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.

3⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for an early release of College Girl, Missing.

This story is absolutely heartbreaking and my heart goes out to the family. I do feel like the audio version was very monotone and I felt like some of the things discussed were repetitive. I also did not like that the author spoke about his own life and career during this-it should have strictly been about the case.

This is probably macabre, but I got such a sense of nostalgia throughout this book. I haven't heard anyone else so accurately describe the insanity that was college partying in the 2010's. Whether that's because it's so unprecedented or because there won't be a time like it again, I don't know. But man, Shawn Cohen does a phenomenal job of picking you up and planting you right into Bloomington, IN. There are fictional stories that don't even paint as clear of a picture of their settings as this book does.

I thought I could sense bias/tension between the author and the main person of interest at times, but Cohen quickly reassures readers - with the help of his internal monologue in those moments - that even if he did have feelings one way or another, he was very cognizant of the need for impartial research and reporting.

The whole of the story seems to be included in this book, of course aside from who did what to whom. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in true crime, especially if you remember seeing/hearing about this case in the news. The additional information exclusive to this book just adds to its mystery.

My rating would have been 5/5 had this been a little shorter, some of the repetition of info wasn't needed and hindered the easy-to-follow flow. I listened to the audiobook at 2x, though; I don't know if I would have been bothered by it more had I read a print edition.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced audiobook

The premise was certainly interesting--revisiting the disappearance of a college student almost a decade after the fact (her case still unsolved), to see what those who were there that night might have to say after distance from the time and moment. The end of the book felt a bit disappointing, not because the case remains unsolved, but it felt unclear exactly why the writer spent all this time trying to re-engage the girl's friends, who rarely have more to share.

Whew. Okay. I want to address something from the very top because I want to do you a curtesy that the author did not. it is WILD that the he dropped in the middle of the book that he was fired from being a journalist at the New York Post for sleeping with a former source and as a result he decided to write a book. That immediately made me so skeptical. That should be a page one disclosure so the reader can decide whether they trust your journalistic integrity or not.

As far of the content of the book is concerned, I do not want to seem insensitive or dismissive or uncaring because this case, just like any other missing person’s case, is so tragic and more needs to be done to find the hundreds of thousands of people that stay missing. That being said, it really feels like this book could’ve been a podcast or dateline episode. And in fact this case has been featured on multiple prominent true crime podcasts including Crime Junkie and True Crime Garage. When she first went missing, Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian, and Stephen Colbert among others, tweeted about her disappearance as well. This case got national coverage and her family had every resource at their fingertips including multiple private investigators and a massive missing person reward offer.
It just really emphasized for me that missing Black and Indigenous women and children continue to have little to no resources given to their cases and of course the absolute incompetence of police investigations for even high profile cases is incredibly discouraging.

In most cases where a woman goes missing, the significant other is to blame but I’m not sure that is the case here. Lauren’s boyfriend was described as protective and it was obvious that the more the boyfriend tried to “protect” her, the more Lauren pushed back against that as if he was her parent. Because truthfully, it seems like Lauren’s parents put the boyfriend in that position. Lauren had a history of substance abuse and a heart condition and her parents put the onus on her boyfriend to be the watchdog while Lauren was away at college. And it was clear that her friends were not at all aware of the extent of her issues because to most college students, partying is completely normal.

I think the theory that she overdosed and her body was dumped somewhere is the most likely scenario. What is abundantly clear is that none of the men Lauren spent time with that night had much respect for her and were not at all concerned with her safety or well being. Lauren’s disappearance is an absolute tragedy. I hope her family gets answers.




Content warning: missing person, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, grief, Zionism/birthright trip, police encounters, toxic relationship, brief mentions of suicide and rape

I really appreciate you letting me read this book. It was interesting and did start to pick up pretty quickly after the first chapter.. I honestly didn’t know too much about this case prior to reading the book so this book did educate me more on Lauren Spierer. I liked that the book was straight forward with the facts and laid them out in an easy to understand way. Overall, this was an interesting read.

I appreciated the honesty of the author through out the writing. However it did feel a bit monotone. The facts of this case are chilling and I hope one day she is found.