This book did not work for me at all--overlong, repetitive, ridiculous plot points, and a weak protagonist. The subject matter is serious, dealing with rape, physical and emotional torture, and murder, and yet this book only managed to irritate me. Clara is the protagonist, but the author does nothing to make her more interesting than a potato. The story is told from her point of view with chapters alternating between 'before" (as in her neighbor's murder) and present day. She's a boring character whose actions are only brought about by other characters, otherwise she just mopes through the pages. There is a brief interlude where she meets a girl from the school paper and the two Nancy Drew a major reveal of the book because....apparently the police in this town are too inept? There are just irksome little details like this which seem too ridiculous in light of the subject matter.
Best thing I could say about this book is that the cover art is pretty awesome. Other than that, this is pure melodrama.

As always, thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for the ebook ARC!

What Happened That Night is a harrowing tale of how one girl is betrayed by her sister and her crush in the most brutal way possible. Throughout her journey to find out the truth about her sister, Clara learns more about herself and finds comfort in the most unusual of places. What Happened That Night threw in unexpected twists and turns that held my attention throughout the novel and even made me gasp in places. Deanna Cameron weaves a picture of twisted justice and creates such an intriguing story that makes you wonder why people do the things they do.

This is a really good book. It does not follow ANY linear fashion, you think you know what will happen next....but no. Deanna Cameron has given us a murder mystery that is already solved and now must be explained from the inside out. The who, what, where, when and why of the story are told in a very unique fashion. As we learn more of the story, it just seems to get better and better.

This author sure knows how to grab your attention and suck you into the book. It was a fantastic read. Fast paced and well written

Jess and I pick books at least a month in advance for our podcast, Books Don’t Review Themselves, so when I stated What Happened that Night by Deanna Cameron, I didn’t remember anything about the synopsis. When I began reading it, I was afraid I was going to be reading a soft YA book with lots of teen drama. That could not be farther from the truth.

This book is hardcore. Which I thought was excellent. Cameron did not sugar coat anything. Although the story revolves around teenagers, the subject is a very mature one, and something that I think everyone, including teens, need to be aware of.

What Happened that Night looks at how rape effects the person it happens too and those around them. The guilt, the desire to draw into oneself, and the questions. Not only of the survivor, but those around them. Why didn’t the person tell them, do they really believe the person, why didn’t they see the changes? Although many people in the book were supportive of Clara, that is not always the case. And Cameron does a good job writing that side of the situation too.

There are a lot of twists in What Happened that Night, and the story keeps developing into a more complex situation. Although it’s apparent early on about the rape, the sexual sadism and psychological abuse slowly unfold and it was horrifying. And for me to say that, with all my reading and watching of horror and psychological thrillers, should not be taken lightly.

This world is not even close to being a supportive place for those who have been raped or were in abusive relationships, but I think if more young people were made aware of what these relationships look like and that they are not okay, perhaps some would be saved from having to go through it. Everyone needs to have the knowledge and skills to protect themselves, just in case. And if it still happens, then the support system to help them realize it is never their fault. If this has happened to you, I hope you find the support that you need. And if it hasn’t, then I hope you are able to support others who have gone through it.

"I felt tired of constantly picking up pieces, stuffing them into places they didn't belong, pretending as if it wasn't getting harder and harder to keep going."

There have been some disappointing thrillers this year but this book is not one of them. Taking place in Shiloh, a semi-urban town has been stricken with a big crime after a decade. Griffin Tomlin, the nicest guy in the town has been murdered. Clara Porterfield's sister, Emily, (his childhood friend and family friend of Tomlin's) has been arrested and awaits trial for his murder. No one understands why and no one knows what truly happened. But for Clara, her life has turned entirely while her mother, a vet, works on her garden every day as if nothing has happened while her father lives in denial of what happened and fights for his daughter. Clara knows why but she is afraid to tell it. The book revolves around Clara and her secrets and how she unravels the harshest and the darkest truths, with Griffin's best friend, Kolby and a student magazine reporter, Aniston by her side even in the times she shuts down and pushes them away.

The book cast me its spell on the very first page. It kept me hooked at every single page and made me gasp with its twists and turns. As simple as the story seems now, nevertheless, it turned out to be a better read than other thrillers so far! There was never a single moment which bored me or made me check how many pages are left. After a long time, I came across a book which made it hard for me to put it aside for the night and hours of sleep lost, is totally worth it! At a point, I was afraid that the ending might turn out to be a disappointment but it didn't. I didn't think I would love this book when I picked it, but, boy, was I wrong! The plot is very well constructed and the twists are finely crafted. I would LOVE to watch this someday as a movie/series! I love how each character has been given just enough of description and something that I observed in few writers these days is that they struggle with the whole "Show-not-Tell' technique by some over-descriptions but Deanna was perfect with it! The emotions, thoughts, experiences and everything else were realistically and truly explained. It is a very nuanced, compelling and intriguing read! I want to say more but I want to keep most of its brilliance to myself and let you explore it all by yourself!

