Told entirely through police interview transcripts, this YA mystery thriller follows four friends as they recount an ill-fated camping trip. The fifth, common link friend, Maylee is missing and the others must face the reality of their relationships with her and how hidden secrets affected the tragedy of the weekend. The format keeps the pace moving, and it will certainly appeal to somewhat reluctant readers, but I found the solution to the mystery a little flat after the thrilling build.

This book was really cool! I liked how it was written in a police interrogation style with only the questions and answers. I typically prefer more exposition and less dialogue but it really worked for the story. I think this would make an awesome audiobook with different voice actors for all the characters! I also enjoyed that I genuinely couldn’t figure out the ending until it was almost over. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

A fast-paced YA thriller told entirely in police interviews. Entirely enjoyable and great for dragging me out of my reading lull.

Without spoiling, I found some of the character motives in here a bit silly and far-fetched, and it didn't feel as haunting or dark as some other YA thrillers I've read, but it was fun enough and had me guessing throughout about what happened. The interview style was okay--it definitely made the read fast--but obviously the author wanted to incorporate some description which had me questioning how realistic this dialogue was for teens. I can't be too mad about that, though, because the description was entirely necessary for immersion into the scene.

Especially recommend for anyone into the supernatural or conspiracy theories!

Well this wasn’t what I was expecting ag all. I went on expecting a ya thriller, felt a found footage horro film for most of it and ended back on the expected ya thriller category. I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. It definitely an interesting format and story.

Five friends go camping, four come back.

I wasn’t sure I’d like the style, told from the perspective of interviews, but it was done so well. The story was seamless, each interviewee’s response fed into the next one and each person had a unique voice.

Honestly Petra alone made it worth the read, loved her voice.

This is one of those books with a unique format that you will either love or hate. Unfortunately for me this one was a miss.

This story is told entirely though first-person police interviews. I cannot stress this enough. Be prepared. I found the format to be too choppy for my liking. It also skipped around way too rapidly from character to character and that hindered my ability to follow the plot. I wish it would have been larger chunks with one character because if the police are interviewing these kids, then they’re doing so individually not in a large group like the book suggests. I found this hard to deal with. I also found this one to be very long for the story and the twist at the end fell flat for me. I don’t like to be completely blindsided and in this case I was.

However, I can see why some people will like this one and I see the potential in this book. If you can get past the rapid switching of characters and believability issues, then the story is good. I would say if you were a fan of A Good Girls Guide to Murder then you will potentially love this one. This is also a very atmospheric read so if that’s what you enjoy, you might also like this one.

Thank you so Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for my e-arc in exchange for this honest review.

I got through this book in 1 day!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Usually I don't like the format that it was written in but I felt like in this case it actually made it less predictable in my opinion. I didn't guess that Nolan was going to be the one to shoot Maylee. Personally, I thought her bestie Petra. It was fun and fast and had a great story line.

4.5 rounded up
A thrilling mystery about a girl who got lost in the woods while going on a camping trip with her friends. I loved the format of this book told entirely through police interviews about what occurred that night. Each chapter is a different question from the police and we get to see the story from everyone's point of view by their answer to the questions. It's interesting to get to know the teenagers better and you can see how each of them have their flaws and can hopefully relate to some of them.
A captivating mystery with intriguing twists and turns, I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoyed Five Survive, Truly Devious, and One of Us Is Lying.

We all know I love a good mystery/thriller, especially YA ones. Well believe me when I say Tell Me What Really Happened is a good one. A really good one. In fact, it is done in a really neat format – it is all interviews with the victim’s friends. Intrigued? Read on for my review.

CW: Death, Guns, Shooting, Murder, Blood

Tell Me What Really Happened: Characters
In Tell Me What Really Happened we have five characters to go with – the victim and her four friends. Let’s start with our victim.

Maylee
We don’t actually get to meet the real Maylee. She only speaks when one of her friends tells about something she said. From what I could gather, she’s kind of a pain in the ass. She can be rude and abrasive, manipulating and cold. But she can also be warm and loving as well. She’s definitely a dichotomy. I’m not overly fond of her, which is kind of sad, but I have to be honest.

Petra
Petra is Maylee’s best friend. She is absolutely a control freak. She’s obnoxious, abrasive, rude, and feels like she has to make sure that every little detail is scheduled. She made me want to reach through the screen and slap her more than once. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing to be honest.

Nolan
Nolan is Petra’s stepbrother. They love each other despite not being blood related. Nolan doesn’t care much for people, except for his online friends. Most of the other characters don’t believe he has real-life friends, although Nolan swears he does. He’s a bit of an odd duck. I don’t particularly like Nolan, but I don’t dislike him either. I know, that doesn’t make sense, but there it is.

