This book kept me on my toes with all the twists and turns that occurred. I was able to guess who the killer behind the camp lost lake was but the ending was really unexpected. I’m hoping there will be a sequel because I really do want to know what happens next.

This book was so camp (excuse the pun).

Valentine does such a great job combining horror stereotypes while also making us surprised with plot twists. I love the way she writes complex female characters in her writing, particularly young girls. I also love the fact the these characters keep going "we are in a horror film, movie, genre and shouldn't do the dumb thing" but then they do the dumb thing anyway because when you are stressed you are not thinking. 10/10 YA horror novel.

Summer camp mystery + Parent Trap vibes = count me in!

Two Sides to Every Murder was intriguing from page one. I read it in a single sitting! I just had to know what happened next. Quick, thrilling and fast paced. It hit all the high points of a great YA thriller.

As I was reading I thought the entire time that this should be made into a movie. The summer camp mystery is something that appeals to many whether its the nostalgia of it being done many times or just interesting in general.

Valentine did a great job with the dual timelines to enhance the story and not detract. It was done so well! Also she brought around a great group of characters that made you question everything.

While I did slowly guess some of the twists, I couldn't put all the pieces together. But that LAST TWIST at the end of the book, bravo!

Highly recommend if you love a good YA thriller! Will check out Valentine's other works!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Penguin Group for the eARC copy!!!

I Really enjoyed this summer camp slasher story reminiscent of the Friday the 13th movies but with mostly smart characters and mortal villians.

Though I thought some of the events that occurred seem a bit far fetched, it kind of just adds to the Jason vibes. I read this in one sitting on summer vacation and it was a great use of my solo time!

Big thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the ARC!

Horror fan that I am, I couldn’t pass on the chance to read Danielle Valentine’s latest YA thriller. It had a lot going for it…creepy campground setting? Check! A classic slasher villain who has great aim with a bow and arrow? Check! A layered plot with decent twists? Check and check!

The trouble is, I correctly guessed EVERY SINGLE ONE of those twists. So, while this book had the makings of a total winner, the shock value just wasn’t there, which I definitely need in a thriller. Granted, this is a YA thriller and may be plenty shocking for younger readers!

I also had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit when it came to one of the main twists. Though, extra points to the author for giving the characters a chance to explain themselves. I appreciated the effort to tie up loose ends! Predictability aside, Two Sides to Every Murder was fun from start to finish and will check a lot of boxes for anyone who loves a good, old-fashioned slasher film.

Regan and Olivia are returning to Camp Lost Lake looking for different things, but when they come face to face with each other, a new set of questions need to be answered. Too bad a killer is stalking both of them, and they won't stoop until they are both dead. Two Sides to Every Murder was fast-paced, hooked me from the first page, and only got better and more interesting. I really enjoyed both Olivia and Regan and getting the story from both POVs. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, and that ending! Dang, it was completely unexpected!!!

I really enjoyed this. I found the tone and the atmosphere of this book to be really well cultivated, and it definitely added to this sort of...stressed out feeling I had the whole time I was reading this, haha. I loved the mystery, and it was plotted so well with lots of twists that I genuinely did not guess/see coming--to be fair I was busy being stressed out, lol. I enjoyed the characters and I liked the narrative voice that this story had. Overall, really enjoyed it and I can definitely see this being really popular with our YA readers once we get our physical copies in!

What do you get when you take a bloody camp murder spree, conflicting evidence, and two girls determined to solve the mystery? This book! It's a bit of that horror you've come to expect from this genre mixed with some fine storytelling. There are clues dropped throughout the book that are so clear it is relatively easy to pin who you think the murderer was. However, the end has a nice resolution with some unexpected gems. It's a quick read once you get into it and so fun!

4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/06/25/two-sides-to-every-murder-by-danielle-valentine-review/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Slasher Alert at Band Camp

I thoroughly enjoyed Delicate Condition and so couldn’t wait to see what this author came up with next. I guess I wasn’t really expecting a teen slasher at a lakeside camp but this one worked for me and kept me reading into the wee hours.

Camp Lost Lake closed down years ago following a number of murders. The suspected murderer managed to slip through the police’s fingers although at the time a local myth grew about the witch in the woods and this urban myth is one that still refuses to go away, kept alive by the mysterious disappearance of a number of hikers through the woods over the years .

Now, a generation later, the camp is reopening and the locals are rallying round to get the place ready. A group of teenagers have descended on the place to help. What could possibly go wrong?

I really had a good time reading this. It’s a bit cheesy, there are two sweet little unconnected romances which seem to have been thrown in simply to keep your mind otherwise occupied (and away from clues) and there are plenty of secrets and lies.

