While I liked How to Survive Your Murder a little better, this one was still a highly intriguing wild ride.
We start with this murder mystery. Camp counselor Gia North is at Camp Lost Lake. Why? We aren't sure since it doesn't open for another 2 weeks. She happens to see someone dressed in a witch's mask kill Jacob Knight with an arrow to the neck. That person then shoots an arrow at Gia and she dies. The murders are blamed on his wife Lori because he was allegedly cheating on her and she was seen fleeing the scene covered in blood among other evidence. Fast forward 16 years and we get Olivia's POV. She is the daughter of the camp director at the time, Miranda. Olivia's sister Andie is planning to revamp the camp. We also have Reagan's POV. She is Lori Knight's daughter. Reagan wants to clear her mom's name, so she decides to go to the camp on what happens to be the same day Andie's renovations start. Then, the Witch of Camp Lost Lake starts killing people again.
Of the 2 girls Olivia and Reagan, I think I liked Olivia better. Although Reagan was funnier and more sarcastic, she was also kind of snotty. Olivia was more of the "straight A's, home by curfew" type of person. I liked the different perspective they each brought to the story. There were a few important side characters. It was easy to remember who was who, we have Olivia's best friend Hazel, Reagan's best friend Jack, then the family members of both girls who were pretty important.
The plot was very fast moving and I felt myself really wanting to pick the book up and read all the time. There was always something terrifying happening and I always felt like I had to keep turning the page. For some reason, the timeline switch we get between Olivia and Reagan and then the day leading up to the original murders threw me off so bad for like half the book. I don't know what it was, but I really had to think about how the characters in the "before" were in the "present." I think it may have been because both Lori and Miranda had children that were teens when the murders happened and then different characters who were also teens in the present timeline. I don't why that confused me, but it really did for a good portion of the book. I did eventually get it through my head though!
I was able to guess a big plot twist and I kind of guessed who the killer was. It wasn't really a definite in my head, but I did suspect this person almost right away and while I did say to myself "oh it could also be this person" those people didn't really stick the way the first person did. It honestly didn't take anything away from the story because I didn't guess any of the details surrounding the twist or murderer, so it was still really fun to learn all of that stuff.
If you are looking for a really fun, quick popcorn thriller with a little bit of gore, look no further because this one will be perfect for you!

Rating: 3 stars!

This is a camp ground murder thriller. I think it just too me personally too long to get engaged in the book for it to be anything but a 3 star for me. The dual POVs, multiple reveals, plot twist, and multiple timelines had me keeping notes in my phone to keep the characters straight.

Overall the book was a super fast read (2 days!) and had a overall interesting plot line! Just try to keep track of all the characters and their relations to each other as you go and the story flies by.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Olivia finds out her father isn’t her real father so she is set on finding out answers at Camp Lost Lake. Reagan is set on proving her mother’s innocence relating to the murders that happened at Camp Lost Lake.

Even though I figured out most of the plot, I still was hooked by the story line. I was totally shocked by the last chapter.

Thank you to Danielle Valentine, Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Omg!! I absolutely loved How to Survive your Murder so I wanted to read this & I’m so glad I did. I read this in less than a day I couldn’t put it down. I was guessing all the way to the end. But how you gonna leave me like this…lol. Can’t wait to read more of your books!!!

Pretty predictable I think as far as thrillers go but I have to say it's super entertaining!!! Had me suspecting a bunch of people throughout.

I thought it was easy to follow and I liked the dual timelines + dual POVs.

"𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒘, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒂𝒊𝒎, 𝒂𝒕 𝑮𝒊𝒂’𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆."🎯🎯🎯

Special thanks to @penguinteen @daniellevalentinebooks and @netgalley for my #gifted eARC and paperback.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

MY REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, I love Danielle Valentine. She's become an auto-buy author of mine ever since I read her YA Horror How To Survive Your Murder. I immediately requested this one because I was hoping for another knockout like that one. This one was super good, but not AS good as HTSYM.

I loved the camp setting. It took me back to my years at YMCA day camp in the woods of Eastern Iowa. I LOVED archery, so this made it extra fun.
It's told in dual POVs, which i always love, and it definitely had me turning those pages. But it felt like it was missing a deeper thriller aspect. I just can't quite put my finger on what else I needed.

But let me tell you, the ending was jaw-dropping!

PUB DAY:
June 25, 2024

QOTD ❓️⁉️❓️ Have you ever been to camp? What was your favorite activity?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrilerlover #thrilleraddict #penguinteen #daniellevalentine #twosidestoeverymurder #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller #yathriller
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Thank you to @penguinteen and @netgalley for this e-arc copy. All thoughts are my own.


Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. Now, 17 years later she learns the man she thought was her dad isn’t and goes searching for answers.

Reagan’s mom was found guilty by the court of public opinion for the deaths at Camp Lost Lake and they’ve been in hiding. Reagan believes her mom’s innocence and is determined to clear her name.

With the camp finally reopening, maybe they can finally get answers.


This book was fun! I always love a good horror book and this one was horror-ish though it was labeled a thriller. This book grabbed my interest right from the start and it was a lot of fun. I really had no idea of who was who or what was what until the end. It reminded me of some other well-done thrillers, but this was YA. I got lost in the setting of being a secluded summer camp. Horror books and summer camps just seem to naturally go hand in hand in my mind. There wasn’t a ton of depth of really anything, but I didn’t care, I wasn’t here for character depth. I loved the plot. That is what I was here for, and the plot was great. The dual perspectives were a lot of fun and did help add a lot of contexts which also made up for the lack of depth. So, for the downfall, there were other things that held it together in a very nice way and this ended up being an enjoyable read.

If you are looking for a YA summertime camp slasher, then check this one out.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication! My review will appear on my blog on 5/28/24. I will also feature the review on Instagram that same day and post my review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, Fable, and retail sites.

Review:

I read Danielle Valentine's "How to Survive Your Murder" last October and loved it. It was totally out there, but it worked, so when I saw that "Two Sides to Every Murder" was available on NetGalley, I immediately requested it. I will admit that I initially thought it would be a sequel to "How to Survive..." and I was a little disappointed when I learned it wasn't. But when I read in the synopsis that it was a mashup of "Friday the 13th" (one of my favorite horror films) and "The Parent Trap" (also a fave - the 1960s version with Haley Mills, not the remake), I was excited all over again. Did it work? Mostly. Did I love it as much as "How to Survive..." no, but it was still a fun ride.

The novel follows Olivia and Reagan, two young women whose lives are intertwined by the tragic murders that took place at Camp Lost Lake sixteen years ago. Olivia's parents ran the camp, and her mother was so stressed by the events that she gave birth to Olivia that same night. Reagan's mother was also at the camp when the murders took place, and her father was one of the victims. When Reagan's mother was pegged as the killer, she went on the run, taking a newborn Reagan with her. Sixteen years later, Olivia's sister is set to reopen Camp Lost Lake as a wellness retreat, and the murders have been the topic of a popular podcast. After listening to the podcast, Reagan decides that she is going to clear her mother's name so they can stop running and sets off for the camp to find clues that may set her free.

But someone else is at the camp as well. Someone who has donned the black slicker and witch's mask worn by the original killer. Someone who is very adept with a bow and arrow. Someone who is going to make sure the truth of what happened that night never gets out, and they'll take down anyone who tries to get in their way.

The setting of Camp Lost Lake is vividly brought to life, with its eerie atmosphere and dark secrets lurking around every corner. Valentine does a fantastic job of creating a sense of unease and tension that permeates the novel. The dense forest, the abandoned cabins, and an imposing rainstorm all make an appearance - all standard tropes we slasher lovers expect - especially when the setting is a campground with a dark history.

The book alternates between Reagan's and Olivia's points of view with flashbacks to what really happened the night of the murders peppered in. Valentine's writing is engaging, and the chapters are short and to the point, which makes it easy to settle into and read in a single sitting. The pacing is excellent, with twists and turns that will keep even the most seasoned mystery lovers engaged.

As Olivia and Reagan dig deeper into the past, they uncover shocking revelations that challenge everything they thought they knew. The twists and turns are well-executed, and the resolution is satisfying, though not exactly surprising. I loved that Valentine didn't try to fluff this up with a lot of extraneous content - she got in, told the story, and got out. That said, I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened. I had pegged what was likely to happen pretty early on, mainly because all of the standard slasher tropes and setups were used. I was waiting for a twist that would turn the expected on its head, but sadly, that never came. I also wasn't a huge fan of the last chapter. On one hand, it fits with the slasher vibe, but it felt like it was lacking something. I didn't totally buy into it.

Overall, this is a quick, fun, easy read that checks all of the standard slasher checkboxes. There are some fun twists, and you can easily get through this one in a single sitting. That said, I was really hoping for an unexpected twist that, sadly, didn't come. In the end, it was just okay for me.

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.5 | 😘=2 | 🤬=2.5 | ⚔️=3.5 | 14+

summary: identical twins separated at birth (who don’t know they were separated at birth) both show up at the same creepy camp lake thing where a murder happened a while ago! and some spooky stuff happens while they are looking for evidence!! and a random sapphic subplot!!!!

thoughts: ups and downs!! there were some cool twists, but any character development was minimal, and the ending anti-denouement chapter (that thing where horror/thriller novels have a final chapter or epilogue with something jump-scary to, like, resolve the plot somehow as opposed to calming things down idk i just heard that term once in a video essay and it seemed relevant here!) didn’t work for me! the MCs really said “I guess we’ll never know” and then the audience does get to know in a dumb and not foreshadowed way, which is annoying. however! many of the aforementioned cool twists were genuinely unexpected and only slightly silly (twin plotlines are usually at least sort of silly to me??).

I was interested in this book because I had read one prior book from this author and this one did not disappoint. I actually did not notice that it was a YA book when I requested it (which I would not have done) because I am just past that now, where I am kind of exhausted of the juvenile writing, but I feel like this didn’t have as much of that. There was a little bit of repetition and it probably could have been a hair shorter, but I feel like the twists kept me captivated in the story and were unpredictable. It isn’t like other “camp” stories. The questions that were left unanswered didn’t really bother me a ton, at the end because I feel like it was wrapped up enough.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the DRC in exchange for my honest review.

Olivia was born at Camp Lost Lake on the night that a massacre occurred there, but seventeen years later her life is relatively standard. She soon learns that her dad isn’t her biological father, and the only place she knows to look for answers is at the Camp. Reagan and her mom have been on the run since she was little, and her mother was accused of being the Camp Lost Lake murderer. But Reagan’s grown tired of her life and decides that the only way to clear her mom’s name is to go the Camp and search for anything that may prove her innocence. But they’re not the only two interested in the Camp and its secrets, and some people may even kill to keep those secrets.

This was a good YA mystery that was full of twists and secrets. I enjoyed the dual perspectives, and the insights each offered. The characters were okay overall – they certainly weren’t anything special but were decent enough not to detract much from the read. I will say that the romance subplots didn’t add much to the book and even detracted from some of the suspense that should have been present.

Even though some of the twists were relatively predictable, the pacing kept me engaged with the book. I did dislike the last twist. It made for a somewhat disappointing ending that felt more like it was included to try and shock rather than to be a strong conclusion. The setting of the work was strong, though, and I like how well the author incorporated the camp and its derelict condition to add some tension.

If you’re interested in a YA murder mystery then you may like this one. My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for allowing me to read this work, which will be published June 25th, 2024. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Two teenage girls return to the site of a 16 year old gruesome murder, each with their own agenda. One girl was infamously born the night of the slayings, while the other is the daughter of the prime suspect. Together they piece together the truth of that fateful night as they try to escape when the killer comes back to tie up the final loose ends.

I love horror stories. The Scream franchise gives me joy. So, if you’re like me, you will devour this book. It is a well-crafted story with characters who have clear motives. It is the perfect summer read if you like slasher movies. It got so intense at times that I had to put the book down. (Similar to covering my eyes during a scary movie.) I’m off to read everything else this author has published! Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Valentine and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC.

I loved this thriller from the very first page. This was so compulsively readable! I vibed with the author’s writing style immediately, and I started this pretty late at night, only intended to read just a few pages, but ended up not being able to put it down because it grabbed my instantly.

Two teenagers have their lives tied back to Camp Lost Lake, a camp that closed down back in 2008 after some mysterious murders committed by the Witch of Lost Lake. Olivia finds out from an ancestry test that her dad isn’t her biological dad, and suspects that her real dad is the husband murdered by Lori, the supposed Witch of Lost Lake. Regan, on the other hand, is none other than the daughter of the Lori Knight, the alleged killer. Regan sneaks off to go to the reopening of Camp Lost Lake, determined to find the true killer so her and her mom can stop living on the run. Both of these girls have reasons to go back to Camp Lost Lake and both of them seek answers.