John
John is Maylee’s boyfriend. There’s a lot of commentary from him and a bit from Petra, regarding the fact that he’s Black1. Of course, the interviews are being conducted by unseen, unnamed police officers. However, since it seems that all four friends were being just as scrutinized as he was, it didn’t make sense to have the constant reminders of his race. He was a character that, like Nolan, I didn’t like but didn’t dislike either.

Abigail
If I had to pick a favorite character, it would be Abigail. She’s a lot like me – gets talking and gets off the subject, then has to be brought back to the subject. I do that all the time. There’s also the fact that she just seems to have a decent life but others don’t want to believe it because of who her dad is and where she lives. I admit, I really do like Abigail.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Atmosphere
The atmosphere in Tell Me What Really Happened is hard to pin down. The characters are sitting in interview rooms at the police station, that much is clear, but the rooms are never described to us. Instead, all of the atmosphere ends up being the woods in which Maylee disappeared.

Now if you’ve ever been camping you know that the woods can be pretty darned creepy at night, especially if you’re not used to going camping very much. The woods in Tell Me What Really Happened are just as creepy as you’d expect. There’s a sinister vibe to the woods that is only elevated by the stories being told by the four surviving friends. All in all, it’s a great atmosphere and a perfect setting for a disappearance.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Writing
The writing style Chelsea Sedoti used for Tell Me What Really Happened was very interesting. Have I read books where a victim’s friends/family are being interviewed? Yes, I absolutely have. But have I ever read a book in which the entire book is nothing but those interviews? No, I have not. This was a great way to handle the book. The writing is easy to read and easy to follow – at least as much as it can be. After all, these are “witness” interviews and so can be a bit – messy at times.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Plot
Ok, so here’s the thing – the plot for this book is hard to pin down at first. We know there’s a missing girl and we’re getting what her friends are saying happened. Then you realize that the plot is exactly that – the differing, mixed-up stories of the surviving friends! It’s actually brilliant because the plot is so well hidden, you don’t realize you’re in the thick of it from the beginning. Well done!

Tell Me What Really Happened: Intrigue
A mystery/thriller has to have intrigue or it wouldn’t be a mystery/thriller. This one has plenty of it. From Nolan’s cryptozoological conspiracy theories to Petra’s constant complaining about everyone and every thing, I found myself wanting to know what was going to be said next. The twists and turns and backtracking in the interviews is amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tell Me What Really Happened has some amazing intrigue – and you’ll never guess what’s happening next.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Logic
Ok, so with this particular story and plot, logic goes straight out the window. This isn’t a bad thing – it just means that with four different people telling four stories and contradicting each other one moment and agreeing the next, logic doesn’t play a huge part in Tell Me What Really Happened.

Tell Me What Really Happened: Ending
Ok, the ending to this book may be polarizing. Some people will love it, others will hate it. There are parts of the story and information revealed that will make no sense. There are also parts of the story and information revealed that will make all the sense in the world. The problem is… how will the story actually end? That my friends is the best part… because the ending is absolutely unexpected. I loved it.

Conclusion
I gave this book 5 stars because I was captivated. I didn’t want to put this book down. It was so good and I just kept wanting to see what the friends would say next. If you love mystery/thriller books, you should pick this one up. Even though it’s a YA novel, trust me, you’ll love it.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks fire for an e-arc in exchange of an honest review.
2./5
The premise of this book was really good. I liked the unique interview style format which made it easier for me to finish this book in 2-3 sittings. However, I didn't really like any of the characters (especially Maylee) and didn't connect with or care for any of them. Nolan's obsession with Bigfoot was EXTREMELY ANNOYING and I found myself rolling my eyes whenever he said something related to that. Most of all, the conclusion was very underwhelming and just.........dumb, when this book had so much potential.
I personally didn't really like this book, but would recommend it for those who like a fast-paced YA mystery that you can finish in one day.

ARC review through Netgalley, here is the honest review.

2.5 out of 5 stars, rounding down to 2 ⭐️⭐️.

This book starts off with an interesting plot that had potential to set up the whole story with dramatic reveals. Told as interrogation tapes(think epilogue from Until Dawn video game)from the four surviving teenagers from a camping excursion where Maylee’s death has lead to many questions.

Pros: The premise is good, even great, for a YA “who done it” type novel. The book was very fast paced and all the revelations made sense. Unreliable narrators are one of my favorite book tropes!

Cons: The interview format lead to bouncing from character to character within the same chapter. I would have preferred to read one chapter about one character. In the same breath, we don’t get any back and forth with the interviewer just “pause” and “long pause”… like teenagers would NEVER give themselves up (@ Petra who rambled forever) with some prolonged silence. I felt like we were missing some discussion and potential discourse that could have came with the interview format.

