Teres's Reviews > First Lie Wins

I hope you like rollercoasters!

First Lie Wins, Ashley Elston's debut into the adult novel genre, takes readers on an exhilarating ride of deception and betrayal, with twists coming at you from all directions.

If you have a weakness for tales of con artists (raises hands high 🙌🏻) and the kind of storytelling that keeps you up way past your bedtime, you're in for a treat.

Prepare to enter a world where everything is a façade, especially our main gal, Evie.

Evie Porter has everything: a doting boyfriend, a house with a picket fence, a fancy group of friends. The only catch is that Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

Savvy, shrewd, whip-smart, crafty, and cunning, she slips into a new persona like a human chameleon. Yep, girlfriend is a master of disguise who embeds herself fully into each carefully crafted life lie.

Her employer, the enigmatic Mr. Smith, is a man she’s never met. In fact, he’s nothing more than a mechanically altered voice over the phone.

Each lucrative and increasingly dangerous job involves taking on an assumed identity, complete with new name and fabricated background.

She does what’s necessary to complete her assignment with the full support and resources of Mr. Smith’s operation: legitimate (albeit fake) identities that come with ID and a searchable internet history, access to money as well as any intel she may need.

And then she’s gone, onto the next identity and the next job.

But, hold on. Is her most recent mark really the target, or is she the one that’s being played?

Be forewarned: Elston plays with her readers. And, I loved every minute of it!

Each chapter unravels a layer of the mystery and just when you think you have it all figured out…Elston throws in another twist that'll have you questioning everything.

Each lie is a carefully crafted piece of the puzzle, leading you down a rabbit hole of intrigue. You'll find yourself playing detective alongside the characters — a cast you’ll love to hate and hate to love — piecing together the truth from the web of deceit.

Evidently, I’m not the only fan. Following a bidding war, Krista Vernoff, the Grey’s Anatomy showrunner, is teaming with actress-producer Octavia Spencer to adapt this psychological thriller for Hulu. Oooh boy, looking forward to streaming that!

Okay, just one more chapter.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, friend. Get cozy. You’ll be awake for a while.