Listen for the Lie was a great read. I enjoyed the twists and turns even though it kept me guessing until the very end. Amy Tintera is proving to be an excellent writer. I look forward to more from her.

3.5 stars. This was a solid 4 star review for me throughout, but the ending was not my favorite. I was fully engaged in this story. I liked the snarkiness and attitude of the main character, there was a great cast of characters/suspects, and I didn't want to put the book down. The ending itself was fine as you get resolution to the mystery, but I'm not a fan of the way it played out. I will read more from this author in the future. The narration was done really well with this one, which added to the enjoyment of the story.

Five years ago, Lucy Chase was found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savannah's blood. Lucy says she can't remember what happened that night, but everyone in the small town of Plumpton, Texas, thinks she is a murderer--even her own parents. After that horrible night, Lucy moved to Los Angeles and started a new life writing romance novels under a pseudonym. But Lucy can't stay anonymous forever. Especially not since podcast host Ben Owens decided to investigate Savvy's murder for the second season of his hit true crime podcast, "Listen for the Lie." When Lucy's grandma Beverly invites Lucy to come home for her 80th birthday celebration, Lucy can't say no to her beloved grandma, the only person who believes she is innocent. Lucy returns to the place she vowed never to set foot in again and ends up finding an ally willing to help her solve her friend’s murder. Lucy is determined to find out the truth, even if she is the one that did it.

This book was absolutely incredible! Truly one of the best thrillers I have read, and I am already naming it one of my top reads of the year. With its fast pace, questionable narrator, and short chapters, this is one bingeable book that you will not want to put down. The story is told from Lucy's point of view with "podcast episodes" interspersed throughout the book, which were interviews of Plumpton residents who gave us extra information about Savvy and the events leading up to and after her murder. I never knew who or what to believe, and I had many theories and guesses about what really happened to Savvy. Tintera's dark humor made this a very fun and enjoyable read. I was surprised to learn this is her adult debut, and I can't wait to see what she does next!

I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook narrated by the fabulous January LaVoy, who voiced Lucy Chase, and Will Damron, who voiced Ben Owens. If you haven't listened to one of LaVoy's audiobooks, you are truly missing out. She is the best of the best, and everything she touches is magic. She does such an amazing job at setting the tone and building suspense, and she brought out the dark humor at all the right moments with her intonation. Damron also did a great job and sounded like a professional podcaster. I am just amazed at the quality of the "podcast episodes" and LaVoy's and Damron's abilities to bring all the Plumpton residents to life. This book was meant to be listened to, and I cannot recommend the audiobook enough!

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Listen for the Lie was completely enthralling and once I started, I couldn't stop! Our narrator, Lucy, has a captivating demeanor and comedic attitude towards negativity, especially in the beginning, which were some of my favorite moments throughout the story. Convinced by her hilarious grandmother, Lucy travels back to her hometown, the place where years ago she was found wandering the streets covered in her dead best friend Savannah's blood. Despite years of avoidance, Lucy is forced to face the past head on as Savvy's murder becomes the subject of a very popular true crime podcast. Lucy's innocence has been questioned since the night of the incident, and because she also suffered head trauma that night, the memories of what actually happened are locked deep in her psyche. While revisiting the scenes of her past, Lucy begins to recover the details of that fateful night, and the revelations are shocking. The twists and turns kept coming, and each reveal got better and better - I truly had no clue what was going to happen! Usually I have an idea of who's to blame, but this whodunit unraveled slowly and carefully, leaving everyone a suspect without making it obvious, until an unforgettable ending unfolds. The ending had me absolutely shook!

In the audio in particular, I really enjoyed the defined voices, the intro music during the podcast chapters, and the personality each character exuded, especially Lucy's and her grandmother's. The distinct differences made it easier to keep up with the characters and gave depth to their temperaments that I really enjoyed.

Rating: 2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan audio for this audiobook arc of Listen for the Lie! Thrillers are always my favorite to listen to via audiobook, so when I saw that this one was praised by Stephen King and other authors I’ve enjoyed in the past, I knew I had to pick this one up.

This story follows Lucy, a woman accused but never convicted of killing her best friend Savvy. Although there was never enough evidence to convict Lucy, her entire hometown believes her to be guilty, so Lucy moves away from her small town to LA to escape it all. But Lucy cannot escape her past like she hoped to when a popular true crime podcaster decides to dig up her story for the latest season of his show.

This story was very well produced, and I really enjoyed the narrators and thought they did a great job. Unfortunately, this book just fell flat to me in several ways. This story just didn’t feel super original- I think in the sea of thrillers/mysteries there is just nothing to make this story stand out against the rest. I also felt like I was waiting for more things to happen for the vast majority of the book. ***potential spoilers ahead!!!Although they’re pretty vague so I don’t think the are necessarily super spoiler-y***
The voice that Lucy was hearing in her head throughout the book felt super corny and honestly had me cringing a bit every time I heard it. My other biggest gripe with this book (besides the plot lacking some twists) was the fact that this book heavily seemed to focus on this group of friends all sleeping with and cheating on each other and it felt very repetitive. I just wanted to be shocked about where the plot was taking me and that never happened. Regardless of these criticisms, I still think there definitely is an audience of people out there that would enjoy this audiobook. Especially if you are a fan of true crime podcasts like myself and need something to listen to while driving, cleaning, etc. because it’s still entertaining and easy to keep up with even while you’re doing other stuff.

Listen for the lie. Wow. This was such a good book. I loved it. The writing was excellent. I listened to the audiobook version and the narration was phenomenal. I love how real it all felt. The podcast episodes were great as they added so many layers to the story. Would highly recommend. 10/10

“𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 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.”

Thanks Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for the advanced reader copies!
Pub date: March 5th

The audiobook for this one is great! I really enjoyed it and there were several moments I laughed out loud. Lucy is sarcastic, not totally reliable, full of dark humor and murderous thoughts, and it’s hard to figure her out initially. I was more interested in the snarky quips than the story itself at times but it easily kept me entertained. Chapters are short, which I felt made the pace decent, and though we’re only given Lucy’s POV in the present and past, and Ben’s just for the podcast sections, there are a ton of side characters that can sometimes be hard to keep track of as it also adds to the confusion of who all was or could have been involved in the murder, and like Lucy, we struggle with putting the pieces together until the whole picture is revealed.

Content and trigger warnings include a lot of profanity, murder (mostly detailed thoughts of how to do it and one intense scene), infidelity, domestic abuse (some pretty detailed), two brief sex scenes, alcoholism, and mental health (mostly tied to trauma). I recommend for all you true crime fanatics who enjoy a refreshingly good, twisty thriller that’s unique from the typical who-dun-it trope.

This was AMAZING. The audiobook really added to the story. I did not expect the ending of this at all and I absolutely loved the way the twist was revealed. It wasn’t “BOOM, twist.” with a twist from left field. We slowly figured it out along with Lucy and it was still shocking. I loved the slightly haunting element of Lucy’s intrusive thoughts and think that was good social commentary on how intrusive thoughts are just thoughts

This one was good! I throughly enjoyed the podcast angle and the main character, Lucy. It was a little cringe at times whenever I heard the narrator say “let’s kill!” but I soon got over it when I started getting more invested in the story. What I enjoyed the most was the humor. I can tell where Lucky got her wit from. Many thanks to Macmillan audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook. It was very well done. The podcast chapters felt like I was actually listening to one.

This was my first time reading a book by author Amy Tintera, and I was thoroughly impressed! This book was full of suspense and questions! I was surprised several times in this book, thinking I was starting to piece things together, just to find I was nowhere close!
As I listened to the book I found the voice in Lucy’s head saying ‘let’s kill’ to be a little disturbing, but when more information behind the voice was given I was no longer as bothered by it :)
Overall this book was one I would definitely recommend putting on a watchlist!

What a great idea! A story and a podcast wrapped into one, but also kept separate. Very timely.
The book is divided into the things that are happening currently with flashbacks to what happened before. The reason for the current events is a true crime podcast investigating a murder that was never officially solved, even though everyone “knows” who really did it.

The reader gets to investigate along with the podcaster, Ben, but has the added benefit of also being in the mind of Lucy – the suspected murderer who claims she cannot remember what happened that long-ago night.

Tintera expertly weaves the two story perspectives around each other creating a good flow and a suspenseful and truly enjoyable read.

With respect to the characters, Lucy’s parents are abominable. Well, actually, so is most of the town. Ya gotta love Grandma. She seems to be the only one who doesn’t turn on Lucy. The voice in Lucy’s head was a bit annoying.

Unlike most books about podcasts I found this one refreshing and kind of real.

This was an absolute, un-put-downable book! I was hooked from the beginning-trying to figure out if our main character, Lucy, was in fact a murderer. Of course there are plenty of suspects and a podcaster trying to get to the truth of a murder from 5 years earlier.

I loved these narrators! January LaVoy and Will Damron both had several characters to play in this book and they do such a wonderful job of bringing them each to life. Many different accents and tones, really outstanding performances!

Fantastic story by a new-to-me author! Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Amy Tintera for the ALC for my honest review.

I don’t always enjoy audiobooks that include music - in this case at the beginning and end of each podcast clip - and thought it might ruin it for me. But I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. The narrator was great and the story sucked me right in. Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Listen for the Lie is a new hit podcast hosted by Ben Owens, currently in season 2. He is on the hunt to find out who killed a beloved small town girl, Savannah, Savvy for short. Her best friend, Lucy, has been the prime suspect since she wandered out of the woods covered in blood holding a large stick, the only problem is Lucy has no memory of the events that night. Without enough evidence to convict Lucy she was never formerly charged but in the eyes of public opinion in this small town she is definitely guilty. Lucy fled to Los Angeles to escape everyone's judgement, including her parents and ex-husband. She is lured back to town by her grandmother who is in cahoots with Ben. She is convinced with Ben's help Lucy might finally remember what happened that tragic night and solve Savvy's murder for real.

I love a good thriller and this one had me hooked from the beginning and did not let go. The story is told from Lucy's POV and clips of Ben's podcast which I really enjoyed, and I am not a listener of podcasts. Lucy is sarcastic with a dark secret, a voice in her head plotting the murder of everyone she meets. The pace is good and it kept me guessing who the killer was most of the way through. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to other works by Amy Tintera. I highly recommend this one!

I had the audio version read by January LaVoy and Will Damron who were both excellent to listen to. They paired well together and I will seek other narrations from both. I also liked the podcast style that was added for Bens chapters.

I wanted to love this, and I was absolutely sure I would before I headed into it. A snarky MC? Yes, please! A murder mystery? Always! Secrets and lies? Sign me up!

So why didn’t this click for me?

Characterization: To my utter surprise … I guess I don’t know myself as well as I thought … Lucy was TOO sarcastic and snarky for my taste, to the point of being mildly obnoxious, though it did tame somewhat over the course of the book. Unfortunately, other characters also shared that trait, so there wasn’t much of a break from it.

Repetition: The word “smug” is used 32 times. Please use a different word. Same thing for the variations on sweat trickling down Lucy’s back. I get it. She’s sweaty. Move on.

Plot Device: I’m pretty sure at this point that I dislike the amnesia trope. The three mysteries I’ve read that come to mind that use it got 2 or 3 stars from me. I just think it’s overused and a bit tired as a trope.

Pacing: There’s just not a lot going on in this book besides Ben’s interviews with people and Lucy wandering around trying to regain her memories. I take that back … there’s TONS of gaslighting and infidelity if you enjoy that in your stories! There were interesting parts that kept me engaged, but not enough to get me excited about flipping pages.

All that said, there were some bright spots. I liked the story well enough - I just didn't LOVE it like I wanted to! Amy Tintera is a talented writer and with a different story, I’d probably enjoy it more. Her characters are at least interesting, even if THESE particular characters weren’t my favorite. For a debut, I think it shows promise for the future, and I’d definitely try her again!

Another bright spot was the audio. I listened to this while reading along on my Kindle, and January Lavoy and Will Damron did an excellent job with the narration on a large range of characters and personalities. I’d recommend the audio for this one!

Lucy has left small town Texas for LA, trying to escape her past. Her best friend Savvy was murdered 5 years ago, and everyone thinks Lucy did it. When a true crime podcaster decides to cover her as his next project, Lucy will be forced to return to Texas and confront the secrets and lies of the past.

As soon as I discovered that podcast episodes were a part of the plot, I immediately started listening to the audiobook. It is exceptionally well done! The narrators are two of the best I’ve ever listened to. They pulled off a full cast of characters with different accents and ages. I was floored by their talent and the quality of the production.

I enjoyed this much more than your usual novel in the mystery genre. Firstly, Lucy is a unique, complicated and quite funny character. Her sarcasm and deadpan humor made me laugh out loud at times and her family in Texas was quirky and messed up in the best way. She makes very questionable decisions and is not always likable, but I did think her actions fit in with her general character (don’t want to say too much due to possible spoilers). The dark humor in this book was so well done.

