Five teens go camping in the woods, only four survive. This YA thriller/mystery kept you guessing through the whole book. It was enjoyable. The characters were well written, but there were a few characters that were not my favorite (the issue was me, not the writing). All in all it was a good read. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced preview.

This YA mystery is told entirely in interview style after 5 teenagers go into the woods for a camping trip and only 4 return, as police try to figure out what happened to Maylee, the missing teen and social media influencer-wannabe. I thought the interview format was really fun and made it a very fast read that went down easy and kept me turning the page.

This book seemed to me like the definition of a popcorn thriller — goes down easy, keeps you wanting more, plenty entertaining, but ultimately, was it satisfying? Not really. It wasn’t anything mind-blowing but it sure was a fun couple hours spent with this book.

All in all, don’t expect to be blown away but if you want a few hours of easy entertainment, and you enjoy a YA mystery, this book will probably hit the spot.

Five teens set out for a weekend camping trip at Salvation Creek, but only four returned from the woods. The area has been the site of a previous disappearance. What are the chances of it happening again? At least, that's what they told themselves.

This entire story is told from first person police interviews from each of the four remaining teens. It shows the reliability of witness testimony after an event transpired and what people are willing to convince themselves of. I loved the plotline. The overall story was well written. I don't think that the outline of how it was told was for me though. It felt more like I was reading a script than a story. The entire time I was thinking that it would be better as an audiobook or podcast with multiple voice actors.

"Tell Me What Really Happened" by Chelsea Sedoti is a compelling young adult novel that explores the themes of truth, lies, and the consequences of our actions. The story revolves around the main character, River, who is struggling to come to terms with the recent death of her sister and the aftermath of a traumatic event that occurred at a party she attended.

The author does an excellent job of delving into the complexities of teenage relationships and the emotional turmoil that can result from them. The characters are well-developed, and their struggles and motivations are relatable. River is a sympathetic protagonist, and her journey to uncover the truth about what happened at the party is both suspenseful and poignant.

Sedoti's writing is engaging and thought-provoking, and she tackles some difficult topics with sensitivity and nuance. The novel also includes some interesting commentary on social media and the ways in which it can shape our perceptions of ourselves and others.

Overall, "Tell Me What Really Happened" is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that will appeal to fans of contemporary YA fiction. While it may not be for everyone, those who appreciate complex characters and nuanced explorations of difficult topics will find much to enjoy in this book. I give it a solid 4-star rating.

This story is told through a series of interviews given by the police to a group of teens whose friend dies during an overnight camping trip in the woods. It's a very effective way to tell the story, especially as the author does a fantastic job of making each character's voice distinctive. Each character has a completely different perspective as to what happened and how the other characters are involved. I found myself reading faster and faster to get to the bottom of the mystery and I wasn't disappointed. It was a really entertaining read! The relationships between the characters were well developed but also provided some plot twists. I loved how the author addressed young adult social issues along with the pressures and allure of social media.

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti is a YA thriller novel. Five teenagers go into Salvation Creek for a fun night of s'mores and camping, but only 4 come out. This is a unique novel as it is told in interviews and police interviews. You learn the perspective of the different teens. Petra is an overachiever control freak. Bigfoot obsessed step brother Nolan, an outcast of school who lives in trailer park Abigail and person of interest- victim’s boyfriend John!

Each teen has a story to tell which keeps the novel moving along. Great book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for allowing me to read this work

First, this was my first book by Chelsea Sedoti. I really had high hopes for this book from the description - I love YA books and a good mystery. It started off great - 5 teens go into the woods and only 4 return. The whole story is told as the police are integrating them to find out what happened that night in the woods. You learn a lot about all five of these characters. Of course, you find out about Maylee mostly through her friends even though she keeps secrets from everyone. She only let each one see what she wanted them to see. So Maylee was the popular one and the leader. Even though Petra, Maylee's BFF, was bossy and knew more about camping and the woods. Abigail was the outcast and no one but Maylee and Abigail knew why she was there. John was Maylee's boyfriend and all around nice guy. Nolan was Petra's stepbrother, he was there because Petra felt sorry for him because all his friends were online and believed in conspiracy theories especially about Bigfoot. Which is what made up most of the middle of the book. It did however get back on track near the end and it returned to the mystery of Maylee and what happened. Her friends get some disturbing news and finally decide to tell the truth about what went on that night and the outcome that Maylee wanted. The camping trip was her way to become the person she always wanted to be. Now they are the ones to tell her story.
I enjoyed the mystery and the connection between all the characters. I understand the need for the story about the Bigfoot and the conspiracy theories but I wish it didn't talk so much about all the theories. I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to YA mystery lovers.

