I really wanted to like Two Sides to Every Murder a lot more than I did. The teen slasher premise, which takes place in an abandoned (and soon-to-reopen) summer camp, seemed right up my alley - a book that reads as a campy teenage horror flick? Sign me up!

Sadly, I have to admit that I just don't think I am the target audience for this one. For as much as I typically enjoy YA, this book was just TOO young for me, with cheesy dialogue, shallow characters, multiple instances of insta-love, and WAY too much suspension of disbelief.

Despite knowing exactly which character was which, I still found myself getting mixed up by some of the POV switches in the early chapters, because Olivia and Reagan read as practically the same character. It got easier as the story went on, but still, there were too many plot holes and inconsistencies that didn't always line up (I will add spoilers to my Goodreads review). I thought the killer's motivations were weak, and with a limited cast of characters, I had every single one of the twists figured out by the halfway mark (aside from that VERY last sentence, which was just ridiculously unnecessary).

I'm giving this one 3 stars instead of 2 because I do think that younger readers will enjoy this more than I did, and it's a fast-paced and quick read that will keep their attention. Just be sure to check your logic at the door and go into it with the same type of expectations that you'd have for a mediocre horror flick.

"Two Sides to Every Murder" is the perfect book for anyone who loves YA thrillers and mysteries! This whodunit book was fast-paced and kept my eyes glued to it for two days straight. I enjoyed the dual perspectives and the timeline jumps; there were also a lot of plot twists that made the book super engaging! The ending had me speechless, and I wish there was more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I got my hands on an ARC in exchange for an honest review of this book, and let me just say – wow! It had me hooked from beginning to end, constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat. Even though I figured out one of the mysteries, the story threw curveballs that I didn't see coming. As a fan of Danielle Valentine's other books, I think this one might just be my new favorite. If you're into thrilling and twisty stories that keep you guessing, I highly recommend giving it a go!

This book was ok. I think the fact it is written for a younger audience made it less appealing for me. I didn’t realize it was a YA book until after I was approved to read it. This is my fault.

Seventeen years ago, three people were murdered at Camp Lost Lake. The prime suspect, Lori, is on the run. Her daughter Raegan wants to know the truth and clear her mother’s name so they can stop hiding. Olivia, the daughter of the Camp’s owners, has just found out her father is not really her biological father. Both girls go to Camp Lost Lake to find answers. As the bodies stack up, long-kept secrets are revealed.

This book is very fast paced and full of action. I finished it in two settings. I liked that the story took place at a camp because it reminded me of old horror movies growing up. There were some unexpected twists that were clever. My main problem with the story was the interaction and dialogue between the teens. Again, I think that the fact I am older led to my annoyance. I think if I was younger, I wouldn’t have been bothered by the characters as much. I thought that the reasoning behind the murders could have been a bit stronger. The very end of the book was a complete surprise and I felt it could have a bit more explanation. Overall if you are a teen looking for a thriller, I think you will like this book.

I have a bone to pick with Danielle Valentine. And it's how dare you write these books.

I can't put them down once I start. I am all about the slasher thrillers she has been putting out. I'm still hung up on How To Survive Your Murder...hoping for an eventual sequel.

But after reading this. I feel like she loves to hook us and then leave just enough hanging so we are just like GIVE ME MORE.

Well played Danielle, well played indeed.

I'm addicted to these books. I'll be forever autobuying this authors work.

I was instantly hooked! The fact it started off how it did, made me a fan. It set the tone for what was to come. I appreciated the different POVs and flashbacks to help put the pieces together. Although I did get confused at times when a new character was introduced, it all made sense as I kept reading. It felt like I was reading a script to a movie and solving a crime. I could not put it down! Very few of the plot twists were a bit predictable but still very enjoyable. Definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller, true crime kind of read!

So grateful for the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book was full of so many twists up until the very last page! I have never read anything by Danielle before and will now be checking out more of her books!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review.

This YA thriller was a fast paced and easy read. I read it over a couple days but kept thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it.

Olivia is a 16 year old girl seeking answers about her family after learning the man who raised her is not her father and Reagan is the daughter of an alleged murder on the run looking for answers to clear her moms name. Both cross paths at Camp Lost Lake where 16 years ago 3 people were murdered. It is being reopened again by Olivia’s big sister Andie. The two cross paths and begin to uncover answers, all while someone is hoping to keep those secrets quiet, even going as far as murder to silence them. Now Reagan and Olivia don’t know who they can trust, including each other as they try to evade the murderer.

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was great paced and enjoyed the characters. I did figure out a couple of the twists before they happened but others I never saw coming. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Unfortunately, this was not my favorite read…

Let me start out with what I liked: it was a short, fast read that was action packed and bloody.

What I didn’t like: it was extremely predicable, the relationships were very shallow (due to the timeframe), and also the ending! I’m all for open endings but this was too much.

This is my first read from this author. I have have her debut novel so I will be reading that and just hopeful that the story grabs me more than this one did.


(Thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this read in exchange for an unbiased review)

The world needs more slasher-fic and this author is here to deliver!

This is a slice ‘em dice ‘em murderfest and it’s a whole lot of fun.

Definitely leave your logic sensors in the off position and shut off the part of your brain that does science. Just munch your popcorn along to the sounds of teen screams.

While it’s YA, it should appeal to anyone who likes a little murdery fun.

A blast of a read!

