What Happened That Night is a Teen/YA novel. I am far removed from that group but found the story interesting and at times very difficult to put down. Deanna Cameron brings to the reader a subject that needs to be addressed more for the targeted age group, and even adults. I was given an early copy to review.

4 out of five stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and Wattpad Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For as long as Clara cab remember she has had a crush on the boy next door Griffin Tomlin. When he finally notices her she can't believe her luck. Then one Winter night during a party things change completely. Clara begins to withdraw into herself, doing her best to stay away from Griffin.

One early September, the day after the neighborhood Labor Day party Griffin is found dead and Clara's sister Emily is accused of his murder. Clara knows why she did it but she can't tell anyone the reason. When Clara meets Aniston who is determined to find out why Emily killed Griffin truly dark secrets begin to come out and Clara begins to wonder if life will ever feel normal again.

This is a dark story that covers some hard hitting topics. I read this very fast because I wanted to find out what happened to Clara and her family. I do want to say that there are trigger warnings for sexual assault but if you can handle the topic then this is a very good book.

3.5-ish stars - I thought that the writing in this book was quite good, but I did find the plot a bit difficult at times to follow, and also found some of the writing to be a bit clunky.

I do think that this book has the potential to work well for some, but I think that it was not quite the right match for me, I found myself predicting a good amount of what happened ultimately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan USA for the chance to read this book.

I received this arc from net galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

So I was thrilled to get a YA arc that looked like a crime thriller. I started this book and for the first part I was really getting into it. However after 25% of the way it just lost steam. I felt that it was just a generic run of the mill story. I was able to predict the rest of the book with very few curve balls. It wasn't bad by any means but just okay.

Rape is always a tough topic to both write and read about. In What Happened That Night, we met Clara, the narrator of the story, but more importantly, the victim. We also learn that Clara's older sister Emily has been arrested and is currently in jail awaiting trial for the murder of Griffin Tomlin, their neighbor but also our suspect in Clara's rape. What seems cut and dry (big sister learns of little sister's rape and takes out her revenge on the suspect in the form of murder) as we go through the story quickly takes a turn when we learn not only has Emily murdered Griffin, but may also be responsible for the death of a missing young Buffalo woman named Elizabeth Monner, who is found to have been buried in Clara's father's garden. It is only through her friend and fellow classmate, school journalist/investigative reporter Aniston that they figure out her identity. We learn that Emily had a thing for Griffin yet he constantly rejected her while fawning over Clara instead. This made Emily's green eyed monster show its ugly head and the jealousy played into his murder. Did Emily act alone or is there something more sinister behind the murders and rape? This one is a must read to find out!

Immediately I will have to say that this book will not be for everyone. Within the first two chapters, there are major trigger warnings. This book is mainly surrounded by rape, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. If those are only mild triggers for you and you can deal with the entirety of the book referencing and mentioning her experiences but do not want to read about the actual trauma that happens, than skip Chapter Nine all together. Reading about rape/abuse makes me uncomfortable, and throughout the rest of the book it was only mildly uncomfortable.

Apart from the major triggers in this book, and it not being everyone's cup of tea, I did not actually hate the writing style. It was easy to read and kept it easy to keep pace reading this book. If you can get past the triggers, or are not super uncomfortable by these topics than I think this would have gotten a better review from me.

When I saw the appealing front cover of this book, and read the synopsis, i had in my mind that it would be dark, moody, and set in a rural, secluded setting... it was none of those things.
Better suited to the YA genre, this book is a very promising debut, but it tried too hard to be something it wasn’t.
The story outcome was predictable and the main character too wishy-washy to be any sort of a heroine.
A little more editing could push it to 3.5 stars but for me, for now, this is a low 3.

What Happened That Night got its start on Wattpad. I've read many good books on Wattpad. I've also read some terrible ones that could have used a complete rehaul. This one is in the former category. It's well written, and has a legitimate plot.
It doesn't have chapter breaks, but I'm not sure if that was just how my ebook was formatted. But now, onto the good stuff.

