First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston is one of those psychological thriller / mystery books that grabs you from the beginning and never lets go.

Evie Porter is a free agent who handles various “jobs” for a mysterious Mr. Smith. She’s good at her job. In fact, she’s so good that she doesn’t trust Mr. Smith and sets safety nets around her to make sure that when she’s double-crossed (not if, she knows it’s coming), she’ll be ready.

About halfway through the book, I was certain that I'd figured out who the mysterious "Mr. Smith" was--but I was wrong! The ending had a great twist and surprise. After a modest start to the narrative, I had to sit down and read the rest of the book in a single afternoon. I loved the premise, the mystery, and the conflict. I can see why people loved this one. Excellent read!

Find your next great read for National Reading Month by exploring my reviews of these books you’ll devour if you liked First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston as much as I did. What all of the books in this list share is mystery. One or more characters has a secret or is an outright liar. Love has gone astray, or maybe, it has been discovered—but at a cost.

I hope you find something that catches your interest. Happy reading!

Junior Missing by Khristina Chess

“He kissed me again and again, and I began bargaining once more with the wind. I vowed to do better and try harder to keep this Quentin who loved me and kept me safe. The Quentin who I loved. Who loved me. Who didn’t treat me badly.“ ― Khristina Chess, quote from Junior Missing

Love shouldn’t take prisoners.

Sixteen-year-old Grace Keegan, darling of the child pageant world, is missing. Police initially believe she ran away—until they locate her abandoned cell phone along the highway. No one knows she met someone online, someone older, a musician named Quentin Brock who has a cool band named Acid Mozart. He seems to be romantic, cute, and funny. He seems to be the perfect guy.

By the time he reveals his true colors, Grace is trapped in another state with no way out.

She doesn’t even have shoes.

Wow! Junior Missing hooked me from the first page and never let me go!

What makes Junior Missing so special is the gripping, slow-boil depiction of how Grace falls into the trap of an abusive relationship with an older man who takes her in—and won’t let her go. I worried about her. I loved seeing her journey and choices as she befriends the neighbor girl. This is the kind of thrilling, authentic novel that really shows how someone can so easily be manipulated and hurt in this kind of situation.

If you liked First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston and you’re looking for a thriller that you won’t be able to put down, this one is definitely a page-turner! In fact, Khristina Chess is on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because she has so many suspenseful novels.

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

"I am vengeance."― Mindy McGinnis, quote from The Female of the Species

I loved this book. Alex Craft is a unique female YA protagonist, and I had a hard time pinning her down. Sometimes I wanted to label her as a psychopath / sociopath based on her actions and reactions to things, but I don't think that's right.

She is a criminal. It's easy to forget that about her because she makes friends, takes care of kittens, shows compassion to other kids, and falls in love. But she also kills people. So there's that.

This was my third Mindy McGinnis novel, and I'm hooked on her. She writes compelling stories and tough, unflinching characters, and she’s also one of the top authors in my list of the Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited.

For a twisty YA psychological thriller like First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, be sure to add this one to your TBR pile.

Verity by Colleen Hoover

"Some families are lucky enough to never experience a single tragedy. But then there are those families that see to have tragedies waiting on the back burner. What can go wrong, goes wrong. And then gets worse."—Colleen Hoover, quote from Verity

Colleen Hoover is a mega bestselling author of both adult and young adult fiction. Verity is my personal favorite. The hot (hot, hot) romance was definitely a big part of the appeal, but the spicy sex wasn’t the only part. This is more than a romance novel. I loved the twisty, dark, and disorienting plot that kept me guessing until the very end. In this novel, the characters aren’t who they seem to be, and that multi-dimensional layer was the aspect that made Verity so wonderful for me.

If you’re looking for authors like Ashley Elston that you’ll want to binge, pick this one up. In fact, all Colleen Hoover’s novels are amazing!

