The nitty-gritty: Danielle Valentine’s latest will most likely be a hit with YA lovers, but for me it lacked depth and interesting characters. I’d call this one “slasher light,” so if you’re looking for something edgier, you might be disappointed as well.

I never would have picked up this book if it hadn’t been for the author, and now I sort of wish I hadn’t. Two Sides to Every Murder is a very confusing YA thriller that didn’t live up to Danielle Valentine’s Delicate Condition at all. There were some elements I enjoyed, but for the most part I can only recommend this to YA fans. I freely admit I’m usually leery of YA these days, so this review is coming from someone who doesn’t read a lot of it.

The story revolves around an old summer camp called Camp Lost Lake. Sixteen years ago, a series of shocking murders shut the camp down. A woman wearing a witch mask was caught on video tape killing two people with a bow and arrow, and a third person went missing and was never found. There was enough evidence to pin the murders on Lori Knight, but before she could be arrested, Lori took off and has been a fugitive ever since. Lori’s sixteen year old daughter Reagan doesn’t believe her mother could ever kill anyone, so she’s decided to go back to the camp and look for clues that might prove her innocence.

We also meet a girl named Olivia, who has just made the startling discovery that the man she thinks is her father, isn’t. Olivia knows she was born sixteen years ago at Camp Lost Lake, after the stress of the murders caused her mother to go into labor. Olivia knows all about the tales of the Witch of Lost Lake, and she knows a man named Jacob Knight was the witch’s first victim. Olivia thinks he may have been her real father, and she’s determined to go to the camp and find some kind of proof.

We also get flashbacks to June 13 2008, the night the murders took place, when a camper named Gia, a self-proclaimed gossip, saw the actual murders and caught them on tape. Unfortunately, Gia was also a victim of the Witch of Lost Lake, but she did manage to hide her camera before she was killed. The missing camera is the key to finding out the truth and the reason Olivia and Reagan have returned to the scene of the crime.

But the witch isn’t finished with her grim work. Someone is hunting the group of adults and teens who have arrived at Camp Lost Lake for the grand reopening, and Olivia and Reagan are in the killer’s crosshairs.

There are a ton of characters in Two Sides to Every Murder, and I had a tough time keeping them straight. Not only are there characters in both the past and present timelines to deal with, but some of them show up in both timelines. The story is mostly narrated in first person by Olivia and Reagan, with the chapters in the past written in third person. And Olivia’s and Reagan’s voices sounded exactly the same, unfortunately, so it was tough to keep their different stories straight. In the midst of so many characters, the author also throws in a bunch of complicated familial relationships. We know that Olivia suspects she has a different father, but there are many other questionable connections that are slowly revealed as the story progresses. Eventually all of this makes sense, especially when the killer is finally revealed, but there’s a lot of confusion before we get to that point.

But it’s not all bad. My favorite parts of the story happen in the present, as Olivia, Reagan and their friends are trying to stay one step ahead of the killer, who is literally hunting them with a bow and arrow. As far as thrillers go, Valentine has a firm grasp on what makes an exciting scene, and I found these chapters thrilling and tense. And if you’re the kind of reader who doesn’t like a lot of blood and gore, you might enjoy this a lot. I mean, how much damage can a bow and arrow really do? It’s all pretty mild as far as violence goes, so obviously the author was catering to a younger audience.

The reveal at the end, though, felt a little anticlimactic to me, and honestly, the killer’s motivation to kill didn’t really make sense. The author includes a final chapter with a strange twist that had me shaking my head, so yeah, I wasn’t a fan of the ending.

I think from now on I’ll stick to the author’s adult books and chock this one up to “tried it but it didn’t work for me.”

With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Disclaimer: My entire review is based on an advance reader copy of this book. I am sure many of the aspects I will refer to have been changed before the final publication.

I really loved How to Solve Your Own Murder and found it to be an underrated gem, so I expected Danielle Valentine’s latest to be the same. However, I was disappointed in many ways.

