Definitely enjoyed this read! It’s been a while since a mystery hooked me, and this one definitely got me. The format (switching between narrative and podcast styles, with the occasional flashback) was intriguing and I feel like it worked well, the pacing was great, and there were some fun red herrings and false trails throughout. Was the ending a smiiiidge dramatic for me, yes - but as a whole I had a great time reading it.

I love a good thriller with a podcast and thankfully, this one truly had a solid podcast element too (I hate it when there's 2 seconds of a podcast in a book just to say it's there). The hype around this book was unreal 🫣, I definitely got FOMO. I wasn't super hooked on any of the characters and found some of the decisions the FMC made a bit questionable but overall I enjoyed the mystery. If you enjoy amnesia trope, then you will be happy with this one! Personally, I'm not sure how Lucy didn't panic and go mad trying to find out what happened ASAP but to each their own I guess. Her dark humor got a couple chuckles out of me and I enjoyed the darkness of the book overall.

I went between the audio and ebook while reading this one but enjoyed the audio much more with the podcast element so I finished the book off that way!

Thanks to Celadon books, Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the ARC/ALC. All opinions are my own.

Overall, I really enjoyed Listen for the Lie. I was enthralled with the pacing of the story, and I found the podcast transcripts engaging and that they added a lot to both Ben's and Lucy's character development. However, because there were so many characters, I found myself getting mixed up every time I dove back into the book. I wish each side character (Emmett, Nina, Savvy's brother, Savvy's mother, etc.) had a bit more distinct development so I could more easily track who was who.

initial thoughts: had very, very high expectations going into this one based on reviews from others on BookTok & Instagram.

I enjoyed the short chapters, the podcast chapters, and the premise of the story. overall, it was a solid mystery, but fell just a bit short from other five star thrillers I've read.

I LOVE(D) LUCY 🖤

I waited entirely too long to read this, it was fantastic!! I haven’t been this excited over a book in quite awhile, especially a suspense story. Lucy’s sarcastic humor was right up my alley! I loved her character, if I could bring her to real life to be my bestie I totally would ha. The characters were individually a perfect recipe for a suspenseful mystery of whodunnit. Beverly aka Grandma was hilarious. Most of the story is done in podcast form by “smug” Ben who grew on me pretty quickly. In general, in the world of books, I feel like the podcast storyline is overdone and typically not something I enjoy BUT the way it was done I loved every bit of it. I read this in about a day, so obviously I devoured it 😍 I didn’t expect for a minute who the villain of this ended up being & actually I did not expect a lot of what transpired between all the characters.

I’m sad it’s over 😭

Thank you NetGalley. Thank you Celadon Books. This book was perfection & I appreciate the opportunity to have been given an arc in exchange for a review. Thank you!!!

This is my first book by Amy Tintera and it did not disappoint!!
This is a thrilling, but also hilarious, murder mystery that never slowed down.
The snarky and witty dialogue was perfect. The chapters alternate from the main character’s POV to “transcript” style of podcast interviews. Overall, so enjoyable and a true 5 star whodunit.

-Everyone thinks Lucy Chase killed her best friend. She returns to her hometown and tries to clear her name while being the subject of a hit true crime podcast.

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book.

This was fun! I read it in both formats, but particularly would recommend the audiobook as it made the podcast feel real. It's a straightforward mystery thriller, but there's a bit of humor to it even in the darker parts. I had a good time.

Absolutely loved loved loved this book! It was great, I had to finish in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down! I love you the ending, it still leaves me wondering about things!

I really enjoyed my time with this one! Loved the podcast thing, the short chapters and the sarcastic as hell MC. A few minor details annoyed me a bit but overall this was a goood time!

What a fun book full of mystery and turns! The podcast element really made this interesting. It’s been a while since I read a mystery/suspense book that kept me this intrigued

Listen for the Lie is a clever, fast paced psychological thriller with multiple twists and turns. The incorporation of the podcast transcripts advanced the plot. I liked Lucy, the snarky, sarcastic unreliable narrator and her hilarious grandmother. Listen for the Lie is a completely addictive read. Thank you to Celadon Books for an eARC to review.

thank you to netgalley for the e-arc.

I understand this book's popularity, it's easy to read, quick, witty at times. I just don't think this met those marks for me for a few reasons.

Five years ago, Lucy was found walking along the road with a head injury and her friend's blood on her dress. The town seemingly unanimously agree that Lucy is responsible for her best friend's, Savvy, murder; though there is not enough evidence to charge her with said murder.

Until a podcast host, Ben Owens, decides that he will solve the murder, hopefully with Lucy's help, even though she has no recollection of the events of that night.

I've recently realized that I love a well done podcast audiobook and this was it. I think there's just something that hits hard about a story that is told contained in essentially a podcast format and is still successful. I also think that listening to this on audio helped a lot, because there are two narrators who tell the story, from Lucy and Ben's perspective.

The beginning of the book started off strong, I thought that Lucy's inner monologue was clever and funny and the longer the book went on, I saw less of that initial humor. I loved the relationships that were explored between Lucy and the people she left behind 5 years prior. Especially because her reasons for leaving were clear, to herself at least, but to the people in the town, it seemed like she was escaping responsibility and accountability for what happened the night of Savvy's murder. I also loved the creepy "devil over the shoulder" voice, especially because it genuinely caught me off guard and the reveal of the voice was incredible.

I also had a big issue with the relationship between Ben and Lucy. It completely took me out of the story every time there was any mention of their attraction to one another. I also think the way that Ben became entangled in Lucy's life to begin with was odd and kind of creepy. I, in general, don't think it was necessary, I don't think it added anything to the story or the plot and it just felt oddly placed and manipulative on Ben's part.

Overall, I did enjoy this, but it just fell really flat. Will probably give this author another shot.

Loved the audio of this but found myself getting confused with how many side characters are in the story and how they all connect to the main plot line which kinda made me lose interest at times. I didn't guess the ending though which was fun when I got to the plot twist! 3.25 stars rounded up because this kept me on my toes.

A 2024 thriller with a lot of hype.

This book continues to show up in alot of social media best books of 2024 so far lists which really compelled me to pick it up.

A number of years ago Savvy turned up deceased in the woods and Lucy was found miles away covered in Savvy's blood with no clue of what happened or how she got there. The police didn't have enough to charge Lucy for the murder but in the court of public opinion Lucy was GUILTY.

Fast forward, Lucy, who still can't remember that night, has left the small town she grew up in and has not returned until her beloved Grandma throws herself a birthday party and all but demands Lucy attend. Coincidentally, Ben Owens, a well know Podcaster, is in town and creating a new pod cast regarding Savvy's "murder". Should Lucy help him figure out what happened? Could it help her remember the night and clear her name? or is she just going to prove what every body already thinks, she is guilty?

This book definitely grabbed me in relatively quickly and had me interested in finding out the truth. While there were some revelations, nothing ever hit as shocking or felt like I didn't see it coming. The ending was a surprising BUT it didn't feel as buttoned up as I would have liked. I kept waiting for something more which never happened.

All in all, I would recommend. Its a fun thriller with some twists and turns.

I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, but Listen for the Lie pulled me right out. I loved how this book had you questioning if you could believe what you were reading the entire time. I enjoyed how it was broken up in to podcast pieces too to add to the story line.

Lucy had me questioning if I liked her the entirety of the book which actually added to the plot because I was rooting for her the entire time. Some of the times I truly assumed she did it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the ARC of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera! 5 stars, 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking for a mind binding thriller!

3.25 Stars

Lucy just lost her job and her relationship with her boyfriend is on its last legs. Might as well go home to attend her Grandmother's birthday party. Even if everyone else in her small town wished she would just disappear from collective consciousness. Because the job, her boyfriend, all of it has come to a head due to a new podcast which is reopening the murder case of Savvy (Lucy's best friend) who everyone in town is convinced Lucy killed. Not only does she have to reckon with the town, as she continues to reiterate she has no memory of that night, but the podcaster is in town and wants Lucy to come on the show. Is it better to tell her side of the story again or stay silent?

Without giving too much away, this is another instance of attractive, white man getting the trust of the whole town while hiding how horrible of a person her really is. Or the fact that some women believe they cannot come forward about abuse because they fought back against their abuser. Or believing they deserve what they get for staying, for pushing back, for not fitting the mold of docile, quiet spousal abuse victim. Also, an instance of everyone who knows a person having no idea what is going on in the household and assuming the word of a man over the very visible signs of what he does. And trusting this man's version of events over the person they love.

