She’s stolen your identity, now you have to steal it back.

Evie spends her life working for the mysterious Mr Smith, taking on various aliases until one day she literally meets herself. This person looks like her, has her real name and is send to warn her. Evie must stick to her mission but this is easier said than done.

What a fab book, it felt fresh and interesting. Some great twists along the way. Some of the flashbacks went on a little too long for me at times but it all made sense at the end. Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Publication Date - 02/01/2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#FirstLieWins
#AshleyElston

Loved this book. Very intense read. Loved the description of all the characters and the way the story line went and unfolded. This book kept me reading from start to finish i couldnt put it down. Loved the ending.

Wow this book was a fabulous read, fast paced and kept me guessing about what was going to happen right until the end, I don’t doubt I will be reading more from Ashley Elston as this is one very talented author. An easily deserved five stars.

Thanks to netgalley and publishers for arc
This is a new writer to the adult market as she was previously a teen/ young adult writer
I did really enjoy this book although I did find it a bit drawn out in the middle part to be honest and then the last few chapters are back to the fast paced read you want
So if you can persevere it does work out to be a really interesting book and there are some interesting twists at the end too

This book is brilliant. It is so cleverly written. One minute you’re reading it thinking it is one thing and you know what is happening and then there’s a perfect twist and you’re off again until the next twist. This is an addictive read that will have you on the edge of your seat right until the end, There really are no dull moments in this well paced book. A great way to start 2024.

Oh man, this was absolutely thrilling! I loved the way it was written and I had no idea how it was going to pan out, which kept me hooked! And I LOVED that ending! Great characters, great plot line. I'll keep my eyes peeled for more from this author.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this, fast paced with lots of twists and turns that kept me guessing.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This is a great psychological thriller.
Evie is a woman for hire and her instructions come from someone she knows only as ‘Mr Smith.’
He approached her when she was in trouble and the arrangement has worked well, until recently.
She is given tasks to find out information on people and then she moves on to the next job.
Her latest job which is Ryan, seems different and Evie is becoming more and more suspicious of her employer’s aim on this job.
I won’t say much more as I don’t want to spoil it but this is a great thriller with a few surprises in store.
A great read.
Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

First read from this author and I wasn't disappointed! Amazing read, had me guessing throughout and kept changing my thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed this considering thrillers are not my go-to genres. Because I’m not a thriller connoisseur, everything that happened in this book was completely unexpected - I was hooked after the first plot twist! Lots of red herrings that just get dismissed or ignored, which turn out to be key details later, which I loved. I found the main character fascinating too and was rooting for her despite her being slightly morally questionable…which I think is a sign of great writing. This would convert me to reading thrillers more often!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Evie Porter is living her dream life. Proffessional, wealthy, handsome partner, dream house with a white picket fence..except...Evie Porter doesn't exist!...Read it!

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book and initially it lived up to my expectations, sadly the further i went, the less compelled I was to carry on.

I really enjoyed this book. A great read with an unusual storyline that keeps you guessing and lots of twists and turns!! Will definitely read more from this author!

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 3*
Pace: 2*
Characters: 4*
Twists: 4*

This was a super intriguing story and I devoured the first few chapters, wondering where on earth this story was going to go. But unfortunately it was a little bit too slow burn for me. There were multi timelines, multi personas, and lots of twists, and at times I was left a little lost. I don’t think slow burn, spy mysteries are for me. But I can absolutely see why this is getting the rave reviews Ive seen. The writing is fantastic and it’s a well thought out story, that just didn’t work for me as a reader. I am really glad of that ending though.

Captivating and fast paced from the beginning.
Evie is moving in with her boyfriend, the day before moving she goes to the flat she had rented only at the beginning of the week to move in her few things. Who is Evie? And why she is pretending to have lived in this flat?

A great book - one you will not be able to put down.

If my first read of 2024 is anything to go by then it's going to be a fabulous year for reading!

Okay, so technically I read it in 2023, but let's not let minor details distract us...

First Lie Wins is a brilliantly written and unique thriller, focusing on Evie Porter and her less than conventional relationship with her boyfriend Ryan.

I really found this to be a refreshing and original read and I look forward to more from this author.

From the outside, their relationship is perfect. Evie Porter has everything she ever wanted, a doting boyfriend, an idyllic house in a safe, affluent neighbourhood and a job that pays well. Except, it is clear from the off that Evie hasn't been entirely honest with Ryan about who she is, but why would she jeopardise their relationship in that way?

Evie is no stranger to telling lies.

In fact she has made a career out of it. A dangerous one at that, and unfortunate, unsuspecting Ryan is part of her latest 'job'. Ryan has something that her boss wants badly, and Evie must do her best to get it.

She knows its her last chance to prove herself, despite being one the best assets her boss has, her last job went wrong, and Evie needs to make it up to him, and prove that she is still worthy of the money that he throws her way.

One day she knows she'll leave the 'game' and settle down into the life that her Mother wanted for her, which deep down Evie wants too. But for now, she must be content with making her latest job a success no matter how many times she has to lie to Ryan.

But despite having been in the same position a million times before, for some reason Evie finds it harder to mislead Ryan than anyone before him. And then she realises that its because she could genuinely see herself having a life with him.

She must get those thoughts of her head if she's to complete the job successfully, and make it out alive...

A great thriller with plenty of twists and turns. Evie Porter appears to be the perfect southern girlfriend. Except that person isn’t real. Why has Evie set out to land Ryan as a boyfriend? Past and present collide for Evie, buckle up for the ride to find out the who, what, where and when of this fast paced and original thriller. An epic first novel by Ashley Elston. Clearly a new come to watch.

Evie moves in with her boyfriend Ryan..... The thing is her name is not Evie! So what is her name and why is she pretending to be someone else? And what has Ryan got to do with it?
I would normally give more of an outline to a novel but strongly feel that if you like thrillers which have loads of plot twists and revelations in them then this is the one for you!!! I can definitely see this being made into a film it just had those kind of vibes would love to see it!
Many thanks to.NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this debut novel. Can't wait to read more from Ashley and will be looking out for her next one! It will definitely be a best seller and a must read for 2024!! Would give more than 5 stars if I could!!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Evie Porter moves into her boyfriend's house at the start of the book after a dinner with some of his friends.

The only problem with this Evie Porter is not Evie porter.

Normally when I write a review I give a few more things about what happens in the story, however this is a thriller that is well worth going in with as little as possible of the story.

This is because First Lie wins has about as many twists in it as a bowl of Fusilli so if you want your thriller novels to be full of surprises pick up the book and read it as a reader of this genre you will not be disappointed.

So reading Ashley Elston’s debut novel will give you all the enjoyment you want from this genre, the only downside to the writing is that this book feels like a film rather than a book.

So what do i mean by this, one of the things that a novel gives more than any other art form is books are able to get into the mind of the characters, which means novelists can put a lot of the story in the mind of the characters rather than being shown it on the page directly.

I guess this is ok for the other characters in the story such as her boyfriend Ryan Sumner as First Lie Wins is told all the way through by Evie. However with Evie’s character there was little if anything the reader learns through what she is thinking in terms of her motivation.

This is especially true as the story has a number of flashbacks throughout the book giving the main character’s back story.

I am not saying that the depth of the characters' thoughts were detrimental to the story, but if the writer Ashley Elston added this to the story it would have elevated it. But as this is a debut novel it does seem a little harsh.

Having said that if you just judge First Lie Wins as a debut thriller with twist and turns throughout with red herrings all over the place than Ashley Elston Debut novel First Lie Wins is a debut book to get 2024 of to a great start.

I was intrigued by the synopsis for the author’s first novel for adults and it started off well.
First Lie Wins is a well written novel and I immediately became absorbed in Evie’s life with Ryan and was not expecting the initial breathtaking twist. I enjoyed how the novel moved between past and present to build up our understanding of Evie’s history.
However as the novel progressed I felt it became less compelling and more unbelievable. Lots of promise but ultimately a disappointing read for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
3.5 stars