Tell Me What Really Happened

by Chelsea Sedoti

Overview

There are stories about the woods around Salvation Creek and 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…

Told entirely through first-person police interviews, this riveting mystery asks: what really happened that night?

Perfect for:

• Fans of Holly Jackson and Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Mysteries and police procedurals
• People looking for young adult books best sellers

Also by Chelsea Sedoti:

The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett

As You Wish

It Came from the Sky

Praise for Chelsea Sedoti:

"Easy to read and hard to put down."—VOYA on As You Wish

"A dark, comedic mystery about a girl's quest for proof that ultimately helps her discover some truths about herself." —Justine on The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett

"[A] quirky, intelligent novel." —Booklist on It Came from the Sky

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492673057
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	04/04/2023
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	355,122
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.50(d)
Lexile:	HL680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Chelsea Sedoti fell in love with writing at a young age after discovering that making up stories was more fun than doing her schoolwork. (Her teachers didn’t always appreciate this.) She now focuses that passion by writing about flawed teenagers who are also afraid of growing up, like in her novels, The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett and As You Wish. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she avoids casinos but loves roaming the Mojave Desert. Visit her at chelseasedoti.com.

Editorial Reviews

2023-01-25
Five teens go camping, but only four return.

Maylee decides she wants to go on a spur-of-the-moment camping trip. The group ends up including her boyfriend, John; her best friend, Petra; Petra’s stepbrother, Nolan; and classmate Abigail. Their destination is Salvation Creek, a wooded area in the Pacific Northwest that is notorious due to the girls who have disappeared there—as well as being known to cryptid enthusiasts like Nolan for its Bigfoot activity. Petra’s Type A personality clashes with Maylee’s impulsivity as the latter seemingly randomly invites Abigail, a girl Petra didn’t know Maylee had any connection with. Meanwhile, Abigail has problems with John and his purported involvement in another classmate’s car accident. Suspicions run high when Maylee vanishes during the night following a huge argument within the group, as each teen has a different opinion about what to do next. The story is told in the form of transcripts of the police interviews with John, Petra, Nolan, and Abigail as they run through the weekend’s events from their individual perspectives, bringing a sense of immediacy to the story. Each character holds a piece of the puzzle, but each of them is unreliable to a certain degree, as they have secrets they wish to keep hidden. The combination of both long and short chapters contributes to the excellent pacing, making it hard to put down. Most characters are White; John is Black.

A riveting, page-turning thriller that is full of surprises. (Thriller. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

"This one may well appeal to reluctant readers; the interview style moving the story along quickly. As one gets to know each teen, the mystery grows." — Youth Services Book Review

"A riveting, page-turning thriller that is full of surprises." — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher