I don't listen to podcasts. I don't typically like them. This book though, this book was everything. Twisty turns and a fabulous who done it. I laughed and I wondered. I would recommend this book to anybody who needs a pallet cleanser from the cookie cutter books that come out, seems like everyday. Grab this one, read it with a friend. You're going to enjoy it

5.00 stars
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TW: Domestic abuse, Blood, Murder, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism
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Five years ago, Savannah's (Savvy) body was found in the woods with her skull caved in after a wedding she attended. That same night her best friend Lucy was found walking around with Savvy's blood covering her dress. The town immediately begins to speculate and assume that Lucy killed her best friend, although no proof, and Lucy can't remember the night all charges are dropped. Although not charged, the town is convinced that Lucy killed her best friend and is faking not remembering the entire evening.

Present time - Ben Owens a smug true-crime podcaster decides to take on the Lucy Chase case and get to the bottom of what truly happened that evening. I loved the multi-media format, each chapter is broken up with a segment (interview) from the podcast and it was interesting getting to see our characters react to the drama as it unfolds. The podcast is aimed at revealing the truth about Savvy's death but reveals some well-kept secrets along the way. Lucy is such a badass character, she's witty and snarky and has the most amazing banter with Ben.

Lucy decides to team up with Ben (with the help of her grandmother) and give him the interview that everyone's been waiting for. Going in, I was certain that Lucy had done it as nothing else made sense to me but the ending shocked me. It came out of nowhere and secures the whole small-town vibe this novel has.
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I would like to thank NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Amy Tintera for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book will publish on March 5th 2024.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Pub date: March 5, 2024
LOVED!

This is one of those stories that I was obsessed with! I went back and forth in my accusatory mind blaming every character for the death of Savvy.
Is it Lucy, her bestie who came back bloodied and amnesiac? Or someone else who didn’t like Savvy, the towns professed sweetheart that everyone loved. Well, clearly, not everyone ….

When true crime podcaster, Ben Owens, host of Listen for the Lie, decides to focus his second season on the cold case that is the death of Savvy, it opens up a whole can of worms in a lot of people’s lives, most of all, that of the prime suspect, Lucy.

Lucy’s now living in somewhat anonymity in LA, far away from the glares and accusations of the locals who think she murdered her best friend in cold blood and then got away with it.

Coming home for her spicy grandma’s 80th birthday party coincides with the podcast, Lucy decides to use this opportunity to solve Savvy’s murder, even if it means she’s the guilty one.

I loved the way this story was told; in turns by Lucy and then by others, through Ben’s podcast.

Lucy is one of the most flawed characters but she never pretends to be anything else – she is blunt, bitchy, and unapologetic. Ben, handsome and fearless, has no problem delving in to people’s lives but with his irresistible charm, he manages to get secrets out of even the tightest of lips.

I can’t recommend this one enough!

I partnered this with the audio narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron, I can’t say enough about what a wonderful listening experience this was. The snark, the banter, the inner thoughts of Lucy – amazing!

Highly recommend this one!

My thanks, again, to @CeladonBooks for this gifted copy!

Listen for the Lie. I enjoyed this dark, thrilling comedy so much! The narrator was funny, witty and likable.

Lucy returns back home to where everyone is convinced she is a murderer. The problem is she can’t remember a detail from the night her best friend was killed. Reluctantly, Lucy agrees to an interview with podcaster, Ben. Soon she find herself remembering more of that night and the truth isn’t what you expect!

#Unputdownable!
Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC!

They say that you can never really go home again.

Lucy wants to undo the undone.

It's a slippery slope to mount to the top when everyone, including friends and family, think that you are guilty. Lucy still has no memory of what occured the night that her best friend, Savvy, was murdered five years ago. Lucy was found with a head injury and Savvy's blood on her clothing. But there was no definitive evidence or witnesses to justify an arrest of Lucy that night. Nevertheless, Lucy has been judged, tried, and convicted by the small town of Plumpton, Texas. A done deal.

Lucy escaped the impact of that night by moving to L.A. in a heartbeat. She chose to live among strangers. But a call comes in from her grandmother who wants Lucy to return to celebrate her 80th birthday. Wedged into a corner by a deadend boyfriend, Lucy decides to return. And the threads begin to unravel once again.

This time we've got a different vibe permeating into this storyline. Ben Owen, a true crime podcaster, is hot on Lucy's trail. He's set up his base in a local Plumpton hotel room interviewing individuals associated with Lucy. He and his listeners want to zero in on exactly what happened that night. The grand prize would be Lucy herself.

