3.5 rounding up to 4.
I received this for free through netgalley for an honest review. A fun young adult murder novel. It starts fast and doesn’t stop. I enjoyed the ride it took me on, the usual “hmmm did THIS person do it, or THIS one?!” I liked the little ending epilogue that left things hanging but also wrapped it up nicely for you. I’d read more from this author.

I don't typically read ya thrillers, but this was very good! It was somewhat predictable, but I would definitely recommend it

I liked this! I think the plot was super obvious from the beginning, but I still enjoyed reading and finding things out as the characters did.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for an early copy of this book. I really enjoyed and could not put it down. I read it in one sitting! I had to know what would happen. I would definitely recommend this book.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for a fair and honest review**

A decent yarn with some good plot twists. I found the switching between timelines and POV confusing at first but I got used to it (and learned to pay better attention!)

This was going to be a solid 3/5 until the very last chapter which caught me completely off-guard. and pushed it to 4/5.

This book was really really good. And the whole time I was reading I thought it was gonna be a 5 star read for me. The author did a FANTASTIC job of keeping me on my toes as I much so that I finished this in one sitting. But idk something about the ending didn’t sit right with me. Particularly the last few pages. But this book was really so good and I would definitely recommend it!

UMMMMM this is Parent Trap, but spooky!

THERE WERE SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS.... And the unpredictable narrators made this such a fun ride.

I honestly had no idea who was the murderer and I loved it.

Also... THE END!!! Standing ovation. LOVED THIS

Loved this book and can't wait for more from the author!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group in exchange for an honest review.

For most of this book, I was hooked: the family dynamics, mystery, and suspense were well written and enjoyable, but the ending really ruined the entire book, in my opinion. The actual "witch" was unbelievable in that the person got away with it so easily when the murders happened. Then the twist at the end was...ugh.

I liked the premise, and there were definitely parts that hit for me... but more parts that didn't. Primarily, there were so many twists (aka cover ups) that just seemed too big to ignore or be plausible.

The pacing worked ok. The setting, however, made it a little hard to follow along with whom was where when. The convenience of no cell service was one of those annoying elements that just felt too much like a necessary plot element, too forced. I enjoyed the various characters; they all brought something interesting to the table.

But the Parent Trap meets I Know What You Did Last Summer feels very young YA, so it fell flat for me.

Overall: 3 stars (I liked it)

**Thank you to NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Absolutely geared towards the YA, the plot itself had solid potential. The unexpected twist, though, was quite a delightful surprise.

“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.”

Fun Summer camp slasher book!

What can I say? I grew up watching all the 1980s horror movies set at summer camps and loved the idea of a teenager born as the result of some kind of 1990s camp mayhem.

Plus, twins? A nod to that twin summer camp movie classic The Parent Trap? Yes, please.

Will this appeal to adult mystery readers? Only if they are seriously 1980s-90s nostalgic and can look past the fact that this is clearly geared to younger readers.

Spectacular like always!!!!!! I devoured this book! It was amazing, really amazing! So interesting, I loved the plot and it was really fast paced and interesting throughout the whole book.

I’m not 100% sure how I feel about this yet…. It’s hovering between 3.5 and 4 stars at the moment.
There were parts of this book that were really good and creepy and suspenseful that I absolutely loved. There were also parts that I thought were super predictable. Then there was the ending which made me wonder why the hell the book was ending like that.
The overall story was good, the book was fast paced, and there were attempts at twists and turns that weren’t as surprising as the author intended (I assume)
Good but not great, maybe slightly better than good. Still not really sure how to feel 🤷🏼‍♀️

This is very much a YA book with the normal aspects that come with that. But I think overall it was a good book and a good story line. Some of it was easily guessed early on but watching it come together was still fun.

I love a YA thriller (especially one set at a summer camp!), so I was ecstatic to receive an ARC for Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine. This is a perfect book for those who are fans of Karen C. McManus and Holly Jackson.

Our main character, Olivia, is a seventeen year old who was born during the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. She's living a relatively normal teenage life until she learns that the man she has thought was her dad her entire life is not in fact her biological father. She wants answers, and she knows to get them, she has to go back to Camp Lost Lake. Her mother spent her formative years with an alleged murderer, and in the court of public opinion, she is perceived as guilty. Olivia believes in her mother's innocence and is determined to clear her mother's name. Camp Lost Lake is reopening, which is perfect for Olivia trying to get the answers she desperately needs, except there is someone out there making sure to keep secrets hidden in the past.

Wow, this was fantastic! I loved the pacing and it was such an eerie setting that was perfect for a thriller. I'm typically good at guessing the twist in a YA thriller, but this one kept me guessing and I enjoyed the twisty road to getting there. Highly recommend to anyone in a book slump that may be looking for a quick and entertaining read.

Thank you to #netgalley for the ARC. My students are really into mysteries and murder mysteries. I was really hoping this could be a book club pick for us. However, the book was disappointing. The plot seemed to jump focus often, and there seemed to be concentration on random characters or plots. The DNA sections were confusing and I wondered why they were included. The plot "twists" weren't treated as twisty, and left the reader dissatisfied. The revelation of the guilty party(ies) was anti-climatic. And while to book leaves us open to a sequel, I won't be reading it.

The Witch of Lost Lake mystery is one that every child has heard growing up in their town. The book traces the adventures of Olivia, and Reagan as they tell what they know or what they think they know about the Witch of Lost Lake. The book shows the two different perspectives as these characters unravel the mystery of Camp Lost Lake. Well developed plot and subplots throughout the novel.

This book was unique. The plot and twists were truly something else. I read a lot of psychological thrillers but I didn’t see all the twists and turns that this book took. However, the twists and turns fit the story. Nothing felt too out there in this world. And, despite all of that, the ending fit.

It just feels like an author can throw whatever weird thing into the story to shift the scent of a murder or murderous rampage and it really not make sense but ultimately make it fit to make sense by the end. So this one has the hallmarks of a thriller-- a set of murders happening at a lake the summer that Olivia was born. There's also Reagan, returning to the camp just like Olivia to figure out what happened because her mother has been the accused murderer, an excellent archer, though Reagan doubts it.

As a new details emerge, there are new tragedies popping up because someone doesn't want to see anything resolved. Lots of twists and turns, a witch in the woods, and the biggest mystery is just how Reagan and Olivia are connected with it all.

Two Sides to Every Murder follows Olivia and Reagan, two teens whose lives have been defined by horrific murders at Camp Lost Lake. As preparations begin for the camp to reopen, both girls find themselves searching for answers. Unfortunately, this also means they find themselves targeted by a murderer who will stop at nothing to keep those answers hidden.

This is an enjoyable thriller. It lacks some of the uniqueness that made the author’s first book so interesting, but it was a quick read with some solid twist and turns. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA thriller, especially one with scary summer camp vibes!