Definitely, I will be re-reading it until the end of the time. Deanna has magic in her hands for story-telling and by magic, I mean, the superior kind! I would love to read more of her enthralling works!

Recommended: My review screams an absolute yes but it is quite triggering. The author's note, in the beginning, mentions what you are getting into. Do not rely on my description. I didn't want to let out some stuff. It is definitely recommended. You won't find me not talking about this book anytime soon.

I'm not quite sure what to think about this one - the writing style, and the age of the protagonists, made it seem like this book was aimed towards the YA audience, but the subject matter was a bit heavy for that. I will say I did a bit of skimming because I didn't care for the writing style, plus the plot was just a little over-the-top, but I was curious enough to finish it to see how it ended. 2 1/2 stars rounded up to 3 for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! I have to say I read a lot of psychological thrillers, but I don't remember ever reading something quite like this. Clara is a teenager, and her older sister, Emily, is in jail, charged with the murder of the teen boy living across the street. But, did she do it? Clara and her new friend start to dig into the case and what they find is more disturbing than anything.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I kept finding myself wanting to know more. What really happened? Is Emily really responsible, and, if so, why? There were a few turns I did not see coming, and some of the scenarios may have been a tad far-fetched. But, if you like thrillers and mysteries, this is a good book to read!

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

Four months after the murder, the entire town of Shiloh is still in shock. For Clara Porterfield, the normal world has crumbled around her in a million chaotic pieces. Now Clara lives in a new reality, where her sister awaits trial for murder, her mother obsessively digs in a dead, frozen garden, and her father lives and breathes denial. At school, Clara is haunted by her classmates' morbid curiosity - and all of the unspoken questions they won’t ask.

But none of them knows what she knows...

Now Clara's sister wants something from her - the one thing in all of this that Clara isn't ready to face: the truth about what really happened that night. Because this story didn't die with Griffin Tomlin. There's another story that needs to be told. And sometimes, the lies we're told are nowhere near as deadly as the lies we tell ourselves..."

My main question is, when did Wattpad start publishing physical books?

WOW! This was good. It gave me everything I wanted and then some. No spoilers in here, but thank you so much for giving me all the facts, events, timelines, and ending that I was hoping for. The only complaint I was was Aniston, I feel like she could have been less “omg I found all these clues and secrets and I know everything” type because I feel like she was such a random character out of the list of people in the book. I love this though and I can’t wait to buy it! Thank you Deanna Cameron and Netgalley for the ARC!

What Happened that Night is a story about murder, secrets and family. The story is told from Clara Porterfields's point of view. One morning Clara's family wakes up to find out there has been a murder on their block. It was a 17 year old boy, Griffin Tomlin, that lived across the street from them and the same boy that Clara has had a crush on for years. A few days later, Emily, Clara's sister, is arrested for Griffin's murder. We find out later that Emily actually confessed to Clara that she did kill Griffin. And Clara thinks she knows why Emily killed him, but she ends up being very wrong.
This book was good, I think it could have been better without the teenage crime reporter trying to solve the murder. There was also a descriptive rape scene, so if someone is sensitive to that subject, you might want to skip this book. The writing was well done.

WOW! This is a very powerful story about a girl's sexual assault by a friend and his death at the hands of her sister. Not everyone and their actions are what you think and powerful secrets will be brought to light. You really get an understanding look at what a victim feels, thinks and goes through.

I didn’t realize what I was going to be reading about, when I started. There were triggers and at times it was really hard to read. I do think this topic should be written about and talked about. I applaud the author for doing so. 3 1/2 stars

What Happened That Night got me hooked right from the start and my interest never waned. Clara’s neighbour is dead and her sister is on trial for his murder. Clara knows more about this than anyone else, the police included but even she is learning more and more about that night as time passes and it throws her life into a wild ride. There wasn’t any major jaw dropping moments for me in this but so many great continuous twists and turns that my interest in the story was always piqued. There was also a direction the story line went in that not a lot of writers seem to want to take on these days and it’s good to see it’s been touched on (no spoilers here!). I’ve read a lot of thrillers lately that have been mediocre so this was such a nice change of pace!

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.