Two Sides to Every Murder is a thriller that is a bit like The Parent Trap but with murder. It follows Olivia and Reagan, two girls who are impacted by a murder that happened the year they were born in very different ways. Olivia is the daughter of the woman who directed the summer camp where it happened, and Reagan is the daughter of the woman who is believed to have carried out the murders. The book alternates between their first-person POVs, and while the two seem so different at first, it was really interesting to see how their stories converged. Valentine also does a great job at helping the reader understand the original crime by installing a few short chapters set on the day of the murder 16 years prior.

What makes this book a truly intriguing read, though, is the inclusion of family dynamics for both girls. It becomes apparent pretty quickly that they both come from complicated families--Olivia starts out the book questioning her paternity, and Reagan believes her father is dead and has been on the run since her mom is a wanted woman--but it turns out that it's much more messed up than that. As Olivia and Reagan both unravel the truths about their families (implicating their parents and siblings in the process), they learn that their stories are in fact, pretty heavily intertwined, and that they're connected in a way that neither could have guessed.

I gave Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine 3 out of 5 stars. It was a fun, quick read with an interesting premise, but it didn't quite blow me away. The story kept me engaged with its twists and turns, and I appreciated the alternating perspectives, but I found the pacing a bit uneven at times. The characters were intriguing, though I felt like some of their motivations could have been fleshed out more. Overall, it’s an enjoyable mystery if you're looking for something light and entertaining, but not one that will stick with you long after.

This was a hard for me to get into unfortunately. The teen scene just isn’t, well, MY scene.

This is most definitely a YA mystery about a couple murders and a missing camper. A story of legends, campers have been telling the story around campfires for almost two decades.

The audiobook multi-narration was fun, and I was able to easily slip right into the story. The narrator’s were excellent!

It was hard to rate this one because although I appreciate a good mystery, I struggled with the highschool teen pov. If you dig this type of book, you’ll probably really like this!

I think the story structure could have been a little better, but ultimately was a fun sort of listen.

An extremely well-drawn dual POV mystery, with tons of suspense and a final twist I did NOT see coming. Definitely up there in terms of YA thriller brilliance!

Quick read. Lots of teen angst and family drama. Interesting mystery that kept me reading. I didn't figure it out right away but wasn't surprised. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

The was a decent YA thriller. It has all of the elements to be good but it really doesn't do anything new or unpredictable. I'm not unhappy that I read it but wasn't wow'ed by it.

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

DNF this one pretty early on, I just couldn’t get into this it felt to juvenile. I know I’m not the target audience but it still felt more middle school than young adult.

I do appreciate NetGalley and the publishers for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A quick, easy YA thriller. I don't want to say too much and spoil the twists (although most of them readers can see coming for pages if not chapters in advance). This book is serviceable as a thriller, playing on the summer camp tropes, but doesn't really do anything new. I liked it but will immediately forget it.

DNF’d at 48%, I liked the others previous YA thriller but couldn’t get into this one unfortunately. Still want to read Delicate Condition and check out some others and would still recommend if you like YA.

Definitely a solid YA mystery, that I think will be well received by the students in my high school library. The twist at the end actually really surprised me, which is hard to do with a YA thriller!

This was a fast-paced and easy read. I read it in an afternoon, and while I figured out the plot twist before the big reveal, it was still done well. The last plot twist I didn’t see coming though, and I was a bit curious about the logistics of that one, to be honest. I thought this book was very YA leaning and it’s a good option for people wanting to get into the mystery/thriller genre! I’ve previously read another book by this author, and I’ll likely pick up the next one she puts out too!

This was a solid YA mystery, where some things were obvious and others were a good surprise. This had the feel of the old school summer camp horror murder movies, but with a more modern vibe to it which was nice. I also enjoyed the shock value of the ending, it was a great way to have a twist. This is a good choice for anyone who likes YA thrillers, campy summer camps vibes and family drama with just a dash of romance.

Thank you @NetGalley and @PenguinTeen for the ARC. Imagine you were born on a night when 3 murders happen at a local camp your mom works at. Than to make things worse two of the people killed are your dad and brother and your mom is the prime suspect. Camp Lost Lake was closed 16 years ago and Raegan hears that it is reopening. She thinks this a good time to see if she can clear her moms name, but many secrets still live in the forest of the campgrounds and someone wants to keep them buried. I enjoyed this book, it kept me guessing till the end.

This is something that should be right up my alley. I understand that this is a YA book but the writing just felt very juvenile and everything felt forced. The twist ending didn’t really do anything for me and the characters were lackluster.

Thank you to Penguin Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc!

I was so happy to receive this arc, as I was very intrigued by the blurb. I read about 60 pages when I first got it, then stopped reading as I had a hard time focusing on it. Picked it back up during Christmas, and devoured the entire thing in one go!

This had everything I want in a YA mystery, including the twist at the end! The two girls, the families, the camp, the friends, the mysteries, the murders. *chef’s kiss* A few cliches, but not too bad. I enjoyed myself, and will be adding this to my the library wishlist at the high school I work at. It’s perfect for my Norwegian high schoolers to practice reading English!

I hope there is a sequel coming, because I want to know what the actual … is going on.

WOW, everyone told me this was a banger, and it so is. Pulse-pounding and cutthroat, with perfectly placed reveals and misdirections. Highly recommend!

So grateful to Netgalley for this one--I loved it!

This one was just alright for me. I liked the overall plot but it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat. I'd still recommend it for a quick, fun read without much depth.

I absolutely despised one of the main characters which stopped me from enjoying this book fully.

Slight spoiler incoming:
The story follows two identical twins, separated at birth and unaware of each other’s existence, who find themselves solving a cold case and escaping a murderer together.
The story is set in Twin A’s hometown, where Twin B arrives with her almost-boyfriend. And you know what pretty much the first thing Twin A does is? Starts swooning over her sister’s almost-boyfriend and telling herself he must think she’s also hot, because he obviously likes her identical twin. I’m sorry, what?? What kinda piece of trash do you have to be to want your (newly found) sister’s love interest?

Other than that, the story was decent, well-written, and fast-paced. I figured out one part of the mystery on my own; the other one caught me by surprise.

Overall, a solid 3.5⭐️ rating.

I enjoyed this book, but it did seem a little predictable. I was able to call the majority of the twists, and am left slightly confused/conflicted with the ending. However, this was an enjoyable read, so I’m still giving it 4 stars. I enjoyed the switches between Reagan and Olivia’s perspectives, along with the flashbacks to 2008. I would recommend this book!