I’ve realized YA Thrillers are a new favorite genre, and this one overall was good, but if you tend to read a lot of books in this genre this one might fall flat. I’m not sure why but from the description I thought this would be a little bit more scifi? The word ‘simulation’ made me think of VAR and Augmented Reality, but the simpler approach of actors taking the roles of patients is more realistic, ultimately making the story a little more haunting and believable. I found myself wanting to keep reading and uncover what happened to Viv and honestly could have dealt with the story being just a little longer! Will definitely read more from this author.

I was a little dissapointed that there were not trigger warnings in this book. For anyone wanting to read this they should know there are scenes of grooming and sexual assault.

Other than that I did really enjoy this book, I was intrigued from the very beginning and I really enjoyed the writing. The mystery kept me hooked and I always wanted to know more about the characters and who they really are. I really enjoyed the different formats throughout the book, this really made it more interesting. I'm curious to see what else this author brings out

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not going to lie. When I saw that I got approved to read Tell Me When You Feel Something I was honestly really excited. The synopsis just made this sound wicked, dark, and delicious. I wanted it to be a mystery that kept me on my toes and second guessing everything, everyone and every damn decision.

Unfortunately, that just didn't happen for me. Which is really disappointing because the way this started off just made it seem like it was going to be extremely entertaining, engaging, and keep me on the edge of my seat. It just didn't happen and this book just became boring to me so freaking quickly.

In it, you will meet Viv, Tim, and Davida. They weren't always the best friends but when they actually met one another and hung out - well, they certainly became quick friends with the potential to become best friends. Now Viv just annoyed and frustrated me throughout the book. Tim wasn't any better because it just seemed like he would always pick a way to make Davida uncomfortable.

Other than those two, Davida was one okay character but pretty quick to jump to assume the worst out of her so-called friends. Tension was definitely running high between everyone and I just wanted to know who was behind it all.

I guess the one good thing about this book was the mystery. Also the ending wasn't that bad because it did drop a little bomb or two. Which, in a way, if I wasn't bored I probably would have seen the clues that eventually lead up to the big reveal.

In the end, it was an okay book but I'm mostly disappointed that I didn't love it since I was really excited to dive into it.

This book approaches a topic (opioid abuse and teen addiction) that is prevalent in today's youth but does so in a very heavy-handed way that at times feels like you're watching a PSA. At times, the narrator feels like they already know the consequences of certain actions which affects the immersion and voice's effect.

'Tell Me When You Feel Something' is one of the best YA fiction books I've read in a long time. It gave me loads of Holly Jackson feels with the various alternating narrators, time shifts and police interview excerpts. It follows the main protagonist Viv both before she ends up in a coma and switches to her best friends narratives afterwards to find out what really happened to Viv.

All three main characters (Viv, Davida and Tim) work as "simulated patients" after school at their local med school. It follows their lives after meeting there and slowly unravels secrets to reveal the truth as to what happened to Viv. I really enjoyed the fast pace nature of the book and found myself wanting to pick it up 24/7 to find out the truth.

Good character development, thrilling chapters, interesting and unique narrative - Vicki Grant has created a fantastic novel. If you enjoy thrillers and YA fiction then I 100% recommend reading this.

Such a good book. I didn't expect the little bits of humour as the subject matter is quite dark (abuse, divorce, parental power struggles, teen drinking), but Viv herself is quite funny even while she is struggling to cope with her parent's horrible behaviour and her mother's own inability to cope.

I'd recommend this to any teen trying to figure out how to deal with adult's messy behaviour or struggling to remain intact while their world falls apart. The story is a good reminder to be careful who we trust.

There was a lot to like and dislike in this one.

I liked the premise and we had quirky characters and multiple povs. But parts were so damn slow and it just didn't have enough to really pull me in and keep me hooked but still I turned the page to get to the end and see what happened.

But the focus seemed to high on things that didn't matter and was intriguing. And the ending seemed rushed and awkward. But the book is very different and might appeal to others especially younger people with a liking to Karen McManus

First I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin Teen for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

TW: Sexual assault, alcohol abuse, mental health

This book sunk it's claws into me at the very beginning and I literally could not put my Kindle down, I had to know what happened! This book has multiple points of view with time shifts, which I personally love in books. I really think the concept of the students helping medical patients was super unique and interesting in the story. I really believe this was a super creative and suspenseful book. This book does cover dark topics, so I definitely made sure to add some trigger warnings. This book had me guessing the whole time and I honestly was shocked when I got to the end! I truly enjoyed reading this!

This book grabbed me right from the start and didn't let me go until I was done. Vicki Grant adds some humour to lighten the mood of reading about a teen dealing with alcohol addiction. When you read about the taxidermy show you'll know what I mean. Viv's character is more fully developed than Davida's and Tim's and I would have liked to read more about both, but especially Davida since her troubled childhood and her anxieties are only touched upon.

