Reviews with content warning for Violence - First Lie Wins

First Lie Wins
Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

“There’s an old saying: The first lie wins. It’s not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game. The one that is deliberate. The lie that sets the stage for everything that comes after it. And once the lie is told, it’s what most people believe to be true. The first lie has to be the strongest. The most important. The one that has to be told.”

...........................................................

First, let me say that this is more of a mystery/suspense novel than a thriller. The primary aspect of the plot being to figure out the overarching puzzle of our MC's, Evie's, mission that her boss has sent her on. Knowing that, helped me better determine my expectations of what this novel should and shouldn't be.

With that being said, I feel that Ashely Elston did a great job with the premise of this novel. The first lie wins, and boy was our MC, Evie, a master of "the first lie." Ashley did a wonderful job interweaving and connecting characters, plot points, and events of our main character's past and present, as well as the plot as a whole. While I was able to determine who Mr. Smith was, I was still surprised by a few things in the conclusion of this novel. Do I wish there were a few more explosive, bigger moments? Yes. But overall, I really enjoyed the journey Ashley Elston took us on.

⚠️Warning⚠️
Language, no spice, adult content, death, violence

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

Finished reading: August 23rd 2024

“There's an old saying: The first lie wins. It's not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game.”

Part of me was a bit hesitant to read First Lie Wins, as we all know how hyped books and me tend to get along... But there was something about the premise I wasn't able to resist, and I ended up giving in. I'm so glad I did now, because I ended up having SUCH a great time reading book! Things can be said about the credibility, but I personally didn't care as the entertainment level was through the roof. First Lie Wins reads like a Hollywood action movie with a similar vibe as Mr. And Mrs. Smith, and the premise had me fully hooked. The story is told through Evie Porter's POV, and switches back between different time in her past and the present. There was something about Evie that made it easy to start rooting for her despite her flaws, and the flashbacks worked perfectly to start revealing certain information and twists. The building up of tension and suspense was really well done, and it had me turning page after page as I HAD to know how it would all end. And while I guessed some of the twists, others came as a total surprise. The writing itself is extremely engaging and the heist/spy elements really made this story stand out. The ending itself was perfect for this story, and the journey itself was a blast as well. If you enjoyed fast-paced, engaging and cleverly plotted thrillers with a spy/heist vibe and don't mind suspending your disbelief, I can highly recommend First Lie Wins.

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coco78337's review

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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sega_genesis31's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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bringmybooks's review against another edition

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mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

~~Bring~~ | ~~Borrow~~ | ✨Bypass✨

Review: Most important thing to say here is please READ OTHER REVIEWS and don't rely on just mine because I seem to be so far in the minority on this one ... but this felt very meh :(

I liked the idea of all the flashbacks leading us to present day Evie, but eventually I kinda forgot where we were and why we were there (and why I cared). The slog during the middle was real, y'all.

The writing wasn't bad and I definitely would pick up another thriller by this author, but with all the thrillers you can pick up in bookstores these days, this one would not be my recommendation.

Overall Rating: ★★★★ / 3.25

Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★★
Intrigue ★★★★
Logic ★★★
Enjoyment ★★
Pacing ★★
Dialogue ★★★

★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it

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3readingcircus's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

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lwl000's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Does anyone else feel that this genre has <i> so </i> many titles being released, that the storylines tend to blur together and the twists get harder and harder to make pop? Admittedly, I do...

Nevertheless, I thought this book re-ignited my excitement and delivered exactly what one looks for in a read like this! I was guessing and second-guessing the next steps throughout the entire book, and I love good twists that keep you on your toes until (literally) the last sentence.

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nolawords's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Does anyone else feel that this genre has so many titles being released, that the storylines tend to blur together and the twists get harder and harder to make pop? Admittedly, I do...

Nevertheless, I thought this book re-ignited my excitement and delivered exactly what one looks for in a read like this! I was guessing and second-guessing the next steps throughout the entire book, and I love good twists that keep you on your toes until (literally) the last sentence.

Well done, Ashley Elston! I look forward to the screen adaptation of this!

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