This was a fun twisty mystery that I was a little nervous about since this was Amy Tintera's debut novel and sometimes that a hard line to cross. Although, this was a pleasant surprise that I really enjoyed.

This mystery follows Lucy, a woman from a small town in Texas, who was found wandering the woods after her best friend, Savvy, was murdered. The whole town turned against Lucy, including her husband and parents, and believed her to have killed Savvy and pretending to not remember what happened that night. Lucy never gets arrested and eventually runs aways to LA to start over her life away her past. This all changes when a podcaster decides to look at the case, which results in her being fired from her job and losing her boyfriend(although she did not really have much interest in him). Her grandmother asks her to come home for her birthday and face the podcast head-on and Lucy begins to face her past in hopes of solving her best friends murder, even if it ends up being that she murdered Savvy.

This had a lot of twisty moments and looks closely at Lucy's life that is full of secrets. It seemed very realistic as to how a small town would behave in a situation like this and all the secrets that each individual is hiding. Ben, the podcaster, starts to unravel the secrets and help Lucy find out what happened on that night that changed her life.

I recommend this book for those that like a twisty mystery with many different secrets and especially if you like a podcast element to your reads. There are interviews within the chapters so I am curious to see how the audiobook will be for this book as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for the e-ARC for a honest review!

Listen for the lie by author Amy Tintera is a fast paced psychological novel written to precise details! Meant to grab you and suck you in, this book does s it’s made to! I recommend this book a 4/5!

Applause & 5 stars! I love reads a debut that blows my mind (in a GREAT way). I didn’t even request this title, was sent one by a publisher & I didn’t expect much of this book. I’ve read quite a few books lately, centered around podcasts & this is probably the best. “The voice” in Lucy’s head did bother me the first portion of the book but when you realize where it is coming from, it makes more sense & is less bothersome. What a read! I’ll be looking forward Amy Tintera’s next book.

This is the first book I’ve read that’s very heavily all involved in a podcast. Ben has his own podcast called Listen for the Lie and he’s investigating a murder of Lucy’s best friend, Savvy. Did she murder her? If not, who did? Lucy can’t remember. This was very suspenseful all the way till the end. I enjoyed all the characters and how the podcast played into it. My only complaint is all the “f” bombs that were all over the place. I just don’t see why that’s necessary throughout the whole book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published March 2024.

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I was wary about the podcast angle (we have seen a LOT of that lately in our novels) but it absolutely worked here. Lucy's character was extremely well-written and made the book for me. I stayed up extremely late reading because I couldn't stop turning the pages. The dynamic in Lucy and Matt's relationship was well-crafted and I liked the complexity of Lucy's relationship with her parents. And her grandma! What a great addition. I did wish that there were some story twists besides everyone sleeping with everyone else, but besides that, this one was pretty near perfect for me. I will be eagerly awaiting the author's next book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my complimentary digital copy. All opinions are my own.

This is my first Amy Tintera book, and apparently it’s HER first adult thriller. (In the acknowledgments I learned she has previously authored Young Adult titles.) I really enjoyed reading it! Even though I don’t follow true crime podcasts, that focus in the book was a great method of introducing characters and moving the story forward. And what a story! While I enjoyed Lucy’s character and her interactions with podcaster Ben, there were a large cast of characters to keep track of— and to consider as suspects. A heads-up for parents of interested teen readers: With much discussion of graphic murder methods, along with adultery, sex, and domestic abuse- this title is definitely adult content.

BOOK REVIEW: LISTEN FOR THE LIE

“Always the boyfriend, except when it’s the best friend…”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The whole town of Plumpton, TX believes Lucy murdered her best friend Savvy. The morning after attending a wedding, Savvy’s body is found on a running path. That same morning, Lucy is found wandering the streets wearing clothes covered in blood and can’t remember anything that happened the night before. Lucy put all this behind her and moved to LA, but when a true crime podcaster chooses to investigate this case, Lucy is forced to return to Plumpton to try and solve her friend’s murder.

I loveeee books that have a mixed media element to them and the true crime podcast in this one was on point! I switched between audio and physical copy but the audiobook really brought this story to life!

Pick this one up if you enjoy:
🎙️True crime podcasts
🏘️Small town setting
🤔Amnesia trope
⏳Dual timelines

The short chapters, mixed media elements, and story had me hooked and the twist at the end shook me!! This would be a perfect binge read. I devoured this one and think it will be a hit when it’s released on March 5th!!

*Advance copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book. THIS. BOOK.

Amazing- my top read of the year, and I can’t imagine it will be typed even with 11 months to go.

