A solid young adult thriller that makes for a great summerween read. I haven't read many thrillers in the young adult genre, so I'm not sure if I've outgrown the genre or if it depends from book to book. Sometimes it came off a little corny and unrealistic, at least enough to take me out of the story for a minute. I think it could've used a little more polishing for the overall story, and more showing, instead of telling. But I really liked the pacing and the timeline being just one day/night. While I enjoyed the fast pace, I think it ended up rushing some things. Only one romance got some development and it would've been nice to see the other one reach a similar point over the course of the story. Overall it had a lot of potential, I never fully guessed the final outcomes, but I could see the initial breadcrumbs up to that point looking back. Bonus points for the end twist!

This book has been an amazing read, and the thrilling aspects and plot twist was so unexpected.I have read Danielle other books before so I kind of thought I knew where it was going but I had no idea, the aspect of twins were fascinating and very surprising. Loved that they were identical twins who bestfriends were both in love with them, but they were in love with each other bestfriends.... lol if you read the book that sentence makes sense and I loved that aspect. It gave camp Crystal Lake and just when you thought you knew the plot twist... it through you for a loop and I loved that.

I tried several times to get into this book, but it was so hard. I finally gave up and could not finish it. I don't know if it was the flipping between characters or the jumping back and forth between present day and the past, but it was difficult to keep up. I really wanted to love this but couldn't get through it. DNF

Let me start off by saying this book was super out there... but I kinda loved it?

I felt like the whole plot was crazy, and it tied together super nicely but some points of the book it really made me think. I didnt understand why the book was telling us certain points of the book, and the small romance part sprinkled in really threw me for a loop. That was NOT important in that moment.

By the time the story was tied off in a bow, the ending really took you for another loop. I think it left off on such a good cliff hanger, one that probably won't be sloved, but it was a good way to end it for sure.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for a copy of Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine in exchange for a honest review!

Andie, Olivia’s sister, has decided to clean up the cabins at Camp Lost Lake, an infamous forest where Lori Knight murdered three people seventeen years ago. Andie gathers up a team of high schoolers to help, including Olivia. Reagan, the daughter of Lori Knight, also shows up; she is certain her mother didn’t commit those crimes, and she’s here to prove it. This fateful and dangerous night will reveal secrets long forgotten, and the truth about what happened seventeen years ago.

This book was alright; the plot twists weren’t very shocking, and it seemed a bit stereotypical. The romance also felt really displaced. Some things didn’t feel realistic either. It was a basic, simple, classic summer camp murder mystery. Not necessarily a bad thing, it just wasn’t the greatest thriller I’ve read.

This is probably one of the most fast-paced thrillers I have ever read. The majority of the book takes place during one day, and there was almost no filler, which was very enjoyable after my last read was almost all filler. The story was a tad stereotypical; you can probably guess the book's tropes after reading the synopsis. No cell service, a creepy forest with no way out, etc. These tropes aren’t bad but go in expecting to have seen/read something similar to this story. I also felt the romance could have been more appropriate; it wasn’t needed in my opinion. I don’t think anyone would focus on making out while trying to survive a crazy murderer or try to get together with someone, nonetheless a total, complete, stranger!

The plot twists weren’t very surprising; I didn’t predict most of the twists, but they didn’t exactly ‘wow’ me like you’d want a murder mystery to do. The twists weren’t very realistic to me either. [SPOILERS]- I find it hard to believe Officer Knight would simply kill her brother and an innocent teenager just because she was mad her nephew was having kids, and her brother wouldn’t be able to take care of their mom. I also don’t think Andie would accidentally murder Matthew and wait seventeen years to clear Lori’s name. In reality, all the plot twists don’t seem like they’d happen in real life, but these two especially stood out. The ending was also pretty weird; Matthew somehow survives that fall, and he just lives in the woods for seventeen years, killing innocent people who wander in the forest. I want an explanation, cause why would he do that? Why wouldn’t he want to see his family? Andie just standing there waiting to get murdered was odd to. Like, run girl!

I’d recommend this to someone who likes very fast-paced books with classic murder mystery tropes and doesn’t care much about a huge shocking twist.

Danielle Valentine wrote a novel that was hard to put down and full of plot twists that readers cannot see coming. Welcome to Camp Lost Lake, where the town experienced the most haunting tragedies. As readers get to know the characters, the storyline alternates from present day to the time before and during the murders. Furthermore, I appreciated being able to read from various characters’ perspectives. I read this book in two sittings, only because I had to get some rest. I highly recommend this book for readers that enjoy thrillers, horror, and mystery novels. My only regret is not savoring this book in the fall.

I loved this book. It was fun and fast paced. A few of the twists were a little far fetched but still made for an exciting book. It gave me The Parent Trap mixed with Friday the 13th vibes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!

Fast paced slasher YA thriller. It’s like ans 80’s slasher movie in a book! LOVE IT! This one kept me turning the pages well into the night. It was a one sitting read for me (that good)!

