College Girl, Missing tells the story of Lauren Spierer who disappeared from Indiana University, and the ensuing media frenzy that surrounded the case.

The book was written with Lauren's family's blessing which is something I think is very honourable on behalf of the author. However, the story and focus of the case was heavily let down by the author's bizarre decision to centre himself in so much of the story. It veered between a true crime story about a missing girl, and a memoir of the author in a way that felt weird and inappropriate.

It was interesting that there were details included that had not previously been released to the public, but these were overshadowed by the issues with the execution of the book and the challenge to look past the author's personal interjections.

Also the risk of collaborating so closely with the family is that work has the potential to become quite biased towards one point of view, and present a tunnel-vision narrative that fuels a crusade to have a particular form of justice exacted. I do feel quite strongly that good true crime should be fair, impartial and unbiased whilst still being respectful and considerate of the victims and those involved.

Overall, I didn't love this book as the storytelling let it down, but I hope Lauren's family are able to find peace.

What really was the point of this book? It seems like the book is actually about the authors experience ‘investigating’ the disappearance… not the disappearance itself. It also needs some serious editing… there are so many awkward sentences and an overuse of commas. One positive thing is that hopefully this book spreads more awareness about the case.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an early copy of this book. I have heard of Lauren's story before and it is truly heartbreaking. I hope this novel gives more and renewed attention to her story. Hearing the parents perspective in this was devastating. Highly recommend if you want to learn of an unsolved cold case. I'll be watching more documentaries now!

Shawn Cohen was one of the first journalists assigned to the story when Indiana University student Lauren Spierer went missing in June 2011. Cohen was working for Spierer's hometown paper in Westchester, New York at the time and he reported on the search for Lauren, from the first days when there was hope of finding her alive, as suspects were identified but never charged, and as theories emerged about what could have happened to Lauren. A decade later, Lauren's remains have still not been recovered and the family has no answers as to what happened to her. So Cohen decided to revisit the case in hopes of finding new leads, interviewing witnesses and suspects, combing through the records of private investigators hired by the Spierer family, and laying out the facts of the case in this book.

This book piqued my interest because I live in Indiana and watched coverage of the case on local news. I also was a new mom at the time Lauren disappeared and it broke my heart every time Lauren's mom would publicly plea for someone to step forward. It's a short book, an easy read, and the majority of the book is a review of the timeline, the facts, and the people connected to the case. While there are no big bombshells in the book, Cohen definitely leads the reader to question the stories and alibis of some of the main suspects. The writing is good enough, but I don't understand why this book needed to be written other than as an ego boost for the author, who inserts himself into the story more than necessary. However, I hope that the book will lead someone who knows something to step forward and help the Spierer family get the closure they deserve.

3.25/5 stars, rounded down to 3.

I always like to read true-crime. This book is about Lauren Spierer. She went missing after a night of partying with friends. The case was never solved and there are no new leads. I can not imagine what these poor parents are going through.
The issue I had with the book was that the parents and author were pointing fingers at people they think are involved. I agree that law enforcement should look into it, on the other hand writing a book and pointing fingers without actual proof can be dangerous. Could it have been an accident? Could they be involved…yes, but it takes a lot more investigation and leads. The research was really good. Although I thought the story was interesting, I struggled after the midpoint when the story turned and the writing was about the author himself. I didn't think it was appropriate as it wasn't adding anything to Lauren’s story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, NetGalley, and Sourcebooks for this ARC.

It’s hard to review something that reads like a news article, I hadn’t heard of this story before. It’s Devistating. I’m grateful Mr. Cohen has written this book to keep Lauren’s name out there & people looking. I enjoyed the book, as much as something like this can be enjoyed. If you’re a true crime fan, like I am, you will love this. Hopeful that some day her parents will find resolution.

I flew through this book. I feel that the author was trying to aid in getting justice for Lauren Spierer (and her family) and help solve her disappearance,not benefit from it. This is an intriguing story and seems like more and more families.

The only downside of this book is that they have not yet caught the killer or found Lauren’s body. I pray that someday, Lauren’s family will find peace. I hope that this story will open the eyes of both parents and young people about the dangers on college campuses.

I had never heard of Lauren Spierer’s story before. She spent a night out partying and then vanished. Lauren was not portrayed in the best light in the beginning of the book. She was a hard partying girl who liked alcohol and drugs. Her friends were concerned about her. Her last night of her life was a drug and alcohol fueled bender with some guys. Those guys: David Rohn, Corey Rossman, Mike Beth and Jay Rosenbaum were the last ones to see Lauren alive and are keeping some secrets.

I’m glad I learned about Lauren’s story and hopefully this book stirs up talk again about her case. Many people have moved on from Lauren’s story and she is only a ghost now. I feel awful for the family who is left with no answers as to what happened to Lauren on June 3, 2011. I hope someday the boys involved come forward and provide closure to the family. What did they do with Lauren that night? Throw her in the dumpster? Toss her in the river? We may never know unless they tell us.

Thank you Sourcebooks, Shawn Cohen, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This read was informative. But that was just it.. Informative. Kinda like someone wrote it via webMD. I feel like even though there was drug usage and drinking involved the author pulled Lauren through the mud. It was very disappointing and I pray for her parents and family and their mindset.

3.5 stars to College Girl, Missing, releasing May 28, 2024!

