I can't decide if this is a 4 or 4.5 star for me...

I devoured this book. It was fun, fast-paced, and easy to read. I didn't think I would like the mixed-media format, but I did.

Amy Tintera’s Listen for the Lie is a captivating mystery that blends a sharp sense of humor with an intriguing podcast format, making it an exceptional audiobook experience. The story follows Lucy, who becomes entangled in the unsolved murder of her best friend, Savvy, when a podcaster named Ben revisits the case. Tintera's witty writing style and rich character development shine throughout the narrative.

The audiobook format, performed by January LaVoy and Will Damron, adds a whole new dimension to the story. LaVoy masterfully portrays Lucy’s dry humor and internal dialogue, while Damron convincingly voices Ben’s podcast episodes. The production design—with subtle sound effects and a distinct audio quality for the podcast segments—makes listeners feel like they’re tuning into a true-crime podcast, an element that feels fresh and realistic.

The town of Plumpton is richly detailed, with its small-town secrets and tangled relationships providing a compelling backdrop to the mystery. Lucy’s sarcastic yet vulnerable personality is balanced by her grandmother’s charm and Ben’s enigmatic role in the investigation. The twists are well-paced, keeping the reader guessing until the satisfying conclusion.

If you enjoy modern whodunits, especially those with a multimedia twist, this book is a must-read—or better yet, a must-listen! It is perfect for fans of true-crime podcasts and sharp, character-driven mysteries.

This book is amazing! Its a page turner and I find myself second guessing allthrough out. Well written and definitely high praises for the author.

Quick, fun mystery read. If you can do audiobooks, I strongly suggest that for this book! I loved the extra flare on the podcast sections of the book. Very well done!

A few weeks back, my book club was fortunate enough to receive an early look at Amy Tintera’s debut adult thriller “Listen for the Lie” and the votes are in—we loved it! Every single person enjoyed this read, and that even includes a few readers who wouldn’t normally lean to thriller genre.

🔪 This was everyone's first introduction to the author, who previously published two series in the YA fantasy/romantasy/dystopian genres. Tintera had us from the start with this darkly funny whodunnit.

🤐 I’ll be saying less here, to avoid spoilers, but this book had the snark and dark humor of “Bookworm”, the podcast excerpt format similar to “The Night Swim” or “The Butcher and the Wren”, and a side of social commentary like “Such a Pretty Smile” or “The Change”. If you enjoyed any of those reads, I’d recommend you check out “Listen for the Lie.”

📕 The short chapters alternating with podcast excerpts made the pacing quick and decadent. Truly a “one more chapter” kind of read. We loved the way it was laid out, the podcast components were aligned throughout so that we were uncovering the mystery as more information was being revealed.

And you know I love my thrillers with a side of social commentary and this delivered, without being heavy-handed.

🗣️ This read also lent to a good discussion about the ethics around true crime podcasts, how it can be harmful to victims and their families.

Loved the audio—it was so well done. I loved how immersive the experience was from how the podcasts were interspersed to the dual narration.

This was a solid thriller. I couldn’t put it down and it kept me guessing until the end, which is really all I need from a book like this. I will say, this book was 100% a classic who-done-it mystery instead of the psychological thriller I was expecting, which was a little disappointing. I enjoyed it nonetheless

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially on audio with the great performance and fun additions to make it seem like a podcast.

The plot was interesting and engaging, I did not figure out the twist or what happened. The characters were likeable and I was invested to know what happened! What a great debut. I look forward to the next book 👍

I gave this 4.5/5 stars and rounded up. The audio performance was so good 🙌

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio copy of this book as an ARC.

Listen for the Lie combines dark humor, snarky commentary, and a compelling narrative. Amy Tintera crafts a unique take on the true crime genre, blending a cold case mystery with the podcast trope to create an engaging read. The protagonist, Lucy, stands out as a charismatic, if deeply flawed, narrator whose wit and sarcasm add levity to an otherwise grim story. The interactions with her eccentric grandmother provide some of the book's most memorable moments.

While the mystery itself is somewhat predictable and the stakes feel low, Lucy's voice and the entertaining podcast format keep the story moving. The romance subplot, however, felt unnencessary. Still, the audiobook is carried by its strong narration, particularly if you enjoy sharp, snarky humor.

This was such a fun audiobook - I enjoyed the progression of the story and the narrators. I can't wait to read more from this author.

THIS ONE LIVES UP TO THE HYPE! 🙌🏼 Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of Listen for the Lie. I requested after seeing rave reviews from @deebibliophilia and started listening almost immediately upon receiving my approval email. This story is smartly written with an unreliable narrator, Lucy, whom I spent almost the entire book debating if I loved, hated, trusted or not. I enjoyed the small Texas town setting that came along with a pretty large cast of characters - everyone in everyone else’s business as it is in a small community. Lucy’s very colorful & charismatic grandmother is a standout character that helped balance the story. It’s perfectly paced with short chapters interwoven with podcast excerpts with cliffhangers, hooking you right in and holding your attention to the very end. In my opinion, Listen for the Lie is a prime example of when the audiobook is better than the physical book as the podcast format lends itself to the audiobook performance. Of course, this is boosted by two phenomenal narrators January LaVoy and Will Damron. Highly recommend on audio!

I loved this book and I 100 percent recommend the audiobook if you can. It makes for a whole experience with sounds and interviews from the podcast. I really liked the story also!

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is a gripping audiobook that draws you in with its unique premise and compelling narrative. The story follows a young woman who uses her gift of hearing lies to navigate a complex web of deceit and intrigue. Tintera crafts a suspenseful plot filled with unexpected twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.

The narrator brings a strong, engaging performance to the audiobook, effectively capturing the tension and emotional depth of the story. Their delivery enhances the suspense and adds layers to the characters' interactions. While the plot is intriguing, there are moments where the pacing slows down, and some of the twists may feel a bit predictable.

Overall, Listen for the Lie is a captivating listen with a fresh concept and strong performances. It’s a great choice if you enjoy mysteries with a touch of psychological drama, though it might not fully surprise seasoned mystery fans.

Many thanks to my friends at @celadonbooks and @macmillan.audio for the free #gifted books

“A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I’m buying a chicken.

Sarcasm and thrills. Tintera sure knows the way to my heart.

I thought I was done with the amnesia trope and the podcast format, and then this thriller came along and proved me wrong.

Fast paced and binge-worthy. This isn’t a completely original plotline, but the way Tintera unpacked it was highly entertaining and propulsive. I turned the pages with abandon even though I didn’t want to rush the experience (all those laughs!).

The snarky female lead (heroine? villain?). The smug podcaster. Grandma Beverly’s wild antics. I’m a sucker for sharply drawn characters with fiery personalities, and Tintera delivered with these.

Dark and twisted, this new take on an overused trope was wickedly funny and endlessly entertaining. A stellar debut.

🎧 Grab this one on audio. It’s a full production with some of my favorite artists. Co-narrators (and real-life couple), January LaVoy and Will Damron, captivated, both in their separate sections AND when they narrated scenes together. (I particularly loved hearing them together!) The podcast elements (with sound effects) added that extra authenticity to the storyline and had me eager for any new tidbits of information. This is a buzz worthy audiobook, and, in my opinion, the best format for this read.

Audio review. Oh my god was this good. First, the narration was amazing. I loved the humor built into this, I laughed out loud way more than I ever have with a thriller. My jaw was dropped nearly half the time, and I would give it 10/10 if I could.

Hello!

I always love a good mystery/thriller and suspense book. The genre is one of my favorites to read and I always find myself speeding through ones I consider good. Then trying to find more and more of them to pick up. A few months ago, I saw the book Listen for the Lie being advertised and I really wanted to know more about the book. So I headed to Goodreads and read the summary as well as some ARC readers’ thoughts. This led me to pre-ordering the audiobook copy with some credits I had. The audiobook was delivered to my account on the morning it came out and I finally decided to dive into the book in June!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Savvy was Lucy’s best friend. But now Lucy is wandering the street covered in blood and Savvy is missing, at first, everyone in the small town believes that something awful happened to both girls but Lucy does not remember anything to help support this theory or have any idea where Savvy is. Or at least that is what she has told officials and anyone who has asked all these years. Now Lucy lives far away with her boyfriend but there is still a lot of interest in her story. Lucy has received many calls, emails, etc.. over the years from people doing shows, podcasts, etc.. wanting interviews and always declines. However, things are changing now, and Lucy has to go back to her hometown where it all happened. This is sure to stir up stuff about her and the case in the media again and on top of that her boyfriend has zero idea of her past life. When she arrives sure enough there is a podcaster there that wants to meet with her and after much reluctance and pushing from her grandmother she meets with him and starts to walk the journey to uncover what happened to her that night.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I love it when we get to hear the podcast that is taking place within the book. It makes the audiobook that much more enjoyable for me and really makes everything come to life. It was also interesting to see how Lucy interacted with the people that used to be in her life and her relationship with her ex-husband. I definitely would pick up another audiobook by this author in the future. If you have any great mystery or thriller books definitely drop them down in the comments!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

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.

This one has an interesting premise. The southern aspect of the characters from Texas was pushed a bit much and so i couldn’t continue with the characters as i couldn’t stay interested in the story to find out what happened.

I read this back in December and I absolutely loved it. It’s a dark comedy (is that a thing idk) it was truly captivating! Such an incredible audiobook. I have no idea why more people aren’t talking about this one. It’s so good!!! The biggest thank you to the publisher for an ALC to listen to thru Netgalley in exchange for my honest review!! 5 mesmerizing stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A friend of mine was reading it and I knew I needed to do a reread. So I did!! 5 stars from me! (Again!) If I could give it more stars for the main character and her grams I totally would! I LOVED & adored them!

I can’t say it enough … this one is hella GOOD! The writing is great! A classic whodunnit, who to trust?!? The witty banter is top tier!! I can’t wait to see what this author write next!!! The narration was TOP TIER!! This is best to be listened to because it’s simply one of the BEST books I’ve ever listened too!!

THIS. My new favorite niche genre is True Crime Podcasts in Fiction...I love it. This had me on my toes and I couldn't get enough.

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. This is the first book I’ve listened to with January Lavoy but she’s been recommended so much, and I’ll be looking for more from her. She really captured the characters. Will Damron nailed the podcaster voice and was great in his roles.
I’ll be reading more from Amy Tintera for sure.