I went into this book with huge hype looking at previous ratings. I think it just fell short of my expectations, especially towards the end. The podcast element was promising but other than introducing a ton of characters, I didn't see much value to it. An overused amnesia trope, a town filled with promiscuous individuals, confused family dynamics (especially with the abusive ex-husband) were some of the things that didn't go too well for me. The book was fast in places and a little repetitive and slow in others. The dark humor was good. In it's best parts, the book reminded me of a few of my favorite mystery novels. Overall, it was an interesting read, sort of quick paced, decent ending (not the best). And this is just my honest opinion and I could be an outlier.

Thanks to Netgalley for the digital copy!

Is a podcast investigation thriller my new favorite trope? Is it even a trope? If it is, add it to my list of auto reads.

Lucy hasn’t been home in several years, not since she was accused (and is still suspected of) murdering her best friend. There was never enough evidence to arrest her, but the town had already decided she was guilty. When a true crime podcaster decides to dig into the story, she’s brought back to the night she has no memory of.

O. M. G. I had such a fun time reading this book. I really loved the formatting with regular chapters and then the podcast episodes thrown in the mix. I would highly recommend this read for fans of thrillers, or someone looking for something suspenseful but not overly traumatic. Add this to your TBR!

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

Just finished reading “Listen For The Lie”! It was such a good book! I could not put it down. This is the first book I finished in almost less than a day!
The Author is so good with her characterization! If you need a good thriller that will keep you guessing to the end while also making you laugh along the way, this is the book!
Lucy, the main character, is the kind of sarcastic I think most of us can relate to! There are so many times you’ll think you know who took the life of Lucy’s best friend but you’ll be wrong. So many mind blowing twist around every corner!
This book won’t be released until March 5, 2024! So mark your calendar and put this one your TBR list! You won’t want to miss it!!

I loved this book. I listened to the audiobook and read along. I would say that definitely enhanced the story since it reads like a podcast.

Everyone in their small town thinks Lucy killed her best friend Savvy. The problem is Lucy suffered a head injury and has amnesia so she can’t remember the events of the evening.

Years later Lucy returns to her home town for her grandmothers birthday party and she isn’t greeted with a warm welcome. I thought this book was really well plotted. I really enjoyed the podcast sections. I loved the way everyone in town was interviewed. I was glued to the book wondering what happened. I definitely recommend this book especially if you like a good podcast.

Thanks @netgalley and @celadonbooks for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I’m so glad that I saw @megans_bookcorner’s mention of this book in her stories. I couldn’t put it down and didn’t expect the ending at all. @amytintera writes characters so well, and even the unlikeable ones were ones that I wanted to read more about. She made me laugh so many times too. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for me. Check this book out when it’s released in March 2024.

“A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I’m buying a chicken”

4.5/5: Meet Lucy. A complicated woman running from her past and from her reputation. She succeeds until Ben, podcaster host, begins digging up the past she tried so desperately to bury. Lucy is suddenly faced with returning to the small town that hates her and begins to try to unwind the tangled lies that surround the murder of her best friend.

This book was enthralling, engaging, and I could not put it down. This book flashes between our story with Lucy and transcripts of the episodes in “Listen for the Lie”, which I loved! Amy Tintera did a great job of making you question our narrator and also empathize with the ostracism she faced from her small Texas town. I felt like I was not only a member of this community, but also a listener of the podcast. This book had twists, turns, and moments that made me laugh out loud. By the end of it, I was rooting and shouting for Lucy to have her triumphant win. This book had it all AND a satisfying ending. Overall a fun and fantastic read. Run, don’t walk to get this on your shelf!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for giving me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

WHAT A BOOK!

This is the debut adult novel from Amy Tintera, and I hope it's not the last.

Listen for the Lie is a story that follows Lucy Chase. Lucy had it all: the "dream" husband, Matt, a beautiful home, and loving family and friends, including Savannah (Savvy). However, this all changes one night. After a wedding, Lucy is found wandering the streets with a head injury, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood. Lucy can’t remember anything about her best friend’s murder; however, everyone in her small town thinks she’s lying about the course of events, including Lucy’s own parents. The police can’t charge her because there is little evidence.

Now divorced, Lucy moves to Los Angeles to start a new life. One day, Lucy’s grandmother, Beverly, calls and asks her to come home for her 80th birthday. This is all a ruse to get Lucy to talk with Ben Owens, the host of the popular true crime podcast Listen for the Lie, who has decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the second season of the podcast. Lucy reluctantly revisits the location she swore never to return to, compelled to unravel the mystery of her friend's murder, even if she might be the one responsible.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it did not disappoint and was a quick read. The novel was action-packed and suspenseful. Every chapter kept me wanting more. Tintera’s ability to integrate the podcast episodes at the right time in the book was brilliant.

A massive thank you to Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Be sure to pick up this book when it is published on 3/5/2024!

Trigger warnings include sexual assault, domestic violence, alcoholism, and homicide.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was twisty and everything a thriller should be, but it was also fun. I loved the snark and attitude of our heroine. She was so spunky despite her circumstances. And our Podcaster was pretty great too! I will say Holy Moly! That twist I was not expecting! This was a full on five star read for me!

4.5/5
This was a great thriller! Interesting story line, great characters, and actually pretty funny as well. I couldn’t wait to keep reading this book. It’s a must read!

There has been a lot of mystery/thriller podcast books out lately. But this one has to be one of my favorites! Lucy’s sarcastic humor was clever and entertaining! Definitely recommend!

Thank you to Celadon for a Netgalley of this upcoming release.

Lucy is returning to her small hometown where she is known for murdering her best friend 5 years ago. She was never charged, but that did not matter. Her grandmother convinces her to come home for her birthday while neglecting to mention that Ben, the man making a podcast about this murder, will be in town.

This starts the deep dive down the rabbit hole. Small town. Big secrets. Always when that is the setting. The book flips between podcast transcripts and "normal" chapters from Lucy's perspective. We slowly are brought to THE night in question.

I really enjoyed this book. Tintera, who apparently is primarily a YA writer, is making her adult debut, which did not disappoint. Like most small town books, everyone is the suspect, and while I had inklings of the killer reveal it did not let me down. This was really well written and I definitely recommend to thriller readers.

Listen for the Lie is a dark, fast paced, twisty whodunnit that was a lot of fun! So much fun that I managed to ignore all responsibilities and read it in one sitting. Written, mostly, from Lucy's POV whose an absolute mess, I enjoyed her dark humor and snark, she came off the page perfectly. I really liked that some of the chapters were followed by the podcast interviews. The interviews gave additional information on the crime, and not repetitive with the story. I'd highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a fun thriller with a bit of dark comedy.

Make sure you read over the trigger warnings, abuse and gaslighting are very prevalent throughout this novel.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow - just wow!

Really really enjoyed this book! I’m a big fan of crime podcasts, so having this mixed media book that includes a podcast’s perspective is super interesting.

I loved how nonchalant and badass Lucy is. She didn’t let anyone get to her even though she was in a town where everyone thought she was a murderer.

If you read this book, I highly suggest the audiobook as well! The narrator is great and it gives you the feeling of listening to a podcast!

I’m only knocking off a star because I called who did it early on in the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the ARC/ALC!

Star rating: 4 stars

4.5

Setting: Texas
Rep: n/a

If Fleabag was a murder mystery. Very unique book, loved the podcast element (which was one of the best incorporations of a podcast I've seen in a book) and the tongue-in-cheek protagonist, Lucy, who has no memory of the night her best friend died, who constantly finds herself drifting off daydreaming about killing the people she's talking to and seeing her dead best friend in the room. Great book with plenty of twists and I didn't predict the ending!

I don’t know what I was expecting but damn this book was so good! I could not stop reading it! This was definitely giving AGGGTM vibes (adult version)!!! I loved it! The character was relatable enough to keep me interested and the rest of the characters all had their own problems and the plot was going so hard! All the mystery and reveals were just so dang good!

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera was a fast paced read about Lucy who can't remember if she murdered her best friend Savvy. When Lucy comes back to her hometown several years after the murder to visit her grandma she meets a podcaster who is doing episodes about the case. Both are trying to figure out what really happened to Savvy- but at what cost?

This read had a lot of twists and surprises that I didn't expect which kept me at the edge of my seat! I will definitely read future books by Amy Tintera. Thanks #NetGalley for the advanced reader copy!

A fun, light murder mystery! Refreshing change of pace from the typical murder mystery. The writing style was light, breezy and fun. The characters did not need to have much depth- which allowed the plot to advance quickly.

Thank you to the author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

I LOVED this book!

Listen For the Lie is a story about main character, Lucy. After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

This story alternates between Lucy’s point of view and then the “Listen For The Lie” podcast episodes. The narration was AMAZING- I loved it! I also loved the characters’ sarcasm and humor. I found myself laughing during some of the dialogue which brought some levity to a suspenseful thriller. It was very nicely done by the author.

This story was absolute perfection and I loved every single second. This is one I will recommend over and over again. Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Macmillan Audio for providing me this ARC in exchange for sharing my honest thoughts. I am so grateful for the opportunity.

I love this book! The writing style is catchy, and fast paced. I liked the main character even though we are suppose to question her and maybe not like her. The podcast within the story usually doesn't sit well with me but I really liked this from the first sentence on. This will be one I definitely recommend to readers and would be perfect some spring break reading!

Lucy is found wandering in the street covered in blood. She was last seen with her best friend Savvy at a wedding the night before. Savvy’s body is discovered and despite the fact that Lucy has a head injury resulting in memory loss, she’s suspected of murdering her.

With no evidence to convict Lucy, she is left living in a small Texas town where everyone treats her as if she’s a killer. She moves to LA to start a new life away from the hatred. Ben is a true crime podcaster who has chosen to investigate Savvy’s death and discover the truth of what happened that fateful night. The transcripts of the podcast are woven in with Lucy’s POV.

Listen for the Lie drew me in quickly and I found myself chuckling at Lucy’s sarcastic wit and spunk. Her way of dealing with her ‘killer’ reputation is through humor and acceptance. She can’t remember what happened so she’s unsure whether she DID kill her best friend. She has dark thoughts about ways to kill people that initially was amusing but grew tiresome…until more was revealed.

Lucy returns home at the request of her grandmother Beverly who is the epitome of someone ‘living their best life’ and Lucy’s biggest advocate. The rest of the characters including Ben, are not that likable. I was even ambivalent about Lucy, though I liked her best. The story is more a gossipy who’s sleeping with who and what people are like behind closed doors, than a thriller. Everyone was sleeping around, and I do mean EVERYONE. There was unnecessary language and sexual content for me, but if you like spicy domestic dramas this may be for you. The ending was over the top, but satisfyingly fun; I enjoyed it!

⚠️Many potential triggers in content and subject matter.

Thank you to Amy Tintera, Celadon Books and NetGalley for the #gifted copy.