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julesmq's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The premise immediately intrigued me: domestic espionage in the small-town American South with a mix of romance woven in. The story did not disappoint. It’s lighthearted in that there’s no high stakes and no violence, but it still kept me guessing until the final revelations. I even fell for the red herring! That always makes a story satisfying to me. The author was new to me, and I probably won’t seek out her previous bibliography in YA fiction, but I’ll look forward to another adult lit book if she writes one.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
lala_reads_too's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Huge buildup to a bunch of underwhelming nothings. Faux thriller. I was NOT thrilled.
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Cancer, Death of parent, and Death
kyrstin_p1989's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
While I think this book was a little overhyped on TikTok, I still found the premise and the story arc interesting. It was a little different than most thriller/murder mysteries I’ve read in the past. The narrator is unreliable yet likeable. There were a lot of twists and turns, some expected and others unexpected. The ending is a little bit of a cliffhanger which is fun and leaves the reader wanting more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Murder, Stalking, Sexism, Violence, Death of parent, Alcohol, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
jbpearl's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder and Death of parent
shesflippinpages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Terminal illness, Stalking, Cancer, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gaslighting, and Murder
cassidy_rain's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“She learned the only person you could trust, the only person you could truly rely on, was yourself.”
I heard mixed things about this but I absolutely loved it, I thought it was super fun and exciting! Fans of the tv shows Imposters and The Blacklist should definitely check this out.
First Lie Wins follows “Evie” who works in the con-artist industry performing different kinds of jobs under different aliases. It’s a medium-fast paced thriller with mysterious elements that unfold. The story is told from Evie’s perspective and has timeline jumps, but I found it easy to follow. I thought the timeline jumps really added to the story and piqued my interest as each flashback unlocked another clue to the puzzle.
I was hooked from the beginning. I really enjoyed all the different characters. “Evie” is so cunning and such a badass. I love the way she worked hard (although untraditional methods) to overcome the challenges she was faced with in her life from a young age. I think the plot was well developed; it has just the right amount of foreshadowing. I didn’t catch any annoying plot holes and all of the twists were planned out in a way that made sense to me. There were a few twists that I was able to guess/predict, however it didn’t ruin any enjoyment for me and the main reveal was a bit different than I was anticipating! It was definitely a page turner to uncover the mystery and the ending left me completely satisfied.
“Mama always said to be successful in life you need to do three things: learn everything you can, try your hardest, and be the best at what you do.”
I heard mixed things about this but I absolutely loved it, I thought it was super fun and exciting! Fans of the tv shows Imposters and The Blacklist should definitely check this out.
First Lie Wins follows “Evie” who works in the con-artist industry performing different kinds of jobs under different aliases. It’s a medium-fast paced thriller with mysterious elements that unfold. The story is told from Evie’s perspective and has timeline jumps, but I found it easy to follow. I thought the timeline jumps really added to the story and piqued my interest as each flashback unlocked another clue to the puzzle.
I was hooked from the beginning. I really enjoyed all the different characters. “Evie” is so cunning and such a badass. I love the way she worked hard (although untraditional methods) to overcome the challenges she was faced with in her life from a young age. I think the plot was well developed; it has just the right amount of foreshadowing. I didn’t catch any annoying plot holes and all of the twists were planned out in a way that made sense to me. There were a few twists that I was able to guess/predict, however it didn’t ruin any enjoyment for me and the main reveal was a bit different than I was anticipating! It was definitely a page turner to uncover the mystery and the ending left me completely satisfied.
“Mama always said to be successful in life you need to do three things: learn everything you can, try your hardest, and be the best at what you do.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, and Car accident
mj_86's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, and Murder
Minor: Car accident and Addiction
oxfordcommas91's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book had me absolutely gripped! I’d been seeing this book all over instagram and booktok so I was suspicious about whether it would live up to the hype, and boy did it! I love a page-turner thriller that isn’t super dark or scary, so this really fit the bill. The twists and turns throughout were absolutely delicious - I was truly on the edge of my seat the whole time and found it difficult to put this book down to go to work or function in real life! Fabulously written and highly compelling, I recommend this to anyone who wants a book that will get them out of a slump, because it certainly did that for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Car accident, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Death of parent, Cancer, Suicide, and Violence
etpreads's review
mysterious
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
kaylinvm94's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent and Cancer