5 friend go into the woods, 1 goes missing … This story takes place over the course of one night, when a group of teens decide to go on an impromptu camping trip.

I enjoyed this style of writing (once I found the pace), it’s unique in that it’s told from alternating snip-it’s of each person's interrogation, the truth of “what really happened” is slowly unwound in a twisty tale from the different points of view. Everyone has a different recollection of what happened, and some are pretty far-fetched. Is there a serial killer in the woods, a Bigfoot, a scorned lover? You’ll have to read it to find out.

"Tell Me What Really Happened" by Chelsea Sedoti is a gripping YA mystery that masterfully blends suspense with the exploration of truth and perception. Sedoti crafts a compelling narrative that pulls readers into a small town's biggest scandal, through the eyes of a relatable protagonist determined to uncover the truth. The storytelling is intricate, weaving together multiple perspectives in a way that challenges readers to question what they believe. With its clever plot twists and deep emotional resonance, this book is a standout, offering both a thrilling ride and thoughtful commentary on the nature of truth.

I was flying through this book until the very end. I loved the interview format and felt like it made it a really quick read. However, the ending absolutely ruined it for me. There was a lot of hype built up to figure out what happened to Maylee, but the final conclusion was just not it..... while i understand the direction the author was heading in, i don't think it is an ending that will appear to many readers. I also did not like how all of the characters are high schoolers, but are all being interviewed alone. Sure, maybe they have all turned 18 by now, but I didn't get that vibe. Overall, a decent read, but don't go in with high expectations for the ending.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for accessing this book.

2.5 star

The first half of the story is good but starting in the middle of the story gets me bored. I love the interrogation format of the story is a clever way to get the attention of the readers. I hate all the characters, The word BIGFOOT in this book is annoying. OMG! I'm waiting for the moment to scare me but nothing scary at all haha.

Overall, it was okay and not bad even though I planning to DNF this when I reached 30% but because I am a stubborn reader I did finish this haha

I was completely sold on this book from the blurb! I love a good mystery, and the camping in the woods element attracted me. It took me a minute to get used to the storytelling here. The whole book is told in interrogation snippets, and the reader keeps track of four characters this way. However, the flow really simplifies this process. There isn't a whole lot of jumping around, so you can keep things straight. Also, it was very interesting to read this way! The tension was definitely higher. Honestly, reading the four viewpoints is also helpful because I didn't find Maylee to be a sympathetic character. She was hard to like. The variety of perspectives and experiences gave me plenty of other material to keep me reading.

Great book! Very unique presentation. Definitely going to be added to my high school library.

{3.5 stars}

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions below are my own.

This story takes place over one night when a group of teens goes camping in the woods. They are being interrogated by the police the next morning after one of them goes missing. In alternating snips of each person's interrogation, the truth of what happened is slowly revealed to us from the different points of view, not all of which are accurate... or sane... 

I liked the pace and because they are teens, the red herrings along the way are fantastical. But also, told in such a way that you think to yourself, well, maybe... There is definitely teen drama but I wasn't annoyed by it the way I some times am with YA stories. Here the characters were nuanced and all of their quirks and drama fed into the story. Definitely a fun read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the early ARC!

This book is your typical - 5 friends go on a camping trip and one turns up missing - whodunit type of story.

I loved the layout of the book! It’s told from the POV from the 4 remaining friends in a police interrogation setting. Everybody’s got something to hide. Nobody can quite remember what happened. Everybody is blaming each other, but yet everyone is innocent.

This book kept me entertained enough to find out what happens at the end.

Pub date: 04/01/2024

This was a quick read and a decent mystery for a teen or YA fan. I love a twist on format, so the questions at the beginning of each chapter (and resulting one sided “dialog”) and multiple points of view was engaging for me. While I’m personally in my “Where are the parents?!” Era when it comes to YA reads, I could definitely see this being a hit with younger crowds and fans of the genre. Nothing too scary, some important social topics to discuss and just enough mystical red herrings to hit a variety of different readers.

Told in such a unique and clever way. A great young adult book. I loved the overlapping interviews and truly didn't see the five friends went into the woods and only four came out ending. It has never been told like this.

I've been reading a decent amount of YA thriller/mystery fiction lately, and this one is up there in terms of ratings - I was completely hooked from the start, and NEEDED to know what would happen. I did think there was a little bit of a slow burn to this, and maybe it could've been condensed down into something a little shorter, but I still enjoyed my time with it - I read it over the course of like 3 sittings, which isn't bad at all!

This book was good. But not something I would rave about to someone to have them read it, but I wouldn’t stop them from reading it. The police interviews scattered throughout was a nice touch and helped the story go along. The characters were basic and not too thrilling in my opinion. The end really took the hit for me with it being rushed and basically thrown together.

Teen readers will enjoy this one, but it was a little inconsistent for me. I liked the format- each chapter begins with a question that you presume is asked by police. Teens are giving info on a camping trip where one of the five campers has gone missing. It’s a mystery with some pretty stock characters and themes. I can see older middle schoolers and high schoolers enjoying this one,

Book kept my interest it was a fast read. Liked the overall concept of the book and the points the author was trying to make, it just felt rushed at the end. I think having the disappearance earlier would of helped.

I feel like this is an average YA thriller. I do really like the police interview media included; that gave it a little something different to read and think about. I would recommend this for YA readers.

This book had so much potential, but I feel like the format was pretty limiting. I liked the exploration of a bunch of unreliable narrators, but I feel like the payoff wasn't enough to warrant going through the whole book. The characters felt a little one-dimensional and the ending was a little anticlimactic. I thought it was well-written and pretty engaging, but it fell a little flat for me.

I loveddd the format of this book and found it so fun and exciting. The mystery kept me flying through the pages and the characters were so great! I really enjoyed this one and think it will be a huge hit!

1 - 2 star? I did not finish - as soon as Bigfoot was mentioned I knew this was not the book for me. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Let me just preface this review by saying, this wasn’t for me. I tried really hard to keep up with the format of the book. But I did struggle on trying to keep up with all the characters/information. I did find myself having to flip back every few pages to make sure I comprehended it. That being said, this wasn’t a bad read at all! I just don’t think I was the right fit for it. This book would be perfect for any teens/young adults who are interested in diving into thriller/mystery genre! The book was well paced, and the format was interesting. I would definitely still be open to reading more by this author in the future!

What I did enjoy:
- the format was unique! But I did struggle keeping up (that was probably just me though!)
- Fast paced read, I was able to finish it with in a day.
- Pretty twisty! A great book for someone just getting into the thriller genre.
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Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! 3 stars out or 5!

I was so excited to get this arc since I love YA murder mysteries and it did not disappoint! I couldn’t put this book down, it kept me engaged from beginning to end. I really loved the interview format and hope to see more books like this in the future. The reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5 is I wasn’t a fan of the end, but regardless still enjoyed this book a lot! I’m definitely going to be recommending this book to clients looking for a good and fast paced YA murder mystery!

I had originally not planned on giving feedback and not finishing the book, but after reading several other reviews I decided to give it another try. I’m going to be honest I was not a fan of the format and I personally had a really hard time keeping everything straight. That being said it just may be my brain not comprehending things! I think it would have been less confusing if there were less characters and definitely think this would be a great audiobook! I’ve read some similar books in the past and the suspenseful buildup was amazing, however I was a little disappointed by the time I got to the end! It wasn’t a bad book in anyway, but I just don’t think it was for me!