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

"If she could rewind the timeline, untwist it and roll it back the other way like a ball of wool, she'd see the knots in the yarn, the warning signs. Looking at it backward it was obvious all along. But back then, when she knew nothing about anything, she had not seen it coming. She had walked straight into it with her eyes open." ― Lisa Jewell, quote from Then She Was Gone

This is an unputdownable novel. In fact, I was about 20 pages in when I realized I was going too fast and maybe, like the missing girl Ellie, I was overlooking important clues, so I went back and read from the beginning again.

I had to know what happened to Ellie, and then, bit by bit, new mysteries began to emerge. New horrors. The more I learned about Ellie and Noelle, the worse things became. The whole story became very... weird. Scary.

The relationship between Ellie’s mom and the American writer, Floyd, is where things take a turn. Floyd has a daughter who looks just like Ellie. I mean, how weird is that?

The ending was not predictable to me, and the path to reach the conclusion was not straight. I definitely loved this novel and want to read more of Lisa Jewell. Fans of First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston will agree that this is a thrilling, twisty read.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train is definitely one of the books you’ll devour if you liked The Housemaid. It has unreliable narrators, as well as a twisty and confusing plot that will keep you guessing. Things definitely aren’t what they seem to be. The mystery keeps the pages turning. What, exactly, did Rachel see that day?

This book was a total roller coaster. I was all over the place with my feelings about it, and that was a good thing.

Pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

What more can I say about The Housemaid than has already been said? Fast-paced, full of surprises, chilling twist ending, compelling and unexpected characters -- this novel has all that and more!

"I'm going to let you out... Just not yet."

Holy cow! Yikes!

The Housemaid kept popping up as recommended reading for me, and since I've been seeing it everywhere, I thought, "Let's see."

I was delighted and entertained. In fact, I will definitely be reading more Freida McFadden novels! Fans of First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston will delight in this one.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

It’s hard to say much about this classic without revealing spoilers. A man’s wife disappears, and he’s the main suspect—perhaps with good reason. But is he really the killer?

Fans of First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston will love the page-turning plot with shocking revelations and love that turned sour. Characters aren’t who they seem to be in this one, either. Everyone poses and lies.

But do they kill?

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis Graves

I loved this book!

I picked it up randomly on vacation because I was out of reading material, and the cover caught my eye. I started reading, and BAM! I was hooked. Really, really hooked. Like, I could not stop reading this book. This is the kind of novel that makes me want to ignore my friends and stay up all night until it's done.

The Girl He Used to Know is a love story about two people who fell in love in college, but a tragedy caused them to separate. Ten years later, they reconnect, and they discover that the love is still there. The timeline alternates between past and present, and the point of view alternates between Annika Rose and Jonathan Hoffman as they tell the story of their romance.

And what a story they have to tell!

This is a sweet, sweet book. After finishing it, I bought everything by Tracey Garvis Graves to see what other delights she has to offer, and although I also loved On the Island, I say that The Girl He Used to Know is my favorite. If you enjoyed the romance in First Lie Wins, you will devour this one.

The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve

In this list of books you’ll devour if you liked First Lie Wins, The Pilot’s Wife might seem to be an unusual choice. It’s a quieter mystery. Older. A slow burn. A woman learns that her husband, a pilot, has died. Then, she realizes that he was living a secret life. She pulls on that thread.

What I love about this novel—and other books by Anita Shreve—is the writing. The characters are beautiful. The story unfolds at its own pace, not at breakneck speed, but gripping nonetheless.

Drowning Instinct by Ilsa Bick

“This is a fairy tale with teeth and claws.” ― Ilsa Bick, quote from Drowning Instinct

And speaking of twisty thrillers with inappropriate relationships, how about Drowning Instinct, with a teen girl and her teacher?

I didn't know what to expect when a friend loaned this book to me, but wow! This book has layers. The way the author wove the "drowning instinct" theme throughout the story was really well done, and I loved the complexity of the characters and the plot twists. The pacing kept getting more intense and compelling as I read further. Addictive.

I don’t want to give too much away. If you’re looking for novels like First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston that keep you up late at night, just read it.

Other Books You’ll Devour If You Liked First Lie Wins by Ashley Elsten

If you are looking for other books like First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, Goodreads also offers a great book list: Readers Who Enjoyed First Lie Wins. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads.

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