First Lie Wins

Ashley Elston

3.5 stars

Format: Audiobook

First Lie Wins is Ashley Elston’s debut adult novel. It has received rave reviews since it was published this January, but the story just didn’t land for me. I wasn’t invested in the characters, even the main character, Evie, and I felt like there were some big issues that needed to be addressed. But first, let’s recap.

Evie Porter is a woman living in Lake Forbing, Louisiana with her new boyfriend Ryan. He’s a babe with a good job. Evie moves into his house, meets his friends, and plays the part of “girlfriend” perfectly. You’d never know that Evie is a predator and Ryan is her prey. Evie works for a mysterious Mr. Smith and her job is to find and deliver information for Mr. Smith’s clients. After a disappointing outcome in her previous job, Evie must execute this job perfectly to redeem herself as one of Mr. Smith’s best assets. But things start to go sideways in Lake Forbing, and Evie fears she may not get back to her normal life again.

The first few chapters captivated me. There was some catch, but what was it? After we discover that Evie is some kind of criminal spy, I was hoping that her relationship with Ryan would end up being a Mr. and Mrs. Smith-type scenario. Two people unknowingly working for the same mastermind, battling it out in a game of wits and good looks. Unfortunately, this didn’t play out. 

The reader learns about Evie’s backstory through her flashbacks on previous jobs and her relative aliases. I can only assume that these jobs and aliases were not the only jobs Evie went on, but the only ones that were relevant to the story and how her past affected her present. So, assuming this, and knowing in the present she is in a relationship with Ryan, I am led to believe that she sleeps with her targets if the job requires. Sex isn’t mentioned at all in the novel, but in the way Evie and Ryan touch and interact I can only assume they are having sex off the page. There’s another job in which she targets the son of a rich man to get information on the father. The son, Sawyer, is a crude drunk and gropes Evie frequently. Again, I can only assume she has slept with Sawyer when she pretends to be his groupie. There’s even a reference to them “getting out of here” as he grabs her body. It seems odd that this is glossed over and not at all part of Evie’s story. Does she feel bad about sleeping with men who think they are in a relationship with her? Does she feel violated if she thinks she must sleep with these men in order to get information?

Another theme I noticed, and didn’t love, was that all the targets were men. Are there no women in power who have sensitive information to hide? Was this book a comment on how women are harder to trick and therefore not a target or a comment on the lack of women in power? The only other women were Ryan’s gossipy friends, Lucca, and Amy. Otherwise, it was Evie and the boys. 

I will say that I was left guessing until the last page. I truly did not know how it was going to end. I had theories on Mr. Smith’s identity, and was going back and forth on two characters until it was revealed. Props to Elston for throwing me off!

As far as the characters go, Devon was the best character and I loved his interactions with Evie the most. They had a fun friendship and their way of communicating via Instagram was clever and entertaining. I was hoping we’d learn more about Devon’s character and his life. All the characters lacked depth, but they were all good characters and I wanted to know more about them. A lot was left up to the imagination.

I listened to First Lie Wins on Audible to accompany me on long runs. Oftentimes, a good thriller will keep me on the edge of my seat and focused enough to forget what I’m doing (running out of breath), but this audiobook was performed with a quiet, breathy voice. It was almost as if Evie was whispering her story so as to not be overheard. It was a wonderful performance by Saskia Maarleveld, but for the purpose of keeping my attention during a run, it didn’t hit the mark. This audiobook would be best suited for a drive or while cooking.