Having enjoyed the author's previous novel ( it was 5 stars for me,) I was looking forward to reading her latest -- Two Sides to Every Murder. Unfortunately, it missed the mark for me.

I got confused with the characters. They just were not developed enough to differentiate one from another. And the changing timelines didn't help as they seemed to crossover randomly.

The plot is the typical whodunit. And while I do enjoy a good whodunit, Two Sides didn't grab me and take me away. I seem to think that the confusion with the characters and timelines took away any suspense the novel may have had.

Needless to say, I had to move on rather than struggle to continue. A one star DNF at 39%

I received a DRC from Penguin Group through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was so, so good. I could hardly put it down, and the way information was revealed, the way the twists shocked me, was just so brilliant!

Olivia is heading to check out the Lost Lake Campground, but little does she know, she's going to find a lot more than a campsite. Reagan and her friend Jack are also heading there to see if they can find anything to prove that her mom, Lori Knight, was innocent in the murders that happened there 16 years ago.

Olivia and Sawyer find themselves in the woods, running from the Witch of Lost Lake, and they run into none other than Reagan and Jack. Both girls are shocked, and then terrified as an arrow goes through Sawyer.

A perfect blend of murder mystery and summer camp horror, this book was fantastic!

The book is about Olivia and Reagan who are looking for answers as to what happened at Camp Lost Lake years ago which involved their families. The book is dual pov, so you get to read from both their perspectives and learn their every thought while they discover what truly happened that night at the camp.
This was a really great mystery book. Whenever I read mystery books I like to try to take all the small hints and try to piece them together to try and figure out the bigger picture. There were many twists and turns I did not see coming which I like because it was not as predictable for some portions of the story. The story is fast paced and can be read in one sitting. Overall I enjoyed reading this and would recommend to anyone who likes mystery books. Will definitely be checking out other books by Danielle Valentine.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Ended up receiving a physical copy of the book. This book is one I read through on a weekend and enjoyed every minute of it. It took me back to the cheesy 80's Friday Fright Night movie nights at home. It is a great summer campy summer thriller. I will be recommending this to all my friends.

I still can't believe this is the same author who wrote "delicate condition" (which I loved).

Facebook feels like a young adult version of Camp Crystal lake, in both good and bad way. The storyline was pretty predictable, twins separated at birth, but which one was the mom, it was obvious. who was the killer, it was obvious. who was sleeping with you, it was obvious..

I will say, for a ya novel, I enjoyed the characters and the description text of the campsite and the growth of the characters. It was the perfect amount of scary camp and bad guy chasing you for the ya world.

That ending though.. I hate when books and like that, like a cliff hanger but in a totally unnecessary way. If you've ever read Natasha Preston book you know what I mean.

I'm giving this a generous three star because I feel like I've read this book a few other times by a few other authors, and seen the movie. But I am glad I read it so that's why it wasn't a two.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Did I stay up till 2am trying to finish this book because the last 100 pages were absolutely fire. And the twist at the end hand me gasping. New auto read author for me if Danielle writes it I’m going to read it because the way she writes has me in a choke hold.

This book is full of twists and turns. I really felt like I was in the woods running from the witch of camp Lost lake. There's lots of mystery involved in the night of the murders. The deeper you dive the more the crazy story begins to unravel. Couldn't put this down

Olivia has always known the story of the night she was born. She was born during the Camp Lost Lake murders of 2008. After taking a paternity test for a school project, she starts to question the whole birth. As she digs deeper, she discovers there is more about that night than she was being told. Reagan’s mother has been on the run since the murders since she was the suspected killer. She is tired of running and just wants a normal life. She wants to prove her mother’s innocence and clear her name. Someone won’t let the girls uncover these secrets and anything to do with the night of the murders. Olivia and Reagan need to uncover the truth of what really happened that night.

I thought this book was good. I enjoyed the suspense and was kept guessing until the end. That ending was so crazy! I definitely did not see it coming. I liked the dual POV's from both girls and enjoyed how their lives intertwined. I liked the summer camp aspect. I wanted to get deeper into the lives of the characters and I wanted to hear more of their back stories. Overall, I thought this was a good thriller/mystery and it kept me going until the end. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you NetGalley and Danielle Valentine for the ARC!! I loved how fast paced it was and how I could NOT put it down!! I was gripped the whole way through! The ending was a little predictable but it didn’t take away from the journey to get there!! Thoroughly enjoyed!!

I couldn’t put this down because I wanted to find out what happened, but that doesn’t mean I fully enjoyed it. I didn’t love the ending or some of the plot lines. The ending felt so random and like an easy exit. I’m not the target audience for this book, so that’s likely one of the reasons I didn’t enjoy it as much as others might. Some of the things that happened were just so… unbelievable.

The Parent Trap x Friday the 13th

In summary, this mystery thriller proved to be a highly enjoyable read. Its fast-paced nature allowed me to complete it within a mere two days. While the story and characters were intriguing, I found myself wanting more depth and development. The rapid progression of events, while adding to the suspense, left little time for contemplation and survival took precedence. Additionally, the plot twists were somewhat predictable. For those seeking a swift and engaging read, I would recommend this selection.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. all opinions are my own.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it! I'd recommend it. I am a lover of thrillers and this one just took me on a ride. I loved everything about it. I couldn't stop flipping pages. Valentine pulls you into the story and it feels like you hold your breath until the very end. A great read!

