Camp Lost Lake is reopening, drawing Olivia and Reagan there. It was the site of some horrifying murders seventeen years ago, murders Olivia was born during and which Reagan’s mother was believed to have committed. But there are secrets threatening to come to light, and a murderer who would do anything to stop that.

This is a really good book, super gripping and scary. The murderer operates a bow and arrow, and seems to be anywhere at any time, really putting the characters in true and terrifying danger. The mystery is highly suspenseful, with twists and turns, and the ending is definitely one that will stick with you. I would definitely recommend this book.

Two sides to every murder ✨
Many thanks to Penguin Teen for the arc copy. I loved How to Survive your Murder so I hit “request” so fast for this one and was not disappointed. This was a great little binge worthy, popcorn, campy thriller/slasher novel. I can just picture this as a movie. Told in dual pov and set at Camp Lost Lake 17 years later we have one girl who is trying to clear her mother’s name after being wrongfully accused of the original murders and one girl who has questions regarding her parentage. The creepy setting and the mystery surrounding the camp have been the campfire stories told about the witch responsible for the murders which gave it an extra creepy vibe. This was YA but well written an enjoyable and I couldn’t put it down. While some of it was a bit predictable it was extra twisty as is the nature of Danielle Valentine’s stories. 4.5 ⭐️

I recently read How to Survive Your Murder by this author and completely adored it, so I was excited to pick this one up.

Olivia and Reagan both need to know what happened on the night of the Camp Lost Lake murders. Olivia because she is now questioning what she thought she knew about her family, and Reagan because her mom is the one who was accused and fled authorities, even though Reagan knows she’s innocent. The camp is about to reopen, with Olivia’s older sister running the clean up crew, so both girls look at this as an opportunity to find out what they need to know. But when someone turns up dead, finding the truth is secondary to surviving the day.

Summer camp slasher vibes always get a 10/10 from me, and Valentine did that well. I thought it was interesting that part of the book takes place during the day, kind of a change from what I expected from a camp horror novel.

I also like the nonlinear timeline and the shifting POV. Those are two writing mechanics that work for me in general, and it was the same here. Readers are able to take pieces of the past to combine with the present to try to figure out the mystery along with our main characters.

This is a solid YA horror novel. Definitely recommend if you’re interested in that genre or a fan of slasher movies.

Campy and dramatic, Two Sides to Every Murder delivered a fun, twisted, and slightly-OTT Slasher-inspired Summer Teen Scream. We're talking a secluded forest and archery!

While not perfect, I found it to be highly-entertaining. It did its job. When I put on my Teenage Megs hat and thought about it, I knew: I would have loved this as a teen. As an Adult, who's still a fan of the Teen Scream, I appreciate everything this author brought to the page.

This story revolves around two main characters, Reagan and Olivia, who end up both returning to the defunct summer camp, Camp Lost Lake, that shaped both of their lives after a series of brutal murders occurred at the camp.

Olivia was actually born on the night of the murders at the camp. Crazy, right? But it's true. Her mother was on the grounds, an employee of the camp, and whether it was the stress or just nature's way, she went into labor and gave birth as the heinous crimes were occurring. Due to that, the crimes and the camp are never far from Olivia's mind. Now the camp is going to be reopened, and Olivia heads there as a volunteer to help clean things up and get the place ready for its new iteration.

In the midst of all this, Olivia has just been delivered some shocking news. She's found out, thanks to some genetic testing, that her Dad isn't really her biological father. She's hoping once she gets to the camp, she can search for answers about who her bio-dad actually is.

Then we have Reagan, who has been on the run with her Mom all her life. Her Mom was suspected to be the Lost Lake Killer, but Reagan knows that isn't true. Nevertheless, they have to live under the radar and Reagan has never truly felt settled. Determined to clear her Mom's name, Reagan decides to return to Camp Lost Lake, along with her best friend, Jack, to search for evidence that could help determine who the real killer is.

We also get some sections from the past that take us through the events of the night of the original murders at Camp Lost Lake. Eventually, as you would expected, everything comes together, quite nicely IMO.

From the very start this was giving me all the Summer Camp vibes I wanted. I could picture this abandoned campground that they're trying to bring back to life. Deep in the woods and cut off from prying eyes. In the beginning, I did find the back and forth between Olivia and Reagan's perspectives a little confusing. They're a lot alike and of the same age, so their narrative voice was fairly similar. Once those two characters come into contact with one another though, that problem disappeared.

With Olivia's parentage questions, and a killer on the loose stalking through this woods, this was very The Parent Trap meets Friday the 13th and I was all about those vibes. I was surprised, like this did go Slasher. It felt like a Slasher, there were Slasher scenes, I could picture it as a movie. It was so engaging and fun.

I was also laughing, because let's be honest, it's campy, in a Campy Horror way, so you have attractive teen characters lusting over each other, even while trying to escape the clutches of a masked killer. I love how the teens were in this abandoned, secluded location, literally with a killer on the loose and at times, you couldn't feel any sense of urgency. Hahahaha -- it's all, who is gonna hook up with who, who is kissing who, whose feelings are getting hurt -- like can we play the Match Game later!? After we survive this!?

I know some more mature Readers perhaps would be annoyed by this, but I was all about the character drama, and let's be honest, when I was 16, if there was a new attractive teen in my orbit, I would've be trying to put myself in the best possible light as well. Teens gonna teen. Silliness aside, we did get a 'why' and it was a solid one. I actually wasn't really expecting that serious of a why this was all happening. It was a delightful surprise. It made sense and I really enjoyed how it all played out at the end. It was tense, exciting and even included a eyebrow-raising double twist!!! I would recommend this to YA Thriller/Horror Readers, particularly if you enjoy Campy, or Slasher vibes.

Thank you to the publisher, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm looking forward to more from this author.

2.5 stars! (Rounding up to 3)

This book definitely screams YA and I'm not sure if I mean well. One thing I didn't like too much about this book was how predictable it was. The setting was giving a summer camp horror like RL Stein's Fear Street 1978, but the execution wasn't all too great. I wish I didn't guess some of the twists but it was okay for the most part.

I almost gave this book higher than 3 stars actually, but the ending???? That cliffhanger? Like I know what the author was trying to do with Andie's story but it seemed unnecessary. Like, if this is meant to be a continuation, cool, but this is a standalone... right? I did also like the dual POVs and the easy readability, but there were some times where the multiple perspectives was a bit confusing.

All in all, for fans of Holly Jackson, this book can be for you!

Thank you, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Fun, twisty and creepy mystery/thriller. Not just a sleep away camp slasher story as questions of familial relations abound in addition to the whodunit portion of the story. Recommended for fans of YA thrillers and mysteries.

Big thank you to the advanced copy I received from Penguin and Netgalley!

Fans of Karen McManus and Holly Jackson can jot Danielle Valentine as another author to auto-buy because holy... heaven.

If you think you know where this is going, you genuinely don't because the plot twists gave more than I was bargaining for. With breath stealing scenes and characters who have amazing depth, Valentine delivers a YA thriller that I devoured in one sitting. Olivia and Reagan POVs plus flashbacks weave this story together in a way that really delivers on the thriller/horror front. I was excited for this book, but it delivered beyond what I was expecting.

A must read and I cannot wait to see what else this author cooks up!

i know this review is a little late considering the book came out 4 days ago but i have really been STRUGGLING (capital S of course) to get through it.

from the start, i was pretty intrigued with the premise and characters because they all had motives that made sense, and going into it i could understand what i (thought) we were setting up to do. But then the thriller picks up at %30 and i felt blind-sighted but in a way, i kind of liked it because irl things are sudden like that but at the same time i was just like ???

as the book went on i started to like the characters less and less not only because of the choices they were making but the dialogue was really juvenile so instead of thinking as the characters at 16 (which is the age they're supposed to be) i kept picturing 13 year olds because everything about this screamed middle school...

that's not even mentioning how everything was basically spelled out for us from the start and though i will admit that i was not expecting the plot twist, i was expecting the parent trap-like situation that was going on after the FMCs found each other and i love how everyone just glossed over that.

this whole book feels like a first draft, between the wattpad writing and the amount of slasher tropes thrown in, feels like maybe we shouldn't do this again...ever.















like....never.

Thank you Penguin Teen for an eARC of this book.

It was a wild ride... like really wild.

Tropes: Separated at Birth, Redemption ARC, Summer Camp, Small Town

This also had a cliffhanger which makes me intrigued...

I really enjoyed this- and I mean who doesn't love a story set at a summer camp at a lake- its a traditional horror/thriller story. The twists were great, I definitely did not see like two of them coming and the second half of the story had me on the edge of my seat.

The Lake Witch has been a legend because years ago she murdered three people right before the camp was supposed to open for the summer. Now they are cleaning out the camp to try and re-open it, but the Lake Witch as returned.

<spoiler>The twins separated at birth was wild, and who their mom is- that was something that I was not expecting. Also Matthew at the end-what on earth is happening. I kind of hope there's a second book... </spoiler>

3.5 stars

There have been murders at a summer camp and for some reason people are now back at camp and dying again? Count me in every time. This is a short, snappy YA thriller that follows two main characters, Olivia and Reagan, and includes two timelines--2008, when the original murders took place, and present day.

Olivia's family has lived in the little town of Lost Lake for as long as they can remember, and have always worked at the camp. Olivia's mom, the camp director, gave birth to her on the night of the original murders, shocked into labor early by the bloody events. Reagan's mom was accused of the murders, and the two have been living on the run. Reagan has come to the camp in an attempt to exonerate her mom and find the real killer. But when more murders start up, the two meet and are forced to run for their lives together as they attempt to unmask the current killer and solve what happened in 2008.

This book is under 300 pages, so it's a fun, quick read. I did not guess who the killer was, so that's always fun! There were some elements that got convoluted or that I wish had been more fleshed out, though, and others that I thought took up a little too much page time (like the romantic subplots). The epilogue threw me for a loop but I can appreciate the slasher movie vibe of it. Overall, this was a fun time and would make a good pool or vacation read! Thanks to Penguin Teen and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is intriguing and moves along at a good pace. However, there is nothing about it that feels especially unique. It feels like mostly a mixture of things that you've read or seen in other stories of this type.

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine was such a fast paced and wild ride.
The mystery was a great one because you never see any of this coming.
A gripping book of suspense that had me gripping my Kindle.
The characters were relateable and I was immediately invested in them.
I was immediately drawn in by the characters in the setting.
The plot had some twists and turns that made the book exciting to read.

Thank You NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This book kept me on my toes with all the twists and turns that occurred. I was able to guess who the killer behind the camp lost lake was but the ending was really unexpected. I’m hoping there will be a sequel because I really do want to know what happens next.

This book was so camp (excuse the pun).

Valentine does such a great job combining horror stereotypes while also making us surprised with plot twists. I love the way she writes complex female characters in her writing, particularly young girls. I also love the fact the these characters keep going "we are in a horror film, movie, genre and shouldn't do the dumb thing" but then they do the dumb thing anyway because when you are stressed you are not thinking. 10/10 YA horror novel.

Summer camp mystery + Parent Trap vibes = count me in!

Two Sides to Every Murder was intriguing from page one. I read it in a single sitting! I just had to know what happened next. Quick, thrilling and fast paced. It hit all the high points of a great YA thriller.

As I was reading I thought the entire time that this should be made into a movie. The summer camp mystery is something that appeals to many whether its the nostalgia of it being done many times or just interesting in general.

Valentine did a great job with the dual timelines to enhance the story and not detract. It was done so well! Also she brought around a great group of characters that made you question everything.

While I did slowly guess some of the twists, I couldn't put all the pieces together. But that LAST TWIST at the end of the book, bravo!

Highly recommend if you love a good YA thriller! Will check out Valentine's other works!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for the eARC copy!!!

I Really enjoyed this summer camp slasher story reminiscent of the Friday the 13th movies but with mostly smart characters and mortal villians.

Though I thought some of the events that occurred seem a bit far fetched, it kind of just adds to the Jason vibes. I read this in one sitting on summer vacation and it was a great use of my solo time!

Big thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC!

Horror fan that I am, I couldn’t pass on the chance to read Danielle Valentine’s latest YA thriller. It had a lot going for it…creepy campground setting? Check! A classic slasher villain who has great aim with a bow and arrow? Check! A layered plot with decent twists? Check and check!

The trouble is, I correctly guessed EVERY SINGLE ONE of those twists. So, while this book had the makings of a total winner, the shock value just wasn’t there, which I definitely need in a thriller. Granted, this is a YA thriller and may be plenty shocking for younger readers!

I also had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit when it came to one of the main twists. Though, extra points to the author for giving the characters a chance to explain themselves. I appreciated the effort to tie up loose ends! Predictability aside, Two Sides to Every Murder was fun from start to finish and will check a lot of boxes for anyone who loves a good, old-fashioned slasher film.

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!!!

I really enjoyed this. I found the tone and the atmosphere of this book to be really well cultivated, and it definitely added to this sort of...stressed out feeling I had the whole time I was reading this, haha. I loved the mystery, and it was plotted so well with lots of twists that I genuinely did not guess/see coming--to be fair I was busy being stressed out, lol. I enjoyed the characters and I liked the narrative voice that this story had. Overall, really enjoyed it and I can definitely see this being really popular with our YA readers once we get our physical copies in!

What do you get when you take a bloody camp murder spree, conflicting evidence, and two girls determined to solve the mystery? This book! It's a bit of that horror you've come to expect from this genre mixed with some fine storytelling. There are clues dropped throughout the book that are so clear it is relatively easy to pin who you think the murderer was. However, the end has a nice resolution with some unexpected gems. It's a quick read once you get into it and so fun!