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mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a great time with this mystery/suspense novel and am impressed with Elston’s adult debut!
This gave me Mission Impossible meets Kingsmen vibes with the secret agent aspect, which I thoroughly enjoyed!
I’m excited to see what other adult novels Elston brings in the future.
This gave me Mission Impossible meets Kingsmen vibes with the secret agent aspect, which I thoroughly enjoyed!
I’m excited to see what other adult novels Elston brings in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Car accident, Murder
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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
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
Huge buildup to a bunch of underwhelming nothings. Faux thriller. I was NOT thrilled.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death, Car accident, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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: Death, Drug use, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“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: Car accident, Death of parent, Murder
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Car accident