Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

31 reviews

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

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

aruthj's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Quite literally obsessed with this book. I loved it from start to finish. The ending makes me want to read it again and try to pick out little details that may have hinted at the twist. I cannot recommend this book enough

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Violence, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

audreylj'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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

witcheep's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking and Gaslighting

Moderate: Grief and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Torture, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury

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

emmy_likes_2_read's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

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

4.0

Evie is just her current alias. She has been many people since working for Mr. Smith. But her current assignment starts to go sideways when someone impersonating her real identity shows up. 

Evie has been working for Mr. Smith for years, being used and manipulated into doing his dirty work. She very smart, but it seems like he has always been one step ahead of her. She seems a bit naive, but she is incredibly cunning and resourcful. We learn that

Evie has been planning Mr. Smith's takedown for years with her small team, Devon and Amy. As Mr. Smith tries to take Evie down, they are secretly discovering his secrets and true identity.

I had an idea of where this was heading, but

I thought Ryan was going to be Mr. Smith, not the UPS guy! It makes sense that he would always want to be close and keep a close eye on her.

I felt that the ending was a bit cheesy, but

it is interesting that she becomes Ms. Smith and takes over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

rochelleisreading's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Classism