Their Double Lives

by Jaime Lynn Hendricks

Living a double life always comes with a cost.

A down-on-her-luck waitress at a posh New Jersey country club, Kim Valva couldn’t be living a more different life from the carefree socialites she serves. Her live-in boyfriend recently cheated on her, her social life is in shambles, and her dog needs a life-saving surgery that she can’t afford. Then her luck seems to change when a mysterious figure identifying themself only as The Stranger contacts her with an offer she can’t refuse: 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 PJ Walsh, is on his arm.

PJ had her own agenda from the second she met Anthony. Find him, trick him, marry him, kill him. It was supposed to be easy, but she finds that while living her double life, the lines blur between who she is and who she’s pretending to be.

Stunned to see Tony again, Kim can’t bring herself to go through with spiking his drink. Instead, it is PJ who dies horrifically at the table just as dinner ends. 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…

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Crime

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2025

About the author

Jaime Lynn Hendricks is an author with nearly 20 years’ experience in print media and marketing. His Missing Wife is her first novel. She lives with her husband in New Jersey.

Reviews

[Jayme C (Brunetteslikebookstoo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew REVENGE could be so much FUN⁉️

Jaime Lynn Hendricks has been hit or miss for me, since writing her fantastic debut-Finding Tessa-but with a strong average rating on Goodreads two weeks before publication date, I decided to request the Audible, narrated by Emma Love. (7 hours 30 minutes @ 1x speed-or a one sitting binge of 5 hours @ 1.5 x )

Kim Valva is waitress at a posh New Jersey country club, who desperately needs money to pay for the life saving surgery that her beloved Goldendoodle Murphy needs. 🐶 She would do ANYTHING to save him. Recently broken up with a live in boyfriend, she can’t imagine losing Murphy too.

So when a mysterious caller identifying themself only as “The Stranger “ contacts her with an offer that would earn her all of the money she needs-she jumps at the chance without thinking it through. All she has to do is put a pill in a new member’s drink and when he dies, she’ll collect.
Easy Peasy. 😳

Her TARGET -Tony Fiore—Kim’s bad boy ex-boyfriend from high school-a guy she hasn’t seen for fifteen years, who apparently now goes by the name Anthony Fuller. Oops! She didn’t realize she would know her target.

BUT THEN SOMETHING GOES HORRIBLY WRONG

The VICTIM-his gorgeous fiancée, twenty-two-year-old PJ Walsh, dies at the dinner table instead.

Was it an accident or was someone else at the club recruited to poison PJ just as she had been called upon to spike Tony’s drink?

Who EXACTLY is the mastermind out for revenge? You will backtrack from the deadly dinner to the planning stages as you read/listen to find out.

This is a SNARKY, ENTERTAINING story which grabbed me from the opening chapter, so grab the 🍿and settle in for all of the MANY TWISTS and TURNS!!

I enjoyed the narration by Emma Love, who even gave PJ, two voices, to identify which role she was currently playing.

AVAILABLE May 20, 2025.

Thank You to Highbridge Audio for the gifted Audiobook provided through NetGalley Shelf. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tangled web we weave! Secrets, lies, manipulation, double lives, and danger set the stage for Their Double Lives! This was such a gripping, fast paced, entertaining, addictive, and thrilling book which had me turning the pages at warp speed as I wanted to know how things were going to unfold! This book is full of twists and turns which kept me fully invested and turning those pages.

Kim Valva is a waitress who is in desperate need of making some money as Murphy, her beloved dog, needs life saving surgery. When she is contacted by 'The Stranger' who offers her a lot of money to put a pill in the drink of a member at the country club where she works, she agrees. She'll do anything to save her dog's life. Putting a pill in someone's drink sounds easy - deadly yet easy. Shockingly, her mark just happens to be Tony Fiore (now known as Anthony Fuller), her high school boyfriend. It really is a small world after all.

As the night unfolds, it is not Tony/Anthony who dies, his fiancée, twenty-two-year-old PJ Walsh dies instead. This leaves Kim reeling and wondering if someone else was tasked with killing PJ as she was tasked with killing Tony!?! Just what is going on? Who is "The Stranger" Why did PJ die? Was she murdered or did she have a food related allergy? Who can be trusted?


