I was skeptical of the interview set-up with four different POVs but I actually really liked it. It was interesting to see how the narrative of a situation can change based on who told the story and their own preconceived notions and biases. In this book, it is very evident that there are always different sides to the truth: what they think, what you think, and what actually happened. I thought all of the characters were enjoyable to read about, but I did take off one star because I wish they would have been more fleshed out. it seemed like each of them were defined by one major characteristic of their personality. Petra was a control freak. Nolan was obsessed with conspiracy lore and Bigfoot. Abigail was a country girl with a conservative family, and John was a guy with a somewhat shady past that we didn’t get the truth of until the end. However, the ultimate main character, Maylee, was complex and interesting and seeing how all four of these characters perceived her very differently was cool to see. It made me think of how various people, who know us in different contexts, do not think of us the same as others. Overall, the mystery aspect was there and enjoyable. The story definitely picked up about halfway through and I couldn’t put it down. I am not sure that I was completely satisfied by the ending, but I think it was realistic and drove home the themes of the book.

I actually really liked this book! At first I wasn't sure it was going to work for me - the question and answer format, speaking only, no description, etc - but once I got used to it, I found I really liked it. I didn't have to deal with "he said/she said/he yelled/she sighed/he expounded," etc - that can get overwhelming, exhausting, and sometimes even ridiculous (someone, probably more than one someones, has used the word "ejaculated" instead of "said," which - no. Just - NO). I did like that pretty much all the characters had their own - not voice, but worries, I guess? They all spoke similarly, but they all also had their own set of worries/problems/way of viewing Maylee, so after a few chapters it was pretty easy to keep everyone straight. And it was easy for me to get a pretty clear image of Maylee too, even though you get PLENTY of conflicting perspectives - but I think that's the luxury of adulthood; I think a teen reading this wouldn't be as jaded. All in all, I really did enjoy this book and I'll definitely read more by this author. 4 stars.

Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti is an unusual book told through a series of police interviews with the friends of a teenage girl who disappeared while they were camping. Who took her? Was it Bigfoot? The person whose mysterious cabin they found earlier in the day? One of her friends? Only time will tell ….

I’m going to try to be as honest as possible in this review. thank you to net galley for letting me read an arc copy of this. This is absolutely no hate to the author I’m just trying to write an wholeheartedly honest review…

I liked the sound of the blurb and the idea of writing via detective interviews. however I didn’t enjoy it being written like that, too many characters POV in one chapter felt like loads was being jumbled into one rather than spacing out the story. I also didn’t like that at the beginning of the chapter there was only one question from the detective and you couldn’t see what they were saying throughout, it just put the word pause instead.

the characters were okay, I didn’t feel I related to any of them so it was hard to establish a connection. Nolan really aggravated me talking about Bigfoot all the time, I understand it was his coping mechanism and something he was interested in but you’d think with everything going on he’d snap back to reality a little bit.

the plot was a good idea, I won’t spoil it for you. I do feel like the ending was a tad unsatisfactory for me unfortunately. I hoped for a more twisty, dark ending but that’s just me.

considering it was a short read it took me over a week to finish. I am not wishing I didn’t read it and would never recommend anyone not too. It’s short, faced paced and a murder mystery so everyone likes those. Not to mention just because I didn’t like the writing doesn’t mean you won’t😊

I enjoyed the comical banter between the characters. Each character had their own unique voice and all had opinions of each other. This was an enjoyable mystery with a twist at the end that is very in line with today's society.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

OKAY, I was blown away by this book! I wasn't sure about the format at first - all told through first-person police interviews - but I ended up loving it and it honestly kept me on the edge of my seat throughout each chapter. The pace and the way Sedoti disclosed the story through each character kept me guessing until close to the end of the book. I really, really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an electronic ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found this to be a very solid YA mystery novel. On the mystery side of it, this was a quick, straightforward book (I read it easily in one night). I loved the structure of it being told in police interview format without it being too scripted. I enjoyed the varied POVs and how everyone was constantly holding something back. And I liked that the ending didn’t come out of left field - the reader had all the information to solve it if they wanted to, which made the resolution feel realistic.

As for the YA part, I appreciated that there was enough to be relatable to a current younger audience without completely dating the book by using references that would be stale in a few months. And, while I know others complained about this, I didn’t mind all the Bigfoot stuff. It’s a unique angle on the traditional “young girl goes missing in the woods” story. Plus, everyone knew that one kid in high school who believed in something completely bonkers, so this made the story more believable to me.

Overall, this was a simple but ultimately satisfying story!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for this ARC!

4/5

This book was told in a really creative format that flowed well. Four teens are in interrogation rooms with the police talking about a camping trip that ended with a fifth girl going missing. The book is told from eh perspectives of the four teens, but it’s their answers to the police told in conversation stream. I figured out the twists, but still enjoyed reading them. The characters were all kind of horrible people (well John wasn’t horrible and Abigail tried not to be but overall I didn’t care what happened to this group truth be told), but it worked for the story that was being told. I liked that the book didn’t shy away from big issues, like of course the missing girl’s Black boyfriend is the first to be separated and clearly the police’s prime suspect. The style really made this a fast read that was really engrossing.

Tell Me What Happened by Chelsea Sedoti would be the perfect audiobook! The book is told 100% through interviews of four teenagers who went camping and returned with one less.

Petra, John, Nolan, Maylee, and Abigail each had a reason to go on the trip, but when Maylee disappears and the other four panic, they find themselves sitting across from detectives drilling them about what happened.

The interviews are short and therefore it made for a fast read. However, in the beginning I felt myself confusing all the characters names and struggling to keep track of who said what, which is why I think this would make for an excellent audiobook with multiple narrators.

The overall story was interesting, but the ending felt disappointing to me. I would happily read another novel by Sedoti and I hope to try out the audiobook when I can to see if I like it more!

A very compelling story told in the first person of the four surviving teenagers who went on a camping trip.
Each chapter starts with a question posed to the individuals by the investigators. The answers don't always align with each other and that adds to the mystery of where Maylee went and who might have killed her.
The atmosphere of the forest where they camped is almost its own character. The buildup to the reveal and conclusion was filled with tension and suspense. Overall, this is a well crafted story that's perfect for the YA audience it's written for (adults will enjoy it just as much though).

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the advance copy for me to read, review and enjoy.

This was told entirely in police interviews - I really liked this! The ending was slightly climactic, but still very fun and entertaining!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Five friends head into the local woods for a weekend camping trip and only four come out…Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti is a fast paced YA thriller. The story is told as first person police interviews after they leave the woods and call 911 to report their friend missing. Each has a different viewpoint and a different motive for being a suspect. What are they each hiding and what is the truth?

This story kept me guessing until the end! I liked the interview structure of the story and how it went back and forth between characters. I could have done without the kid with the conspiracy theories but it was a different twist and ultimately it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for this ARC!

Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedotti. This YA mystery will be published April 3, 2023. All opinions are my own.

Five teens go into the remote woods near Salvation Creek for a weekend camping trip but only 4 come out.

This book is told entirely in interviews. Each chapter begins with a question from the police and then proceeds with the various teens’ accounts. It’s a really interesting way to tell a story. All 4 of the narrators are unreliable. You don’t really know who to believe or if you’re getting the whole story as each of their accounts are slightly different. I really liked the way the story unfolded. This may sound strange but it’s both complex and simple at the same time. I’ll admit that there were times when I thought the information being provided was superfluous and didn’t need to be included, but in the end it all kind of tied together. There were twists and turns. It has action and some moments move very quickly. It’s difficult to describe as you’re not really in the moment since the main events are being retold as the police try to answer the question: what really happened? It is a solid story and I’d recommend it to those who are fans of Diana Urban and April Henry.

