I read Amy Tintera's Listen for the Lie in one sitting and I didn't want it to.end.... it's THAT good. Lucy is reluctant to return to her hometown because... well, everyone there believes she murdered her best friend.... but her grandmother convinces her to come back for her eightieth birthday party. When she arrives in Plumpton, Lucy is forced to face her unsupportive family, her abusive ex-husband, and the podcaster who is determined to interview her. She doesn't remember anything about the tragic night so she can't prove her innocence, but Savvy's persistent voice in her head, scary and hilarious at the same time, is leading her toward the truth.... whether she wants it to or not.

This was such a good thriller! It’s one of those books you can’t stop thinking about and will want to read again in the future. It kept me guessing until the end and I couldn’t put it down. Definitely one of those “one more chapter” books 🤣 I received this as an ARC but I cannot wait until it’s released so my friends can read it.

My eyes were glued to this book from the very first sentence to the final word! This is a brilliant Mystery about a young woman suffering from amnesia because of witnessing or possibly participating in her best friends murder.

Lucy Chase decides to return to her home town for a family birthday party. The town where she is hated and suspected of being the murder of her best friend. When she arrives she finds a pod caster who believes he is capable of solving the murder mystery and he is waiting to interview her, and her friends and family.

The characters in the story were authentic and believable especially the grandmother who is the most colorful and honest character in the book. Many interesting twists and turns with an original unexpected ending.

This book deserves every one of its five stars and I look forward to reading many more books by this author!

Thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Co. and Amy Tintera for allowing me to review this book.

I loved this book! A fantastic mystery/thriller that I will definitely be recommending to people. I expect this to be a bit when it’s released next year.

This book had me hooked from the beginning! I just had to know if Lucy killed Savvy!!! The storyline was easy to follow, shorter chapters, and while it is set following Lucy....you get other views due to the podcast. Character development was wonderful, Beverly had me cracking up several times. Highly recommend and so glad I was chosen to review this book.

My hands and eyes were glued to the pages as this brilliant, twisty dark comedy-meets-murder mystery captured my entire nerdy gray cells from the very beginning. Lucy Chase, a blunt, smart, and straightforward anti-heroine, is a complex character that you can't help but root for, even though there's a chance she may be a cold-blooded friend murderer.

The plot revolves around Lucy Chase, a widow and presumed killer who got away with the murder of her best friend, Savannah, the town's sweetest girl. Starting over in LA to build a new life, Lucy finds herself stuck in a meaningless job and a boring relationship with Nathan, who lacks the courage to end things with her. Her only solace is publishing romances under a pen name, but it's not enough to escape the traumatic effects of a brutal incident that occurred five years ago. The same incident took Savannah's life and left Lucy with brain trauma, resulting in temporary amnesia and blackouts.

Enter Ben Owens, a smug and good-looking podcaster who starts delving into the murder mystery of Savannah, stirring up a storm that threatens to unravel the new life Lucy has painstakingly built. Her lovely grandmother, the only person who believes in her innocence, invites Lucy to her birthday party, further tempting her to return to her hometown of Plumpton, Texas, where the townies have already labeled her a killer, including her self-righteous, difficult parents. Ben Owens' arrival in town at the same time to interview anyone who thinks she's guilty adds fuel to the fire. But Lucy already has enough on her plate, with voices in her head screaming "Kill!" and the ghost she keeps seeing everywhere. Her increasing ability to visualize creative ways to kill those who anger her becomes another side effect that hinders her pursuit of a happy life.

Despite the risks, Lucy decides to face the truth and confront the smug podcaster by returning to her hometown, even if it means potentially ending up behind bars. Is Savannah truly the sweetest girl in town, as everyone claims, or does she also harbor dangerous secrets? What if the entire town is hiding skeletons in their closets, secrets that may be worse than Lucy's actions? And the most crucial question of all: Did Lucy really kill her friend, or is she another victim unjustly crucified by everyone?

The smart, sarcastic tone, perfect characterization of the heroine, and portrayal of flawed, biased townies, combined with the riveting pacing and a twisty, dark, yet fair conclusion, made me adore this book. It deserves a well-deserved five stars, and I would even add an additional star for Grandma Beverly, the wittiest, most colorful, and adorable character in the book. I wished to be adopted by her!

This is undeniably one of the best novels I have wholeheartedly enjoyed, and I highly recommend it to anyone addicted to great dark comedy and riveting thrillers. I eagerly look forward to reading more works by Amy Tintera!

I extend my sincere thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I thought this was a wonderful book! I was anxious to find out the true story of Lucy and Savvy from start to finish and I really enjoyed Lucy’s personality and how the book itself was written. Definitely worth a read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Co. and Amy Tintera for the ARC of this book for my honest review.

