Someone check on JLH, because if she's drawing story inspiration from her real life she has some crazy ass dinner parties.

Kim is in desperate need of money. Her dog Murphy, the one thing she loves, is sick and needs surgery. So when she begins getting anonymous messages from someone calling themselves The Stranger she only hesitates for a minute before agreeing to poison someone in exchange for $10k. But when her Mark walks into the country club on the night she is supposed to poison his dessert, she can't get through with it--it's her high school boyfriend. Unfortunately it appears someone is impatient though, because that night Anthony--the potential victim--is sitting next to his fiancé when she dies. And now Kim doesn't know what to think.

This book was twisty twisty twisty and full of good life lessons about why lying is bad. Finding Tessa is still my favorite Hendricks book, but this is a close second.

I needed this thriller! This was so good! I loved the entire book and I flew through this one! Lies, revenge, secrets and twists are what you are going to get with this thriller gold! This was such a fun psychological thriller. I had suspicions of who did what and why but could never fully nail it down!

This was my first from Jaime Lynn Hendricks and it will absolutely not be the last. Her backlist is being added to my TBR immediately! Everyone at The Pulse was so excited for this one and now I know why!

Thank you to the author, Scarlet and Penzler Publishers for allowing me early access to this one! This was fantastic! Do yourself a favor and add it to your TBR and preorder it because it will be in my top thrillers this year!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Hendricks takes readers on a wild ride through the glamorous yet treacherous world of New Jersey's elite country clubs. At the center of this gripping narrative is a waitress whose life spirals out of control. Hendricks masterfully illustrates the desperation of a woman at her lowest point, caught between financial ruin and moral quandaries, making Kim a compelling and relatable protagonist.

Hendricks excels at creating a cast of characters that embody both charm and malice, emphasizing the duplicity often found in high society. The blend of adrenaline-fueled suspense and sharp social commentary is seamlessly woven throughout the plot, inviting readers to reflect on themes of betrayal, ambition, and the lengths one will go to secure happiness. Each chapter is brimming with unexpected twists, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as Kim navigates a labyrinth of lies, ultimately realizing that not everyone can be trusted, including The Stranger.
This novel is thoroughly addictive. Hendricks's prose is crisp and engaging, making it difficult to put down; once you start, you'll want to see how the tangled web of deception unravels. The pacing is impeccable, providing just enough tension to escalate the storyline without overwhelming readers. The climactic moments are both shocking and satisfying, reminding us that in the pursuit of happiness, alliances can shift and loyalties can waver.

In conclusion, Jaime Lynn Hendricks has crafted a tale that is as intricately woven as it is explosively entertaining. "Their Double Lives" promises a whirlwind of excitement, making it a crowning achievement in the genre of domestic thrillers. Buckle up for a ride filled with deception, betrayal, and a shocking revelation that you won't see coming!

Double lives indeed! This is a twisty-can’t-trust-anyone type of read. It seems like everyone is double crossing everyone. These characters don’t act out of impulse. Every detail of revenge is carefully orchestrated and a faux persona is used until the timing is just right.

This is the second book I’ve read by this author. For both books I go into them feeling neutral, but by the middle I’m fully engrossed and breezing through to the end. This is told through multiple POVs and timelines, which I always enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Scarlet for this ARC. This review will be shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date May 20 2025

This was a fun, twisty book! The fast pace and unreliable, manipulative characters made for an entertaining read. The book alternates POV and timelines to uncover who the true villain is, It kept me guessing until the end and was well executed,

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I truly don't feel that Jamie could write a book I would not love. Their Double Lives couldn’t be a more fitting title for this book, and you will be shocked and appalled by the things that happen. I think I enjoyed PJ’s POV the most and could totally see where she was coming from and also where she ended up. I would recommend going into this one as blind as possible and I think me going off the author instead of the synopsis worked in my favor. The twists and turns were fantastic, and the ending was so brilliant .Don't read the whole synopsis of this book! I rarely go in blind, but I'll read anything this author writes and trust that I'm going to be entertained. I didn't know the motivation of one character in particular, and that made the book so much more thrilling to me. Read it just read it you wont regret it.

