Reviews with content warning for Cancer - First Lie Wins

First Lie Wins has been EVERYWHERE on here.
And I'm now in the appreciation club.
This is a fun, smart, and exciting story. I read it well into the wee hours, and very reluctantly put it down to get some actual sleep.
To sum up - believe the hype on this one! Go in blind and enjoy the journey.
This is author Ashley Elston's first adult book, and would be fantastic on screen.
Highly recommended!

Content Warnings

katelynprice's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was really intrigued by this book, but I wanted to like it more than I did. The flashbacks to the past confused me, and I had a hard time keeping all of the names straight. I also had trouble suspending my disbelief. It was fun and twisty, but not as polished as I would like.

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danaburrreads's review

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mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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thecriticalreader's review

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Review:

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston serves as an adequately diverting thriller that holds up as long as one doesn’t think too hard about it. Which, to be fair, is more than can be said about a lot of entries in the thriller genre. This book delivers twists and turns that make logical sense in context of the narrative, even if their mechanics are a bit fuzzy. The story avoids gaping plot holes, although it frequently leans on some dubious plot conveniences.

Elston’s clear, straightforward writing style works in this thriller’s favor. She demonstrates an instinct for balancing technical details with an entertaining storyline, letting the reader indulge in the fun of the main character’s espionage. The main character (who goes by multiple aliases throughout the novel), is not nearly as intelligent, sympathetic, or competent as her partner-in-crime, Devon. Devon gets little character development beyond being the token Black person who helps the main character, which is a shame because one gets the sense he would be a much more interesting protagonist.

The falling action of First Lie Wins hinges on the assumption that

the reader is rooting for the main character. While she’s not an awful human being—her actions demonstrate that she has a moral compass—her motivations for crime aren’t particularly altruistic. More eyebrow-raising is the apparent happily-ever-after ending between her and Ryan, a bland and doting boyfriend who also uses violence to keep people in line at his smuggling operation. It’s supposed to be a cute ending because they’re both “morally gray,” but it ends up feeling more distasteful. If one wanted to take a more critical lens to this ending, perhaps they would question the decision to celebrate two white, financially well-off people’s choice to continue a life of crime without consequences when in reality, innocent Black and brown people are regularly murdered by law enforcement on the street in the United States.

But that is more a critique aimed at the spy/thriller genre more generally, and not necessarily a reason to condemn First Lie Wins in particular.

TL;DR:

First Lie Wins manages to avoid some of the worst pitfalls of its genre and provide a somewhat entertaining story in the process. That said, the narrative and characters fail to be particularly memorable or believable.

The Run-Down:

You will might like First Lie Wins if . . .

· You enjoy cat-and-mouse spy thrillers

· You’re looking for a break from domestic thrillers

· You want a story with a splash of romance

· You like stories that take place in the American South

You might not like First Lie Wins if . . .

· You don’t typically enjoy thrillers

· You hate convenient plot points

· You don’t like stories with frequent flashback sequences

Content Warnings

itsheyfay's review

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Content Warnings

vereadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Eve Potter has the perfect boyfriend, a beautiful house, and the garden of her dreams. The only problem is that Eve Potter doesn’t exist.

The book is addictive and entertaining. I had a great time reading it. I was expecting a domestic thriller about marriage and domestic abuse. Instead, I found a twisty and engaging plot. A page Turner from the beginning.

Eve is resourceful and intelligent, always thinking one step before the game. That makes her the best con/thief. As the plot develops, we get entries from different jobs that she does for her boss "Mr. Smith." Little by little, they both engage in a game of pursuit where it's unclear who's the cat and who's the mouse. Intelligently plotted with a well-paced rhythm.

I love that the protagonist gives us the information she wants, when she decides it is time. The truth is, I had fun making assumptions about Mr. Smith’s identity and trying to guess what Eve’s next step was going to be.

At the beginning, Eve meets Ryan's friends. I thought they were going to have a big role to play, but they don't have a big impact on the plot.

The ending had a good closure. The last chapters reminded me of the Oceans Eleven movies. It’s a book that would work very well on the screen.

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daydaybookbay's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I rated this book a 7 out of 10. I was pulled into this thriller, and I love the idea of undercover work. Evie shows her cleverness over the years and pulls ahead in work. Some sections felt repetitive, but I liked how everything was revealed for a reason. I wish there had been some character development; the characters themselves were a bit flat.

This story is a quick read, but slow paced (if that makes any sense) game of cat-and-mouse. We watch the back and forth of Evie's work and personal life while she tries to keep it from crumbling.

The major plot of the story is introduced in chapters 1 and 2. We follow Evie in her undercover scheme for the first half of the book. In the second half, we have an altered plot and follow Evie in her con artist scheme. It is a bit basic at times, but the plot keeps pushing forward.

The flashbacks to Evie's previous jobs threw me through a loop a few times. It wasn't always clear why any of those moments were important. Eventually, it all comes full circle, and we understand, but I think they were more randomly distributed rather than strategically placed.

I'1l say it again here: there is next to zero character development. Here's a character at face value, and there is nothing added. I wish there would have been more there (maybe in the flashbacks) where we could understand more about the characters.

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