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A review by lilythebibliophile
Missing Clarissa by Ripley Jones
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book is a perfect example of what I love about YA mysteries! I highly recommend listening to the audio version of this one, as the podcast episodes really come to life in that format.
♢ I loved our two teen detectives, Blair and Cam, and their relationship dynamic. They stood on their own as individuals with distinct personalities, and when they worked together their vastly different outlooks lent themselves to welcome comedic beats. They reminded me of Benny and Virginia in Strange Truth by Maggie Thrash, and I still think about how much I adore Benny and Virginia 5 years after reading the books.
♢ I also loved Blair and Cam’s friendship and how Ripley Jones took the time to develop their friendship on the page, even though they had been friends since middle school. It is rare in YA fiction that I come across a friendship pairing where I not only understand why two characters are friends, I also see how they are good for each other and make each other better people. I loved how they pushed and checked each other during their detective work.
♢ The podcast episodes were incredibly compelling. They added to the story and propelled the mystery forward. Now that podcasts are becoming more trendy to include in mystery novels, I sometimes feel that their presence in a mystery is unnecessary, but here it made complete sense and made the story difficult to stop reading (or, in my case, listening to).
♢ I just love Ripley Jones’ writing style. I feel like I was completely transported into the Pacific Northwest; the writing was atmospheric without using excessive description, and I can still envision each scene as if it was an actual place in my mind.
♢ The story moved forward at a fast clip, while still taking the time to develop the characters and their relationships with one another. I feel like Ripley Jones accomplished in 256 pages what some authors can’t accomplish in 400 or 500.
♢ I just want to restate how realistic and compelling Blair and Cameron were as characters. Blair’s dream of becoming a writer and her fraught relationship with her boyfriend, and Cam’s impulsiveness and her potential new relationship gave the story another dimension that I really appreciated. I also loved reading about Blair and Cam's family lives and how they impacted each of them.
♢ This book is engaging and funny (during appropriate moments). Do you know how hard it is to make words on paper funny? I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading Missing Clarissa.
♢ The dialogue in the novel felt realistic, too.
♢ I loved how the morals behind starting a true crime podcast were questioned here. Jones didn’t shy away from pointing out that true crime podcasts usually sensationalize crime and are only started to benefit the creator. Jones also explored topics like the taking of indigenous land by white settlers and how it is still going on today. There were so many complex themes in this book mixed in with its tight plot and lovable, realistic characters.
♢ Let’s talk about the ending of the novel (without going into spoilers). There was a lot I loved about it, and one thing I found disappointing.
I want to start off by saying that Missing Clarissa is an IP book, which means that the publisher had the plot idea for the novel (they own the copyright) and they hired Ripley Jones to write their idea. This means that Ripley Jones most likely had no control over who was the culprit behind the mystery or some of the other major plot points. Frankly, the fact that this is an IP book is mindblowing, because Ripley Jones made the novel feel fresh and alive, as if they had come up with everything themselves. Calling into question the ethics behind true crime journalism, and questioning the whole mystery genre as a whole?? Delicious. I’m sure Blair and Cam’s personalities came about organically during their writing process, as did all the other best parts of the book.
But the ending was a dead giveaway that this was an IP book. It was incredibly predictable to me, especially because of one glaringly obvious clue that is restated so many times throughout the book it would be ridiculous if readers did not take note of it.
The final faceoff between our detective(s) and our culprit felt innovative and unexpected. Ripley Jones is clearly a master at taking a run-of-the-mill mystery trope and putting their own spin on it, to the point where the idea feels completely theirs.
♢ Finally, I am so excited that this book is getting a sequel! When I saw it on Ripley Jones’ Goodreads page, it felt too good to be true. I hope this is the beginning of a long, 50 or so book series à la Nancy Drew. I’m not being hyperbolic; I loved this book that much.
♢ I loved our two teen detectives, Blair and Cam, and their relationship dynamic. They stood on their own as individuals with distinct personalities, and when they worked together their vastly different outlooks lent themselves to welcome comedic beats. They reminded me of Benny and Virginia in Strange Truth by Maggie Thrash, and I still think about how much I adore Benny and Virginia 5 years after reading the books.
♢ I also loved Blair and Cam’s friendship and how Ripley Jones took the time to develop their friendship on the page, even though they had been friends since middle school. It is rare in YA fiction that I come across a friendship pairing where I not only understand why two characters are friends, I also see how they are good for each other and make each other better people. I loved how they pushed and checked each other during their detective work.
♢ The podcast episodes were incredibly compelling. They added to the story and propelled the mystery forward. Now that podcasts are becoming more trendy to include in mystery novels, I sometimes feel that their presence in a mystery is unnecessary, but here it made complete sense and made the story difficult to stop reading (or, in my case, listening to).
♢ I just love Ripley Jones’ writing style. I feel like I was completely transported into the Pacific Northwest; the writing was atmospheric without using excessive description, and I can still envision each scene as if it was an actual place in my mind.
♢ The story moved forward at a fast clip, while still taking the time to develop the characters and their relationships with one another. I feel like Ripley Jones accomplished in 256 pages what some authors can’t accomplish in 400 or 500.
♢ I just want to restate how realistic and compelling Blair and Cameron were as characters. Blair’s dream of becoming a writer and her fraught relationship with her boyfriend, and Cam’s impulsiveness and her potential new relationship gave the story another dimension that I really appreciated. I also loved reading about Blair and Cam's family lives and how they impacted each of them.
♢ This book is engaging and funny (during appropriate moments). Do you know how hard it is to make words on paper funny? I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading Missing Clarissa.
♢ The dialogue in the novel felt realistic, too.
♢ I loved how the morals behind starting a true crime podcast were questioned here. Jones didn’t shy away from pointing out that true crime podcasts usually sensationalize crime and are only started to benefit the creator. Jones also explored topics like the taking of indigenous land by white settlers and how it is still going on today. There were so many complex themes in this book mixed in with its tight plot and lovable, realistic characters.
♢ Let’s talk about the ending of the novel (without going into spoilers). There was a lot I loved about it, and one thing I found disappointing.
I want to start off by saying that Missing Clarissa is an IP book, which means that the publisher had the plot idea for the novel (they own the copyright) and they hired Ripley Jones to write their idea. This means that Ripley Jones most likely had no control over who was the culprit behind the mystery or some of the other major plot points. Frankly, the fact that this is an IP book is mindblowing, because Ripley Jones made the novel feel fresh and alive, as if they had come up with everything themselves. Calling into question the ethics behind true crime journalism, and questioning the whole mystery genre as a whole?? Delicious. I’m sure Blair and Cam’s personalities came about organically during their writing process, as did all the other best parts of the book.
But the ending was a dead giveaway that this was an IP book. It was incredibly predictable to me, especially because of one glaringly obvious clue that is restated so many times throughout the book it would be ridiculous if readers did not take note of it.
The final faceoff between our detective(s) and our culprit felt innovative and unexpected. Ripley Jones is clearly a master at taking a run-of-the-mill mystery trope and putting their own spin on it, to the point where the idea feels completely theirs.
♢ Finally, I am so excited that this book is getting a sequel! When I saw it on Ripley Jones’ Goodreads page, it felt too good to be true. I hope this is the beginning of a long, 50 or so book series à la Nancy Drew. I’m not being hyperbolic; I loved this book that much.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence