The unusual format might not be for everyone, but I actually really enjoyed it. Even though the interview style made everything a bit more detached from the story, trying to piece together what happened from four unreliable narrators was quite fun.

I did predict one part of the ending but not the full thing how everything happened.

Towards the second half, the story soured on me a little, just because there were some similarities between Mylee's disappearance and another well-known disappearance from the last couple of years. Or, rather, there were some similarities between Mylee's disappearance and the horrible rumors the internet spread about the real case. I'm not sure if this was intentional or not, but similarities to real victims and real cases makes me uncomfortable, even if in this situation the similarities were in the rumors, rather than the truth.

Salvation Creek has a lot of stories that surround it and once again someone is missing. Author Chelsea Sedati writes a story with characters that I liked and then hated. Five friends go camping and only 4 return --it's a story that has been written before with many twists and turns and this book approached it in a unique style by using the police interview style. It was a very interesting way to format a book and while the ending was what I expected I did enjoy the book enough to stick with it to the end.
Thanks to the publisher, author and Net Galley for an advance reader copy for my honest review.

It was all her idea. They would get away from their parents and spend the weekend camping. Down by Salvation Creek, the five of them would make smores, steal kisses, share secrets.

But sometime around midnight, she vanished.

Now the four friends who came back are under suspicion―and they each have a very different story to tell about what happened in the woods.

The clock is ticking. What are they hiding? Who is lying? Dark truths must come to light if their friend is to be found...

Told entirely through first-person police interviews, this riveting mystery asks: what really happened that night?

A fun mystery for YA thriller fans! I did not realize it was a YA when I first requested it, but it was a fun read. This one is written in a unique way - told by the four teenagers through police interviews. The POV changes multiple times throughout the chapters and you get to see everyone’s side of the story basically all at once. Enjoyable and easy to follow along while you try to guess “whodunit!” Loved the bits of humor thrown in.

A brilliantly written YA, that was both well plotted and fast paced. I enjoyed the layout. It was original and thought provoking...allowing characters to have a voice. It was a dynamic story and ended brilliantly!

Five teens go camping in the woods despite knowing bad things have happened there. Told from the perspective of four of the teens in the form of police interviews, they try to figure out what happened to the fifth friend. A little heavy on the Big Foot angle and the ending felt rushed and not thought out, I did enjoy a fast paced, easy YA read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

CW
🟠 Alcohol Consumption
🟠 Gun Use
🟠 Blood on Page


I was initially interested in this book because of the unconventional style of being told through police interviews. I love books that don’t follow a “traditional” format typically, and this sounded like a fun spin on the chapter-based narrative.

Tell Me What Really Happened was stunning. Each chapter is designed as an answer to an interrogation question, which was a nice touch. There are pauses noted as if the police are asking follow-up questions or providing additional information, but those questions or details aren’t given to the reader, so you try to piece it together alongside what happened to Maylee, the missing teen.

The inclusion of cryptozoology made me smile. I have always been interested in cryptids, and it was interesting to see that woven into the narrative and used in the way it was.

What really made me rate this book five stars was how it made me feel. I usually read late at night while my husband is asleep, and I found I couldn’t do that with this book. I was spooking myself trying to read in the dark as the four teens describe their time in the woods overnight. I applaud Sedoti for doing that to me.

It also evoked how I felt watching two of my favorite horror movies: The Blair Witch Project and Oculus. Teens frantically wandering the woods trying to find the people they came with, strange noises, the feeling of eyes on you, and a strange cabin all gave me The Blair Witch Project vibes. I half-expected the book to end with someone in the corner of a room. In trying not to give spoilers, I will simply say that the ending of Tell Me What Really Happened reminded me of the ending to Oculus in terms of the confusion felt by a character and the impact their environment had on their decisions.

I would be lying if I wasn’t surprised by the intentions for the camping trip. What did surprise me was how calculated and well-planned it was from the character’s point of view. Their expectations were realistic, even if it disappoints me that it would definitely work in today’s world.

Tell Me What Really Happened is a wonderful take on the YA thriller that left me slightly spooked in the dark but desperate to know what happened next and how the story would come to an end.

Really around 3.5 stars. It was good. The first person, police interview style writing took me a minute to get used to. Nolan and his bigfoot fascination was a bit weird, though I get why it matters in the end. Overall, it was good, I didn’t predict the ending.

I really wanted to love this one but unfortunately I don't feel like the format of the novel was for me. I did think it was a decent thriller and I will read more from this author in the future.

*3.5 Stars*

Copy kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was an interesting read with unusual characters. It was amazing what Maylee and Logan believed in. The ending surprised me.

I really enjoyed the interview like layout of this book. It was an unexpected writing style, but it gave the story a little extra appeal. I really enjoyed the thrill of this story, a little teenage angst, lots of surprising secrets revealed, and each character brought a little more to the story as it was told. I don't usually like it when there are too many narrators, but this was well done and kept my interest, kept me guessing and kept me tuning pages. I hope to read more from this author soon. Thank you to Netgalley, Chelsea Sedoti and sourcebooks Fire for giving me an eARC

First thank you to Netgalley, Chelsea Sedoti and sourcebooks Fire for giving me an eARC

I enjoyed the style of writing. You don’t get that type a lot.

What happens when you have 5 teens going on a camping trip. And one goes missing. ?

One of the five goes missing and the story just keeps getting more intense. One thinks Bigfoot is out in the woods. The other just doesn’t believe what is going on.

But what actually happened—a girl trying to fake her own disappearance for social media fame and dying in the process? That’s not an everyday disappearance. That’s a story that’ll be shared and re-shared forever.

Read the book to find out what happens. Because it gets you hooked from the start. Interviewing style writing.

The format of this novel made for a fast paced read. The story begins with a missing teen, Maylee. Detectives are interrogating four other teens that had been with on a camping trip when she went missing. Each chapter begins with a question being posed by the detectives. Then, it alternates between each of the four teens being questioned and their responses. All of the details about the characters and their connections with each other are revealed as the story progresses.

While each character was distinct, and the story itself was an interesting premise, I didn’t make a connection with any of the characters and didn’t really care what happened to them. It was all a bit over the top. There was almost too much going on, making it less intriguing.

I did like the unique format of the book and would be willing to try another title by this author. Even though I personally didn’t love the book, it was a decent read and I think the structure of the story, with short chapters and simple writing, is perfect for some students I work with who are reluctant readers. It is also a good book to use for discussion groups as there are a lot of underlying themes throughout the story.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #SourcebooksFire for an eARC of #TellMeWhatReallyHappened by #ChelseaSedoti - 3 stars

WOW! What a ride and what an excellent thriller. I loved the way it's written, how you feel you're talking to the characters and the storytelling that kept me hooked and turning pages.
A fast paced and riveting thriller that surprised me till the end.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

What happened to Maylee? I really enjoyed the interview style of this book. It felt like I was watching a movie - I could see it playing out in real life. It was a great page-turner from the start. I was immediately invested in each character and trying to figure out who was telling the truth and who was lying. It was fast-paced and kept you guessing until the end.



Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this ARC.

I really enjoyed the way his book was formatted. I found it to be really unique that the chapter heading was the question from the cops and that throughout the chapter each character was telling the story but from the aspect of answering the sam question each.

The book fairies must be working over time...

Tell Me What Really Happened, was one of my most anticipated books for this year.

When the approval showed up in my inbox I had to do a double take. My bookish prayers had been answered!!

I had high expectations for this book but Chelsea Sedoti, surpassed them.

The minute you open this book you are going to plunge right into a different realm. You will lose track of time and reality. You will speak about these characters as though they really exist. Don't be alarmed with the side eyes people throw your way when you get excited talking about these folks as if they were real. It's all good, you can come to me, I will understand exactly what you are talking about.

This book had so many twists, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

The secrets that become exposed are WILD .

Before I spoil something, I am going to leave you with this, you need to order this book. You need to know first hand what it is I am talking about, then I want you to message me so we can chat!

Tell Me What Really Happened, is going to be talked about for years to come and I am beyond excited to see what Sedate publishes next.

Teaser :

The Breakfast Club meets The Usual Suspects in this riveting YA mystery told entirely through the first-person police interviews of four teens over the course of several hours that asks: how far will you go to be remembered?

An influencer, an overachiever, a heartthrob, an outcast, and a conspiracy theorist all go into the woods.

Sometime around midnight, one of them vanishes.

Now, the four who came back sit at the police station, and they each have a very different story to tell about the events of the night.

What truths will their lies reveal? And with the clock ticking, will the real story come out before one of them is gone for good?

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This story was told from the perspective of four teenage friends who were being interviewed/interrogated by the police after their friend went missing during a camping trip. The format was really interesting and creative, which made for a fun read. I did have some issues with the story, however. I felt that Bigfoot played too large of a role in the story line and left me rolling my eyes in places. The ending also wasn’t my favorite as it was pretty predictable. I wanted more twists and turns to amp up the suspense and mystery of what happened to the kids.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the E-ARC. This book was such a easy read and smooth read I loved the different POV seeing how each character viewed the same thing differently. I loved how the twist were unexpected but still surprising. Don't get me wrong Im definitely never going to a forest after this but I loved hearing about other people that do go. Cant wait to dive into more books by this author.

Tell Me What Really Happened - I could not put this book down!

The first thing I'd like to note about this book is that the written layout of this novel was refreshing for me. It's what really got me into the story. Each chapter, a transcript of the police interrogation questioning, very craftily told the story of how 5 friends went on a camping trip in the woods, and 4 came out.

High schoolers John, Petra, Nolan, and Abigail tell their version of the past 24 hours, trying to figure out what happened to Maylee Hayes. Each person has their own version of events that transpired the night before. Who was the last person to really see Maylee? Are they telling redacted versions of the truth? Was it one of the four remaining, or was it something supernatural? It was really interesting to figure out who was telling the full account of the story and what their truths of the events that happened were.

Sedoti did a great job of getting me inside the minds of these high schoolers and made me question the facts of their story several times. At first, I didn't know who I liked or trusted, but I definitely felt a wide range of emotions while reading this book. I felt a lot of rage at Maylee for her actions and decisions. But I felt (and still feel) very skeptical of Abigail and Nolan, and sympathetic for Petra and John. While the plot and dialogue were great, I don't think I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did without the way it was formatted. I can't emphasize the layout enough. I felt like I was actually in the interrogation room with each character and reliving their memories. I could feel Abigail sweating, John's nervousness, Nolan's quirkiness, and Petra's need to get out there and search for her friend. It made the read fast-paced, perfect for a whodunnit.

At times, it did have the classic plot twists and procedural effects. But there were details in the book that I knew to come back to because they were mentioned for a reason. And they absolutely were. I kept tabs on everyone's story, how it changed, what they redacted, and what significance that had on the story. I was able to understand more or less how the story would end in part 2, which is why I gave it 4 stars. But the constant tension building within each character/suspect's story made me need to confirm their innocence.

There are books out there that make me feel like I'm reading about a whodunnit, and there are books that make me feel like I'm involved with it. Tell Me What Really Happened made me feel like I was involved with it. I highly recommend this book as a YA whodunnit novel. A great read overall!