I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti. Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Breakfast Club meets The Usual Suspects in this riveting YA mystery told entirely through the first-person police interviews of four teens over the course of several hours that asks: what happened at Salvation Creek?
An influencer, an over achiever, a heartthrob, an outcast, and a conspiracy theorist go into the woods for a camping trip at Salvation Creek.
Sometime around midnight, one of them vanishes.
Now, the four who came back are under suspicion, and they each have a very different story to tell about the events of the night.
With one of them missing, and the clock ticking, why would they lie? Who is hiding what? And what dark truths will their lies reveal?
Publication Date: 4th April
TW: death, violence, racism, shooting, murder, blood
My Thoughts:
Tell Me What Really Happened is a surprising, challenging and interesting take on the YA mystery genre. Sedoti’s narrative stylings make for an intense read, as stories overlap and crumble against one another.
I really enjoyed the narrative style of this mystery, as it was all told through various police interview (or really interrogation?) transcripts. My thoughts were everywhere and my suspicions kept changing. Sedoti had me utterly hooked. The way you could spot little details not lining up or different characters trying to implicate one another was fascinating. It firmly places the reader in the role of the investigator, trying to sift through the lies to get to the truth that lies buried within. For me, this reminds me of a YA version of one of my all time favourite mystery authors: Janice Hallett. That epistolary style is one that will always intrigue me and Sedoti plays with it masterfully here. The pacing is also spot on, making pages fly by with ease.
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I connected with these characters. The narrative trappings of the interviews was one I thought would prevent this, but in fact I found the opposite. Their warmth, humanity and charisma came through, as well as their vulnerabilities and failings. When someone is placed under that kind of pressure, their true character comes to the surface and watching these characters slowly reveal themselves fully over the course of the book was amazing. Sedoti gives each of them so much depth and nuance in such a constricted form.
Tell Me What Really Happened gives a fresh spin on a classic format of YA mysteries, using a different narrative style to further pull you into the story and its compelling characters.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Eyes Guts Throat Bones by Moira Fowley. Thank you to W&N for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
What will the end of the world look like? Will it be an old man slowly turned to gold, flowers raining from the sky, or a hole cut through the wire fencing that keeps the monsters out?
Is it someone you love wearing your face, or a good old fashioned inter-dimensional summoning?
Does it sound like a howl outside the window, or does it look like coming home?
This startling and irresistibly witty collection from the phenomenally talented Moira Fowley is an exploration of all our darkest impulses and deepest fears.
Publication Date: 13th April
TW: death, murder, blood, graphic violence, child death, body horror, cannibalism
My Thoughts:
Eyes Guts Throat Bones is a deliciously dark collection of sapphic horror short stories. I found it absolutely phenomenal and totally unforgettable.
This is one of the strongest short story collections I have read for a while. The writing felt lyrical, poetical and beautiful but also unrelenting dark and intense.
Surprisingly, I found moments of black humour in it all and surprising flourishes of hope. The way Fowley balances this with some gory, bleak and unrelenting awful moments is incredible. You are taken from the darkest pits of hellish landscapes to a crystallised moment of grief, suspended in time and reality. Horror is a weapon in the right hands and Fowley has a deadly blade in hers. I have always adored how horror can be used to explore our darkest fears in a way that is cathartic and far enough removed from our reality to challenge readers without them noticing. Fowley integrates some social commentary here, particularly on the place of women and queerness. It is not always overt, rather I found it often in the normalisation of representation. This is very much a collection that supports women’s wrongs and boy do we go dark in exploring those wrongs.
Fowley’s writing has that boggy, earthy darkness to it and that sense of mysticism that is both beautiful and deeply frightening. It feels like an archaic call into the wilderness, but with the distinct sense that something might answer. Every time she manages to utterly bewitch me. The way she blends fantasy and reality, blurring the lines until there is nothing left, is endlessly intriguing. Every story fully immerses you in its own world. It creates a bubble around you with such complex characters and themes.
Eyes Guts Throat Bones is a standout horror collection that everyone should add to their shelves. Just make sure you screw your courage to the sticking place before you begin.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Love You to Death by Gina Blaxill. Thank you to Kiran Khanom at Scholastic for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
A dark, twisty YA thriller exploring obsession, stalking and toxic love that keeps you guessing to the very end . . .
Someone is obsessed with Mia Hawkins. She’s felt their gaze on the back of her neck. She’s heard their footsteps, walking home in the dark. She’s glimpsed a shadowy figure and the flash of a camera. Mia doesn’t know Jade. But Jade knows everything about Mia. In fact, she’s turned herself into Mia’s doppelganger, from her long brown hair to the minute details of her outfits.
She’s so convincing that when Jade’s body is found by the cliffs, everyone believes it’s Mia. But Mia can’t work out why anyone would imitate her – or why they’d end up dead. As life as she knows it is decimated, she is left with no idea who to trust . . . or if she will be the next one to die.
A heart-racing YA thriller with hints of You, Single White Female and Hitchock’s Vertigo Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen M. McManus, Cynthia Murphy and Kathleen Glasgow Told with Gina Blaxill’s trademark smart, feminist angle and a deftly crafted web of vivid characters
Publication Date: 13th April
TW: death, murder, stalking, obsession, manipulation, emotional abuse
My Thoughts:
Love You to Death is a gut-wrenching punch of a book. It reminds you of the heartbreaking reality of being a girl in this world, while also constructing a compelling plot rife with twists and turns.
Gina Blaxill is quickly becoming a must-buy author for me. Between this riveting read and You Can Trust Me, she is establishing herself as a phenomenal mystery writer with a heavy focus on societal issues and a fierce brand of feminism. She has such a vociferous voice, ready to burn the world down in defence of teenage girls. That passion comes through in the way she depicts social issues, particularly centering around toxic masculinity and the impact that has on younger generations. It is so good to see an author willing to stick up for our generation and spotlight the issues impacting so many.
This book shines brightest in its characterisation. Mia is at times earth-shatteringly naive and trusting, but that comes from a vulnerability and a spark of hope in the world. Watching her effervescent nature slowly become diminished by the increasingly sinister events surrounding her is chilling. I found myself becoming so endeared to her. She is however surrounded by darkness in the form of this stalker. The whodunnit plotline here is superbly plotted, with tense pacing and an unrelenting sense of suspense. There are so many twists, turns and tiny details that work to form the bigger picture and left me reeling. Ultimately, Blaxill delivers an impactful message and one that really chimed with me.
Love You to Death is a heartfelt and horrific examination of challenges faced by teenage girls today, combined with an intense plotline that thrives in its atmosphere and characterisation.
A Short Book Lover 
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