This was a delightfully twisted and clever tale! This was a wonderfully written, well thought out, perfectly plotted engrossing book that I had a hard time putting down! Whew! What a wild and crazy ride Their Double Lives turned out to be!

Addictive, gripping, twist filled, and hard to put down!

I was lucky enough to have both the kindle and audiobook versions of Their Double Lives which made for an exciting reading experience. I thought the narrator of the audiobook did a wonderful job of bringing the book to life!


Thank you to Penzler Publishers | Scarlet, HighBridge Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.


Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eeek! Jaime Lynn Hendricks just managed to blow my socks off yet again! With a twisty, unbeatable plot, smartly played cliffhangers, and plenty of morally gray characters, Their Double Lives had me spellbound from the very first page. I mean, who wouldn’t love a story that starts off with a woman’s love for her dog? If you’ve read anything by this author before, though, then you know that was just the start as, from there, it all went deliciously off the rails. After all, Ms. Hendricks has a knack for spinning tales within tales all while injecting dark, snarky humor into the words.

While the plot was brilliant with a capital B, the characters were easily the special sauce to this downright—and delightfully—manipulative novel. True-to-life but also dramatic in the best possible way, the well-developed personas ran the gamut from genuinely root-for-able to out-and-out creepy. Not once, though, did they seem over-the-top. You see, every single step of the way, I could see each of their dilemmas clearly in my mind’s eye. Thanks to clear motivations and fully fleshed out backgrounds, they all came to life for me more and more with each page.

Speaking of that plot, with dual timelines and multiple POVs, it was beyond well-plotted—it was executed to absolute perfection. With short, tantalizing chapters, cat-and-mouse antics, and a heaping dose of unreliable narrators, there wasn’t a moment where I wasn’t looking at someone or something with complete and utter suspicion. You see, as the ratcheting pace picked up steam, I found my armchair sleuthing outmaneuvered over and over. Clever, suspenseful, and delivering plenty of perfectly timed whiplash, my mind reeled more with each new fact that I learned.

All said and done, this popcorn thriller was the epitome of binge-worthy and addictive. Sure to be one of the most buzzed about thrillers of the year, I was easily won over hook, line, and sinker. After all, thanks to a storyline steeped in revenge, there was no end to the deception as I found myself switching sides with each new reveal. So if you love immersive storylines, wild rides, or the con-artist trope, pick up this one ASAP as you’re not going to want to miss out on this novel. That’s one fact that those of us with Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse agree on for sure. Rating of 5 stars.

P.S. I beg of you to go into this one 100% blind. While the official synopsis is sure to get your attention, it would also ruin a few key twists and turns in my humble opinion. All you need to know is that a down-on-her-luck waitress at a whoop-de-doo country club will do just about anything to get her dog a life-saving surgery—up to and including killing someone. After all, the anonymous individual who has reached out to her via envelopes at her door seems trustworthy even if she has absolutely no clue who they are. From there everything—in true Jaime Lynn Hendricks style—gets a tad wild and twisty, but only in the best possible way!

Thank you to Jaime Lynn Hendricks and Scarlet Suspense for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DATE: May 20, 2025

Content warning: con artistry, fatally ill pet

[Kaceey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a twisty read!

Kim is barely skating by as a waitress in a country club. But when her dog needs major surgery to save his life she’ll do whatever she must to get the necessary funds. (A true dog lover!)💗🐶

But does that include murder?

Kim receives a mysterious offer she finds impossible to refuse. Simple…just slip a drug into someone’s drink. But when she realizes she knows the target she’s not sure she can go through with it. The question is, can she just walk away? Will they let her?

PJ meanwhile, sets her sites on a wealthy man, determined to convince him to marry her. Is it love? Money? Or something else altogether?

Hold on tight, because in the end the twists come fast and furious! Your head will be spinning (or was that just me?)😉

🎧: Told from the perspectives of both Kim and PJ. I did have some trouble keeping the two characters apart. The audio only provided a single narrator, Emma Love, but this book very much lent itself to having a second narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was immediately drawn into Their Double Lives because I could totally understand someone being willing to do something truly heinous if it meant getting the money necessary to cure her dog. Kim is a waitress at a posh country club and all she has to do is drop poison into someone’s drink. But when she realizes the man she’s agreed to kill is Tony, her old high school boyfriend, she can’t go through with it. And surprisingly, his fiancée is the one who ends up dying horribly that night.
The story is told in a now and then format. The then sections are mostly told by the fiancée, who is not who she appears to be. PJ has plotted out how to meet, marry and then kill Anthony. As the story goes on, we learn her backstory and the reason she has it in for Anthony. The present day sections are told from several POVs, mostly Kim’s.
This is a fast paced, entertaining story. I enjoyed the twists and turns. Hendricks kept the tension of the present day ratcheted up high. No one, outside of Murphy, the dog, is a very likeable character. Some of the secondary characters are downright cliches. You do need to totally suspend belief as some of the plot points are totally OTT. Usually, I’d struggle with that, but hey, I overlooked that because of the dog. Would Murphy get the operation he needed became my pressing concern.
Perfect for a beach read, easy listening experience. I’ll have totally forgotten it in a few weeks. The audiobook was narrated by Emma Love who did a decent job.
My thanks to Netgalley and Highbridge Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing everything for the sake of your dog—even becoming a killer—might remind you of a John Wick movie, but trust me, this book is nothing like that. And no, it’s not the plot of Ballerina either, because the potential killer here is a woman! This is one of those addictive books that, once you start, you simply can’t put down. You’ll find yourself flipping the pages faster and faster, eager to discover what happens next. Will karma take its toll, or will the bad guys get away? It’s a highly entertaining, twist-filled game that will keep you guessing.

Their Double Lives is a fast-paced, deliciously twisty mystery filled with unreliable and morally gray characters. The story alternates between the past and present, starting at a New Jersey country club where we meet the main players. Kim, a waitress by night and graphic designer by day, works hard to make ends meet and care for her dog, the one thing keeping her going. One day, she receives a mysterious envelope at her apartment door containing a burner phone and an offer she can’t refuse: the money she desperately needs for her dog’s surgery, in exchange for slipping a pill into a customer’s drink to kill them.

At first, this seems unthinkable. But when you’re alone, with no one else to rely on, you might be tempted to cross the line to save the one being that’s never betrayed you—your pet. Kim reluctantly accepts the offer, but two things catch her completely off guard. First, her target is Tony Fiore—now known as Anthony Fuller—a high school boyfriend she dumped due to his criminal record. And second, even though she aborts her mission at the last second, Anthony’s fiancée, PJ, drops dead that same night. What Kim doesn’t know is that PJ had plans to kill Anthony, too. Yes, the plot thickens into a tangled web of crazy schemes.

As Anthony grieves over PJ’s body, Kim scrambles to dispose of the poison she was sent to use, and police begin questioning the club’s patrons. Among them are Anthony’s boss, Ron Boswell, and Ron’s over-the-top wife, Carla, who acts like she’s stepped straight out of Real Housewives of New Jersey.

From there, the story alternates between multiple perspectives and timelines as Kim continues receiving envelopes from the mysterious stranger targeting Anthony. Why did PJ plan to kill her fiancé? Was she a simple gold digger, or was she hiding more sinister secrets? Who actually killed PJ? And who is the stranger pulling the strings? This book is a labyrinth of twists and revelations as we uncover who the true villain—or villanelle—really is.

Overall: This is a perfect popcorn read—fast-paced, twisty, and utterly unputdownable! Jaime Lynn Hendricks once again proves she’s a must-read author. I highly recommend this to anyone seeking a fun, suspenseful mystery with plenty of surprises.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Scarlet for providing this addictive mystery in exchange for my honest thoughts.

medium.com
instagram
facebook
twitter

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mostly listened to this one and it is a hit. Narrated by Emma Love, it is easy to get swept up in. The pace is perfect for listening. It is entertaining and gave me that “just one more chapter” feeling that kept me going long past when I should have stopped.

What Lit My Mood
Binge worthy and twisty with reveals that you might see coming and others that will shock you.
Packed with snark and morally gray characters who are often unlikable yet make the ride deliciously messy.
Animal lovers will be rooting hard for the dog which adds real emotional weight.
Sharp commentary on class divides and economic desperation.
Revenge and justice themes shine through especially as characters blur the moral line.

Where My Mood Flickered
The believability factor. Much of it is unrealistic and you need to suspend disbelief to enjoy the ride. The real fun is not in realism but in questioning the moral choices and motivations driving everyone.

Audiobook vs Reading
Audiobook wins. Emma Love’s narration makes the story compulsively listenable.

Witchy Mood Reader Rating
Fully Aligned: I was a happy witch cackling through the twists and rooting for the dog like it was my familiar.

Verdict
Add this to your altar when you want a twisty unhinged thriller where revenge and desperation collide and do not forget the dog has your heart the whole way through.

I received an audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say revenge is a dish best served cold, or is it sweet? Necessity and revenge can be a deadly combination. In this story, everyone is hiding something, some more than others. Secrets and deception combined with a desire for retribution prove to be dangerous. Numerous unexpected twists and shady characters make this an intriguing tale where the line between victim and villain is blurry. The narrator brilliantly brings the characters to life adding suspense and intensity. Thank you, NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for my audiobook.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim Valva needs money for her dog’s surgery. So, when she is contacted by the Stranger, she agrees to slip poison into the food of one of the patrons of the country club where she works. The intended victim turns out to be a former lover who is now using an assumed name. However, before Kim can carry out the plan, the target’s hot, young fiancé falls over dead, thus bringing in the police and thwarting Kim’s plan. That is the first chapter. The rest of the book explains how and why the characters (plus some other really unpleasant people) came together on this evening.

What struck me about this book (other than its improbable and overwrought plot) was how amazingly willing the characters were to murder each other (and with weak motives). Despite the fact that I didn’t believe a word of this, the book did hold my interest and entertained me. It was short and crisply written and the narrator of the audio book did a good job. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this audio book from the publisher.

[Kim ~ It’s All About the Thrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy pub day you gorgeous thriller!! 🫶🩷 Another book by @jaimelynnhendricksauthor .. another five stars ⭐️ from me!! 👏 Thank you SO much to @scarletsuspense for my gorgeous gifted copy!! 🥰

She’s bacckkk!!! @jaimelynnhendricksauthor has done it YET AGAIN!! She literally is the queen 👸🏻 of twists.

Kim is made an offer she can’t refuse… literally… 😬 Will she do it?? I was on edge the whole time! Just when I thought I knew what was up… @jaimelynnhendricksauthor flipped the script on me.. yet again!! She gets me every single time!! 👏👏

Why did I love this??

✅ REVENGE!!! I LOVE it… in my books 😉
✅ Snarky characters!! My favorite!
✅ A DOG 🐶 The dog is safe..
✅ A perfect ending!! 🤯

This was fun… twisted and crazzzyyy!! All my favorite things in a thriller!! 🖤

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another binge worthy read from Jaime Lynn Hendricks. Once you pick this book up it s so hard to put down, you have been warned!!

I really do not know how to talk about this book without spoilers. The less you know the better for this one. You want all the shocks, you want all the gasp out loud twists. You don’t want to know who the villains are and who you can trust. All I will say is that I loved Kim. A woman who will do anything for her dog, Murphy. That is my kind of person. My parents had a dog called Murphy who is no longer with us so it was lovely to think about him while reading this book.

Just read this book. If you have read this author before you will know that you are in for a treat, a wild ride that will keep you guessing. I stayed up late to finish it and I am not mad about losing sleep.

Thanks so much to Penzler Publishers and Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse for my early copy of this book. I just had to read it straight away. Publishes on May 20th.

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

•Dual POV
•Past + present timelines
•Twisty
•Revenge


3.5 ⭐️

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook for this one and I really liked the narration a lot. It started with quite the bang and a beginning that really hooked me. The book has several different perspectives and is primarily from Kim, a waitress in a country club, and PJ, a woman at the country club with a rich husband. I don’t want to go through many details because I think the book is more fun if you don’t know what you’re about to get into. This book is full of some fun twists and turns and while I could predict most of them I still enjoyed every second of the wild ride. I liked all of the characters (although some I just admired their awfulness). This was a super quick read and the story really just flowed and I listened to most of it in one sitting. Overall I gave this one 4.5 stars rounded up because it was such pure enjoyment even if there were more than a couple of cheesy moments.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I have to say that at least one of my stars of this rating is purely for the narrator! She was fabulous! Her tone matched the point of view. She was narrating perfectly, no worries about getting your point of views mixed up, able to listen at my normal speed with no issues, And I am definitely going to be looking for more books narrated by her!

So this is a new author for me and I must say I am impressed! This revenge thriller will definitely keep you guessing, and even though it didn’t end how I thought it would, it was an excellent ending!!

So our main two characters are Kim who is a waitress at a country club type place. Who has herself in a bit of a financial situation, she is presented with a way out but at what cost. The other main character is PJ or Poppy Jade, who is a young debutant type with a revenge plan and murder book to match. I’ve not quite read anything like the story before and it definitely was interesting.

I definitely recommend!!!

Thanks to netgalley and highbridge audio for my audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Chelsey (a_novel_idea11) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goooddddnessss!!! This book was freaking GOOD! I absolutely devoured it and it surprised me in all the best ways! Every time I thought I had something figured out, Hendricks threw me for another loop!

Imagine being paid a hefty sum to slip something into someone's drink. You desperately need the money, there's no way it can be traced back to you, and theoretically, you have no idea who this person is. But then in walks your ex - a person from another lifetime ago - and that's your target. Could you do it? Could you have done it before? I loved pondering these questions and following Kim as she dug herself into this wild and crazy hole. I had the hardest time knowing who to trust, wondering if any narrators were reliable, and figuring out how the storylines were connected.

This book was flawlessly executed. I loved that I had all the outside edges of the puzzle but had absolutely no idea what the picture in the middle might be and Hendricks unraveled the mystery piece by piece. The various narrators all added so much to the storyline and the characters were overwhelmingly dreadful (it was utterly delicious!).

I couldn't put this book down and loved how everything came together. Hendricks has been a household name at The Pulse for some time now and she has earned her way to auto-read quite quickly for me! Don't miss Their Double Lives!! It releases 5/20/2025.

[Tini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

When down-on-her-luck waitress Kim is offered a large sum of money by a stranger in exchange for killing a new member at the country club where she works by spiking his drink, she reluctantly agrees to the murder for hire so her dog can get life-saving surgery. Unfortunately for Kim, that new member turns out to be someone she used to know... and when she cannot go through with the plan, it's the mark's young, gorgeous fiancée who dies instead.

"Their Double Lives" was a deliciously fun ride - there is just no other word for it. Never taking itself too seriously, the book, true to its title, features an entire cast of two-faced, morally grey characters, snarky dialogue, secrets and lies, and many unforeseeable turns, making the book both fast-paced and twisted as well as completely entertaining.

The audiobook was produced flawlessly and perfectly narrated by Emma Love, who seemed to really enjoy the material she was working with and who delivered a stellar performance voicing the different characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Their Double Lives" is slated to be released on May 20, 2025.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has such an original plot; -in desperation to save her dog’s life, our protagonist Kat agrees to poison a stranger for cash. And with that Hendricks adds in a jist, one very important detail is left out before Kat accepted the deal. Uh oh. With twists and turns, lies, secrets and hijinks ensuing, this kept me guessing to the very end. And just who is The Stranger?! It’s fast moving with revenge, multi POV’s and dual timelines, the double-lives, and PJ’s nefarious agenda, all kept me highly invested in finding out the end result.. and the end.. fantastic! A great popcorn thriller too good to pass by! 5 stars — Pub. 5/20/25

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the over the top premise this was such a fun popcorn thriller! Yes, you have to suspend all the disbelief but for sheer entertainment value? Perfect for a summer poolside read. I loved the drama surrounding the entire plot line here, it was juicy and delicious and kept me flipping the pages. The pacing was fast and furious and the multiple POVs kept me on my toes, I really had no idea which direction things would go and it was a wild ride. If you like addictive and twisty thrillers with drama and intrigue try this, such a fun one!