An average thriller read for me. Though a quick, easy read, I really didn’t engage with the characters and the plot was just okay. The motivation of one of the main characters was not believable to me and there was too much telling rather than showing.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

A few years ago, I read and loved Hendricks' debut novel, Finding Tessa. I haven't yet read any of her others, but when I read the synopsis of her upcoming book and saw the many glowing reviews it was earning, I quickly requested it on NetGalley. Of course, I was thrilled when they granted me access to it, but I'm disappointed to report that my own ratings aren't quite so shiny.

Kim is a waitress at a Country Club. She has recently agreed to a mysterious request (from The Stranger) to kill a new member via poisoning in exchange for enough money to save her dying dog's life. I love my dogs, so I can understand doing anything to save their life...but killing someone? That seems a bit too far, but still, I suppose I can understand her entertaining the idea. She is shocked when she sees the man she's agreed to murder, and recognizes him as Tony, her first love from over a decade ago. She decides she can't go through with the murder after all, now that it's someone she knows, and will have to do something else to save her dog. But before the evening is over, Tony's fiancee, PJ, keels over dead. Now Kim has to determine who The Stranger is, who murdered PJ, whether Tony has truly left his criminal past behind as he appears to have done, and whether she herself was being set up to take the fall for the murder.

As I mentioned, I did not love this one, but I certainly didn't hate it. What worked for me? The fast pace, the back and forth chapters (told from Kim in the present and in the past, and PJ in the past, along with a couple from Anthony/Tony's perspective) to move the story along, and the twists. I wasn't bored or tempted to abandon it. What I didn't care for as much was a lack of character building. It felt like we were just told who the characters are, and there really wasn't much to show that at all. And things would just flip back and forth; one minute, this character is being shown as 'good', and in the next moment, it's as if a flip has been switched and suddenly they are the opposite. Or someone is head over heels in love with someone else, but suddenly, one little thing makes them do an about face and decide to cheat on them or kill someone, etc...it just didn't fell true to me. Beyond that, much of the plot is far fetched and unlikely, or relies on pure coincidence, which usually doesn't bother me in a novel, but felt like just a bit much here. I also didn't love the writing, and feel it would benefit from more editing to tighten it all up.

Again, though, it was an entertaining book that kept me turning the pages to see how it would all turn out. And that, along with having loved her debut novel, means that I look forward to reading more from Hendricks. I give Their Double Lives three stars, and thank NetGalley and Scarlet for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

RATING: 4.5/5 Stars

Oh my goodness, this was goooood! I could not put this one down as soon as I started it. All the MCs were morally grey in the best way! I am always a fan of multiple POVs & timelines. Plus, Kim had a sweet dog, Murphy. I’m a dog person! This was so twisty & deceptive. There were many webs of lies weaved! PJ was a wild character. I thought I had everything figured out & I was not even close! This was such a binge worthy read & I’ll be recommending it!

𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗖𝗞 𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧 𝗣𝗘𝗘𝗞
Waitress Kim Valva is desperate for money to save her dog’s life. When she’s offered cash to poison a wealthy country club member, she agrees - but nothing goes as planned.

𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡
This felt like a modern-day Agatha Christie murder mystery, with fun elements like a locked-room setup, a whodunnit, revenge, a long con, and bad men getting their comeuppance.

The action kicked off immediately. I so appreciate a well-edited book that doesn’t waste time, and this was perfectly paced. The past-and-present format added to the suspense, and added just the right amount of intrigue.

I loved how twisty this got - every reveal made me rethink what I thought I knew, and the timing of the twists kept things fun and unpredictable.

