This is my first time reading a Kendra Elliot book and I'm a fan! From the beginning I was sucked in. I wanted to know who killed Derrick and attacked Noelle. I was a huge fan of how the past was given to us. I applauded Savannah for helping Noelle see what Derrick and the Bell's were doing. There were a lot of moments I wanted to strangle Derrick and Catherine myself. The way they treated Noelle as if she was beneath them were atrocious. 13 years later, it is all brought back to the surface and it is explosive. Truths start coming to light and Noelle's memories are right on the cusp for what really happened that day. It's shocking and had me on the on the edge of my seat. They were right under our noses the whole time. The conclusion and reason was written so well.

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was absolutely fantastic.

What a ride.

I couldn’t put it down.

I honestly didn’t figure it all out. Phew, I finished hours ago and I want more. This was such a great read. I found myself multiple times thinking come on you aren’t really going to take that. IYKYN.

So excited for Noelle to get her own story/series. And man…what a story. I can’t wait for more. I’m hooked.

This is a wild ride into a 13-year-old cold case murder of Assemblyman Derrick Bell. The FBI never reached closure to the high profile case and reopened the case 13 years later. Chapters flip back and forth from current day to past scenes to give background details to current circumstances and events of his wife Noelle. It is a compelling story of family betrayal, lies and cover ups that will keep you riveted to the pages trying to find the truth. Kendra Elliot is a master storyteller and this book will not disappoint you!

Despite being a long time lover of thrillers and crime novels, I’ve not read much of Kendra Elliot’s work. The odd book here and there, but never quite following through the different series.

Reading this book, I’m now reproaching myself for that, because it’s been a pleasure to read a book with such well fleshed-out characters. I gather that this is an origin story for Noelle Marshall, who I had not encountered, which might explain why the novel’s setting felt so well-established.

The plotting is strong, with enough twists to keep me guessing for much of the book. While I did guess one key element quite early, the full denouement wasn’t clear until close to the end, and I was still keen to finish and find out the why as well as the who.

I will definitely be diving into other books in the series. This has been a great find. Highly recommended.

Wow! This will keep you in suspense until the very end! More intense roller coasters than you can count. Yes, this story covers three different time periods of Noelle's life, but the start of each chapter lets you know. It flowed nicely without confusion. Past and present along with misleads will collide as detectives rush to solve a thirteen year old murder. I don't want to give any spoilers but I do have to say that the Bell family is scary nuts. Especially the mother! Only take on this book if you've got nothing on your agenda for the day because you won't be able to put it down once you start. Super twisty story that hold your interest and keep you guessing up the exciting end. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Noelle and Max definitely have chemistry.

Noelle finally gets her own series and it starts off with a great book!

Her First Mistake covers three time periods of Noelle’s life including the present. The start of every chapter clearly states what time that chapter takes place in, and it was never confusing when changing time periods. Despite the frequent time changes, the book didn’t feel choppy or disjointed and actually had a really good flow and story arc.

I loved finding out about Noelle’s past and the new characters while also revisiting some characters from previous Kendra Elliot books.

I absolutely loved this book, and it definitely had some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I can’t see what happens in the rest of the series!