Well I must say what an absolute gem of a read!
First Lie Wins has everything to keep you completely hooked.
Intrigue, suspense and some wonderful psychological twists.
Evie Porter has the perfect life, a gorgeous boyfriend a beautiful home and some great friends.
The only problem is that Evie doesn't exist, well not in the traditional sense.
"Evie" has been given a job to do by her elusive boss Mr Smith, she needs to get close to Ryan Summer her next target. But Evie never knows what her job will involve, it could be just hands on surveillance or something more sinister.
But Evie is having a problem with this job, she has started to fall for the lifestyle she is living including having feelings for Ryan and if you don't want to be taken out by her boss then she needs to be extra careful.
There are so many twists in this book it will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what on earth could happen next.

3.5 stars This book sounded like it would be an interesting read and a concept I haven't read about before. Although I did enjoy the book I found find it dragged in places and could have been a bit shorter as there was too much detail. I will however read more by this author in the future.

First Lies Wins really did have it all.

I read the first quarter of this book thinking that it was going to go one way and then it completely flipped on me and took me on a very different rollercoaster.

One that I still very much enjoyed. I loved Evie and how she navigated the world and the job that she found herself her. I liked seeing the way her relationship with Ryan changed her slightly and then I liked seeing the way that she interacted with Devon.

I enjoyed the way that this story was told, leaving you all the necessary breadcrumbs to get you to the grand reveal which I personally didn’t see coming until about the same time that Evie pieced it all together.

This was the perfect thriller for me and I enjoyed the rollercoaster that I went on with and the satisfaction that came at the end when the plan came together.

This book very different from your average thriller with so many twists and much suspense. The flashbacks are necessary to understand Evie and her multiple alias’ although I sometimes wanted to skim read them as I wanted to get back to the fast paced main story. I guessed one of the twists only to find that I had only half guessed it. Thank you Netgalley for giving me an advance copy of this book which I am delighted to give five stars.

Wow...jump on for the ride as the twists don't stop coming. This is Ashley Elstons first Adult book, normally a YA author, welcome! I can't wait for the next one!
I don't want to give too much away but it begins with Evie Porter. She has a mission. Her 'target', Ryan. However she begins to see a different life with Ryan. A life she never thought she'd have.....a fast paced thriller, you won't be disappointed! Thank you to Netgalley & Headline for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

To avoid any spoilers I'll keep my review short and sweet. This book is full of secrets and twists and turns. This book will definitely keep you reading on for more and I practically raced to the end to find out what happens. Would highly recommend, thanks tonetgalley for sendinge this arc in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! What a clever book. This review is going to be very short so I don’t drop any spoilers but fans of suspense will love this.

Book is due to be released 9 January 2024.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Headline for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic! I was blown away by all the secrets and twists that kept coming… The ending completely blew me away. I raced through the pages as fast as I could

What a great title for this thrilling tangled novel which kept me awake trying to work out the mysterious Mr Smith was.
This thriller was well paced and the reader was drip fed information as the novel progressed..
Luca, the mistress of identities was a very resourceful character, not always a favourite of mine but certainly remarkable. Her progress through life as an anonymous ghost, changing identities and collecting information as she worked for the enigmatic Mr Smith was dangerous and exciting.
A great read

Wow, this was a real page-turner! The only slight niggle I have is that at some point, it seemed like it'd need a bit of suspension of disbelief, but then the last chapter ties everything up nicely. There were a couple of things I'd guessed, but there is also a lot of information withheld from the reader. I feel a few questions are left unanswered, but they didn't hamper my ability to enjoy the book.

Will be looking out for more of this author's work.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

This was a good read. I really loved the cat and mouse action and I was rooting for the protagonist and I really enjoyed this author’s work, I hope there’s more to come. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this arc. #Netgalley #FirstLieWins

This was a thrilling read. Lots of twists, turns and mystery. The plot was clever, the characters interesting and credible.
A rollercoaster of a read which I highly recommend if this is your genre. I will definitely read more from this author.

I've been looking for a great thriller to sink my teeth into for a while and I really enjoyed First Lie Wins. There are so many threads and I loved how they all come together at the end. It reminded me somewhat of Killing Eve (for anyone who has seen it), and the author is brilliant at keeping the reader on their toes throughout by never giving away how much Evie does or doesn't know. Loved it!

A debut adult thriller and what a debut it was. Welcome to a world of lies where nothing and nobody is what it seems at first glance! Written in multiple timelines and told from Evie’s POV this was a compelling read. Evie is a ‘grifter’ who works for the mysterious Mr Smith hoping she will find a way to better her life.

Briefly, Evie Porter meets Ryan Sumner when her car develops a flat tyre and he offers to change it for her. In no time he has asked her to move in with him and life seems good. Then they are invited to a Derby party where they meet an old friend of Ryan called James. He is with his girlfriend Lucca Marino. Only problem is that Evie’s real name is Lucca Marino too and Evie doesn’t exist!

So who is Lucca and why are there two of them? It would be so easy to give the game away but no pointers here. I kept thinking I had sussed it only to be hit with another brilliant twist. A real edge of the seat read, one I couldn’t put down until I’d finished it. An enthralling read, complex but still easy to follow, it’s just a shockingly good story. Excellent.

Thank you so much to Headline and Ashley Elston for the ARC of this book.

The vague description of this book had me hooked and I'm so thankful I read it.

Evie Porter is one of my new favourite female lead characters. She is smart and I was rooting for her throughout the entire story. The characters were so likeable (or not, depending on who they were) and I really hope this book gets a sequel. I felt like I was part of the team thoughout.

I would recommend this book to anyone. I had no spoilers at all so I would encourage anyone who likes thrillers and spy novels to read this without looking too much into it. It was a fantastic story and I hope to see it on TV soon!

I was expecting a psychological thriller but found this to be more of a spy thriller! I’m not a fan of this type of book so unfortunately half way through I gave up.. I have read loads of reviews for this book which are full of praise for the plot, characters, and writing. So on this occasion I would say it’s me rather than the book.

This is such a clever thriller that hooked me in immediately . It has so many twists and turns and I had not anticipated the ending at all. I must read more from this compelling author.

I found this to be something really different. It's very cleverly crafted. In my opinion what starts out as a compulsive and intriguing psychological thriller morphs into a modern day spy story. I thought it intensely gripping because I could not work out who are the good/bad guys. There are so many surprises and twists with a completely unexpected conclusion. I can't wait to read more from this author.

An interesting read and a concept I haven't read about before. Evie Porter is just one of a number of characters that she has used in her working life after being head hunted by the mysterious "Mr Smith" to work as a hustler. He decides on the "victims" and sends Evie to do his dirty work. However this time Evie finds it more difficult as she experiences the life she always dreamt of.
Although I fairly enjoyed the book I did find it dragged in places, I thought at the beginning there were scenarios that didn't necessarily need to be written but found by the end I was wrong as everything began to fall into place

Evie Porter has just been asked to move into Ryan's house as she is spending all of her time there anyway. What Ryan doesn't know is that Evie Porter is not her real name and he is a job to her. But when James, a friend of Ryan's, shows up with his new girlfriend things change. The girlfriend resembles Evie so much that she could be her twin. When she asks her name and it's Evie's real name, she knows that her boss is playing games and his games are dangerous. After dinner with Evie and Ryan, James and his girlfriends car crashes and they die, the ante is upped and a game of cat and mouse begins.
A really, really readable book. I was drawn in completely.