I did want a little more from the ending. Not necessarily a happy one, but something more impactful to match the high-energy buildup. While it tied everything up, it felt a little anticlimactic, and I was left wishing for an explosive showdown.

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗?
I found this book so entertaining and highly recommend it for fans of fast-paced, twisty thrillers with plenty of drama and surprises!

Thanks to @Netgalley and
@penzlerpub for access to this advanced readers copy

Oof — what a messy, messy web of lies and deceit in this deliciously salacious story!

Nothing is what it seems in Their Double Lives. Hendricks did an amazing job, intertwining all the characters and their many, many lies in this one!

A server at an elite club would do anything to save her sick dog, and when someone contacts her, offering her a large lump some of money to simply add something to someone’s dessert, she agrees. What she didn’t count on? It being her old high school boyfriend. Can she do it? She can’t. But when someone else drops dead at dinner, all hell breaks lose!

While “the stranger” was a fairly obvious call, there were so many layers to this ending, I devoured it in two sittings - it was un-put-downable!

A must read this summer — it was absolutely awesomesauce 😉🤫

Title: Their Double Lives
Author: Jaime Lynn Hendricks
Publisher: Penzier Publishers- Scarlet
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: May 20, 2025
My Rating: 2.6 Stars
Pages: 304

Kim Valva is thirty-three year old freelance graphic designer who lost her steady job and is now working as waitress at a posh New Jersey Country Club, She lives a much different life than the rich and famous she serves. Her live-in boyfriend recently cheated on her, and her beloved dog Murphy has a tumor and needs a life-saving surgery that will cost thousands of dollars she doesn’t have. Then her luck seems to change when a mysterious figure identifying only as The Stranger contacts her with an offer she can’t refuse.
Simple just put a pill in the new member’s drink and, when he dies, she’ll have enough money to fix her dog and her life.

Her target turns out to be Tony Fiore—Kim’s bad boy ex-boyfriend from high school. Fifteen years have passed, and he now goes by Anthony Fuller. He’s cleaned up, made tens of millions, and his gorgeous fiancée, twenty-two-year-old Poppy Jade “PJ” Walsh, is with him. Kim has the poison in her pocket but is not going to use it. As the dinner is nearly over PJ has an attack and falls to the floor dead. ……WHAT?
It appears PJ had plans to kill Anthony but somehow it backfired. Now Kim is trying to get rid of the poison before she is accused of something she didn’t do.

Story goes back and forth between multiple characters – then and now. A lot goes on and all gets wrapped up in the end.
We find out who and why PJ was killed and good news Murphy got his surgery.

This is my fourth Jaime Lynn Hendricks story. My first and still favorite was " Finding Tessa" ~totally loved it!
Unfortunately this one was only okay.

Want to thank NetGalley and Penzier Publishing – Scarlet for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 20, 2025.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
A stranger sends Kim a message— put a pill in his drink for ten thousand dollars. Kim could really use the money as her puppy is ailing. At the restaurant when she see who they want her to drug she is shocked to discover it is her ex- boyfriend. She decides she can’t do it.
What’s shocking is he is with PJ who is trying to trap him into marriage and then to kill him. Now Kim wants to find out who wants them both dead?
People with double lives- a captivating read!

Kim works at an exclusive country club in Jersey, her recent relationship ended with her discovering her ex had cheated on her. Her dog Murphy has been there for her so when she discovers he needs a life saving surgery she feels stuck. So when she gets an offer from The Stranger who offers her money the only catch is she needs to poison someone at her work and when he dies, she’ll have enough money to fix her dog and her life. So to her shock she discovers her target turns out to be Tony Fiore—Kim’s ex-boyfriend from high school. It’s been fifteen years , and he now goes by Anthony Fuller. He’s cleaned up, and has made tens of millions, and his gorgeous fiancée, twenty-two-year-old PJ Walsh, is on his arm. Kim can’t bring herself to go through with spiking his drink. Instead to her shock it is PJ who dies horrifically at the table just as dinner ends and Kim had nothing to do with it. Was someone else at the club—member or worker—tasked with poisoning PJ just as she had been instructed to do to Tony? Who would want both of them dead? With no one to trust and The Stranger to answer to, Kim must peel back the layers of deceit to reveal a deeply buried truth, more shocking than she could ever imagine…
Unknown to anyone PJ had her own agenda from the second she met Anthony. Find him, trick him, marry him, kill him… so whose playing who???

This was such a fun read. I binged it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down! The mix of characters was so good. Everyone has their own secrets so you don’t know who really to believe as the plot unfolds. You will have empathy for a cast of unlikeable people because they each feel burned in their own ways (rightfully so!) I guessed who The Stranger was but it didn’t take away from the books enjoyability. The ending perfectly matched the tone of the book. I would highly recommend this one!

Told from multiple points of view in the past and present, the latest from amazing Jaime Lynn Hendricks is a stunner of a mystery! I was enthralled throughout with characters that couldn’t be trusted against each other & secrets abounding at the end!

Bravo!
A wild ride of twisty events including lovers, ex’s, strangers, affairs and murder. What do you do when your beloved dog needs a ten thousand dollar life saving surgery? Well Kim gets anonymous letters at her doorstep telling her to murder someone and she will be paid enough to afford the dog's surgery. This stranger also sends her a phone so everything is set up on how and where to poison the person. Well on the night of the arrangement she comes face to face with her high school boyfriend who she’s supposed to murder. And now comes the unexpected.

I love a good who dun it book and this one was my second book by this author, Now I plan to read all of her books.

#domestic thriller #pyschological

What an addictive suspenseful thriller with such a fitting cover! It’s full of love, hidden secrets and revenge. The dual timeline told in multiple POV’s really keeps the story flowing. You think you know the direction it’s going and then it suddenly changes. There are different character backstories along with sinister motives. It all ties together with an unpredictable ending.

Thank you to the author @JaimeLynnHendricks as well as to @PenzlerPuishers and @NetGalley for a free e-ARC. The opinions are mine alone and not biased in any way.

This is some of Jaime’s BEST work! I had to force myself to put it down and get some sleep and I ate up the ending in between neglecting all responsibilities!

Their Double Lives was jam packed with secrets, betrayal, scheming and blackmail and I loved every second of it! I cannot WAIT for this gem to hit the shelves - MARK YOUR CALENDARS - on May 20th! You’ll definitely want this at the top of your TBR as a perfect summer read!!!

🌟 F I V E S T A R F R I D A Y review 🌟 featuring “Their Double Lives” by Jaime Lynn Hendricks!

MY RATING: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

Kim Valva’s struggle is real as she scrapes by financially doing freelance graphic design by day and waitressing at an upscale New Jersey country club at night. She puts up with all the snooty socialites she serves because she is desperate to make money for a life saving surgery needed for her beloved dog Murphy.

A mysterious envelope is left at her front door with a proposition from “The Stranger” that would change her financial status and save Murphy. All she has to do is slip a pill into someone’s drink at the country club and the money is all hers.

But when it’s time to do the deed Kim comes face to face with her high school boyfriend Tony. What’s even worse is that he IS the target. There is no way Kim could kill him after all their history … so what has he done to deserve this?? And how uncanny is this coincidence?? Moments later, Tony’s new fiancé drops dead at the dinner table and everyone becomes a suspect! Is this a case of a missed target or something more sinister?

🎙️ MIC DROP! Yet another banger from Jaime Lynn Hendricks that SCREAMS of revenge, sinister motives, double lives and a tangled nasty web of lies! I read this popcorn thriller in one morning and couldn’t put it down! Told in multiple perspectives and dual timelines, you barely get a moment to breathe as the shocking story unfolds!

Thank you kindly to @jaimelynnhendricksauthor @penzlerpub @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my #gifted advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on May 20, 2025!