This was such a great read! I just didn't want to put it down. Not sure how much I liked the main characters but, at the same time, I wanted things to work out for them.
It was a quick easy read and, although I had worked out a lot of the plot, there were still surprises in store.
Thanks to Netgalley.

Wow wow and wow again! I adored this fabulous read from the first page to the last. It’s a rollercoaster of a ride, with twists and turns throughout. It was one of those books I tried to eke out as I just didn’t want it to end, but, simply couldn’t put it down.

Evie Porter lives what appears to be an idyllic existence, but, she doesn’t really exist. Instead, she leads a variety of lives and identities, all created for her by a shadowy character, Mr Smith, who is her boss.

There are excellent, interesting characters and an exciting storyline. I requested this book based on the 5* reviews I read and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author, but, am heading to buy the rest as she’s excellent.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Headline books for the opportunity to preview.

Evie Porter does not exist - she has been given the identity by the mysterious Mr Smith, her boss, who tells her everything she needs to know about her new mark but not necessarily exactly what she has to do or what information she needs to find.
It becomes clear to Evie that she is in danger, she can’t trust anyone and needs to escape from the situation she’s in. That however seems impossible
This is original and a bit of a roller coaster - kept me hooked throughout!

FIRST LIE WINS
By
ASHLEY ELSTON

384 pages

A clever idea that someone who changes her identity for every job she does for Mr Smith, meets someone who is under cover using her identity. Evie Porter meets herself as someone else at a party, instinctively assuming this is Mr Smith’s idea of fun, she tries to find out who this imposter is. Her own real identity is supposed to be safe.

As Evie becomes part of Ryans life trying to find information about Ryans sideline business for Mr Smith, she gets too close and starts to have true feelings for him. We go back to some of the other identities and jobs she’s done building up a good idea of who she is. Ryan is no angel and is totally clueless about Evie’s true identity, she keeps him in the dark as long as she can.

Things come to a head when she knows she can’t return to her true identity and her past catches up with her. She becomes suspicious of everybody and desperately wants to find out who Mr Smith is. No one has met him so he could be amongst them without her knowing.

I enjoyed this book and thought it had a clever ending.

Recommended

Fast paced and suspense building this psychological thriller will keep you interested and involved until the end. American and at the boundary of belief but a good read for this type.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Headline for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Who is Evie Porter? Does she exist?

Evie Porter has a charmed life - a fabulous well-connected man, big house and lots of friends - everything seems perfect…and then it’s not!
Evie takes instructions from Mr Smith - and Ryan Sumner is her mark, but she’s starting to fall for him, when she sees her double at a party - with ‘her’ name!
Evie needs to stay ahead of her past which seems to be coming up to meet her. Can she survive?
Well written quite fast paced book. A good read.
Thanks to @netgalley for the advanced copy.

This was a good thriller.

I liked the protagonist, Evie, and felt a connection with her. While I was reading, I had the constant feeling that something was too good to be true. There was some time shifting, and multiple narratives, and I was turning the pages quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Its no reflection on the book, author, or writing….I just can’t make myself care about a thriller. I may need to accept it’ll never be my genre.

Great book! Full of suspense. A really clever story that kept me hooked all the way to the end.
I would highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for a free e-ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I found the book enjoyable but it required a lot of suspension of disbelief. I don't think any of the characters were particularly likeable (except for Devon, Devon was adorable!). I didn't really buy the main character being so clever and resourceful and solving all these mysteries with the help of a single person, it really was a stretch, and a lot of the technology was explained very superficially and left me thinking 'is this a real thing that exists or was it made up especially for this book?'

The language was also not very rich and stayed very factual. Not a lot of emotion came through at points where it should have - quite an opposite to 'show don't tell', it felt distant and fabricated.

I kept reading because the suspense building was good and it was obvious there were going to be plot twists and I wanted to see how predictable they would be. What I would call the "main" plot twist in the book did not surprise me much at all (it was 50/50 really for the whole thing...) however there is another plot twist at around 90% that was genuinely excellent.

The ending wrapped up quite neatly together - this feels like an author who has watched a lot of "How to get away with murder" and followed a similar narrative structure of various jumps back in time until a final scene adds one key piece of information that suddenly fills in all the gaps.

I know people dislike frequent flashbacks in books - they don't bother me, but if you're not a fan then I wouldn't recommend it as on top of different timelines you also have to remember lots of different aliases. On the other hand if you enjoyed HTGAWM when it was on tv then probably do give this one a go.

I love a twisty narrative - when you’re trying to work out who are the good guys and who are the bad, who isn’t the person they claim to be and what their motives are and that’s what you get here. A well developed plot line with some hints (I guessed who George was from the start). Likeable characters, particularly Evie/Lucca and a believable narrative voice. I’d definitely read books by this writer again.

This book is a very different take on the running of a con. The heroine finds a way to survive in this cut throat world. Very well written. A real page turner and look forward to the authors next book.

Fun read with a lot of different situations told all carved within a woman’s mysterious complicates web and her boss
Who to trust ,who to doubt and who to be next ?
Quite a good wee twist near end and fun read

4.5 stars

Well, if you fancy reading a book that has an excellent twist at around 10% in, then this is definitely for you! This is Evie Porter‘s story, but who exactly is she? Why is she in Lake Forbing, Louisiana and specifically with Ryan Sumner? It seems she lives by the mantra “first lie wins“. The stories are told in the present day and back tracks to the last few years of Evie’s life.

Wow, this is one interesting novel as all the characters “dance” around each other, sometimes with all the intensity of an Argentine Tango. Evie’s story is a really good one and keeps me glued and turning pages from beginning to end with the questions of the start being intriguingly answered by the finale. It’s full of suspenseful moments and has tension in spades and is a fascinating mystery on several levels which keeps the momentum of the guessing game going.

The premise and plot are clever and well thought out and it’s of the thrilling tangled web variety. The pace is brisk, there’s the occasional lull but it’s for a reason which advances the plot and offering up valuable insight into Evie and others. I really like Evie as a central character and grow to admire her creative ability to think on her feet and her tenacity and determination.

There are lies and secrets by the truckload, some skeletons in the closet, chameleon characters – it’s got the lot! Needless to say, there are good twists and some are very unexpected and force a rethink.

Overall, it’s a cracking, fun, entertaining cat, mouse thriller of a read which I enjoy very much.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Headline for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Loved this book, the twists and turns really made me think. It wasn’t violent and gory (although there was loss of life) just a really intriguing thriller. It was also very readable and with some great characters.

Oh this was AMAZING!!!

Right from the start you know that you're dealing with an unreliable and untrustworthy protagonist and it just keeps getting better and better.

This is one of those rare books with so many twists and turns I defy anyone to predict them all and it's all brought together in such a deliciously satisfying manner.

If you love thrillers then you absolutely MUST read this!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC without obligation.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. What an incredibly clever and interesting thriller. I absolutely loved it and read it in one sitting. I often find these types of books repetitive and uninspiring but this book totally blew me away with how good it was. It would make an excellent film or series. I’m hoping for a sequel! Highly recommended. One of the best thrillers I’ve read so far this year. A massive 5 stars.

This was a good read, ideal to cosy up with on an autumn afternoon. I found that I had to concentrate as the main character changed identity several times during the novel and the narrative jumps back and forth in timeline. Clever plot.

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for the ARC of this book.
Really not sure about this book. Fast paced storyline but a bit confusing at the start with so many “characters” that Evie had been. Don’t think it was totally believable but it did make an interesting read as you really needed to know what happened next. Unusual ending.

Wow this was fantastic. Quite different to a lot of the books out there at the moment. I felt like I was a step behind the whole time, being thrown red herrings and big twist throughout so that there was no lull in the action.

Evie was a great lead character who had her head on right and made good decisions, which I like. There's chapters that go back to times in her past but they all relate to what's going on in the present. It so cleverly written and had an intricate plot that left my brain hurting but I wasn't confused.

Will definitely be reading more by Ashley Elston!!