Double Lives (A Lexington, Alabama Novel)

Fiona and Leona Dunbar are not the first fictional twins to switch places when it’s convenient for them, but Monroe makes sure not to let this feel like a tired trope. She not only tells a lively story but also puts a twist on the typical “good twin, bad twin” dynamic. Fiona, publicly the good twin, causes trouble just as much as Leona does (if not more), but Leona is always the one to take the fall for her. When Fiona wishes to escape a loveless marriage, ever-loyal Leona willingly takes her place.

The last thing she expects is to fall in love with her sister’s husband.

Double Lives is the latest in Monroe’s series about Black women in Depression-era Alabama, but each book can stand on its own. As the book covers the twins’ lives from their early years, it takes a while to get to the meat of the matter, and some of the early chapters cover similar ground multiple times. Once the twins reach their teenage years, however, things start to spice up, especially when Fiona’s true nature shines through a little more. This was a fun book, and I expect many people will enjoy it.