Reviews with content warning for Death - Tell Me What Really Happened

Five teenagers decide to go camping in the wood where girls are known to go missing; Salvation Creek. Four made it out. Maylee did not…It’s up to the four “friends” to figure out what happened to Maylee. All of them are hiding something but what? That is up to the reader, and the investigating detective, to figure out.

I love interview style books. Listening to the audio book version was also great. The voices match the age of the characters. I thought Petra’s voice actor was fitting for the character since she was supposed to be an analytical know-it-all. I would definitely recommend listening to the audio book version rather than reading this story. I tried reading at first but found it difficult and slow.

The thing is, I don’t know how I would rate this read. I also don’t know if I would recommend this to adult readers who like to read YA. I thought it was just ok. I’ve read better YA thrillers. Nolan’s character was VERY annoying and frustrating. There is always that one annoying character. I knew what had happened right as the author set up the Maylee’s disappearance. The author also had the characters make small observations but these were never answered.

One last frustrating thing was that the book didn’t get good until the 50% mark then again around 70%. It was slow pace until these points.

What I loved was John’s background about the “accident.” The author did a great job writing and depicting small town racism. It reminded me of what unfortunately happened in the small town I grew up in. The voice actor did a great job narrating this portion as well. I was very moved by how he spoke the words and felt every ounce of pain he spoke.

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daringreader13's review

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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noceur's review

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

did i predicted nearly everything ? yes. did i also think it was interesting ? also yes.
okay for the actual review it was an okay book i was looking for something easy to read and it did the job. i liked how the story was told through police interviews. overall it was a pretty predictable fast paced ya mystery about some teens going camping and one of them goes missing.

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mamawantsbooks's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

A group of friends decide to go on a camping trip when one goes missing. The story of what happened leading up to the disappearance is told through police interviews. Does anyone really know what happened to Maylee?

I know I’m not the target demographic for YA but I still like to read them every so often. This book is the first YA in awhile to grab my attention and not make me eye roll too much (I mean, I am in my 30’s soo) at the characters. This was a really surprisingly good thriller for the younger crowd. I also really enjoyed the misdirection for everyone. I mean, was it Bigfoot who took Maylee? Her boyfriend? Is there a killer lurking around the woods? Are the police being honest? Who knows! Keep reading and figure out the twists!

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oracle_of_madness's review

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fast-paced

4.5

Wow. This is intense. Four students are being interrogated in separate rooms. All seem suspicious. Each chapter is a separate question, but with each students answer, often not aligned at all. Basically, who killed Maylee?

One night camping in the woods, this odd group often finds themselves in disagreement over everything. Really, it was a bit funny at times. Each short chapter added information that created a whole picture at the end. But, I have to admit, I was completely shocked by how everything turned out.

This book is dark, mysterious, and full of tension. I wound up really enjoying this!

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camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I received a digital ARC of “Tell Me What Really Happened” by Chelsea Sedoti through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Chelsea Sedoti’s “Tell Me What Really Happened” is a gripping YA mystery about a five teens who go on a last-minute camping trip. But only four leave the woods because just after midnight, one of them disappeared.

The remaining four are taken into police custody and are interrogated separately to find out exactly what happened the night before. As the hours tick by, the teens’ lies and truths are slowly revealed. But is it too late?

“Tell Me What Really Happened” is told entirely through the first-person police interviews of the four high schoolers that made it out of the woods. The characters are separated and are sharing their side of the incident during their interrogation. We don’t see the detectives that interview the characters and the only dialogue we hear from them are at the very beginning of each chapter. Other than that, it’s only what the teenagers reference in their interviews.

The first-person interview format gives the book an interesting hook. It also increases the stakes by allowing the reader to intimately see what the other characters are feeling about their missing friend. As the story progresses, the reader has a chance to solve the mystery as the characters share their memories of the night before.

Each of the five characters represents a specific high school stereotype—an academic overachiever, a conspiracy theorist, a social outcast, a control freak, and a wannabe social media influencer—and those stereotypes really drive the plot. The characters were fairly diverse, which is so important in YA books.

“Tell Me What Really Happened” is a solid YA mystery that relies on tried-and-true tropes presented in a very unique way. The first-person police interviews heighten the tension of the story. It won’t be long before the reader is biting their nails to figure out what really happened in Salvation Creek that fateful camping trip.

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