College Girl, Missing
by Shawn Cohen
Pub DateL May 28, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. A gripping true crime book about a college girl who disappeared in plain sight.
I was drawn to this book because she is from Indiana and we heard a lot about this case when it happened.
How much you like this book may depend on how much you knew or remembered the news story. If you remember this story and followed it at all, then you may not get nearly as much out of it. I'd say about 75% of the case can be gleaned from a few articles written on it and while Cohen certainly tried, he could not uncover anything substantial since the case went cold years ago. His attempts and limited success reaching out to the main players while writing the book left me underwhelmed.
3 stars

3.5/5, rounded up

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Sourcebooks.)

Not sure what I was doing in 2011 but I had never heard of this case before, so I was very interested in reading about it. And the first half of this book was really good and extremely tragic but I felt like the author didn't really have enough new information for this to be a full book vs. perhaps a longread article. That being said, always good for people to be reminded that women have to be constantly vigilant/looking out for each other (intoxicated or not) and it's exhausting.

A good readable narrative, but I would have preferred more detail and specifics in a book. I think this would be better as a podcast series.

For fans of true crime, this is a good read. The author retraces the evidence of the disappearance of a student from Bloomington Indiana. Her name is Lauren and the author pulls you in by describing her childhood bedroom in detail and his interviews with her parents. At first, when he was a journalist, there was a lot of tension with Lauren's parents during the investigation. But now they are more willing to talk to Shawn because he wants to keep this still unsolved case alive. He also points out that media gives extensive cover to missing white women but not to BIPOC women who also are missing. He reveals his own mistakes as a journalist and I give him a lot of credit for doggedly trying to track down all of the key witnesses and family, friends and the police to examine all of the evidence and open leads. I found this to be a compelling true crime read.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

This is a true crime account of missing university student Lauren Spierer who vanished without a trace in Indiana.

Shawn Cohen is a journalist who has spent many years delving into the case and this book journeys through a 12 year timeline with facts and personal interviews with friends, family and those who were wit Lauren the night she disappeared.

This is such a heartbreaking story that is still not resolved. Shawn's relentless mission to uncover the truth is admirable and really made me as a reader try and work out what became of Lauren that night.

This story is an important one to share and I'm grateful that people like Shawn are out there to endeavour to get to the truth. Let's hope we don't need to wait another 12 years to find out what happened to this young woman.

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks and Shawn Cohen for this ARC to read and review.

Thank You to NetGalley for the free e-ARC.

I wanted to read this book as I love true crime. The book themes sounded interesting: midwest, college town, college life, friends, relationships, honesty and truth, and an unsolved case. I appreciated the fact, the author brought this case back into the public spotlight as I had never heard of it. I also enjoyed the cover. While I enjoyed, the short chapters, the streamlined information (meaning it was not overwhelming), the family's approval of the book, I felt at times it was repetitive. I also thought it was more about the author and his life than about the missing college student, Lauren Spierer. I keep thinking about what could have happened, did law enforcement make mistakes, who is a reliable narrator, and will we ever know the truth. If the author ever does a follow up, I would read that or decided to investigate another case.

Cold cases are always very hard to read as you know that the families and loved ones haven't had closure. Someone must know something. Soooo many unanswered questions!!!! The university experience in the US is so different from my experience back in Colombia. I find true crime podcasts very interesting but reading a Cold-Unresolved case like this one is on another level.

"College Girl, Missing" by Shawn Cohen is an absolute masterpiece in the realm of true crime literature. Cohen's meticulous research and captivating storytelling skills draw readers into the heart of the mystery surrounding Lauren Spierer's disappearance. With every page turn, Cohen keeps readers on the edge of their seats, unraveling the complexities of the case with precision and empathy. This gripping narrative not only sheds light on the chilling events of that fateful night but also honors the memory of Lauren and the enduring quest for justice. Cohen's dedication to truth and compassion for the victims and their families make "College Girl, Missing" a must-read for true crime enthusiasts and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human experience in the face of tragedy.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

This was a quick and easy read that I finished in a few hours. There were quite a few people to try and keep straight, and it sometimes got confusing. I wish there was a resolution and 'closure' for Lauren, for her family and friends to know what happened to her that short window of time. Reading Cohen's book, made me want to go back and listen to the Crime Junkie and True Crime Garage spades on Lauren's case again. Anyone familiar with Lauren's case, or those that are intrigued by the true crime genre, should add College Girl, Missing to their TBR.
.
.
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Heart Rending..
A heart rending true account of the disappearance of Lauren Spierer, a young University student who seemingly vanished one night following a party in her University town. The author, a journalist involved with the case from the very outset, takes the reader on the long and torturous journey undertaken by family, friends and all concerned as he uncovers evidence and explores every possible avenue. The book contains never before seen evidence including previously unshared witness testimony. Coherently compiled, detailed and as compelling as it is disturbing and heartbreaking.