Amy Tintera has done what few authors do. We're allowed inside of Lucy's persona. It's not just hearsay from other unreliable characters. Lucy is packed with wit and humorous comebacks. She's got "murderous" thoughts floating around inside of her. Does that make the girl a real murderer? Maybe yes and maybe no. The addition of her 80 year old feisty grandmother adds a bit of relief as a pressure valve. Ben's investigation is tangling up some individuals to a sticky web. Will he help or will he uncover more damning evidence? Stay tuned. A gripping read with some crazy happenings.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Celadon Books and to Amy Tintera for the opportunity.

Listen for the lie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Publication date: March 5, 2024

Lucy can’t get out of her hometown fast enough after she’s accused of murdering her best friend. Did she do it? Here’s the problem, Lucy doesn’t know either. She woke up covered in blood and has amnesia around the entire night. Five years later, after being persuaded to come back to her hometown for her grandmothers birthday she is pulled right back into the mystery surrounding her best friend Savvy’s death. Enter Ben Owens, the dreamy host of a hit true crime podcast, to help and solve the mystery, but whose side is he really on?

I really enjoyed this book. I even laughed out loud. Lucy isn’t exactly everyone’s cup of tea but she is sarcastically funny and is coping through the dark of the darkest humor. Her grandmother is phenomenal. She’s hilarious, brash and really living out loud. These characters have rich and endearing qualities. This is a modern whodunnit that really is gripping and thrilling. There are twists and turns that I did not anticipate.

I love gossip and scandal and this small town is ripe with it. There’s cheating across the board, and lots of lies and secrets. More than one person seemingly has a motive, but Savvy was the sweetest girl you ever met. Really, was she?

For me, Lucy’s character has redeemable qualities but she isn’t the protagonist oozing with charm that we are all rooting for. It’s more like, for better or worse you just want to find out the truth with her. The truth being, whether she murdered her best friend Savvy.

I recommend this book for the proper mystery, gripping, dark and funny.

This book is an amazing layered piece of literature that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. Amy Tintera does an outstanding job of building up the suspense, while letting the reader in on little secrets and lies along the way, captivating the audience. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a well crafted story with memorable characters.

I was in a book slump but I have been reading this since I was approved with little to no sleep. This is such an interesting and amazing way to use my favorite style of writing- epistolary and I want more as soon as possible. Lucy the main character is hysterical and possibly just insane and I love her. The mystery is so twisty that I don’t have words for whodunnit except just whoa. I’m so grateful to have gotten to read this but now back to the book slump because how do you move on from this AWESOMENESS
TL/DR THIS BOOK ROCKS READ IT IMMEDIATELY

I swore off podcast stories because I read so many of them the last couple of years. That is, until I read the synopsis of LISTEN FOR THE LIE and made an exception because it sounded so good. And let me tell you… this story, IT WAS SO GOOD! Definitely a top read so far this year.

Do you enjoy a sarcastic, funny and incredibly unreliable narrator? Do you enjoy small town muuurder? Do you like donning your detective cap and dare I say… listening for the lie? Well, say no more. This book has it all, including a laundry list of suspects, adults behaving badly, and a grandma who needs her own spin-off. Go Beverly! My grandmother’s name is also Beverly, but she’s not nearly as naughty as this one!

This story is fun, fast paced, and will keep you flipping those short chapters in the late hours because you cannot put it down. Go buy a copy, read it within a day (like me) and let’s discuss that ending.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera.

This was my first book by Amy Tintera and I loved her writing style. This storyline consist of a podcast and this my 4th book with the same kind of storyline and let’s just say this is my favorite type of book to read and I hope more authors write podcast thriller books. I really like the main character Lucy and the sarcasm she had. Not many books make me smile but her character had me smiling. I did not guess the ending at all, very well written. Highly recommend.

This book sucked me in right from the beginning and I binged it all in one session, you will not be able to put it down! I found the concept itself very intriguing, Lucy lost her memory of the night her best friend Savvy was murdered, the cops never solved the crime but the whole world has decided that she is guilty. Five years later she returns to her small town and ends up participating in a true crime podcast that is being conducted about her case.

I was kept guessing the entire way through this book, I had so many theories running through my head and I love how we learned information as the reader the same time Lucy was learning it as well. I found it hilarious at times, Lucy's dry, dark humour was a perfect counter balance to the violent murder that was being discussed.

I loved the writing style, varying between a narrative from Lucy's POV and the podcast episodes, for anyone who is a fan of true crime style documentaries or podcasts, this book is right up your alley!

This was a really great mystery/thriller that kept me guessing until the end! I was convinced it was one person, so for me, it had a shocking twist at the end. I don't know if everyone will feel that way though. I do wish there had been more flashbacks to the events leading up to the wedding. I think that would have made me invested in the characters just a tiny bit more, but I did really enjoy this one! I highly recommend the audiobook!

I'd been seeing this one all over Instagram and it lives up to the hype! Unreliable narrators, a multitude of secrets and lies and everyone is a suspect. I'll admit, I kind of saw the twist coming by the end, but that didn't detract from the overall storytelling. What a great fun read!

So freakin’ entertaining! I read this book in one day because I could not put it down. I love mysteries that incorporate podcasts, and I have to say this one did it brilliantly. The podcast seemed legitimate. This book also stands out for being darkly hilarious. The main character, Lucy (who I love), has tons of snark. She literally made me laugh out loud numerous times. I highly recommend this one.

4.5 stars.

Lucy and Savvy were best friends. Savvy is viscously murdered after leaving a friend’s wedding. Everyone thinks Lucy done it because she was found covered in blood with a head wound. Years later podcaster Ben Owens comes to Plumpton, Texas to investigate the case. Lucy has no memory of the incident because of her head injury but she wants to help solve the case whether she done it or not.
This was an excellent read. I especially loved Lucy’s character. She was so funny with her dark sense of humor. She kind of reminded me of Joe Goldberg in You.
Thanks NetGalley and Celadon Books for this eARC that will be released March 5, 2024!

5 super big stars for this book! I knew I was going to love it from the very first line “A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I’m buying a chicken.” 🤣🤣🤣 What I love so much is that this thriller has a real main character, I mean real in the sense that she reacts to life in a way that I can see so many people doing if they were accused of murdering their best friend. She is angry, sarcastic, and I might add HILARIOUS! I love Savvy, her best friend she is accused of murdering, but who still appears to her abs speaks as if she were still alive, and I love 80 year old Grandma Beverly, the only living person who seems to be on Team Lucy! The story comes together at just the right pace, not rushed or dragging along, and the ending, it makes sense! Not something you always see in thrillers! This was about as perfect as you can get for me! Thank you so much to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for the privilege of the arc. This was as good as an apology chicken! Read it, and you too will appreciate the chicken so much more than you did before reading!

WOW. I can’t seem to understand how this is the authors adult debut. I literally read this in less than a full day. This was extremely well written, completely addicting and had a great twist. The story was told from one point of view (Lucy) along with some podcast transcripts as well which I really enjoyed. I loved the main character and I loved how I kept thinking I knew what happened only for the rug to be pulled out from under me lol

INCREDIBLE book! I’m only sorry I read it so fast and it’s over now 🤭

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and Celadon Books for this amazing ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this one.

A chick is suspected by everyone (including a podcast) of having murdered her friend a few years ago. She can’t remember the events of that night, but the podcast prompts her to start piecing things together.

I can’t even say that I cared about the whodunit part, but I liked how it was written. It was a good ride. It’s told with a great (dark-black) sense of humor.

Thank you Celadon Books for inviting me to read and review Listen for the Lie! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Listen for the Lie is Amy Tintera's debut adult novel, and it's phenomenal. I went into the story blind. I saw Amy Tintera's name on the cover and I instantly wanted to read it. What can I say? I'm a huge fan of her other books so of course I was going to do a trust fall. With mysteries, I don't like to know too much about the story before reading them and, honestly, I'm so glad I continued the tradition with this one.

I was not expecting to laugh and smirk as much as I did. Lucy's sarcasm is on par with my own so I felt like I could relate to her and understand her thought process as the whodunnit mystery unraveled. All the characters are flawed and so well-developed. My favorite being Lucy's grandmother, who reminded me of my own. The plot twists were unpredictable and Tintera's storytelling kept me from answering phones at work. Listen for the Lie captured my attention and wouldn't let me go especially when I sat on my couch and didn't move for a good few hours. I forgot to make dinner last night, my cats were neglected, and my husband stood at the bottom of the stairs staring at me for a good five minutes before I finally acknowledged him.

I highly recommend pre-ordering Listen for the Lie if you love A Good Girl's Guide for Murder (or any of Holly Jackson's books), podcasts, Truly Devious series, and Courtney Summers.

This book was phenomenal to me. I absolutely loved the protagonist, Lucy. She was smart, sarcastic, fierce, and an all around badass. I don’t want to give anything away, but the pacing, character development, and twists in this book were some of the best I’ve read in a while, I highly recommend this book and I’m looking forward to reading more from Amy Tintera.