I enjoyed the great start to this book! Gradually the reader gets to know that the situation is not quite what was initially thought! I don’t want to reveal the plot – but the book has a great idea with much potential. For me, however, the darting backwards and forwards in time by months/years unravelled my enthusiasm. There were many ‘chapters’ in the life of the main characters, which were necessary for the story, and although you knew fairly early on what the conclusion would be, the convoluted story line rather spoiled the journey for me. Would like to know a little more of Devon. Enjoyed the start a lot, and can understand why it was necessary then to delve backwards – but have an issue with too many repeated time shifts. For me, clarity would have improved it. I found myself checking back to reconnect rather than being carried along with enthusiasm. Good conclusion though – well thought through and convincing!

I have recommended this book to so many of my book living friends. Clever, twisty and a complete page-turner. Brilliantly written. Five stars.

Now I like the premise for this job. But I really struggled to read it. Came very close to DNF, I did see it through to the end. Still none the wiser.
It was very much Americanised, and assumes everyone knows the references mentioned, re places, education, cars drinks Now I read a lot of books based in America, and have never had an issues before

I was not drawn in to this book from the start, and it seemed too american for me ( if that's possible?)

Eve Porter has everything you could want in life , house, garden ,job and loving boyfriend but also a mysterious boss. She ends up putting herself in to another person's life without reason, and that was enough for me!

Who was this boss? Lots of blackmail, odd deaths and Eve gets involved in some exciting 'adventures' with a good ending.

Thanks to Net Galley and Headline for the chance to read and review.

An exceptional read that compels you to question everything and everyone. I was captivated from the very beginning! It’s skilfully written and packed with unexpected twists and turns.

I’m thrilled to read that is going to be made into a TV series. I look forward to watching it.
A worthy 5⭐️ recommendation

This is definitively a different kind of thriller you will want to read.
A great story just loved Evie and her different personalities, with twists at every turn and I never could see what was about to happen, a real page turner.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.
Posted to Goodreads

'First Lie Wins' by Ashley Elston took me a little while to get into but I speed-read past the 20% mark. There's a lot going on here and Elston does a great job of revealing everything so slowly that as the reader you're constantly worried but hopeful that everything will turn out okay, even with the twists and turns!

I did have an issue understanding the motivations for a particular character but for the sake of spoilers I don't think I can go into too much detail! There's a bit of deus ex machina about him and I never really understood if he just liked puzzles or if he was getting paid.

Evie Porter has everything. A nice house, a loving boyfriend and some great friends but 
Evie Porter doesn't exist.

First comes the identity. She is given a name and location by her employer and then has learn everything about the location and the people. 

She is then made aware of who the mark is. 
The last piece of the puzzle is the job. However this time the mark has got under her skin and she decides it’s time to get out before her boss ends up taking her out completely.

Well this had me guessing right until the very end. I was convinced I knew who the boss was but I was so wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters, the storyline and the ending was great as sometimes in thrillers the ending can be a little anticlimactic but in this book it was just right. Thoroughly enjoyable and definitely recommend.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

I loved this book. The narrator is really engaging and tells her story well. It has a super sense of place, the dialogue is convincing and the characters believable despite the implausibility of the plot. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and the ending is definitely a twist I didn't expect.
Fabulous.
Thanks to Netgalley and the talented author for the opportunity to read this book. I hope there are more.

Loved loved loved it! I couldn’t put it down and every chapter kept me wanting more!
A really good and well written read from this author. I would love to read more if it’s written as well as this one!

I love it when a book takes you by surprise - and I loved this. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop - it was so unique and so addictive. The plot is so clever and well thought out. It does get slightly complex towards the end but in the best possible way. There's a reason for everything and ultimately everything makes sense. I loved how the plot unfolded, never guessed or even suspected Mr Smith's identity and the ending was everything I wanted. I also loved main character Evie - smart, warm and badass. Apparently this is the author's first foray into adult fiction from YA but hopefully not her last as one of the most unpredictable, fast-paced, entertaining thrillers I've read all year. I can not recommend it enough.

Thanks to Netgalley for this book and I have to admit I requested it with no idea what it was about. I was intrigued by the title. I was pleasantly surprised to find a unique and twisty story which held my attention throughout.
Clever too! Albeit far too complicated at times for my frazzled brain so I did get a bit lost. But I enjoyed reading the various aliases and how everything came together at the end. Great writing that kept me gripped. Apparently this author usually writes YA and this is her first adult fiction novel. Bravo!

I really enjoyed this book, a thriller which kept be gripped and became increasingly fast-paced as it neared the end. The main protagonist is, we know, a young woman - known as Evie Porter, but that is in fact her pseudonymn. Evie's role, to insert herself into other peoples' lives and find out information about them/set them up in some way, as required by her boss, Mr Smith. But who is Mr Smith? Why does he want Evie to dig into Ryan's life - and where does Ryan actually fit into this? There were moments when this book really gave me the goosebumps, having invested myself in getting into Evie's head I had that strange feeling of fearing someone was watching , trying to set you up ... a disturbing feeling but one that to me signals a compelling read. Many thanks to Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC

A brilliant story where you start questioning everything and everyone. This is gripping from start to finish and keeps you wanting more.

This is such a well thought out thriller, there’s so much going on that you don’t even always realise until further on in the book. I loved how twisty it was and the flashbacks were awesome in explaining how things had got to where they were. It’s fast paced and brilliant.

I really enjoyed this unique and captivating thriller. Evie Porter loses her mother when she’s very young, resulting in a desire to have a better life. Now living in a beautiful house, with the boyfriend of her dreams, Evie is the only one who knows this new life is a lie. If grifting is the way to go, then so be it. With many false identities, even Evie Porter is not her real name. You can’t help yearning for Lucca Marino, whose skills as a thief bring her to the attention of someone who wanted to exploit her.

Evie finds herself working for the mysterious Mr Smith. No questions, no answers. She simply has to complete the task of inserting herself into the lives of those for which Mr Smith needs information. The pay is excellent. But never having the full information on why she must complete these missions, brings her to one conclusion. Investigate her boss.

Her new assignment is a hard one. She finds herself going deeper and deeper into a relationship with Ryan Summer and this doesn’t bode well with Evie or Ryan’s friends. But worse, it’s clear he’s keeping secrets of his own. But when she comes face-to-face with someone posing as the woman she used to be, living her old life in the same town, the same schools, Evie’s whole world comes to a grinding half. Who is this woman? Why does she have Evie’s real name?

The plot involves so many twists and turns, and expertly weaves past and present together. I constantly questioned who the perpetrators were and who the victims were. The pacing is spot on and you can’t help but root for Evie all the way to the satisfying conclusion.

I loved this book! The characters, and the plot was really surprising
As the book progresses there are various surprises and the ending is perfect.
I cant wait for the next book.

Evie works for the mysterious “Mr Smith”, taking on new aliases in different towns, completing shady tasks in this gripping psychological thriller. When the tables turn and she starts to fear for her life, is she able to get the upper hand and complete the job?

This is the first book I’ve completed in a day for months. I could not put it down!!! The twists and turns are absolutely UNREAL. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I didn’t! The plot was incredibly clever, the characters were well developed and I loved the flashbacks to her previous jobs.
Evie was a great lead character and I loved her relationship with Devon. Utterly superb.

“I am a ghost passing through my own life. The only one who cares about me is me. The only one who is going to make sure I survive is me. I am on my own”

Massive thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my advanced copy.

Evie Porter is working undercover for Mr Smyth obtaining for him, illegally, anything that might threaten him or his clients usually important information or documents.

Evie’s current job is to get as much information as she can about Ryan Sumner, her current boyfriend, and his business dealings. Evie is given a new job every few months but hopes one day to lead a straight life.

That is until she meets Ryan’s friend James and his new partner Lucca. Evie is shocked as that is her real name and this woman has stolen her identity. She knows Mr Smith has sent Lucca here to test her and that there will never be a day where she can just walk away into a normal life. Unless she is clever and plays the game right.

This was an enjoyable game of cat and mouse with a few cliff-hanging twists thrown in. I felt everyone was hiding secrets and didn’t know who was trustworthy. I love a good mystery and this didn’t disappoint. I was sure I knew where this was going only for the story to take a completely different turn.

It was a clever narrative of how the story was told through Evie’s different aliases and the various jobs she undertook that brought her to the present day. Overall an intriguing tale that kept me engrossed all the way through.

Thanks so much to @netgalley for a digital copy of this book.