I regret to say that I could not finish The Other Lola by Ripley Jones. While the premise initially intrigued me, the execution fell short of my expectations.

I really wanted to like it, but it could just not keep my attention. I tried multiple times to put it down and come back again with a different mindset, but overall it was just not that the book for me

This one was sadly a disappointment for me. I remember being so into Missing Clarissa that I was hoping for the same fun mystery, but I found this one really hard to follow for some reason. The characters all seemed too alike so I was having a hard time telling them apart and I just found the overall mystery itself confusing and not compelling.

Bummer because I really wanted to like this.

*The Other Lola* by Ripley Jones is a captivating and emotionally charged novel that explores identity and self-discovery through a unique and engaging narrative. Jones's sharp prose and well-crafted characters draw readers into a compelling story of personal growth and transformation, making it a thought-provoking and memorable read.

The Other Lola, the follow up to 2023’s Missing Clarissa follows Cam and Blair in the aftermath of the danger and reputation they’ve gained after solving Clarissa’s murder. Both girls are set to walk away from their podcast and solving cases. However, when Mattie Brosillard comes to Cam about their missing sister Lola, Cam and Blair hear them out because this case is very different from the last one. Mattie says Lola has returned, but Mattie swears she is not who she says she is.

Much like Missing Clarissa, The Other Lola is a great YA mystery with loveable characters and a compelling plot. I will admit to not being overly familiar with the mystery/thriller genre as they are the literary genres that interest me the least. That said, I really enjoyed The Other Lola. I found the plot to be compelling as it was not the basic plot of solving a murder. Instead, Cam and Blair are trying to figure out if Lola is Lola, and if not, what is going on. I really enjoyed the process of figuring out what was going on. What I really love about Ripley Jones’ books is that they are more than the compelling plot, I love the characters, their relationships, and the diversity reflected in the story. While romantic relationships are an aspect of this story, it is really about Cam and Blair and their friendship. I also really love Cam’s mother and the fact that her parenting is a significant part of the book. Parenting and good parents are something that are usually missing in YA books. I love that while there are also “bad” parents in this book, Cam’s mother Irene is there to be a trusted and loving adult to these teens. I also enjoyed Mattie and their role in this book. They quickly become real friends to Cam and Blair and I care for them and their story just as much as I do about Cam and Blair.

I really enjoy The Other Lola and I would recommend it to anyone who likes diverse mysteries with more plot than just solving a case. I would gladly read more books in this series!

This book was such a delight. I loved Mattie, I loved how Cam & Blair grew from the last book, and I loved the found family of it all. I'll happily read anything else in this universe.

I really enjoyed Missing Clarissa so I was excited to start The Other Lola. I liked the first book more. I feel like the “mystery” in this one takes a back seat to all of Blair and Cam’s personal stuff. I liked it but it was missing the ‘thrill’.

I’d probably read another book in this series if the author wrote one and see how it goes.

I really loved Missing Clarissa when I read it last year, and so I thought this was one I was going to enjoy even more. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

I don’t hate this book by any means, but the overall story and mystery were not as good. I thought the pacing was a lot slower this time and (for me) it didn’t pick up until the last 70% or so. Plus, I found it to be a lot more predicable.

With all that being said, I still very much enjoyed Cam and Blair’s friendship as I believe they balance each other out so well. And I even liked the addition of Mattie as a character; adding more queer representation (specifically non-binary).

I’d still love to read more from this author, either that be a new stand alone or a continuation of Cam and Blair’s adventures.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Building on the suspense of its predecessor, this sequel plunges into a new mystery while deepening the personal stakes for its protagonists. When Mattie arrives, insisting that her sister Lola, who vanished years ago, is an impostor, Cam and Blair are reluctantly drawn back into the world of amateur sleuthing. The story effectively utilizes the "impostor" trope, creating tension around Lola's true identity and the mysteries of her disappearance. This trope drives the plot, adding layers of intrigue and suspicion as the duo grapples with the possibility of deception.

Compared to their earlier adventure, this installment intensifies both the stakes and the emotional complexity. The characters’ growth and the evolving dynamics between Cam and Blair bring a fresh depth to the story, making it clear that their commitment to uncovering the truth is now more personal than ever. The novel combines suspense with character-driven drama, delivering a compelling read that expands on the strong foundation laid by the first book.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC of The Other Lola! All opinions in this review are my own.

In the sequel to Missing Clarissa, Cam and Blair have another missing girl to find with a twist. The missing girl in question has actually come back after 5 years but her sister thinks it's someone who is just pretending to be her. In a wildly twisty book where you are not quite sure what is the truth and what is fake, Cam and Blair must help their new friend.

While I would love another book featuring Cam and Blair, the very end of The Other Lola is satisfying and sweet so I would be okay if that's where it ends. However, I can't wait to read more from Ripley Jones and I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Admittedly it was hard to read this one, as I had no idea that it was a sequel to an already published book. In addition to that, it was a mystery novel, so a lot of key elements are missing obviously. I found it hard to keep up with everything, piecing information together on my own, Asides from that, I didn't really care much for the characters. They were all bratty and just high school cliches.

The Other Lola is the follow-up to Jones’ previous release, Missing Clarissa. Readers find themselves back with our main characters, Cam and Blair, who are doing everything they can to avoid the drama of their podcast and solving mysteries.

Or are they?

When the opportunity to work with Mattie on finding their sister comes about, our duo is hesitant, but ultimately can’t say no. What ensues is a delightfully tense investigation filled with humor and an amazing found family storyline.

Jones has a way with words and I’m 100% onboard to buy whatever comes next even if it’s not another Cam and Blair story (but also, I would totally love one of those!).

I read Missing Clarissa a couple of months ago, and despite thinking it was terribly written I thought it was a really fun and engaging read. So despite me probably knowing better I decided I would check out the sequel. I thought it might be a bit better, but honestly I liked this less. However, it was still a pretty engaging read.
The writing in this book truly isn't good. I do think it improved a little bit from book one, but overall I thought the dialogues were written like this author has never met another human before. There was also a lot of telling, not showing. Relationships between characters are also not developed at all. It was nuts. It also got a bit repetetive at times.
One improvement in the mystery departement is that the absolutely terrible questioning skills these two girls have actually led to nothing. I hated how characters revealed it all last book. At least this time around people peaced out because the main characters were borderline harassing them. However, considering the main characters don't get any better at this stuff this also means that we get absolutely nothing for most of this book. There are no movements in the mystery investigation. All we got is more and more unhinged theories from our characters. I just didn't like how they made connections out of nowhere, and started acting like their thoughts were probably correct. The big reveals also felt a bit lackluster. I don't know. I don't think it was terrible, but it was very predictable. To be fair, one of the two reveals was also heavily spoiled in the first chapter. So, you know ... That just didn't work.
This was probably the last book I read by this author, because overall I did think the entertainement value went down in this book. I wasn't as incredibly invested in this one like book one. I actually got bored a little bit while reading this. The plot is still kind of nuts though, and even though I can appreciate its political messaging, it did feel a bit shoehorned. So overall, I do think this was just a worse reading experience for me than book one, and therefore I don't think I will read anything else by this author anymore (but never say never).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

There are books 50% through where I debate and wonder why/if I should "not finish." The Other Lola was one of those books for me.

Cam and Blair, two teenage sleuths, have sworn off solving another true crime case. That is, until Mattie approaches them with a mystery they cannot look away from. Mattie believes her sister Lola is not truly her sister. She looks the same and acts the same yet something is off. Looks like Blair and Cam are back on the case.

I cared too much regarding Lola's disappearance and was hoping for some sort of secret society. I felt like a lot was crammed into the story and while I appreciated the take on loving/welcoming all at the end of the novel, I was ready to quickly move on. I just wasn't hooked and am unsure if I would continue towards a third novel.

3.5*

The Other Lola is an engaging and endearing read. I enjoyed Missing Clarissa, the first book where we're introduced to Cam and Blair, but I liked this book just a little more. And that's due to Mattie's character. I wanted to wrap them up in a great big hug and make all their stress and worries disappear, and give them back their sister.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded

I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much about Missing Clarissa, except that I enjoyed the book which is why I requested for the ARC. For those of you wondering if you need to read or even remember the first book to read this one, I found no issues basically going in blind. The first book is referenced, but it’s pretty basic information so you'll be fine.

At first premise, this book seems to have a similar premise to The Reappearance of Rachel Price, but I loved that book and I enjoy reading similar plots so I don’t have an issue with that if this book is unique enough.

The mystery kind of felt like the B-plot, but I didn’t mind since it was progressing slowly but we got more development of Cam and Blair and little nuances in their lives. I feel like the actual mystery wasn’t as climatic, but I’m not that mad about it.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

This was a good book but there was just something that seemed like it was missing. I can't quite figure out what it is, but it kept me from being fully into the story.

So almost immediately I realized that the author most likely got the idea for this book from a real life case. It’s one that lives rent free in my head. And if I’m being honest my true crime junkie self thinks the real life case, was more like this book than what we’ve been told. If you haven’t heard of I recommend watching The Imposter. Great documentary.

Because of my knowledge on that story I was even more invested in this one. I know some reviewers think this story is too far fetched but it’s clearly not! This is probably why I loved this.

Missing Clarissa was a 5 ⭐️ read for me so this had big shoes to fill. The author did a great job at picking up where we left off in book 1.
I still adore Cam and Blair. I think they are such fantastic characters. Don’t get me started on Mattie, they fit in so well with those two. I hope we get more books with them in it.

I couldn’t put this down, I was curious where the author would take us. I pretty much guessed the mystery right away but I still needed to know how it went down.

Overall I think this was a great sequel that can be read as a standalone.

I don’t really know what to think of this book. I expected a lot more mystery and suspense than there was. I feel like the Lola portion took a backseat to the character development of Cam. Blair felt more like a supporting character than the second part of their duo. I didn’t like or dislike Mattie, but think a 14 year old character is more middle school read than YA. I was able to read the book quickly, but it just went that way. There wasn’t really much happening. I liked Cam’s family. I didn’t like the preaching as it felt like the book was way more about that than the mystery. I read Missing Clarissa but cannot remember much about it, despite reading this book. Since there’s so much that ties back to it, a succinct (full) summary would have been more helpful than the frequent vague connections. I hated the end. How ridiculously unbelievable but predictable.

Altogether, I read the whole thing. I didn’t like everything but found some parts enjoyable. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

Short synopsis: Cam and Blair are back this time helping their friend Mattie, whose sister Lola disappeared 5 years ago. Now she’s back, but Mattie is convinced it’s not really Lola.

My thoughts: This is a follow up to Missing Clarissa, which I enjoyed a bit more than this one.

The premise was fun, but predictable and I’ve seen it multiple times before. I tried going in with YA eyes, but I think it just didn’t really work for me.

It was a bit too slow of a burn, but the final pages were really fun.