Fun YA slasher story. Fast paced, quick read. Enjoyable.

Reminds me of the stories I was super into in junior high and high school and remember fondly. I pieced together the plot early on bc it was the only thing that made sense. But there’s a couple fun surprises in there too.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Thriller, Mystery Thriller, YA Horror
Gore Level: Medium
Spice Level: Kissing on page, other situations are off the page
Representations: Two gay characters

Thrillers aren't my normal reading genre, but I decided to give this a try because I heard Danielle Valentine speak on TikTok.

Wow! I was sucked into this book so fast (as in, I read it in one day). I can see why people love thrillers.

Overall, we have the story from two main characters, and the setting is an abandoned camp, previously operated by one of the girl's family. One girl wants to exonerate her mother. The other is there to help her sister reopen the camp.

But the killer is back.
Why???
That's the crux of the story—we really don't know why and learn the clues as the characters do. It's gripping!

AND the ending!!! What the heck? The author took me on an unexpected twist, just when I thought I had everything figured out. And it was foreshadowed. So, now you can see if you figure out the ending before it's on the page.

I recommend this book!

Happy (nail-biting) reading!

Oh my! The way my jaw hit the floor! I was so engaged. I didn’t want this to end! I was constantly trying to guess who did it and each guess was wrong. I need more!!!

Very disappointing and predictable… I guessed the ending and twists all by 25%. There was some misguiding that led me to believe some new, or different would happen. But the author circled back to the original thought. It felt like a repeat of How to Survive Your Murder. Same concept, little less supernatural, and fell apart in the end.
I will not be reading this author's books again… I do not think they are for me.
However, I do believe there's an audience for these books. They are well written, and well plotted. Just because I didn't enjoy them, does not mean another reader won't. The story is intense, and there is a good amount of mystery and I do believe the hints were well spaced out. Either I've read too many books that are similar, or the hints were too revealing and gave it away. I guessed it pretty quick, but others might not.
Anyway, if you liked the first book, you'll like the second one, so don't let this review discourage you from reading it if you enjoyed the first book.
Thank you for joining me for another review, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity. I really appreciate it, even if this one was a miss for me. I hope this work finds the right audience and finds great success!
Happy Reading and Blessed Be.
Lily Ashtree

One-word review: Wild-Ride
Emojis: 🫣🫨😮
Rating: 4 🌟s

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine is a wild ride from beginning to end. And what an ending it was! I'm still stunned into silence.

The action in Two Sides to Every Murder kicks off in the first chapter and never lets up. It's a whirlwind of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. This book is a thrilling, unpredictable ride that I couldn't put down.

While I can't reveal much, I can assure you that the less you know about this book, the better. The character development may be limited, but the fast-paced storytelling more than makes up for it. The book has a slasher movie-style element that adds to its rapid pace, keeping you hooked and turning the pages.

Overall, I found this a thrilling summer read that is perfect for a day of pure entertainment. It's the kind of book that keeps you up all night, eager to find out what happens next.

This book has so many things that I love! murders, camp setting, secrets, and ghost stories!
Regan and Olivia are returning to Camp Lost Lake looking for different things, but when they come face to face with each other, a new set of questions need to be answered. Too bad a killer is stalking both of them, and they won't stoop until they are both dead. Two Sides to Every Murder was fast-paced, hooked me from the first page, and only got better and more interesting. I really enjoyed both Olivia and Regan and getting the story from both POVs. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, and that ending! Dang, it was completely unexpected!!!

Thank you NetGalley for the free review copy.

Two Sides to Every Murder is a book that follows Olivia and Reagan - two girls who are returning to Camp Lost Lake seventeen years after tragedy strugck & changed the lives of everyone. One is trying to find out who her biological dad is and the other is trying to prove her mom's innocence in the 2008 murders....but who really committed the crimes & what will they do to keep it a mystery?

Wow! This book was a wild ride! I read it in one day while at the lake & it was the perfect setting to take this story in. It combined all things that I love in a good story - thriller, murder, lies, sleep away camp, ghost stories. This was a great summer read & one that I highly recommend!

COME ONE, COME ALL! WELCOME BACK TO CAMP LOST LAKE! With TWO SIDES TO EVERY MURDER, author Danielle Valentine decides to throw open the gates and reopen camp 16 years after a triple homicide shut the camp down. Urban legend has also added a witch to the mix.

Olivia was born at Camp Lost Lake, In the parking lot actually. After a school project, she learns that her dad isn’t her biological father. Hoping to learn some information about her true identity, she decides to work at the camp while digging for answers. Little does she know that she and her older sister Andie may learn a lot more about each other and others in their background then they were prepared for.

Reagan, who’s been on the run with her mother, Lori all these years also decides to return to Camp Lost Lake hoping to clear her mother‘s name after it was believed that she was the one who committed the murders and then took off.

While Olivia is able to investigate out in the open, Reagan is forced to stay in the shadows and dig for answers in the dark. Of course, no abandoned camp would be complete without a renewed string of murders. The girls and their friends are struggling for survival while learning along the way that there are secrets in their backgrounds of which they knew nothing. Can the girls put their past truly behind them, solve their dilemmas and move on, or will the past always creep in to upend their lives?

I really enjoyed this book, watching the girls and their friends put the pieces together. I had a huge problem, however, with the introduction of possible future romantic relationships while everyone was literally running for their lives. It just didn’t seem real to me. The writing was clear and concise and lead to an enjoyable read. I could feel myself sneaking around in the woods, hear the sounds of my footsteps and the whoosh of an arrow as it, hit its mark close to me. This is my first Danielle Valentine novel, but she is an author I will be watching in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam’s Sons for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Teenage me would have ate this up. Even adult me had a blast reading this, though! Valentine always nails the assignment and I’m obsessed with her popcorn YA horror books. They’re just fun, bingey reads with lots of well executed nods to common tropes in the genre. Two Sides to Every Murder had lots of great twists and reveals, cute romantic subplots, and who can pass up a cursed summer camp setting. How to Survive Your Murder (one I would love a sequel for) is still my favorite but this was a solid read and I know it’s going to be a hit!

Phew! I can see why Danielle Valentine named the book “Two Sides to Every Murder” and why Barnes & Noble named it one of the best books of 2024 😮‍💨 It felt like more sides than two 😂. This story was captivating, suspenseful, and twisty. It did nothing but grab my attention from BEGINNING TO END! I felt like I was watching a horror movie by the way I couldn’t put my kindle down. Each character played a unique role in what happened at Camp Lost Lake sixteen years ago and I was truly invested in how their stories turned out. Danielle Valentine connected everything perfectly! I think this is one murder mystery that I didn’t try to figure out who killed who, I just read and enjoyed every bit of the story. THE ENDING THOUGH 😱😳🤯 … yall go add this one to your TBR now ‼️

Camp Lost Lake is famous for the murders that happened there... and the fact that the murderer is still at large. Olivia was born during the night of the murders and now 17 years later she discovers that the man she thought was her biological father is not... and she is determined to find out who her father is... even if he was the victim of the murders and it could completely change how she's viewed her mother her entire life. Reagan has spent her life on the run.... because her mother has been framed for the alleged murders at Camp Lost Lake. Reagan is determined to clear her mother's name. So when Camp Lost Lake finally opens up again both Olivia and Reagan find themselves ready to solve the mystery surrounding their families... and then there is also the small fact that someone else is determined to keep the secrets of the past and will kill again to keep it that way. When the truth is revealed... can both girls deal with the outcome or will they die for the truth? This was definitely an easy read and I think its a good one for anyone looking for an a quick summer thriller read. The mystery would make a good teen tv show actually. Overall it was an easy read and the mystery was okay to read. The ending of the book definitely could leave it to be open to a second one but its definitely a book that would be a fun tv show.

Release Date: June 25, 2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book follows two teens who follow a murder case to finally clear it once and for all. I love a good murder mystery and this one was very decent. I loved the storyline and the minor plot twists in the story. I do have to say that I predicted the murderer pretty early in the story and I think it’s just the way the author worded the characters to make it easy to know. I liked the dark vibe I was getting from the story and the forest/camp site of the book. The story is told from both Olivia and Reagan’s pov.

Olivia and Reagan are both at Camp Lost for the same reason, to solve the mystery. I have to say that I couldn’t really connect with these characters because they were the unreliable type. I did love their passion to solve this mystery and seeing how brave they were. There were many side characters in this book and I loved Olivia’s friends who helped solve it. There was no romance from what I remember but it’s a family story.

The ending was the best part of this book as there was a plot twist for the characters. There is an epilogue for the story and I’m wondering what the reason might be. Will there be another book? Well we will never know. I recommend checking this book out as it’s still a great mystery and is a short read.

*this arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

A summer camp teen horror trope collides with repressed family/small town drama! Okay, so I am not a fan of teen horror movies, but this felt exactly how I imagine they are. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book (obviously)! Super huge amounts of twists and drama that almost have nothing to do with the Witch of the Lake wandering around shooting people with arrows. I mean, there was enough here that it could have been an entire book without the bloody arrows! Other than the weirdly placed romantic interludes when people should have been focused on not getting killed, this was a page turner! And, keep turning the pages until the very end because unlike most epilogues that just annoy me with their little bows tying everything up, this was one twisted little ribbon!

