Will I love First Lie Wins?

I love when stories tease out backstory in little bits, and this book does that wonderfully.

Right from the opening chapters, seeds of intrigue are sprinkled everywhere, and I had so many questions that I needed answers to. It’s the kind of opening where it seems that life is going well for the character, yet there is something amiss.

And then the metaphorical rug was pulled out from under me, and I had to stay up well past my bedtime because I just needed to know more.

I am not a huge fan of books that get a lot of hype. First Lie Wins was a Reese's Book Club pick, and I admit that I was hesitant going in. But within a few pages, I was completely hooked. I love a good story about a con artist, and this book did not disappoint. There were so many twists and turns that I had no idea where it was going or whether it would stick the landing. But to my delight, everything fell into place perfectly with an incredibly satisfying ending. Elston's storytelling and plot are impeccable, and… show more.

This delightfully twisty suspense story kept me on the edge of my seat through every page. It’s clear from the start that there’s some sort of con going on, but who’s the criminal and who’s the victim? Grab this one for a read you’ll long remember.

A young woman begins to steal; she has no other way to support her starving and ill mother. When she’s caught, she’s given the fairytale choice of either jail time or service to a mastermind criminal. I’m a big fan of complex morality in a story, and I loved this twisted scenario—who is justified to commit a crime? How can a woman survive in a life of lies? And how can she eventually break free in a very unexpected way?

Because of the unexpected ways she responds to these three dilemmas, she became heroic in my eyes, and I cheered… show more.

It’s going to be hard to write about this novel without giving something away, but I’ll try.

Only a robot could read the opening of this book and stop after that. Why? Because at the start, we see the main character, Evie Porter, creating the story that she will use to depict her past life. And, of course, we want to know her reason for doing so.

The suspense only grows as we continue to read. I am in awe of this book’s plot! Evie is a wonderful character, too, as she wanders through joy and heartbreak.