This book was so gripping, and I just wanted to get to the end because I had no clue how this was going to end. It was expertly plotted, a Frieda McFadden level of well planned.
This is a super quick read, perfect for a summer read you could finish in one sitting on the beach. This was SO much fun! Any thriller and murder mystery fan will love this one! Danielle Valentine is definitely on my radar now. I’m a fan!

Thank you to Netgalley and GP Putnam for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

You have to take these YA thrillers for what they are, which are fun, usually far-fetched campfire stories (pun intended here). This was a quick read with great pacing. One of the twists was predictable pretty early on, but the last one was unexpected, albeit very improbable.

A little more YA Horror than what I am really drawn to…. there is a massive audience ready to devour these storylines. This book is well-written and the author has tons of talent! I cannot wait to see what comes next!!! Keep writing!!

#TwoSidesToEveryMurder #Netgalley

4⭐️

Seventeen years ago, a staff member of Camp Lost Lake went on a murder spree dressed in a rubber witch mask, leaving three people dead. The murderer was never caught. While the camp has been closed for years, rumors regarding the Witch of Lost Lake are still regularly repeated. And two girls have born that year have never been able to escape the rumors either.

Olivia was born in the parking lot of Camp Lost Lake the night of the murders, her mother going into labor due to the stress. And Reagan is the daughter of the alleged Witch of Lost Lake. When the camp is purchased by someone hoping to fix it up, they both return to the camp looking for answers. Chloe about her birth and Reagan to prove her mother's innocence.

I love a good camp slasher book, especially by an author who has made shocked me before. I loved the flash backs to the night of the initial murder, especially the video footage of the girl trying to become the towns Gossip Girl. I also liked how quickly things go off the rails when people can't rely on their cell phones. The connection between Chloe and Reagan was a nice twist and I liked how it was a catalyst for the four teens to work together.

I loved that this had Friday the 13th vibes, but I did feel like that the plot quickly turn slightly predictable. There is a reveal pretty early on that made me go 'oh, I bet this is what's happening.' I even made a note in my phone of my predictions starting at page 86 and only one of my predictions wasn't correct. The build-up to the reveal was still nicely done but didn't take all the predictability out of it. I also wasn't a fan of any of the teenage relationships; they all felt a bit forced and didn't flow well.

Thank you Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for providing this ARC to me!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I was immediately drawn in with the first chapter and pretty much read this in one sitting! “Two Sides to Every Murder” is a thriller, maybe better aimed towards a young adult audience, but will have your heart racing. It’s best to think of it as ‘The Lying Game’ x ‘The Parent Trap’ x ‘Gossip Girl’ x ‘Pretty Little Liars.’ I quite enjoyed this read but did find the romantic aspects to be unnecessary. Also, I the last chapter/epilogue was rushed and a bit unnecessary. Overall, this is a great quick read to had while on vacation!

Two Sides to Every Murder had me hooked from the very first page. I found myself eager to uncover the mysteries surrounding Camp Lost Lake and the identity of the witch.

. The characters are well-developed and multifaceted, adding depth to the narrative as their secrets are gradually revealed.

I enjoyed the dual perspectives With each chapter alternating between different characters' points of view, the reader is given insight into the complexities of human nature and the blurred lines between truth and deception.

Thank you to Danielle Valentine, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, and NetGalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

​Two Sides to Every Murder follows Olivia, born the night of the Lost Lake murders and Reagan, the daughter of the Lost Lake murderer. Sixteen years after the murders, the two girls find themselves back at Camp Lost Lake, which is now being renovated to reopen as a retreat, and both are looking for the truth of what really happened that night while trying to stay alive and finding family secrets along the way. This was a solid, fast paced story until the very last page and is typical of a classic summer camp murder mystery. The story is told in dual points-of-view and dual timelines ​a​nd although I really like dual POV, I did find myself getting confused from time to time. Also, some of the romantic elements didn't seem to fit. I know for a fact if I'm trying to survive someone out to murder me, I'm not going to focus on making out with some hot dude. Let's talk about the ending....I am not a fan of cliffhanger endings UNLESS there is promise of a second book. I'm like....did it really just end like that?! No epilogue..nothing...just the final page lol. Overall I really enjoyed this book. It would be a perfect summer camp read or just a quiet, dark and stormy night at home. Put this one on your TBR for June 25, 2024.