Evie Porter, professional imposter and con artist finds herself on a job that feels different than those that came before. When it starts to unravel, she has to cook up a scheme not just to save the job but also herself. This is a fun, twisty thriller that weaves around in the time of Evie‘s employ for the shady Mr. Smith and kept me guessing all the while. Recommended!

Ryan Summers and Evie Porter are a typical couple. They are young, professional and living in Ryan's hometown, in fact in his family home. The relationship isn't long, in fact only a few months long, but it looks like it's headed for marriage.

There's just one problem. Evie Porter isn't Evie Porter. She's a con artist, working for a shadowy figure, taking whatever assignment he gives her. Sometimes it's stealing something priceless, sometimes getting information and sometimes setting someone up for blackmail. She has come to the town to get information and her mark is Ryan himself. Ryan has a legitimate business that takes most of his time but his family business is also one of the biggest middlemen in stolen goods in the South.

As Evie attempts to finish her assignment, troubles start to crop up. Mr. Smith, her boss, has sent another operative to town to let her know that she isn't producing as fast as he wants and the other operative is going by Evie's real name. As tensions mount and bodies start to accumulate, it's unclear if Evie will be able to finish this assignment or if it will be the end of her.

This is my first book by Ashley Elston. She has been writing in the young adult genre and this is her first adult book. The plot is intricately woven and the pacing is fast. The book alternates between this assignment and past assignments of Evie's that fill in her backstory. The ending is exceptionally well done and Elston has created a book that hopefully will keep her in the mystery genre. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

This was an amazing book! The characters drew me in from the very beginning and I didn’t want to put the book down to do other things!

If I could rate this book any higher I would, I loved this book more than I am able to put into words🖤 To say I devoured it is an understatement, I cruised through this book! Any chance I had to read it I took it🤗

Oddly & coincidentally enough the last book I looked forward to reading as much as I did this one was Listen For the Lie. My two favorite books of the year 😍

I loved the main characters Evie & Ryan, and loved them together! Devon who comes in later, I also loved his character. The author hit the nail on the head with everything in this book. The development of the story. All of the twists. The creativity of everything Evie & Ryan. Her character was badass & one you couldn’t help but root for in all the ways.
It’s funny (in a good way) how many times this book had me smiling for being a suspense book. Like Elston basically did romcom meets suspense (with allllll the twists) which equaled absolute perfection 🤩 I never would’ve guessed that Mr. Smith was who he was, nicely done!!

I can’t believe I put off reading this for so long (published almost a year ago! - I’m firing myself ha). It was excellent, everything I could ask for from a suspense book! I am so happy to have ended the year with such a fantastic book!! If you haven’t read it yet do yourself a favor & go get it🤗. Love love loved this book, I’m excited to see what the author comes up with next!

A little sad the book is over.. I miss the characters already 😉

Did I mention I loved this book? Ha
LOVED 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Thank you to both NetGalley & the publisher PENGUIN GROUP Viking for the ARC, very appreciative!

Ok so alot of people loved this book. I unfortunately thought it was just ok. The story seemed to drag a bit and I am not a huge fan of the Con Artist Trope.

I enjoy how this story combines elements of both spy and thriller genres! It’s exciting to see a con artist who gets outwitted by her boss with a duplicate of her. Now, it’s all about survival, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

First Lie Wins is a thrilling mystery that keeps you guessing right up to the end of the book. The characters are well-developed and the storyline flows well. I have read a lot of books over the years, and I tend to predict how the book will end before I get to the end. However, I was completely surprised by the ending of this book. I will be recommending this book to my book-loving friends!

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. Pub Date: January 2, 2024. Rating: 4 stars. In this cat and mouse thriller, the reader is taken on a journey of lies, deceit and an interweaving plot that keeps the storyline going. This is a unique thriller in which I have not read any stories like this one before. It was fast paced and it kept me wanting more. I finished this book in less than 24 hours. I could totally see this story being brought to TV/film. Thanks to #netgalley and #pameladormanbooks for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good con story. This one was so fun. Evie Porter is given a job and a mark and she must complete the job or else there will be trouble from her boss. But then another employee comes on the job, and she is using Evie’s real identity. Evie must make things happen or else her real identity will be gone forever.

The plots in this book were twisty and surprising. The way that unexpected characters banded together at the end to accomplish the final twist was fantastic.

I got bored with this book and stopped halfway through. I eventually went back and finished and am glad I did as it really finds it footing in the back half. My recommendation is keep reading if you want to stop and enjoy the finale!

A twisty, engaging book I could not put down! Evie Porter is moving in with her loving boyfriend ... except Evie Porter is not really Evie Porter, and her boyfriend is just her latest mark. Or is he? I loved following this story through Evie's eyes as she deals with her mysterious, creepy boss, alongside her shady boyfriend and his friends. We get backstory on how Evie came to this life, and all the pieces of her story come together in the end to show how she outsmarts them all. A really interesting, fast-paced read.

We read this for our book club and it was a great book club book! Fast paced and kept me interested the whole time.

“There’s an old saying: The first lie wins.”
First Lie Wins is a deliciously scandalous, twisty, cat-and-mouse thriller. It was fast paced and kept me on my toes. The dual timelines really fleshed out the story and added to the suspense. Highly recommend if you were a fan of Netflix’s con artist series, Imposters.

First Lie Wins is simply a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I admire the author’s ability to create and then relate such a well-plotted and interesting thriller.

First Lie Wins has a cast of interesting characters that are well-defined. The story moves effortlessly between the present and the events that previously occurred over a number of years. The backstories are well-drawn and add so much depth to the plot. Meanwhile, the story was never confusing or abrupt.

The twists that occur were unexpected and I literal gasp a time or two. I was constantly entertained by this book and it was definitely hard to put down. Thank you, Ms Elston, for writing such a clever thriller. It was 4.5 stars for me. NetGalley provided an advance reader copy.

First Lie Wins came highly recommended to me & I finally got around to reading it for a book club (a perfect book club book, by the way!) Elston kept me guessing and guessing throughout this one and I found all the characters easy to root for, while simultaneously not trusting anyone. It had all the makings of a great thriller, in my opinion!

I enjoyed that this book had espionage vibes and a bad A female lead. I liked that I was able to read about the past which helped me understand the present passages.

Evie Porter has it all. Blessed with beauty, she is now engaged to a wealthy business man who lives in a large, lovely home. The problem is it won't last, and it won't last because Evie will pull the plug on the relationship like she always does. Once the job is over. Evie is a con artist, hand selected by the mysterious Mr. Smith after she was caught in one of her cons.

If you like thrillers and books about con artists, this is a great pick. I was immediately pulled into the story and kept turning the pages trying to figure out how Evie will get out of the bind she finds herself in and how she navigates the true feelings she has toward this job's mark.

First, thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN Group Viking for the complimentary ARC. It was very exciting to have the chance to read and review this book months before everyone else. I can’t recall if it was already announced as being a Reese’s Sunshine Book Club pick when I read it, but it was extra special to read an advance copy of such a highly anticipated book. I jotted down my predictions in my iPhone Notes app, as I usually do when reading a thriller, but I was (uncharacteristically) way off base with my guesses about First Lie Wins. That’s how great the author is at creating a true mystery. I can’t wait to read future books by Ashley Elston.

let me preface this by saying that i am quite a while late on this review. however, i hope this review still influences you to read this book!

first lie wins follows con artist evie porter, who is hired by her boss mr. smith to worm her way into the life of businessman ryan sumner. but when the job starts to spiral out of her control, evie must do everything she can to save herself—and the job.

i know when i come on here, it’s usually to give high praise to a book. but i PROMISE you: this time is different. i have read so many thrillers before, but there is not a ONE that touches this for me. i couldn’t guess what was coming next. i literally was so tensed up reading the final 30% of this book. and evie is a full-fledged character. she’s not your typical “no emotion” spy; she has hopes, dreams, and loves. AND SHE IS SO, SO SMART. i almost wish i could gatekeep this book, but it’s already too popular. i think this might be my favorite thriller of the year, if not the decade.