Lucy’s dismal life in LA has just gotten worse when true crime podcaster Ben Owens decides to investigate the murder of Lucy’s best friend, Savvy. Savvy was murdered five years ago in their small hometown of Plumpton, Texas, and Lucy was found wandering the woods covered in her blood. Everyone thinks Lucy killed her best friend and no one believes that she cannot remember what happened that night. Lucy is summoned home to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday unaware that she is being set up to meet Ben and finally solve Savvy’s murder. Is Lucy finally ready to remember and face what happened that night? As Ben investigates the case, other potential suspects are identified including Lucy’s ex-husband Matt, her high school friend Nina, and Savvy’s ex-boyfriend Colin. Like in all small towns, behind their fake smiling faces Plumpton residents have many dark secrets to hide and the one closest to Lucy just might get her killed.

This is an excellent thriller with loads of dark comedy. Lucy’s grandmother Beverly is an absolute hoot and had me rolling. Lucy is complex as she is sarcastic and blunt as hell but secretly writes romance novels. I thought this was a great addition to her character to show her softer side. I really liked the layout of this novel. The podcast transcripts were written at the end of most chapters, and this was a brilliant way to have the story progress quickly and keep the action moving.
Highly recommend!

"Let's Kill-" would you do it? Could you do it?
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Totally going 5 stars on this one. From the moment you meet Lucy you have to feel sorry for her, everyone believes she killed her best friend and no-one believes she can't remember it.
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Leaving her hometown to start over there is noway she is going back there, until the one person in the world she trusts insists she comes home for her birthday. Her grandmother has more in store for her than just attending her birthday she wants to help clear her name.
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Not only was Lucy not a popular kid in high school but her and Savvy were not friends at all until after Lucy came back from college with her new husband Matt. Their relationship was toxic and Savvy hated Matt. No-one understood how Lucy and Savvy could be best friends now when they are total opposites. But there was no way Savvy was going to let Lucy put up with Matt hurting her "Let's Kill-".
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What really happened the night of the wedding? What caused Savvy to get so mad that she pulled Lucy away from there in her car to the woods. The next morning Lucy is found walking barefoot down the road with Savvy's blood all over her, beaten up and Savvy is found dead in the woods. All things point to her killing her after what others viewed as a fight between them at the wedding. Oh and how convenient for Matt to be able to say yes my wife did it when he wasn't even there. Let's not forget her parents who also believed she did it all because of Matt. But did she?
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Amy does a great job bringing you into this story with great suspense as if you were Lucy. This was a great read, good characters, even though there are several of them the story is easy to follow with who is doing what and where. Definitely one for your TBR. Thank you @Netgalley and @ Amy Tintera for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy can't remember - her best friend was murdered following a wedding and while much of the evidence seems to point to her, she just can't recall. Declared guilty by her town, she makes a new life in LA. But when a true crime podcaster picks up the case and her grandmother insists she return, she has no choice but to face all of the people who doubt her. The problem is, she still doubts herself. She actually sees and hears Savvy in her mind - unfortunately it is usually advice on who to kill and how.

Fun, ironic, dark humor with podcast interviews thrown in, this is a thrilling mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. If you are true crime podcast buff, love a thrilling mystery, or just like your protagonists to be a little bit....off, this is a book for you!
#HenryholtPress #ListenfortheLie #AmyTintera

I will read every single book this author writes for the rest of my life.
This is perfection! The protagonist is so bitter, funny, and flawed that I loved her immediately. She has been away for five years because her best friend was murdered and she was there but can't remember it. She is in therapy and doing her best but the trauma plagues her. She ends up losing her job when a popular podcaster decides to cover the story. In her hometown everyone believes she committed the murder.
Ben, the podcaster, has been interviewing everyone and has gotten close to her grandma Beverly, who is the coolest grandma of all time, and grandma gets them to meet.
Lucy (the protagonist) comes to town for her grandma's 80th birthday and begrudgingly stays with her parents. She meets up with old friends and her ex husband and the issues and trauma start to pile up.
I can't reveal anything else because it has some good information that might spoil the ending.
But I will say that the quotes from Beverly are the best. I saved some and I will share them when the book is published because OMG they are so spot on.
Thank you for the ARC

I wasn't expecting the sarcasm and cynicism of Listen for the Lie. But once I adjusted my expectations, I loved this book. The podcast transcript does a great job of enhancing the narrative, and the small-town setting was perfectly described. Yes, there are some things I would have changed about how the ending unfolded, but overall I enjoyed this book and I hope Amy Tintera continues to write more like it.

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt and Co for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Amy Tintera. I don't think she could write a book I didn't love - and Listen for the Lie is amazing. I seriously have to give it to Tintera; she is a freaking master. I've loved all her books, but this is her first adult mystery, and she knocked it out of the park. I hope she writes even more mysteries, now. It is genuinely one of the best mystery books I've ever read. The humor, the characters, the mystery - it kept me hooked from the first page to the last.

The story is this: Lucy may or may not have killed her best friend Savvy 5 years ago. According to the small town they grew up in, she did it. According to Lucy... she has no clue. When a podcaster decides to deep dive into the case, Lucy is dragged back to her home town to remember what happened 5 years ago.

I won't say much more, but I will say this: READ THIS BOOK. If you like mystery, if you like Tintera, if you just like hilariously funny and blunt main characters, this is the book for you. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will wish you could read this book again and again for the first time.

Amy Tintera, if you read this, please understand that I am your undying fan. Seriously. I will read everything you write from now until the end of time.