Tell Me What Really Happened is told entirely through police interviews and follows four main characters recounting what happened in the woods that caused their friend Maylee to go missing.

Telling a story entirely through police interviews is a risky strategy--the voice of each character has to really be strong, and all of their characterization is done through their dialogue and through the dialogue of their friends. But I think Sedoti nailed it.

Each character was so unique and really had their own individual voice, which gave a great sense of all of them. And I loved when we could see where each character's memory differed from the others. It's a great reminder of how unreliable eyewitness testimony can be, and it reinforced that these are four unreliable narrators, and any of them could have been responsible.

The tension between the characters throughout the story was well done too, both when they were with Maylee and in the aftermath.

It's difficult to pull off a solid YA thriller/mystery, and while I can't say I didn't see the ending coming, I did enjoy the ride there.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Tell Me What Really Happened
by Chelsea Sedoti
Pub Date: 04 Apr 2023

This book is dark, mysterious, and full of tension, very intense. I really enjoyed reading it. I loved the way it was told each chapter is a separate question, but with each students answer. Each short chapter added information that created a whole picture at the end.

Synopsis:

There are stories about the woods around Salvation Creek, about the people who have gone missing. Now their friend is one of them. A riveting, fast-paced YA mystery told entirely through first person police interviews of four teens over the course of a few hours.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an E-ARC. All opinions are my own.

Maylee gets a group of friends together to go camping overnight. Not everything goes as planned and she ends up missing. When the rest need to call the police, they end up as suspects.
Opinion
The style this book is written is genius. Each chapter has an interview question from the police. There is a short section for each of the answers from the remaining friends.
This book, though over 400 pages, was a quick read. The short(ish) chapters made it fly by. I found myself consumed by what was happening.
This is a perfect book for young adult mystery/suspense lovers.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to Sourcebooks for providing me with an ARC of this book.

"Maylee once said, "What's the point of living if you don't live big?" And she did. Always. She was so alive that she made me more alive by being around her."

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti is a unique young adult thriller told entirely through a police interrogation. Formatted to look like a transcription of a recording, each chapter title is a question, followed by first person answers from the four witnesses, including stage descriptions of sniffles, pauses, and whispers to a lawyer. As the hours tick by, each witness tells a slightly different version of the same story, leading the reader to wonder who is unreliable, and who is telling the truth.

Synopsis:
Salvation Creek is dangerous. There are decades-old stories of people going missing in the woods around Salvation Creek, not to mention the rough, remote terrain in a forrest filled with wild animals. Hell, not even a year ago a woman went missing, only to be found naked and dead a couple days later. So when Maylee Hayes proposes a camping trip to Salvation Creek, none of her four companions are thrilled about the idea. Then, when Maylee goes missing their first night, fears become reality as the four teens find themselves at the police station undergoing interrogations while search and rescue scour the forrest for Maylee—or her body.

Petra: Maylee’s best friend since Kindergarten. Petra’s dad is a detective, so she’s well aware of the time crunch S&R are on to find her friend. Rather than analyzing the nitty-gritty details of the night, Petra wants the cops to get out of the interrogation room and into the forest to look for Maylee. Instead, Petra is pushed further and further to the brink of a breakdown as she is asked to repeat her story, explain her theories, and do the police work for the idiots who won’t stop asking her stupid questions.

Nolan: Petra’s step-brother. Nolan never wanted to go in the first place, but his step-dad insisted he go to look after Petra, which is ridiculous, since Petra is the most anal, over-prepared person he knows. Besides, the cops are wasting their time asking questions about how the night went. Nolan knows what happened; it was Bigfoot who killed Maylee, and it was Bigfoot who killed all the other girls who went missing at Salvation Creek. Nolan only went along with Petra to gather proof of the creature, and Maylee’s “disappearance” is definite evidence.

John: Maylee’s boyfriend. Sure, he and Maylee argued all the time, but he would never hurt her. Just because he’s Black the cops in this town think John’s behind everything—first the car accident, now Maylee’s disappearance. John loved Maylee, despite what anyone else is saying. Now he’d please like to speak to his lawyer.

Abigail: Maylee’s friend. Abigail’s the outlier, just like she always has been. Her and Maylee were close for a couple months awhile back, but she’s not part of Maylee’s usual crowd. Everyone was surprised she was coming on the camping trip, and she was even more surprised that it wasn’t just her and Maylee. Abigail knows what everyone in this town thinks of her, the way they judge her based on where she lives and the truck her dad drives, but she knows those woods better than anyone, which is why Maylee invited her in the first place. Like her grandma always says….oh right, focus. No, Abigail wasn’t the one to bring the gun, and no, she has no idea where Maylee could have gone.