I had such high hopes for this book. I mean missing girl and a story told through witness testimonials? Sign me up. However, the story itself ended up being fairly disappointing. I think I wanted more of a bang when it came to the climax and all I got was a whimper. I don't understand why the author talked so much about how many people went missing in the woods, only to have absolutely nothing to come of it. It felt like a huge tease in the fact that it leads the reader to believe that Maylee disappearing is part of a huge conspiracy, and not some random coincidence.

I did like how she incorporated some of Petra's survival knowledge in Maylee's death and disappearance, but overall the story just fell flat. The earlier actions amped up the story way too much for it to end in such an underwhelming conclusion.

This was a riveting and fast-paced YA mystery that had me hooked from the very first page. The story is told entirely through first-person police interviews of four teens who went camping by Salvation Creek and returned without their friend, who has gone missing. Each character is telling their side of the story about what really happened in the woods, and the story is thrilling and complex from the first page.

The author did an excellent job of creating a sense of urgency and tension as the clock ticks down and the police race to uncover the truth. The pacing of the novel was just right, with each interview shedding new light on what happened in the woods and keeping me guessing until the very end. I truly loved the writing style in this story because I felt that the interview-setting made it feel real. It was also a very quick read, not only because the story is very engaging but the format made it easier to get into the story. It was so fun to be able to read the book from the perspective of the detective trying to figure out what really happened based only on the POV of these four teenagers who, at times, are not really sure of their own perspectives. I also liked the inclusion of LGBTQAI+ characters as well as the young Black-teenager who felt profiled and unsure of the police's intentions. It felt very realistic and based on real-life accounts and interactions.

What I appreciated most about this novel was the way in which the author tackled complex themes such as friendship, loyalty, and trust. The four teenagers all have their own secrets and motivations, and the author did an excellent job of showing how these can impact their perceptions and memories of events. I really enjoyed the conspiracy-theory aspect of the novel as well, and found so realistic how a young person can get truly immersed in online groups discussions that reinforce their bias.

As a YA novel, the characters felt authentic and relatable, and the author did an excellent job of capturing the complexities of teenage relationships and emotions. The use of police interviews to tell the story was a unique and effective narrative device that added to the overall sense of suspense and mystery.

4+ stars
Told in a multi-person police investigation format, Tell Me What Really Happened is the story of a group of friends who go camping together and one of their number has vanished by morning. I liked the way we got the story told through everyone’s perspectives. It’s always interesting to see how the same events can be described so differently by the people who were there. The pacing is the book was good— it was never obvious how things would turn out so it kept my interest from start to finish!
*Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for this advance copy for review.

TELL ME WHAT REALLY HAPPENED by Chelsea Sedoti is a Super-Wow novel, YA Horror/Thriller/Psychological Thriller, which figuratively glued me to my seat while gluing my eyes open. I couldn't stop reading, and I'm still thinking about it, asking myself, "Well, do we REALLY KNOW the entire story yet?"

The novel is entirely contained in the format of police interrogation interviews (mainly responses)! So right away you realize, "Ohoh! Something really bad's happened here!" Just as Science and Sociology and Psychology has taught us that eyewitness accounts aren't always accurate: people see what they want to see, or what fits their conditioned perspective, plus the human brain automatically slides stimulus input into a framework, because it can't abide a puzzle: everything has to fit. Add in several individuals with their own disparate agendas, acting out of Character, all afraid to reveal the "truth," and the consequence is a hot mess of personality clashes, danger, wild arguments, and of course, two major themes: Internet Influencers...and Bigfoot. Yes, this is the Pacific Northwest, this is camping in a very scary woods, over the century-plus there's been lots of disappearances and deaths.

I appreciate the author's inclusion of both LGBT rep and the viewpoint of an adolescent Black male living in a small, predominantly Caucasian, community. These themes distinctly improved and intensified the story.

This thriller YA book I found interesting, but it did seem true "YA." Told from numerous teen points of view, it definitely has the feel of young teen attitude and voice. I had a little trouble getting into this book, but I found the form and tone fascinating.

This is definitely a YA book!! I liked how the story was told strictly through police interviews. The story was out there though. It was just an ok read for me.

This YA novel is told from multiple perspectives by the teens who were camping in the woods with Maylee when she disappeared: stepsiblings Nolan and Petra, who is also Maylee’s best friend; John, Maylee’s boyfriend; and Abigail, a classmate who is invited by Maylee, despite the fact that she really isn’t friends with this group.
It took me a while to get into the book (which has happened a lot lately, so it could be a “me problem”), but the action and surprises picked up and hooked me. I wasn’t thrilled by the ending, but it was a solid, twisty mystery and worth my time!

