“Listen for the Lie” is a funny and suspenseful mystery by Amy Tintera. Lucy is the main character who moves to LA to start a new wife after being accused of the murder of her best friend Savannah. She then meets Ben Owen a podcaster who is on the case. Overall, this was an easy story to read, perfect beach read.

𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐞
𝐁𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭.”

First, I would like to thank Celadon and Amy Tintera for sending me this physical ARC of Listen For the The Lie. It was such a privilege to be able to read this advanced copy and share my thoughts.

Did Lucy Chase kill her best friend Savannah? Lucy doesn’t know.. she has no memory of the night Savvy died, after they were seen leaving a friend’s wedding together. Later that night, Lucy was found wandering, covered in Savvy’s blood, leading everyone in her small Texas town to believe she did. Now five years later, Ben Owen’s, a true crime podcaster, starts investigating the murder, determined to get to the bottom of what happened.

I loved this book! I was hooked right from the very beginning and couldn’t put it down. I loved that it wasn’t until about halfway through that flashbacks to what Lucy remembered from 5 years earlier started to enlighten us. This was a fully physical read, from the paperback in my hands, but it was like I was actually listening to a podcast. The ending blew me away and I’ll be raving about this one for a while.

👏🏻 Read 👏🏻 This 👏🏻 Book 👏🏻

All the ⭐️ from me!

This was Amy Tintera’s first adult novel and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley & Celadon Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The concept of this thriller intrigued me right from the beginning. All I wanted was to uncover the truth, just like Lucy. As I read on, I wasn’t sure what to believe or think about Savvy’s murder- or rather, who did it. It easily could’ve been Lucy, but it also could’ve been someone else instead. The many possibilities made reading this more interesting.

Speaking of Lucy, I liked her as a main character for the most part. The only thing I didn’t love was some of the decisions she made in the book, as they weren’t always the best choices. What made it bearable was the fact that Lucy had enough self-awareness to know that she made bad decisions. I preferred that over the idea of her being blissfully unaware of how poor her decision-making was throughout the book. It made her feel more human and more flawed, which is important for a main character. After all, real people aren’t perfect, so why should characters be perfect?

I also loved that this book told some chapters in the past. It helped give more insight into Lucy and Savvy’s friendship, as well as Lucy’s relationships with other important characters. They also revealed so much that wouldn’t feel as natural if told in the present after the fact.

I felt the overall plot to be fast-paced, I loved the podcast bits woven throughout, and there were some solid twists that were well executed. If you’re looking for a solid mystery/thriller set in a small town, I highly recommend it!

3.75/5

I will preface by saying this book was oh so enjoyable to read! I absolutely LOVED our main character, Lucy. For someone accused of murdering her best friend, I wanted to be her friend! Her inner monologue was hilarious! Also, Lucy’s grandma was also a HOOT!

I really enjoyed the dark humor that was sprinkled throughout…Lucy was QUITE the character!

BUUUUT: for me, the pacing was very hard to follow. There was LOTS of moving parts in this one! It felt discombobulated at times. Between the podcast interviews, Lucy’s toxic and very dysfunctional family, the flashbacks, and LOTS of characters to keep track of it was very overwhelming!

There were plot points that were not fully executed which was so infuriating! There was a very specific scene that had alllll the makings of something TRULY compelling….but it was left incompletely untouched! WHY OH WHY!?!!

Without spoiling anything – the ending was very underwhelming…I feel like it was set up for this mind blowing, completely out of left field twist: but it was very subpar for me. It could also be a tad confusing at the end if you’re not paying SUUUUPER close attention!

I was very much hooked into the storyline and loved playing the whodunit game! It was a fun little page turner and I loooooved the short chapters that ended with the podcast interviews. It just fell a liiitle flat for me BUT it was still a good time nonetheless!

SIMONE SAYS READ THIS IF YOU LIKE

Small town murder mysteries
Podcasts
Whodunnits
Dark humor
Unhinged fmc
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I just rushed to NetGalley to post my review because, like others, I LOVED this read. I appreciate the use of multimedia in a plot line. The betrayal portrayed by almost everyone was shocking. 100% recommend.

Overall, I think this was a solid thriller. There were moments it wasn't quite keeping my attention, but after the last few weeks I am beginning to wonder if that is a me thing and not necessarily the books' fault. I would definitely encourage anyone interested in this book to check it out, because it does have alot of redeemable qualities.

Our main character, Lucy, has been accused of murdering her best friend. The only problem is she doesn't remember if she actually did or not. I liked this murder mystery and the selective amnesia approach. It made the character unreliable and kept the reader in the dark trying to figure out what really happened, but not in an annoying way that unreliable characters can sometimes be for me. So that's definitely a point in this book's favor!

Also, I love when authors incorporate other medias, especially the podcast venue, and that is what we get with this book as well! The podcast episodes were my favorite part about this book. It helped show us all the possible suspects and what went down that night. I was questioning who and what really happened the entire time and yet I still didn't see it coming.

I also enjoyed the main character and I liked her sarcasm and approach to the whole situation. It gave the story humor in between all the murder mystery. Although, I wasn't a huge fan of the best friend talking in her head the entire time. That was a bit annoying and felt unnecessary.

Even though it took me longer than usual to read this book, when I did pick it up, I read it quickly, so for anyone wanting a quick murder mystery thriller, I think this would be a good choice.

**Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an advanced copy of this book and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion. I am posting this review to my Goodreads account immediately and will post it to my Amazon & Instagram accounts upon publication.

This was a nice, quick read. It was very engaging and I found myself up until midnight just to finish it.
I enjoyed the mystery, and I enjoyed the characters.
Lucy was hilarious and I found myself incredibly sad at the end when we finally figure out what actually happened.
I always enjoy when a book can make me feel things strongly. It was a nice palate cleanser between fantasy books and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a nice, quick engaging read.

In a gripping mystery whodunnit, each podcast episode unveils tantalizing clues, shifting suspicions, and unexpected revelations. As listeners immerse themselves in the narrative, they become amateur sleuths, piecing together the puzzle alongside the host. With every installment, tension mounts, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats until the shocking truth is finally uncovered, leaving them clamoring for the next episode to unravel the remaining mysteries.

This was a wild ride of a book! I listened to the audiobook and read the ebook at the same time, which I really suggest others do as well. It made reading it an experience. I was a little bit bored for maybe the first 40% of it but something compelled me to keep reading. I’m glad I did because… holy s***!!! I’m keeping this review vague because I want you to just go in completely blind and see what happens! Highly recommend!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the chance to read the e-arc of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera.
This is Amy Tintera’s adult debut, but you would never know it from the complexity of the story. If you have read any of the jacket reviews (Hello Stephen King, Alice Feeney and Liane Moriarty!) or any of the hype behind the book, believe it. This is a real deal adult thriller.

Our lead character, Lucy, is as traumatized as they come. Her best friend, Savvy (short for Savannah) is killed in a horrible way five years before, and Lucy suffers a traumatic brain injury that, among other things, keeps her from remembering what happened. She is the main suspect, although never arrested due to lack of evidence. Although Lucy gets away from her very small (15,000) Texas town, full of people who absolutely believe she is the killer, she voluntarily returns from Los Angeles to host a birthday party for her grandmother (who is by far my favorite character!) The first twist? A journalist, Ben Owens, has just started a new season of his crime podcast “Listen for the Lie” featuring Savvy’s murder…

Think you have read plot this before? Think again! There are so many twists and turns, and a fair amount of domestic drama, that it is anyone’s guess until the very end what really happened that night five years ago. Every time I though I had figured it out, and found a new character to despise (there are many candidates!), Ben features another interview on the podcast and the doubts start over again.

I put off reading this for awhile (not being a true crime lover, I was concerned it was not my kind of read.) But the story reads like a traditional thriller with snippets of the podcast woven in that truly support the narrative. Tintera was able to get me to care about an unlikeable main character and root for her while the narrative truly pointed to her as a killer.

This book intrigued me so much that I read over 200 pages in one day, then woke up at 6:30 am to finish it up! (I should have believed all the hype and read this sooner!) Here’s hoping that Tintera continues to write adult thrillers. 5/5 star read

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Told through podcast episodes and typical novel style, this small-town murder read kept me on the edge of my seat. The pacing started out slow but quickly picked up as more was revealed through the podcast episodes. Using the podcast as a way to reveal things to the reader and the characters was brilliant, and I thought it added something different to the reading experience.

The characters were interesting, and the interactions with one another kept the story moving. Grandma and Lucy were my favorite; their banter had me laughing several times. Be prepared for some dark humor throughout, which made me really connect with Lucy.

A couple of things happened that I either wish weren’t included or that they were discussed more. They kind of felt like they were thrown in and were semi-important but they never really developed, so I was left thinking, “oh so we aren’t going to talk more about that. Ok, cool.”

