Lɪsᴛᴇɴ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ Lɪᴇ by 𝐴𝑚𝑦 𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎
Mystery/Thriller — 350 pgs
★ ★ ★ ★ ★/5


This was literally everything I love:
Darkly hilarious ✅
Simple but golden writing style ✅
Short chapters ✅
Solid podcast element ✅
Unreliable characters ✅
A badass grandma ✅✅✅✅✅

I can’t remember the last time I read a book where I could literally FEEL the characters personalities… all of them! It played out like a movie in my head.
The small town secrets were juicy and typical but wild. Even if parts seemed repetitive, it never felt like it just dragged on.
Also a murder mystery/thriller that made me literally laugh out loud the entire time is almost unheard of. This is a perfect mixture of everything I’ve ever wanted in a book and will 100% be a contender for top book of the year!

Okayyy this one was so good!!! I usually have a hard time reading books with a unique format but the podcast aspect in this book worked out so well and I was hooked immediately. The book had this nice comedic mystery twist with a sarcastic mc which I had fun with and definitely fast paced with short chapters as well. I definitely recommend this book for sure!

I love me a thriller that includes other formats, especially ones with the podcast angle! This book read super quickly that I finished it in one sitting/ night. I found myself engaged with the story the entire time and just wanted to know what happened all those years ago. I enjoyed the investigation aspect of this and how our MC, Lucy, works with the host, Ben, to put the pieces together. There were a couple of interesting twists towards that end that made for quite the showdown and overall I think a lot of people will like this one and how bingeworthy it is!

We meet Lucy as she’s getting fired from her job in LA and her life is in total upheaval thanks to a very popular true crime podcast, ‘Listen for the Lie.’ Five years earlier, Lucy was found in her small central Texas town, covered in her best friend, Savvy’s, blood, with no memory of the night before. She became the number 1 suspect, but there wasn’t any evidence to prove that she was the murderer…or not. Not even Lucy knows if she’s guilty, though in the convening years, she increasingly fantasizes about murder and has an inner voice telling her to kill, kill, kill!

With Lucy’s life on the fritz when her grandmother calls her home to celebrate her 80th birthday, she can’t think of much of a reason not to go. Lucy travels back home and is not only confronted by her past, but also the cute podcaster, Ben Owens, who wants her to partner with him on the podcast. Ben may have questionable ethics, but he also casts doubts on Lucy being the prime suspect, told through Serial-like podcasting.

Entertaining, enthralling, and gripping, Listen for the Lie was un-put-down-able! Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read the ARC!

Binge worthy! The twist in this one I honestly didn’t see it coming. Lucy was not crazy like everyone panned her to be. It’s disappointing learning her parents believed someone else over their own daughter on what did or did not happen. Justice was served.

Whoa. You've been seeing this book all over the socials for a reason. This whodunit with a million morally grey characters is phenomenal. It's a thriller that made me...laugh out loud? The dark humor is fantastic and well-placed throughout all of the secrets, lies, and drama. It adds to the MC, Lucy's, flippant personality, especially regarding the murder everyone thinks she committed.

Did Lucy kill her BFF, Savvy? As Lucy says about the podcast investigating her for this murder, "I'm riveted. Can't wait to find out if I did it." I couldn't wait to find out, too.

I received an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

It seems a lot of people really loved this book and to be clear I didn't hate it at all, def worth reading especially for those who enjoy thriller/podcast thrillers, etc. however it wasn't very original in my opinion. I've read this before. Parts I loved: the character development (I was so invested in Lucy and her grandmother, man I wish I had a grandma like that!), I LOVED Lucy's sense of humor and def laughed out loud several times.
Things that weren't terrible but could have been better: No spoilers but the ending... I mean there was ABSOLUTELY nothing that could have pointed to this twist which I am not a fan of... I also felt like the first 3/4's of the book were super drawn out and the then the ending was abrupt and of course tied up in a neat little bow.

Ultimately 3-3.5 stars for me and again absolutely still a book I'd recommend.

Thank you netgalley, Amy Tintera and Celadon books for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.75/5*!

This book pulled me out of a month-long reading slump. Fast paced, short chapters that constantly leave you wanting to read more, entertaining format to read (and I imagine to listen) to, witty and a gripping storyline. I did end up guessing part of the reveal, but not until very close to the end. Would be curious to read it again and see if I could pick up more crumbs! A truly entertaining book and I look forward to the authors future works.

Easily the best book I’ve read so far this year. I could not put it down. I was on the edge of my seat wondering who the killer could be. Between the twists and the colorful characters, this was truly a fantastic (adult) debut. I cannot wait to see what Amy comes up with next.

Five star read! I hope this author gets going on another book pronto because her writing is grit to and at times funny and her characters are so tricky! LOVED this book!

This was a good suspenseful thriller. I read it in one sitting. I liked the writing, the characters and the plot. There was dark humor abd a decent pace.

Thanks netgalley

Hello favorite book of January! Listen for the Lie is a fun popcorn podcast thriller with incredibly written characters. I look forward to reading more by Amy Tintera in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to read this e-galley.

Several years ago, Lucy is found after a wedding, wandering around lost, covered in her best friend Savvy's blood. After Savvy's untimely death, Lucy gets a divorce and leaves town, ready for a new life and a new start from her tiny hometown where many believe she is a murderer. As the years go on, Lucy is trying to put the past behind her. However, Ben Owens, the handsome true-crime podcaster, decides to investigate Savvy's death and Lucy is forced to face her past or possibly become a victim of it. Will the real murderer be revealed? Or was it actually Lucy herself?

I know this is a popular book, but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. I didn't particularly care for Lucy or Savvy. I thought some of the parts were very repetitive and the book dragged a bit. I'm not sure I understand the title, especially in conjunction with this book. I wouldn't call this a page-turner, but the suspense does build to a satisfying ending.

Special thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Disappointed. Let down. Confused.

This book had a tremendous amount of plot build up. Lucy remembers nothing of the night her friend Savvy was killed. A podcaster named Ben travels to Texas and Lucy is forced to confront the night of the murder. Lucy is unreliable, sarcastic and possibly psychotic.

The book had a modern twist with us reading live portions of Ben's podcast as well as Lucy's steady return of her memory. (the audiobook is very well done)

I was expecting a more psychological messed up ending. In fact, a part of me is hoping that if I were to ever reread this book that I'd find portions of the book where Lucy is lying (hence the book title) and that a different potential ending is available.

Instead I felt like the book took on the trope of a horror novel where we're introduced to character XYZ. That individual comes and goes with little interaction. I contemplated "hmmm could this be the antagonist?" They're in the book but why? Yes that's who it is. The water was boiling and then the cook simply poured the water it down the drain.

The cover and description both made me so excited to receive an ARC of this novel, and it did not disappoint! This was a quick, twisty story with super short chapters, allowing you to fly through it under the guise of "just one more!". I thought the podcast episodes that were interspersed within the chapters worked really well, and I enjoyed the majority of the characters. Lucy became a bit annoying as the story went on, but the other characters made up for it, especially Ben and her grandmother. I guessed one of the twists, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment at all, and I appreciated that it wasn't a super dark, gory thriller. I'd absolutely recommend this one, and am excited to see what the author does next. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy!

I don't tend to listen to podcasts, but I do love their inclusion in stories. I appreciated the interspersed episodes between chapters, and the element of the story unraveling in real time AND through the podcast. Lucy's character was well fleshed out and I liked her overall. I certainly felt for her more as the story went on. I also appreciated the element of the lie - the story starting with the assumption that Lucy was lying, and watching all of the other unreliable characters come out as the details of the mystery was revealed, piece by piece. I questioned everyone at some point in the story and was caught off guard by how it all played out. Well done, highly enjoyable story.

this was wild!!! I had been in such a reading slump and this pulled me right out of it. One of my favorite reads of 2024, for sure.

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

I loved the suspense and humor in this book. I thought it was a fast paced thriller and enjoyed the podcast sections of the book.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Amy Tintera's books.

Thank you @celadonbooks for my gifted copy.

WHAT. A. RIDE. This was an amazing audiobook narrated by the Queen, @januarylavoy. I absolutely loved the podcast element, which I admit has been used A LOT lately. It worked so well here! The number of times I laughed out loud was unexpected but a pleasant surprise. I really loved our main character, Lucy. She is a spitfire and bad ass woman. Our podcast host, Ben, was also quite entertaining. I think my favorite character was Beverly, Lucy's grandmother. What a woman! If you're looking for a fast paced thriller, pick up Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera.

The audiobook production is 10/10!

What a great page turner! I was feeling that the podcast, mystery trope has been overused but this one really worked! I was really thinking that I had figured out who the murderer was, and I love being wrong, yet still believable villain. Thank you for the ARC Netgalley!