Really liked this and it’s worth the hype it’s getting now. Pacing was weird, but the end was a good payoff, not where I thought it was going.

I absolutely loved this book. Its been a long time since I've given a book a five star review, but this one deserved it. The characters were good, although at first I didnt know who was who - But that is the whole point...... Who is Evie? Who is Ryan? Who is telling the truth and who is not. And who is the mysterious, calculating Mr. Smith?

A real page turner, with plot twists throughout - really enjoyable read.

Thanks to #Netgalley the publisher and author for an ARC copy of this book. #FirstLieWins

I saw this book everywhere, and had very high expectations going in. At first I got sucked into the story, but with many names being dropped, it got very confusing.
I feel this should have been marketed as a mystery more so than a thriller. I didn't think it all that exciting.

I feel like it has been a hot minute since I read a truly gripping psychological thriller but I used to read a lot of them. I’d already heard amazing things about this one including the fact that it’s a new addition to Reese’s Book Club picks, which I usually love. So, I was excited!

Evie Porter has the perfect life -a beautiful house in the suburbs, a loving boyfriend and a group of wealthy friends. But Evie Porter doesn’t exist. She’s actually an identity that has been given to Lucca Marino by her enigmatic boss Mr Smith on her latest assignment and her boyfriend Ryan is the target. She actually quite likes Ryan but she can’t make any mistakes on this job -not after what happened last time. But a woman has arrived in town claiming to be Lucca Marino, her real self. So, what’s actually going on?

Evie was a really interesting character to be in the head of. From the very first chapter, I was fully invested in discovering why she’d been watching and following Ryan before they got together. This was revealed really quickly but it didn’t matter because the whole situation was so unique. I wanted to know more and more about Evie as the book progressed.

It was fascinating to watch Evie realise that Ryan was just a job to her. I had no idea how she’d deal with this dilemma but without it, I think I’d have struggled to see her as human. She is quite a methodical and cold character, so to see her show some tenderness towards her target was much needed.

We do get some glimpses of Evie’s true past, when she was Lucca. She lost her beloved mother to cancer but she has used some of the lessons that her mother taught her. Evie’s life has been pretty tragic and I understand that constantly changing her appearance and identity must give her so much freedom, even in the dangerous job that she’s in.

First Lie Wins is an original, high-concept thriller that still manages to have a very human, emotional core. It wasn’t exactly full of twists, which I think would have made me enjoy it more but I still read it very quickly. I can see it being adapted for screen very easily, as it is a classic cat and mouse situation that will have many readers captivated.

What a fun read!

Although I love a good mystery/thriller every now and again, I do find that a lot of the time they're 90% plot and only 10% characterisation. Which, to a certain extent, I understand. They're all about the shocks, the twists, the turns and the big reveals, after all. But this was an exception. I felt like I really understood who Evie Porter was. She wasn't just a player on the board she was a real person with real motivations and real stakes.

Of course, it's ironic that I say I know who Evie was since, as you'll have read in the synopsis, no such person exists. But she was clever, determined, strong and extremely morally grey. So fun to read!

Obviously, I won't go into too much detail about the actual plot and I do feel like they tell you far too much already on the back cover blurb, but the way the story was told between the present day and various points in the past meant the story evolved slowly but surely, filling in all the missing pieces bit by bit, until there was only one question left: Who is "Mr Smith" and how do we make him stop?

I'd recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery. You'll have so much fun putting it all together and I guarantee you'll enjoy the pacing and the many shocking events that happen along the way.

My rating: 4 stars ★★★★

Evie Porter has just moved in with her boyfriend Ryan Sumner, but who is Evie Porter and who is she working for? A thoroughly engaging book with twists and turns along the way. I would highly recommend it.

I've heard so much about this on Goodreads and Instagram. I was super hyped up about this book, which may be why it fell a little flat. There were parts were I found myself excited and intrigued however nothing much came of it. I thought that it was not very clear to follow as in went in and out of many narratives.

I started this book and almost stopped, as the start was a little slow and I didn't think it was the sort of booked I liked. But after a very early plot twist around identities (no spoilers), I was absolutely hooked.

A page turner. A psychological thriller. Just genius twists and turns throughout the book, not left to the end, although the end has some clever twists and turns.

Thoroughly good read. I'd recommend it.

I thought this was a really interesting concept - what would it be like to be different people?
What if every life was just a job?
I found this a fun and interesting read.

An excellent read that is very hard to put down once you start! Rumored to be turned into a tv series if this is true it will be brilliant!

