5 glorious stars! This book was my first 5 star thriller of 2024. The audiobook was perfection, he podcast element was done well. The pacing of how the mystery unfolded was impressive. This one will stick with me for a long while. I was very connected to Lucy and Sav. Loved their friendship! The grandmother was another stand out character for me. The unfolding of the plot was so well thought out. Very impressive. Highly recommend this one! Such an enjoyable reading experience. I can't wait to pick up more by Amy Tintera!

I loved this book, I loved the tongue in cheek humorous banter between Lucy, a suspected murderer suffering from memory loss after the violent death of her besty, Savvy, and Ben, a true crime investigative podcaster.

The notorious Lucy left small time Texas for L.A. where she enjoyed anonymity until “outed” by Ben in his latest, Listen for the Lie, podcast series, in which he intends to prove (or disprove) Lucy’s role in the murder. Lucy soon finds herself out of a job and out of her current relationship as a result. She is once again, a pariah in the community. So, why not accept her beloved quirky grandmother (QG)’s invitation to return home for the latter’s 80th birthday bash? As it turns out QG’s birthday bash is a ruse to get Lucy back to her home-town so that she can face her demons and be interviewed by Ben – something she had successfully avoided until then.

Of course, there is much delectable gossip to be gleaned from the podcast interviews, not to mention hot sex and abandoned professional ethics.

I can’t say that I didn’t guess early on who murdered Savvy (Lucy or other character), but the path leading up to the discovery was entertaining.

I found the understated male violence and manipulative domestic abuse in the novel, disturbing. I believed this not to be the main thrust of the book but rather served to cast suspicion on some of the characters. With the exception of Savvy, many of the characters, if not complicit, were complacent in their knowledge of what was going on. Some had even experienced the same abuse by the same characters in the past, yet seemed to take the abuse of themselves and others in their stride. A claustrophobic small town atmosphere prevailed and a seemingly incestuous pool of relationships between the characters, with most of the characters having remained or returned home after school/work related absences.

Altogether, this was a very entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books/Macmillan for an ARC of the novel in exchange for my honest review. I Loved It. This is apparently the author’s first novel for adult audiences. I will be looking for some of her earlier YA novels, because I loved her writing style and characters. By the time I had the opportunity to read this book, it had published so I not only enjoyed the printed version but also the audio, switching between the two. The audio narration was excellent as well as the printed version.

What an absolutely fantastic thriller, with all the humor and amazing characters! I love me a good podcast thriller book, but so many try so so hard and it feels too forced. But this one, ahhh it was perfection. I found myself laughing, staring into oblivion wondering, and just straight up loving everything.

thank you to netgalley for a free arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
first off, i love the title of this book! second, i enjoyed this! twisty, surprisingly funny, fast paced this was a fun read. i loved the interview/podcast format and since everyone is super into true crime and murder docs/podcasts this book is hitting at the perfect time

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read Listen for the Lie. This was a big miss for me. I liked the beginning and the idea of the unreliable narrator Lucy finding out who killed Savvy, but about the half way mark I was over it. The only character that I loved was the grandmother.

I loved this mystery murder of two friends, Lucy and Savannah (aka. Savvy). Savvy's "life" is short lived in the book since she's murdered and Lucy is the main suspect. Five years have gone by, and Lucy is still trying to figure out whether or not she killed her good friend because she can't remember. And the only one who doesn't think she murdered Savvy is her grandmother, Beverly.

Alternating chapters between <i>Lucy</i> and a podcast with numerous interviews of people that knew either Savvy, Lucy, or both, kept me guessing all along. I didn't know whodunit until the end, and I loved that. There were twists along the way and various characters' interviews that got my wheels turning, wondering if they might have done it. But in the end I didn't guess it. I thought this one was well worth the read!

Incredibly compelling book! Once I got started I found it hard to put down. This is a read that Lives up to the hype

this book was an interesting one. It was told party by podcast and then present day. Although I love this author, I did feel like it didn’t hit the fast pace until the end. It was a good story, but one that took me a bit to read. Will I recommend? Yes, however I was excepting a faster paced read

We are so back! I needed a real deal one-sitting thriller so badly, and this one totally delivered. This follows Lucy, a woman pulled back into her hometown and her past when a true crime podcast chooses the murder of her best friend as the subject of his next series. And Lucy just happens to be the one everyone believes did it. She claims to not remember anything from the night of her best friend’s murder but being dragged back home might start bringing up memories she prefer remain hidden. I really had a good time with this book. It’s a fun, fast murder mystery with really good pacing and an interesting cast of characters. I’ve historically liked novels with podcasting as part of the plot, and this was no exception. So if you enjoy that kind of plot device, then this will also be so up your alley. I needed something to drag me out of my reading slump and this did it!

This review will post on my Instagram- @boozehoundbookclub

This was a classic mystery trope where the MC has suffered from amnesia after a murder and everyone thinks she did it, but no one really knows. In this case, the MC returns to her small Texas hometown for her grandma's birthday only to discover that the podcaster who is out to get the truth about the unsolved five-year-old murder is in town conducting interviews. They meet. They talk. They investigate. They discover.

Thank you for the advanced readers copy of the title Listen for the Lie. I loved this book, it was very easy2 to get into and I loved the podcast style audio. I 10/10 recommend this book to get anyone out of a reading slump. This was a twisty thriller with a good portion of dark comedy, which is my favorite type of commentary. Can't wait to read more from this author in the future

This story was full of amazing twists, turns, lies and deceit. I loved every moment of Lucy with her quick wit and sarcastic replies. Her internal monologue was fascinating to read as she peeled back the layers of what really happened that night Savvy died. I did find this to have a lot of character development and at times it was hard to remember who was who but overall a great thriller!

a podcast thriller IMMEDIATELY grabs my attention and I am happy to report I LOVED this one. the perfect amount of suspense and it kept me guessing until the end.

I saw a lot of readers praising this book, so I knew I had to dive in.
"Listen for the Lie" is a compelling psychological thriller full of twists and turns that will make it impossible for the reader to put it down.

☁️ True Crime podcasts are so popular nowadays, and while this was not my first thriller surrounding podcasts...
☁️ I usually don't like thrillers that have a little of romance, but in this case, I enjoyed it and actually found myself craving it.
☁️ The main character, Lucy, was unlikeable at first and has an acid humor, but as the story progresses you slowly warm up to her. She has a unique and authentic personality and speech.
☁️ I do feel like some elements of the story were ignored or not further explored.
☁️ The story took a totally different turn than the one I was expecting when I started to read it. Which honestly was very welcoming and stunned me.
☁️ When I first started it, I thought the ending would be predictable, but it has a lot of twists and I did not expect the resolution.
☁️ The pacing was just right for me.

I was really invested in this story and I could not stop reading!

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of “Listen for the Lie” through Netgalley!

Five years ago, Lucy is found wandering the streets covered in her best friend, Savvy's, blood. When Savvy is found dead, everyone assumes that Lucy killed her. The girls were best friends. Lucy was married to her dream guy, living in a gorgeous house. Savvy was a social butterfly, bubbly and enjoying life. Without enough evidence, Lucy was never charged with Savvy's murder. She leaves town and moves to L.A.

Fast forward to the present. Lucy still cannot remember a single thing from the night Savvy died. She has divorced her husband. She is trying her best to live her life but is still troubled by her past. Lucy returns to her hometown for her elderly grandmother's birthday celebration. There, she meets podcaster, Ben, who is doing a true crime podcast on Savvy's murder. Eventually, Lucy decides to work with Ben. She is determined to figure out what happened to Savvy, even if she is the one who killed her.

WOW. This was a crazy read! So many twists and turns. A great example of a "whodunit" done right. Every time I was convicted "whodunit" something happened that changed my mind and I was on to a new suspect.

I also LOVED our main character, Lucy. Her dark humour and sarcasm was amazing - I was actually laughing at some parts. Lucy's sarcasm added some lightness to this otherwise dark and twisted novel. I also enjoyed that the chapters were intermixed with transcripts from the podcast. Sometimes, this does not work in novels. However, in this book, the transcripts were essential to the plot. They were quick to read and added in some nice mixed media..

This was my first read from Amy Tintera. I really enjoyed her writing style. I cannot wait to read more from her!

If you are looking for a gripping suspense novel and unputdownable read, then this is for you! Cannot go wrong with a true crime podcast and sarcastic main character! The extremely high rating for this book is well warranted!

Thank you Celadon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

HOLY COW, this book in audio is freaking phenomenal.


Who doesn’t love a true crime podcast? Well, I think one person would be Lucy, who is the subject of Ben Owens’ hugely popular podcast, Listen for the Lie’s second season. Lucy has tried to leave her small town Texas life behind after the gruesome murder of her best friend, Savvy. No one has ever been convicted of Savy’s murder, and the whole town suspects that Lucy was the one who killed her best friend. After all, she was found walking the streets covered in Savy’s blood and she can’t remember the events of the night – at all. As the podcast unfolds, and to everyone’s surprise, Lucy agrees to work with Ben to find Savy’s killer, everyone’s secrets in Plumpton are fair game. This one is juicy, fast-paced, and extremely well written. I loved every minute.

January LaVoy and Will Damron were perfectly cast for this audiobook (I loved the intro music for the podcast chapters – so clever!) and I look forward to reading all of Amy Tintera’s novels in the future. Five big stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC of Listen for the Lie in exchange for my honest review. This one was so fun!

Listen for the Lie tells the story of a woman who may (or may not) have murdered her best friend 5 years ago. Lucy doesn't really remember and says herself many times that "The truth doesn't matter". But when a hit podcast picks up the cold case for the show's next season (and upends her life) she might find out that the truth does in fact matter to some people...maybe even including herself.

These are the types of thrillers I love. Unputdownable (is that a word?) from the very first page showcasing a main character that I immediately loved. Lucy is indeed flawed, but her dry, sarcastic humor was second to none and I found myself laughing out loud multiple times at her perfect, snarky quips. The plot was thrilling and held my attention with it's alternating short chapters and podcast scripts. As someone who lives in the South, I also enjoyed the bits of humor specific to our area of the country. (I can confirm that the humidity in August does indeed make it "feel like Satan's asshole out here".)

But I digress, this one was an easy win for me and I will be without a doubt waiting for any future adult novels Tintera puts out in the future. (Hopefully soon!)

4 1/2 ⭐️

I'm always excited about the idea of a thriller where a podcast plays a significant role. It often doesn't work, usually because the author doesn't take advantage of the podcast to help figure out the mystery.
It's so good here! Lucy doesn't even know if she committed a murder, and she's getting way too close to the podcaster. This also works really well because I liked Lucy, her grandma, and the podcaster. There were other characters I liked and a few I enjoyed disliking. The twists were fun and well-timed. I enjoyed this so much I think I'm going to go on a thriller binge.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I’ve seen a lot of podcast thriller books coming up over the last couple of years. When they are done well it really works and helps with the story. In this book it worked really well.

I liked that the book was from Lucy’s POV and didn’t jump around. She was an unreliable narrator and I think that her story was teased out well with pacing. Lucy was a ‘take no shit’ kinda girl and I loved her for it.

I instantly liked Ben and knew that they would end up sleeping together. Even though Lucy knew it was a dumb idea.

At times I got a little bored with the “let’s kill them” bit in her head. But it worked for this book and brought in an edge of much needed humour. I think it added to the story and allowed for some comedic relief.

If you want a well paced, podcast based thriller be sure to add this to your tbr.

EARC provided by Celadon Books.

This fast-paced and compelling story kept me on the edge of my seat! Twenty-something Lucy is the subject of a true crime podcast where she is the suspected killer of her best friend. The murder happened five years ago and afterwards Lucy is found wandering with blood on her clothes, but no memory of what happened. She is convinced by her grandmother to return to the scene of the crime and work with the podcaster to figure out who did the murder, even if it turns out to be her. The book alternates between podcast transcripts and Lucy's dry and witty point of view as she returns to her hometown and eventually pieces together what happened. An outstanding book!