Thanks NetGalley, G.P. Putman's Son and Author Danielle Valentine for advanced copy for honest review

If you like the summer camp vibe this YA book is for you. We start off at Camp Lost Lake Re-opening. Re-opening you ask? Yes because seventeen years before a murder took place there. Was it the Witch of Lost Lake, to ghost story of sorts that still circulate around the neighboring towns? When trying to clear the name of her mother, Reagan knows there will be no fair trial as the locals have already made up their minds. She is determined to set her innocent mother free! 4 stars! Recommend

Oh wow. What a thriller of a book this was! So many stories come together and make this book an exciting, heart pounding thriller. This is a quick read, and I could not put it down. The mystery of the lost lake witch terrifies all who hear about it, but what if this campfire story is real? This is a must read this summer!

Valentine’s Two Sides to Every Murder is a campy murder/slasher type story. Sixteen years ago, the unthinkable happens at Camp Lost Lake when three people are murdered one tragic night. It looks cut and dried, but the suspect is nowhere to be found. All these years later the abandoned camp is being reopened and a group of kids from town have been hired to help clean it up. Olivia has a history with the camp, she was born there on that fateful night. She’s just found out some devastating news and she’s determined to find answers and she’s sure that the camp is the best place to start. Reagan also has ties to the camp as it’s her mom that is the suspected killer. Reagan is headed there to get answers of her own in hopes of exonerating her mother. Someone doesn’t want them at the camp and soon dead bodies start to show up in the woods. When the two girls meet up it’s like looking in a mirror and they soon realize there’s much more to the story of Camp Lost Lake, but with the Witch of Lost Lake terrorizing the camp, will they live long enough to find out the truth. This book is very much a YA read, which can go either way. This time it tips in the wrong direction for me. Character development was lacking and the plot had several holes in it. It definitely had potential, but in this case it didn’t quite deliver. Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Two Sides to Every Murder is such a fun and fast read. I loved Danielle Valentine’s other book, How to Survive Your Murder, so I knew this one had to be on my TBR. Two Sides to Every Murder is more grounded in reality and perfect for fans of teenage slasher flicks.

This book follows teenagers Olivia and Reagan as they head to Camp Lost Lake. Camp Lost Lake is finally reopening after being closed for seventeen years due to some grisly murders that occurred there. Both girls have connections to the camp, and they’ve both come looking for some answers.

Camp Lost Lake holds many secrets and someone doesn’t want those secrets to come to light. The Witch of Lost Lake returns and soon bodies start piling up. Olivia and Reagan will have to learn to trust one another if they hope to to keep their friends and themselves alive.

I loved the camp setting for this one. The woods cans be a scary place and the author uses that perfectly to create a sense of unease. I really enjoyed unraveling the mystery in this one. Two Sides to Every Murder was written in a way that made you want to keep turning those pages long into the night. I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next.

Sixteen years ago Miranda D’Angeli gave birth to Olivia in a secluded lighthouse at her local summer camp. This night soon began the town's local legend of the Witch of Lost Lake. On this fateful night Lori Knight wanted revenge and brutally murdered three people, one of them was her cheating husband, Jacob all while wearing a witches mask. Miranda barely escaped that night with her life and the life of her then newborn baby and no one has seen Lori since.
When Olivia takes a paternity test for a school assignment she discovers that she is not biologically her father’s daughter. Olivia decides to find out what truly happened the night she was born and who her real father is, but to do so she must return to Camp Lost Lake.
Reagan is also in search of answers….answers to prove once and for all her mother, Lori, is innocent. Reagan has recently discovered a podcast recounting the details from the night that her mother killed three people. But she knows something just doesn't add up: she must head to Camp Lost Lake to find the evidence she needs to clear her mother’s name. But all Reagan uncovers is more cryptic clues, which has brought the Witch of Lost Lake out of hiding. And this time the Witch is out for more blood.
Overall rating 4/5
Friday the 13th with an unpredictable ending. This book gives all the summer camp murder mayhem vibes and was so horrifically delicious. I loved Valentine’s tantalizing impression that everyone just might make it out of Camp Lost Lake alive. Her take on the classic cat and mouse game was intriguing and kept me hooked till the very end. I loved the multiple revelations which convoluted the story in an intriguing way.

*Thank you to Danielle Valentine, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

Another fast-paced thriller from Danielle Valentine that I'm sure the teens in my library will devour. She does a decent job of keeping the reader on their toes, with plenty of twists and turns that have you guessing who the real murderer up until the end. It also has her signature cliff-hanger ending that will keep you wondering what happens next.
I loved the first 80% of the book, but by the end there were a few too many loose threads to be neatly tied up, and some narrative points felt hastily resolved. That being said, I think your average teenager won't mind.

I was not expecting this book to go the way it went. I enjoyed going back in time with Allie to uncover the truth of that night in the corn maze! Allie learns new secrets about everyone as she goes back to figure out who murdered her sister. She wasn’t expecting everyone she thought she could trust to have a secret, and some secrets were why they ended up in this disaster.

