Well, this book definitely hit the mark (with an arrow of course!) for campy horror. It takes place mostly at the closed down camp and has all the tropes for that kind of horror. You have groups of teenagers splitting up to try and contact someone, there is no signal for phones (except at the top of a very sketch lighthouse), and a person dressed up as the local legend Witch of Lost Lake hunting them all down with masterful precision and a very powerful bow and arrows. You also have Reagan and Olivia trying to find out the truth of what had happened 16 years ago because someone did a good job of messing with the evidence and pinning the blame on the wrong person (maybe). So it was a fast and easy read and though the romantic bits that started popping up were a bit annoying. Running for your life from a witch but also have a meetcute? Not needed. But still mostly fun to read and I must admit that the murderer or maybe more than one get what they deserve. A bit of a shocking ending but fitting.

Not a deep or complicated book but a good summer read, though you may want to make sure you have a strong signal on your cell if you are going to camp this year.

This story follows Olivia and Reagan, two teen girls that had their lives changed following the famous murder case at Camp Lost Lake - Olivia being born that night and Reagan’s mother being accused of the murder. Now that the camp is reopening, Olivia and Reagan are determined to find out what really happened that night.

I don’t know what it is about camps with sinister pasts, killers on the loose, and teens who make questionable decisions, but I am always drawn to these stories even if they are campy.

Valentine does a fantastic job of nailing the spine tingling atmosphere at Camp Lost Lake. While there some parts of the storyline are predictable, there were a few twists and turns that had me floored.

Oh, and that ending?! Whew. I wasn’t ready.

3.75 stars

Man, this was definitely a ride.
In all honesty, I did not think I’d rate this book so high. While I was reading it, I thought I mostly had figured out what had actually happened, so my rating kept dropping, but boy was I WRONG. I was so convinced I knew who it was, but in classic thriller fashion, the book proved that I shouldn’t make judgements so easily, because without the full story, there’s no way I would’ve guessed the true events of that day at all, and what brought them all to that point. As far as the actual mystery portion of the book, I enjoyed it and thought it was well done.
But of course, there were some things that stopped me from rating this 5 stars.
The characters were good enough, I did care about them to a certain degree but I didn’t form any attachments to most of them, but it’s okay because that’s to be expected, what with the timeframe of this book. Everything happened pretty fast, so I don’t really have a problem with the fact that I didn’t have much as much time as I’d like with the characters themselves. But what I DID have a problem with was the romance.
I’m sorry but… ew? Usually, I love a good romance side plot, a ship for me to root for, but this time, I wasn’t really feeling it. It’s very out of character for me to say something like this because I usually feel like a story is missing that little something when I read something without even a hint of romance, because I’m so used to reading books with it, and I love it so much, but honestly? This book could’ve gone without. I couldn’t find it in myself to root for either of the ships. I just wasn’t feeling any chemistry. I can’t even say it was cute, because every time I had to read about it, I kind of wanted to vomit. I knocked off a whole star off my rating because of it. I really just didn’t like it.
So, that brings my rating down to 4 stars, so let me explain why I took off another .25 star from my rating.
Well, the ending. The book didn’t end as satisfyingly as I hoped it would. It was certainly interesting twist, but I would’ve preferred a neater ending that didn’t leave me with any questions about what happens next.
So, overall, this was a good, quick, interesting read. If that’s what you’re looking for, this is the book for you.

This was a fun, spooky summer campy book. I got hooked immediately and while it is more young adult.i did enjoy it a lot.

Thank you to @penguinteen for the gifted copy of this book!

★★★★

🏹 Review:
I read this in a matter of days. I was hooked from the very beginning. I had so many theories while reading because I trusted no one. It was difficult to trust even our main characters. I read this in two sittings and I was enthralled with the setting and the story so much. I wanted to figure out the twists so much. Some of my theories were correct in the end but that didn’t take away from the story. I loved the little snippet subplot of romance and found family. If you’re into slasher films or need a good thriller I highly recommend this one, it will have you on the edge of your seat until the very last page!

3.5 stars!

Did I guess all of the plot twists in this book? Yes. Did I know who the culprit was within 50 pages? Also yes. But was this a good, summery, fun time? Also yes!

I love myself a YA thriller and I thought this was a really fun read! I felt like the writing was solid, the summer vibes were perfect for this June read, and it read really fast - I finished the whole book in one sitting and about 2.5 hours.

I would definitely read more from Danielle Valentine and I plan on going back and reading her backlist whenever I need a palette cleanser!

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The nitty-gritty: Danielle Valentine’s latest will most likely be a hit with YA lovers, but for me it lacked depth and interesting characters. I’d call this one “slasher light,” so if you’re looking for something edgier, you might be disappointed as well.

I never would have picked up this book if it hadn’t been for the author, and now I sort of wish I hadn’t. Two Sides to Every Murder is a very confusing YA thriller that didn’t live up to Danielle Valentine’s Delicate Condition at all. There were some elements I enjoyed, but for the most part I can only recommend this to YA fans. I freely admit I’m usually leery of YA these days, so this review is coming from someone who doesn’t read a lot of it.

The story revolves around an old summer camp called Camp Lost Lake. Sixteen years ago, a series of shocking murders shut the camp down. A woman wearing a witch mask was caught on video tape killing two people with a bow and arrow, and a third person went missing and was never found. There was enough evidence to pin the murders on Lori Knight, but before she could be arrested, Lori took off and has been a fugitive ever since. Lori’s sixteen year old daughter Reagan doesn’t believe her mother could ever kill anyone, so she’s decided to go back to the camp and look for clues that might prove her innocence.

We also meet a girl named Olivia, who has just made the startling discovery that the man she thinks is her father, isn’t. Olivia knows she was born sixteen years ago at Camp Lost Lake, after the stress of the murders caused her mother to go into labor. Olivia knows all about the tales of the Witch of Lost Lake, and she knows a man named Jacob Knight was the witch’s first victim. Olivia thinks he may have been her real father, and she’s determined to go to the camp and find some kind of proof.

We also get flashbacks to June 13 2008, the night the murders took place, when a camper named Gia, a self-proclaimed gossip, saw the actual murders and caught them on tape. Unfortunately, Gia was also a victim of the Witch of Lost Lake, but she did manage to hide her camera before she was killed. The missing camera is the key to finding out the truth and the reason Olivia and Reagan have returned to the scene of the crime.

But the witch isn’t finished with her grim work. Someone is hunting the group of adults and teens who have arrived at Camp Lost Lake for the grand reopening, and Olivia and Reagan are in the killer’s crosshairs.

There are a ton of characters in Two Sides to Every Murder, and I had a tough time keeping them straight. Not only are there characters in both the past and present timelines to deal with, but some of them show up in both timelines. The story is mostly narrated in first person by Olivia and Reagan, with the chapters in the past written in third person. And Olivia’s and Reagan’s voices sounded exactly the same, unfortunately, so it was tough to keep their different stories straight. In the midst of so many characters, the author also throws in a bunch of complicated familial relationships. We know that Olivia suspects she has a different father, but there are many other questionable connections that are slowly revealed as the story progresses. Eventually all of this makes sense, especially when the killer is finally revealed, but there’s a lot of confusion before we get to that point.

But it’s not all bad. My favorite parts of the story happen in the present, as Olivia, Reagan and their friends are trying to stay one step ahead of the killer, who is literally hunting them with a bow and arrow. As far as thrillers go, Valentine has a firm grasp on what makes an exciting scene, and I found these chapters thrilling and tense. And if you’re the kind of reader who doesn’t like a lot of blood and gore, you might enjoy this a lot. I mean, how much damage can a bow and arrow really do? It’s all pretty mild as far as violence goes, so obviously the author was catering to a younger audience.

The reveal at the end, though, felt a little anticlimactic to me, and honestly, the killer’s motivation to kill didn’t really make sense. The author includes a final chapter with a strange twist that had me shaking my head, so yeah, I wasn’t a fan of the ending.

I think from now on I’ll stick to the author’s adult books and chock this one up to “tried it but it didn’t work for me.”

With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Disclaimer: My entire review is based on an advance reader copy of this book. I am sure many of the aspects I will refer to have been changed before the final publication.

I really loved How to Solve Your Own Murder and found it to be an underrated gem, so I expected Danielle Valentine’s latest to be the same. However, I was disappointed in many ways.

Two Sides to Every Murder has some seriously brilliant plot points, but they are overshadowed by lots of confusion. I could not keep most of the characters straight for about 90% of the book. Part of this is on purpose, to disguise relationships, but I would not be able to clearly explain who everyone is, and this held me back greatly from enjoying the story.

The ARC that I read is filled with typographical errors. I suppose a few are to be expected, but this was the roughest shape I’ve ever read. Aside from that, I am unclear if the author was still working on flow. There were a few random police files interspersed throughout, with no context given for how or even if the characters read them. They were helpful for the reader, but I never knew how they fit into the story.

Aside from its flaws, the shining aspect of Two Sides to Every Murder is its storyline. Near the end (not the very end) was one particularly good twist.

Although I don’t plan to read the final version of this book, I am sure it is much better than the one I read, and I would recommend it to fellow readers as an enjoyable summer mystery.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for this ARC.

Absolutely love this author!!!!

This book had me on the edge of my seat and was just awesome!!

The only thing I didn't like was the end was too much of a cliffhanger but I will still read anything this without writes!!!
Loved this book!!!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

This book is definitely perfect for slasher movie lovers, especially when it takes place a mostly abandoned campground! There were plenty of twists and an intricately webbed plot line. However this one did not pull me in the way
"How To Survive Your Murder Did". I had a harder time keeping up with what character was who, as all of their relationships to one another were complicated! However, it was still a really good and fast read for me and would definitely recommend!

The PERFECT summertime thriller. I had a blast reading it.
The twists were so wild! Amazing!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review

"Two Sides to Every Murder" is another fun read by Danielle Valentine. Firmly rooted in the YA genre, this one provides plenty of twists and turns for readers to enjoy.

If you are a fan of slashers with a camp setting, this is a good one to pick up for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if I one day hear this will become a movie.

I was a fan of the Dual POV as well as the flashbacks included, but there were moments that felt a bit predictable as well.

Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Valentine, and G. P. Putnam's Sons for gifting me this ARC. I will still be looking forward to Danielle Valentine's next book!

"two sides to every murder" is the ideal thriller for a younger teen audience. this likely would have been a five star, had i read this when i was in that age range. another thing that lowered my rating is the timeline switches from olivia and reagan. it was, at times, difficult to discern whose voice we were listening to. "two sides to every murder" is set in one of my favorite environments for horror and thrillers-- summer camp! to me, it totally gave me fear street 1978 vibes. if you are looking for a campy, silly summer teen slasher, this is right up your alley. i had a great time.

Thank you to Danielle Valentine, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this one. It was fast-paced. It kept me guessing. I kept thinking I knew who did what, but I was wrong. I really love books like that.

There was a quote in this book that really spoke to me, and I will always remember it. It was:

“She said that even strong people need to fall apart. And if you go too long without letting yourself do that, your body’s going to do it for you. We’re not made of stone.”

I think it is important that not only myself but others remember that.

Twisty turvy right to the end, with complicated characters and an interesting setting. A great read for anyone who loves complicated YA mysteries.

I don’t normally read suspenseful crime books but this one was easy to read and kept me hooked. Geared toward young adults.

I loved the dual POVs and the flashbacks. The flashbacks really helped the storyline. The setting was eerie and I even got the chills reading about the Witch of Camp Lost Lake. Some of the plot was predictable but not all. The ending was 🤯.

