Sarah O'Connor

“Lola was gone before she ever went missing,” (Jones 1).

After Cam and Blair solved the missing murder case of what happened to Clarissa Campbell, they’ve sworn off amateur sleuthing. Being doxxed online, violently threatened, and getting sued can do that to a girl. That is until Mattie Brosillard, a freshman at their high school, begs them for help. Five years before Mattie’s older sister Lola disappeared without a trace and care, but now she’s back, only Mattie is convinced that the Lola who returned isn’t their sister. But nobody believes Mattie, not their stoned brother Luke, nor their right-winged mother, even Cam and Blair think Mattie’s story is wild, but shockingly Blair thinks they should help Mattie with the case much to Cam’s chagrin. But did something happen to Lola, or is Mattie just having trouble accepting that their sister has actually come back?

I enjoyed Missing Clarissa so much more than I thought I would so when I learned that Ripley Jones was writing a sequel, I was all in for it. Unlike the first book, The Other Lola finds our amateur detectives investigating a case about a missing girl no one in their town was even aware was missing. I thought this was a good angle to go on and a great juxtaposition to Missing Clarissa, which Clarissa was a popular, rich, white, and beloved girl in her community who was missed when she disappeared Lola, also rich and white, was troubled. She was a drug user, an all-around “bad kid” who threw parties and tarnished the sparkling reputation that her mother tried to build around her family, and she was a girl who had run away in the past so that when she actually does disappear no one cares that she’s missing. It’s an unfortunate reality that there is a certain type of missing girl the world loves, and while Lola checked some of the boxes, she didn’t check them all.

But The Other Lola does lack in some areas. While the writing is phenomenal and I actually enjoyed the characters more this time around, there isn’t as much discussion about addiction or why there is less empathy to those who are addicts as well as victims to crime. While it was interesting to see Blair basically sellout in pursuit of her dreams without thinking of the ethics of what she was doing, there is little discussion into why these actions are bad. Instead, Blair is praised by those around her to continue pursuing her goals when a greater discussion on true crime and media ethics could have been given.

Still though, the series is a good YA mystery that perfectly balances contemporary YA problems with a fairly realistic mystery. I’m still curious about who Ripley Jones is, and I hope she continues the series with these characters because they’re fun books.

Publication: March 12 2024
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 336 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Library
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, LGTBQ+
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤
Summary:

In the months after Cam and Blair broke their small hometown’s legendary missing-girl story and catapulted to accidental fame, they vowed never to do it again. No more mysteries, no more podcasts, and no more sticking their heads where they don’t belong.
Until Mattie Brosillard, a freshman at their high school, shows up on their doorstep, begging Cam and Blair for help. Mattie’s sister Lola disappeared mysteriously five years ago. No trace of her was ever found. Now, she’s back–but Mattie is convinced the girl who returned is an impostor. Nobody believes Mattie’s wild story–not Mattie’s brother, not Mattie’s mother, and not even Cam and Blair. But something is definitely wrong in the Brosillard family. And Blair has her own reasons for wanting to know what really happened to Lola while she was gone.
With Cam and Blair still struggling with the aftermath of their first mystery―and with new secrets swirling between them―the stakes are higher than ever in this can’t-miss sequel to Missing Clarissa.