Two Sides to Every Murder has some seriously brilliant plot points, but they are overshadowed by lots of confusion. I could not keep most of the characters straight for about 90% of the book. Part of this is on purpose, to disguise relationships, but I would not be able to clearly explain who everyone is, and this held me back greatly from enjoying the story.

The ARC that I read is filled with typographical errors. I suppose a few are to be expected, but this was the roughest shape I’ve ever read. Aside from that, I am unclear if the author was still working on flow. There were a few random police files interspersed throughout, with no context given for how or even if the characters read them. They were helpful for the reader, but I never knew how they fit into the story.

Aside from its flaws, the shining aspect of Two Sides to Every Murder is its storyline. Near the end (not the very end) was one particularly good twist.

Although I don’t plan to read the final version of this book, I am sure it is much better than the one I read, and I would recommend it to fellow readers as an enjoyable summer mystery.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for this ARC.

Absolutely love this author!!!!

This book had me on the edge of my seat and was just awesome!!

The only thing I didn't like was the end was too much of a cliffhanger but I will still read anything this without writes!!!
Loved this book!!!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

This book is definitely perfect for slasher movie lovers, especially when it takes place a mostly abandoned campground! There were plenty of twists and an intricately webbed plot line. However this one did not pull me in the way
"How To Survive Your Murder Did". I had a harder time keeping up with what character was who, as all of their relationships to one another were complicated! However, it was still a really good and fast read for me and would definitely recommend!

The PERFECT summertime thriller. I had a blast reading it.
The twists were so wild! Amazing!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review

"Two Sides to Every Murder" is another fun read by Danielle Valentine. Firmly rooted in the YA genre, this one provides plenty of twists and turns for readers to enjoy.

If you are a fan of slashers with a camp setting, this is a good one to pick up for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if I one day hear this will become a movie.

I was a fan of the Dual POV as well as the flashbacks included, but there were moments that felt a bit predictable as well.

Thank you NetGalley, Danielle Valentine, and G. P. Putnam's Sons for gifting me this ARC. I will still be looking forward to Danielle Valentine's next book!

"two sides to every murder" is the ideal thriller for a younger teen audience. this likely would have been a five star, had i read this when i was in that age range. another thing that lowered my rating is the timeline switches from olivia and reagan. it was, at times, difficult to discern whose voice we were listening to. "two sides to every murder" is set in one of my favorite environments for horror and thrillers-- summer camp! to me, it totally gave me fear street 1978 vibes. if you are looking for a campy, silly summer teen slasher, this is right up your alley. i had a great time.

Thank you to Danielle Valentine, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this one. It was fast-paced. It kept me guessing. I kept thinking I knew who did what, but I was wrong. I really love books like that.

There was a quote in this book that really spoke to me, and I will always remember it. It was:

“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.”

I think it is important that not only myself but others remember that.

Twisty turvy right to the end, with complicated characters and an interesting setting. A great read for anyone who loves complicated YA mysteries.

I don’t normally read suspenseful crime books but this one was easy to read and kept me hooked. Geared toward young adults.

I loved the dual POVs and the flashbacks. The flashbacks really helped the storyline. The setting was eerie and I even got the chills reading about the Witch of Camp Lost Lake. Some of the plot was predictable but not all. The ending was 🤯.

Giving this a 3.5 ⭐️ rating … 3 felt too low, but I don’t know if I felt it was a full 4.
Taking me back to my favorite 80’s vibe slasher film, except this time we are returning to the scene of the crimes to see if we can recover any evidence to clear the name of the current assumed killer (who’s on the run). I expected this to be a grand-slam, 5-star read for me, but there were parts I struggled with, but other readers may not. This story follows Olivia and Reagan, two teen girls that had their lives changed following the famous murder case at Camp Lost Lake - Olivia being born that night and Reagan’s mother being accused of the murder. We find out that the camp is reopening and Olivia and Reagan are determined to find out what really happened that night, both for their own separate reasons. LOVED the multiple POV, I like seeing a scene from multiple vantage points. I was having a super hard time keeping track of the characters however. I was also having trouble keeping track of the timelines … we switch from current camp, to past camp (to relive the actual events), but it isn’t clearly labeled in the chapter heading. There are some FANTASTIC twists and reveal’s … some were like “oh yeah, that makes sense” and some were like “ Whoa! No way” …. There are a few romance bits thrown in that didn’t need to be, but it’s a YA so I guess I should have expected that. It the ending … what the crap?

