I'm a sucker for a YA mystery, and I loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, so I was really looking forward to reading another YA mystery that took the podcast form. However, I found this book to be very disappointing. The set up was great and the cast of characters were compelling, but there were just a few things I was unable to look past.

For one, I don't think anyone who worked on this book has ever tried to put together a podcast or anything. It felt really unrealistic that they were able to record and release episodes as the story unfolded rather than plan it out and have it be good enough that there were so many people listening to it.

I also found it incredibly unbelieveable that characters would be sharing such personal information with two random high school girls. If this mystery has been a part of the town for as long as it has and everyone is as obsessed with it as they were, it doesn't make sense that they were the only people to actually solve it. Wouldn't other people on the forums or in the town have come up with the same theories as they had and found the same information? It just didn't really makes sense to me; they weren't bringing anything new to the table, yet they were the ones that solved the mystery.

It was well-written and had a good concept, I just found that the execution fell flat.

Was super excited to read this one based off of the synopsis, and I was not disappointed! Definitely for fans of a Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Truly Devious.

Missing Clarissa follows two besties that start a podcast for a journalism assignment and focus on a cheerleader that disappeared from a party a few decades ago.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to listening to the audiobook when that is released!

I initially wanted to read this because of the podcast element. I just love that aspect of most books because I think its unique. This book was so well written and kept me guessing from the beginning to end. Will pick up more from this author for sure.

A great mixed media horror. Two highschool best friends decide to delve into the cold case of a missing senior from the 90s for a journalism project. They decide to break into podcasting, thinking it will be easy enough. It does not go as planned. One aspect I really liked was that the adult figures in their lives (parents, teachers) had been the same age as Clarissa when she went missing so there is a hole added dimension to the mystery and gives the girls a personal stake in the missing persons case. I really like it and I can't wait to buy a copy for my students. They are loving murder mysteries right now!

A knockout. The characterization was clever and drew me in to the story.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a ride! An unexpectedly complex YA thriller that tackles multiple issues while still delivering the promised psychological thrills. Four star story with an extra half star rounded up for the woke.

Missing Clarissa is a YA for all the Crime Junkies who want to start their own true crime podcast about a case in their town. It comes out March 7, 2023!

Missing Clarissa follows high school students and friends who decide to do a true crime podcast for their journalism class. Their town's most famous case about Clarissa who went missing at a party in high school over 20 years ago. This book was on the shorter side, at 256 pages, and I think that worked against it. I didn't feel like there was enough time to properly tell the story. The ending had a lot of action and I liked how it all came together but the beginning seemed a little haphazard. Being a Crime Junkie myself, I was internally screaming at these high school girls not to do dumb things trying to solve a crime. It's a quicker read for those who think they can solve their town's most famous disappearance!

Thank you to the author Ripley Jones, publishers Wednesday Books and St. Martin's Publishing Group, and as always NetGalley, for a review digital copy of MISSING CLARISSA.

Cam and Blair are two high school journalism students who decide to fulfill their semester project by establishing a true crime podcast researching the local murder mystery: who killed high school student Clarissa Campbell 20 years ago when their parents were students. They question everyone they can think of, everyone who will talk to them, all the old suspects. That going among murder suspects might mean getting murdered never enters into the girls' calculations...

This is a shorter read with a fast pace and a smooth narrative line. It's an enjoyable thriller with a gripping premise. The one place I thought it needed a bit more was in foreshadowing. I didn't guess who the killer was, which happens; but when he was revealed, I had to backtrack and reread to figure out who the character was because his page time didn'tmakr enough impact.

My favorite thing about MISSING CLARISSA is the setting, the small town of Oreville, which I think is an accurate representation of the ups and downs of small town life-- everyone cares about you, but everyone also knows your business. Sometimes this element can get a little out of hand in books and become a bit of a caricature of small town life. But Oreville is believable and feels familiar.

Rating: 🎙🎙🎙.5 / 5 podcast episodes
Recommend? Yes
Finished: January 31 2023
Read this book if you like:
😬 YA thrillers
🔪 Murder mysteries
👭🏻 Best friends
🙍‍♀️ Young detectives
🎚 Podcasts
🗞 Journalism

I like how this book is constructed - the girls have a Journalism assignment at school and they decided to do a podcast on a solved mystery disappearance that took place several years before. The book itself intercalate their story - come of age, typical YA stuff - with their attempt to crack the case and make the podcast. I like that there’s a bit of suspense to it, but at the end of the day it’s a YA book about two teenagers.

