Great enjoyable thriller with a good body count!
Kept me guessing with a strong plot and great pace
Give me a second book please!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fun read (finished it in one day!) with some tense scenes, but I wasn't keen on the romantic subplots and the twists were a bit predictable.

In upstate New York, murder makes a comeback when a witch who’s a dab hand with a bow and arrow rekindles their killing spree after a 16-year break. As the teens run for sanctuary in the deep, dark woods, they’re picked off by the unknown assailant while finding their truth and their true love.

The central character is Olivia, whose high achieving sister is coming home to open a coworking space at the family-owned, eerily named Camp Lost Lake. Thanks to a school ancestry project, Olivia is reeling from the results of the DNA test that throws doubt on her dad. Add to this the streetwise Reagan who beats a trail to the camp after a true crime podcast who names her mother as the witch sniper in the woods. Reagan must clear her mother’s name at any cost. All characters come to life and the structure is fast and faultless.

With this love letter to the teen slasher genre, Danielle Valentine has masterfully created a believable, tense atmosphere that is irresistibly terrifying. Even with a large character list and a very crucial twisty backstory, the author proves to be the real witch by weaving her magic so that the reader will ‘quiver’ in fear when trouble comes ‘nocking.’ The expertly crafted chaos is amped up to the max and then brought to a successful conclusion, with a very clever twist the reader won’t see coming.

Thanks to NetGalleyUK and Penguin Random House Children’s for the eARC

Rather chilling with a number of dead bodies and some good twists and feminist touches emerging at the end showing how many things just don’t change for women.

Three people were murdered at Camp Lost Lake. Sixteen years later, shocked by the sudden change in her life and sick of being on the run, Reagan goes to clear her mother’s name. Meanwhile Olivia is supporting her family’s re-invention and reopening of the camp. Suddenly dead bodies start appearing again. Is the murderous Witch of Lost Lake back and why now? What secrets are buried there and can the girls work out the who, what and why before they become the witch’s next victims?

A good option for students wanting something scary without giving them recurring nightmares.

When did it happen that 2004 is a whole generation ago? That can't possibly be right!

Anyway, this is a classic horror scenario with a killer in a summer camp - a camp which is reopening this very year! - and a possibly-framed villain, and two main characters with a mysterious connection (figured it out the first time anyone else met Reagan.) It seemed like there were going to be loads of characters to keep track of, but actually it's not too bad; you only really need to remember ten or so, some of whom only show up in the flashbacks.

This was a really visual story; I imagine it would do very well on Netflix, or Disney if they were willing to be a bit more gory than their usual fare. I could picture a lot of it as it was happening.

I don't always like books with two timelines - I find it hard to keep them in order - and this one did have several flashbacks and scenes set in the days leading up to the murders, which did puzzle me a bit. But I'm sure other readers will love that part of it.

I guessed some of the revelations, didn't guess others but looking back I can see the hints. It's very cleverly written! I think this one is going to be popular.

This book reminded me why I enjoy thrillers, it kept me on my toes and had me guessing constantly. The characters are likeable and conflicted throughout, you couldnt guess what will happen if you tried.

Also can we talk about the ending?! I’m hoping for a second book because we cant just leave it like that.

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐘𝐀 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝟐𝟕𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒
𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟒 ⭐️

This was so fun!!
I needed a ‘light hearted’ read…. It still has to involve murder though.

I enjoyed the dual timelines and different characters. This was a very fast paced story.

I did cringe at some of the dialogue though but it is YA and it didn’t take anything anyway from the storyline. Some of the twists were a little predictable but others not so much!

100% recommend if you like
* Summer Camps
* ‘Slasher’ vibes
* Different timelines
* Different POV

Thanks so much to @netgalley, @puffinbooksuk @penguinrandomhouse for the eArc!!