“‘Gotta make this look right’ she says. ‘Everyone knows the Witch of Lost Lake uses a bow and arrow.’”

Olivia, the baby born during the Camp Lost Lake Murders, and Reagan, daughter of the accused Witch of Lost Lake, are two teens living wildly different lives with no idea of their connection. One untold story, however, ties them both together: what really happened at Camp Lost Lake. When Olivia finds out her parents aren’t who they seem, she lands herself in the middle of a murder case as she returns to Camp Lost Lake. There, she finds Raegan who is on the hunt to clear her mother’s name after finding out she was framed for the triple homicide at the camp sixteen years ago. Strangers soon become friends as the Witch of Lost Lake returns and begins hunting them and their best friends, Jack and Hazel. As the murder unfurls, so do secrets, and the girls must trust each other to find out the truth.

Danielle Valentine’s Two Sides to Every Murder was everything I expected and more. Although she switched narratives constantly, the plot was easy to follow and exciting to read. I often find that the beginning of murder mysteries tend to drag for a while before the action and surprises start, but the details in Two Sides to Every Murder were juicy from the start. The various perspectives and flashbacks were helpful when trying to formulate my own theories and opinions, and Valentine gave us just enough clues to evoke thoughts but also keep the reader guessing. Some of the characters may have been introduced too quickly and were a bit too mature for sixteen-year-olds, but the initial confusion wore off as the story progressed. The layout of the camp was also a bit difficult to grasp, but I learned to ignore the details and create my own mental image, one that made sense for me. I enjoyed the summer slasher feeling of the story, but also the subtle, yet present, queer and female representation as the connection between Hazel and Reagan bloomed. All of the characters were interesting, but, for me, Hazel takes the cake as the most exciting, mostly due to her unique background and funny quips about bread. Being a predominantly female story, the inclusion of Jack as the only main male character was a great way to establish a love interest for Olivia without taking away from her character or the plot. I truly wasn’t expecting the amount of plot twists, and I am excited to see where Valentine takes us after the jaw-dropping ending. Two Sides to Every Murder is a typical camp slasher with relatable characters that will keep you guessing until the very last word. A summer 2024 must-read!

“Maybe there isn’t any way to know what’s right and what’s wrong. Maybe you just have to follow your gut.”

This was such a fun, summery, young adult murder mystery, with a camp setting and Parent Trap nostalgia to boot.

Prior to this, I’d only read Danielle’s adult novel, Delicate Condition (which was dark as hell and I adored). They couldn’t be more different but are both so good! It’s amazing when an author is talented enough to switch it up like that.

If you’re looking for a page-turning YA beach read for the holiday weekend, go grab this one.

Two Sides to Every Murder is a twisty young adult thriller set at a former summer camp in upstate New York. 16 years ago, 3 murders took place at a small summer camp and the town has never been the same. But now the camp is set to reopen and a set of events triggers the end of the mystery. Two young women know their lives were completely changed after what happened that night and both have set out on a collision course to find out the truth.

This book is told from two viewpoints—Olivia and Reagan. The beginning of the story was obviously trying to set up their background stories but it became a little confusing at times because of the similarities in their stories and the overlapping characters. I almost wish the author had told me all of one girl’s background and then all of another’s and then sent me into the present day story. Once I got into the current camp situation, I was hooked! I enjoyed the twists and turns. I would read more by this author and I know I would have loved books like this when I was young.

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.