As crucial minutes pass by, each member of the camping trip tells a different story of what happened, pointing fingers and uncovering dark secrets about each other. But someone has to tell the truth; someone has to know what happened to Maylee…Right?

Thoughts:
Although I was initially thrown by the format, I loved this book. Having four different first-person accounts of the same night was riveting, and since it was entirely dialogue, the novel was a quick read. Every character was suspicious as some point, and each point of view was unreliable in the sense that memory itself is jaded as the brain protects itself from harm. Each reveal was gasp-worthy, and even without descriptions or scene-setting, the characters and plot were well-rounded and tangible. Even Maylee, without having any narration from her point of view, was three-dimensional, and I’m thoroughly impressed by Sedoti’s ability to flesh out a complete story using only an interview format.
The only thing that made this story four stars instead of five was the slight predictability. Because I read so many mystery/thrillers, I’ve become attuned to the cues authors give before big reveals, so while I may have seen this twist coming, the twist was so good that I think most readers will still be shocked. Finally, although I loved the last page, I found a lack of resolution at the end, which may have been Sedoti’s point, especially in a police interrogation. However, the final page makes up for that immediately, and I finished the book disquieted in the best way.

Overall:
Tell Me What Really Happened is the perfect young adult mystery for fans who enjoy an unreliable narrator. With this new thriller, Chelsea Sedoti joins the likes of Karen M. McManus, Courtney Summers, and Gillian Flynn. I can’t wait to read what Sedoti writes next, and I’m eager to see the reaction to her unique format and writing style.

I'll be honest this was tough to get through. The character development sucked. It was impossible to relate to any of them. They all seemed fake and two dimensional.

Tell Me What Really Happened is a surprising, challenging and interesting take on the YA mystery genre. Sedoti’s narrative stylings make for an intense read, as stories overlap and crumble against one another.

I really enjoyed the narrative style of this mystery, as it was all told through various police interview (or really interrogation?) transcripts. My thoughts were everywhere and my suspicions kept changing. Sedoti had me utterly hooked. The way you could spot little details not lining up or different characters trying to implicate one another was fascinating. It firmly places the reader in the role of the investigator, trying to sift through the lies to get to the truth that lies buried within. For me, this reminds me of a YA version of one of my all time favourite mystery authors: Janice Hallett. That epistolary style is one that will always intrigue me and Sedoti plays with it masterfully here. The pacing is also spot on, making pages fly by with ease.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I connected with these characters. The narrative trappings of the interviews was one I thought would prevent this, but in fact I found the opposite. Their warmth, humanity and charisma came through, as well as their vulnerabilities and failings. When someone is placed under that kind of pressure, their true character comes to the surface and watching these characters slowly reveal themselves fully over the course of the book was amazing. Sedoti gives each of them so much depth and nuance in such a constricted form.

Tell Me What Really Happened gives a fresh spin on a classic format of YA mysteries, using a different narrative style to further pull you into the story and its compelling characters.

“She used to tell me, “Never apologize for taking up space in the world.”

Four interrogation rooms and four first person accounts of a camping trip gone incredibly wrong. Tell Me What Really Happened is a fast paced thriller, full of twists and a semblance of the supernatural.

The story picks up in a police station with a leading question and four teenagers attempting to recount how their night ended there and what happened to the fifth camper. Maylee, someone who wants to be remembered for any reason, girlfriend of John, and wannabe influencer, is missing and no one seems to know what happened.

So who are the other campers?
There’s Petra, a know-it-all, quick witted girl who is always prepared and always in control. Nolan, a believer of the supernatural, specifically Bigfoots (yes that’s plural). John, vice president of the Student Council and an all around popular guy (though he wouldn’t define himself that way). Abigail, a surprise addition to the trip, invited by Maylee, and someone who is quite familiar with the woods.

As each of the characters explain what happened, viewpoints conflict and the reader is left wondering who, if anyone, is reliable.

A little jarring at first, but easily read, the book is formatted like an audio transcript, just dialogue. There is no filler or description that is not directly spoken by one of the four witnesses as they lay out what happened. The teenagers do give details which build the world, and generally their language and manner of speaking is realistic. Most of the time it does feel as if someone is truly telling a story but there are bits and pieces that didn’t make sense in dialogue and as I read I kept thinking, no one really talks like this, or at least, teenagers don’t. Don’t get me wrong though, the fast pace of the book didn’t keep me too hung up on the language and the isolated setting had me genuinely feeling creeped out a few times.