Secondly, as a podcast addict, I am really enjoying all the books that include this element as an important plot point, but I don’t think I’ve encountered one that does it as well as this one does.

I do think that if you go in with too high expectations (I mean, for goodness sakes, there is a blurb from Stephen King on the cover!) you might be disappointed. This is not a thriller, but a unique mystery novel with unforgettable characters and a lot of dark humor.

There is a lot to unpack in this book, but to mention all the different elements would be spoilers; this would be great for a book club or buddy read, because you will want to discuss it with someone!

This is going to be a BOLD statement, but this moved into one of my favorite audiobook productions ever. The story was great, but the audio COMPLETELY sucked me in. First of all, Ben's chapters are literally a podcast. I absolutely loved it. The second I heard the first little ding of podcast music I knew I was going to enjoy this book. I listened in one sitting.

I loved the "whodunit" mystery and even gasped when I realized there was a twist with the "voice" in Lucy's head. I was left guessing who killed Savvy until the very end and that's huge. I can't wait to read more by Ms. Tintera and I truly hope that this turns into a series and the audiobooks continue because I will one click every single one.

Listen for the Lie features Lucy, who everyone believes killed her best friend, Savvy. Lucy’s Grandma requests her presence at her birthday party and she cannot refuse, especially since she just lost her job and she is aware that her boyfriend is close to breaking up with her. Unfortunately, her trip coincides with research by Ben Owens who hosts the “Listen for the Lie” true crime podcast. Ben’s investigation exposes many small-town secrets, but will he be able to finally solve the mystery of Savvy’s murder? Is Lucy really to blame? While the podcast premise has gained in popularity recently, I felt that the characters and dialogue felt fresh. I enjoyed how the plot evolved as Ben shared the discoveries from his investigation as well as how the town responded to each episode. Grandma was my favorite character by far. Additionally, I appreciated how Lucy doesn’t tolerate much nonsense. This book is set in Texas and the stifling heat added to the oppressive feeling Lucy experienced. The first half of the book was truly stellar. Approximately halfway the bad decisions kept coming and the drama reached new heights ratcheting up the tension, but getting farther away from the plausible. It was interesting to see which relationships deteriorated and which stayed strong. The information about traumatic brain injury and amnesia added to the plot and honestly a bit more detail regarding the crime scene or police interviews would have been welcome. I can also understand how the story stayed focused on Lucy and Savvy as that was an important aspect of the entire story. The humor was a huge bonus and Lucy was a very intriguing main character. I kept wanting to read this and could have easily finished in one day if time had allowed. Narration by January LaVoy and Will Damron was excellent—clearly they are well-established audiobook narrators for good reason. Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review.

Listen for the Lie is a 5 star audiobook for me! I love the fictional Podcast aspect, which gives it a nice twist! If you like dark humor and murder mysteries, this one's' for you! The main character, Lucy sounds like someone I could be friends with! She has a snarky, sarcastic, bitchiness to her that I found endearing and I couldn't help rooting for her. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook! Definitely sparked my interest in this new-to me Author!

Wow wow wow! 4.5 stars for plot and 5 starts for narration. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is an excellent audiobook. If you are like me and love true crime podcasts, you would enjoy this book. I felt like I was listening to a real podcast. The narrators did a fantastic job with various character voices. The book is mainly told from the POV of Lucy but it has chapters where it is the podcast you are "listening" to. I'm not sure how that would come through with the print book but I was captivated by the audio. The plot is good and this who done it had me not knowing until the very end.

Lucy Chase is the subject of a true crime podcast hosted by Ben. He is trying to solve the murder of Lucy's best friend and town golden girl Savannah (Savvy). Most people think Lucy is responsible for the death of her friend. Lucy was sarcastic and snarky and made me laugh. Lucy's grandmother believes in Lucy's innocence and is a great side character. I don't want to give too much away, but do yourself a favor and listen to the audio of this book. You won't be disappointed!

I honestly can't say enough good things about the narrators! I will be looking for more audiobooks by them. While this was my first book by Amy Tintera, I am looking forward to reading more books by her in the future. This audio will be released on March 5, 2024. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced listeners copy of this book. I voluntarily listened to it and gave an honest review.