I liked having the two different points of view of Lila based on her choices that lead her to where she ends up in each situation. I liked how some things overlapped in unique ways to each situation too. I was very shocked at the end as to who was the kidnapper, it was kind of crazy who it was and why they did it to Lila.

3 stars, interesting perspective with the 2 different storylines and I did like it. It seemed a little too neat at the end, which wasn’t awful. I did like how at first we think the captured scenario is the worst, when at the end we find the captured scenario was actually the only way she lives.

This is a fast-paced story that will have you reading into the night to find out what happens.
The story reminded me of A Thousand Doors by JT Ellison, in which several authors gave their version of what happened to a woman if she made different choices at pivotal moments in her life. Only, The Two Lila Bennetts goes into much more depth and gives two perspectives with each one shedding light on how this woman needs to change her life.

The woman is Lila Bennett, a successful lawyer. She has gotten where she is by caring only for herself and stepping over others to have what she wants. She’s a defense attorney who will stop at nothing to win. But after a time, this lifestyle begins to weigh her down and guilt sets in. She’s left many hurt people in her past and her current behavior is still set on the same path.

Readers are shown two separate scenarios as Lila Bennett is forced to come to terms with who she is and how she needs to make amends. Neither one is easy, but one of them will be fatal.

I was really impressed at how the authors resolved the ending. It’s not an easy thing to merge timelines in a believable way and they did an excellent job.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for a review! This book took a a little while to get into but once i did WOW! This story is about Lila Bennett, a flawed character who has made many mistakes in the past and wronged many people. One night she makes a choice and the books at that point splits into two storylines based on that choice. I loved how the story tackled the concept of whether a person who has made many mistakes can change. This book reminded me very much of the movie Sliding Doors. This was a great read, though a slow start. I'm glad that I got to read it and would recommend it to others.

Lila Bennett is a successful attorney who is forced to examine how her flexible morals have effected her life and everyone in it in this tense, claustrophobic thriller.

Fenton and Steinke have done a superb job crafting this cast of jump-off-the-page characters. I LOVE when thrillers are character driven versus plot driven, although the plot is just as thick and engaging as the characters. The premise is a unique look at how every decision effects our lives and shows us two possible outcomes for Lila in a dark, Sliding Doors-esque way.

I have only ONE negative; without spoiling I will say it pertains to causality and a gun. If one event didn’t happen then the next couldn’t have happened. It made my brain hurt to read and think about but this isn’t a sci-fi novel, it’s a thriller, so I let it go and surrendered myself to this fun ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review!

Great lessons to learn in this book. I would have thought the outcome would be the opposite for each "track." Thought she would have realized she needed to change while kidnapped vs being free and realizing hurts and past mistakes on her own. I did not guess who the kidnapper was. This book was not as suspenseful or as engaging as their last one, but definitely think it's a good read for people that maybe need to look at their actions before it's too late.

5 Reasons to Read The Two Lila Bennetts
1. This is one of those thrillers that is like NOTHING I have ever read. In fact, I still find myself mulling over it- and I finished over a week ago. The angel and devil sitting on your shoulder theme is so well executed and a true depiction of “what would have happened if I chose…. Instead.” It is sheer brilliance.
2. The title makes so much sense. At first, I thought there were going to be two people named Lila. No- this is a story of “Lila Captured” and “Lila Free”. I cannot go into too much detail without giving away the story, but let’s just say, “The devil made me do it” phrase is really taken to a whole new level. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure how the story would wrap up in a realistic way, but holy moley, it sure did and I loved every minute of that final chapter.
3. Lila Bennett is not a saint. Though she also isn’t a villain, she definitely has her flaws and makes some choices that I wouldn’t condone. Lila is a defense lawyer, and one that has defended some sketchy characters despite knowing this fact. She’s also made some sketchy life choices. This combination of qualities makes Lila an atypical character, and one perfectly suited for this thriller.
4. The character development and descriptions are so good. I was holding my breath multiple times for Lila, and I felt “both” Lilas feelings from beginning to end. And like all good thrillers, there needs to be a character twist- this one didn’t disappoint. This character twist was one I actually didn’t see coming.
5. This was a quick read. Quick in that the pacing flew by with the back and forth perspectives, and I whipped through it in a day or so because I had to know how it was going to end.

Lila Bennett’s bad choices have finally caught up with her, and one of those decisions has split her life in two. Literally.
In one life, she is taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much about her life. As she’s trapped in a cell her kidnapper forces her to face the past mistakes she has done in her life or be killed. In her alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing her secrets one at a time.
Her career, her marriage and her life are on the line and she must make a list of those people she has wronged and find out who is determined out to get her before it’s too late. But will she survive?

This is told in dual chapters, in one life Lila is kidnapped and the other she is free. It is very well written and easy to follow. A super story about the life choices we make and where they lead us and is very thought provoking.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for and an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fantastic! Another home run for these authors! I was a huge fan of the way this book was written and devoured it in one sitting.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC!

A year ago, I read Girl's Night Out as one of my first ARC's when I joined Netgalley. I fell in love with it so hard, as well as with the authors. I was so excited to see this up for request, and even more excited when I was approved! This book did not disappoint. The writing is stellar, the story line! How unique! Refreshing and different in a world of psychological thrillers. I loved the idea of two parallel lives based off of the choices we make. A butterfly effect. Lila was an incredibly deep and likable character - despite the fact that you're supposed to dislike her in one of the timelines. I couldn't! She seemed so multi faceted. Overall, amazing ending (both ways) and a fantastic read. I would 100% recommend this!

I LOVED this book. At first I was nervous about how much I would enjoy the two perspectives. But I was hooked from the first chapter and devoured the book in less than 24 hours. I would highly recommend this book to my friends who like fast-paced thrillers. I also realized just how much I enjoy books about strong-female lawyers. I need more of those in my life!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The basic premise of the book appealed to me: The choices we make, and the consequences of those decisions, determine the path we take in life. This has the makings of the perfect psychological thriller, but somehow it doesn't quite have the oomph to lift off. It's a good, entertaining read, and well-written, but I found it impossible to get really invested in what happens to Lila - and the ending was a bit of a let-down, after all that build-up.

Wow. What an awesome book. I loved the unique storyline concept. The two different possibilities of Lila's life had me so intrigued and engaged. The writing was fantastic and I couldn't stop turning the pages. And that ending! THAT was unexpected! This will not be the last book by these authors that I read, for sure.

This was a fun thriller that really kept me guessing!!

The blurb on the front of the book calling it Sliding Doors with a killer twist is perfect! One night - Lila Bennett is faced with a decision - the type of decision we all make every day: go left or right, go out for a drink with a coworker or head home, leave now or stay longer.

The rest of the book has us following the consequences of these two different decisions - in one she ends up kidnapped and in the other she’s free. The alternating chapters give us how both versions play out.

I read this as a buddy read with two friends and loved that we got to discuss it at the halfway point. We all had so many theories and were thoroughly riveted.

This is a true page turner that will keep you guessing until the very end. Preorder it now so you can read with a friend and compare theories as soon as it’s out!!

Thank you very much to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love these 2 authors. This one, however, is my least favorite of their books. Just not emotionally connected to the characters or the story unfortunately. Could have used "less talk-more action".

Lila Bennett is one focussed individual. Focussed on what is best for herself mainly. To this end some hard decisions have been made in the past. Some deliberately so, with the idea of promoting herself and some just because she wants to win and come out ahead of everyone else. Tough upbringing has to an extent made her the way she is.

We have two aspects here - (I did find it confusing at the beginning). Lila kidnapped, kept in an underground bunker, not ill treated but not treated well at all, disoriented, without any clue as to who and why she has been taken. When her captors start focussing on her past decisions and getting her to accept and apologise to those she has wronged, Lila though knowing her own career is going down the drain, has a strange sense of relief.

In the other alternate, she eludes her captors but someone is unravelling her life piece at a time deliberately. In this scenario, she knows exactly who and why but is left helpless. When Lila in this case decides to do the "correct" thing, she literally sets the cat amongst the pigeons unleashing a series of good decisions, and upturning all what went before.

Both scenarios were equally fascinating. Both were equally ruthless. In both Lila became from being the strong victor to the submissive person who knew she has to set right her original faults.

Very intriguing. Very well written. A page turner and one that keeps you on edge till the end.

This my third book from this duo of awesome authors so I guess you can call me a fan! Why I liked this book? The way it was written, splitted in two but intertwined at the same time. For me it was pretty cool to read. Why I didn’t love it? The story as a whole left me asking for more. I had issues with the way it ended. Of all three I’ve read (The Good Widow, Girls Night Out and this one) this falls in third place for me. However I could see people loving it. 3.5!

Thank you to NetGalley, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke and Lake Union Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Lila’s bad choices have finally caught up with her and one of those decisions has split her life in two – literally! In one life she has been taken captive by a stranger who knows too much about her life. She is trapped in a cell and has to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life she has eluded her capture and but is hunted by someone who is destroying her happiness. She loves her job as a criminal defense attorney, so she must make a list of those she has wronged to determine who is out to get her.

I love these women and I was so excited to be approved for their latest novel! I was drawn into the story right away and drawn into this busy life of Lila. I enjoyed the novel even more once Lila’s life was split and the back and forth we go with each chapter, upping the ante and the suspense with each turn of the page! I had things that I loved both sides of Lila, but I definitely wanted one to win out over the other and I think the totally different ending will shock everyone! I loved how this whole thing came together; I didn’t want to put it down because I needed to know which Lila would survive! Definitely a perfect summer read to binge on your day at the beach!

Out July 23rd!

What makes this book stand out is its structure - one main character and two parallel plotlines with numerous twists and turns based on the character’s choices (think along the lines of the “Choose-you-own-adventure” series.) At the center is Lila Bennett, a young, successful, and ambitious criminal attorney based in Los Angeles. She’s married to Ethan, an author, who is dealing with depression and writer’s block as he tries to write the next book following his blockbuster first novel. Among the other key players are Sam, Lila’s ruthless and attractive boss, and his wife who has become Lila’s best friend and confidant. While building these relationships and her successful law practice, it seems Lila has made some selfish and questionable decisions over the years and someone has decided she needs to mend her ways. The story takes two wildly different approaches to solving Lila’s moral dilemma in alternating chapters titled “Free” and “Captured.”

With the makings of a perfect psychological thriller, I was a bit disappointed that The Two Lila Bennetts was weighted more toward narrative than action. For me, this kept me more detached than involved emotionally. Even though the story was intriguing and I kept turning pages anxious to discover the outcome, it just didn’t grab me and draw me in. This may not be a factor for others so I still recommend this one as a solid, entertaining read.


FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4-5 stars! I really enjoyed this original and very clever thriller, and loved the many twists it gave me as a reader! I thought that it was so well written, and offered a ton of chills, thrills, and as I mentioned tons of twists (at end). Loved reading something original and I recommend to those who tend to love the same as me!
Will use in challenge and recommend to the members of Chapter Chatter Pub!