Great book! Full of suspense. A really clever story that kept me hooked all the way to the end.
I would highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for a free e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I found the book enjoyable but it required a lot of suspension of disbelief. I don't think any of the characters were particularly likeable (except for Devon, Devon was adorable!). I didn't really buy the main character being so clever and resourceful and solving all these mysteries with the help of a single person, it really was a stretch, and a lot of the technology was explained very superficially and left me thinking 'is this a real thing that exists or was it made up especially for this book?'

The language was also not very rich and stayed very factual. Not a lot of emotion came through at points where it should have - quite an opposite to 'show don't tell', it felt distant and fabricated.

I kept reading because the suspense building was good and it was obvious there were going to be plot twists and I wanted to see how predictable they would be. What I would call the "main" plot twist in the book did not surprise me much at all (it was 50/50 really for the whole thing...) however there is another plot twist at around 90% that was genuinely excellent.

The ending wrapped up quite neatly together - this feels like an author who has watched a lot of "How to get away with murder" and followed a similar narrative structure of various jumps back in time until a final scene adds one key piece of information that suddenly fills in all the gaps.

I know people dislike frequent flashbacks in books - they don't bother me, but if you're not a fan then I wouldn't recommend it as on top of different timelines you also have to remember lots of different aliases. On the other hand if you enjoyed HTGAWM when it was on tv then probably do give this one a go.

I love a twisty narrative - when you’re trying to work out who are the good guys and who are the bad, who isn’t the person they claim to be and what their motives are and that’s what you get here. A well developed plot line with some hints (I guessed who George was from the start). Likeable characters, particularly Evie/Lucca and a believable narrative voice. I’d definitely read books by this writer again.

This book is a very different take on the running of a con. The heroine finds a way to survive in this cut throat world. Very well written. A real page turner and look forward to the authors next book.

Fun read with a lot of different situations told all carved within a woman’s mysterious complicates web and her boss
Who to trust ,who to doubt and who to be next ?
Quite a good wee twist near end and fun read

4.5 stars

Well, if you fancy reading a book that has an excellent twist at around 10% in, then this is definitely for you! This is Evie Porter‘s story, but who exactly is she? Why is she in Lake Forbing, Louisiana and specifically with Ryan Sumner? It seems she lives by the mantra “first lie wins“. The stories are told in the present day and back tracks to the last few years of Evie’s life.

Wow, this is one interesting novel as all the characters “dance” around each other, sometimes with all the intensity of an Argentine Tango. Evie’s story is a really good one and keeps me glued and turning pages from beginning to end with the questions of the start being intriguingly answered by the finale. It’s full of suspenseful moments and has tension in spades and is a fascinating mystery on several levels which keeps the momentum of the guessing game going.

The premise and plot are clever and well thought out and it’s of the thrilling tangled web variety. The pace is brisk, there’s the occasional lull but it’s for a reason which advances the plot and offering up valuable insight into Evie and others. I really like Evie as a central character and grow to admire her creative ability to think on her feet and her tenacity and determination.

There are lies and secrets by the truckload, some skeletons in the closet, chameleon characters – it’s got the lot! Needless to say, there are good twists and some are very unexpected and force a rethink.

Overall, it’s a cracking, fun, entertaining cat, mouse thriller of a read which I enjoy very much.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Loved this book, the twists and turns really made me think. It wasn’t violent and gory (although there was loss of life) just a really intriguing thriller. It was also very readable and with some great characters.

Oh this was AMAZING!!!

Right from the start you know that you're dealing with an unreliable and untrustworthy protagonist and it just keeps getting better and better.

This is one of those rare books with so many twists and turns I defy anyone to predict them all and it's all brought together in such a deliciously satisfying manner.

If you love thrillers then you absolutely MUST read this!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC without obligation.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. What an incredibly clever and interesting thriller. I absolutely loved it and read it in one sitting. I often find these types of books repetitive and uninspiring but this book totally blew me away with how good it was. It would make an excellent film or series. I’m hoping for a sequel! Highly recommended. One of the best thrillers I’ve read so far this year. A massive 5 stars.

This was a good read, ideal to cosy up with on an autumn afternoon. I found that I had to concentrate as the main character changed identity several times during the novel and the narrative jumps back and forth in timeline. Clever plot.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the ARC of this book.
Really not sure about this book. Fast paced storyline but a bit confusing at the start with so many “characters” that Evie had been. Don’t think it was totally believable but it did make an interesting read as you really needed to know what happened next. Unusual ending.

Wow this was fantastic. Quite different to a lot of the books out there at the moment. I felt like I was a step behind the whole time, being thrown red herrings and big twist throughout so that there was no lull in the action.

Evie was a great lead character who had her head on right and made good decisions, which I like. There's chapters that go back to times in her past but they all relate to what's going on in the present. It so cleverly written and had an intricate plot that left my brain hurting but I wasn't confused.

Will definitely be reading more by Ashley Elston!!

A really brilliant thriller with twist after twist. Well paced, curious and unexpected. Really refreshing.
4 stars.

Absolutely compelling read. This was an amazing story of so many twists and turns. It rook me a while to realised what was going on with Evie. This really did keep me guessing just when you think you have it worked out there is another twist. Brilliant.

Lucca has grown up in a mobile home with just her mother in a small town in North Carolina. She took a job doing missions for an unknown boss. Each job she's given a new identity with a lot of background info but on a job she runs into a woman with the same name, from the same small town. She takes this to be a warning. This is a twisty thriller that can get a bit confusing as it jumps between the different identities and past jobs but its a reasonably good read.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Evie Porter has been playing a role for a long time. But the time for games stops when she meets someone who is her.

This is one of my favourite books I’ve ever read. The plot was intricate, and so clever. It was brilliant. The characters were on point, and were complex and entertaining. We read from Evie’s point of view throughout, and see how she ended up in the predicament she is in the present day. It was a real thriller, full of red herrings, plot twists, and lies. I’d highly recommend this book.

This is a story with so many unexpected twists and turns that one can’t do anything but wonder how the author kept it all together – but she did it quite masterfully. In this cat and mouse tale we are told the story of Evie Porter. She is young, intelligent, extremely resourceful and devious. These are the qualities that help her to leave a difficult childhood behind and climb the social strata where she eventually allows herself to dream of a happier future.

She gets recruited, even blackmailed, into employment with the ominous, secretive ever so powerful and very ruthless Mr Smith who is using her talents to get under the skin of others - until the time comes for her to turn things around and the hunter becomes the hunted.

This smart thriller ticks many boxes, it is fast-paced, suspenseful, a love story as well as a tale of female solidarity with an almost unpredictable ending. What’s not to like?

I am grateful to NetGalley and Headline Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. It was the best book I’ve read so far this year. Absolutely brilliant well written story. The storyline and characters were fantastic. I was kind of thrown near the end as I thought it was one person and yet turned out to be someone totally different. As in Mr Smith. Definetly worth 5 stars and more. I loved it. It was a brilliant, brilliant book.

Amazing! The best book I've read this year. I'd never heard of the author before but the synopsis interested me. I'm very glad I picked it. Thank you to the publishers and NetGallery for the advanced copy.

This is a fast paced thriller that keeps you gripped from the very first page. The lead character is not who everyone thinks she is... who is she? You won't be able to stop reading until you find out. Even though I guessed the big twist it didn't make the story any less enjoyable.

I will definitely be looking out for more books by the author.

Well, all I’ll say for now because it's too early is that I like my thrillers twisted and clever and this didn't disappoint.
I couldn't put it down and I never saw any of it coming + the ending and rounding up all loose ends was very well done.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for the digital ARC!