I like that this novel touched on the tendency to only highlight the good "angelic" qualities of a victim (especially women) of murder. That this ultimately erases the victim for who they truly are and tries to suggest that women who are aggressive, are loud, are not pushovers, are different than the framework of idyllic female do not deserve the same attention, care, or reverence as the "good" victims. It also shows that the people in town disliked Lucy because she beat up a boy in school (for reasons no one cared to find out), she was quiet, she was beautiful, she was a loner until Savvy, she was not good enough for her perfect husband, she was a cheater, etc. And therefore it makes sense she would want to murder her beautiful, perfect best friend?

The people in this town were so awful, just a bunch of gossipy, know-it-alls who assume all manner of things without evidence. And no one, not even Lucy's parents, tried to protect Lucy after the murder and her being attacked (she had a severe head injury). Savvy's parents accosted Lucy at the hospital the day she arrived with her head injury, without care for her. I understand they were grieving, but could they not show any common care or curtesy for their daughter's best friend who was clearly also severely injured and there was not yet even an inkling that she had anything to do with Savvy's death. So, they were accosting someone they thought was injured at the same time as their daughter, without care for what she had gone through, her losing her best friend, and her possibly having brain damage. Lucy's parents also failed to ask her to be left alone so she could heal. Awful!

I had so many moments of rage within this novel, but none of it was for Lucy. Lucy was a victim in every sense of the word, but she fought back against the hate and pain with quips, sarcasm, humour, and her own truth. She wanted to know what happened to Savvy, even if it turned out to be bad for her. Because she was a decent person who had been thrown under the bus by everyone she loved, even her Grandmother to an extent poorly used Lucy for her own entertainment. The ending was okay, I mean a little lackluster when it came to it, but the story came together and it made sense and I was glad to see the outcome for some characters. And Lucy, I was glad to see her arc end the way it did, I think it was a powerful way for her to confront her pain and loss.

Overall a decent story, and I always love a novel that incorporates a podcast. This time, the podcaster Ben, was clearly in it for himself (even when he seemed to want to help Lucy). The reality is this was a business for him, which Lucy recognized and even commented on. Also, he was good looking, which came up a lot and maybe was a little overdone. A lot of "good looking" people in this one, with a lot of references to how pretty everyone was (which I did find repetitive and unbelievable). But, yes, the podcast was a nice break between chapters, added filler to the story, and maybe did not really help in any way, but did not hinder either.

Such a great read!! I love that so many of the characters were unlikeable! My favorite kind of people for a thriller. The podcast element was fun and even better to listen to.
I’ll be reading more from Amy Tintera for sure.

This book tells the story of Lucy and Savannah aka Savvy, who are best friends…that is, until Lucy is found with Savvy’s blood all over her. Naturally, everyone thinks Lucy killed Saavy and even Lucy doesn’t recall what happened that night. Ben Owen’s, who is the voice behind the true crime podcast, Listen for the Lie, decides to cover Savvy’s murder. Lucy decides to face the truth, return to her hometown, and delve into what happened that night, even if that means she may remember that she had something to do with her best friend's death.

This was such a fun read! I had a hard time putting the book down and just wanted to sit and binge the whole thing to find out what happened and who killed Savvy! I found myself going back and forth on my theories of what happened all throughout the book. The format is a mix between Lucy and the podcast transcript, which kept things interesting. I’m a huge true crime podcast fan, so this aspect was a huge hit for me. Overall, great read and if you’re a crime, mystery/thriller, fan, I’d highly recommend this. I’ve heard this is really fun to listen to on audiobook, so I plan to listen to it at some point.

Thank you to Celadon Books + NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

I adored the short chapters and extremely witty and sarcastic main character. The writing is well done and easily digestible and the mixed media is much appreciated. I would love to hear it on audio as a re-read.

I love this new genre of crime/thriller/podcast books. "Listen for the Lie" tells the story of a woman who is followed by the reputation of killing her best friend. She has amnesia from that night, so while she thinks/hopes she didn't do it, even she is not entirely sure.
Then 5 years later a podcaster comes along, with some charm and wit, to help crack open this case again. A little bit of flirting thrown in kept this book a bit fun for a crime thriller.
Definitely didn't want to put down and well crafted plot that keeps you guessing.
5 stars!
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.