One thing fans of the Gossip Girl books [1] have been wondering for a while now is what happened to Vanessa, a key character from the novels who's missing from the show's first episode. But now "Gossip Girl" [1] has found its Vanessa: According to TV Guide, Jessica Szohr will join the cast [2].

Szohr most recently appeared on "What About Brian." There's no word yet on when she'll first show up on "Gossip Girl."

In the books, Vanessa is a budding filmmaker who doesn't quite fit in with the rest of her wealthy Upper East Side peers. She was a childhood friend of Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley), also a fish out of water in the prep school world who has ended up pursuing a relationship with the glamorous Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively). Not surprisingly, Vanessa's reappearance will complicate things for Dan and Serena.

Book fans: Are you relieved that Vanessa has been located?

Source [3]