First Lie Wins: Reese's Book Club Pick (a Novel)

Evie Porter lives a fabricated life orchestrated by Mr. Smith, complete with a perfect boyfriend, a charming home, and an affluent circle of friends. Assigned to her latest mission, she assumes the identity of Evie Porter, learning every detail about the town and its residents, with Ryan Sumner as her target. As Evie becomes emotionally invested in Ryan, she starts envisioning a different future for herself, despite the risks of her true identity being exposed. With her past threatening to catch up, Evie navigates a high-stakes game of deception to secure her future while grappling with the consequences of her actions. Rating: 4/5 I'd rate this novel a solid 4/5. Overall, I found the story well-told with an intricate and detailed plot that I thoroughly enjoyed. Some readers have criticized the frequent switches in point of view and names, but I felt the author handled the time jumps clearly and purposefully, enhancing rather than detracting from the story. To fully appreciate this novel, you need to suspend disbelief much like enjoying a James Bond film—I'm personally a Bond fan, so this worked well for me. While there were moments where I felt a bit lost and some characters didn't fully resonate until later in the book, I did find the way everything eventually came together quite satisfying. There was one subplot that seemed to lead nowhere, which was disappointing. However, considering this is the author's first foray into adult thrillers, I believe Elston did a commendable job. The weaving together of various situations and the satisfying conclusion were the highlights that sold this book to me. I'm hopeful that this marks the beginning of a promising series. I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

Grabbed me from page one. Suspenseful, action packed, fast paced with just the right amount of romance! This is author's debut as an adult novel. I hope it won't be her last, because this book left me wanting more, more, more! In my "book" she is right there with my other favorite authors such as Harlan Coben, Colleen Hoover, A.J. Finn, Kristin Hannah and Barbara Oneal.

I just finished this book and I absolutely loved it!!!! The twists and turns of the story kept me saying “just one more chapter” all night long!!!! It has been a long while since I read a book that held my attention the way this one did!!!!! Definitely a must read!!!!