A review by thewizardofbooks
Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti

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. 

 
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