Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

14 reviews

kalefactory's review

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Kidnapping, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Torture

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

kshertz's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a great mystery book! I love an unreliable narrator and everyone is very unreliable. I’m not really sure who to root for. I don’t know who will come out on top. There are twists! It was really enjoyable to follow along with them. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Violence, Addiction, Death, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Murder, and Alcohol

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

itsheyfay's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Cancer and Death of parent

daydaybookbay's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I rated this book a 7 out of 10. I was pulled into this thriller, and I love the idea of undercover work. Evie shows her cleverness over the years and pulls ahead in work. Some sections felt repetitive, but I liked how everything was revealed for a reason. I wish there had been some character development; the characters themselves were a bit flat.

This story is a quick read, but slow paced (if that makes any sense) game of cat-and-mouse. We watch the back and forth of Evie's work and personal life while she tries to keep it from crumbling.

The major plot of the story is introduced in chapters 1 and 2. We follow Evie in her undercover scheme for the first half of the book. In the second half, we have an altered plot and follow Evie in her con artist scheme. It is a bit basic at times, but the plot keeps pushing forward.

The flashbacks to Evie's previous jobs threw me through a loop a few times. It wasn't always clear why any of those moments were important. Eventually, it all comes full circle, and we understand, but I think they were more randomly distributed rather than strategically placed.

I'1l say it again here: there is next to zero character development. Here's a character at face value, and there is nothing added. I wish there would have been more there (maybe in the flashbacks) where we could understand more about the characters.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, Sexual content, and Cursing

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Stalking, Death, Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Cancer

candaaaace's review against another edition

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Death of parent

canngrob's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

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

disguisedposer's review

dark mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting and Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Addiction, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Car accident

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

This is a well-written and constructed story about a con woman whose motivations the reader learns only over the course of the story. I like that the main character, Evie Porter, is an intelligent and cunning woman who, although her livelihood may be unsavory, is admirable as a grounded woman who can think on her feet and is able to cultivate strong relationships.

This is a story where it's known right away that not everything is as it seems, and clues of what's really happening are revealed leisurely as the story unfolds. It seems that all the primary characters have secrets and a lot of them are out to get the other. Although the characters are interesting and fit the story well, I never warmed to any of them so I wasn't as invested in reading the book as much as I would've liked.

All this said, I think this is a good story and has enough reveals to keep the reader turning the pages to find out what comes next or get a better understanding of what the heck is going on!

I listened to the audiobook and feel the narrator, Saskia Maarleveld, did an excellent job voicing both the primary and peripheral characters, especially the females.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Death

Minor: Racial slurs, Blood, and Car accident

hesticht's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder