THE FIRST TO LIE by Hank Philippi Ryan

 

 ... everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story. PATRICK ROTHFUSS, THE NAME OF THE WIND

Without any sneaky fine print and knowing everything you know, if you could start your adult life over as someone else, would you do it?

Mirrors make such false promises. They tell you: Look here, and you’ll see yourself.

But that’s the first lie. You see a face and a boy, sure. But a mirror doesn’t show your TRUE self.

This book will definitely keep you on edge. Guessing. Wanting to know who did what to whom and why. It’s told primarily from three perspectives. Nora, who works for a pharmaceutical company, Pharminex. Ellie, who is a new to the area news reporter working on a story involving Pharminex. And Meg, Ellie’s assistant who has some pretty crazy ways of getting info. Then there are side stories that go back to an earlier time. Lacey who marries into the Vanderwald family and Brooke who is the daughter to the Vanderwalds. The Vanderwalds own Pharminex. 

This book started out a bit slow for me but it did pick up and take off with a bang. It’s a definite page turner and will keep you guessing. Until a certain point. I did figure out who was who and why they were doing the things they did. But that didn’t deter from the story at all. It’s a story about a pharmaceutical company who does some pretty unethical things. Like most in real life do daily. The main plot in this story is centered around Pharminex and a drug called, Monifan. Monifan is suppose to help women who can’t get or stay pregnant. But it has some side affects that are horrible. It can make a woman not be able to conceive or carry a baby at all. It ruined several women’s lives and thus the story Ellie is working on comes to light.

This book has several characters and if you keep them straight that is great. It’s done well. In a way that you should find easy to follow. The beginning, Epigraph, will pull you right in. Then it will alternate between some of the characters. It really is a great story that will keep you wanting more. You will want to know how Nora, Ellie and Meg are woven together. You will want to know if or how Lacey and Brooke are going to play out. Even the characters, Guy, Gabe, Liam and Trevor, all play very important roles in this story. It’s well written, well developed and the plot is spot on. The intense scenes will keep you holding your breath and wanting more. It’s really a good, very good story.  You will feel like you are right in the middle of things and can’t escape. In the lives of a very rich and powerful family. In the heart of a young girl on the brink of becoming a woman, who’s life is turned upside down. In the mind of a mother who thinks she knows what is best for her daughter. For a wife who only wants to become a mother.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #HankPhillippiRyan, #Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this arc. This is my review.

I gave it 4/5 stars and a high recommendation.. A must read.