The format of the narrative was interesting and unique, completely in the form of interrogation transcripts after a teen was reported missing at a local campsite. The story takes a long time to unfold, and the characters seem to discover a lot about themselves as the book continues.

This was a fast paced thriller that I finished in just under 24 hours. The police interview format kept the story moving quickly and short chapters made it easy to keep reading. The way each kid's answers were intercut was helpful to the reader in a chronological sense, but sometimes it was hard to remember what information the kids knew since they weren't hearing each other's answers. Overall I liked how it all unfolded and it felt like a real high school camping trip gone wrong.

I enjoyed the story and couldn't put it down, but there was something about the conclusion that left me unsatisfied. Everything was neatly tied up as far as plot points, but I can't quite put my finger on why I felt that way. Overall a good, quick thriller though.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review

3.75⭐️ Rounded up

I really liked the way this was formatted. The start of the chapter was a question from the police and then it rotated between each person’s answer. It made for a quick read, and I was surprised how much information we got to know about the teens and their surroundings without the long-detailed scenery descriptions. There were “pauses” where the police would talk and the way it was answered I had a pretty good idea of what the question was, but sometimes I wish we got to know what was exactly asked. Each teen knew information Maylee that the others did not, so while some parts of the interviews were a smidge repetitive getting everyone’s perspective it was different in the way they disclosed those facts. I got a really good sense of each teen’s personality, and I enjoyed Abigail’s interview the most. By the end, Nolan’s perspective and how he was so hyper focused on Bigfoot got really old and a little annoying. I did like how everything was wrapped up in the end, but it was a little lack luster after the build up and suspense leading up to it.

Thank you @sourcebooksfire and @netgalley for the gifted copy.

Tell Me What Really Happened is an originally told young adult book. I liked the police interview style of writing. Sometimes it made the characters say things that seemed really awkward for a person to say aloud, but it was necessary because every line of the story was told in this way.

Six “friends” go for a camping trip that none of them seem to want. On that trip, Maylee goes missing. The suspects/witnesses are:

Petra-Maylee’s best friend since Kindergarten. She is the only one ready for this experience. She has survivalist training, was the only girl in her boy scout troop, and he daddy is a cop.

Nolan-Petra’s brother and Bigfoot expert who believe Bigfoots are behind all of the disappearance in this. He is extremely unreliable.

Abigail-A few people are confused as to why she is on this trip. She is also capable in the outdoors, thanks to her survivalist father. She is there for a reason, though.

John-Maylee’s boyfriend. He is on guard from the start. That could very well be due to being the only person of color in the group.

So, what really happened? It is a kind of disappointing truth when you get to it. And the motives of some characters can be outright ridiculous. Influencer is not an occupation!

Anyway, Petra says something about getting resolution without closure. I feel that. I wanted more closure. I wanted a more interesting motive and a more interesting crime. It’s really sad in the end. I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars and rounded up.

3 / 5 ⭐️‘s

"Tell Me What Really Happened” by Chelsea Sedoti

This YA mystery is told entirely through first-person police interviews of four teens, the story unravels over the course of several hours, as the truth behind a disappearance at a camping trip in the woods becomes increasingly elusive.

The story starts with five diverse characters: an influencer, an overachiever, a heartthrob, an outcast, and a conspiracy theorist, who embark on a camping trip at Salvation Creek. However, their trip takes a dark turn when one of them vanishes mysteriously around midnight. The remaining four are left under suspicion, and as the clock ticks, their conflicting accounts of the night's events only serve to deepen the mystery.

With its unique format, well-drawn characters, and plot twists, it made for a fun read.

Out now: https://amzn.to/3GJk459

This ARC was provided by @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Five teenagers go into the woods, only four come back out.
This book is written as if you were the investigator and all the victim’s friends (so…suspects) are telling you their version of what happened.

It took a minute to get into the story style - it almost reads like a script, and I actually think it would work *excellent* as a show. At the start I had to remind myself who was who, but pretty quickly I had enough background to fill in the kids’ personalities. Once I hit that point, the story flowed well for me making it easy to get into and start actually figuring out ‘what really happened’

There are definite Breakfast Club vibes - this group doesn’t quite seem like they belong together, even though they all have connections to each other. And while I can’t exactly say they’re likable - at all - they are *definitely* interesting.

I did think the majority of the ‘twists’ were easy to puzzle out, but I still enjoyed the ride so I’m calling it a win. Plus, I have the advantage of it being a YA book, and not being even close to YA myself 😆

Thank you to NetGalley and sourcebooks fire for the arc!
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