Clarissa has been missing for 20 years. Nothing is known about her disappearance other then she went to a party and never made it home. Her place in Oreville is marked in history. No one will ever forget the beautiful teen cheerleader and her tragic story. So when Blair and Cameron are asked to research a project for their journalism class, Cameron comes up with the crazy idea of doing a podcast on what really happened to Clarissa. While the police believe one story that they were never able to prove, the clues that Blair and Camron are able to uncover start to tell a very different story. Will they be able to uncover what really happened all those years ago, or will they die trying.
This is such a fun fast-paced book. I will say that I didn’t have any idea who the real killer was until right at the end of the book. It is quite fun to not know the ending. The fact that there is a bit of a twist right at the end to was the cherry on top of this fun case. Teen’s are going to love finding out what really happened to Clarissa. I think this book also does a lovely job showing that everyone is human and even after death while others might place someone on a pedestal, there is always another side to the story.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Ripley Jones for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Missing Clarissa coming out March 7, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In the summer of 1999, high school cheerleader Clarissa Campbell is having the time of her life. She lives in the rural town of Oreville, Washington. She’s beautiful and popular. During a party in the woods, Clarissa disappears and is never seen again. The police question her friends, teachers, and everyone who knew her. They all have something to hide. And thanks to Clarissa’s popularity, the mystery captures the attention of the media. After a time, there no new leads and no body. Soon the case soon grows cold. Despite the efforts of internet sleuths and true-crime junkies, Clarissa is never found. 

Over twenty years later, Oreville high school juniors and best friends Blair and Cameron start a podcast to discuss Clarissa’s disappearance. They’re determined to find out the truth. In their amateur detective investigation they uncover a nest of dirty secrets, the dark truth of Clarissa’s relationship with her boyfriend, and a high school art teacher who had a very good reason for wanting Clarissa dead.

But does a mysterious history with a missing girl make him guilty of murder? Or are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man—and help the killer live free?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved that part of it was set in the late 90s. True crime podcasts seem to be popular among women nowadays. I get wanting to solve cases from the past. And cases have actually been solved thanks to new technology in crime investigation. I thought the writing was fast-paced and I enjoyed the writing format. There were a couple things I didn’t like about the story. I thought Cam didn’t think things through many times. She didn’t learn from her mistakes and put herself in danger when she could’ve gotten help. But I’m glad things worked out in the end.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA fiction and murder podcasts.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This novel is a Suspense/Thriller for young adults, high school and older. Readers who loved A Good Girl's Guide to Murder will enjoy this story set in a small town in Washington.
Two high school junior best friends, Blair and Cameron, decide to create a podcast of solving a 20-year-old unsolved missing person case of beautiful high school cheerleader, Clarissa Campbell, who disappeared from a wooded party, without a trace.
The friendship undergoes challenges, including Cameron's impulsiveness and Blair's feelings of inferiority, but shows the wonder of what a good friendship is.
The teens show their youth in their decision making as their investigation progresses and danger follows them. Side characters, Cameron's Mom Irene, Clarissa's high school boyfriend Brad, and high school journalism teacher Mr. Park are interesting.
There are real life issues that are covered and would make this a good book club book.

Cam and Blair, two odd couple friends who create a podcast for a high school Journalism project. Their subject? Clarissa Campbell, a beautiful, popular girl who went missing in the forest twenty years before. There were parts of this book I absolutely loved. The opening before chapter 1 even began is excellent--I loved the flow of the language. The way each chapter is based on a different podcast episode is really clever.

But there were other things I didn't like. Things that felt forced and heavy handed. The gay story lines--a teacher, some students, one of the people Cam and Blair interviewed--they seemed out of place and distracted from the main plot. If they were there to throw the reader off the scent of the guilty party--which may have been the intent--it didn't really work. I REALLY didn't like that this is being marketed as a YA book and has the "c" word in it--twice. How completely unnecessary. Lastly, the ending was very sensationalized. Overdone, in my opinion. I wish the writing quality had stayed as good as it was at the beginning, but it went downhill. I found myself knocking stars away as I read. Too bad, because there is so much to like about Missing Clarissa.

missing clarissa was a good ya mystery!
i think it’s became a little redundant and wordy at times.
it does have the vibes of agggtm so i enjoyed the podcast element.
i think the mystery was really well written, and something that could be shocking for a lot.

Synopsis:
In August of 1999, dazzlingly popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington and is never seen again. The police question her friends, teachers, and the adults who knew her—who all have something to hide. And thanks to Clarissa’s beauty, the mystery captures the attention of the nation. But with no leads and no body, the case soon grows cold. Despite the efforts of internet sleuths and true-crime aficionados, Clarissa is never found—dead or alive.
Over twenty years later, Oreville high-school juniors and best friends Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast, determined to unravel the story of what—or who—happened to this rural urban legend. In the process they uncover a nest of dirty small-town secrets, the sordid truth of Clarissa’s relationship with her charismatic boyfriend, and a high school art teacher turned small-town figurehead who had a very good reason for wanting Clarissa dead. Such a good reason, in fact, that they might have to make him the highlight of their next episode…
But does an ugly history with a missing girl make him guilty of murder? Or are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man—and help the true killer walk free?

This one for me had a LOT of parallels to Good Girl's Guide to Murder, and I couldn't really overlook it. A nice, short read (I finished it in about 3.5 hours) for someone who really enjoys the podcast/true crime fiction "genre".

The characters were very young & naïve, and I think this book would be more appealing to a younger audience because of this (which makes sense since it's advertised as YA). There was a nice, not totally predictable twist at the end that I thought tied the novel up very well. This one is great if you enjoy the genre and want a light read in between your next thing! Not for everyone.

3 stars - thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two best friends take on a journalism project by starting a podcast to uncover the truth of a missing girl. Over twenty years ago Clarissa went missing outside of a party. Now the girls must interview possible suspects from the cold case while trying to figure out Clarissa's whereabouts back then and who would want to harm her. I didn't feel like this story had much depth and when the reveal finally happened at the very end, I wasn't surprised or anything.

I had so much fun with this book! I had to set aside some of my more realistic thoughts while reading (hello, do not confront a suspected murderer alone??), but this book takes you for a ride that I was into.

I loved how this was written -- the POV and voice really made the book feel like it was moving quickly, and really helped me to get sucked into the story. I liked how it was structured as episodes of the podcast, which also made it feel bite size and digestible.

My one critique is that the mystery itself felt a bit too sprawling. I like to be able to figure out the mystery along with the narrator and didn't feel like I was able to do that with this one!

3.5
One of my most anticipated and it was just alright? Underwhelmed rn.

Ok, reading the synopsis of this book had me hyped. It was calling to me. But it fell flat.

The plot was good enough but the characters were very hard to connect to mostly because they weren't flushed out well enough. And Blair was annoying as hell with her constant self doubting.

The podcast bit was great! But I wanted more.

I don't know about you but teenagers in my city would never be allowed to be so close to a crime scene, let alone talk to people including the police without any issues such as pushback. Like, these people were just throwing secrets at these kids and they were finding things the police didn't ever find, like come on!

Thank you for the advanced copy!

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was invited to review this title by the publisher, and usually, I'm reluctant to try an unknown to me/ debut author because of the time commitment with other books. The title and synopsis grabbed me right away.

This book is a little bit of a slow burn to a steady crescendo towards the last act. I got into it right away. In 1999, popular cheerleader and recent high school graduate Clarissa Campbell went to a party in the woods and never came home. The police suspected the boyfriend, but no body or solid evidence meant no arrest and a 25+ yr cold case. I liked the references to the late 1990's as I was just a little older than Clarissa.

Current day, two best friends Cam Munoz and Blair Johnson are taking journalism their junior year and need a research project. They chose to do a podcast about Clarissa, who went missing in the small town of Oreville, WA. At first, you can see they are amateurs, the sound quality isn't great, and Cam is interested in the sensationalism of the story. Everyone loves a true crime / missing likely dead white girl story. Cam and Blair start interviewing people close to Clarissa: her mother, her best friend, her boyfriend, the sheriff, and the former art teacher and a former student who was involved in the search. To me, it was fairly obvious who was most suspicious, however, along for the ride as the girls discover some alarming secrets. You can tell the reactions to certain topics are different now than they were in 1999. There is some CW for grooming / sexual assault in the past that would have been handled differently now, I'd hope.

The issue with having 2 16 year old girls investigate a case is the impulsivity and undeveloped logic and reasoning. Cam, in particular, throws accusations around rather than being more subtle to get people to talk. It did remind me a bit of the movie Dick, with Kirsten Dunst about Richard Nixon. Except there are dire consequences for ignoring the voice that usually tells an adult to proceed with caution. Cam and Blair have adults telling them to be careful - even Clarissa's friends. The ending of the book was impossible to put down. I recommend that once you get to the last 20%, you don't stop, if at all possible.

I really enjoyed Cam and Sophie - her love interest, which was not the focal point of the book, but Sophie adds an important element about the injustice system. Blair is a gifted writer who realizes she should believe in herself. 4 45/5☆ release date 3/7/23.

Two high school girls, Cam and Blair, decide to make a podcast for their journalism class. They focus their podcast on a girl that went missing 20 years ago. Clarissa Campbell was a popular cheerleader that went missing from a party in the woods - she disappeared without a trace. The plot was good, the mystery was good, and there was a good amount of suspense that kept me reading.

The main characters, however, were pretty annoying, especially Cam. The writing style also didn't really work for me as it jumped back and forth between the characters without having any distinctive POV. I would read another book by this author in hopes that some of the rough edges can be smoothed out.