Beyond language, the formatting didn’t leave a lot of room for connecting with the characters, and I never really cared about what would happen to them. (Except maybe John, who was falsely accused of a crime in the past and is being accused of something now. It’s a look at racism and how being black means there are often obstacles to jump over that others wouldn’t have.) All of the characters had their flaws and none of them were really likable.

The pace of the book kept me invested in the outcome and flipping pages as fast as I could. Sedoti’s style is great for those who may get easily distracted when reading or those who want something to speed through. It’s unique, thrilling, and mildly unpredictable. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a multiple perspective YA thriller.

• incredibly fast paced ya thriller

• interesting interview format that really brings the story to life

• you can’t trust anyones perspective, which makes it that much scarier

never have i flown through a thriller quite like this, i stayed up late trying to finish it which worked out because it made me too scared to sleep anyway. the author did such a fantastic job putting you into the heads of these characters fearing for their lives and how that would make them think and act.

reading from the perspective of each character really brought the story to life, i never knew who to believe. each chapter starts with the interviewer asking a question and then each character will give their responses, except they’re being interviewed alone and sometimes their answers are wildly different.

at no point did i truly know where the story was going, it wasn’t packed with a lot of wild twists and turns but it honestly didn’t need them because the story was crazy enough in its own

if you’re looking for a fast past thriller than look no further, i cant wait to read more from chelsea sedoti! thank you netgalley for this arc!

It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a mystery, even longer for a YA one. Told in police interview style from multiple points of view, this is a twisted tale that leaves readers pointing in multiple directions.

This felt a bit slow to get into to for me and it was probably largely due to getting used to the style and familiarizing myself with the characters. While I had an idea at how the book would end, there were several twists that I didn’t see coming. Overall it’s a quick and fun change of pace read and would be great for those YA readers just breaking into the mystery and thriller genre.

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti is a clever, well-crafted story told through a collection of police interviews all of which happen on the same day. A teenager has gone missing while on a camping trip with four of her friends in the woods around Salvation Creek. The four friends' accounts of the camping trip and their friend's disappearance differ. I can't write much more than this without spoiling the story's ending. Despite the unconventional format, I quickly became engrossed in this story and found myself quite glued to it, eager to know more.  The writing is good and the story is well-paced. The characterization is interesting and the relationships are complex. I recommend this book and not just to YA readers.

A story of 5 kids deciding to go camping in the woods and something goes wrong. The events unfold through first person interrogation of the group. Each chapter starts with a question asked by the detectives/police. It is then answered by the camping trip friends. It was a very interesting and fun way to write this book. The characters were interesting and even funny at times. The writing made me feel like I was in the woods with them. It was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves YA fiction

Five teenagers go camping at Salvation Creek despite knowing several people have gone missing there in the past. It was Maylee’s idea, but her friends find her missing from the camp around midnight. By morning, the teens are at the police station giving their accounts of what happened. Each provides different details about what happened that night. Who is telling the truth? What really happened to Maylee?

Sedoti writes this book in a distinctive way. The story is all told through a police interview format, except the reader does not see the interviewer’s questions, just their responses. You get to know each teen through their recollections of what happened, thoughts about each other, and suspicions. While I was able to predict some of the twists, I still enjoyed the book. I especially enjoyed the unique format it was written in. If you enjoy fast-paced YA mysteries this book is for you! I give it 3.5/5 stars.

This was a fun, fast-paced YA read. I enjoyed how it was set up. Each chapter began with a question asked by the police, then was answered by each different character. This was a great way to get everyone’s POV in an organized way, and the author did an excellent job at not including too much repetition. It was also fun to see how varied the characters’ interpretations and perspectives were about different events. This was probably the strongest part of the book and was surprisingly engaging.

I also quite liked the characters. They were all unique and had strong voices. I liked the wide range of their personalities, and how none of them felt like caricatures. The inclusion of one character’s obsession with cryptozoology increased my enjoyment of this work and added a whole new level of interest. While the plot wasn’t the most realistic, it was wonderfully entertaining.

If you enjoy fast-paced YA books, then this is a must read!

When five teenagers go on a camping trip only four will return but only one will know the real reason they went in the first place. Maylee her boyfriend John best friend Petra Petra‘s brother Logan and Abigail Buckley all went on a camping trip during a hike they find a humongous footprint hear strange noises and feel like they’re being watched but there’s no mistaken the abandon looking cabin they come up on John is convinced a Serial Killer lives there but Logan is positive a Bigfoot is stalking them Petra and Maily blow them off but Abigail seems interested in Logan‘s theories throughout the hike Petra keeps noticing Abby in mailing telling each other secrets and when she ask what they’re talking about they say nothing and she basically pretends to blow it off but it really bothers her because she is supposed to be Mally‘s best friend. When they make it back to camp Mally starts drinking and tries to influence everyone else to do the same but only Logan seems to take her up on it before the night is over tensions will rise and one of them will go missing but what happened to her was it Bigfoot a serial killer or some other dastardly deed? I love a good yeah mystery and this one was so much fun I love Logan‘s theories and I love that Abigails Danny was perceived to be a Republican but the more we learn about him the more we see you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover the formatting of this book was fun the plot was executed expertly I just love this book it’s totally deserves five stars this is the reason I read YA mysteries in the first place. I highly recommend this book if you love yeah mysteries then you definitely love Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sadodi I received this book from NetGalley and a publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Author Chelsea Sedoti, and Sourcebooks for advanced copy for honest review.

A group of friends goes on a camping trip and one of them goes missing! Follow along with the investigation as the detectives try to figure out who is responsible. It will keep you guessing till the very end!

I really enjoyed how this book was written - it felt fresh and unique. The ending felt a bit rushed but overall I would recommend this book!

Read this book if you like: Multiple POVs & whodunit

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Cast of Characters:

Maylee - best friend of Petra
Petra - daughter of a cop
Nolan - Petra's stepbrother
John - Maylee's boyfriend
Abigail - friend of Maylee

This book takes place in the course of a day. A group of high school students are going camping for 1 night in the woods, a remote location, with no cell service, or internet. The trip was Maylee's idea, so that she could spend time with John, without her parents. She asked Petra, her best friend to join them, who in turned asked her stepbrother to go. Maylee invites Abigail whom Petra didn't even realize that Maylee knew. Petra is very much "stick to the schedule" and has the law ingrained in her because of her dad. Nolan is a conspiracy and foil hats kind of kid. John is the black kid who is always looked as the cause of trouble and Abigail the daughter of the man who is always seen sporting gun rights and hunts.
Maylee disappears and the rest of the book is spent interviewing all those that were camping with her, one by one by the cops to determine what happened to Maylee. I was very invested in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I didn't actually care for Maylee, and Petra seemed a little spoiled, but overall, I would recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire.

This book had so much potential! I loved the format and was very intrigued with the story however it fell really flat for me. I wish we had seen what ACTUALLY happened at the end.

I flew through this YA mystery but was quite disappointed by the ending. It seemed like the author didn't try to wrap much up at all, just a "here's what happened" abrupt finish and very anticlimactic.

It has a huge focus on bigfoots. I get why, but it was a lot and started to annoy me a bit.

A huge positive of this is that it is uniquely written - all told in police interviews. There are different first person POVs for different characters being questioned and I really enjoyed the style and it kept everything very interesting. However, I think the author could have done more to differentiate between the characters so we knew who we were reading without flipping back to the character name headings.

This has AGGGTM vibes at the start so if you also loved that, you may enjoy this (subject to above haha). I really did enjoy for something different and an easy YA read but the last 5-10% disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 4 April 2023

Five teenagers go into the woods, and only four come out. A fast-paced “ who done it “ type novel told in first-person police interviews about the disappearance of their familiar friend. My favorite trope is an unreliable narrator; we get four of them in this book. Unfortunately, although the premise was new and exciting, the book fell flat. All the characters were unlikeable, and maybe that was on purpose. Aside from that, some parts of the book seemed to drag on and move in circles. The nail in the coffin for the two-star review was the ending, it was anticlimactic, and I was rooting for something more dark and twisty instead.

Thank you, Chelsea Sedoti, and Sourcebooks Fire, for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Five teens go camping. Four return. The story of what happened to Maylee unfolds as it's told by four distinct voices as they're being interviewed by the police. Full of twists and suspense, this was a bingeable YA mystery that I devoured in one sitting.

The standout aspect of this book for me is definitely the way it's told, which is exclusively through one-sided police interviews. We see multiple responses to the same question, which was a really effective way to understand how the characters differed from each other. They were all interesting and distinct: Petra, the infuriatingly bossy, obsessive planner; Nolan, her cryptid-seeking stepbrother; John, Maylee's boyfriend who faced a scandal last year; and Abigail, the trailer-park loner that no one's quite sure why she's there. It's unclear who - if any - the reader can trust. It builds an excellent air of suspense as the puzzle pieces slowly fit into place.

Spooky and fast-paced, this YA whodunnit will have you flipping pages quickly to find out what happens next.