One sign that the genre fiction novel you’re reading is smashingly good? You start searching for the author’s other publications before you’ve even finished the novel that you’re currently reading. This tightly plotted, absorbing thriller makes its GenZ characters sympathetic even when they are plotting and enacting terrible, underhanded, and selfish things. Their treatment by people wealthier and older than they are may be the primary reason, but they are also driven by revenge, desperation, and, for a woman that is one of the lead protagonists, a sense of alienation from most other living beings except her dog. Deceptively simple, THEIR DOUBLE LIVES deals with performances of sociability, gender roles, and class. People that ought to know better lie to uphold bigger lies. The author’s style is observant, often sardonic, and engaging. In real life, I typically avoid even television depictions of the cruel and rich, but I found this audiobook to be compulsive reading. The audiobook reader is excellent. As a Librarian, I’d recommend this to Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z readers of mystery and thriller fiction, including people new to the genre.

This book is a fast paced thriller. Kept my attention from the beginning til the end! Who is this mystery Stranger and how do they know to contact Kim? It is twisty and the revenge is crazy! Emma Love did an amazing job narrating this!

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the audio ARC!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HighBridgeStudios for the book #TheirDoubleLives by #JaimeLynnHensdricks. This book blew mw away with all the conspiracies, revenge and murder. Kim, a waitress living paycheck to paycheck, is trying to find the money for surgery for her dog. So when an opportunity falls into her lap for that money, she reluctantly agrees to put a pill into a guys drink. When his girlfriend does instead, she has to figure out what’s going on. Who did this, why did they want him dead and why his girlfriend died instead? What she finds out is Disturbing and crazy.

I enjoyed this one. The intricate layers to the story added interest to an already appealing revenge plot. I will say I knew how it would play out, basically from the very beginning and there weren't really any surprises for me but it was enjoyable and entertaining, regardless.

I just finished this thrilling book, and I can't put into words how captivating it was! From the very first page, I was hooked by the suspenseful plot and well-developed characters. The twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat, making it impossible to put down. The author's writing style is both gripping and immersive, drawing me into the story's dark and intricate world. I found myself eagerly turning pages late into the night, desperate to uncover the truth. This book is a must-read for any thriller fan—five stars without a doubt! I can’t wait to read more from this author!

This was a twisty thriller that I did not want to put down (or stop listening to). You know it's good when you are excited to have a lot of solo time in the car. Kim is down on her luck and has a sick young dog that needs an expensive surgery. Suddenly a note from "The Stranger" shows up asking her to kill someone at the country club where she works. That killing doesn't happen and sets off a spiral of events where Kim wonders how it got this far along. Thank you to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for a chance to listen to this one early in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Jaime Lynn Hendricks has done it again with Their Double Lives—a high-octane psychological thriller that hooks you from the first line and doesn’t let go until the final jaw-dropping twist. This is a masterclass in suspense, deception, and emotional complexity. The story follows Kim Valva, a down-on-her-luck waitress whose life is falling apart—cheated on, broke, and desperate to save her sick dog. When a mysterious figure known only as The Stranger offers her a deadly deal with the promise of financial salvation, Kim is thrust into a morally gray world of lies and manipulation. But nothing is what it seems. Her target? Her high school ex, now a millionaire with a fiancée who has secrets of her own. What begins as a straightforward (if chilling) mission spirals into a tangled web of betrayal, shifting motives, and deadly consequences. Hendricks crafts each character with depth and intention, especially Kim, whose internal struggle is both raw and relatable. The pacing is razor-sharp, the stakes are sky-high, and the ending? Absolutely explosive. Just when you think you’ve figured it all out, Hendricks pulls the rug out from under you. If you’re a fan of morally complex thrillers with heart and grit, Their Double Lives is an absolute must-read. This is domestic suspense at its finest—clever, dark, and impossible to put down.

Jaime Lynn Hendricks delivers another wickedly clever psychological thriller in Their Double Lives, a story brimming with deception, desperation, and double-crosses. From the first page, you're pulled into the chaotic life of Kim Valva—a struggling waitress at an upscale New Jersey country club who’s drowning in bad luck. Her boyfriend’s cheating, her social life is crumbling, and her beloved dog needs emergency surgery. Desperate for a lifeline, Kim is presented with an offer she can’t ignore: spike a wealthy new member’s drink in exchange for a pile of cash.

The request comes from a shadowy figure known only as The Stranger, and the target turns out to be none other than Tony Fiore—Kim’s ex-boyfriend from high school, now engaged to the ambitious and manipulative PJ Walsh. But PJ has secrets of her own. She’s not just planning a wedding—she’s planning a murder, with Tony’s fortune in her crosshairs. When PJ suddenly ends up dead, Kim finds herself caught in a dangerous web of lies, where everyone has something to hide.

Told in alternating points of view between Kim and PJ, the story masterfully reveals the masks each woman wears and the darkness driving them. Hendricks excels at building suspense and playing with reader expectations, making it nearly impossible to know who to trust—or what’s coming next.

With sharp character work, relentless pacing, and jaw-dropping twists, Their Double Lives is a wild ride from start to finish. It’s a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers that explore how far people will go to rewrite their own stories—and bury their secrets.

4.25 🌟

Their Double Lives switches POV and timelines, which I generally enjoy. It switches mainly between waitress Kim and socialite/newly engaged PJ. One timeline is the time before the incident at the high-end country club, and the other is the time since the incident at the country club. Twists and turns abound, making you wonder - who can you trust? I greatly enjoyed this one; I finished it in less than a day. It was very twisty, which I love. My only nitpick is a spoiler, so I won't specify it, but it's related to a foolish decision that PJ made that had me rolling my eyes.

The book is narrated by Emma Love, who is perfect for this. She has distinct voices for Kim and PJ, making it easy to differentiate the two characters.
Recommended for fans of quick, twisty thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the ALC.

4.5
I really enjoyed this book! All the secrets, the double lives, the manipulation, the revenge plan, and the doggie!!! I could not stop listening to this book; I needed to know what was next. The back and forth from past and present was so well done that it had me rethinking who I wanted to root for more than once. I very highly recommend this book. The narrator did a fantastic job with this book. She really brought this book to life for me.

A huge thank you to Highbridge Audio and NetGalley for gifting me this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a decently entertaining audiobook that kept me wanting more! At no point in time did I find myself bored or wanting to skip chapters. I enjoyed the different perspectives and the switch from then and now.

The storyline had me rooting for different people at different times. I love a book that keeps you going back and forth! I did think that the whole killing some unknown person for money to save your dog was a bit of a stretch, but at the same time I get how dogs are family.

I enjoyed the narrator, her voice is husky and calming. I listened at 1.75x.

Definitely recommend this book/audiobook

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.

I stumbled upon Jaime Lynn Hendricks last year by accident, and I couldn’t be more thankful! Her thrillers are sharp, fast-paced, and totally addictive. Their Double Lives had me hooked from page one. It’s a wild, twisty ride that kept me guessing the whole time. I devoured this in a day and loved every second of it.
🙌 Highly recommend to anyone who loves an unpredictable, high-stakes thriller!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Emma Love does a great job narrating this story!!

Kim is a waitress at a posh country club. 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 a mysterious figure contacts her with an offer she can’t refuse. Put a pill in the new club member’s drink for the money she needs to save her dog and her life. But there is a wrinkle...the new member is her ex-boyfriend from high school, Tony, who has cleaned up and a multimillionaire. But its Tony's date, PJ, who ends up dead. With the wrong person dead and the money in her account, Kim begins to investigate what happened.

This is a light beach read that reminds me of the Stefanie Plum series written by Janet Evanovich. Check reality at the door and immerse yourself in a great summer read!!!

I always enjoy a book by this author. This one is fast packed with lots of twists and turns. The narration was excellent and I look forward to anything this author writes in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the advanced copy.

4.5 Super fun, fast-paced, binge worthy thriller - excellent on audiobook. One narrator who does multi-POV, but she has great character differentiation.

Premise is about a woman, Kim, who gets asked by an anonymous caller to kill a man at the country club she works at. Her dog is dying of cancer and she is in desperate need of money to help him out, so she decides to do it - only when she actually sees the guy she’s supposed to kill, she discovers it’s her ex-boyfriend from highschool. Over a decade later he’s a fancy rich investor now engaged to a young woman. While Kim is contemplating what to do next, her ex-boyfriend’s new fiancé drops dead. The book then proceeds to bounce between Kim’s POV after the death of the fiancé and the fiancé’s POV from the past when she first met the guy.

Overall, was a good time! Great book to get you out of a slump - I was sucked in after the first chapter, and who doesn’t love somebody trying to save their dog?

The story starts out with a woman who will do almost anything to save the life of her dog. As a pet lover and dog owner, I can relate. But will she take money to kill someone? The mystery is one of false identities and uncovering the secrets that make people predators or victims. While the “whodunnit” part was clearly projected, the specifics of the murder plot(s) were entertaining and enjoyable. The narration was also first rate.
This novel is pure escapism with its various twists and turns that hinge on, as the title suggests, the characters’ abilities to be convincing as they lead double lives.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @HighbridgeAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #TheirDoubleLives for review purposes. Publication date: 20 May 2025.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the author for this ALC!

I loved this narrator and audiobook so much! What a 🎢 of a ride!! While I guessed some of the plot twists, there were a few more packed in that had me guessing until the end. The story has 4 main characters and while we hear from PJ and Kim the most, Tony enters about half way in and then Matt. Each has a pivotal role throughout and each tells a bit from their perspective views. The audio is cleanly done with voice changes and accents so there's no confusion on who is speaking (pet peeve of mine when audios don't do this with multiple POV's and/or characters). The plot flowed nicely and Hendricks tied everything together in the end! I have not given many 5 stars on Netgalley and rarely for popcorn reads, this is an exception as I was thoroughly entertained throughout!! I devoured this in a day!

Pub date 5/20/25
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had so many twists and turns. I was guessing the whole time who The Stranger was, and any of the directions could have been plausible. I will say if you've never had a dog before, you just might not understand how she was so willing to murder someone for a dog to live.