A review by morebedsidebooks
How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok

adventurous mysterious tense

4.0

How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok, a fresh debut YA thriller, features amateur teenage sleuth Iris Blackthorn (cis pansexual) with two of her friends, Sammy Valdez-Taylors (cis lesbian) and Imani Turner (non-binary lesbian). The trio forms a sapphic detective agency out to solve the disappearance of two people close to Iris as the clock ticks during the Louisiana autumn. 

Also incorporated in the text is an edgy true crime podcast where the novel takes its title from. Unless a reader is a true crime fan it probably doesn’t endear you to its creator and Iris’s ex-girlfriend, Heather Nasato. When Heather disappears, teaming with Iris is also is Lea Li Zhang (cis bisexual). On the school newspaper plus an internship at the local paper, an ex-friend turned love interest yet who also exploited the disappearance of Iris’ sister. The four are a motley crew sort of out of a darker Scooby-Doo. Though Iris takes the focus. It is great to see a new pansexual author writing a book with a pansexual main character. The word comes up three times in the story. 

“Out of the three of us, Imani’s the only one who can drive— Sammy hasn’t applied for her learner’s permit yet, and I’m pansexual. It goes against my nature.” 

LOL, WHAT!? This is the most random way I’ve ever seen a character’s sexuality referenced. Apparently, it is drawn from the author’s own experience/anxiety. 

Mention number two is that Iris also has a "WORLD’S OKAYEST PANSEXUAL" phone case. Which I gotta say is cute and actually a thing. 

Third: 
“Are all pansexuals this bad at communicating their feelings? Or is it just you?” She shakes her head. “You know, you’d think you have it easier with the whole falling for people based on how they act regardless of their gender thing, but you really need to work on how you talk to people you clearly like.” 

 
Iris is a tenacious character, too tenacious for her own good sometimes. But a reader should be able to understand her passion and difficulty with letting people in or trusting the police. If you like teens on the hunt to solve a mystery this YA book should be on your autumn reading list. 

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