Lucy returns home to Plumpton, Texas, a town she fled when everyone decided she murdered her best friend Savannah. Everyone wants to know what happened that night, including Lucy herself who supposedly suffered traumatic amnesia during the incident led to Savannah’s death. But with a podcaster in town investigating the case, Lucy quickly gets pulled into finding out what happened- whatever the cost. She revisits her past mistakes, including high school friends and ex-husbands, and tries to piece together what happened the night her best friend died, all while a podcast reveals town secrets that have been hidden for ten years.

There were so many pieces of this book that I loved. Lucy was a sharp tongued, sarcastic main character that was real - and potentially a murderer. The use of the podcast to tell parts of the story helped to quickly build background without needing to track too many characters (and who doesn’t love a true crime podcast?). And the undercurrent commentary on what it means to be a woman was amazingly done. Just because someone is unlikeable and doesn’t conform, does that make them a murderer? What if it was a man doing the exact same thing? Readers will be left to think about these questions- and how much the truth matters- long after they’re done with this book.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
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Horray for my first 5 star read for the year 2024. This was one addicting read and I loved every single second of it. This story was just fun.
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Listen for the lie is told in first person through Lucy. Lucy goes from being a fellow victim after being found wandering along a road with a head injury after her friend Savvy was murdered to being considered the killer of Savvy. Throughout the story Lucy is an unreliable narrator as she tends to hear voices throughout the story telling her to “Kill”; not to mention that traumatic brain injury that has left her with amnesia of that night. I loved her character, I thought that she was so funny and snarky and her sarcasm was on point. I loved her grandmother, I thought she was just such a “tell it how it is” woman. I just wanted to be their friend. Once Lucy decides to face her past, that’s when things begin to get super interesting.
Lucys chapters are alternated with Ben Owens’ podcast “Listen For The Lie”. On audio, these podcast episodes are so well created that you actually feel like you are listening to a podcast. It was such a great touch to the audiobook.
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I found this story to be completely enthralling. It was funny, suspenseful, mysterious and will have you guessing until the end. The ending was wrapped up perfectly and gives you the answer to all of your questions. The chapters are short and the entire book is fast paced. I loved how I was giggling one second, attempting to figure out this mystery the next. This story was so captivating that I finished this book in one day. This is a very easy bingeable read.
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I listened to this one via audiobook and read along on my kindle and let me just say January Lavoy (one of my all time favorite narrators) and Will Damron were absolutely brilliant. They compliment one another perfectly in this story. Highly, highly, highly recommending this audiobook if you are planning to read this story!
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Huge thank you to NetGalley, Amy Tintera, Macmillan Audio, and Celadon Books for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review. Listen For The Lie will be releasing on 3/5, be sure to check this one out!
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FIVE. STARS.

You need to read this book! Pub date 3.5.24 , thank you Celadon and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

This book is a comedic mystery/podcast/whodunnit with all the dark humor and wit you could possibly ask for.

We are in Lucy’s POV, five years after her best friend Savvy was murdered. Everyone in her small town in Texas blames her because she was found wandering around with Savvy’s blood all over her dress. But Lucy has amnesia and literally can’t remember the night.

Ben is the host of a podcast called Listen for the Lie, and he spends some time in Lucy’s town interviewing her friends and family trying to help solve the case.

This book introduces a lot of people, but it was written so well that not once did I get confused at who was who. Lucy’s personality was unhinged, and I loved hearing her thoughts, multiple times I was cracking up. I was so invested in the story, I didn’t want it to end!! I will absolutely recommend this book to all my thriller friends.

Quote from literally the first page. “It’s an apology chicken, for my boyfriend. It’s like that engagement chicken. The one women make to persuade their boyfriends to propose? Except this is a ‘sorry I didn’t tell you I’m the prime suspect in my friend’s murder’ chicken. Apology chicken, for short.”

I would recommend for fans of The Night Swim & None Of This Is True.

Read if you love:
-podcast transcripts
-dark humor/wit
-amnesia pov
-small town unsolved murder

While I do think the true crime podcast genre is a bit overdone recently, Listen for the Lie brings a fresh novel to the scene. I was engaged in the story from the beginning. Lucy was found covered in dirt and her best friend’s blood, but can’t remember what happened that night. Many people in the small town, including some of her own family members think she was the one who killed her friend. When podcaster Ben arrives in town he seems to be the only one who believes there may have been someone else who committed the crime.

I enjoyed the layout of this book where we hear from Lucy’s point of view and sprinkled between is a new podcast interview. Each podcast reveals new details and secrets from multiple perspectives. The story moves along quickly and there are a TON of secrets, scandals, and gossip throughout. I loved the relationship with Lucy and her grandmother. I also enjoyed the chemistry between Lucy and Ben. The ending is shocking and not predictable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for a digital ARC.

