June and Amy are not thrilled when their young (but grown, mind you) children come home from a trip abroad with the news that they are engaged. June thought she was close to Olivia, but bungles it when her daughter reveals the engagement, creating distance between them. Amy and Zach have been close since she divorced his father when Zach was a toddler, and no girlfriend has ever measured up to Amy's standards. She cannot believe that Zach didn't tell her about the engagement until coming home. But nothing beats June or Amy's surprise when the parents meet for the first time, and the two women realize that they know each other: they were once best friends in college, but a shocking event broke up their friendship for life. June and Amy are horrified to realize their kids are getting married, but try to shift the focus to breaking up Zach and Olivia's rapid engagement.

I had assumed this was a thriller, as per the authors' usual MO. It's not, but it's still a really captivating read. There is drama supreme here with the parents' saga! Some of the characters are quite annoying (I'm looking at you, Amy). Still, I couldn't help but keep reading. It's a silly story but a quick read. No character felt particularly fleshed out, but I felt engaged by June and Amy's story. The book is really just as much about the older characters as the young, even if it opens on Zach and Olivia's whirlwind romance.

There's a bit of romance thrown in here (beyond our young couple) and the ending is fairly cute. I do hate the trope of lying and miscommunication, though--I sure wish that happened a little less here.

I rarely choose books written by more than one author but I gave this one a chance & so glad I did!! this book consumes you, it's so suspenseful & well written

The concept of two storylines, like the movie Sliding Doors, is very well known and used fairly often in literature. I enjoyed the overall storyline about Lila Bennett and her morally wrong choices with their potential outcomes. I had figured out the person who captured her fairly quickly which kind of ruined the ending for me because it didn't surprise me at all. Overall, a good story and enjoyable, but I would not read it again.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the book in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon because less than 4 stars.**

Such a page turner! The characters were unique and flawed. I found myself rooting for one and then rooting for another. I love when a book keeps me guessing. A little predictable, but it held my interested throughout.

Loved the twist and idea behind this book, what might have been or what would have happened if I had made a different decision. A grown up reminder of choose your own adventure novels of the past!

Oh boy, where to even start with this review! I have so much I want to say, but I also want to be vague enough that readers can enjoy this without spoilers. Lila Bennett is not quite a villain, but she is a very flawed character, and that is a huge part of why this book is so great. She is a successful criminal defense attorney who is known for being able to get even the most heinous, guilty criminals off.

Career aside, Lila really treats those closest to her in life—namely her husband Ethan and her best friend Carrie—horribly. Her sins vary in degree, but her most redeeming quality is how self-aware she is. Lila is someone who can’t seem to get off of her self-destructive path, until Lila arrives at a night where a decision literally splits her future in two.

In one narrative, Lila is taken hostage by who she thinks is a stranger until it becomes clear this person knows a bit too much about her. Trapped in a concrete cell, Lila is forced to face her own actions head on, and her captor doesn’t want to let her go unless she atones for her sins. In the other narrative, Lila doesn’t get kidnapped, but someone is set to destroy her life by making all of her misdeeds public.

Lila has wronged so many people, how does she even begin to figure out who is behind it all? Ultimately this is a book about a flawed woman who is facing up to her misconduct. It is a book of redemption, if Lila can get there. Can Lila change enough to get her life on the right path?

I was so curious how on earth Lisa and Liz would manage to wrap up the dual narrative structure. The last 20% of the book was absolutely unputdownable. I loved the twists and turns along the way, and I loved the ending. The book was absolutely addicting for me!

okay, I loved how clever Liz and Lisa were to take the idea of a parallel universe to lay out Lila’s life before her with two different ways her life could go.

Lila Bennett has made one bad decision after another, and her lies are catching up to her. As a criminal defense attorney, she sees one life where she’s taken hostage by a stranger that knows too much about her secrets and bad choices. In another life, she is being blackmailed by all the secrets of her past.

It’s a race to survival in this fast paced mystery! I flew through this book and it gave me all the ‘Maybe in Another Life’ vibes, which I loved.

Thank you to Lake Union and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of this book for my honest opinion.

It's hard not to compare "The Two Lila Bennetts" to the movie Sliding Doors.. Sliding Doors with more bad people.
Lila Bennett is not easy to love or root for in any way. As her life diverts into two separate paths we watch her grow on both those paths. Fast paced and entertaining!

This book sucked me in and had me turning the pages late into the night for the majority of it. Unfortunately I found the last 1/4 of it to be a disappointment. It felt anticlimactic and repetitive. This was just an okay read for me.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This book was definitely not what I expected- in the best way possible. It took me for some twists and turns and wasn’t obviously predictable! I found this book to be enjoyable and fast paced and would definitely recommend it to others! Thanks to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There are TWO Lila Bennetts!

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’s taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much. As she’s trapped in a concrete cell, her kidnapper forces her to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing one secret at a time.

Lila’s decorated career as a criminal defense attorney, her marriage, and her life are on the line. She must make a list of those she’s wronged—both in and out of the courtroom—to determine who is out to get her before it’s too late. But even if she can pinpoint her assailant, will she survive? And if she does, which parts of her life are worth saving, and which parts must die? Because one thing’s for certain—life as Lila Bennett knew it is over.

Overall, this book was a quick and fun read!

Praise to the authors for a well-written story.

The Two Lila Bennetts is about bad choices that finally catch up to Lila leading to two unexpected endings.

In one life, she’s taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much. As she’s trapped in a concrete cell, her kidnapper forces her to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing one secret at a time.

What a great read!

Wow! I loved this book! Liz & Lisa will be favorites of. mine to look for!
I don’t know how two people write as one like this! So cool!

Unusual book because the chapters alternate between two phases of attorney Lila Bennett’s life. In one phase, she’s captured, but in the other she’s free. She has a sense of deja vu three times in the book. We know why.

Lila is a tough attorney who stops at nothing to get ahead or win her cases. Is it worth it for her? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Two Lila Bennetts - Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke


I loved how this book flipped between two scenarios based on making one different decision and WHO doesn’t wonder what would have happened in alternate scenarios allllll the time?! I know I’m totally guilty of this, so I had a blast exploring that concept through a book!

I found all of the characters rather unlikeable, but this is something I like in a thriller! My favourite part has to be that it was hard to put down for long because the writing was just so addictive!

Looking forward to reading more from Fenton and Steinke in the future!

I first started this book a couple of years but gave up around chapter 4 when I just couldn’t get into it. I’ve seen good reviews, though, so I decided to give it another try.

This thriller has a really interesting premise, going back and forth between two alternate realities. In one, Lila Bennett has been taken hostage and is being held in a cell, and in the other, she resists capture but her life as she knows it is being targeted all the same. In both realities, her bad decisions have caught up with her.

I still struggled to get into it. For me, Lila Bennett was an unlikeable character right from the get-go. I didn’t connect with her at all, and I found myself not caring what happened to her, even during scenes that were tension-filled. I became more invested around the halfway point, but still frequently found myself frustrated with Lila’s actions. I also figured out who her captor was early on, so the twists weren’t all that twisty for me, and the ending fell flat as a result.

This was an interesting premise- I love books/movies about parallel lives and how different choices can change our paths. I did suspect the villain early on, although I definitely didn't suspect the big reveal regarding that person's real identity- well played! I enjoyed this one, but it did feel like it dragged on a little too long for the last portion of the book. Overall an entertaining thriller that I would recommend! Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union for this digital galley in exchange for my honest review.

Mixed feelings. The story about mis/education of Lila Bennett, high-powered attorney and "me, me, me" type of character is interesting from the human drama point. But also I have struggled with the heavily handed doses of moral coals of fire that were heaped over Lila's head. Nothing wrong with going deeper! But the catharsis does not feel natural here. And in reality the story is probably more complicated than selfish people vs. angelic people (because we all have our light and dark parts in us).
But on the other hand - kudos to the authors for using the "wake-up call" motive! It is truly nice to know that they care about the state of the world we all live in.

The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed other books by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. While I enjoyed The Two Lila Bennetts, it was not one of my favorite reads.
Lila Bennett has not had an easy life. Her bad choices have not led her to a good place. In The Two Lila Bennetts we follow two different versions of her story. Her life takes two directions. In one, she is taken hostage by a “stranger” who knows a lot about her life. In the second, she becomes a successful criminal defense attorney. Which life is the real life? Who really is Lila Bennett? The story alternates between the two with each chapter.
I can’t pin point exactly why this book did not mesmerize me. The alternating chapters were easy to follow. The story lines were interesting. At times I did get a little bored with what was happening to each Lila. It could have very well been the mood I was in. My mood definitely affects how much I enjoy what I read. I have been known to start a book, not like it, put it down for a few weeks or a month, and then pick it up again and enjoy reading it through. Maybe this is what I need to do with The Two Lila Bennetts.
I will say, do not, not read this book because of my opinion. Liz and Lisa are awesome authors. They write awesome stories. Get a copy of the book and make your own decision. Definitely read other books they have written.
04.03.19