. She was from Alabama. Clearly, the author isn’t that great at his job. I suffered through over a quarter of the book and couldn’t keep going, especially when I had doubts about the accuracy of what he’s written.

Rating: 3.5
Format: Audiobook

The overall premise of this novel is the telling of the horrific unsolved circumstances involve the disappearance of a Lauren Spierer. Lauren was a student at IU at the time of her disappearance & was last seen among peers, heavily drinking in 2011. Cohen does a thorough job of combing over every & all fine details in this case from start to finish, as readers get pulled in a heartbreaking story of a girl, whom push her own limits too far. Readers are posed with more questions than answers of what truly happen to Lauren the night she disappeared & someone knows something. Was it her controlling boyfriend? Was it a new love interest who she was with? Was it a random stranger or a known serial killer?

Highlights:
⭐️Quick read & was engaging to listen to the story unfold.
⭐️Cohen did a great job of providing a lot of information without bombarding the reader with too much at once.

Pitfalls:
❌This note is more personal preference for me than a downfall of the novel. The narrator was monotoned & at times, very dry. While I understand, this is a true story & not for entertainment purposes but to find out information to help Lauren; I would not want to listen to this particular narrator again.

Thank you NetGalley & Sourcebooks for an early release copy of this book!

This high quality audio is a true crime delve into the disapperance of Lauren spierer. It's hard hitting at times and is definitely a story that needs to be sold. However in places it's very drawn out like there is not enough to say about the case and really I was hoping for either a conclusion or new leads. This just seems to go over old ground with a bit more modern take. Its skillfully narrated and written so it leaves the listener to draw their own conclusions. A really quick listen recommended to anyone who enjoy true crime that remains unsolved.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author and narrator

A deeply heartbroken true story with a detailed research of the information. The narrator’s tone suits this true crime. The tragic case makes me shiver and I wish more people can read/listen to this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pub date; Jul 30, 2024

Incredibly well researched story of a young woman going missing from her small party heavy college town. I was lucky enough to receive an arc of the audiobook version and while I would give the narrator a 5/5, the actual book seemed to focus so much on the author over the actual case and Lauren Spierer the missing woman. Which felt weird, and egotistical, and off putting.

So for that, I give this a 2. It is absolutely tragic and important to get this story out but idgaf about the authors job history as a young journalist.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the e-arc.