3/5 Stars
*ARC Review*


Two Sides to Every Murder is a fast paced thriller told from dual perspectives of Olivia and Reagan, two girls who both need answers about the Camp Lost Lake murders. Their separate investigations quickly become connected as another killer is on the loose in the present determined to keep the past hidden. With so much excitement and action, I found the book hard to put down.


Reagan and Olivia are two very distinctive and fascinating characters who play well off one another given their vast differences. Where Reagan is reckless and effortless, Olivia is careful and clumsy. It works well to instantly separate the two while also showing how their stubborn desire for the truth brings them together. I do wish we'd gotten more scenes with just the two of them instead of pushing their own romantic subplots as their connection seemed more important. Still, I enjoyed their dynamic and found myself rooting for them to make it out.


Unfortunately, the book suffers from trying to throw one too many plot twists in the mix. Up until the final killer reveal, I was on board for most of the surprises. After that point though, it felt like instead of tying up the loose ends, Valentine chose instead to set up a potential sequel which felt unearned and unnecessary. It also left more room for questions as the final explanation of everything that happened made no sense. I'll avoid spoilers until the book is released, but I'd love to talk over some of the details that don't make sense no matter how you try to explain them away.


Despite its far too twisty ending, Two Sides to Every Murder is a fun thriller with enough intrigue to keep anyone reading. I wouldn't put it in my top favorite books, but I think it's a nice light read for a thriller fan.

Very fast paced/exciting read, I knocked it put in a couple hours. There is just nothing like a good summer camp horror-there’s a good reason it’s a classic storyline trope. You have the old abandoned camp, which conjures up dust/spiders/hiding places, against the great outdoors with no hiding places and ripe for a chase scene through the trees. Always a good time! Throw in a green witch mask (I see you, Halloween 3 silver shamrock mask!) and it’s all the more creepy.

It was fun to try to figure out who the killer was, my first guess was correct. I did not figure out the secondary twist, but I liked how that particular murder turned out to be just an accident. THE ENDING SCENE? Ugh. I almost took it down a half star until I thought about it…it really does close the book out like a horror movie, that last second bombshell😆

Thanks to Danielle Valentine, can’t wait to pick up your next one! And to Penguin/GP Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for providing the advance readers copy.

This book was a 5/5 star read for me! Oh my goodness, it was so good! I was drawn in from page one and read it so quickly! I didn't want to put it down and flew through it. I loved everything about this book! It was well written, the plot was extremely intriguing and well thought it. There were so many plot twists and the ending was definitely a big one! The book ended on what I feel was a plot twist and I'm already hoping for a book two! There just aren't enough words to explain how much I fell in love with this book! Danielle Valentine will be an auto buy author for me now! I will be recommending this book forever!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early!
A solid 4.5/5 for me. I love a good YA thriller. Danielle Valentine knows how to do a good twist. I really liked the call back to Valentine’s other book “How to Survive Your Murder” with the mention of the podcast. The entire story was so fast paced and tense. I was on the edge of my seat! Perfect summer camp-but-not YA thriller.
Plot: Olivia was born on the night of murders that happened at her mom’s summer camp, Camp Lost Lake. The story is, Lori Knight, also known as The Witch of Lost Lake, was behind it and has been on the run ever since. Reagan happens to be the daughter of Lori Knight. When Reagan learns about her mom’s past from a true crime podcast “How to be a Final Girl”, she goes to the camp where it all happened to prove her mother is innocent. Olivia happens to be there the same day, reopening the camp after 16 years with her older sister, looking for answers to her own question: is she the daughter of the man killed those 16 years ago? Meanwhile, someone is dead set on keeping those answers a secret. Is the Witch of Lost Lake returning for more murder?

Thank NetGalley and Penguin Teen! This one of my favorite troupes to read so I’m happy to have the opportunity to do so with Two Sides to Every Murder. I loved the rapidly moving plot that had me reading faster and faster to see how it ended. Although some parts were predictable to me, it didn’t take away from the story. If you loved her previous books, then you will love this one

This was fine, it reminded me too much of her first book though or maybe horror just isn’t for me. I could see this being a B list slasher film but I just wasn’t really invested in the characters and with two POVs was hoping I’d at least care about one of them.

The killer was predictable and at the same time not that interesting or believable. Lots of plot holes as well. I was disappointed and had higher hopes. This may be my last book by this author.

Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own! An incredible thriller! Years ago Lori Knight killed her husband, her son, and a girl named Gia at Camp Lost Lake, and then she disappeared. Meanwhile the camp director was giving birth to her daughter in the parking lot. Now Olivia, the directors daughter, has just learned that the man she grew up with isn’t her father. Should she confront her parents? It was rumored that Jacob Knight, Lori’s husband, was cheating, was it with Olivia’s mom? When Reagan’s mom tells her that she was innocent of the murders, Reagan believes her. But Lori as resisted all of Reagan’s attempts to clear her name. When Andie, Oliva’s sister, decides to reopen the camp both girls will go looking for the answers they seek. But the two are in for a shock when they finally meet. Can Olivia find out who her father is? Can Reagan prove her moms innocence? Can the two girls trust each other? A story with so many over lapping mysteries it was impossible for me to but it down! I could figure pieces but not how they fit together and the who dunnit I did not see coming! Plus twists until the very end! With a hint of romance as well! A fast paced thriller that I couldn’t put down! Can’t wait to read it again!

4.5 rounded up. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book from an author that's quickly becoming a must read. I loved the story and it completely sucked me in from the beginning. I had a very hard time putting it down at all. I loved seeing all the pieces coming together as I was reading. I liked how the ending was tied up with little breadcrumbs along the way. It lost a half star due to the last chapter or more so the final few paragraphs for me. Left a little too much of a question for me when everything was tied up fairly well previously. Definitely my favorite of this authors so far and I will continue to read her books in the future.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review for this book. All I can say is... wow. This kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story. Although I did piece together one of the mysteries, the twists just kept coming. I'm a fan of Danielle Valentine's other books, but I think this is my new favorite. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a fun, twisty, edge of your seat thriller! (I've posted this to my Goodreads.com/SingleChord).

Who am I to resist the charm of a camp slasher mystery that reminisces the millennium version of Fear Street: Part Two - 1978, which is also based on "Friday the 13th!"

Grab your popcorn, find your most comfy spot, and enjoy this full, twisty page-turner that you may not consume in more than one sitting. Because as soon as you start, you won't want to stop until you reach the final chapter.

Multi-narrations take us back and forth between 2008 when the Camp Lost Lake murders occurred and the present time when two girls' paths are crossed to solve two unknown mysteries—Reagan and Olivia—who might have more in common than their thirst to reveal the secrets their mothers told them.

Olivia D'Angelis, the younger daughter of the family who owns Camp Lost Lake, where her mother gave birth in the middle of the camp massacre. She accidentally finds out from an ancestor's site that her biological father is someone else, and she decides to go to the place where everything started to fish out more information about her upbringing.

Reagan Eleanor is on the run with her mother when a podcaster starts digging out about the Camp Lost Lake massacre, and she finds out the terrifying witch of Lost Lake, who ran away from the crime scene after killing her husband and son, is her mother Lori Knight. But she cannot accept that this woman, who did everything to give her a proper living style, might be a killer. She yearns to get her old life back without running for her life, which means she needs to go to Camp Lost Lake to trace the evidence to find out who put the blame on her mother and exonerate her as it should be. But as soon as she walks into the camp land with Jack, her only friend she has harboring feelings for, she realizes there's someone in the camp copycatting the crimes the witch of Lost Lake committed. Could the person be the same killer or a partner?

She also feels like her mother kept more secrets from her as soon as she meets with Olivia. The girls' common plan turns into staying alive when a serial killer is on the loose. Could they achieve to find out the truth and bring long-time justice? First, they have to find a way to be the last girls!

This was a fast, engaging, one-sitting page-turner I truly enjoyed and graded with four stars, recommending slasher thriller/YA mystery fans!