Okay, if you’re a horror aficionado this might have some plot holes, to be fair, I found myself stumbling over one or two (maybe not plot holes so much as puzzlers) myself but I’d already decided to simply run with this and enjoy it for what it is. Which for me was one of those stories where young people keep doing eye rollingly ill-advised things like running off into the forest alone, at night, during a storm. Because of course you would. Or finding time to gaze at each other longingly whilst a complete psychopath is creeping around with a bow and arrow. I think I was in the mood for some popcorn munching thrills and this story was a case of the right book at the right time.

I realise I’ve not mentioned much about the plot. I’m wary of giving away spoilers. I mentioned secrets above. Basically, one young girl has unwittingly discovered something about her family that has turned everything on its head and is determined to have some answers at camp. Another young girl is heading to camp with a friend, also in search of answers, her aim, to prove someone’s innocence.

What you can expect.

Fast pacing.

Never a dull moment.

Some dreadful decisions that make you want to turn into a pantomime audience shouting “he’s behind you!”

Sideline romances.

Young people rushing headlong towards disaster without a care in the world.

A storyline that I didn’t manage to unpick (although you might manage to do so).

A totally OTT ending in the style of all good slasher stories.

I would say that this isn’t too horror soaked so if you’re in search of a dramatic body count type slasher you won’t find it here. Which is perhaps why it was more my cup of tea.

In conclusion this kept me engaged and entertained.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4 of 5 popcorn munching stars

Thank you to the publishers for an early copy of this book! 3.5 stars. I thought this was a compelling setting and storyline. I felt like the characters could have been a little more developed. I enjoyed that it shifted POVs and time periods. But for me the shifting POVs got a little confusing and hard to follow at times. This is perfect for anyone who enjoys mystery novels and wants a quick fun read.

I loved this horror mystery. I could feel my adrenaline kicking in when the protagonists were running from the murderer. I was actually scared. The ending had a twist that reminded me of how Natasha Preston likes to end her stories.

Absolutely loved this!! I don’t read YA books too often because I feel like they have the tendency to come off immature, especially in the conversations.

Danielle Valentine NAILED the book. The characters were well-rounded and interesting to read about. The POV switches were easy to follow - Olivia and Reagan both had very distinct voices. I love flashbacks woven throughout the book. They were integrated at the perfect times and helped to drive the backstory behind the mystery.

In terms of the mystery itself, Valentine perfected the twists within the story. Every time I thought I had it predicted, some new evidence proved me wrong. The reveal was perfect and believable.

Jaw dropping ending. The last chapter genuinely blew my mind. The last sentence gave me chills.

After finishing Two Sides to Every Murder, I will be adding How to Solve Your Own Murder to my TBR. I can’t wait for more from Valentine.

Thank you to Penguin Group for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion!

Olivia was born during the infamous Lost Lake murders, and it seems like the person in the witch mask may have returned.
Reagan is desperate to prove that her mother is not that witch, accused of murdering her husband, her son, and a camp counselor.

This was a pretty interesting book. The whole "twins separated at birth" plot point by now is a bit tired and played out, especially since we are not really given the right amount of clues that Olivia and Reagan are actually twins. There were also several plot holes, the most glaring of which is the fact that Reagan's mother was able to make off with a baby with no birth certificate and that baby seemingly participates in life normally? Is this something we're supposed to overlook because it's a YA book? Even YA books are supposed to clear up those loose ends before ending the book.

I'm also getting fairly tired of authors not tying up all the loose ends and then slapping on an epilogue with an explanation. I've read at least FOUR thrillers in the last couple of months that use this trope and it...it needs to stop. It's fine every once in a while, but when literally every thriller you read starts relying on this plot device, it looses it's luster and just lessens the impact of the book.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book--I read it fairly quickly and didn't want to put it down when I was reading it. The characters could have used a bit more fleshing out, because there are a lot of them to keep track of out there in the woods, and pretty much all of the male characters and some of the female characters felt interchangeable. Like some of them, their only purpose was to die. And yeah, when you need to kill of characters that is the only purpose they have...but you can still give them some life, right? This felt more like a cardboard cutout was left on the forest floor rather than an actual person.

I SWEAR I liked this book, there was a lot to like--the pacing was really good, the story itself at the heart is a really good story. I liked that we got snippets of the original investigation through crime reports and flashbacks. There were some good minor twists (though the big one you could honestly see coming even through all the trees lol) and it was compelling enough I flew through it and didn't want to put it down when I was reading it.

I think I like Valentine's adult novels (well, novel) better than her YA ones. 3.5 stars

This was a solid YA thriller! A fast paced, quick to read, twisty turny, whodunit that did not disappoint.

Being YA, the characters are young and therefore make all sorts of questionable life choices and you do have to suspend disbelief throughout, but in a YA thriller these things do not bother me one bit. I was fully entertained and there were some shocking reveals and twists. Bonus points for the queer romance thrown in for this Pride Month release!

Would totally recommend this one for fans of YA thrillers or anyone looking for a quick and easy thriller read.

Thank you Penguin Teen, NetGalley, and the author for this gifted copy.

Two Sides to Every Murder by Danielle Valentine tells the story of two girls, Olivia and Reagan who go to Camp Lost Lake to find the truth about their lives and find out what each of their moms is hiding from them. Olivia has just found out the man she has been calling dad is not her dad and she hopes going back to the camp where she was born can give answers on who her father is. Reagan's mom has been accused of being the killer of 3 people who died in Camp Lost Lake and Reagan hopes by going back there she can clear her moms name.

I read How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle so when I saw this ARC was available I knew I had to apply for it and I was happy to be able to read it and now review it.

I enjoyed that this book had two PVO's, we followed the story along with the POV's of Olivia and Reagan but we also got some flashbacks on what really happened the night of the murders, I think the flashback were very helpful to show the reader what truly happened and it made it easier to understand the story throughout. Having Olivia and Reagan tell the story as it went along was a great choice and made the story much easier to follow along and be more enjoyable.

I felt the book was an easy read and I got into it pretty fast and was able to read it quickly. The book throughout had a great setting and did manage to keep me wanting to know what would happen. However, to be honest I did not love the ending of the book, I felt the killer reveal was a bit rushed and I did not enjoy the final reveal.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I give it 3.5 stars, rounded up as there are no half stars in here.

Thank you NetGalley and PEGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC the above review is of my own thoughts.

I love camp thriller novels, this was light and enjoyable. There were a lot of characters that I was getting confused with at first, but once I got them all straight, I enjoyed this one.

Two teenage girls who find themselves at the center of a chilling mystery. Olivia, who was born at the camp where a notorious murder took place, and Reagan, whose mother was accused of the crime, are both determined to uncover the truth. When Camp Lost Lake reopens and they start digging for answers, they soon realize that a killer is on the loose and danger lurks around every corner.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for Young Readers for this e-arc.*

I know I won’t be able to finish before this is published tomorrow but I can confidently say it will be a 4 star for me. The detail and adrenaline Ms. Danielle gives you from the first paragraph and throughout the book is what every reader longs for.

This was my first Danielle Valentine, but it won't be my last! Despite this being YA, I was glue to this book from start to finish. The end was slightly more predictable than I would have liked, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the twist. I read this book in one sitting without putting it down! The execution of this book was 5/5. I would recommend this book to all A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Fans!!

Danielle Valentine’s "Two Sides to Every Murder" is a gripping thriller that takes readers back to the eerie site of the infamous Camp Lost Lake murders. While it offers an intriguing premise and some thrilling moments, it doesn’t quite live up to the high standards set by Valentine’s previous work, "How to Survive Your Murder."

The story revolves around two teens, Olivia and Reagan, whose lives are irrevocably linked by the tragic events at Camp Lost Lake. Olivia, born during the murder spree, discovers that the man she calls dad isn’t her biological father. This revelation sets her on a quest for answers about her true heritage, leading her back to the camp. Reagan, on the other hand, has spent her life on the run with her mother, who is widely believed to be the murderer. Reagan is determined to prove her mother’s innocence and clear their tarnished name.

The reopening of Camp Lost Lake presents the perfect opportunity for both girls to uncover the truth. The setting is appropriately creepy, and Valentine does a commendable job of building suspense as Olivia and Reagan dig deeper into the camp’s dark past. The dual perspectives of the protagonists add depth to the narrative, and their contrasting motivations create an interesting dynamic.

However, the novel falters in a few areas. The pacing can be uneven, with some sections dragging while others feel rushed. The character development, especially for secondary characters, feels somewhat lacking, making it harder to fully invest in the story. Additionally, while the twists and turns are engaging, they can sometimes feel a bit predictable for seasoned thriller readers.

Despite these shortcomings, "Two Sides to Every Murder" still delivers a solid mystery with enough suspense to keep readers hooked. It’s an enjoyable read, particularly for those who appreciate the campy horror vibe and the exploration of familial bonds under strain. However, fans of "How to Survive Your Murder" might find this follow-up lacking the same punch and ingenuity.

Overall, while not quite reaching the heights of Valentine’s previous work, "Two Sides to Every Murder" is a decent thriller that offers a mix of mystery, suspense, and a touch of nostalgia for classic camp horror tales. A solid three-star read for thriller enthusiasts.