Griffin is dead. Emily killed him. It's left the entire town in shock and no one can understand why she did it. Except her sister Clara.
What Happened That Night is about the aftermath of a brutal rape, and a brutal murder. It can be hard anywhere, but it's especially hard in a small town community. And that's just assuming that your rapist wasn't a golden boy jock.
Be warned, this book does get graphic. There are characters who victim blame. It's always sickening to read "well, you were wearing..." It's even worse to hear it.
The book was engaging. It does get a bit confusing in places because there's a chapter that happens in both the past and preset and doesn't really give a break between the 2. The big twist could be seen as unbelievable, but it still got me.
All in all it was a pretty good book. I'd give it a a 3.5/5.
I received this book from netgalley in exchange for my review.

What Happened That Night by Deanna Cameron was disturbing in a good way. The story was twisted and evil. I didn’t know this was a YA book when I started reading but it appeals to adults also. The depictions of sexual violence and stalking were so realistic. I will be looking for more books by this author. This one had me creeped out late into the night. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Clara is in love with her neighbor. Her neighbor ends up dead. Clara’s sister was arrested for the murder of the town’s golden boy. Clara and her friends Aniston and Kolby start digging to find the truth about what happened. Tons of sexually explicit subject matter, so be cautious if you are triggered. Easy read without too much fluff or filler.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So, I was looking forward to this one, and was sorely disappointed. The cover invokes nostalgia, and sentiment, and is nothing like the content of this YA mystery. I found the writing choppy, the mystery was "solved" quickly which left a long piece of rambling and filler - in my opinion. I was not held by the content, nothing in it gripped me and compelled me to keep reading. I actually gave up at 60%, which for me is unheard of. I am thankful for the ARC, but I would not personally recommend this one in the YA or mystery genre.

A 16 yo has had a crush on her neighbor for years. He finally notices her- but he assaults her.
This story is done as before and after. The buildup of Clara's sister for the murder of Griffen while Clara tells us about before. Excellent demonstration of possible reactions to assualt. Controversial topic done well.

I thought, based on the title, that this would be a thriller. Although it may have had some elements of a thriller, it didn't have the pacing, suspense, build or ticking clock one would find in a thriller, which was confusing. The mystery was there only to a point. I'd be careful how you market this, as you may wind up frustrating fans of the thriller/mystery genre.

Overall, I wanted more writing craft. While the bones of the story were intriguing, and I could see a one-page summary being interesting, the prose doesn't seem like it's there yet.

In addition, the formatting was bad, which made the read quite confusing. I'd suggest fixing this for others who dedicate time to reading this.

Thank you to Wattpad and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Clara who is going through something horrific - her sister is on trial for murder. Her classmates and people around her want to talk to her and ask her questions but she remains silent. But we soon find out that she has secrets of her own. Clara might know what happened the night of the murder and her sister is beginning for her help, leaving her confused and wondering what the right thing to do is.

This was an intriguing mystery and I greatly enjoyed the writing and the story. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery with very sharp writing.

Disclaimer: Any quotes I’ve used come from an unpublished eARC.

What Happened That Night will likely give you nightmares. It’s one of those stories that creeps under your skin and doesn’t let go easily. The book begins with a focus on Clara, the sister of a young woman accused of murder. It’s a smaller town, where evidently the only person in recent memory to be accused of murder is Clara’s sister, Emily.

It’s hard to describe this book without spoilers, and I think it’s really important to read this book without spoilers in order to really enjoy it. However, something I do want to say is it’s not for everyone. The book has rape, violence, murder—all things that are depicted fairly graphicly and could be triggering or at the very least uncomfortable. I think the author treats the subject matter respectively, but I’m one person with one opinion.

The book has a dark sort of humor, which I definitely appreciated. Some exchanges are rather deadpan, like this one between Clara and one of her friends. “Admiring Black Beauty?” she asks. “‘The car’s red,’ he said, his voice flat.”