• ARC via Publisher

Okay this was so good. I love YA mystery/triller. This book gave me A Good Girl's Guide to Murder vibes mixed with Riley Sager's The Last Time I Lied (but more YA if that makes sense)! I loved the writing style. I found this was so easy to read and stay excited. Thanks NetGalley and Penguin Group!

Tha k you to the publisher, NetGalley, and to Daniella Valentine for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first read by this author. I usually don't read many YA novels because they just don't have enough to keep me interested. This one was not like that at all. This is a great thriller, fast-paced, and nail bitting!

This author wasted no time in grabbing me into this book. Twists, turns, romance, and a great story setting. Well done well done!

This will not be my last book by this author.

Camp-based thriller that can easily be devoured in one sitting. I enjoyed the action (aka hunting) scenes as they really kept you on the edge of your seat. However there were a few “twists” that seemed too predictable due to heavy foreshadowing. Had sparks of Karen McManus. I think YAL thriller readers would enjoy this one — and it would make for a killer camp read in the summer.

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Teen for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copying of this title in exchange for my honest review.

The description reads “ Most people’s births aren’t immortalized in a police report—but Olivia was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. Seventeen years later, Olivia’s life looks pretty perfect . . . until she discovers the man she calls dad is not her biological father. Now she wants answers about her bloodline, and the only place she knows to look is Camp Lost Lake.

Most people don’t spend their formative years on the run with an alleged murderer—but Reagan did. In the court of public opinion, her mom was found guilty of the deaths at Camp Lost Lake, and both of them have been in hiding ever since. But Reagan believes in her mother’s innocence and is determined to clear her name.

Luckily for Olivia and Reagan, Camp Lost Lake is finally reopening, providing the perfect opportunity to find answers. But someone else is dead set on keeping the past hidden, even if it means committing murder.“

The description was what drew me to this book as I had not read the authors previous popular title “How to survive your murder” but after reading this book I look forward to picking up a copy of it. While the book was overall predictable I haven’t sorted whether that is just me, a reader who doesn’t get surprised often or if it is easily figured out by typical readers. Either way it is a very enjoyable read..

The story moves along swiftly and is very engaging. To put it in perspective, I had started reading a sequel to a popular title that I had been looking forward to but when the ARC got approved and I reads the first chapter to see what I was in for, I ended up setting the other book aside in favor of this book which I finished within the day.

I enjoyed Olivia and Reagan’s journey and the fact that while love interests were present, they weren’t the focus where attention got diverted away from their goal. The author does a good job painting the imagery of the various places within the Camp making it very easy to picture it.
The copy read was a true ARC that had not had its final proof completed. I’m hoping that in the final copy that they include a map to aid in keeping things in relation to each other.

This book is perfect for both YA readers as well as adults who enjoy reading about younger individuals but it still has a well rounded “meat on the bones” quality to it with the adults in the work as well..

Lastly, it has just the right amount of thriller content for the intended audience. It gives a taste of the horror of multiple murders without going overboard.

I give this book 4.25 stars out of 5. I really wish Goodreads would bring their rating system into the modern readers rating system.

TWINS. Murder. Witches. I love books like this, fast paced and kept me on the edge of my seat! This book thru every twist possible at me; pretty sure I said shut up about 53635 times! This book follows Olivia and her family as they reopen the summer camp where three murders happened 16 years ago. The witch has been waiting and watching. I loved the alternating chapters and the twists.

Two Sides to Every Murder was a fun ride. This YA murder story goes hard.

The pace is fast and furious and Reagan and Olivia try to get to the bottom of the Camp Lost Lake witch murders. I adore a camp setting and this campground being in the background here was super atmospheric. There’s a din twist here almost right at the start of this and I don’t want to give things away.

Yes, I guessed a bunch of things here and it was a smidge predictable but I enjoyed putting the pieces together here.

That ending. 🫣 Will there be a sequel? Count me if so and count me in for all this author’s books. What a fun detailed read.

This is a very fast paced YA thriller. Seventeen years ago there was a horrific triple murder at Camp Lost Lake. One body was never found and the accused murderer has been on the run. The camp has sat abandoned ever since. Fast forward to present day and it is being renovated into a new business venture. Surely the killer won't come back and start murdering again.
This book is told in dual perspectives. Olivia's family owns Camp Lost Lake. In fact, her mother gave birth to her on the night of the murders. Reagan's mother is accused of the Camp Lost Laker murders and they have never stayed in one place for very long. The truth about what really happened that night will come out and lives will never be the same.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book for review.

Let me just start by saying I read this all in one sitting-I couldn't put it down! While there were some aspects that were a bit predictable, I still wasn't sure how things were going to play out right up until the very end. I loved the very fast pacing of this book as well as the dual POV.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is fan of thrillers (even if YA is not usually your thing). I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Personally, this was alright for me but younger readers will love it since it’s YA. The murder and mystery and family secrets was fun! I loved the multiple POVs across different years. Maybe it’s because I was reading an advanced copy but there were definitely some things in the plot that didn’t add up, hopefully they’ll be caught during editing. The writing was good!

Two Sides to Every Murder - Danielle Valentine

I sat down with this and finished it in one sitting! It kept me on the edge of my seat needing to figure out the “mystery” aspect of it. At one point, It literally had my heart racing and breathing heavy and I had to put myself in check. Like are we okay?!

I continually kept guessing “whodunnit” and I was wrong every dang time.
In the beginning, I literally had the thought that I needed a notebook to keep track of all the information you’re given to solve the crime! It’s so fun!

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy.