A clever cat-and-mouse thrill-ride. Evie is a con artist who assumes a false identity on each job she is assigned by her mysterious boss Mr Smith. But is the game up for Evie when a woman turns up on her latest job, claiming her real identity? A twisty tale of double dealing.

I can honestly say, NOTHING with this book is as it seems. Just as soon as you think you have things figured out, whoops, you get hit on the head, and are left with a WTF moment. This book was very very well written, and I couldn't finish it quickly enough! Really highly recommended!!
TB

A gripping read with twists and turns on each page … Evie has a job to do taking on the role of faithful girlfriend to successful Ryan isn’t all it seems she’s been sent to take on this role and awaits instructions from above as to her next step. Evie isn’t her real name tho and here the plot thickens …. Loved this book the characters the suspense and a great story line

Who is the real Evie Porter? When con artist for hire Evie comes face to face with someone claiming to be her, her life is thrown in to disarray as she tries to fathom out just why the infamous Mr Smith has sent the imposter to unsettle her as she works her latest project. Can she complete her task without being arrested and imprisoned after she is set up?

Who is Evie Porter, that is the question? She’s perfect in every way, but with a dark secret.

This was a great story, plot line was well thought out and great twists. It jumps back and forth to before and present day so you got a full picture of Evie. Her character was entertaining and it kept me wanting more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Such a great thriller, had me hooked in from the start.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

What an incredibly amazing thriller! This book is excellently fast paced, incredibly gripping, and I raced through it because I could not put it down. One of those books who when you have to stop to go to work or whatever, you're constantly thinking about getting back into reading it. I loved Evie as a character and loved seeing the flashbacks into different times of her life. I've read Ashley Elston before but this is her first adult thriller and it was amazing! I absolutely can't wait to read more from her,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, the first one I've read by this author.
It had all the ingredients I like in a thriller - good plotline, interesting characters. No one is who they say they are and nothing is as it appears.
Lots of intrigue building to a conclusion that I didn't see coming.⁹

I so really wanted to enjoy the book, the premise was exactly what I’d go for in a book… however it just wasn’t twisty enough for me. I did like the characters but it lacked a little something for me sadly.

Hyped as one of the top thrillers of 2024 and also a Reece Witherspoon pick.

Evie Porter has just moved in with her boyfriend Ryan and everything is going to plan. Her perfect life is within reach. The only problem is that she finds herself falling for Ryan and Evie is not who he thinks she is. In fact Ryan is also leading a double life. Will their relationship survive?

I found this to be a bit of a slow burn Cat and Mouse thriller. Along with unlikeable characters and multiple flashbacks some of the story line just felt too unbelievable at times. I felt myself eager to get the end as it wasn't holding my interest.


Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC.

I was really looking forward to this one as love a good domestic thriller. It started off really well as I also love when someone is not who they say they are. However it quickly went downhill from there. No twists, no excitement, I just thought everything was explained away very quickly and left me feeling disappointed.

An absorbing and compelling debut that’s different from your usual thriller books. This follows our FMC who is in a lovely relationship with a man and about to move in with him. The catch? She’s a con artist and the man is her target. She’s been set out to extract secrets from him. However she doesn’t have much time especially when she meets a woman who has her original name and backstory. Time is running out.
This was an engaging read that’s different from your usual thrillers. I was completely immersed. A solid debut.

Wow, this was a brilliant book, edge of your seat thriller. I loved it. Twisty and exciting . A. Ew author for me and one I'll be looking out for again. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I thought this was a well paced and twisty thriller. It kept my attention throughout and I read it quickly as I wanted to find out what would happen next. I really enjoyed it and all the twists and turns throughout.

If you like gripping and intriguing thrillers that draw you in from the first page and guessing until the very last then First Lie Wins is the book that should jump to the top of you To Read List. As it has all that and so much more. An engaging, fast paced and taut thriller you will not want to put down.

I very much enjoyed this twisty, you-never-really-know-whats-going-on story! We know from the outset that everything is not as it appears - the first-person POV of our protagonist Evie (as she is known at that current time) makes it clear that there is a lot more than meets the eye, and we are drip-fed the truth through the current narrative and flashbacks into Evie's past.
As with some books of this style, there is a certain amount of suspension of belief required, but it did not dampen my enjoyment of the story at all. A great read.

First Lie Wins is a fast paced enjoyable read, following twists and turns as Evie Porter takes on missions and finds out about those who employ her.

It took me quite some time to get to review this book as I abandoned it twice before I could actually finish it.
The premise sounded so very intriguing that was really looking forward to it and the beginning kind of held up to my expectations but then it just all fell completely flat for me, unfortunately.

There was just no character building whatsoever and many things seemed to just be so unbelievable that I just couldn't get invested in the book at all. Clearly, there are many who really enjoy this book, and it might very well be your favourite book of the year - for me it didn't work though.

I thank Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Liked the characters and loved the premise of the story, a few twists and turns. From the title I thought it would be a good read, however the book surpassed my expectations, I would recommend.

This was a 3.5 read for me, rounded up.
The concept of First Lie Wins is that Evie Porter is a lie, she's not a real character and Evie Porter is not her name.
She is employed to go undercover and inhabit a new persona each time, so that she can uncover information or data that is invaluable to her employer.
We first meet in her in a small Texan town; she has started a relationship with Ryan which is going strong. She is skilled at deflecting questions about her own background and gathering information about Ryan and his associates.

Its soon revealed that this is not Evie's first undercover work, and as the story unfolds, we find out more about what she's been up to and the characters that she has played. We also start to discover what is driving Evie to this undercover lifestyle.

I liked the set up, the various characters, and Evie is so entertaining to read about. What I wasn't so keen on was how overly complicated the story line became as it developed, the multiple characters (particularly the ones played by Evie) became too intertwined and I couldn't keep up with who was doing what.