Overall, the book kept me guessing, until almost the very last page, which is really what I want out of a murder mystery like that. I would 100% recommend it.

"Griffin Tomlin is dead. And Clara’s sister killed him . . . "

The story starts off a mere four months after the murder of local legend Griffin Tomlin is murdered, and since nothing ever happens in the small town of Shiloh everyone knows who the Porterfields are. As Clara's sister (Emily) awaits her trial, Clara finds that her life is going in a downwards spiral, and is worried that her biggest secret will finally be revealed.

What Happened That Night flips between the present and the events that lead up to the death of Griffin. Clara's life has not been the same, instead of being Emily's little sister, she's now known as the sister of the girl who murdered the boy next door. What everyone doesn't know is why she murdered him, Clara thinks she has an idea but everything she thought she knew was wrong. With the help of a few friends, Clara embarks on a journey to really get to the bottom of what happened that fateful night.

This book comes with a big trigger warning: there is a graphic rape scene, and deals a lot with the aftermath of the events but it plays a large part of this book. I really appreciate that the author included a trigger warning before starting off the book, since it allowed the readers to be prepared for what was to happen.

I really liked the character development, it was really nice to see some of them overcome their demons and work together to form a nice support group. I really appreciated that Clara had a few close friends to help, although near the end it seems like things aren't going her way I love how all lose ends are tied up in the end. This book kept me guessing until the end, I felt a little discouraged as I believed that I had everything figured out but I was thrown into a loop that proved I had no clue what was going on.

I wish we had seen more from Emily in the novel, it seemed like she was just an afterthought, she appears in one scene and that's about it. She's supposed to be this teen killer, this girl that no one really knows. I think it would have been interesting if the author had included some chapters from her POV. Maybe she could have explained her thought process of why she did it (in the end we find out, but it's during the trial) and although it makes sense as they explain it still seems a little odd.

*I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Clara carries the guilt that what her sister did tore their town apart, and that it was her fault. After Emily kills Griffin, Clara is convinced that it was in retaliation for what he did. But when Aniston forces her way into Clara's life and recruits her to assist with a piece for the school newspaper, Clara begins to notice that the pieces don't fit together quite as easily as she thought.
Ashamed of what Emily did, Clara becomes withdrawn, distancing herself from her friends further than she already had, convinced everyone is judging her for just being Emily's younger sister. As she tries to move on with her life and figure out why Emily did it, she becomes fully immersed in a nightmare she had no idea existed around her. She doesn't want to be seen as the sister of the girl who killed the Golden Boy, Griffin Tomlin. But Clara knows there was a storm lurking in Griffin's eyes that the rest of the town refuses to admit was there.
Told in an alternating Before and Now sequence from Clara's perspective, I thought this was going to be a pretty predictable story of murder and deceit. And while it partially was, it was also quite a bit darker than I expected it to be. Cameron's telling of the story is terrifyingly real, conveying Clara's emotions well, forcing the reader to feel them as Clara does. We all remember the confusion and naivety of the first time our crush acknowledged us, of teenage lust, and the lack of understanding of exactly what was happening around us. Clara's character is relatable in the way that she's painted as the theater girl who, while standing out on-stage, blends into the background otherwise. The girl the popular kids don't really acknowledge exists.
As she's forced to navigate the waters that are high school, I couldn't help but feel for her, and hope that she'd be able to come out stronger on the other side. Clara is a little bit of the underdog, and one can't help but appreciate the way Cameron has written her character, and shown the growth she so much deserved.
I really enjoyed What Happened That Night, and liked how everything came full-circle with the conclusion of the story. In today's reality, it's a good reminder that just because someone is good to you, doesn't mean they don't have a secret side to them, a dark side that you may have never seen. That everything they are could all be an illusion.

I don't really have any words for this book other than it was like an episode of Criminal Minds, only instead of the BAU being involved, we have a high school reporter, a hurt friend and a girl not willing to see the truth, solving the case.