5⭐️ “Two Sides to Every Murder” by Danielle Valentine - available June 25th, 2024

Where to even start…this book drew me in! Truly a book I could not put down. I love mystery thriller novels and I felt like this one was so well done. There were multiple layers to the mystery, conflicting motives regarding the truth coming out, and an intricate crime.

Whenever I read mysteries I usually write down my guesses before the 50% point to see how accurate I was while reading. For this, of my four theories to the mysteries I only got one right. For me, it meant Danielle Valentine did something very right!

Most of the story takes place on one day on the grounds of the old Camp Lost Lake, soon to be reopened under a new name; a campground previously closed since 2008 after a triple homicide by the Witch of Lost Lake. Sixteen years later, Reagan Knight returns to clear her mom’s name after a lifetime on the run. At the same time, Olivia D’Angeli, whose family own Camp Lost Lake, is trying to find answers to a recent truth she’s uncovered about her father not being her biological father. Their worlds collide at the camp when their goals become intertwined and the Witch of Lost Lake returns to finish what she started sixteen years ago.

🎯 YA Mystery Thriller
🎭 Dual POV
⏳ Flashbacks
🗂️ Cold Case
🪦 Buried Lies

⛔️ SPOILERS BELOW ⛔️

The whole time I read this once it was established our main heroines were long lost identical twins I just kept thinking “it’s liked a messed up murder ‘Parent Trap’!” That being said, them being identical twins and their parents being who they were are the only thing I guessed correctly. I was actually surprised and exclaimed ‘OMG that’s who did it!’ when it was revealed who the murderer was because I only realized a chapter or so before. The clues were all there but they’d been easy enough to dismiss during the first read. Even better was the extra twist right at the end that left a lingering eeriness to the whole story after it had seemed liked the case had been closed.

The only thing that had bothered me, but not enough to dock it any star rating, was the fact neither girl felt inclined to correct or question people when they first started being misidentified as the other twin. Especially, if you didn’t know the other person and someone just called you the wrong name with so much familiarity I feel like you’d question it a little. It did at a couple points prove a convenience for the characters, but at the same time I think shock could excuse the behaviour. They were after all being chased by a pyscho murderer.

❗️Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.❗️

This was definitely YA, but I still really enjoyed it. I thought the camp setting was perfect. It's a great, quick summer read.

I think I may have just been the wrong target audience for this book but the synopsis sounded good!

This book centers around 2 teenage girls and a triple murder that happened at Camp Lost Lake 16 years earlier. Olivia was born at the camp that fateful night and returns to help her older sister reopen the camp for the first time since that night. Reagan leaves her mom in the middle of the night to search for answers at the camp, and her mom has been on the run since being accused of the murders. She is hoping to clear her name and find the real killer.

But once again a killer is on the loose on the first night volunteers and camp workers try to get everything set up for opening. A lot of speculation about who the killer really is was definitely twisty and not that easy to guess. There was a lot of unnecessary and forced romance that seemed weird in the middle of hiding from a killer. The characters were very one dimensional and I had a hard time keeping straight who was who. Olivia and Regan read the same. Also the ending was just the cherry on top with being ridiculous and not believable at all.

This is extremely YA, which is fine, but maybe just too young for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Just finished this and it was such a fun read! The beginning was soooo confusing since there were a ton of a characters but everything tied together really nicely! It just took some thinking to piece it together. I really liked the campy summer vibes and the mystery of it all. I could have been good without that last chapter tho…

Danielle Valentine is the master of creating a story that you just can not put down. This one was spooky and with a great twisty path. The mystery is strong and I really enjoyed reading this.

This was a fun summer camp slasher novel. It took me a little bit to get all of the people/story straight but then it was pretty predictable but still a lot of fun. I have to say that summer camp horror is one of my favorite horror tropes and with a camp called Camp Lost Lake was there ever a chance there wouldn’t be bodies? When the myth of the witch of Camp Lost Lake was born so was Olivia at the parking lot of the camp. Olivia has recently learned that her father isn’t her father and the only place she can think of for answers is the old camp that is being revitalized. Reagan’s mother is believed to be the witch of camp lost lake and she’s been on the run Reagan’s whole life. Ever since a podcast revitalized interest Reagan has lost her normal life. Reagan is headed to Camp Lost Lake to find the answers that can clear her mother’s name so she can have her life back. Both girls are in for some surprises and a whole lot of running. This was a fun and wild ride, one that would make a great movie. Definitely will be looking up this author again in the future.

This book is perfect to read over the summer. It’s a great summer camp slasher and i really enjoyed it.