Reviews tagging 'Grief'

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

21 reviews

kelisabeth's review against another edition

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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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kimreadz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I liked this book, but it did get off to a slow start. I might have DNF'd it had it not been for a book club. I liked the characters, even though they weren't really good people. There were twists that I didn't anticipate, and things that I guess wrong about.
SpoilerI didn't see the Mr. Smith is George thing coming. I thought Ryan was Mr. Smith.
. I also wonder about the future.
SpoilerSince Evie and Ryan are both 'shady' and they know it, how much do they really trust each other? Does Ryan know about Evie's Miss Smith operation?

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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

Utterly preposterous but so entertaining I had to keep reading and reading till I finished, this counts as a guilty pleasure. It was all show and no substance but I didn’t care because I was enjoying it so much. 

I loved the main character and wanted the best for her. She’d had some lousy things happen in the past and just wanted to be admired for being the very best. She really thrived on praise (which meant the absence of complaints) and was crushed when her boss reprimanded her. I loved that she was so resourceful. And I’m glad she had outside help because then it would have gone above and beyond the suspension of belief into fantasy. 

The book was really clever and complex - I loved all the twists and turns. It was definitely a great book to keep my mind off anything else going on. 

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audreylj's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

5.0


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hannah_hearts_books's review against another edition

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

3.25

This was an interesting spy-ish thriller. The twists were enjoyable and the premise was fun.However I’m not sure if the story was rounded out enough. Also, dual timelines are the bane of my existence one timeline is always more interesting and one always drags on and on. Even with all of that being said, I think I would pick up another book by this author.

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witcheep's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

🤯🤩

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koplomps's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5


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celina246's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

got a little confusing because it's very detail-oriented (don't read it when you're tired), but the nice thing is the book catches you up. a pretty interesting thriller.

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tayreads10's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional lighthearted 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

5.0

I flew through this book! I was so sucked into the plot of her shady employment dilemmas and how that played out. Thoroughly enjoyed and hoping there is a sequel to continue where it leaves off!

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

Finished reading: August 23rd 2024


“There's an old saying: The first lie wins. It's not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game.”

Part of me was a bit hesitant to read First Lie Wins, as we all know how hyped books and me tend to get along... But there was something about the premise I wasn't able to resist, and I ended up giving in. I'm so glad I did now, because I ended up having SUCH a great time reading book! Things can be said about the credibility, but I personally didn't care as the entertainment level was through the roof. First Lie Wins reads like a Hollywood action movie with a similar vibe as Mr. And Mrs. Smith, and the premise had me fully hooked. The story is told through Evie Porter's POV, and switches back between different time in her past and the present. There was something about Evie that made it easy to start rooting for her despite her flaws, and the flashbacks worked perfectly to start revealing certain information and twists. The building up of tension and suspense was really well done, and it had me turning page after page as I HAD to know how it would all end. And while I guessed some of the twists, others came as a total surprise. The writing itself is extremely engaging and the heist/spy elements really made this story stand out. The ending itself was perfect for this story, and the journey itself was a blast as well. If you enjoyed fast-paced, engaging and cleverly plotted thrillers with a spy/heist vibe and don't mind suspending your disbelief, I can highly recommend First Lie Wins

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