This was a quick, fascinating read for true crime fanatics and/or those familiar with Lauren Spierer’s disappearance. The overall narrative flowed well and Cohen’s dedication left few stones unturned. My only complaint is that people were inconsistently referenced by either their first or last names. I had to remind myself whom was whom on numerous occasions.

Born and raised in Indiana, I began my freshman year at Indiana University in August of 2011. Lauren’s disappearance was a shadow cast over the students and university for years. To this day, her story remains one of Bloomington’s biggest mysteries and warnings for our young people. Here’s hoping Cohen’s writing and investigating will finally encourage someone to come forward.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Publishing for my Advance Reader Copy of College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen. I didn’t DNF this book because I had already invested time and was hoping for a redemptive surprise ending. Nope! The case is still pending. Just theories and proof of a dysfunctional police department.
Available for purchase on May 28, 2024.
#netgalley

✨RATING: 3⭐️

✨REVIEW: Interested in a true story of a college student disappearing in the middle of the night - well very early morning hours? The first half was captivating as all get out! Hook, line, & sinker. I was done for. I binged the first 50% in one single day (which has been a lot for me lately with my lack of reading!!) I couldn’t get enough of Lauren’s story and was so curious to see what happened to her. However, it unfortunately is still an open case so you never truly “find out” but rather are exposed to numerous theories. The second half of the book is where it really fizzled out for me and lowered the rating 🫣 The author took the story into more of a personal investigative tell all for the second half. The writing sounded biased and quite frankly more of a story about him as a reporter than the case at hand. If you followed this case as it happened, you may know a majority of what he discusses, with only a few new details released from the original coverage. However, if you were like me and don’t remember hearing about it at all (even though I was in college in Indiana myself at this time…🤨) then it will all be new and intriguing!

✨PROS: mostly short chapters, captivating true crime

🚨WARNING: Potential triggers include possible abduction, drugs/alcohol

Lauren Spierer, a college student at Indiana University goes missing after a drunken night with her friends. This true story is captivating and reads like fiction, but tragically, is not.

This story follows the lengths a journalist goes through to try to help a family in mourning.

A gripping read.

As a huge true crime fan, I was super excited to read this book as I'm not familiar with Lauren's story. Sadly, this book wasn't for me. The writing style and errors were hard to get over. Hopefully, with a little editing, those can be remedied.

I love reading true stories as someone with an interest in the psychology behind why people do what they do. This was a new author to me but I was glad I read this book. It's one that will stay with me for long after I stopped reading.

I just don’t think there’s enough information here for a book. Until it eats away at one of those boys enough for them to confess, this case doesn’t have much. The filler of this book by learning all this stuff about the author and his life was just not what I was looking for. I didn’t feel like any of this was new information. I was just a little bored - it felt more like a cash grab than a story that would do anything for Lauren.

2.5 stars
The author did a good job at raising awareness about the still ongoing case, the disappearance of Lauren Spierrer, while simultaneously bringing attention to multiple other cases in history like the murder of Gabi Petito. While the story itself (true, sadly) was very intense and chilling I felt like the author’s writing and this book as a whole was not the easiest to get through mainly because a lot of it was just confusing. I had to keep going back because I’d keep mixing up different events with each other (which is partially my fault as well) and end up not understanding what was happening at that point.
Overall, the book wasn’t for me and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re already very invested in this case and want to know a bit more.

In 2011, Lauren Spierer went missing after a night out partying with her college friends. Despite investigation by the police and private investigators hired by her family, she has never been found. This book looks into the case, and how the investigation may have been botched, and important leads overlooked, as well as looking at what the evidence suggests happened to Lauren. This is a case I was not overly familiar with when I started reading, and I was interested to learn more. This is an absolutely heartbreaking story, and my hear went out to her family and friends. I think the author did a good job at portraying who Lauren really was a as a person, beyond her issues with drugs and alcohol. The book was well written and easy to follow, and I liked that it didn't get bogged down in listing every single detail of the case. The author simply presents the relevant evidence, and leaves the reader to decide what they think happened to Lauren. I thought this was a very well done book, and I hope this book brings a resolution to the case.