Also, I didn’t really like any of the characters. My empathy for any of the 4 or Maylee was non-existent and ESPECIALLY at the conclusion. Maybe we weren’t supposed to like them, but an unreliable narrator is so much better when I’m emotionally invested in the lie. It makes the reveal THAT much better.

Biggest con of all: how Maylee died. No spoilers but we had a whole book about this investigation and we are going to get

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The VERY minor charge of criminal negligence?! Like all this and she was just a *bit* too chilly?!

This had potential, but it did not live up to it.

Four friends go on a camping trip and three come back. They're all convinced their friend is missing but they're wrong she's dead and one of them is the suspect.
I really loved that this book was an interview style, and it really kept me intrigued. I just felt like the ending could've been better, it was a fun read for sure but not a favorite of mine!

I really enjoyed the formatting of this book, it’s told in a series of interviews between police and the friends of the missing. While we don’t get the police’s side of the questioning I don’t feel it’s needed. This had me hooked from the start and I read it almost in one sitting. I had some of the twits figured out early on but I still enjoyed it. Highly recommend.

I think the concept of this book was interesting, but the execution didn’t do it for me. I wish there was more back and forth between the characters and their interrogators. Hearing both sides would have added depth to the characters.

Nolan’s obsession played too big a role in the plot. To the point I thought he had gotten into hallucinogenics.

The twists and turns at the end had me scratching my head. I don’t think I’m the target audience for this one.

I found "Tell Me What Really Happened" by Chelsea Sedoti on NetGalley a few days after screenshotting it from another book blog, and I thought "why the hell not."

["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.

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..."]
This book was SOO creative. It's told solely in the form of police interviews. Each chapter is a new question, and each of the characters answer the question and bounce off of each other's answers (even though they're in separate interrogation rooms). It was fun and quirky and an easy read (and a quick one).

The characters are like the detention in "The Breakfast Club," all a little different and quirky and sus. Also, not going to lie, didn't really like a few of them (unreliable narrators always make reading--especially thrillers/mysteries--all the more interesting).

I just...I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. It's (obviously) a twist, and one no one will see coming, but holy fuck. Holy. Fuck. Like, it nailed the shock factor, FOR SURE. But am I satisfied? Maybe I need to sit on this for a while.

Purchase your copy of "Tell Me What Really Happened" on April 4, 2023.

#tellmewhatreallyhappened #chelseasedoti #netgalley #thriller #yathriller #murdermystery #yamurdermystery #books #bookstagram #bookphotography

Tell Me What Really Happened is such a fun YA thriller read and I flew through it. It’s got all the good stuff.

🏕️ Five teenage friends go camping for the night and only four come back. This is a fairly typical premise but the way it’s done here is really original. Told entirely from the police interviews with each chapter starting with a new question for each person, it’s utterly engrossing and so fun.

All of them have different stories (of course) and we have to figure out who’s telling the truth as they all seem to think they are.

I didn’t figure it out at all till the reveal and although it was a bit lackluster, I was surprised.

I really enjoyed this one and appreciate NetGalley and Sourcebooks for my early copy.

Oh -
If you like Bigfoot stories, this IS one for you also. It def added another interesting outrageous layer here. 😱

Thank you to NetGalley, Chelsea Sedoti & Sourcebooks Fire for an arc of Tell Me What Really Happened in exchange for an honest review. This review is wholly my own & may not be reproduced.

Fast paced & well written story that asks what really happened when Maylee gathers her 4 closest friends, Petra, Abigail, John & Nolan for a weekend camping trip only for Maylee to go missing. What happened to Maylee? This story is told in multiple POV from the friends & none of their stories match up.

Fabulous YA novel that will keep you guessing and keep you flipping the pages. I finished this in one sitting. I just couldn’t walk away from it until I was finished!

I’m 42, but I still love a good YA novel as long as it is not TOO juvenile. This novel was perfect. The characters were well-developed Sedoti was able to surprise me with the ending, which doesn’t usually happen, so kudos for that!

I would definitely recommend snagging a copy when it releases on April 4, 2023.

4/5 Stars

I thought it was really good! Well written, a bit repetitive at times due to getting each persons rundown of what happened, but I enjoyed it. I would definitely pick up another book of hers for sure!
The plot was well done, the characters were intriguing and not boring, and it was very atmospheric!

It's an easy read - read it in two days, only because work got in the way - ha ha!

Tell Me What Really Happened was such an interesting setup.. Five teens go on a weekend camping trip in some potentially haunted woods, and by sunrise, one of them is dead. This story is told entirely in police interviews, which was a really intriguing way to digest the story. I thought the author did a great job of giving each character a clearly defined personality, from Petra's controlling nature to Nolan's bigfoot conspiracies. Of course, each character has a different version of what happened that night, and the reader is brought along to untangle the mess. Overall, this was an easy YA read, and I definitely got sucked in.

Thank you to Chelsea Sedoti, Sourcebooks Fire, and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book is due to be published on April 4, 2023.

Main Characters:
--Maylee Hayes – pretty and popular high school girl, aspiring social media influencer, planned a camping trip to Salvation Creek and vanished sometime during the night
--Petra Whitfield – Maylee’s best friend, planned the camping trip with Maylee, Nolan’s stepsister, her father is a Lieutenant on the police force
--Nolan Anderson – Petra’s stepbrother, isn’t thrilled about going camping, conspiracy theorist, wholeheartedly believes in Bigfoot and knows a lot about people who have gone missing
--John Massey Jr. – Maylee’s boyfriend, believes he is being accused of a crime because he’s black
--Abigail Buckley – a friend of Maylee’s, kind of an outsider at school, Petra has no idea why Maylee invited her on the camping trip

When I review teen/young adult books, I give a little more leeway in the suspension of disbelief department. In this case, I had to keep reminding myself that it is not meant to be adult fiction. Teens will definitely gloss over a lot of the challenges I had with the structure of the story. Overall, I still felt it was just okay.

The books presents a diverse cast of characters. Petra is the know-it-all, super planner with a holier-than-thou attitude. Nolan, the conspiracy theorist, spends all his time researching Bigfoot and disappearances in the woods. John consistently refuses to answer questions on the advice of his lawyer. Abigail rambles and rambles and does not fit in with the group as a whole at all.

A lot of things come out over the course of the questioning. How much does everyone really know about Maylee? Even though they were all in the woods together, none of them recall things the same way. Each of them is unreliable as a narrator, and the reader has to try to piece everything together over the course of the book. In the end, it makes it impossible to guess what really happened, so the reader just needs to let everything play out.

The description of this book intrigued me. The fact that the entire story plays out as first-person police interviews means everything described is suspect. We don’t know who misheard, misunderstood, misspoke. And it’s clear from the start that all of the teens are asked the same questions in different rooms. There are multiple references to “is that what so-and-so said?” And none of them answer the questions the same.

Told from the perspectives of the four teens who make it out of the woods, each chapter starts with a question from the detectives. But the interviews are not dialogs. They’re narrations with “[pause]” written where there might have been a follow-up comment or question…259 of them to be precise. It doesn’t work. The story feels extremely disjointed, and you can’t always figure out what was stated or asked from the context clues in the answer.

Tone of voice is absent in the responses. Were the detectives’ questions pointed or angry or empathetic or belligerent? Without knowing the follow-up questions that were asked or how they were asked, you don’t always know the tone of the response. Are the teens worried, suspicious, scared? Sometimes you know, but there’s enough vagueness that it’s difficult to get lost in the suspense, which is what I want from a thriller.

And finally (before I get to the spoiler of the ending), when someone is answering a question, they’re not going to narrate and describe the scene. The author scatters several of these throughout, and they demonstrate clearly why the format doesn’t work. One from Petra, in particular, made me take a note about it.

“She shrugged and reached back to adjust her braid. The collar of her slouchy sweater slipped off her shoulder, and I considered pointing out that she’d clearly disregarded my advice on wilderness attire. Instead, I said, ‘Okay, I get it.’ I started moving toward the car, and Maylee was forced to follow, the cooler between us bumping against our knees.”

This was narration, which this book claims not to be. No one speaks like that when answering a question, especially not a teenager.

***SPOILERS*** SPOILERS***SPOILERS***

Now to the ending, which I found really disappointing. I knew it wasn’t going to be the boyfriend. Too obvious. And I didn’t think at the beginning that it would be Petra. But when Maylee disappears, Petra finds her in a cabin in the woods, which she then discovers belongs to Abigail’s father.

Throughout the book, both the reader and Petra discover that Petra doesn’t know Maylee as well as she thinks. Their “best friend” status is more one-sided, and Petra obsesses a bit over Maylee. When Petra discovers Maylee’s plan to get “lost” in the woods for a couple of weeks and then find her way out as a way to become Internet famous, Petra thinks it’s over the top. Then when she finds out that it’s Abigail’s dad’s cabin and about the secrets Abigail knows that Petra doesn’t, she’s angry. Angry enough to shoot Maylee? Not in the author’s view apparently, but I really felt that was how it should have played out. It would have been perfect because she was such a convincing liar.

Instead it’s Nolan…drunk, obsessed with Bigfoot, paranoid, convinced they’re being watched, only went on the camping trip to keep the girls safe. When he sees Maylee, he mistakes her for a Bigfoot and shoots her. Honestly, I would have rather had it be a murder that Petra spent her entire interrogation trying to cover up by talking about how close she and Maylee were. It would have been a more convincing and satisfying ending.