Missing Clarissa

I love a good mystery, and I couldn't put this one down — I read it in one sitting! The story was thrilling and tense and kept me guessing until the very end. If you like true crime podcasts and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, you'll love this book.

I really love how YA is bringing in the concept of true crime and how the books are being written. This one had me hooked from the beginning and was well-paced throughout.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of MISSING CLARISSA by Ripley Jones in exchange for my honest review.***

Main characters doing podcasts has become a frequent trope in mysteries and thrillers of late, so when a writer makes this sub genre feel fresh and, I’m excited. Two small town high school juniors examine an unsolved disappearance from their moms’ high school years for their journalism class. They aren’t experts or even skilled at first, sometimes they go live and wing it

MISSING CLARISSA has no shortage of suspects, innocent bad guys and red herrings. The major characters were flawed yet easy to champion when when I wanted to strangle them.

In a crowded mystery/thriller field MISSING CLARISSA stands out with character and plot and has crossover adult appeal.

Why does everyone love a dead white girl? Appealing to the trendy podcasts investigating murders, "Missing Clarissa" is a witty narrative about two teenage girls who have a journalism project that turns out to be more than they can chew. They create a podcast to investigate what happened to Clarissa, a white girl who mysteriously went missing twenty years in the past. With a diverse cast of characters, the story takes an interesting twist on what might happen when someone investigates a missing persons' unsolved case that leads to an exciting, yet dangerous, plot.

This is going to be this coming springs hottest book! It was so crazy good! I want to read more by this author as soon as I can! Highly recommend it!

WOWWWWW. This novel was so intense! Very suspenseful and mysterious. The writing style was fantastic and the storyline was one that really made you think and gave you a shock at the end. Excellent!!

This was such a good thriller! It kept me guessing and intrigued the whole time! The characters were likable and well developed. I would definitely recommend this to everyone!

For fans of A Good Girls Guide to Murder and Sadie, Missing Clarissa is your next book choice. In this one, two high school best friends, Blair and Cam, decide to record a podcast for their journalism class. The topic? An unsolved mystery in their very small town: what happened to Clarissa? Clarissa had been a pretty, blonde cheerleader who vanished without a trace in 1999. There were many theories about what happened, but the case was never solved and a body was never found. Could Clarissa be out there somewhere? And if not, where is she? The girls start digging up old news stories about the case and interviewing key players, but then strange things start happening. Who is it that doesn't want this case solved? A page-turner for sure.

This was incredible and everything I want from a thriller. I loved the characters and the way they were written, they were like the opposites of each other, but they made for such a good duo. The plot was fantastic, but I won't spoil anything about that. I'll be reading more from this author for sure.

I couldn’t put it down! I absolutely loved Cam and Blair. They were well-written and great contrasts to each other. I found myself desperate to find out who they were interviewing next. I was guessing until the very end. Definitely recommend!

Very few YA books are in the thriller/true crime category and this one nailed it. I was invested in this novel from the very beginning and could not put it down. I read this in two days. It was enthralling, engaging, and tenses. There was no shortage of suspects or motives and it was full of intrigue. I definitely think this will be on e of the Springs hottest books for young adults and adults alike!

Great concept for a book! What starts as a class assignment becomes so much more to Cam and Blair. A teenager goes missing in a time before these girls were even born; the disappearance becomes the great unsolved mystery and legend of Oreville. Everyone has a theory, but there are not enough facts to lead the case in any direction. When the teens take on the assignment, they begin to shake things up in their little town as they interview people present at the time of the disappearance. So many lives were changed by the disappearance; even more lives are changing with the girls' podcast as they finally bring to light what was happening in the last months of Clarissa's life. Both girls develop their journalistic skills while dealing with the insecurities of youth. Great use of the highs and lows of high school: the arrogance, the feeling that now is the most important time of your life, the mood swings. I would have like a few more details about what actually happened, but this is more realistic. A truly captivating story from beginning to end!

Two high school students decide to investigate the mystery of a local girl who went missing twenty years earlier for a school project, giving this book a fresh take on the slew of podcast-themed novels to hit the market lately. The diverse cast of quirky and endearing characters shed light on small town politics and secrets while providing readers with a variety of potential suspects and motives.

This fast-paced thriller kept me on the edge of my seat, rooting for the girls as I raced to read the suspenseful conclusion of a tale that is sure to appeal to both YA and adult audiences!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the copy of Missing Clarissa. Don’t be put off that this is listed as a YA book, because this is a great read! I loved how when we learn what happened to Clarissa’s friends after high school they teach some wise lessons about people not always being who they seem to be. Blair and Cameron are captivating characters and complement each other perfectly. If you’re looking for a fast, engrossing read, try this one. I’m glad I did and will be looking out for more books by Ripley Jones.

Did I just basically binge read this entire book? Yes, yes I did. I could not put Missing Clarissa down. Missing Clarissa was quick, entailing and the perfect read for crime mystery lovers! It reads like a true crime podcast and you are in the thick of it!

Could not put it down! I don’t know what I was more enthralled with, the mystery or the hard hitting, honest and authentic portrayals of the lead characters. Was able to explore issues of racism, LGBTQ, exceptionalities and self esteem without feel cliche.

I absolutely loved this book! One of my favorite things is a book is setting it round a podcast and this one really delivered. Missing Clarissa is a great YA thriller for anyone who is a fan of true crime or podcasts, in general.

Fascinating with just the right amount of intrigue. Several plot twists I didn’t see coming! Interesting characters.

I kept hearing a lot of great reviews for this book, so I bumped it up my TBR and boy was that a good decision. I began reading this late at night thinking I would read a few chapters and ended up staying up way too late to get to the end.

Cam and Blair are an unlikely duo.. at least from the outside, but they make a perfect team. For their journalism project, they have come up with the idea to do a podcast on one of the most famous cases in the history of their small town. Missing teenager Clarissa, walked into the woods one night after a party, and no trace of her was ever found. I really liked that these girls hey felt like real teenagers, flaws and all and it made me root for them all the more. They really had no idea what they were doing, with investigating the case and recording the podcast itself, everything was kind of fly by the seat of our pants. Especially with Cam, who is a lot more impetuous, and once she gets an idea in her head nothing will stop her from running with it.

This story is full of twists and turns, a whole mess of suspects, and a thrilling mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I can't wait to see what this author will write next!