Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - First Lie Wins

While I think this book was a little overhyped on TikTok, I still found the premise and the story arc interesting. It was a little different than most thriller/murder mysteries I’ve read in the past. The narrator is unreliable yet likeable. There were a lot of twists and turns, some expected and others unexpected. The ending is a little bit of a cliffhanger which is fun and leaves the reader wanting more.

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shesflippinpages's review against another edition

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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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oxfordcommas91's review

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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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jazful's review

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adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

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kimveach's review

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adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I'd wanted to read an excellent thriller, and this is the one. This book had an interesting protagonist, excellent pacing, helpful flashbacks, and a terrific ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this, even if it kept me up late.

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bookishmillennial's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

This was an intriguing con artist, small town thriller that pleasantly surprised me! Thank you for PRH Audio for the advanced listening copy <3 I am providing my review on my own accord after listening.

I thought the narrator Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job; I always marvel a bit at narrators' abilities to use totally different inflections and tones of voice when switching characters, and Saskia did an excellent job of this!

The rotating chapters between the past and present piqued my interest; I was wondering what the tie-ins would be, and when it finally came together, it did not disappoint! I find that thrillers can delve into the exploitation and harmful fetishization of "mental health" struggles way too predictably and frustratingly, but this book steered clear of that and I appreciate it. It proves that a mystery or heist/con artist thriller can stand on its own, with morally grey characters, rather than villainizing those who are neurodivergent or have schizophrenia etc.

Despite the fact that you know that our main character is deceiving folks from the start, you're still rooting for her. It's so easy to, because she's so clever and takes no shit. Her whirlwind romance with Ryan has all of his close friends guessing, and I found it so delectable that she had them wound up so tightly.

The mystery of the elusive Mr. Smith was a very captivating game of cat and mouse, and while it frustrated me for Evie, I just wanted to know his real identity already and what his endgame was! Let it be known I will never be cut out for heist/con artist/secret identity work hahaha.

Anyway, as thrillers do, a lot of the big action and reveals happen in the last 10% of the book, but it overall felt like a satisfying conclusion and I think others will have lots of fun with this one.

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thrillofthepage's review

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lighthearted 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? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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redefiningrachel's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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