So......... an homage to Sliding Doors. How each decision moves your life in one direction or another. Maybe a she said / she said kind of thing? Either way, knowing there were two separate authors on this book kept the idea that they each took one life option and ran with it. At the end did they flip a quarter to see whose life triumphed? I think overall the readers win. But, with the two timelines and twists and turns in both, this can't be that perfect summer beach read. Make sure you commit the time and brain power to not get yourself lost in the mess that Lila Bennett has made for herself!

This was a very unique premise for a book (sliding doors) and I enjoyed the alternating chapters. I will say that because the chapters alternated and there seemed to be two universes operating at once it made the “thriller” aspect of this book very low stakes. I wasn’t all that nervous about the outcome because none of it seemed real? I think the whole broken marriage, cheating, and unlikeable protagonist is getting overdone so that also made me care less about what happened to Lila. This wasn’t one of my favs but if you are looking for something different in style this would be a good pick for you.

(4.5) This book here, hard to put down. A real page turner and so very unique. I've never read anything like this. The two different storylines for Lila Bennett was so clever and very well done. These two authors' books just keeps getting better and better. The movie SLIDING DOORS was mentioned by the authors in their acknowledgments as well as by other reviewers. This is a movie that has been on my watch list for a long time and now that I've read this book, I feel that I need to watch the movie! This is most definitely a book to put on your summer reading list.

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

What an ingenious concept to write about! This was a fantastic read and I was so excited to get my hands on this book I definitely did a happy dance! I really enjoyed trying to figure out the "who-done-it" and the concept of everything we do has a consequence. Who wouldn't want to get ahold of an atturney representing the bad guy and show them that with them fighting for the bad guy has an effect? This thriller had me asking myself questions about what I would do in Lila's shoes and what I would have done different if I had to be her and the decisions that we make in our lives.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️Book Review ⭐️
The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke
5/5 Stars

**I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

Another winner by the Liz and Lisa duo. I read Girls Night Out recently and was already hyped about this one. I had a hard time putting it down as the storyline was so unique. It kept me curious to see what could possibly happen next.

This book made me question my own morals and values. Could I have a redo? What would I change if I had the chance? Made me remember that everything I do has an effect on those around me- no matter how big or small.

Lila Bennett is a criminal defense attorney and very good at her job. Maybe so good that her clients shouldn’t have gotten off so easily. She has wronged people in her work life and her marriage. Now someone wants her to pay dearly.

Lila has been kidnapped- Captured Lila. As she spends time in this concrete cell, she looks back on all the people she has hurt in her life. Was it worth it?

We see another side of Lila as well... Free Lila. Here she goes on trying to right her wrongs without being kidnapped. Is she able to free herself? Is her life worth saving?

I think we all wonder about the road not taken. Lila Bennett is in a Sliding Doors situation in this novel. On one hand, she tells her lover that it is over and goes home to her husband. On the other hand, she goes with him to a restaurant, tells him it is over, but it kidnapped as she leaves. In both scenarios, she comes to grip with the kind of person she has been, and spoiler, it has not been a good one.

I enjoyed the back and forth and trying to figure out who was holding her hostage and just how everything was going to be revealed. It comes to a satisfying conclusion.

Another good read by this pair

I tried to read this novel up until it's release date (July 23rd) but this book was so fantastic that I finished it last Friday. I could not put it down.

This story tells two sides of Lila Bennett. She is a criminal defense attorney who has a target on her back because she helps the guilty go free. You can imagine how many people would love to get their hands on her to make her understand that what she does is wrong. Not only in her line of work but in her personal life as well.

Throughout the book, Lila references the good Lila and the bad Lila. One for each shoulder. She has a hard time when it comes to making the right decisions. But one too many bad decisions can lead to something unspeakable.

Lila is kidnapped and with her being an attorney along with being a terrible best friend and wife the list is extremely long of who could be behind her disappearance. I am very excited to say that as of chapter 21, I knew exactly who it was.

The Two Lila Bennetts was a fast paced read with characters who you could love and hate. The writing once again was phenomenal and in no way challenging to read and understand while the book bounces between 'captured Lila' and 'Freed Lila'. I am highly suggesting you go out and buy this book tomorrow and binge read it until you can no longer read anymore!

All I can say is WOW! The Two Lila Bennetts has more twists and turns that you don’t know what to expect next. We all make mistakes and have secrets which makes Lila Bennett a very relatable character. This book definitely fits its genre of Mystery/Thriller!

Well done Lisa and Liz! Fantastic book! This book will keep you riveted and reading well past bedtime. I know it did me.

Thank you #netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book!

The Two Lila Bennetts is a good read and tells the story of Lila and some of the questionable life choices she has made. The author switches back and forth between 2 perspectives. The reality she is currently faced with and what could have been if she had picked a different route. It’s a good read and can be easily devoured in one sitting. I would definitely recommend to a friend

Enjoyable read following Lila, a hard- nosed defence lawyer down two alternate roads. Her paths split on an evening where she faces a choice- to go home and eat takeout with her husband or stay on in town for a drink with her boss/lover. In one path she will be kidnapped, in the other nominally free but forces are at play that will still wreck life as she knows it. The paths taken are both well told, keeping the reader hooked as unpredictable turns occur. Lila is complex and flawed and thoroughly exposed in these plot lines. This is a great summer read, ideal for a long single sitting as you race towards the conclusion and Lila’s ultimate fate.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a great concept for a thriller! Meet Lila Bennett, a successful defense attorney. Lila has lived an "end justifies the means" lifestyle. She has built her world around some morally questionable decisions. As Lila's life begins to unravel, Karma makes her presence known. At this point, the story splits into two completely different narratives. Each involves the consequences of choices she makes. The alternating narratives move the story along at lightening speed. Red herrings abound as Lila tries to uncover who is bringing her world tumbling down. Although the ending is slightly confusing, this is an engaging read that will keep you guessing all the way to the grand reveal. The Two Lila Bennett's will be a great summer thriller to add to your TBR stack!!

The two Lila Bennett’s is a great summer read. Lila Bennett is a top notch criminal defense lawyer for a well-known firm. She has cheated on her husband, betrayed her best friend, and did whatever to win the case. Told in a dual story format, the reader alternates from reading the Capture plot and the Free plot. Both plots allow Lila to look at her past life and answer for past wrongs. You will need to read and decide for yourself.

Thanks NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🔓#partner| Thank you to NetGalley, Liz Fenton, Lisa Steinke & Lake Union Publishing for the free advanced digital copy! This book is out July 23rd!
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🌟BOOK REVIEW🌟
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▪️MY THOUGHTS
✔️I really enjoyed this book and read it in about 3 days, which is really fast for me. The story was interesting and had so much drama which made it such an entertaining read. I loved the two different storylines and was captivated by them both! I did however slightly prefer the story where Lila was free - it was packed with much more drama!
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▪️OVERALL RUNDOWN
✔️I really enjoyed this story not only for the entertaining aspects but because it made me think how there’s always a consequence to our actions. How the decisions that we make can impact others. If you want a book that is interesting, full of drama and makes you think twice about your own choices this books for you!
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▪️TITLE RUNDOWN
Lies
Interesting
Love
Adultery
Best friends
Envy
Negativity
Naive
Entertaining
Two
Twisted
Solid

I just reviewed The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton; Lisa Steinke. #TheTwoLilaBennetts #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL] Edit
I was so happy to get an advanced copy from Netgalley for exchange for my honest review. I have read Books by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, and they make a marvelous team! I love all their books. This one is just as wonderful! A woman defense lawyer who has made terrible choices in her life, and hurt alot of people along the way has found that her sins may have caught up with her. In this intriguing thriller, you get to see two different outcomes to the story. Very exciting and enthralling. 5 stars a must read!

The Two Lila Bennetts approaches the subject of how your actions can have a ripple effect on the rest of your life. What happens if you go to dinner tonight or if you go home? This story of Lila’s two choices is three premise for this fantastic thriller. Both sides of the story will keep you turning pages until you have the answer.

In both lives Lila is cheating on her husband with fellow legal firm partner Sam. In captured she goes to dinner with Sam after a huge court room victory. She breaks off the affair, and returns alone to her car and is kidnapped. In free she breaks things off with him in the garage of the firm. Shortly after at her mothers house there is an attempted kidnapping that is thwarted by a neighbor.

In each story Lila is forced to reflect on her life and her choices. Lisa and Liz wrote a compelling page turning suspense that you will not be able to put down.

Thank you to those tagged for my advance copy in exchange for this honest review. The Two Lila Bennetts is out 7/23.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

2.5 stars***

The premise of this book sounded interesting and in the first half I really loved the writing style with the “free and captured chapters.” It’s a unique writing style you don’t see in many books. Then the author sprinkled some clues to how both chapters are connected which was pretty cool.

The second half of the book lost me. It became preachy very quickly. A lot of cliche sayings like “actions speak louder than words” and the ending page was straight out of google inspirational quotes. I understand Lila wanted to right her wrongs but it just seemed very rushed. I also did not really connect to the main character Lila, she seemed like she didn’t even like herself.

When the capturer is finally revealed, it’s like really?! Out of all people seemed out of left field.

This book was okay, it had more marriage and redemption vibes than being a thriller.

Lila Bennett is a criminal defense attorney who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. This has made her very successful but has not been so great for her private life. Her husband is a novelist who is in a major writing slump, she can barely stand to talk to her mother, and she basically has only one friend. The book explores one situation in her life, which then leads to split timelines following Lila making two different decisions and the aftermath.

As an assistant prosecutor myself, I enjoyed the look into the mind of a criminal defense attorney. There were a couple mistakes, such as Lila referring to her second year of law school as "sophomore year" (in law school you're just called first, second, or third years or 1L, 2L or 3L) but those were minor. I could relate to some of the decisions that Lila made, so even though I didn't agree with her, I continued to like her as a character. There were definite twists and turns in both timelines and neither one was predictable. ***(Mild spoiler here-Namely, the timeline where Lila seemed to make the "better" decision did not necessarily end up better for her.)*** I also appreciated the message of the book, which is that it is never too late to change and become a better person.

Overall, a solid novel that kept me guessing and still had a worthwhile message. I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys courtroom thrillers and womens fiction, this one was a nice overlap of both genres. I look forward to reading what the authors come up with next!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy in exchange for this honest review!*

What decisions would you make differently if you had a do-over at a critical point in your life? That’s the question Lila Bennett is ultimately faced with in this “sliding doors” narrative. ⁣
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I thought this was an enjoyable, fairly fast-paced psychological thriller. The alternate timelines was really well done. And despite not liking Lila’s character at all in the beginning (hint: that was kind of the point), I loved watching her growth and development as the storyline progressed. ⁣
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I would recommend for fans of suspenseful thrillers. ⁣
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Thank you @netgalley and #lakeunionpublishing for the advance egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Lila Bennett hits bookshelves this Tuesday! ⁣

The premise of this book was very interesting and I enjoyed the perspective shifting from Lila being captured to being free. I found it interesting that certain decisions effect both her stories. My only fault in the book is that I didn't find Lila to be a very sympathetic character. I kept reading as I wanted to see how each storyline ended, not necessarily to find out what happened to Lila.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for the opportunity to read their latest book - loved it!

"Maybe all we are is a sum of our choices, each one leading us down a different path, each with its own unique outcome." Lila Bennett is a very successful criminal defense attorney, married to an author, Ethan, who struggles with depression. However, there are lots of people that Lila has wronged along her path to the top and it's time to pay up - and we get to see those two different paths. In one, Lila is captured and being held in a concrete room, scared and wondering who of those she has wronged is behind the kidnapping and if she'll survive. In the other path, Lila is free but someone is exposing her secrets and destroying her life.

I loved this book and the unique way it was written - in alternating chapters of Captured and Free to show us how the decisions we make effect the path of our life. Highly recommended!