Ashley Elston

First Lie Wins

Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist. The identity comes first: Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the mark: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job. Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes--especially after what happened last time. Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher--but then, Evie has always liked a challenge...

A Novel

An OK beach read but girl, I was not reading this at the beach. The main character being oh, so good at this and oh, so competent, really stripped the story off any suspence it might have had. But it would probably make a decent TV show on like, ABC or something (gave me strong "Revenge" vibes).

I thought I had it figured out but…I did not 

Jessica Roberts

Wow really good I’ve never read a book that’s like spy mystery idk it was good really kept me on my toes

Angeleeka

What they call a page turner - I needed to know who Mr. Smith was. Can’t believe I didn’t see that coming. A good book, can’t say incredible

Elyse 

This book was enjoyable, but waaaaaaaay overhyped imho! I was waiting for something huge to drop but it just stayed ok. A great holiday read. I just expected more. 

Aims

i finished this so fucking fast guys.. it was intriguing from start to finish and every plot twist was a surprise (except one major one that I figured out somewhere near the middle.. but could just be me). I liked the focus on the main character and her unique situation and history rather than it diverting to her budding romance (bc I’m not here for that shit! I want the cheap thrillz). Looking forward to the next novel, haven’t had such an easy read in a long time.

All around solid thriller - had me hooked, especially in the last third. A lot of information to connect at the end. Would recommend to a friend! 

Paige Paul

Cool read if you like the undercover trope 

Lizeth Esmeralda

Que lenga lenga, sério. Além de tudo, sem noção e improvável, com furos de acontecimentos realistas que beiram o engraçado. Páginas e paginas de tanta coisa desnecessária, tantos acontecimentos lentos. Não me deixou curiosa de verdade em momento algum e fui prometida tantos plot twists que foi só isso que senti, uma mudança esquisita de plot a cada tanto de página. Não me agradou e nem me distraiu do dia a dia, como um bom mistério deveria ser. Não recomendo e acho que foi só hype.

Larissa Campos

I was hooked with this one, a very engaging thriller

fris🐝

Cherine Fok

SO SO GOOD! Unpredictable and addictive mystery. 

Zoey Novak

It's a quick read but very captivating. You wanna know who will be the first to fumble in the lie. I would love to see this adapted into a film.

Naomi P

One of my favorites. Very well written and enticing.

Lauren Piper

Madilyn Taylor

Georgia Adams

This was fun and twisty. I like that Evie was whipsmart, and that everyone’s a criminal with secrets. Kind of like The Last Lie He Told Me meets Alias for a Jennifer Garner double-feature.

Not sure if I’ll remember it for more than a day? But a good entry-level thriller that I enjoyed.

Amelia

This was fun and twisty. I like that Evie was whipsmart, and that everyone’s a criminal with secrets. Kind of like The Last Lie He Told Me meets Alias for a Jennifer Garner double-feature.

Not sure if I’ll remember it for more than a day? But a good entry-level thriller that I enjoyed.

Wasn’t fully sold on the delivery of an interesting premise. I should have been interested in the flashback chapters but it felt like info dumping and I think could’ve been overall written a lot tighter, faster paced, and less spoon fed. 

The narrator did a decent job especially managing lots of different masc voices but for the first person inner monologue of the main character her southern accent would come and go and I thought maybe that was intentional but I don’t think it was, just an inconsistency. 

Abigail

Wasn’t fully sold on the delivery of an interesting premise. I should have been interested in the flashback chapters but it felt like info dumping and I think could’ve been overall written a lot tighter, faster paced, and less spoon fed. 

The narrator did a decent job especially managing lots of different masc voices but for the first person inner monologue of the main character her southern accent would come and go and I thought maybe that was intentional but I don’t think it was, just an inconsistency. 

I really enjoyed this book. Little bit slow in the beginning but everything soon picked up. I liked how we got random glimpses of her past jobs. Also great to see how every conversation was intentional and it all tied together at the end.

Daniela Mauricia

This book effectively held my attention throughout, and I appreciated its narrative direction. However, the ending left something to be desired for me. While technically sound, it did not resonate with my personal preferences. Still probably worth a read!

Hannah Colbert

unfortunately, this book commits the cardinal sin of heist books. it’s boring.

the writing was fine there was just no suspense built at all, I was never stressed or surprised or really interested till the end. it was supposed to be high stakes but it didn’t seem high stakes. the twists were fine but poorly executed - i didn’t see them coming per say but i was never surprised by them.

Daphne Li-Chen

unfortunately, this book commits the cardinal sin of heist books. it’s boring.

the writing was fine there was just no suspense built at all, I was never stressed or surprised or really interested till the end. it was supposed to be high stakes but it didn’t seem high stakes. the twists were fine but poorly executed - i didn’t see them coming per say but i was never surprised by them.

needed more emotional oomf

Enjoyed this one a lot!!! Kinda came together in the end like a Knives Out moment. Enjoyed it as an audiobook too!!

Harlee K

Uchenna Ukwu

Cortni Bell

"An absolute literary gem! This 5-star read captivates with its rich narrative, well-developed characters, and a plot that keeps you eagerly turning pages. A masterful blend of suspense, emotion, and wit – a must-read that lingers in your thoughts long after the final chapter."