Thank you @penguinteen #partner for the gifted eARC copy of this book!

📖 What it’s about:
One teen returns to the scene of the “Camp Lost Lake Murders” to dig into her family history. Olivia, was born at the camp 17 years prior while the murders were taking place! 😱 When she discovers her father isn’t really her blood related father she wants to poke around to see what details she can unearth about that fateful night. She meets Reagan, another teen, who has been in hiding ever since those murders happened all those year ago. Why you ask? Well her mother was blamed for being the murderer however Reagan never believed that was really the case. These two young women will find the shocking answers to their questions as they hunt for the truth!

💭Thoughts:
This one is a first by this author but I most certainly have seen her How To Survive Your Murder book floating around and so when I saw this one I jumped at the chance to read it. This is the epitome of a young adult thriller. Camp ✔️ Murders ✔️ A frantic run through the woods ✔️ And a mystery to uncover ✔️ I literally devoured this one in one sitting! I am telling you had I had this book when I was younger I would have eaten this one up! Some of the story was a little predictable but so much of it wasn’t! I loved the in depth twists and turns! Of course my favorite part is the summer camp setting. There is just something about camp that makes it that much more terrifying! If you’re a fan of young adult thrillers this is the perfect one for summer!

I think that this was a very intense and drama-filled novel. The more that I read, the more investing I was to finish the reading especially once the plot thickened. Trying to understand why the two main characters were split in the first place, who the real parents were, and who was the killer if not the witch that was so heavily spoken about in the book. To say that it was a witch that was killing made the camp all the more the rave to go to because people always make scary stories.
This the perfect highlight of the summer read because it was easy to want more information about the characters once you were introduced to them. I love the author, her style of writing is very detailed and grabs the attention of the reader all the while of keeping the attention as going through the book while keeping the plot still hot especially down to the end.

I gave this book a 4.5. I recommend this for someone who is looking to read something like serial killer camp vibes.

This was a really good book! I loved being able to see behind the scenes of Camp Lost Lake, as the killer who haunted the camp is back again. It was a really interesting story!

I’m a sucker for a summer camp slasher, what can I say. This book was fast paced and had some fun humor and more than one jaw dropping twist. And the very end is a real shocker. There was a lot to like about this book.

That being said, nothing about this book is particularly exceptional. It’s your average YA thriller with teen attitude and queer love. Nothing really sets this story apart from any other story like it, and it’ll end up blending into all of the other similar books in my memory.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I love YA thrillers and horror, so this was definitely up my alley. I recommend it to fans of the genre.

Bookstagram Review Coming Soon!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the gifted eARC!

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

That ending!! Man was I not expecting that. Just when I thought I knew what had happened and who had done it, new information would come out and I would completely change my theory!

This was a very fasted paced book and I had a hard time putting it down! I read it in basically 1 sitting! it is dual POV with flash backs to the past every so often. You find out what happens by putting the information given both in the present and past.

I highly recommend this for thriller/ mystery lovers!

This was a quick and fun read! I loved the dual POV from both Olivia and Reagan! There were some plot surprises that I was able to figure out before the big reveal but that did not make the book any less enjoyable. The pacing was probably my favorite part! When it comes to many YA Thrillers, I find the pacing is just a little to slow for me, but this kept me hooked all the way to the very end!

Thank you Net Galley and publishers for letting me read this arc in return for an honest review.

Overall this mystery thriller was very enjoyable. It was such a quick read that I finished it in two days. I liked the story and the characters, but I felt like I wanted more. Of what, I'm not sure. The story picked up really fast and didn't stop. It was almost too fast-paced but I guess that added to the suspense of the events that happened all in a day. No time to think, just get help and survive. It was kinda predictable too so I wasn't all that shocked at any of the plot twists. I would recommend if you wanted something fast to read.

Reading Two Sides to Every Murder is like watching a B grade slasher film from the 80s without the risqué business, if that makes sense. A camp, reopening after being closed for several years due to a series of murders? Check. Unusual things happening when the counselors arrive to setup before the kiddos get there? Check. The story is a lot of campy fun (ba dum tss)..

The characters are solid. The setting is lush. The plot, though, relies a bit heavily on coinincidences, both in the past and the present. For me, that wasn't a problem. Sometimes those old 80s slashers didn't have a real plot or explain who the heck the killer was and why he was killing people. Sometimes the conclusions were so convoluted they left the viewer's head spinning. And I ate those up in junior high like they were candy. This is like those films. If you're expecting something more on par with the first Scream film, you might look elsewhere. The ending of Two Sides to Every Murder is a fever dream of reveals.

In my opinion, in a good way. I was entertained, which is what I look for in a book. The pacing is fast and, while I guessed some of the huge plot points early on, I still had a lot of fun figuring the rest out. I'm giving this book 4 stars. Honestly, this is more of a 3 1/2 star read, but rounding down to three stars when I had such a great time reading the book seemed wrong. I will end by saying I really enjoy this author and will be on the lookout for her next YA thriller/mystery/horror tale.