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thewizardofbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
“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.
LGBTQ+ Representation -
- Abigail is thought to be a Lesbian though this identity is never outright said. Maylee and Petra were exes and Maylee is potentially bisexual but definitely queer.
I received a digital ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Gun violence, Alcohol, and Racism
mamawantsbooks's review
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Racism and Medical content
oracle_of_madness's review
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Racism
caitlinn3's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
What a ride! I love a good epistolary novel, they are honestly some of my favorite stories to read. In this story we are hearing from 4 high school students who went on a camping trip that went very very wrong and someone disappeared. I really enjoyed the back and forth of the different perspectives and how each character remembered things differently. I was genuinely scared at times and surprised by all the twists this took. This was a fast paced read and one I highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the Arc
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the Arc
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Murder
Minor: Violence
camiclarkbooks's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
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