A True Crime story about a student , Lauren Spierer, who went missing from her college campus. I appreciate that the author and family were willing to share the information on the case. I had not heard of this case before, so it was interesting to hear the stories & timelines of when she had disappeared and the days after.

Overall, it is an interesting book. It is heartbreaking that after so many years her family does not know the full truth behind why she went missing. Because I did not know about the case, I was really hoping we would find out what really happened to her at the end. I hope this book releasing brings more interest back to the case and that the truth is finally brought to light for Lauren and her family.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Shawn Cohen for sharing an e-ARC with me.

I grew up in Westchester County and was in college at the time Lauren Spirer went missing, so I was invested in her case from the beginning and knew I had to read this book. I didn’t feel like I learned much that wasn’t already covered, though. I understand the purpose of publishing a book about an unsolved case like this can often be to bring attention and maybe even get some answers, so I do hope that happens.

I saw other reviews disparaging the background information the author gave, but that didn’t really bother me; I understood that he needed to show why he was the best person to write this book and continue his coverage of the case.

Overall, I felt like the book was too short and didn’t really say anything too new. I appreciated getting a behind-the-scenes look at the research and interview process, but something fell short for me.

As far as true crime books go, I didn't find myself very drawn to College Girl, Missing.

I had heard of the case of Lauren Spierer through the Crime Junkie podcast. It was an episode that I remembered well. I was excited to see that a book had been published on that case, and that it had the permission of the Spierer family. Unfortunately, the author chose to spend a majority of the book talking about himself in the relation to the case.

I've read other true crime books on unsolved causes (Lost Girls by Robert Kolker is one of my favorites) that were able to focus entirely on the victims. This book failed in that regard.

I will not be recommending this book to my store's owner or to potential readers.

College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen was one of the reporters on the ground when Lauren Spierer Went missing after a night out in Bloomington, Indiana, in the summer of 2011. Cohen goes over the facts of the case and why he decided twelve years later to write a book. This felt like a broad overview of the case and a revisit with most key players ten years later. There is no new information or bombshells, but for people interested in this high-profile case, it's an excellent book to read. Hopefully, this book will start a dialogue again that will lead to finding out what happened to Lauren that night and give her family some closure.

Many thanks to @sourcebooks and @NetGalley for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 5/28/24.

Wow, this was such a suspenseful read! Based on a true story about a woman who disappeared after a night out with friends in Indiana. This book was really puts the fear in you. I definitely recommend this one to the true crime junkies!

I was fascinated by the book's detailed account of the missing person case, which covered all aspects of the investigation, including various theories and the latest updates, making it a complete and captivating read.

I am normally not someone that even considers non-fiction writing but for some reason (jk, I know why, I am a crime junkie), this book pulled me in.

This book tells the case of Lauren Spierer who attended IU & disappeared after a night out. The author, Shawn Cohen is one of the journalists covering the case in the beginning and through decades grows close to the family to get consent to work on this book. He discusses the facts of the case and even chats with friends, family, and some of the people of interest.
As a true crime fanatic, it feels like Shawn had good intentions but I would've loved to keep his personal life out of this book a tad more and just focused on the case. It seemed at times that he was word-vomiting and not editing out fluff & focusing on what was truly essential for the reader to know. From what I gathered from the case, of course, this is just my theory, don't come at me... this feels like a case where many lies have been told and the only person who knows the truth isn't here to speak up for herself. My heart aches for Lauren and her family. I truly hope one day they can bring her home and get some closure from the night of June 3, 2011.

Overall, I would say the writing wasn't the best but that wasn't why I devoured this book. I stayed because I was hoping there would be some resolution, spoiler alert, we still don't know what happened to Lauren. I will continue thinking about this case and looking into it, hoping at some point we all, especially her parents get an answer to the question, "What happened?"
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Thank you, NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book and going through the information provided. It was everything that you would want from a missing person case. It explored the different theories and put all of the information in one place. I hadn’t read about this case before, so everything was new information to me and I didn’t feel the need to research outside of the book to answer any questions. I wish there was new information to allow for closure, but still a great read!

I remember hearing about this case on one of the multiple true crime shows I watch. I was glad to get this ARC as it went into greater detail about the case than the show did. It's a very sad story and I do believe someone knows exactly what happened to Lauren that night.

Lauren Spierer was your typical college student going out with friends on a weekend and enjoying life. On the night in question, Lauren ends up extremely intoxicated and walking home with a boy she doesn't know well. That is the last night Lauren is ever seen. According to the boy and his housemates, she walked out of the house and was never seen again. Thirteen yeas later, Lauren is still missing.

I remember this case being on the news. Lauren was extremely intoxicated and probably high when she went to the house of fellow students and was never seen again. Upon the start of the investigation, all of the people of interest lawyered up and refused to talk to the police. Each of them had everchanging stories. Cohen did a good job of going through the timeline and trying to find the truth. "Missing white woman syndrome" is briefly touched on when the author notes that a young African American woman went missing around the same time and her story received nowhere near the coverage. This was a well-told true crime story that I truly got into.

This is truly such a sad story.

I remember being in college and hearing about Lauren and her disappearance, and having that thought of 'shit that could have been me'. Unfortunately, being a college kid, working three jobs and still attempting to have a social life, I never really followed to see what all happened, or if any leads actually panned out.

Sadly none of the leads ever lead to something of true value in the search to find Lauren.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.