Book Review #10: First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

 Review of First Lie Wins, by Ashley Elston

Ashley Elston’s First Lie Wins is the kind of book where you think you understand what’s going on, and then it just laughs in your face. The story follows Evie Porter—except that’s not even her real name - which already tells you everything you need to know about the chaos ahead. She’s basically a professional identity thief working for this mysterious guy called Mr. Smith, and her job is to become someone else, get close to a target, and disappear. Sounds simple. It is not simple. At all.

What I loved most is that you are constantly guessing. Like, there is no point where you can sit back and relax because the book will immediately prove you wrong. Every time you think “okay wait I’ve got it,” something shifts and you realise you absolutely do not. The timeline jumps actually work (which is rare because usually that just confuses everyone), and slowly you start piecing together who Evie really is—and it’s SO satisfying when things click.

Evie as a character? Insane (in the best way). She’s smart, calculated, always thinking ahead—but also clearly not as in control as she wants to be. Watching her try to manage everything while her past starts catching up to her is honestly stressful but addictive. And the romance? I did not expect to care that much but here we are. It actually adds tension instead of making things cringe, which is a miracle.

If I had to complain, yeah, some parts are a bit unrealistic and you kind of have to just go with it. But honestly? I didn’t even care because I was too busy being emotionally manipulated by the plot. The impact of First Lie Wins is that it completely messes with your head. You don’t trust anyone, you question everything, and by the end you’re just sitting there like “wow I’ve been lied to for 300 pages straight and I loved every second of it.”

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