This was a great YA mystery that’s packed with drama, twists and a little bit of romance. The mystery isn’t quite what you might think when you first pick up the book. Right from page one, we know that Clara’s neighbor, Griffin has been killed. Shortly after that ominous night… we find out that Clara’s older sister, Emily has been charged with Griffin’s murder.

The mystery of the novel is the answer to the question why did Emily kill Griffin? And that story unravels slowly throughout this novel. Cameron has written a fast-paced story that still keeps the reader hooked by not revealing everything too quickly.

Clara is a complex character. She was fairly close to her older sister before she was arrested, but afterward, she is clearly struggling with the weight of the entire situation. When she befriends Kolby (Griffin’s best friend) Clara’s story becomes ever more complex. How can she be friends with Griffen’s best friend after what happened? The reality is that Kolby is one of the only people at school that will even speak to Clara.

Nothing is what it seems in this story and that’s what makes it such an interesting read. I highly recommend this novel… with the caveat that it’s mature subject matter.

Trigger warning: This book contains sexual assault and psychological manipulation. Some early readers found this book difficult to read due to past experiences.

What Happened That Night is a very intense read! Once I started reading, I could not put it down. I had to know how it ended. The dual timelines give it that extra "can't stop reading" element. As the reader, you already know that Emily is in jail for Griffin's murder, and that she's confessed. You also know that Clara blames herself for Griffin's murder since she told her sister what Griffin did to her. However, Clara won't tell her parents or the police why she thinks Emily killed Griffin.

Of course, we're not told right away what Griffin did to Clara, but we can easily guess. And it's not just the one act. It is many instances of psychological manipulation. It's knowing that Clara is truly afraid of Griffin. Knowing this sort of makes what Emily did almost forgivable. She was protecting her little sister from getting hurt again. It's the premise of the whole story of "what happened that night."

These characters, though not completely fleshed out, are believable. Also, Clara is not quite a reliable character since she is hiding so much. It's been a long time since I've been in high school. However, I remember enough to know that once rumors get started, they're difficult to stop. And if you've had a traumatic event happen, not too many people are going to be there for you.

Clara makes a couple of new friends through this horrible ordeal. Aniston reminds me a little of Paris on Gilmore Girls. If you don't watch, then you'll find out what she's like by observing Aniston's refusal to let a news story slip away. Clara also becomes friends with the last person at school she would expect to treat her well: Griffin's best friend Kolby.

What Happened That Night threw me for a loop. I don't want to give you any spoilers, but expect to be surprised!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC to read and review. What Happened That Night is a hard hitting book. It could definite a trigger for anyone who has been assaulted or abused during a relationship or just in life. It was a good read, with plenty of intrigue and a good twist.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
(“What Happened That Night” has some intense sexual assault scenes that may be triggering for some readers. My review, however, does not).
Oh Deanna Cameron, where you have been all my life? “What Happened That Night” has everything I didn’t know I was missing. Female psychopaths, murder, sibling relationships and sexual assault are just some of the topics in Cameron’s gritty, intense and powerful new novel.
When golden boy Griffin Tomlin is found dead, the entire community is in shock. But his neighbour Clara knows that Griffin was not the all-around good boy that everyone else saw. When her sister, Emily, is charged in the death of Griffin, Clara is soon battling with guilt, isolation and grief until some unexpected friends decide to investigate for themselves. Did Emily really kill Griffin? Was Clara somehow to blame? What secrets was her sister hiding?
“What Happened That Night” is told in two different timelines, alternating between “before” Griffin was killed, and the aftermath. The story is told from Clara’s perspective exclusively, and although the shocking twists are kept secret until the end, most of the novel’s storyline is revealed in a slow release of suspense and tension that will keep you turning the pages. Although graphic, the plot has some very powerful and thought-provoking themes that, as mentioned above, may be triggering for some, however they are so important to the plot, and they will stick with you.
This is one of those novels that actually keeps you guessing, and I ran through various alternatives before the true ending was revealed. The ending was well developed and even had some plausibility in it, which made the outcome satisfying and reassuring.
Personally, I wanted more Emily. I wanted more of her thought process, both before, during and after the trial, but that is just due to my personal obsession with psychopathology. “What Happened That Night” still provided the addicting thrill ride that I so desperately needed.
Cameron started this novel on the novel-sharing site, Wattpad, and I am beyond thrilled that she brought it into the world. This novel was so unexpected for me as I did not anticipate enjoying this novel so much. Now, I cannot wait to enjoy more of Cameron’s novels, and I highly encourage her to release some of her others into the world.

This is one of the best YAs I've read this year! This story is so, so heartbreaking and complicated....just when I thought I had the main character, Clara, all figured out, a new layer to the story would emerge.

Overall, this was an extremely well-written story that truly handled a lot of difficult topics such as sexual assault, crime, strained familial relationships, drama, and more with absolute finesse. I was so impressed with how the characters became so well-developed and multifaceted as the story moved along. Very impressive read!

As my first YA thriller, I was hesitant about whether I would enjoy a young adult style book. As soon as I began the first chapter, I was completely hooked. Even though the characters are young, they’re completely relatable and I found myself thinking about my own high school days (plays, dating, parties, etc.).

This book does deal with powerful themes including rape, but the writing is both compelling and tasteful. This story also switches back and forth between the past and future and recounts a story of rape and murder as told from the main character’s perspective. The themes are heavy and without giving too much away, you’re really not sure who is the more sinister character in this story until the very end. I honestly thought I had it figured out, but discovered I was way off. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend reading it.

Wow.... while this book was very difficult to read I am glad I did. In it very difficult topics are explored in detail. There were often times that i wanted to put the book down and walk away because of what was happening but I couldn't leave Clara alone. She really began to feel like someone I could know.
Very well written a paced. Very few complaints. The main one would be the spacing of the sections. Maybe because it was an ARC download, the separate sections of the story has zero spacing at times. I assume a flaw in the file formatting. So while you’re really engrossed in the story, suddenly it jumps hours or days with no warning. There was a lot of having to back up and reread to make sure i didn’t miss the transition.

Thank you the NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc copy of the novel #WhatHappendedThatNight.
A dark and overwhelming novel that seems pretty straightforward, but as you read it the mystery becomes twisted and dark. A definite must read for anyone who likes dark, thrillers filled with suspense. It can be slow in place, but it does build the emotional depth with the slower pace. If you have a hard time with sexual assault or rape being discussed I suggest you skip this book. It is a major part of the plot and was hard to stomach.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Life as Clara knows it ends the night of the Super Bowl. However, it is only after her next door neighbor, Griffin is murdered, by her sister no less, that things spiral far from what she expected. Why did Emily kill Griffin? Who can be trusted? And how, as the world changes all around her, will Clara find friendship and love?

This is a complex, nuanced story that deals in pain and confusion. The themes can be triggering, but they are handled with care. There are parts that hurt to read, and I ache for the young girl in the story, but these parts give the novel its poignancy.

Darkness and light are balanced well in this book, as are the surprise twists and turns. Truly a great book!

5 enthusiastic stars. Thanks to @Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this stunning novel. Wow what a ride! This starts out almost like a romance, shy girl finally gets attention of boy next door but thing do a 180 very very quickly and the boy next door is not all he seems to be... but then again neither is anyone else in this book. Kudos to this author for delving into a more difficult less seen side of domestic violence. I could literally not put this book down. The characters were well developed and so very like-able. The story line raced start to finish with twists and turns and jaw dropping moments.The perfect amount of detail to make the story line horrific at times but not so much it made the book vulgar or overly disturbing. An absolutely unforgettable book. I hope to see more from this author soon!

I liked this book filled with the usual mystery subjects murder ,mayhem and broken characters but felt it was a little slow in the plot.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Thank you, NetGalley and Smith Publicity, for this advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, I am not the right reader for this book. I wish I could leave you with a better statement but at 36% after two weeks of trying to push through this, I just have to confess I am really not enjoying it. I am a lover of thrillers but, admittedly, not all of them work for me.

I encourage others to take a look at this book if it piques your interest. You may find it works for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book! I was so hoping to read it, and I was previously denied on another site, so seeing it pop up on my Shelf was the highlight of my week. I finished it in one day because these are the kinds of stories I live for. Murder, mystery, and broken people putting themselves back together after tragedy strikes. There's just something so beautiful in knowing that no matter what happens to you, no matter how an experience may mark you forever, that there is such strength lying dormant in humans as a species to overcome.

Clara is someone well acquainted with pain. When we join her story, she is living in the aftermath of her sister going to jail for killing their next door neighbor. That next door neighbor was Griffin, Clara's childhood crush. She has cut off everyone who was close to her, including her best friend, Bex, and doesn't even go to the jail to visit Emily. She quit theatre at her high school, started hiding behind baggy clothes and a tight lip, and tries her hardest to just fade into the background.

All that changes when she meets Aniston, a perky journalist for her school's paper who is interested in her sister's story. Reluctantly, she joins forces with her and Griffin's best friend Kolby to uncover the mysteries of what really happened that night. I don't want to go into very much more detail, because there are so many intricate twists and turns in this novel that I really would hate to spoil. It's such an emotional and heavy book, and it brings to light so many real horrors in this world that do not get enough coverage. If you read it, you'll see what I mean, and I really recommend you do.

I commend the author for starting this book with a preface that if you need to put the book down, you most definitely should. There are experiences in this book that may be hard for some readers, but I think it is a worthwhile and necessary read. It is raw, but not unfeeling, and many scenes left me with a huge ache in my chest at this absolute devastation that I could never understand in full. The switches between past and present were so powerful and crushing, seeing the changes that time and devastation can make.

Deanna does a wonderful job creating characters that you can fall head over heels for, and the best part of it is that none of them are perfect. They are perfect examples of real human beings, and those same kind that I mentioned before who have shattered but by the end of the novel are on their way to placing the puzzle pieces of their identities back in place. The book is harrowing but heartening, and I'm glad I had the chance to read it.

3.5 stars

This book was good but really slow sometimes. I didn’t really understand the protagonist’s thinking sometimes when it came to her friends. She was a little harsh and closed off. Over all it was a good plot. I’m not sure if it was this version or not but it got a little confusing with the spacing in the book to figure out who was talking and how much time had passed. I would definitely try something else by this author.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my free arc.

**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of What Happened That Night by Deanna Cameron from NetGalley for review purposes.  Thank you to NetGalley, Wattpad Books and Smith Publicity for this opportunity.

What Happened That Night by Deanna Cameron is a YA Mystery/Thriller.  It is going to be published on September 17th, 2019.  I gave this book 4 stars.

Here is the summary from NetGalley:

Golden boy Griffin Tomlin is found dead, floating in his pool, the morning after his family’s Labor Day party, and neighbor Emily Porterfield is arrested for his murder. No one knows why she killed him, except for her younger sister, Clara. The secrets behind What Happened That Night unravel in dual timelines:

In the present, Clara struggles with the aftermath of the murder―questions and distrust from her friends, denial from her parents, and visits to her sister in jail. And amidst all of that, another body is discovered that could be connected.

In flashback, the events that brought Clara, Griffin, and Emily together and that led to his death are revealed―events that involve a crush, an obsession, and a shocking twist.

The title of What Happened That Night is what drew me to the book initially, and then I read the summary and it was an easy choice to choose to read the book.  I requested it, and I was excited when I found out that I was accepted.  I was quick to pick it up, and pretty quickly I was drawn in by the story.  The nice thing about this story was that it had a lot of layers, and just when you thought you had it figured out, something new and excited happened that made you realize there was more to the story.

I have to admit that when I read the summary, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what the story was about, and I should give a trigger warning for rape in this book, and I was right on one level.  But then there were way more layers to the story than I had expected, and I enjoyed that because it made the story unique and unpredictable.

However, it still wasn't my favourite thing I've ever read.  The way that the story was formatted, which is something that I hope will be fixed in the final copy, was occasionally jarring.  The transitions between time and locations jumps were often incredibly abrupt with no formatting clues to help you understand that there was a bit of a jump that just happened, and occasionally I had to re-read to make sure that I fully understood what had happened and how Clara had gone from point A to point B.  Additionally, some of the writing felt a bit cliche in places.  There were a few points where I noticed that sort of cliche "I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding" type moments, and I had to roll my eyes at that.  I also felt that some of the dialogue was a bit awkward.

Ultimately, the story kept me reading.  I wanted to know what happened.  You know the basics of it, that Emily killed Griffin and that Clara knew why she did it, but you don't know the exact circumstances.  Those details are revealed gradually throughout the story by reading about what is happening Clara's life in the current timeline, starting four months after Emily murdered Griffin and was arrested, and from the time before the murder.  The switching back and forth between the two timelines was a really great way to tell the story.  Deanna Cameron revealed information when I needed it, and teased just enough to make me want to keep reading.

As a character, Clara is really interesting and relatable.  Her motivations and reasons for acting the way she does were really easy to understand.  However, some of the other characters fell a little flat.  Emily, the sister/murderer, had a lot of potential but I wished that Cameron had done a little more with her and maybe dropped a few more hints.  Or maybe they were there and I just didn't pick up on it.  Griffin was an intensely disturbing character, and I was impressed with his characterization.  I also really loved Kolby as a character.  He had a certain unexpected depths.  I was less keen on Aniston.

I feel the need to come back to the trigger warning.  There is a fairly detailed rape scene in this book, and it is revisited several times in the character's memories.  It's not something that triggers me normally, but this scene was very detailed and I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending it, until I acknowledged that it has this major part of the story that could potentially really hurt someone.  So if rape and sexual assault is something that bothers you, I would really suggest skipping this one.  There are so many books out there, please find one that isn't going to harm you.

That being said, I do recommend this book.  Yes, the writing wasn't my favourite, but I found the story compelling and I really wanted to know what happened and how it was going to play out.  The story felt original and interesting, and it played with some cool ideas.  It's not without problems, but it's definitely worth giving a try.

Thank you again to the publishers and NetGalley for this opportunity.

The plot to this book makes it seem like everything is black and white. Emily killed Griffin and her sister Clara feels responsible. I thought, ok where can this go if we know who the killer is and why at almost the very beginning of the book? Well dear reader, whatever you think you know, gets turned into a twisted mess of deception! There are secrets coming out in every direction from everyone who Clara knows and trusts. I urge you to read this book as it deals with a sensitive subject not often talked about in books or movies(I’ll save you from the spoilers on that!) But I enjoyed this book very much. I couldn’t put it down and that’s always a good sign to me! Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review!

4/5 ⭐️
This was super good! From the first chapter I was definitely wanting to know what happens next. It definitely has a Trigger Warning for rape and abuse. I love it as well that there was a thriller inside a thriller.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this complementary copy!

This type of story is not one that I am usually drawn to as a read for light hearted YA fantasy or romance, but the twists and turns of this book were able to keep me interested. Anytime I thought I knew were the direction of the plot was headed I inevitably was wrong and I truly enjoyed being wrong since it kept me interested in the tale. I loved Clara and being able to experience her journey even if it was truly heartbreaking even if I felt that her character wasn't presenting as completely as it could have been.

Overall, this YA thriller kept me focused and wondering what was going to happen next. So much so I couldn't put it down even when I should have!

A shocking story, second in a series that is full of twists! The ending was a complete shock and thats what I LOVE about good books, When things happen that you don't expect!

** spoiler alert ** *Trigger warning--rape*

A good mystery; who killed the neighbor who was well-liked in the town? When her neighbor Griffin is found dead, Clara can't believe that someone actually killed him. Sure, Clara had been in love with Griffin since she was a kid, but then things happened earlier that year and she sure didn't feel that way about him anymore. But did she hate him enough to kill him? At first, I wasn't sure if Clara would be an unreliable narrator or not. This book definitly kept me reading to figure it all out.

I was frustrated throughout this book because of the narrator's unwillingness to go to the police and/or hospital to report her rape in the first place, but then that's all she focused on throughout the story. However, I think many teens will enjoy the story and understand some of the decisions made by the narrator (even though, as we all know from watching Law & Order SVU, one needs to report rape ASAP when there is ample evidence to support a claim).