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jenbsbooks 's review for:
First Lie Wins
by Ashley Elston
fast-paced
I really liked this! Psychological thrillers aren't really my jam, I am too critical of what is "real" and I always try to guess the inevitable twists, which leaves me doubting everything. I keep trying them here and there hoping for a pleasant surprise. I got that here. I went into it blind, without really reviewing the blurb, so not knowing what to expect (honestly, I think the blurb tells too much). For me, it was fun not knowing, although I'm fairly sure most readers are aware going in that there's an "imposter" situation going on.
There was a TV show called Imposters that I watched a while ago (the first season, I gave up on season two as it turned too over the top/silly) that had a similar premise. A girl who sets up men, with the meet, then marriage, then steals all their money. Here, money isn't the goal, but there's something, and someone (the boss) pulling the strings.
First person - present tense throughout, even though the story had "past" storylines too. While the "past" chapters were clearly marked (name/alias and how many years ago) I wonder if I would have preferred the "past" in past tense, to help keep them more distinct? The "present" got the numerical chapters and the past "chapters" were unnumbered, between the chronological chapters. The first "past" doesn't show up until we're seven chapters in. There are 10 of them (compared to the 26 "present day" chapters).
It was a little complex, trying to keep track of everyone, catching all the details. I liked the title tie-in (a couple times, early on, then again later). It was fast moving and kept my attention, and I wasn't sure who to root for, complex characters, not black and white. While I feel like I understood the story, I think maybe I'd catch more on a re-read, that could be interesting to see how many hints were dropped along the way ... I just don't re-read, as there are so many books, so little time! No discussion questions included in the text, but I Googled and found some online and I was glad that I did - just taking a little time to think about some things I might not have otherwise. Still, not really anything super profound that I wanted to save/highlight.
I found the book at a Little Free Library. I recognized the title, having heard some buzz about it. With the physical book in hand, I then put the audio and Kindle copy on hold at the library. It's popular, so I had a bit of a wait. I went primarily with the audio
There was some proFanity (x37) but the sex was not explicit in detail ... which I've come to appreciate. I don't really care for the spicy stuff.
There was a TV show called Imposters that I watched a while ago (the first season, I gave up on season two as it turned too over the top/silly) that had a similar premise. A girl who sets up men, with the meet, then marriage, then steals all their money. Here, money isn't the goal, but there's something, and someone (the boss) pulling the strings.
First person - present tense throughout, even though the story had "past" storylines too. While the "past" chapters were clearly marked (name/alias and how many years ago) I wonder if I would have preferred the "past" in past tense, to help keep them more distinct? The "present" got the numerical chapters and the past "chapters" were unnumbered, between the chronological chapters. The first "past" doesn't show up until we're seven chapters in. There are 10 of them (compared to the 26 "present day" chapters).
It was a little complex, trying to keep track of everyone, catching all the details. I liked the title tie-in (a couple times, early on, then again later). It was fast moving and kept my attention, and I wasn't sure who to root for, complex characters, not black and white. While I feel like I understood the story, I think maybe I'd catch more on a re-read, that could be interesting to see how many hints were dropped along the way ... I just don't re-read, as there are so many books, so little time! No discussion questions included in the text, but I Googled and found some online and I was glad that I did - just taking a little time to think about some things I might not have otherwise. Still, not really anything super profound that I wanted to save/highlight.
I found the book at a Little Free Library. I recognized the title, having heard some buzz about it. With the physical book in hand, I then put the audio and Kindle copy on hold at the library. It's popular, so I had a bit of a wait. I went primarily with the audio
There was some proFanity (x37) but the sex was not explicit in detail ... which I've come to appreciate. I don't really care for the spicy stuff.