Yes! Yes! Yes!!! This is the Mary Monroe I have come to know and love! What an excellent read. I enjoyed this story from start to finish. The boldness of Leona and Fiona to switch lives randomly for their benefit whenever they felt like it was mind blowing. A times I wondered how much one sister who I won’t name cared for the other as she would do things that were very damaging but led everyone to believe it was her sister. I feel conflicted by the ending. I enjoyed it, but if I keep typing I’m going to tell too much. All I can say is GET this book now!!!!! It’s a must read.

Thank you Dafina, Kensington and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an advance copy of this book.

Another winner from the talented Mary Monroe. Great plot with twins switching roles and living each others life. Very interesting read and the twists were very believable. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

I am a fan of Mary Monroe, and she did not disappoint! Her patented penchant for drama and flair for plot twists is the spice that makes this a wonderful read. I cannot wait for the next installment!

Just wow to this book. Way better than i expected for sure. My mama has always read this author and this was my first time reading her work.

This was an excellent read! I really enjoyed reading about the identical twins in this book . This book had historical fiction, identity changes, marriage, and church all rolled into one that didn’t disappoint. Incredible ending! Hopefully this will become a series.

I loved the idea of identical sisters switching lives. This had a great overall concept and I really enjoyed getting to know Leona and Fiona in this novel. They worked in this story and I enjoyed how good the story felt in this universe. I enjoyed everything that was going on with the plot and thought it worked well overall. Mary Monroe writes a great story and characters, this left me wanting to read more from Mary Monroe.

I enjoy historical books & this one was right on the money. The story was a bit slow in some areas, but it kept me intrigued enough to finish it in 1 day. These twins, Leona & Fiona were a bit weird & different. I did not enjoy the fact that Leona was so naive when it came to her twin sister & Bonnie Sue. She wanted to see the good in everyone even if it ended up hurting her. Fiona was very conniving & she was my least favorite twin. I knew switching identities would eventually lead to some serious trouble & Fiona would be the cause of it. She was just so sneaky. I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but overall it was a decent book with a positive ending. I’m grateful that NetGalley and the publisher provided me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

Good read. Slow in some parts but overall entertaining. Very unexpected ending. The book actually went a different route than I expected.

I really just did not enjoy this book. I haven’t really read much from this author since the Mama Ruby series. The couple of books I attempted after that I just did not enjoy. I thought I would give this one a chance though because the subject matter seemed interesting. However, it was not. The writing style was just not one that I enjoyed—it seemed pretty sophomoric , and the story itself seemed formulaic and pretty predictable. I wish that she would add more to the Mama Ruby series, but if she does not do that, I probably will not read anything else from this author.

I don't read many historical novels. This one by Mary Monroe was good. I liked the relationships the sisters had with each other and how they pranked people. The ending could have been better. It was different than I thought. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Mrs Wiggins by Mary Monroe so I was excited to get an ARC copy of Double Lives. Double Lives tells the story of identical twins Fiona and Leona. They live in Alabama with their mother Mavis. Fiona and Leona are always up to something and they switch lives which leads Mavis to believe one of her daughters is a trouble maker and the other is a saint but is this true. Leona has a best friend Bonnie Sue that is a little too clingy and she truly got on my nerves. This book was fast paced and kept me engaged with the plot twist. The book focuses on how at times people may want to escape from their life but it may take someone else to step in their shoes to show them maybe the grass is not greener on the other side.

I love historical fiction, and this book lived up to expectations. Let’s say you have a twin and no one, not even your parents, can tell you apart. What if you and your twin were to trade places? This was something Leona and Fiona repeatedly accomplished. I didn’t think Leona’s friendship with Bonnie Sue was going to end the way that it did; however, I didn’t like that Leona was so naive. Mary Monroe did it again. This will be a great book club pick.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Mary Monroe is an absolute treasure. Her historical fiction is like sampling a bit of history for yourself, one juicy bite at a time. She writes such distinctive and memorable characters, and Leona & Fiona are no exception!

The story is told from each sister's point of view. And while they are twins whose devotion to each other is stronger than anything else in life, they are each at times loveable, pitiable, dislikable, and honorable.

I was definitely caught up in the story. Anticipating a twist, but not expecting the story's endings.

You won't be able to put this one down. I read it in one afternoon! (And definitely pick up some of the author's other books too!)