There is a proliferation of crime novels told by narration and podcasts out there. This is one that works really well. A self deprecating maybe murderer is going back to the scene of the crime (but was it hers) for her grandmothers birthday party. Also arriving is a cutie pie in the form of the host of said podcast who wants to finally get to the bottom of whether or not she killed her best friend. Moves quickly, gets stuck two thirds through but finishes with a flourish!

I was hooked into this book right from the very beginning! I loved that it flipped from Lucy’s perspective to podcast transcripts. The formats were both super interesting to follow, and I loved that I couldn’t really figure out what was going on until the climax happened. I also enjoyed how upfront Lucy was about being a bad innocent person. That brought up a lot of commentary about how society treats people (and women in particular) who have gone through something tragic and people aren’t sure what to believe but they’re desperate for some kind of answers.

This book is beloved by thriller lovers for a reason: It is fast paced with short chapters that hook you in from the start. As a general rule, I really do not like books that use a pod cast troupe, but for some reasons this one did not bother me. The podcaster, Ben Owens, is in town to dig into the cold case murder of Savvy - a high school girl who was loved by all. Her best friend Lucy was found wandering the Main Street in a daze with blood on her hands. The police never had enough to charge Lucy, but the townspeople think that she was the one who did it. I enjoyed it but had to talk with others about the ending.

What if everybody thought you murdered your best friend?

What if you didn’t know if that was true or not because you couldn’t remember?

five years ago, Lucy was found, stumbling along the highway with a head injury, and not remembering what happened

And her best friend is behind her dead

Why wouldn’t everyone th think she had done it, and she had no way to know, or to prove that she did not do it.

I really enjoyed this read I’d highly recommend it

A true crime podcast and a great story all in one… reading this was a no brainer! It was such a fun read, and I would imagine the audio book version might be even better. As a true crime podcast lover, this was such a fun crossover. It kept you guessing until the end, the main character was snarky, and a meddling grandma thrown in - so good! But, why wasn’t it a 5 star? Some parts were a little unbelievable and I felt like the ending was rushed. While most thrillers tend to “speed up” in the end, I didn’t think it flowed with the rest of the book. If you don’t normally read thrillers, this would be a good one to start with. All in all, great read, and would definitely cause some good book club discussions!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for sending an eARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Lucy has returned to her hometown under the guise of celebrating her grandmother’s birthday, but it’s not an ordinary homecoming. Five years ago Lucy was found stumbling down the road covered in her best friend’s blood, and her best friend was found dead in the woods. She has no memory of what happened.

The book follows Lucy as she realizes her mystery has become the main subject of a popular podcast, Listen for the Lie. She ends up meeting Ben, the podcast host, and finds herself caught in a web of history before she realizes it.

While I like books with unreliable narrators, I’m not always a fan of the type of twist that comes along with them. This was gripping and a quick read but I’m torn on the way it wrapped up.

This reivew is posted on Goodreads and Storygraph.

In the gripping tale of Listen for the Lie, Lucy finds herself at the heart of a mystery that could unravel her entire existence. Once the darling duo of their Texas hometown, Lucy and her best friend Savvy’s lives take a dark turn when Lucy is discovered covered in Savvy’s blood. Branded a murderer by all, Lucy flees to Los Angeles, leaving behind a shattered past. But five years later, a tantalizing true crime podcast, hosted by the undeniably attractive but smug Ben Owens, thrusts Lucy back into the spotlight as they delve into Savvy’s murder. With the truth lurking in the shadows, Lucy must confront her past and unearth the secrets she buried, even if it means facing the terrifying possibility that she may have killed her own best friend. In a whirlwind of suspense and betrayal, Listen for the Lie promises a riveting journey into the depths of guilt and deception, where the answers may lie just beneath the surface, waiting to be uncovered.

I absolutely devoured this book! I loved Lucy’s sarcasm and really appreciated seeing the story unfold from her point of view. I can’t even imagine what she was going through losing the memory of *that* night and it was eye opening to see how everything happened from her perspective. I adored Lucy’s grandmother throughout the entire book and loved the role she played in Lucy’s personal growth. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good murder mystery with a little humor and deception thrown in.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of Listen for the Lie in return for my honest review.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
5/5 Stars
Pub Date: March 5, 2024

Five years ago, Savvy and Lucy were best friends living in their small hometown in Texas. They went to a friends wedding and when they left together, Savvy ended the night dead in the woods and Lucy was framed as the murderer. She had terrible memory loss though from a head injury so she can’t remember if she actually did murder Savvy or not. Present day, she is living in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Nathan when a true crime podcaster has started a new series trying to figure out if Lucy is actually the murder of Savvy. Because of this, she ends up losing her job and everyone seems to know who she is again after trying to rewrite her life in a new city. Her grandma ends up telling Lucy to come back home for a birthday party, but in all reality she just wanted Lucy to talk to the podcaster to figure out if she really is the murderer. Will Lucy talk to Ben? Will she confess to what she did? Or does she really not remember? Did someone else murder Savvy?

This book had me invested from page 1. I loved how Tintera made Lucy funny from the start of the book and I think that is what drew me in before solving the mystery even got started. The fact that Lucy always had killing on the brain just made it funny to read about. Once Lucy decided to go back home and we started to hear from other points of view on the podcast, I started really getting interested in the story. My mind was never made up as to who I thought murdered Savvy because there were so many options and reasons as to why it could have been so many people. When that ending came along though and we found out who actually murdered Savvy, I was SHOCKED and didn’t see it coming whatsoever. This was honestly one of the best mysteries I have read in a while.

Thank you to Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC for an honest review! I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more of Amy Tintera’s books!

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Lucy has been suspected of killing her best friend, Savvy, several years ago. There was never enough evidence to charge Lucy, especially because Lucy herself suffered significant head trauma that night and suffers from what some say a very "convenient" case of amnesia related to the events. Lucy's grandmother is throwing herself a birthday party and wants Lucy to come home to celebrate, and oh by the way, the true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie" is investigating Savvy's murder and might be in town. Now Lucy has to face facts and try to figure it out if she really murdered her friend or not!

This was such a fun read! Lucy's sarcasm and the ability to make her family, friends, and neighbors squirm was hilarious. The grandmother also had some great laugh-out-loud scenes! I liked the different media used in writing the book too--the podcast episodes made this a fast, but interesting read. I guessed the ending before it was revealed, but not until it was pretty close to the end, so that was enjoyable as well! I did find the self-sabotaging behavior of MANY of the characters to be a little bit annoying at times and I was confused by the voice in Lucy's head (was that supposed to be part of her brain trauma? A PTSD response? Just an overactive imagination? Why didn't it go away after everything was solved?). But besides those two nit-picky annoyances I really enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend to others--especially all those true crime podcast fans!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

For fans of None of This is True and First Lie Wins

If you are someone who wants to get more into audiobooks, this is a great one to start with. It’s read from the main character’s -Lucy - POV and excerpts from the podcast that is being investigated surrounding Lucy and the accusation she killed her best friend Savvy. It’s interesting from start to finish, and i enjoyed the little romance going on as well. I half listened to this, half read It, and i flew through It. Really enjoyed!

This was a great first adult novel by Amy Tintera. This was super twisted and the characters were all a damn mess. The sarcasm was an A+ and the ending was intense!

I flew through it buuuut...⁣
⁣
Super Brief Summary⁣
What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?⁣
⁣
I have some thoughts. I don't always read full summaries, especially for thrillers so I missed a major plotline that usually makes me not read a book and that is AMNESIA. To me it is a cop out, an easy way to make plot holes that otherwise would not work. So why did I continue? Well, many friends said it was a fun ride AND y'all, the audio was GOOD. It includes a full-fledged podcast and you are listening along with the characters and secrets just keep unfolding making it super propulsive!⁣
⁣
The audio is the only way to go on this one, had I not had it I definitely would have bailed. There was also one completely unnecessary component that I get was used to confuse the reader but it was so excessive that after the ending you think back, "hey, why in the world did *that* have to happen?!" It will spoil the ending for anyone who hasn't read it but if you'd like to know (or you think you know what I'm referring to, feel free to DM me).⁣
⁣
What do you think about books that use amnesia??

I was GLUED to this book! Loved the main character because she was flawed but hilarious. I thought the ending was kind of anti-climactic (like she just remembers what happened one day) but I enjoyed the ride so much it’s still a 5 star for me!

Thank you so much to Celadon for the advance copy of the book!

This book was all over bookstagram and I am so mad at myself for not picking this up sooner!

I love when podcasts/documentaries are incorporated into thrillers. It just adds an extra element and you learn so much about the characters in these moments. The chapters were short and the podcast part really helped keep the book moving.

Obviously I cannot go into too much details my thoughts without spoiling the book but I will say that there were a lot of characters and the timelines to remember. We did get to see some flashback chapters which helped us establish a relationship with the deceased & learning more about Lucy then.

Lucy is our unreliable narrator as she sustained a traumatic injury the night her best friend died which hasn't allowed her to know if she truly killed her friend or not. Lucy has been ostracized by everyone and now a popular podcast is putting the spotlight on her even more. With the help of Ben, the host/found of the podcast they work together to figure out was Lucy truly the murderer or did someone else do it?

"What are you thinking about, when you do that?"
"I'm thinking about killing you."

My favorite relationship in the book was between Lucy and her grandmother. Their relationship was really sweet from the beginning and went strong even in the end. I normally don't like when a random romance appears for the FMC but in this case I did not mind. There was a moment towards the end where I gave big eye roll emoji as I was reading and was surprised by some of the stuff coming out of Lucy's mouth. I know I know it is very vague but trust me it would make sense when you read it.

I just really enjoyed the book & thought it moved pretty quick!

I recommend if you love true crime podcasts, dual timelines and an unreliable narrator!

4.75

I loved this book! Lucy's twisted humor kept me laughing the whole time. I loved her Grandmother so much, she might have been my favorite in the whole book. This book kept me guessing until the very end. Loved it!

What a fantastic page-turner! I love a thriller that can tell a story of murder with a little bit of humor. And at the same time, I found parts of the story very poignant. My favorite parts were definitely the dynamic and relationship between Lucy, our main character, and her grandma Beverly.

This book was extremely entertaining, and simply a pleasure to read. I’ll definitely be following this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. The story was fast paced and interesting. I liked the perspective of Lucy and also the podcast point of view. The characters were interesting and easy to keep track of. Loved Lucy’s wacky grandma. Lots of good twists. I highly recommend!

4.5

I love true crime and recently have gotten into true crime podcasts so this was literally right up my alley. I love an unreliable narrator along with shady characters who all have some secret in their closet. I really enjoyed the flow of the book, how the lies were untangled, and the various bombs dropped throughout keeping me on my toes wondering who was the guilty one! It also doesn’t hurt that the setting is in a small Texas town and uncovers the interesting dynamic of female bonds. This book was fantastic and is absolutely perfect for book club!!

5 brilliant stars from me. The writing style and short chapters were *chefs kiss*. The story never lagged from start to finish it flowed so well. Auto buy author for me now and already got a copy for my shelves. 👏🏻

This book was SO good. So many twists and I read a lot of thriller books but some of these I didn’t even see coming. I heard about this book through book of the month club but then was lucky enough to get an arc. This one one of my favorite books so far this year and I highly recommend it. I would especially like to thank the author and Celadon books for this opportunity.