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.

Thankfully I was able to get an early copy from @macmillan.audio The audio is the absolute best, I recommend this format for this book especially!

🎧 Listen for the Lie
✍️ Amy Tintera
📅 March 5, 2024 Now Available

🎉 Happy Publication Week @amytintera and Listen for the Lie! 🎉

Swipe for Synopsis ➡️

I have so much love for audiobooks that give you the full production, and I will scream and shout and tell everyone about them! Once that you add an amazing story that keeps you completely engaged, I’m gonna scream and shout even louder! So this is me telling you to go grab this book if you’ve never listened to an audiobook before. this is a perfect audiobook to suck you in and let you experience this element. The quality of the story stands alone, but there’s no need to not have the full experience!!

🗣️ January LaVoy and Will Damron are your narrators and they both do an excellent job bringing these characters to life.

Things I love about this book - (besides the quality of the audiobook)
🎙️podcast trope
🎙️ amnesia trope
🎙️ mystery/thriller with a lot of suspense
🎙️ the characters are perfectly written
🎙️ Grandma Beverly
🎙️ small town
🎙️ Lucy’s snark and inner voice!
🎙️ the fact that you, the reader, watch it unfold and as the characters do.
🎙️ The obvious question - did she do it? Or not?

I easily immersed myself in this book, and I’m here to tell you this is a five star book - add the audio and you’re looking at 10 stars, baby there’s stars coming out of stars for this one!

I hate to tell you to much - so what you need to know is go grab the audio @librofm where you can support independent bookstores - I’ll link it in my stories.

This was another SQAF Book Club read.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my early copy!

4.5 rounded up!

I haven’t had a book in so long hook me from the first two chapters. I was so captivated by the writing and storytelling I just knew I was going to get through this book quick! After finishing the story in two days, I understand why this book was so popular.

To quickly summarize, it’s a fictional take on the podcast Serial, where a podcaster sets out to uncover secrets and evidence that may have been overlooked.

Besides the quick read, I found Lucy incredibly relatable and really enjoyed her sarcastic humor. It was easy to understand her POV and the struggles she endured after the murder of her best friend.

The bouncing back and forth between present day and Lucy’s memory of that night really added to the build of the story. It felt like working on a puzzle for so long and you’re finally putting the last 10 pieces into place.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy!

Content warnings: murder, violence, abuse, infidelity, gas lighting, sexual assault, alcoholism

Loved the audiobook of listen for the lie! It was an easy, fast read with unreliable characters and a podcast to tell it all. There was a great balance between whodunit and dark humor in the story and I loved how the main character, Lucy used her f it attitude to deal with life and all it threw at her. One of my favorite thrillers this year!

Listen for the Lie was such a wonderful audio book experience! I loved the book and was interested from the first second. I really enjoyed how the production made it feel like I was really listening to a podcast. The story was so juicy and I was not expecting that ending. It was a fast moving story that did a great job developing the characters. Will 100% read Amy again!

This was such a great listen!! I did a combo of reading and listening and I strongly suggest listening to it. This is a story of murder and somehow I laughed out loud a lot. Murder and laughing out loud really don't go together unless you're listening to this one. A mix of podcast and novel. You'll never figure out the ending, at least I didn't. The narration was great. The first podcast music startled me, but I think by the end, I was prepared and grew to enjoy knowing where we were going in the story. Make sure you pick this one up and give it a listen, or at least read it.

I really enjoyed the podcast style of this production, and exploring the relationship between Lucy and Savvy. The audio was super engaging and i enjoyed the formatting of this book! I would recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

The podcasting elements were interesting. I felt for Lucy and definitely had feelings about those around her.

Rating: 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance audiobook of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera.

Amy Tintera's Listen for the Lie is an engaging audiobook that managed to hold my attention throughout. The narration is compelling, and the story itself is filled with intriguing twists and turns. However, I felt that the plot was somewhat overcrowded with events/characters, making it feel a bit scattered at times. Additionally, the frequent instances of cheating among the characters were off-putting and detracted from my overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, the book's core plot, podcast feel and suspense kept me invested until the end. With a bit more focus and fewer distractions, this could have been an exceptional listen.

An absolutely fantastic book! I saw this going around Bookstagram and I'm so happy I jumped on it, too. First of all, I love a podcast element but listening to this through the audiobook was completely unmatched. With alternating POVs of Lucy and a true crime podcast, you'll be immersed into a small Texas town where you aren't quite sure who you can trust. I was completely sucked in from the very beginning and couldn't stop eating it up.
Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

This audiobook was fantastic and really brought the written test to life. The narrators voice’s fit perfectly with my image of the characters and the tone of the book. The male narrator specifically had the perfect podcast voice! Absolutely fantastic.

In a Nutshell: A slow-burn mystery-thriller that contains plenty of snark and suspense but misses out on character development and logic. Twisty and silly at the same time. Still, it could work well as long as you know how contemporary thrillers work. Take off the thinking cap to enjoy it better.

Plot Preview:
Five years ago, Lucy had been suspected of murdering Savannah, but after there was no evidence to confirm the same, Lucy wasn’t arrested. However, as she doesn’t have any memories of that night, even she isn’t sure if she actually killed her best friend.
Now, the hit crime podcast “Listen for the Lie” has chosen to investigate Savannah’s murder for its new season, and all the old accusations are back. Lucy is divorced, jobless, and has to return to her hometown for her grandmother’s 80th birthday. Will podcast host Ben Owens be able to clear Lucy’s name, or will he confirm her worst suspicion about that night?
Lucy's first person updates us about what's happening in the small town after her return to celebrate her grandmother's eightieth birthday. The podcast interludes update us, through the third person interviews and through the podcaster's speculation, of what might have happened on the night of the murder. We also have another timeline of Lucy’s past with Savannah.

When you read such a storyline, you know that there are only two ways the book can go:
Either Lucy is innocent and gets her redemption at the end with the possible discovery of the true murderer, or she did commit the murder and is a pro at lying the heck out of the situation to save her skin.
Will you have the patience to “listen for the lie” and take a call on Lucy’s potential guilt?


Bookish Yays:
😍 Lucy’s grandmother Beverly is the only character in the book I could root for from start to end without any dip. Excellent character!
😍 There are many sarcastic and witty remarks that add a layer of fun to the serious story.
😍 The podcast format works quite well, especially in the audiobook. I’m not a fan of podcasts in real life; I have never even felt like hearing one. So this felt like I was eavesdropping on some gossipy neighbours. Over the top, but entertaining.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 Lucy seems cocky, so she isn’t exactly a likeable character. But I feel that there are just three broad human reactions possible when accused of murder: defensiveness, offensiveness, or escapism. Lucy uses her brash persona to hide a lot of things. In that sense, she is a fabulous character. Her decision-making skills, though, are highly questionable.
😐 The amnesia trope has been done to death in contemporary thrillers, but I like how it was handled in this book. That said, Lucy is an unreliable narrator because of her memory issues, and the other characters are also unreliable because of the podcast interviews revealing only bits and pieces of the truth. In other words, a whole lot of unreliability here, though some of it is handled well.
😐 There were enough and regular twists to keep me hooked, but some of the turnarounds were outlandish.
😐 Lucy hears a creepy voice in her head, and this was very appealing for most of the way but after a point, it seemed forced into the plot.
😐 The ending left me with slightly mixed feelings. Liked certain parts, rolled my eyes at the rest.

Bookish Nays:
🙄 Same old thriller tropes: gaslighting, sexual harassment & abuse, alcoholic characters, amnesia, deliberate red herrings, unreliable narrator, unlikeable characters who are portrayed as one thing and turning out to be another. No novelty. Very formulaic. Even the culprit is guessable after a point as it’s the standard modus operandi of mysteries.
🙄 What’s wrong with the town? (Said to be Plumpton, Texas, but I hope it isn’t like this in real life.) It feels like the whole town has amnesia about certain characters. Moreover, everybody seems to be sleeping with everybody else without qualms.
🙄 The ad hoc changes in character behaviour didn’t appeal to me. The transition felt awkward. The police also seem to be nincompoops, not that we get to see much of them in the book.
🙄 There are many repeated words and phrases. This becomes even more apparent while hearing the book.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 9 hrs 18 min, is narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron, who are married to each other in real life. Both of them are excellent. I don’t think I would have liked the book as much had it not been for their skilful portrayal of these grey characters. Moreover, the podcast structure is produced excellently in the audio, making us feel like we are actually listening to one. If you want to try this novel and enjoy audiobooks, then you should definitely go for the audio version, as long as you are comfortable listening to multiple timelines.

All in all, this is a fairly entertaining popcorn thriller. It has its shares of highs and lows, but for the most part, I did have fun. As is common with thrillers nowadays, don't overthink the proceedings and just go with the flow. It is a slowburn story, so don’t expect pacey thrills.
Recommended to thriller readers who would enjoy an entertaining podcast + amnesia trope.

3.5 stars, rounding up for the audiobook.

My thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “Listen for the Lie”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

With an opening line like "A podcaster decided to ruin my life, so I'm buying a chicken," I was prepared for the humor in this book. It is also a clever and thrilling mystery!
Five years ago, Lucy Chase was found wandering in the town of Plumpton, Texas, in clothes stained with the blood of her best friend, Savannah Harper. A head injury and amnesia left Lucy unable to recall any details of what happened. Sympathy quickly turns to suspicion in the small town, even though Lucy has never been charged. She moves to LA to escape the scrutiny.

When Ben Owens decides to do a podcast looking into Savannah's murder, Lucy's anonymity disappears and she is reluctantly convinced by her grandmother, Beverly, to return to Plumpton.

The story is told alternately through Lucy and through episodes of the podcast. Lucy is both eager and reluctant to recover her memory, but mostly she just wants to know what happened to Savvy. The podcast and fragments of Lucy's lost memory reveal new information that shines suspicion on several people. It also reveals that there was more to both Lucy and Savannah than met the eye.

Tintera draws you in with a clever mystery that twists back and forth in a way that has you wanting to find out more. It is also filled with literal laugh-out-loud humor, particularly from Lucy's grandmother Beverly. (If Amy Tintera and Janet Evanovich ever want to team up and write a story starring Lucy's Grandma Beverly and Stephanie Plum's Grandma Mazur I will ride or die with the two of them!)

The audiobook is narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron and they both kill it! Weaving the seriousness of the story punctuated with humor can pose challenges but these two nailed it. Great pacing and distinctive character voices really enhance the story. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook by the publisher.