Reviews with content warning for Violence - First Lie Wins

I'd wanted to read an excellent thriller, and this is the one. This book had an interesting protagonist, excellent pacing, helpful flashbacks, and a terrific ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this, even if it kept me up late.

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

This was an intriguing con artist, small town thriller that pleasantly surprised me! Thank you for PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy <3 I am providing my review on my own accord after listening.

I thought the narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job; I always marvel a bit at narrators' abilities to use totally different inflections and tones of voice when switching characters, and Saskia did an excellent job of this!

The rotating chapters between the past and present piqued my interest; I was wondering what the tie-ins would be, and when it finally came together, it did not disappoint! I find that thrillers can delve into the exploitation and harmful fetishization of "mental health" struggles way too predictably and frustratingly, but this book steered clear of that and I appreciate it. It proves that a mystery or heist/con artist thriller can stand on its own, with morally grey characters, rather than villainizing those who are neurodivergent or have schizophrenia etc.

Despite the fact that you know that our main character is deceiving folks from the start, you're still rooting for her. It's so easy to, because she's so clever and takes no shit. Her whirlwind romance with Ryan has all of his close friends guessing, and I found it so delectable that she had them wound up so tightly.

The mystery of the elusive Mr. Smith was a very captivating game of cat and mouse, and while it frustrated me for Evie, I just wanted to know his real identity already and what his endgame was! Let it be known I will never be cut out for heist/con artist/secret identity work hahaha.

Anyway, as thrillers do, a lot of the big action and reveals happen in the last 10% of the book, but it overall felt like a satisfying conclusion and I think others will have lots of fun with this one.

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tabbycat10414's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It was slightly sow to start, but after a few chapters I couldn’t stop reading. Every time you think you’ve figured out what’s coming next, it’s here’s a twist you didn’t see coming! Highly recommend!

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redefiningrachel's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

When the mysterious Mr. Smith asks Evie to do a job, she has to do it. But what is he up to on this particular job? And who is Mr. Smith?
I enjoyed this book quite a bit and didn't guess who Mr. Smith was. I thought it was one person, but thankfully the author went in another direction.
I do wish we had more of her friends and colleagues. I liked them more than Evie, to be honest. I liked the dual timeline as it kept me engaged with the book and interested in the storyline.
I did figure out what was going on with the death before it was revealed, though not why she did it, so that part was a bit predictable, along with predicting the final "twist".

Narrator Rating: 4.5 stars
The narrator did an excellent job with the book. With the tonal shifts for emotions and characters especially.

Extra ratings: Fluff - NA Heartfelt -2/5 Helpful-3/5 Horror -NA Inspiration -NA Love aka Romance- 2/5 Mystery -3/5 Predictability -2.5/5 Spice -0.5/5 Suspense -2/5 Tear- 1/5 Thrill -4/5 Humor-0.5/5

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calculated_reader's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

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