First Lie Wins: Reese's Book Club Pick (A Novel)

“James, how do you like yours cooked?” Ryan calls out as he steps back onto the deck holding a platter of marinated steaks and wearing an apron that says You don’t have to kiss me but you could get me a beer.

As soon as I’m inside and the lock is engaged, I slump against the door. I let out a silent scream and squeeze my eyes shut. This is not good. This is not good. This is not good. She is not from Eden, North Carolina—I am. Her mother didn’t die from breast cancer—Mine did. Her name is not Lucca Marino—Mine is.

It was in that moment that I learned you can become someone else with the right hair, the right dress, and the right accessories.

It starts with the little things: an extra toothbrush in the glass holder next to the sink, a few articles of clothing in the smallest drawer, phone chargers on both sides of the bed. Then the little things turn to slightly bigger things: razors and mouthwash and birth control pills all fighting for space in the medicine cabinet, the question chang

Because that’s all it would take. It’s been said that if you want a slice of time to stick out, to be crystal clear in your mind, one small difference in an otherwise normal routine is all it takes. Like if you’re the type who has trouble remembering whether you locked your front door before leaving for vacation, you should separate it from all the

decide to take the opposite route. It’s risky for sure, but I don’t care how inflated your ego is, blunt honesty has more value than blind worship, and if Andrew’s smart enough to get this far, he knows it.

Toni is what Mama called a “latherer.” She does a good job of looking busy without actually getting anything done. And Jane is the list master.