Overall, this was a twisty thriller that kept me wondering what the outcome would be. If you love small-town vibes, dark humor, sarcastic main characters, or mixed-media stories, this one should be a hit.

Years ago, after the wedding of a friend, Savannah was killed and her friend Lucy, who was found covered in blood and walking aimlessly, was assumed to be the killer. It could never be proven one way or another, but Lucy's husband believed it enough to make her leave so others believed it to be true.
Lucy has no memory of anything after the wedding and wonders if she did, in fact, murder her best friend.
Now five years later, Ben Owens, of true life podcasts, has decided to find out the truth by making Savvy's murder the focus of his next podcast.
Lucy's grandmother's birthday party coincides with the timing of the podcast and she returns to town for the party. It's obvious the townspeople still feel she is a killer and many resent being questioned by Ben. When Lucy consents to be interviewed, her family included parents and ex-hubby, get nervous. Good story!
Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are freely given.

I absolutely love a good fast paced mystery/thriller that grabs you from the first page and leaves you thinking for days. This was my very first one by this author and I can say with certainty that I will be on the lookout for more from them. I enjoyed all of the characters and drama in this book. I sat down with this book and refused to set it down. The plot/storyline pulled me in right away and I wanted to know what was going to happen chapter after chapter until the very last page.

Once you think you know who did it, you really don’t and that’s the best part of it. With the drama, the humor throughout and the amazing relatable characters, I think that this book will be a winner for everybody who enjoys this genre. I will be recommending this book to all book friends of mine. This needs to be on your TBR right away.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Five years ago Savannah Harper is murdered in her hometown of Plumpton, Texas. Even though no one was arrested, everyone believes her best friend Lucy killed her. Lucy has no memory of that fateful night and has since started a new life in Los Angeles. But when famous podcaster Ben Owens chooses Savannah’s story for the second season of his podcast “Listen for the Lie”, Lucy is forced to go back to Plumpton to help solve her friend’s murder. But what if she did it?
I absolutely loved this book. The story just kept building and building, everyone seemed to have secrets, and Lucy’s grandmother was a total riot. Nothing like a good small town murder mystery.

4.5 stars! This book got better and better as it went along. I wasn't sure I cared for any of the characters at the beginning, but several of them grew on me, including Lucy, the main character, and her Grandma Beverly, who is a hoot.

Five years ago, Savannah Harper was murdered in Plumpton, TX. Although, nobody was ever arrested or convicted for her murder, the majority of the town believed it was her best friend - who conveniently or inconveniently could not remember anything from that night. Now, five years later, a crime podcaster is trying to find out the truth.

Listen for the Lie would make a great mini series. There are lots of soap opera moments, odd behaviors, low morals, shocking revelations, as well as physical chemistry. Sometimes, these people are train wrecks - they know they are making questionable decisions, but they do it anyways. Tintera does a fabulous job of gradually revealing new information and building suspense throughout the book through the podcast transcripts, Lucy's patchy memories and current day interactions. Now, I want to listen to some crime podcasts! Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the eARC.

Wow! I loved this book, from start to finish. Thank you Net Galley & Celadon books for the advanced copy. I absolutely loved Lucy and her story. I loved the back and forth, twists and turns, her hilarious grandma…and while all the characters seemed morally gray, why did I love them so much?!? (Well, most of them.) I couldn’t put it down. I loved the podcast parts & things we learned along the way and just loved the overall dynamic between the characters. I could not put it down!!

Thanks so much to netgalley and celadon books for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I think my major issue is Lucy as a main character. She was very rude and annoying to me. I assume she was supposed to be funny and a bit of dark humor and an antihero type character. However, she just came across as annoying and super rude. I couldn’t keep reading with her as the main narrator. I also feel like the podcast element is used some much in books now that it just felt overused to me. The writing was also very simple and the style was not for me.

I have seen so many good reviews on this book. It’s probably more a problem with me than the book.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of Listen For The Lie and easy to read action packed thriller . I really enjoyed this one so much it had everything, twists, secrets, comedic moments, and even romance. Do yourself a favor and pick this up when it releases in March.

I had so much fun reading Listen for the Lie. No one was likeable except for Grandma. The relationships were all so messy. And I was desperate to know how it would all come together. Podcast elements always hit for me and I bet this would be great on audio too.

Such a fun read sprinkled with bits of humor and sarcasm. I didn't foresee the ending of this whodunnit at all. There's plenty of unique characters to get lost in the mystery. Recommend.