The premise of this book is quite interesting, especially the special patients. However, it felt as if the different timelines and points of view didn't really "flow." This made the writing feel a bit disjointed and left me not completely invested in the characters or what happened to them.

The ending was interesting, though not entirely surprising, but I didn't feel that it made up for the rest of the disconnect I felt with the book.

Also, there needed to be some serious trigger warnings here, preferably at the very beginning. Hopefully that is included by the time of publication.

Unfortunately, Tell Me When you Feel Something wasn't for me. However, if you tend to enjoy YA thrillers like One of Us Is Lying, you might want to pick up this book!

Tell Me When you Feel Something is a YA mystery about a couple of teenagers who are a part of the local medical school’s simulated patient program in which medical students use the teens as “practice patients”. The teens’ lives take a wicked turn when one girl, Viv, lies in a coma after a party and her friend, Davida, looks for answers about what really happened that night. Is Viv’s overdose really as straightforward as it seems to the police? Or is there more to the story?
This book hooked me in the first chapter, however, the first half of the book really dragged for me. It could’ve been reduced to 20% of the book instead of 50% unnecessary background. But I started enjoying the book more after that point.
The reason I picked up this book was because I was intrigued by the simulated patient program, but that aspect just really fell flat for me. It wasn’t as interesting as I thought it’d be. I also didn’t feel any connection to the characters. I thought they were two-dimensional and not very likable.
I enjoyed the ending. Although it was predictable, the meat of the story really took off in the last 100 pages and I finished it very quickly after that point. I don’t think this book should’ve been labeled a thriller though. The only thrilling things happened in those last few pages. It can be labeled as a mystery, but not a thriller.
Overall, I thought this book was okay. Not bad, not great, but okay.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Teen for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: sexual assault, alcoholism, and suicide

This was a fast read, with a unique writing style told from various points of view which is always helpful to readers in a mystery book!

Teenage students can sign up to help by simulating patients as part of a med school program, but what happens when one of those students is in a very real coma? What lead to Viv having to go to the hospital?

I loved following the characters Vivienne and Davida through this story and thought the author did a good job providing their backstories and also leaving appropriate clues up to the ending.

A quick read that can keep you guessing!

Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book!

Tell Me When You Feel Something is a YA mystery/thriller about a young girl, Viv, who at the start of the novel is in a coma from an overdose. Her overdose is thought to be straight forward but her friends don’t think the same. We follow Viv as well as her friends in alternating perspectives through the novel to figure out what exactly happened the night of Viv’s coma.

To be honest, I expected to rate this one a bit lower. It took a solid 50% of the book before it really captured my attention. The slow build I think is definitely owed to all the details included (and from 3 different perspectives) AND in altering timelines. It got confusing at some points and also now that I’ve finished the novel, I think quite a bit of the build at the start was unnecessary. I still don’t feel like I know the characters all that much, especially for the amount of POV shifting there was.

On that note, I felt like I learned so much unnecessary information about some characters and yet not enough about other players that seemed a bit more important. Viv’s alcoholism for example - the author really did a great job helping us understand her current struggles but we don’t learn much about how her addiction started, what triggered it, etc.

I did enjoy the ride the second half of this book gave - after about the halfway point I flew through it to the end and enjoyed the ride along the way. The end, while pretty predictable, was well executed and tied up the loose ends of the novel. It just took a little too long to get there.

Overall, an okay YA thriller. I think I’d likely only recommend this to newer readers to the genre.

“TMWYFS” is a mystery revolving around a teen's death and its possible connection to the med school simulator at which she volunteered. It is told from fluctuating perspectives and unreliable narrators. Normally I love being able to use my discernment to comb through the mess, but in this case, it only dragged the case on slowly. I don't think teens will find it all that page-turning--partially because the character voices all read similarly. It was hard to tell them apart, and I constantly had to revisit the first page to remember who was speaking.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Trigger Warnings!!! Sexual assault, drinking, drugs, and succide.

I'm not sure how to review this, so I'll do my best. It's one of those books that is so good and talks about hard topics. I didn't know what to think going into this book. It was going one way then went another. I didn't see anything coming till it was there.

I really liked the way this was written. It was from different characters POVs and then went to documents from the police investigation. Yet, it wasn't confusing.

I wish there had been a bit more at the end. It felt like everything wrapped up a little quickly. It was kind of confusing how one person wasn't talking (to the police) then they were. I think it was that evidence was found, but I'm not sure.

This is one of those books that is going to stick with me for a long time. I want to say so many things, but I don't want to include spoilers and I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into words. I really enjoyed this book. It had some flaws, but all in all it was well thought out and written.

Thank you again to Netgalley for the Arc!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

1) I read this book as an eArc and this may have made the formatting of this book more confusing than it is in the printed version.

2) There are a lot of really intense topics that I think needed trigger warnings.

There are many short POV's throughout this entire book and that made it hard for me to get invested in the characters. You would hardly get a snippet into the characters life and then we would be on to the next person. The problem with this was it did not drive me to keep reading because I knew I would have to go through many POV's as well as a timeline jump. We jumped between two different timelines in no specific order and this made it difficult to stay interested in the story. Once we concluded a person's chapter sometimes there was a police interview that would just repeat the entire chapter and it felt clunky. Again, I think this may have had more to do with the fact that I read it in a digital format and the printed version may be more clear.

.I loved the setting of the medical school and the high school students being simulated patients. That was a really interesting concept that made some of the topics easier to talk about in the book.

Overall, I think this was a fast read that for me had a slow start. Once I got about half way through the book I was more interested in finishing it and the ending was pretty good! 3 stars for me but I can think of many people that I can recommend this book too that will enjoy it more than I did.

This is a story about medical acting... in more ways than one.

I was super curious about this bc I’ve had acquaintances who did medical acting & it’s a curious thing, to help someone learn the more nuanced aspects of doctoring like empathy. I also enjoy a good mystery/thriller, so it seemed right up my alley. I did really enjoy it, but it was *very* non linear & It felt very confusing at points- the jumping around between 3 characters & 3 timelines, and police interviews left the story a bit muddled for me. To be fair, nonlinear story telling is never my favorite- so it may just be a personal preference issue. That being said, I think overall it was a solid read with a good twist & a cast I enjoyed

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley & Penguin Random House Canada for the e-Arc!

From the way this book's excerpt was framed I really expected a thriller, yet I personally did not find it to be very similar to a thriller at all. Something that I have seen a lot of people saying and DEFINITELY agree with is that this book should contain trigger warnings, there is sexual assault, alcoholism, grooming, and drug use.

Tell Me When You feel something follows the story of Liv, a girl who is in a coma for reasons most find pretty straight forward, but as answers begin to emerge the reasons become more mysterious.

I really struggled to get through this book and ended up setting it down at the 50% mark. I found the plot very interesting, but the juvenile quality of the dialogue and the lack of in depth characterization really pushed me to quit this book more than anything. A plot so intriguing was overshadowed by so much low quality writing. I went in feeling like this book was right up my alley, but in the end it was not for me.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

I want to preface this review that this book NEEDS to have trigger warnings for SA and grooming. These are heavy topics in the book and it needs to be addressed for readers wanting to read this book (and FROM the publisher/author and NOT reviewers).

Tell Me When You Feel Something follows 3 points of view: Vivi (the girl who overdosed), Davida, and Tim. I loved each of their views.

One thing I loved in this book is how there were police interviews woven into the story. The story was also told in separate time periods (before the overdose so we saw how it came to be, and after the overdose with Davida trying to figure out what happened).

I took a star off because of the missing TW. For me personally, I do not need them but based on stuff that has happened in my family and hearing from friends, it is a MAJOR deal to have them for something like this, a book where SA and grooming are main topics in it.

Thank you to Netgalley for free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger Warnings- Alcoholism, Drug use, Depression, Divorce, Sexual Assault

This book wasn't what I was expecting. For some reason I went in thinking this was a thriller and it turned out to be more heavy hitting YA contemporary instead. That's not to say I didn't like it because I actually did enjoy this book.

Told in multiple POVs we are trying to find out what happened to the main character Vivienne after she overdosed at a party and is now in the hospital in a coma. Sometimes told in Viv's POV in the days leading up to the party, sometimes in the POV of her friends as they struggle in the aftermath to find out exactly what happened, and a few police interviews spread throughout as they investigate the overdose and try to pinpoint where Viv got the drugs this book was told in a way that kept me captivated throughout.

I really felt for Viv as a teenager struggling to stay afloat as she is more and more overwhelmed with her life. Her parent's marriage has fallen apart, her father is marrying the mistress, her mother is suffering from severe depression in the aftermath of the divorce. Add to that the pressure she feels to apply for scholarships, be the perfect girlfriend, volunteer, beef up her resume, and try to be a normal fun loving teenager on top of all of that. To cope, Viv turns to alcohol but she hides it from everyone except a cab driver named Stu who gives her a safe place to drink and pass out so she isn't in anymore danger than the situation already warrants.

I know how crazy that sounds. It's hard to explain Viv's life because it is so out of control that I felt stressed just reading about it. As a 32 year old mother of a 13 year old I wanted so badly to shake her and tell her to get help but I also realized that she had no one to turn to that really could help.

Viv's friend Davida is another POV we get to read from and she is the one who refuses to believe that Viv took drugs on purpose. She goes to the police with her suspicions and then begins to ask around to their friends at the Specialized Patient program at the local hospital. The SP program is where Davida and Viv become friends and it was one of my favorite aspects of this book.

Basically the hospital has this program where people come in and are assigned characters and medical conditions that they have to roleplay for the med students so they can get real world practice in med school. I think it sounds so interesting and reading about the makeup artist and the scripts and how much work and detail went in to the program was so interesting me.

The end of the book took such a dark turn and I truly didn't see it coming.

I'm giving this 4.5 stars because there were a few things that did feel off to me. I feel like the author tried to give Viv all these things to stress over but then never showed her actually working on any of them. For example- we constantly hear about this podcast that Viv is working on but never read anything about her actually doing anything with it. It was mentioned enough to bother me because she was saying that the podcast was one of the sources of stress in Viv's life yet the work for it was never done.

Overall this was a great YA novel about tough topics with a bit of mystery and suspense thrown in.

4-5 stars. This was definitely a book that some might find quite triggering, as it’s got many aspects that are quite hard to read about, if you’re one that struggles with triggers, make sure it’s not one of yours! I like darker books, so I’m sure that is part of why I enjoyed this book so much; but Also felt it was well written, intriguing, and unique! It was one that did keep me in the dark, for most the book, which is not very common for me, since I read so many. I did find so wanting to be lacking, I’m not really sure what, but it’s why I didn’t give a full five stars! I would still highly, highly recommend!


Will make sure to buzz around and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

TW: alcoholism, death (** publishers not having trigger warnings is really insensitive. As a mental health professional I am urging you to take this into account with further books.)

I really wanted to like this book, and I hate giving out low ratings, but I couldn't justify giving this over 2 stars.

I normally love books with mystery, tension, and mental health themes. I also can usually read a book in 1-2 days, but I had to force myself to read this over weeks. I think this was because of the following:
1. I didn't care about the characters enough to want to keep reading. Namely, I didn't care why Viv died, nor what happened between Tim and Davida. Some of this was because of the 3rd person narration leaving me feeling disconnected-- something I think an editor should have changed.
2. A lot of the "telling" should be showing, and the showing didn't work for me. In other words, I didn't *feel* Viv's alcoholism. I didn't feel her need to drink or what she was thinking and/or feeling. Davida and Tim say they liked each other, but I didn't feel that they were romantically into each other at any point. Again, this could have been in part because of the 3rd person. On the other hand, a lot of the imagery took me out of the story as I had to think too hard about what the metaphor/etc was trying to say. This is likely a personal disconnect from the writing style rather than an issue on the author's part.
3. The characters didn't have things they wanted that felt important to me. Viv's death "needs" to be solved, but I didn't believe anyone cared enough about her or her outcome to be invested. I also didn't like her as a character. Similarly, Tim wants Davida back, but again, I didn't feel that they had any kind of connection besides being told they did. Davida... I'm not sure what she wanted to be honest. These all took away from the tension.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The following review contains spoilers.*

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I was gripped almost immediately by the story; the way it was structured made it easy and pleasant to read. Where many novels make the back and forth of past and present timelines difficult to follow, Tell Me When You Feel Something does it in a way that doesn't result in whiplash.

The main characters - -Davida, Viv, and Tim - -are given the amount of backstory needed for the plot to be effective. My only criticism regarding character development relates specifically to Viv; I still don't completely buy what triggered her alcoholism. Sure, a need to feel in control is important (especially at such a young age), but there were many other ways she could have gone about taking control. She also mentioned never having drunk prior to that year; neither was she particularly close to the partiers. It didn't jibe with everything else.

The latter section of the book could have been handled with a little more finesse. Sexual assault is such a controversial and triggering topic that I feel it could have been a larger part of the novel. If the reader was offered the truth behind what happened to Viv closer to the beginning of the third act, there would have been room to expand on her emotions and trauma. Instead, we are offered this information knowing the book ends with her in the hospital. There isn't much closure on Viv's end which I believe a story like this needs.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to YA readers nearing the end of high school.

A clever YA mystery, Tell Me When You Feel Something is the investigation of what really happened the night that Viv supposedly took the drugs that left her in a coma. Told from a mix of perspectives with regular time jumps, the book certainly keeps you guessing! Unfortunately, I found that also made it a little difficult to follow.

The plot is harrowing and uncomfortable, but the twists are good. I found it difficult to like most of the characters, but I couldn't put my finger on why! That did mean that by the end I had mostly lost interest, and struggled to finish the book even though I did want to know the resolution.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Viv is in a coma after a supposed drug overdose, but the events leading up to the overdose have left her friends suspicious -- they think there is more to the story. As they do their own digging, they uncover more than they bargained for.

It's hard to say much more without re-writing the novel because there are SO MANY moving pieces in this book. I didn't find it hard to follow, but I do think it made for a more shallow reading experience. I think less would have been more. Still, I teens will definitely get into the mystery. A good book for reluctant readers.

I was interested, but constantly jumping between POVs did get to be a bit much for me when I was trying to follow a character's specific journey. Jumping away from what's happening with them and coming back for just a brief moment before jumping again made it a little hard to get fully invested (specifically with Davida). While I didn't guess some of the specifics of how it would play out, I found the big reveals extremely predictable. On the whole, it was an enjoyable read though.

Just need to add that I believe this story should've come with some CWs (sexual assault being a big one).

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so good!! I have been on a thriller kick recently and this one hooked me right from the start. I loved the way this was told in interviews and through various POVs and times. It really brought the story to life for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’m going to start by pointing out a commonly held criticism of this book: no trigger warnings. We need trigger warnings, especially in YA! I really would have liked to see them.

This book was definitely engaging from the start. I finished in two days with a gap between to study for school. I really liked Viv and felt for her story, and I loved the backdrop of the medical school “acting” program. It was a fantastic set up to a thriller.

I didn’t really like Davida or Tim, especially because Davida was so insistent on being right about Viv after only knowing her for thirty days. In the beginning I thought Tim was very creepy but that changed more as I read on.

When it comes to the ending, I saw about half of it coming. All in all though, I thought it was done pretty well.

I think this book would be a good introduction into thrillers for a younger audience if it weren’t for the extremely dark themes. Instead I would recommend to adults who are interested in exploring darker novels, but don’t know where to start.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️