Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

34 reviews

shutupsev's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-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

a very solid mystery thriller! i was engaged the whole time and the twists were some that i truly didn't expect. i know ryan was important to show the relationships that evie was missing out on but i just did not care about him or the romance lol. the writing style didn't quite click with me otherwise the rating would be higher. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Car accident and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Cancer

bookscatcoffee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative mysterious medium-paced

4.5

Really enjoyed this book!  Interesting characters, twisty plot, carefully written, just an enjoyable read!  Audiobook is really good too!  I will definitely be following this author for future reads.  4.5 stars

Contemporary mystery with diverse side characters

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Didn't know what to expect going into this book, but it definitely lived up to the hype. Every time I picked up this book, I was given curveball after curveball as you untangle the complicated webs that surround Evie and her line of work. This type of intricacy could throw off some readers, but I felt that Elston did a great job with executing the unraveling of Evie's career with Mr. Smith and what she ultimately wants from her life. Wanting to know what happens next, this is the kind of book you can get lost in. 

Evie was an interesting main character and I think she's the perfect narrator for readers who want morally grey woman MCs and don't mind the idea of FMCs getting their hands dirty. I also felt that Elston was thorough with the overall development of Evie's character, especially when you get flashbacks into why Evie got into her line of work and her experiences working for Mr. Smith before the events of First Lie Wins. Though there were few side characters, I thought that the side characters that were there truly made an impact with examining these different sides of Evie as well as stand out on their own. 

For readers looking for intricately-webbed thrillers with a morally grey FMC that will leave you guessing until the very end, this is a book you should keep your eye on. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Stalking, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Cancer

kelisabeth's review against another edition

emotional 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

emensko's review against another edition

adventurous 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? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction

sberry225's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was such a smart, twisty thriller! I loved the dual timelines and the intelligence and clever thinking by the female main character was very refreshing. The plot was winding and the twists were unexpected. This was a highly entertaining read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Stalking, Car accident, and Murder

Minor: Addiction and Fire/Fire injury

businesswife's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

This is a good book. This is a fun book with an interesting plot with some twists and turns and the characters are fun and even the premise is fun. But, (large but) as a person who reads thrillers, mysteries, and generally twisty plot books on the reg this is a very predictable book. That does not make it bad. This is a comfy book. This felt good to read, I breezed through it, I could have read it in 2 sittings. So, it short, worth reading but if you read these types of books you will prob also feel a bit predictable about this too. As an entry to this genre it would be a great entry point. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Terminal illness, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Cancer

sandonat's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

Was an OK thriller. There was only one or two parts that I found to be really surprising. I liked when the other Luca showed up. I feel like the end was rushed and I wish that there was more time to resolve the central relationship. Overall was an okay read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Murder

Minor: Cancer and Death of parent

luna_98's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

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

2.5

there were so many characters and names to keep track of, i understand that was kind of the point but i felt overwhelmed. the ending didn’t satisfy or shock me enough for how long it took to get there. 
i see the vision, it just wasn’t for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Addiction and Car accident

Minor: Cancer

torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism