Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

37 reviews

heresyourletter's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I would describe this as a "cozy thriller", much like the style of Hallmark movies. It was an easy read and enjoyable for the most part, with lots of plot twists. However, I found it hard to sympathize with some of the characters' decisions.

Devon was the only character I liked and I kept wanting the main character to end up with him instead.

I also find it hard to believe that someone who spent the entire book wanting to "get out" of her line of work and have a nice quiet life in a home of her own would then become a spy boss at the end.

. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Cancer, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Murder, Sexual content, Blood, Classism, and Infidelity

Despite being a thriller, the descriptions of violence are very toned down. It's more about the threat of violence than actual violence. One character is briefly incarcerated and questioned about a crime by police. One character drinks heavily over the course of several days (and drives home after). One very brief "closed door" sex scene. Very brief mention of a character's interest in BDSM.

The main character's mother dies of cancer before the book begins. There are a couple of flashbacks to show her suffering with her terminal illness. Two characters die in a car accident after the car is tampered with. Several prominent politicians/judges are filmed in a hotel room with a group of women who are implied to be either exotic dancers or sex workers. One character threatens to cut off the fingers of another character. Brief description of a character setting fire to a hotel bed. One character falls and hits their head on the floor. Brief mention of blood. It is mentioned that all spies (except 2) were killed by their boss after a mission. One character is implied to have been killed by an organized crime boss.

bluerskies's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, Terminal illness, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, and Death of parent

lala_reads_too's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

Huge buildup to a bunch of underwhelming nothings.   Faux thriller. I was NOT thrilled. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Car accident, Cancer, Death of parent, and Death

shesflippinpages's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Terminal illness, Stalking, Cancer, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gaslighting, and Murder

oxfordcommas91's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book had me absolutely gripped! I’d been seeing this book all over instagram and booktok so I was suspicious about whether it would live up to the hype, and boy did it! I love a page-turner thriller that isn’t super dark or scary, so this really fit the bill. The twists and turns throughout were absolutely delicious - I was truly on the edge of my seat the whole time and found it difficult to put this book down to go to work or function in real life! Fabulously written and highly compelling, I recommend this to anyone who wants a book that will get them out of a slump, because it certainly did that for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Car accident, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Death of parent, Cancer, Suicide, and Violence

michellegrl's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury

kaylinvm94's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Death of parent and Cancer

gabbyeleene's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cancer and Addiction

soobooksalot's review

adventurous mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First Lie Wins has been EVERYWHERE on here.
 And I'm now in the appreciation club.
 This is a fun, smart, and exciting story. I read it well into the wee hours, and very reluctantly put it down to get some actual sleep. 
 To sum up - believe the hype on this one! Go in blind and enjoy the journey. 
 This is author Ashley Elston's first adult book, and would be fantastic on screen.
 Highly recommended!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Alcohol, Cancer, and Car accident

katelynprice's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I was really intrigued by this book, but I wanted to like it more than I did. The flashbacks to the past confused me, and I had a hard time keeping all of the names straight. I also had trouble suspending my disbelief. It was fun and twisty, but not as polished as I would like. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Cursing

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Death, and Death of parent