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adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
I loved this book! It hooked me right from the start, and I liked how in the very first chapter it started out so normal and casual and made you second guess it being an everyday story with references to lies being told and dynamics being fake. Very proud of myself for guessing George is Mr. Smith when he first appeared in Florida but they had me sold on it being Ryan after the motel. Absolutely did not see Amy being alive coming, nor them being on the offensive. I also loved how everything tied back up together from a lot of her earlier jobs, even Tyron. I want a sequel! More!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Death of parent
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Car accident, Murder, Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer
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
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, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I remember reading the blurb of this a while ago but when I went to pick it up, I had forgotten and I'm glad as this one really took me by surprise.
Ashley Elston's "First Lie Wins" is a slick and twisted story of deception and disguises where no one can be trusted and readers will be on edge from start to finish. We meet Evie Porter, a seemingly perfect Southern girl with a wholesome life. In actual fact —Evie Porter doesn't exist. Evie adopts new guises as a covert asset handler for "Mr. Smith", an enigmatic boss whom Evie has never met and their only communication is via calls he makes using a voice distortion software. When feelings for her latest mark, Ryan Sumner, start to develop, Evie finds herself battling between her professional obligations and personal emotions. Before long, Evie finds herself caught in her own web of deceit and multiple players are out to catch her red handed. The only rule: the first lie wins.
This is my first read by Ashley Elston and I was invested in this unique story. Elston is fantastic in penning out the premise and creating a quick-thinking, fierce and intriguing protagonist. I really enjoyed Evie's duality and the use of previous "jobs" as chapters to show how Evie starts out and advances in her career, her morality and compassion whilst she juggles her emotions with the tasks humanises her and adds depth to the narrative.
The supporting characters are all well developed and add significant meaning to the story - I say this to the point I was rooting for Evie and one of the bad guys before the unexpected plot twist at the end so this book definitely keeps you on your toes! Ryan and Evie's chemistry and romance was a welcome relief to the fast paced cat and mouse chasing and tension and I enjoyed the way their angle was dealt with in the book.
The only reason for the story not being a five star for me (but very close!) is I felt it may have been slightly too long/required further editing but that does not take away from the reading experience as I overall enjoyed this book alot and finished it in a couple of days! I would absolutely recommend it for readers who are looking for a gripping psychological suspense and mystery with a twist.
Thank you @Netgalley and @HeadlineBooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest unedited review.
Ashley Elston's "First Lie Wins" is a slick and twisted story of deception and disguises where no one can be trusted and readers will be on edge from start to finish. We meet Evie Porter, a seemingly perfect Southern girl with a wholesome life. In actual fact —Evie Porter doesn't exist. Evie adopts new guises as a covert asset handler for "Mr. Smith", an enigmatic boss whom Evie has never met and their only communication is via calls he makes using a voice distortion software. When feelings for her latest mark, Ryan Sumner, start to develop, Evie finds herself battling between her professional obligations and personal emotions. Before long, Evie finds herself caught in her own web of deceit and multiple players are out to catch her red handed. The only rule: the first lie wins.
This is my first read by Ashley Elston and I was invested in this unique story. Elston is fantastic in penning out the premise and creating a quick-thinking, fierce and intriguing protagonist. I really enjoyed Evie's duality and the use of previous "jobs" as chapters to show how Evie starts out and advances in her career, her morality and compassion whilst she juggles her emotions with the tasks humanises her and adds depth to the narrative.
The supporting characters are all well developed and add significant meaning to the story - I say this to the point I was rooting for Evie and one of the bad guys before the unexpected plot twist at the end so this book definitely keeps you on your toes! Ryan and Evie's chemistry and romance was a welcome relief to the fast paced cat and mouse chasing and tension and I enjoyed the way their angle was dealt with in the book.
The only reason for the story not being a five star for me (but very close!) is I felt it may have been slightly too long/required further editing but that does not take away from the reading experience as I overall enjoyed this book alot and finished it in a couple of days! I would absolutely recommend it for readers who are looking for a gripping psychological suspense and mystery with a twist.
Thank you @Netgalley and @HeadlineBooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest unedited review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
mysterious
tense
The audiobook held my attention and kept me entertained — plenty of twists and turns, thrills and suspense! Plot holes aside, it was a fun thriller.
Audiobook
5 ⭐
Audiobook
5 ⭐
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Drug use, Grief, Death of parent
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Kept my attention, but this book was just convenient to incidence after convenient coincidence. The author completely ignored the "show don't tell" writing advice and instead the answer to each mystery is directly told to the reader without any insight into how it was discovered. The main character's friend does all the leg-work for each discovery 'off-screen' ('off-page?') and the reader is just told the answer. I kept waiting to unraveled mysteries alongside the characters, but that does not happen at all.
Good idea, but poor writing and way too many easy cop-outs.
Good idea, but poor writing and way too many easy cop-outs.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Classism
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury