Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti

“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? - taken from Goodreads.

This story is told from four different points of view as they are each being interviewed by the police. Each chapter is a different question that has been posed to each suspect by the police. As Petra, Nolan, Abigail, and John recount the night in question, the surprising details about Maylee’s disappearance begin to unfold.

Visit Chelsea Sedoti’s website.

Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett

“The woods
The stars
And the boy who broke her heart”

“Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?” - taken from Goodreads.com

This was a unique take on a romantic tale of friends/neighbors becoming significant others and the many uphill challenges they faced to finally be together again. Thrown together during a glamping trip gone wrong, Zorie and Lennon soon find themselves stranded in King’s Forest National Park. Their friends abandon the two of them after Zorie and her friend Reagan have words. With nowhere really else to go, the two hike through the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to reach Condor Park, where Zorie is to meet a friend for a star watching party. The further they hike, Zorie and Lennon reveal the pain from the past year being apart and realize their feelings for one another still remain. 

What truly makes the story different is that the author drew several maps outlining Zorie and Lennon’s journeys. Definitely loved reading this book! 

Visit Jenn Bennett’s website.