I would recommend this to readers of Monday Isn't Coming as well as anyone who likes realistic teen fiction.

I was provided an early copy of the book in exchange for a review.

I did not like Viv as a character. She was the reason I decided not to finish this. She was spoiled, bratty, and ungrateful to her parents and friends. She spent her time drinking alcohol and then whining about her miniscule problems. The other narrators weren't memorable and nothing they said made me want to keep reading to figure out the mystery.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen !!

Trigger Warnings: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Grooming, and Substance abuse.

The premise of this story grabbed my attention straight away, and the idea of a YA mystery thriller was super exciting. I really enjoyed the writing style and the time jumps. But the lack of a trigger warning really disappointed me. These issues are detailed and a trigger warning feels very necessary for a story like this, especially with the audience this is being published for.

We start the story with Vivienne in a coma after taking a pill at a party on video and her "best friend" swearing that Viv does not do drugs nor does she drink and from there the story begins to unfold with chapters from the past and present day. The format this story is told in is honestly why I couldn't put it down. Grant created a vast cast of characters with multiple POV and police documents and each character was flushed out very well. I could tell early own that many of these characters could not be trusted and I was not able to figure out the twist and ending before it was smacking me in the face, which honestly is really rare for me so that was such a great surprise.

Overall, I feel like this story will be great for a wide range of ages, but I do feel it is a necessary need that trigger warnings are provided at the beginning.

This book was suspenseful from beginning to end, and I was truly surprised how it ended...in a good way. I appreciated the unique plot and introduction to the world of student “patients” who assist medical students. I hadn’t read about that in any other book. The details about the makeup artist’s role made for great reading. Such a creative job. I was also drawn into the complexities of young people acting out fake personal trauma to give credibility to the role play experience, while running the risk of that becoming too personal.

This book. Let me start out by saying there's nothing fluffy about this book, nothing lighthearted. The book starts with Davida - Viv's friend from the Simulated Patient (SP) program, speaking to police about her friend's overdose. The book doesn't waste any time getting started - the reader is dropped right into the story with minimal context and, on top of that, alternating timelines from multiple points of view. As a result, I found the first half of the book a little confusing and not very compelling. The SP program was interesting to read about, though, and the drama between Viv's parents was so disturbing I kept reading.

By the time I sorted it through my confusion, things changed dramatically. The plot was suddenly raw and powerful and I couldn't put the book down, staying up way later than I should have to finish the book. The police interviews interspersed through the novel supported the plot very well. Do people interviewed by the police in real life always tell the whole truth? Of course not, so why I assumed they would in the book, I don't know. Eventually everything started coming together and making sense to the point where I was practically shaking the book and yelling at the characters.

So a book that started out slow and a little muddled transformed into this captivating reflection on the #metoo movement and all different types of mental health issues. The second half more than makes up for the first half, so I definitely suggest reading this book and hanging in there until the end.

From the outside, Vivi is a girl who seems like she is perfect; she works at the hospital, has a packed schedule, is pretty, and has a loving boyfriend. When the reader looks even closer, they realize that Vivi's life is falling apart. She is an in the closet alcoholic whose divorced parents are at each other's throats. When the novel begins, Vivi has taken an Oxy at a party and is in a coma. Her friend Davida is left to figure out what happened the night of the party. I was immediately drawn into this YA thriller and will definitely buy a copy for my classroom library.

I really wanted to enjoy this read given the intriguing plot however this one fell a bit flat for me. At first I was hooked into the writing style of different points of view and wanted to solve the mystery of what happened. However the ending left me wanting more. Too much solved too quickly has always been a turn off for me in YA mystery books and this fell right in line with the former.

Author Vicki Grant is a great writer but it felt as if this story's ending could have had more grit to it.

This story has a lot of things to like about it. It has quirky characters and an interesting story. It has multiple POV but they are all to flush out the storyline and you get to know the characters and why you know them as the story gets farther along.

But I didn't feel the tension I wanted to in the story. The middle was very slow and I kept feeling like I was reading the same thing over and over. It took too long to get to plot points and even when you got one, the story backslid and you were back to learning the same facts you already knew but from 2 or 3 more POV. It brought the tension and wonder of what was going on way down and made it hard to stay interested or focused. Which is a shame because the conclusion was interesting and completely twisted.

<i>A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.</i>

CW: Drug and Alcohol use, Pedophilia, Sexual Assault



First I would like to thank Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.



Okay, so this was an interesting book.. We follow the story of, "What really happened to Viv?" You are introduced to the main characters, Viv and Davida’s life of Stimulated Patients at a medical school. Life is going well for these high school girls, until multiple videos show what happened at a party where Viv took a party drug pill, and now lays in a coma. While I usually enjoy the bouncing from multiple point of views, I found this book to be lacking in that "spark" to keep me interested. The different writing styles were a great touch to the book, bouncing from third person point of view with first person narrative and police interviews.



I took me FOREVER to read this book. Which was a shame because I usually get through books fairly quick, especially one with a synopsis so intriguing. But, again, this book just lacked that spark for me. I felt that Grant put so little into too many characters without focusing on a few great ones to center the book around. While the concept of the story was nice and original, the end lacked greatly in suspense and surprise. I am always disappointed when I am able to figure out the beginning just a few chapters in.



The lack of content warning, and story development were what caused my three star rating. This book HIGHLY deserved and NEEDED a trigger warning.

"Tell Me When You Feel Something" by the Canadian author Vicki Grant is a tough, gritty young adult novel that is simultaneously horrifying and uplifting. While this novel isn't an easy read as it deals with heavy topics that can be triggering, the author manages to create a courageous tale with humorous scenes meant to offer hope and resilience in light of adversity.

When Viv overdoses at a party and ends up in a coma, people are upset but they're not surprised. There were signs Viv's seemingly perfect life had cracks in it and known to joke about taking drugs, everyone thinks the overdose is due to an unfortunate night of wild, reckless teenage fun. Only Davida and Tim (two friends she met through an after-school job as simulated patients at the local hospital) believe something sinister happened to Viv. Only through their persuasion do the police take a closer look into what really happened the night of Viv's fatal overdose and whether it was something more than an unfortunate accident.

Though the novel is told from multiple persepctives, it mainly focuses on the three main characters: Viv, Davida, and Tim. While I share the same opinion as some reviewers that the writing and dialogue wasn't incredibly distinct, I did feel it was due, in part, to the narrative style rather than a lack of characterization as I felt the main three are incredibly likeable due to their quirky personalities. Viv is a hard character to warm up to in the beginning, but as the story unfolds it's easy to fall for her charm and ability to create a positive space for the people around her. Her attempt to remain upbeat is both heartbreaking and admirable. Davida and Tim are the weirdest, whackiest human beings and yet, by owning up to those traits and embracing themselves for who they are, allows for there to be these little breaks of humor in a sorrowful story.

A novel like this isn't easy and it comes with its own risks; readers will like and relate to the tale or they'll feel the topic has been overdone. Personally, once I got past the initial couple of chapters, I throgoughly enjoyed the story. It had this natural mix of thriller, crime, and mystery that created suspenseful tension the whole way through. It's also an important story, one that could've been entirely different if Viv's actions were chalked up to an out-of-control-teen who went off the deep end. A scenario that is probably an all-too-real reflection of the reality we live in.

"Tell Me When You Feel Something" is a novel that gives a voice to women, especially teenagers, who have very real fears, who are taken advantage of, and are trying to find their place in this huge mess of a world. Grant deserves some recognition for writing a tough topic not a lot of authors want to take on, but especially for raising awareness on a topic that is very prevalent and deserves a lot of attention.

Look for "Tell Me When You Feel Something," by Vicki Grant on its expected publication date June 15th, 2021 and add it to your reading lists. This is a emotionally dark novel that delves into some heavy topics (therefore, there is content that can be triggering for some audiences) but has very hopeful and enlightening twists throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada (Penguin Teen) for providing me with a free e-arc of this novel for an honest review.

When I first started this book, it seemed really promising. I was hooked from the beginning and was very interested in finding out what happened. Also, really loved the writing style. However, I felt like too much of the focus was on pointless things and it took forever to get to what actually happened. It felt like the ending and what happened was way too rushed and so for that I didn't really enjoy the book overall.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Random House Canada for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This young adult book by Vicki Grant was my second NetGalley ARC of the year. I was very intrigued by the book’s description so requested to receive a copy. Tell Me When You Feel Something is due to be released in June this year.

It seemed like the best part-time job ever. Being a simulated patient at the local med school had everyone signing up including charismatic Viv. However, now Viv is in a real-life coma. Everyone wants to know what really happened but with video footage as proof, it may be hard to find the truth. With lots of contradicting stories and confessions will the police be able to figure out what really happened to Viv.

I am an absolute sucker for anything Young Adult so after being hooked by the description I was eager to get my hands on a copy. The premise is very interesting and I really enjoyed the shorter chapters and the past and present narrative, however, it felt like a lot of tension building for everything to be resolved quite abruptly in the last few chapters. I was very invested in Viv’s story and her troubles meaning I wanted to know what had actually happened to her. The disappointment followed when I guessed the ending quite early on and figured out the culprit. It just wasn’t the climactic ending I was expecting. I think if you are new to YA thrillers then this would be a good starting point for most

I gave Tell Me When You Feel Something a 2.5⭐️ rating.