Lucy was found wandering the streets of her small town, Plumton, TX. She was covered in the blood of her best friend, Savvy (Savannah). Lucy has no recollection of the events that transpired that night. She is never arrested or charged or convicted of murder – officially – but the people in her life and in her town have already been the Judge and jury. Until one day, Ben Owens, the true crime podcaster of Listen For The Lie, decides to take this case on and see what he can dig up.

Fantastic narration by January LaVoy and Will Damron. The chapters alternate between Lucy’s perspective and the podcast. I am not a huge fan of audio books, but I wouldn’t change a thing for this one. It was brilliant. The characters grow and a classic whodunnit unfolds. You will love Lucy’s grandma – because anyone who drinks before noon and knows a good looking man when she sees one has to be a favorite.

This is my first Amy Tintera book and it will not be my last.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio

As a true crime podcast aficionado, this was right up my alley. I love a mixed media format of storytelling and this one kept me guessing until the very end.

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐

This book was a super fun whodunnit to read! When first reading the synopsis, I had hopes that this book would be like AGGGTM, and it did not disappoint! The vibes were there, and this book is an easy read with short chapters to keep the reader engaged!

We have Lucy Chase, who resides in LA to start a new life after her best friend Savvy was murdered 5 years ago in Plumpton, TX. When Lucy was found wandering alone with no memory of what happened that night, everyone suspected that she was the one who killed her best friend. Lucy’s life is upturned again as true crime podcaster Ben Owens decides to investigate Savvy’s murder. Now back in Plumpton, TX where everything started, Lucy will have to decided if she’s going to work with Ben to help uncover the truth—even if she is the one who actually did it.

I really enjoyed Lucy’s character throughout this book. Despite everything that has happened to her, Lucy has a dark humor that makes this book comedic and enjoyable to read. Throughout this book, she also has intrusive murderous thoughts which I found okay as part of her character. The podcast scenes where Ben interviewed people from the town was really interesting, and I enjoyed all the side characters in this book. It really made this book suspenseful when it came down to what really happened to Savvy that night she was killed. I absolutely loved how everything was revealed and wrapped up at the end of this book. This book had me hooked from start to finish!

Thank you to Celadon Books, Amy Tintera, and netgalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was un-put-down-able for me! What a fun spin on the usual thrillers out there! Gave me major true crime podcast vibes and it is sure to be a bestseller! Mark your calendars for March - you'll want to read this one!

5 years ago Lucy was found wandering down the road covered in her best friend Savvy's blood. She went from potential victim to murder suspect instantly. But Lucy can't remember anything from that night. So when the police don't have enough evidence to arrest Lucy she leaves for California to escape her small town where everyone deems her a murderer. When her grandmother insists she comes home for her birthday party Lucy runs into Ben Owens, the podcast host of Listen For The Lie. In Ben's most recent season he is investigating the murder of Savvy and bringing new light to the case. Hoping to find out what really happened that night and catch the killer, even if it does turn out to be Lucy, she agrees to help Ben and give him her first interview since the murder.

This is so twisty and fas paced! It switches between Lucky's point of view and Bens podcast where we read his transcripts with those in town. Every time I thought I had it figured out I was wrong. Only giving this 4 stars instead of 5 cause I thought the romance aspect was not necessary and made things a little weird. Overall I highly suggest this book!

WOW, what a rollercoaster of a ride. Following Lucy’s journey to go back and remember the night where her best friend died is intense. Fast paced and truly revealing!

Mind blown on this amazing suspense!
What if your best friend was murdered and everyone thinks you did it? Lucy takes this in stride and even with humor. This is a thriller/suspense that you don’t want to miss. Again, mind blown on this story and the ending!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for an ARC of Listen For The Lie. Based on the synopsis, I had high expectations for this debut thriller; unfortunately, I was disappointed.

The language ruined this for me. It was awkward and displaced; it seemed out of genre. Is this a thriller or stand-up comedy? The book can’t be on two shelves. It’s either a thriller or it’s a comedy. The author seemed confused.

It also seems that the author is unaware of how to create relatability for her readers. I can assure you that barely any of us have ever cooked an apology chicken, and those of us who have do not do if often enough to claim relatability to the number of times an “apology chicken” is mentioned in this novel. The general concept of apologetic balance in a relationship is relatable (i.e., I spent too much money so I’m picking up chipotle for my boyfriend before he notices the bank account), just not in the form in an apology chicken.

I so enjoyed this book! The main character is so funny and such a delight! I would have been on her side even if she murdered all the other characters in the book, and believe me, some were annoying enough to deserve it. The plot was interesting, and the twists and turns all unpredictable. This is one of those books you are sad when you finish. Honestly, this is one of the best books I have read in a really long time. I absolutely loved it!