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP- Penguin Young Readers Group/G. P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Contains spoilers!
4.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ two sides to every murder ha great slasher movie vibes. Going to an old summer camp to solve a 16 year old murder just to be hunted through the woods by the with of lost lake is wild!
The ending left me with questions but that’s ok.
Justice for Eric

Fun ya thriller that felt a lot like Holly Jackson’s works, the whole feel was excellent and I would def recommend. Thanks for the arc

This was so much fun. I love a quick, fast paced YA thriller. I especially liked the summer camp setting it reminded me of Riley Sager’s Last Time I Lied. This will be a great read for the summertime.

Well this story just jumps right out and grabs you! A family full of lies and betrayal and truths you just are sure can be a reality! All the twists and turns keep you glued to this story!! I finished this book in one sitting it was that good! Every time I thought I had enough clues that I had figured out who the witch was I was wrong!!! Then when all the peices finally fit and you think, ok that’s the story! BAM your hit in the face with the ending!!! My mouth hit the floor!! You just have to read this!!! Man what a trip!!! Thank you Netgalley for allowing me access to this eARC!! Truly enjoyed this one!!

Review
5⭐
TWO SIDES TO EVERY MURDER was full of so much suspense and mystery from Oliva and Reagan looking alike to Olivia's mother lying about her father, the murders and who did it, M. Edwards, where Matthew's body is, and  everything in between. When I tell you I was hooked, I was hooked...shocked and on the edge of my seat. TWO SIDES TO EVERY MURDER was twisty and eventful. It was gripping, thrilling, and a great story. I was enthralled and every chapter brought something new. I had to keep reading so I could get closer to finding out the truth, and, of course, knowing the thing Gia figured out.And the new conflict(someone running around with a bow and arrow 16 years later) was an added bonus for this enticing murder mystery, I was able to 'solve' after getting it wrong so many times, but I never seen that ending coming---it was the biggest twist of all.  If you haven't, add this to your 2024 TBR.

What I Liked About It:
*the twists
*guessing and guessing again because I was wrong
*the story of the witch

Karen M. McManus meets Holly Jackson in the YA thriller that must be on your reading list this summer.

I don't even know where to start because this was just *perfection* (visualize a chef’s kiss gesture while rereading the sentence).
I could lie and tell about the hundreds of times I've guessed who did what - I was very close, tho -, how the horror-like woods scenes were just too much to imagine or that the end is too similar to a cosmic justice to be genuine… but nothing would be true.

“Two Sides to Every Murder” is the story that’ll keep you holding your breath chapter after chapter, while adding new information to the imaginary board you'll have to build to contain all the knowledge you’ll end up having about the night when a witch came out of the woods to kill three innocent people at a lake summer camp.
If this isn't creepy enough, I don't know what is.

Thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

A good and quick read. I was not really surprised by any of the twists and turns, but the book itself was still entertaining.

Two Sides to Every Murder is the perfect example of what a YA thriller should be — cleverly written, full of twists, and fast-paced. Multiple narrations are a hard sell for me, but this is a case where it's done really well. Each perspective was tight and moved the overall story forward without revealing too much too quickly. That said, the pacing was so fast that at times I had to stop to remember how characters were related or what happened earlier in the story. Otherwise, this was a great read and I can't wait for what the author does next!

I forgot how much fun a YA thriller can be! Quick, thrilling and fast paced, this thriller had me guessing pretty much until the end! Did I suspect a few things and was correct? Yes! But did I have fun nonetheless and there were still twists I didn’t see coming?! Absolutely!!

Just like I said about Valentine’s, How to Survive your Murder, the slasher vibes of her books are EVERYTHING to someone (me) who’s favorite kind of scary movies are the 80s slasher-esque kind of movies. Not saying this has 80s vibes, but you know the kind of movies I’m talking about. The ones that are cheesy (for the most part) but have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The ones that are way more believable than the paranormal kind of scary movies.

The summer camp setting really helped to sell the vibes to me. I also really enjoyed the supporting cast and the kind of dual timeline we were getting!

Overall, this book helped solidify Valentine being on my auto-buy list for YA thrillers and a go to recommendation when spooky season rolls around!

P.S. Valentine, if you’re reading this.. I need to know about the ending 👀.

Something about this was very readable. Maybe it was the fast-paced nature or because it felt like every horror story about going to camp that you've heard but it was very engaging. I had a harder time remembering who was who and their relationship to one another because that got twisty.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.