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.

A thrilling whodunit mystery that will keep you turning the page. Well written with good pacing. A really engaging and entertaining read.

This was everything I love in a thriller!
Lucy is a young woman who everyone in the country believes killed her best friend after a popular podcast goes viral. The problem is…she doesn’t remember.
After being invited back to her hometown where the murder took place, secrets and memories begin to unravel and relationships are put to the test as Lucy races to figure out the truth. All while the podcast star continues to dive into the background behind the murder.
This book was so enticing right from the beginning! Twists and turns came around every corner, keeping the story interesting and exciting. I loved the short chapters and the podcast interviews documented throughout. Five stars all around.

I enjoyed this modern thriller about a woman who cannot remember if she murdered her good friend. I enjoyed the structure of the novel, which was interspersed with podcast episodes, as well as the concept, the development of the story and humor,

It was a fun and entertaining read, a good beach read with short chapters.

Loved this twisty, engaging book! My book club read it and all enjoyed. I listened to the audiobook and was not disappointed.
It definitely enhanced the podcast parts.

I had such a hard time with this one. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. But I felt the first 75% was really slow. It took me forever to get through, but I didn't want to give up. The ending went faster, but I'm sad I couldn't enjoy all of Lucy's story more. It all seemed to drag on too long.

This is my first book by this author and let me say, Just Wow! With all the hype that I read, I had to get a taste of it myself, and I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and an easy fast paste book. With the characters going back and forth with their stories, the title definitely made a statement. I loved the podcast aspect of the story line as well. I enjoyed Lucy, Lucy's grandmother and Ben and how they made the story even better with their banter. I highly recommend this book with its humor, some romance, and suspense. Definitely a must read! Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for my advanced copy!

Brilliant twisty dark murder mystery. This book was so well written and a totally binge worthy read.. a truly riveting thriller and I can’t wait to see what else the author writes

Avery interesting read with many turns and curves. The book will definitely keep your attention. A very good read.

Really enjoyed this! Fast paced, interesting read. Fantastic as an audiobook, too!

If you are a true crime or podcast fan, this is definitely for you!

Oh. My. Gosh. I LOVED this book! It was so cool to be able to read the actual story, but then also be able to read the podcast episodes. The twist was FANTASTIC! This book really kept me guessing all the way until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera!

I'm a sucker for true crime podcast, so when I saw this was a "story within a story" type, podcast murder mystery investigation, I had to grab it! I was NOT disappointed, EASY 5 stars! In fact do yourself a favor and grab the audio as well! Fantastic narrators! The podcast angle is perfect for audio!

Ben Owens, a sexy and charismatic podcaster is investigating a past small town crime where Lucy was found wandering the streets covered in her best friend's blood. The entire town and even Lucy herself thinks she must have murdered her best friend, yet Lucy still can't remember anything about that night and has been trying to start a fresh life far away from her small Texas hometown. With the podcast being a huge hit, Lucy is forced to return to her hometown and try to help solve the mystery of what really happened that night. Full of scandalous small town gossip, saucy characters, forbidden rendezvous and a good ol' whodunit spirit, this was a streamy 5 star mystery!

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is a perfect addition to the thriller genre! Plus, the novel is wonderfully written, the story tight, the main character endearing and funny. Definitely a page turner!

I know a lot of readers and some friends really enjoyed this book but honestly it was only "meh" for me.
Podcasts are very trendy right now so I understand why so many authors are running with them but if you've ever listened to a crime podcast then you would know it's nothing like portrayed in this book, so for me that messed up the entire book. The story was fine, Lucy wasn't very likable so that also made reading her story a chore.

I did have my book club read this last month because I know books are subjective but they weren't that into it either.

Now this book…. Wow. Could not put it down. What a riveting story with a whole bunch of twists and turns and a main character that I definitely connected with.

I also really loved Ben and would read another book about his podcast

LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera was a darkly comedic whodunnit. (I can’t believe I’m putting those descriptive words together.)

When Savannah Harper was murdered five years ago and her best friend Lucy Chase, a secret romance novelist, was found walking, dazed and confused and covered in Savannah‘s blood, down the road near Savannah’s body., there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Lucy. She has spent the last five years trying desperately not to remember that night but dreaming of ways to violently rub people out. Lucy is grudgingly returning to her hometown for Beverley Moore, her beloved grandmother‘s birthday celebration. She is contacted by Ben Owens, a true crime podcaster who is looking into the case for his current season.

Suspects were aplenty as many people from their past were all attending a wedding on the night of the murder. Lucy‘s now ex-husband, Matt, with no clear evidence, but hearing small town rumours, immediately kicked Lucy out of the home and they divorced. Lucy had left town vowing never to return. And she hasn’t, until now. As Ben Owens looks into things, interviewing wedding guests, family members, townsfolk and Lucy herself, we read the transcripts of his episodes and begin to put the pieces together leasing to the final reveal, and what a reveal it is! I kept thinking, ‘oh, it’s’ so and so, only to be proven wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it had me chuckling at some of the ways Lucy was envisioning other’s demise. The clues in the podcasts were subtle and I enjoyed piecing things together right along with Ben and Lucy. The writing was clear and concise which led to a very enjoyable read. I will definitely be looking for other works by Amy Tintera and she will be an author I keep on my radar.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.