While reading this book, I felt like I was going through the same emotions as Allie. I was shocked when each person connected to that night in the corn maze had a secret of their own. Some secrets were so shocking and almost unbelievable. I thought the character development in this book was well done. You got to know each person, and you slowly learned more as Allie put the pieces together. In some parts of the book, I did feel like it was dragged out and could have been shorter, but after finishing the book, it made sense why they were detailed and went over the most. In the end, it played out and brought you the full picture.

This book was a fun read, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys mystery thrillers and likes going on a journey as they read to figure out what is happening. Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book and give my honest opinion. Thank you, Danielle Valentine, for writing a well-detailed book! I enjoyed your writing, character development, and the plot of the story! I can't wait to read more of your books!

What a fun thriller ride. I really enjoyed this and recommend if you're a fan of Good Girls Guide to Murder, One of Us is Lying, The Inheritance Games, and others in that vein.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC copy gifted in exchange for my honest review.

Unraveling Secrets
Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. Life, however, got in the way, preventing me from finishing it in one sitting. Unlike Delicate Conditions, which I devoured all at once, this book took a bit longer. Despite that, it was a campy and fun read, worth every minute. I only wish it had been longer so I could spend more time with the characters.

The story begins with Olivia, who was born in the parking lot of Camp Lost Lake. After a school project reveals that her dad isn’t her biological father, she decides to work at the camp to uncover more about her true identity. Alongside her, her older sister Andie joins the search, leading to unexpected revelations about their family and themselves.

Meanwhile, Reagan, who has been on the run with her mother Lori for years, returns to Camp Lost Lake to clear her mother's name. Lori was believed to have committed the camp murders before disappearing.

As Olivia investigates openly, Reagan is forced to dig for answers in the shadows. The camp's eerie atmosphere is heightened by a new string of murders, putting the girls and their friends in a fight for survival. They uncover secrets about their pasts, facing the challenge of moving on from the dark history that threatens to upend their lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the girls and their friends piece together the mystery. However, I had a significant issue with the introduction of potential romantic relationships while the characters were literally running for their lives. It didn’t feel realistic. Despite this, the writing was clear and concise, making for an engaging read. The vivid descriptions made me feel as if I were sneaking around the woods myself, hearing footsteps and the whoosh of arrows hitting nearby targets.

Danielle Valentine remains an instant-buy author for me. While I liked Two Sides to Every Murder, I can only give it three stars. I loved Delicate Conditions and already own How to Survive Your Murder, which I plan to read by the end of 2024. I'm eagerly waiting to see what she comes up with next.

♡ Summer Camp
♡ Sapphic Romance
♡ Plot Twist Family Edition

This was more of a quick pace than I was expecting but it still gave a great mystery/thriller vibe. The plot twists along the way were foreshadowed nicely.

It was a fun read filled with plot twists, drama, and even a dash of romance mixed in there as well. Uncovering more and more of what really happened the night of the Lost Lake murders and both Olivia and Reagan learning a few new things about their family along the way.

It’s been 16 years since the gruesome murders at Camp Lost Lake. Most people think they know the truth about what happened that night, others blame The Witch, an old urban legend that haunts the woods at camp. Now, the camp is reopened, and the bodies soon start piling up. Is the killer back? Or worse, is it The Witch?

A summer camp, a creepy urban legend, a 16-year-old mystery. The entire setup for this book was right up my alley, and it did not disappoint. It’s like Friday the 13th meets Blair Witch Project, with a hint of Wrong Turn and a dash of Parent Trap.
We waste no time setting up the mystery and getting the action going at the summer camp, which for books like these where I want a fun, easy read, it is appreciated. We spend most of the story at Camp Lost Lake, which is a perfect, isolated backdrop for the unfolding events. The author does a great job of pacing the mystery, dropping us bits and pieces of what happened the night of the murders like a trail of breadcrumbs, making you want to turn the page.
For the most part, the characters are enjoyable enough to follow, especially the two main leads, Olivia and Regan. We understand their motivations for being there and we want to follow them along in their pursuit of answers. The side characters are nothing special, but they all play the roles they need to. It is a YA novel, so some of the dialogue is cringy, but for the most part, it is not too distracting and everyone is relatively likable. I will say, and this is just something I think I’ll have to get used to in modern media, but if a character says they “make cooking tutorial videos on TikTok” and with a straight face say they “want to be a food influencer” when they grow up, that character is going to lose some likability points in my book even if they are otherwise pretty cool.
The mystery itself ends up being a little predictable, and connecting all the dots at times felt a little confusing and convoluted. I felt like I needed a Pretty Little Liars-esq conspiracy board with a red string to follow along. But I appreciated the author leaning into the insanity and not taking herself too seriously.
Overall I give this book 4/5 stars. This felt like a love letter to the teenage slasher genre. You could tell the author had fun writing it, and I had a ton of fun reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP, and Danielle Valentine for an arc in exchange for an honest review!
Unfortunately I didn’t like this book. I don’t really know why but the whole book just fell super flat to me and it was definitely for younger readers (I know it is YA, I don’t mind reading YA, but this was distinctively for young readers).