This was my first book by this author and it very well might be my last. While the book is not horrible and the right person may enjoy it much more than I did, I felt cheated or betrayed that after investing my time reading nearly 400 pages that I was given an ending like THAT. It was so predictable and anticlimactic that I was just disgusted.

The story is told from multiple points of view, all of which are teen "friends" that have set out on a camping trip that no one really wants to participate in except for Maylee. All of the characters are unreliable and the accounts of what happened that night are so repetitive and that became annoying very quickly.

Maylee is selfish and manipulative. She will stop at nothing to get what she wants, even if that means putting people in danger and hurting the ones that genuinely love her and care about her. Nolan's whole bigfoot theory and story line was a real turn off and completely ridiculous, and was it really necessary to put blood on the hands of the only black character? SMH

Special thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Tell Me What Really Happened is a story about group of teenagers that go camping. When one of them goes missing, the remaining 4 are questioned to find out what happened. Each of them has a different understanding of what happened, so, as the reader, it’s an interesting puzzle to sort through.

There are a couple things I liked about this book. I liked that each character was very different, so putting together who’s who and how they fit in is part of the mystery of the book. I also like that it is in the format of police questioning and the responses to that.

However, I found the overall plot to fall a little flat. The Bigfoot component just seemed silly. I don’t want to get to spoil anything, but the circumstances around her disappearance was frustrating (in my opinion) and the ending was honestly just kind of confusing.

When a camping trip goes awry for five teens and only four come out, we get to listen in on their interrogations. This whole book takes place in the interrogation room and we get to see how the four teens react to the questions they are asked as they spell out what happened the night before. This is a very fast paced and quick to read YA mystery. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first picked this up and saw the formatting of the book, but I quickly fell in love with the style. I liked how there wasn’t all of the detailing and descriptions you get in traditional books, this book just gave you the dialogue which made it a really quick read. I enjoyed this book and seeing how the story unfolded from the four different viewpoints. This is a creative approach to a typical mystery and it was really well done. I would definitely recommend giving this YA mystery a chance!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

This is one of those books that I know will be passed from student to student. It’s going to be a hit with my serious readers & I suspect that an audio edition will win the acclaim of my reluctant readers. It almost makes me a little mad when I have an emotional reaction to a character because it makes me feel like I’m easily manipulated… well, I guess that must be true because Sedoti does it to me every single time. And in this one? Gah. She nailed it. The mystery will keep kids reading & the shifting voices will make it a good one for SSR because it is easy to pick up & put down without losing momentum.

This was a really unique read based on the writing style. It suited my background perfectly but at some points I had to check realistic procedures at the door. I love a good who-done-it meets a police investigation and after a few chapters I was fully invested. I bet it will be a fabulous audio listen with a full cast. Thanks to NetGally and the publisher for the ARC. I thought it was a perfect teen read.

*My review will be posted on Instagram within a month of the publish date (slated for 3/21/23); this review will be updated with the appropriate links once live. -- ETA updated links 3/24/23

I really liked the basis of this book: Different and competing POVs set within a police interrogation... But, it felt very heavy handed to drive home each character's respective tropes. However, the format did make for a really fast read, keeping you hooked and turning pages. It was also very fun trying to guess the twist, and ultimately whodunnit, it was set up really well to mislead you at any given point.

I do think a lot the book moved slowly and a lot of time was spent with characters rehashing the same moments/scenes, which felt repetitive and I was skimming over some pages to get to the point. It did pick up A LOT at around 60% of the way through, with some edge-of-the-seat thrills.

I LOVED the bigfoot representation... My favorite cryptid 😂

Thank you to #NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! The storytelling was so unique and I like the different formatting. I did miss the scenery descriptions that usually come with a mainstream narrated book, but I don't think it took anything away from the story, because I imagination filled in the gaps. I did predict the "twist" pretty early in, so that did take away some enjoyment for me, but overall, the idea of this book and the way it was executed was great! I would definitely read more by this author.