Giving this a 3.5 ⭐️ rating … 3 felt too low, but I don’t know if I felt it was a full 4.
Taking me back to my favorite 80’s vibe slasher film, except this time we are returning to the scene of the crimes to see if we can recover any evidence to clear the name of the current assumed killer (who’s on the run). I expected this to be a grand-slam, 5-star read for me, but there were parts I struggled with, but other readers may not. This story follows Olivia and Reagan, two teen girls that had their lives changed following the famous murder case at Camp Lost Lake - Olivia being born that night and Reagan’s mother being accused of the murder. We find out that the camp is reopening and Olivia and Reagan are determined to find out what really happened that night, both for their own separate reasons. LOVED the multiple POV, I like seeing a scene from multiple vantage points. I was having a super hard time keeping track of the characters however. I was also having trouble keeping track of the timelines … we switch from current camp, to past camp (to relive the actual events), but it isn’t clearly labeled in the chapter heading. There are some FANTASTIC twists and reveal’s … some were like “oh yeah, that makes sense” and some were like “ Whoa! No way” …. There are a few romance bits thrown in that didn’t need to be, but it’s a YA so I guess I should have expected that. It the ending … what the crap?

“‘Gotta make this look right’ she says. ‘Everyone knows the Witch of Lost Lake uses a bow and arrow.’”

Olivia, the baby born during the Camp Lost Lake Murders, and Reagan, daughter of the accused Witch of Lost Lake, are two teens living wildly different lives with no idea of their connection. One untold story, however, ties them both together: what really happened at Camp Lost Lake. When Olivia finds out her parents aren’t who they seem, she lands herself in the middle of a murder case as she returns to Camp Lost Lake. There, she finds Raegan who is on the hunt to clear her mother’s name after finding out she was framed for the triple homicide at the camp sixteen years ago. Strangers soon become friends as the Witch of Lost Lake returns and begins hunting them and their best friends, Jack and Hazel. As the murder unfurls, so do secrets, and the girls must trust each other to find out the truth.

Danielle Valentine’s Two Sides to Every Murder was everything I expected and more. Although she switched narratives constantly, the plot was easy to follow and exciting to read. I often find that the beginning of murder mysteries tend to drag for a while before the action and surprises start, but the details in Two Sides to Every Murder were juicy from the start. The various perspectives and flashbacks were helpful when trying to formulate my own theories and opinions, and Valentine gave us just enough clues to evoke thoughts but also keep the reader guessing. Some of the characters may have been introduced too quickly and were a bit too mature for sixteen-year-olds, but the initial confusion wore off as the story progressed. The layout of the camp was also a bit difficult to grasp, but I learned to ignore the details and create my own mental image, one that made sense for me. I enjoyed the summer slasher feeling of the story, but also the subtle, yet present, queer and female representation as the connection between Hazel and Reagan bloomed. All of the characters were interesting, but, for me, Hazel takes the cake as the most exciting, mostly due to her unique background and funny quips about bread. Being a predominantly female story, the inclusion of Jack as the only main male character was a great way to establish a love interest for Olivia without taking away from her character or the plot. I truly wasn’t expecting the amount of plot twists, and I am excited to see where Valentine takes us after the jaw-dropping ending. Two Sides to Every Murder is a typical camp slasher with relatable characters that will keep you guessing until the very last word. A summer 2024 must-read!

“Maybe there isn’t any way to know what’s right and what’s wrong. Maybe you just have to follow your gut.”

This was such a fun, summery, young adult murder mystery, with a camp setting and Parent Trap nostalgia to boot.

Prior to this, I’d only read Danielle’s adult novel, Delicate Condition (which was dark as hell and I adored). They couldn’t be more different but are both so good! It’s amazing when an author is talented enough to switch it up like that.

If you’re looking for a page-turning YA beach read for the holiday weekend, go grab this one.

Two Sides to Every Murder is a twisty young adult thriller set at a former summer camp in upstate New York. 16 years ago, 3 murders took place at a small summer camp and the town has never been the same. But now the camp is set to reopen and a set of events triggers the end of the mystery. Two young women know their lives were completely changed after what happened that night and both have set out on a collision course to find out the truth.

This book is told from two viewpoints—Olivia and Reagan. The beginning of the story was obviously trying to set up their background stories but it became a little confusing at times because of the similarities in their stories and the overlapping characters. I almost wish the author had told me all of one girl’s background and then all of another’s and then sent me into the present day story. Once I got into the current camp situation, I was hooked! I enjoyed the twists and turns. I would read more by this author and I know I would have loved books like this when I was young.