Wow, without a doubt one of the most compelling, addictive thrillers I've read recently. I loved the main character's voice and the anti-heroine vibes of this book.

As a fan of podcast-centered thrillers, Listen for the Lie was everything I hoped for and more. Amy Tintera delivers a smart, CRAY CRAY mystery with a sharp sense of humor and a protagonist you can’t help but root for even if she might be a murderer.

The story follows Lucy Chase, who returns to her hometown five years after her best friend Savvy was brutally murdered and let’s not forget that Lucy was found next to her body, covered in blood, with no memory of what happened. Though she was never charged, the whole town believes she did it. When a true crime podcast comes to town to dig up the case, Lucy is forced to confront her past and maybe uncover the truth.

What makes this book shine is the layered storytelling, the podcast transcripts woven into the narrative, and Lucy’s darkly funny voice that cuts through the tension. It’s sharp, suspenseful, and genuinely unpredictable. If you love books that mix podcast culture with true crime obsession and a side of biting wit, Listen for the Lie belongs at the top of your TBR.

𝟹.𝟽𝟻 ⭐️ ʀᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ!

ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪᴛ. ɪ ᴅᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴅᴄᴀsᴛ ᴀɴɢʟᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜʀɪʟʟᴇʀs ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴅᴀʏs, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ᴍʏ ғᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ɪᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴅᴄᴀsᴛ ᴇᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇs ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪᴅᴇ ᴀ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ʟᴏᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏғ sᴛᴏʀʏʟɪɴᴇ. ɪ ғᴇʟᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇᴅ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴏɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ʟᴇᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇɢᴜʟᴀʀ ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ. ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏᴅᴄᴀsᴛ ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇ, ɪ sᴜɢɢᴇsᴛ ᴄᴀʀᴛᴇʀ ᴡɪʟsᴏɴ’s ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅ ᴏʀ ᴀᴍʏ sᴜɪᴛᴇʀ ᴄʟᴀʀᴋᴇ’s ɢɪʀʟғʀɪᴇɴᴅ,𝟷𝟷 ɪɴsᴛᴇᴀᴅ. ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ғᴇʟᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʙɪɢ ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ ᴡᴀs ᴏʙᴠɪᴏᴜs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴊᴜᴍᴘ. ɪᴛ’s ᴀ sᴏʟɪᴅ ʀᴇᴀᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴏʀ ɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ғᴏʀ ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ. ғᴇʟᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʜʏᴘᴇ ᴜɴғᴏʀᴛᴜɴᴀᴛᴇʟʏ!

📖 ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ @ᴄᴇʟᴀᴅᴏɴʙᴏᴏᴋs ᴀɴᴅ @ɴᴇᴛɢᴀʟʟᴇʏ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʀᴄ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 📖

Lucy's best friend Savvy was murdered years ago and Lucy can't remember what happened. She was the last person seen with her and shows up covered in blood the next morning. The town all but condemns Lucy for the murder which forces her to move away. After quitting her job, she returns home to celebrate her Grandmother's birthday. Being there brings back all of the old feelings and she decides to try and figure out what did actually happen that night years ago. She fully immerses herself in the project by revisiting the places she went to on that fateful day with the help of a podcaster who is trying to cover her story.

In terms of story and content, this novel was great! Lucy's Grandmother was an awesome character and a nice added humorous touch to a more serious story. I enjoyed the podcast format and the thrills and twists. I did not figure out who was the killer until the very end which rarely happens in these types of books anymore. That being said, there were a few things that I did not enjoy, Savvy's ever-present voice in Lucy's head telling her to kill everyone became so repetitive and annoying. There was also so much sleeping around. I don't think that much unfaithfulness happens in real life; or at least I hope so. It seemed like an absurd amount for such a small group of friends.

Although things were wrapped up at the end of the book, I felt some things didn't make sense. How did Emmett return to the wedding without having a trace of blood on his outfit when he was literally in a brawl with Lucy and Savvy? I also felt Lucy's parents were unrealistic in their support of Matt's version of events. Wouldn't most parents believe their own child over their ex son-in-law?

Overall, it was a quick and attention grabbing read. I look forward to future novels by Amy Tintera. Thank you, Celadon Books for the eArc in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this book as it had great pacing. It was highly engaging to read & the author did a great job keeping the story cohesive. The characters were fun and I liked the small town setting. Highly entertaining book.

When Lucy’s best friend was killed, Lucy was there but can’t remember anything. Now that Ben is covering the story on his podcast, Lucy is determined to find out the truth. Even if she’s the the one that did it. I really enjoyed this one. Lucy’s grandma was the perfect mix of caring and comedic relief.

4 stars

I love true crime podcasts and whodunnit mysteries, so I knew this book would be right up my alley. If Lucy was a real person, we’d probably be great friends. Her dry/sarcastic sense of humor comes through in every page, and I am here for it (though I could definitely see that being a turnoff for some folks). I enjoyed that the podcast episode transcripts were interspersed throughout the book (I bet the audiobook would be even better) and it reads like a real true crime podcast. This book kept me guessing and wanting to know more. I was especially a big fan of Lucy’s grandma! She is clearly where Lucy gets her “lack of fucks to give”. A must for any fan of podcasts and murder mysteries!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

This made such a great audiobook! Really immersive listening experience that I truly enjoyed. There were some good twists, and though I felt the final 'reveal' was a little dull, I'd still recommend this for a quick, entertaining listen!

Oh my gosh the twists and turns right from the beginning. Loved it. I have not read anything from this author before. This book is so good it’s made for the big screen

Thank you @celadonbooks for my gifted book! Listen for the Lie is out now and read it before it becomes a tv series!

It was my turn to pick the book for my in person book club so I knew I wanted to pick one of my #25in2025 books! I chose Listen for the Lie because my group loves thrillers and it sounded like a great discussion book.

Lucy and Savvy are the best of friends until Savvy is found dead and Lucy has no recollection of the evening it happened. Everything thinks Lucy did it, but she truly cannot remember what happened. It’s not until the Listen for the Lie podcast and it’s handsome and charming host, Ben start to bring up memories of that night. Lucy also returns to her hometown aka the scene of the crime for her grandmother’s 80th birthday.

This book was a wild ride! I’ve heard of people behaving badly, but this was a whole town of people behaving terribly! So much infidelity and cheating and lies and backstabbing your own family members. I loved the sections of the podcast that were told as interviews. The Listen for the Lie podcast is totally something I would listen to in real life.

We all loved it! There were a few theories on who could have killed Savvy. There were a lot of characters to keep straight, but we all love Grandma!

I enjoyed reading this novel a great deal and felt a deep connection with the main character, Lucy Chase. She spoke honestly and directly and didn’t hold back, often referring to herself as an asshole, but I related to her frankness. She did manage, however, to keep secrets when necessary to protect those she loved. Although she suffered a traumatic brain injury resulting in memory loss related to the murder of her best friend, those all around her small Texas town, including her family and friends, thought she had committed the heinous act. She herself isn’t really sure whether she’s guilty or innocent. But why would she have killed her best friend? The police, however, didn’t find enough evidence to warrant arresting her.

After 5 years, she finally is ready to find the truth — with some gentle prodding from her loving grandma and a devilishly handsome but cocky true crime podcaster who’s begun looking into the case, leading the reader on a thrilling, wild, unpredictable ride. I’m grateful to NetGalley, Amy Tintera, and Celadon Books for giving me a free advanced reader’s copy of this book. My opinion is voluntary.

Imagine waking up covered in your best friend's blood, with no memory of what happened. That's what happens to Lucy in Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. Years later, a true crime podcast reopens the case, forcing Lucy back to her small Texas town to uncover the truth—even if it means confronting the possibility that she might be the killer. A gripping mix of dark humor, suspense, and small-town secrets, this thriller had me questioning every character's motives until the very end.​

The way Lucy is written is so masterful—she’s kind of an asshole, but you’re still rooting for her the whole time, and might even end up loving her. It fits perfectly with the premise: she’s been accused without full evidence, she’s jaded, and at her core, she’s just a hurt girl trying to figure out what really happened to her best friend. The chapters are quick and snappy, and I loved the podcast transcripts woven in—they broke things up in a way that made it even more addictive. I didn’t want to put this one down—it keeps you hooked the whole way through and never drags.

If you’re into thrillers with dark humor, complicated characters, and a little true crime flair, definitely add this to your TBR.

First,... I love Lucy... lol. She's a little sparky, a little defense, and perhaps a little crazy? The men in her life have been walking red flags. Not a fan of her mom, but LOVE her Grandma. The podcasts are a good addition to the story/plotline & it was a quick, entertaining read. I really enjoyed it from start to finish.

I don’t even know if I could begin to put what happened in this book into words, but it was messy and fabulous and I had a great time

I originally got a eARC of this from NetGalley but just now got around to it, which, thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC by the way!

I listened to the audiobook & the narrators were amazing. I’m so glad I finally listened to/read this!

4 stars.

I love a good podcast thriller. Listen for the Lie follows Lucy, who was found covered in her best friend Savvy's blood five years ago. Lucy can't remember the events of that night, so everyone in her small hometown believes she killed Savvy. Ben, a true crime podcaster, is determined to solve this cold case.

This had a few good twists and turns, but it wasn't the best podcast thriller I've ever read. I think the killer was fairly obvious to guess. I also could've done without the romance; it felt a bit forced. But, overall, this was a quick page turner with an excellent audiobook. I'd recommend it, but I enjoyed None of This Is True and The Night Swim more than this one.

What a good pdocast type crime thriller! This is filled with so many twists but also had me laughing out loud! I loved it!

A nail-biting, perplex mystery that keeps you hooked. This one was a rollercoaster ride! I felt really bad for Lucy, her whole world was changed and everybody thought she killed her best friend. Well, except for her amazing Grandma! I don't know what I would do if everyone I knew and loved thought I'd killed someone. Lucy makes some smart and not so smart choices in this book that made me cringe and yell WHY?; but she's human a very flawed, complex human. Like Ben, I'm glad that she talked to him didn't like that she slept with him. In the end though Lucy showed how much of a true friend she was to Savvy and was always loyal to their friendship, just like how Savvy was to Lucy.

I absolutely loved this thriller! Lucy’s voice was funny and kept me engaged the entire ride, and I loved Ben’s character. The podcast element was very interesting, I really enjoyed reading the episodes. I’m sure this would have been amazing as an audiobook, but I had a great time reading the ebook, too! I would love to read more from this author!!

Thank you Netgalley for my review copy!

This one took me nearly half way through to truly be invested. Once certain things started being revealed I was intrigued, but it took way too long to get there. Having the main character be unlikable for the first 140 pages is hard for readers to connect to. I enjoyed the mixed media with the podcast chapters. I also enjoyed the reveals and plot twists at the end. I did end up enjoying this one, but it took awhile to get there.

WOW. I absolutely devoured this book. I was able to also tandem read with the audiobook and it added so much to the story. I enjoyed spending the time getting to know Lucy but continuing the wonder of who killed Sav. At every point I assumed I had figured out who was responsible in the end, I was able thrown for a loop. Would love to read this again in the future and will recommend to everyone.