Two Sides to Every Murder is a YA horror thriller, full of foreboding and violent outbursts. Set in a disused summer camp with a plot involving teenagers trying to solve a cold case murder, it has all the ingredients of a contemporary YA thriller. The story feels fast paced with lots of ill judged "making a run for it" whilst being hunted through the woods by a crazed killer armed with a bow and arrow. It's a relatively easy read, I could see some of the reveals ahead early on in the book but I still wanted to read on to see the final outcome. There is a dual narrative which can be a bit tricky to follow sometimes and the ending is a bit far fetched. I think this will be popular with its YA target audience and it is a great read for fans of a spooky story around the campfire.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a fantastic book. I could not put this down.

She is a talented author that kept me gripped from the first page to the last page. To me it didn't read like a YA novel

Thank you for the opportunity to review

Rattles through every horror/mystery trope there is, with plenty of action to keep the pages turning. Lots of twists and jump scares which seem to be the most requested items in books at the moment. Definitely one for the older teens, I think this will be a popular addition to the horror shelves.

This was a gripping read, I thought the characters were intriguing and I'm going to keep an eye out for more from this author.

While this was fun to read, it was also incredibly predictable. It reads very easy, as if you are watching a horror movie and you really feel like you are stuck in there with the characters!

I can see that this book may just appeal to teenagers but I honestly did think this book was a lot more violent than I’d expect in a teen novel. I think it should be marketed more to adults. Don’t get me wrong it such a good book, with lots of super gripping, twists and turns though the book and it did kept me on my feet guessing throughout the whole time I was reading it. I managed to read this book in two days xxx

Amazing book, super gripping, so many twists and turns it kept me guessing throughout and I completely off track the whole time!
Super quick paced which meant I read it all in one sitting!
Amazing book!

Danielle does it again! Two Sides to Every Murder is a captivating murder-mystery that keeps the reader hooked from page one. I love the setup and although I could see one of the twists coming from early on, I was still so eager to find out how it would finish. I would encourage people to pick up this book if they are looking for a quick and intriguing read.

I’m grateful for the ARC but I'm sorry to say I just couldn’t finish this. I can see that it may appeal to teenagers but I just don’t enjoy the tension and what I did read was more violent than I’d expect in a teen novel.

I’m also just SO over dual narrators: I can’t keep it clear in my head who’s speaking or what time we’re in. Maybe in a ‘real’ book there are different fonts/chapter headings on each page etc. to help identify where you are etc. but on a kindle there are no hints and I just can’t be bothered.

I kind of want to know what the rest of the story was so I’ll read other reviews either way spoilers!!

Man, I loved this book. The easiest 5/5 stars to give!

It took barely a chapter to grab me, and then, I was utterly lost to the book. We’re talking easy hours sunk as soon as I began reading and I knew I’d be consumed until I got to the end of the mystery.

It’s the perfect story to hook you - a past murder committed - a previous generation haunted by the Witch in the Woods with a long shadow cast over Camp Lost Lake. But now, the camp is starting up again but the rumours that the Witch still roams determines to keep those off the camp grounds..

I loved the undercurrent running throughout and the sense of forboding. The daughter of the woman framed for murder is determined to clear her mother’s name- there’s a missing video recorder and if only she could find it to shed light on the truth…She meets more than she bargains for however and fate takes a turn.

I loved all of the characters. And there was plenty of twists and turns, deadly lost in the woods vibes and an interesting ending. Think I finished the book in two straight days as it was too compelling to put down!

I was pleasantly surprised by Two Sides to Every Murder: expecting a schlocky and at-best mildly diverting YA thriller, what I actually got was a gripping and well-written novel with some depth to it. Were some of the decisions made by key characters utterly infuriating, in a classic-horror-film-wtf-are-you-doing way? Absolutely yes. I lost count of how many time Olivia or Reagan completely nonsensically crashed off into the woods on their own while being hunted by a bow-and-arrow-wielding maniac. But as a fun, quick, read full of jump scares, this hit the mark.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4: recommended for fans of Karen McManus.

Another very modern story using the tropes and popular settings of summer camps, and young people solving a murder. This one was rooted in a murder in 2008 (side note: I still can't get over 2008 being long enough ago that there's teenagers old enough to look back and solve crimes from this era). It's all about local legends and spooky stories, but ends up down a twisty and turny path with family members all over the place and relationships being formed. Overall, a fun story with a bit of a farfetched ending.