This book was so good and I am so good I had the chance to read this early. Deanna Cameron is a great writer and this was an awesome debut novel. I can't wait to read more from her.

Clara was a great main character. It was a little annoying that she didn't change her mindset until the last like 10 pages, but I think that is what made the story. She was in denial for so long that I don't think it is fair to make her change throughout the whole story.

First off, this book comes with a trigger warning. No, that’s not me adding a trigger warning to my review. The actual book has a preface by the author warning that it depicts sexual assault.

So while the blurb doesn’t directly state it, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to write that the “other story” referenced by the blurb is rape. It’s also easy to guess who was raped and who was the rapist. But be forewarned that the depiction of the rape is fairly detailed and graphic, and that’s not the only scene that contains graphic details of sexual assault.

There were things I liked and disliked about the book.

I was sympathetic toward Clara. Not only is her sister in jail for murder, but she is estranged from Bex, her BFF, and her parents, who disagree over Emily’s guilt, constantly put Clara in the middle of their adult problems.

But the rape dominates her personality. Other than her theatrical abilities and her childhood crush on the late Griffin Tomlin, she’s not given a lot of development: the rape overshadows her. It’s hard to see who Clara is apart from it.

Certain supporting cast members were more vivid in my mind. Aniston is a classmate who wants to become a crime reporter. As you can imagine, she’s obsessed with Griffin’s murder. She talks a mile a minute, wears pink and only pink, and takes the school newspaper seriously–too seriously. She also wants to track down the killer of another teen girl because, you know, the police aren’t capable of making connections on their own. Even so, she’s immensely likable.

Kolby, Griffin’s best friend; Bex, Clara’s ex-best friend; Wilson Westbrooke, Emily’s loser ex-boyfriend. They all came alive for me. I only wish Clara was as vividly portrayed.

The book alternates between the events leading up to Emily’s arrest and the events after her arrest. This is mostly effective, though the formatting of the book confused things a bit. (The chapter breaks happened midway through a page and the “after” chapters weren’t labelled like the “before” chapters were.)

For me, it’s obvious that we need to read both timelines. Unless we understand what happened at a certain party, we won’t really get the full horror of what Clara is dealing with. And it is horrible.

Cameron is good at showing how we, as a society, want killers, rapists, etc. to be the “other”: different from the rest of us and for that difference to be obvious. She shows how our collective fascination with violence and our “need” to know all the details of a crime can lead to secondary victims.

She’s also good at exploring the Porterfield family’s reactions to Emily’s arrest. Disbelief. Misplaced guilt. Shame and embarrassment. Other people’s reactions show up, too: fingers point at parents, questions are asked, all privacy ripped apart. The victim is placed on a pedestal; the killer is tried, convicted, and sentenced in the court of public opinion before a single word is spoken in a courtroom.

Unfortunately, Cameron falters a bit. Rather than make the guilty party a normal human, she makes him a psychopath. (This isn’t really a spoiler, as it’s obvious from Clara’s reactions and thoughts in the early “after” sections that she’s seen behind his good boy facade.)

The rape scene clearly shows this psychopathy. It’s graphic, as I’ve said, but it’s also on the melodramatic side. This cheapens it. It comes across as exploiting rape and Clara’s reaction for dramatic purposes, rather than truly exploring how she deals with it.

In Cameron’s defense, I doubt that was her intention. From her preface, it’s obvious that she’s concerned for sexual assault victims. Other things in the book point toward this, too. She’s obviously thought about this issue, but maybe not with as much nuance and depth as necessary.

The book kept me reading. While the writing might not have been as strong as it could’ve been, there were some lovely passages. For a debut novel, it’s good. This young writer shows promise.

3 1/2 stars, rounded up to 4.

Thanks again to Netgalley and Wattpad for a copy of What Happened that Night in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I just don’t know where to start with this book. This was without doubt one of the most mind blogging YA novels I’ve ever read. Please take to notice me saying YA novels. I did not expect such a story at all. And let me say the twist. Did not see that coming. Oh how I’m glad I picked this one up.