First Lie Wins

What did I just read? First Lie Wins has been touted as the 'must read' thriller this spring and even has Reese Witherspoon's seal of approval.

But it doesn't have mine.

I had high expectations going in and this suspense read started off strong, making me turn pages and even gasp at the introduction of one character. But about 1/3 of the way in, the story gets muddled and hard to follow with too many characters, and too many backstories (which were actually more interesting than the main plot).

I feel like I read a different book than everyone else. Outlandish and implausible plots, underdeveloped characters and an unsatisfying ending, this was a boring read for me and I'm kicking myself for not DNFing it at the halfway mark. Its hype is what made me stick it out, hoping things would turn around. They didn't and clearly I'm sour about it. I'm an outlier with this belle of the book nerd ball, so take my curmudgeonly review with a grain of salt. Harrumph!

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Ashley Elston

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: Trade Paperback (Large Print) from public library

Publisher: Random House Large Print

First Published: January 2, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.