Thank you to Netgalley, Headline Books and Ashley Elston for this advanced readers copy.
Evie has an amazing life - she's just moved in with her loving boyfriend, and is slowly building their life together. The only problem is that Evie doesn't exist.
Evie works undercover for an unknown boss using her skills to get whatever the client needs, except this time it's different. There's another woman using Evie's identity.
This was such an interesting twisty book! I had no idea what to expect from each twist and struggled to predict what would happen next. Throughout my entire read I was thinking about how this would make a great film or tv show so I was glad to see that this is already optioned and can't wait to re-experience it on the screen.
This is a great book for anyone who loves espionage, thrillers, or if you're just looking for something that will keep you on your toes.
I read the book in two sittings (it would have been one if I didn't have a full time job) because I just couldn't put it down.
I daren't say any more for fear of spoiling the plot but this is definitely worth picking up even if it's not your usual genre.

Evie Porter and Ryan Sumner have a meet-cute made for the movies – she has a flat tyre on the side of the road in Louisiana and he stops to help her. Soon they are madly in love. The wealthy businessman invites her to move in and his friends want to meet this mysterious brunette who has swept him off his feet.
But this is a thriller (with a touch of romance). Her name isn’t Evie Porter, it’s just her current alias, and Ryan is her latest mark. But things get complicated very quickly and soon Evie’s playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse.
The story races along at a wild pace and the lies come thick and fast (the first lie is the most important, according to Evie) as it moves between the past and present. One is required to suspend disbelief at times when things fall into place a little too neatly but it’s easy to forgive as it’s an entertaining read and Evie is a fabulous character.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for this eCopy to review

Wow what a read! I didn't see any of the twists and turns coming. I loved the characters and the plots, they are told at different times and through all of Evie's alias' she is given for each job. By the time we reach the end I was on the edge of my seat to see how it would all turn out.

Full of suspense you never know what is going to happen and great friendships and characters. I cannot wait to read more books by Ashley Elston.

This was a good twisty book which I always enjoy, very different to what's around at the moment.
The book is centered around Evie a young lady that has a nice life, nice boyfriend , nice house but it's all a lie because she doesn't really exist , she is playing a role.
I enjoyed how the story kept flipping back to let the reader know how Evie ended up in the situations she found herself and the final.twist was a good one.

I audibly groaned after just a few pages at the setting. Evie, the lead character, at a dinner party with her new boyfriend and meeting his friends for the first time. So clichéd. The boyfriend and friends are wealthier and better educated. But all is not what it seems, Evie is on a job and Ryan, the boyfriend, is the target.
Evie has had a series of personas and jobs over the years working for a Mr. Smith but that relationship is breaking down.
Plenty of twists and turns in this to hold the reader’s attention and an easy read. However you do have to suspend believe for it and I was left somewhat confused and deflated at the end. Just can figure out what exactly was the point of it all.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story of changing identities and not quite knowing who you can trust!
Although an intriguing read of twists and turns, it was rather drawn out in places and maybe a little unbelievable in others.
I did like it and was invested enough to want to know the outcome but found it a little far fetched and just couldn’t fully get into liking the main characters.

Love a game of cat-and-mouse?
Love a twist? A twist that is pitch perfect & oh so satisfying??

...then this is the book for you!!!

You can't trust these characters as far a you could throw them & they some are far from likeable but I really was rooting for the main character, hoping she could find away out of a of an increasingly impossible spot.

This book is like an onion, only in this case every layer that is pealed back leaves the MC in a tougher spot than before, more tense than before, more intrigue than before.

The only way to find out what's going on is to keeping turning those pages ...the completed puzzle is FANTASTIC!

...have you read it? If you what did you think?
If it's a spoilery answer DM me! 💕

Evie is in a relationship with Ryan. She is an orphan, he is a local businessman who has swept her off her feet and provided the stability and comfortable life she’s always wanted.

Except Evie is actually not who she says she is. And she’s being paid to find out Ryan’s secrets by Mr Smith. Having failed her last job, she knows she’s being tested and she needs to do a good job.

Until Lucca, new girl from small town Eden arrives. Because Lucca is actually Evie’s real identity.

Now I love a good thriller, but I’m relatively picky. A bit of a book snob some might say. But I loved First Lie Wins. Evie is a great character - smart, bold, resourceful. The story is fast paced and has enough twists and turns to be continually entertaining without becoming convoluted. And I believed the friendships and relationships.

This is Ashley Elston’s first foray adult fiction and I am looking forward to what comes next.

This was a great read. I struggled to warm to the main character at first but a couple more chapters in and she started to grow on me. The story was unpredictable with a few great twists and turns - fans of psychological thrillers will love this.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

A twisty clever read that shows you should be careful who you trust