[Keri Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim’s life isn’t going so well. Her boyfriend cheated on her, and her dog is dying unless he gets surgery she can’t afford. Then she gets an offer to make some major cash. All she has to do is slip a pill into someone’s drink where she works. A stranger.

But it turns out he isn’t a stranger. Her high school boyfriend Tony was a bad boy who’d gotten into trouble. He’s changed a lot, is rich and has a beautiful fiancé. But she knows this Anthony who she is supposed to kill is Tony from her past. She decides she can’t go through with it… but before the end of the night the fiancé has died a horrific and painful death.

Kim is in shock. Anthony is distraught. But then we get the POV of the fiancé, leading up to this night. Many twists and turns are revealed, and it makes for a fun story! The narration was great on it as well.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: May 20, 2025

After her boyfriend cheated on her, Kim is struggling to make it on her own, waiting tables at a country club, catering to the rich and elite. When she finds out her beloved dog needs life-saving surgery, she knows that she is going to need to take drastic measures in order to get the money she needs. Those measures take the form of The Stranger- a random person who reaches out to her and tells her that if she covertly murders one of her rich customers, they will ensure Kim has more than enough money. Kim desperately jumps at the chance, until she finds out that the target is her ex from high school, Tony, her first love, and she backs out. But the night Tony was supposed to die, his new fiancée, PJ, dies instead. Kim is caught up in a web of lies and deceit- was PJ’s death intentional? And, if not, was Tony the intended target? What will The Stranger do when they find out that Tony is still alive?

Jaime Lynn Hendricks’s new novel, “Their Double Lives”, is a multi-protagonist, multi-timeline gripping novel of suspense and intrigue. Narrated by Kim, PJ and Tony(and Matt, PJ’s best friend, takes over toward the end) both before PJ’s death and after, the story instantly hooked me as I got to know the characters and quickly learned that they are not who they claimed to be.

There are a lot of twists and turns, but Hendrick’s manages to keep the intricate plot digestible and addicting. Hendricks’ characters are well-developed, and she ensures all of the plot points receive the full conclusion they deserve. The ending took me by complete surprise, yet still managed to make perfect plot sense, as only skilled writers can accomplish.

Hendricks has many suspenseful fiction novels under her belt, such as “Finding Tessa” and “It Could Be Anyone” and yet she has still managed to evade my radar. Her name is instantly recognizable to me, though, and I am so glad that I was finally given the oppourtunity to explore one of her creative stories.

“Lives” takes a deep dive into the secrets people tell others about themselves and the motives behind them. Addicting and engaging, “Lives” is a revenge-fueled murder mystery that will leave you guessing until the final pages.

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

Very plot driven but also fun and twisty with just a few characters scheming and plotting against each other. The ideal fun beach read, so put it on your summer reading list!

Read my full review, with Jen's Quick Take to help you decide if the book is for you AND protected spoilers on Jen Ryland Reviews


Subscribe to my amazing newsletter HERE at JenRyland.com Let's be friends on Bookstagram!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

[✨Poppy✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this ALC! What a blast!
Kim Valva, a struggling waitress, is offered money by a mysterious stranger to poison a rich new club member who turns out to be her ex, Tony. Unable to go through with it, Kim watches in horror as his fiancée dies instead. Caught in a web of lies and danger, she must uncover who really wanted them dead before she becomes the next target.
This book had everything I love in a mystery thriller, twisty timelines, clever cons, and that addictive “just one more chapter” vibe! I was hooked from the start and loved how the past and present wove together to slowly unravel the truth. If you're into suspenseful plots with sharp writing and shocking reveals, I highly recommend picking this one up!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read one of Jaime Lynn Hendricks' books since her debut Finding Tessa and that is a damn shame. When I got approved for Their Double Lives I knew I had to read it immediately and I gobbled this one right up. I loved the multiple viewpoints, and between Kim, Tony, and PJ we get put through the ringer. I loved how each one gave us something different, and while Kim didn’t always make the smartest decisions, her love for her poor dog gave me all the feels. There is a high level of deception and secrecy going on throughout the story and the blowup is of epic proportions.

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 bloody brilliant.

Read this if you are in the mood for a bingeable read full of morally grey characters, unreliable narrators, and a downright dirty revenge plot.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[blondethrillerbooklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! It’s her best yet.

It’s told in multiple perspectives and timelines.
It’s about a waitress that is desperate to pay for her beloved dog’s surgery, so she accepts money to murder someone 👀 BUT, it turns out she knows the target and can’t do it, now she is in a real mess.

Another character is in a fake relationship to exact revenge - these stories intertwine into a juicy, heart pounding ride.

I loveddddd it!

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story had soooo many twisted tales and everybody was out to get everyone else. If I could sum it up in a sentence, I’d say “The epitome of revenge is best served cold!” Kim, PJ and Tony’s stories weave together in shocking ways, & the secrets and lies of these seemingly ordinary people start to unravel. The dual POVs and with past and present perspectives laid the foundation for a good story. It was engaging, well paced, drawing you deeper into a story where no one is entirely innocent and everyone has something to hide. The characters are flawed in believable ways, as the lies & deception continued to be revealed as the chapters continued.

Overall a gripping read that I would recommend to any fan of psychological thrillers. I listened to the audiobook and truly enjoyed the narration. Thank you RBMedia, Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

"𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞...𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠, 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤...𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐟*𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫?"

Kim's life is a disaster. The man she thought she would marry cheated on her and she has to supplement her income by waitressing at an elite New Jersey country club. But Kim is facing something even worse than serving overpriced cocktails to demanding Botoxed clients--her beloved dog is on borrowed time, in desperate need of a life-saving surgery.

A nondescript envelope arrives at her apartment with her name on it. Inside, cryptic instructions tell her to put a substance in a new member's drink that night, and she'll be handsomely rewarded. She weighs the life of her beloved dog vs. the life of a stranger. The dog wins.

However, when Kim shows up at her at her shift, to her shock and horror, she realizes she knows the target--it's her ex-boyfriend Tony from high school with quite the checkered past, who has reinvented himself, made millions, and has a gorgeous fiancee named PJ on his arm. Realizing she can't go through with it and panicked over losing the money to save her dog, she doesn't have time to consider her next move because PJ suffers a violent death at the dinner table in front on stunned onlookers and waitstaff.

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. Filled with betrayal, deception, and with her snarky brand of humor (looking at you, Carla!) THEIR DOUBLE LIVES is going to be one of the top thrillers of 2025. Thank you so much to the author and Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse for my review copy. This book is scheduled to release on May 20, 2025.

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Their Double Lives by Jaime Lynn Hendricks is her latest revenge thriller. Revenge, revenge, revenge is all through this book till the very end. I must admit I was pretty confused through a majority of the book but it all comes together nicely at the end. Lots of twists and turns too that just kept throwing me off but in a good way. I can’t wait to read Jaime’s other books.

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read most of Jaime Lynn Hendricks books and they are always a fun read. This was another binge worthy book. I flew through this one. Kim is a waitress who's just getting by and her dog needs a life saving surgery that she cannot afford. She is offered an opportunity by someone who calls themself “The Stranger” that will earn her the money she needs for her dog, and her life. But things end up not going as planned, and what happens is quite twisted. You get multiple POV’s with some shady characters, and unreliable narrators and it was exactly the kind of thriller I love. Plenty of drama, and suspense and totally kept me guessing. Totally wild ride!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big surprising ending. I liked the characters

[Susan Z (webreakforbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Their Double Lives has so many twists and turns, I was constantly on the edge of my seat. I love thriller books when a couple takes center stage and something nefarious is at play. When PJs plan to target, marry and kill Anthony Fuller goes completely sideways, it was apparent anything could happen.

I loved how the story was written, in multi POV with a dual timeline all converging at the end. So well done!