I really enjoyed this book and I liked how the point of view switched from Lucy to the podcast/interview format. I couldn’t put it down until I found out who really killed Savvy. Was it Lucy, or someone else? There were a few loose ends that were never tied together, but aside from that the story was well written and any whodunit lover will definitely enjoy this book.

I love a snarky, sarcastic woman character and the main character in this book is just that. Humor mixed in with suspense and small-town drama create the perfect story. Many potential murderers that keep you guessing until the end. This is one book I’ll recommend over and over! Don’t leave this on your TBR pile, read it!

Lucy lives in LA with her boyfriend, writing romance novels under a pen name because everyone assumes she killed her best friend. Her grandma asks her to come back home to Texas for a birthday party, and a podcast host is there asking questions about her friend’s unsolved murder.

This book was wild. Darkly funny but also thriller-esque. Lucy was so sarcastic and self-deprecating. Her jokes about her situation were pretty great. I never suspected she killed Savvy. I just didn’t know who did. The ending was good and satisfying! I really liked this one, though there is one part with the podcast host Ben and her where she talks about killing that made me squeamish. That stuff isn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of this book. Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera will be released on March 5th, 2024.


Finished on 9/15/23. Listen For The Lie was a fine book. It took me a little longer to get through than I was expecting, and I felt that it was...a little more than far-fetched, but that's okay. It was still entertaining as long as you could look past the unrealistic plot plots. The dialogue in the book was fun though. There is plenty of dry humor and more than once I found myself laughing out loud.

I would say the book is average. Not bad, but not the best I have read either. I do think that, had I listened to the book instead of reading it, the rating would have been a little bit higher.

Book Title: Listen for the Lie
Author: Amy Tintera
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
My Rating: 2.7 Stars
Pages 352

Story immediately had me when Lucy is preparing an ‘apology chicken dinner’ for her boyfriend. It is similar to the ‘engagement chicken dinner’ when a woman prepares to persuade her boyfriend to propose. Only this apology chicken is one in which Lucy wants to say to her boyfriend
~ I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I’m the ‘prime suspect in my friend’s murder’ chicken dinner’.

The apology dinner is the result of podcaster Ben Owens, digging into the murder mystery of Savannah- Savvy, Lucy’s best friend. This happened a few years ago but podcasters love this sort of thing.
Lucy was accused of killing Savvy when she was found with her best friend’s blood on her. Lucy however cannot remember anything. She doesn’t know if she did or didn’t kill her friend.

Lucy now lives in LA and has been trying to put the past behind her.
Lucy’s grandmother is the only person who truly believes that Lucy is innocent. Since Grandmother has a birthday coming up she invites Lucy to return to her hometown of Plumpton, Texas. However Ben Owens is in town and has started his podcast by interviewing anyone who thinks Lucy is guilty ~ he seems to have plenty of folks willing to contribute.
I was sure the title was going to come into play in that all I had to do was stick with this and listen for the truth.

Since the story started out entertaining I was sure I was going to enjoy it.
However it soon went downhill for me.
I am not a fan of f -bombs; or do I care about reading the sexy make-outs session’s .of unlikeable characters. Obviously many reviewers don’t have my problem and loved this!
So you may also love this!

About the author:
This is Amy Tintera adult debut. She is the author of several series for young adults.
She lives in Los Angeles and was raised in Austin, Texas. The setting for many of her novels is in Texas. Note Lucy’s hometown is Plumpton, Texas. I did a Google search and could not find a city named Plumpton but it is the name of a Street, an Avenue as well as a Road in Austin El Paso, and Horizon City.

Want to thank NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 5, 2024.

I flew through this book. It was so good. Five years ago best friends Lucy and Savannah went to a wedding and left together. Lucy is found wandering covered in Savannah's blood. Savannah is found dead and Lucy has no memory of what happened. The entire small town is convinced that Lucy murdered her friend but there is not enough evidence to arrest her. Fast forward to present day and Lucy has been living in California for five years. At her Grandmother's request, she returns to her hometown. At the same time a popular true crime podcast is starting a new season focusing on murder of Savannah. I love a book with a podcast element and this one was great. You get the present day timeline, 5 years ago timeline and the podcast mixed in. I cannot wait for the next book by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy of this book for review.

A great page turner about Lucy who can’t remember the night her best friend was killed. Everyone seems to think she did it, but there was no proof. It’s now 5 years later and a podcaster has taken an interest in the case.
I loved Lucy and her spunky grandmother. The podcast episodes between chapters added an extra layer. Highly recommend.

With podcasts being a norm these days, this story was a gem. The main character cannot remember the murder of her best friend and she is accused of the murder. The only person who believes her amnesia is her grandmother. With no parental support it’s not unrealistic that she changes her name and assumes a new life. But her old life continues to intrude. I enjoyed this story and rate it high on a must read!

I am always looking for a book to sink my teeth into and with this book I found one that bites back. This is my first five star read on Netgalley. I loved the characters, plot, and pacing of this book. I also think it would make an incredible movie. Thank you to #henryholtandco #amytintera #netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I couldn't get enough and will automatically pick up anything else Amy Tintera writes.

Thanks to Henry Holt & Company, NetGalley, and Amy Tintera for the advance readers copy of Listen For The Lie. Wow! I love books that use podcasts in them especially when they are done well. This book was very well done and I am going to be recommending it a lot because it has an amazing hook. What would you do if everyone told you that you killed your best friend but since they didn’t have enough evidence you have gotten away with it? Oh, did I mention you have amnesia? Yeah—that’s all I’m giving away because this book is so fantastic you are going to want to read it to find out— did she or didn’t she kill her friend?

I loved this book - I was not sure what to expect in the beginning, but the premise of the book sounded interesting enough to try it. They find Lucy (our main character) wandering the streets covered in blood and her best friend is dead - she can't remember anything. Later down the road Ben who has a crime podcast takes the "case" - whose team is he on? We don't know - but this book was FABULOUS as you have to really piece together the timeline between the interviews on the podcast, Lucy's flashbacks and current life. This was a classic "who did it" and it kept me on my toes - fast read - page turner!

I already have some specific bookish friends in mind for this book. Listen for the Lie is centered around a fictional “true crime" podcast. The narrator, Lucy has been asked by her beloved grandma to return to her hometown to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday. Lucy hasn’t been home in five years and so very reluctantly she acquiesces. She does not want to return to her hometown because five years ago her best friend was murdered and Lucy, who can’t remember anything from that night, is believed by many to have been the killer. A podcast seemingly suggesting she is guilty has begun and as it turns out, the podcaster is also in Lucy’s hometown when Lucy arrives. Lucy can no longer ignore the past. She, along with podcaster, Ben, set out to find the truth. She fears everyone is right and she is in fact the murderer; that is why she can’t remember anything from that night; she also knows she’d never harm her best friend.

This book started slow for me, but at about the 40% point, I flew through it. I struggled with the organization and none of the characters are very likable, I do think this book will satisfy a niche of reading that has popped up centered around murder mysteries and podcasts. Fans of Sadie by Courtney Summers, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson, and probably mostly fans of Those Empty Eyes by Charlie Donkea will want to pick up Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera.

Thanks to Henry Holt & Co. and Netgalley for this ARC.

Listen for the lie - Amy Tintera

Lucy and Savvy were best friends, until Savvy's murder separated them, and as Lucy experiencedd a heah injury when Savvy was killed, she could remember nothing about what happened during the incident.

That doesn't stop the entire town, other than one person, from assuming that Lucy was responsible for her best friend's demise. This belief is upheld for years, as Lucy's missing memory refuses to give up its secrets.

Lucy reluctantly returns to her home town, to celebrate her Grandma's birthday, coincidentally, at the same time Ben, a blogger committed to finding out the truth about who killed Savvy, is visiting and interviewing the various individuals who might know details about the murder.

There are many truths that need to come to light before the killer is finally unmasked, along the way, this story is populated with interesting characters (Lucy's grandma was my favorite, by far) and scintillating secrets.

A home run of a murder mystery, and an interesting story as well as a lesson regarding assumptions quickly made and fiercely held.

Until next time, mystery fans should pick up this novel for an engaging and entertaining read.

Listen for the Lie is easily one of my top three thrillers not only of 2023 (I know it comes out in 2024) but also of all time. Five years ago, a young woman was discovered murdered in the woods following a wedding reception. Her best friend was discovered wandering the backroads, covered in Savvy's blood, and not able to remember what had happened. In the days after the killing, the town decided that Lucy must have killed Savvy; however, there was not enough evidence for an arrest, so Lucy quickly packed her bags and moved across the country. Now, Lucy's grandmother, her one family member she is still close to, is celebrating her birthday with a grand party and demands that Lucy attend. As Lucy returns to her home town, she must confront the locals who believe she is a murderer, the memories of her childhood and friendship with Savvy, and her lack of memory of the worst night of her life. To make matters worse, Ben Owens, a very successful podcaster, has come to town to do a true crime podcast focused on Savvy's death.

I, honestly, cannot say enough about this book. I couldn't put it down; I read it in one day. The characters are well-developed. I thought Lucy was a great narrator, even though she was extremely unreliable. Her dark humour definitely added to not only her character but to the book as a whole. She had me laughing out loud at times. Ben was interesting as a character, and I thought his relationship with Lucy was well-written. There was definitely some good chemistry there. My favorite character had to be Beverly (the grandmother). Every scene with her was epic. There were so many twists, reveals, and red herrings. I did not see that ending coming! The author did a great job with the addition of the podcast scripts. Those sections definitely added to the entire story.

I highly, highly recommend Listen for the Lie. Easy 5 stars! Absolute gripping thriller! I will be buying a physical copy of this book when it releases!

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑺𝒂𝒗𝒗𝒚...𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒓. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒔𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 (𝒎𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆) 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆...𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒕.

I've discovered one of my top ten books of the year! LISTEN FOR THE LIE was the perfect blend of some of my favorite things--an unreliable narrator, darkly comedic undertones, and a featured podcast.

Sometimes the truth just doesn't matter. Everyone thinks Lucy killed her best friend Savvy after a wedding. After all, Lucy was found wandering, covered in blood, and Savvy bore bruises and scratches on her body that matched up with Lucy's hands. There wasn't enough evidence to convict her, and Lucy has no memory of the night in question, so she moved across the country to Los Angeles where she floats through her life like a snarky ghost, just relieved to be relatively unknown.

Then her grandma's birthday celebration and the second season of the insanely popular "Listen for the Lie" podcast both convene to lure Lucy home to Texas. Lucy knows that she'll have to reconstruct the events of that night to figure out who killed Savvy, even if it turns out to be her.

Every single character in this book was perfectly developed, and the pacing of the plot was deftly executed. There is absolutely no filler as every word, every scene is important. I was completely surprised by the ending and will definitely be buying a copy of this book when it's published. Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt for this early copy. LISTEN FOR THE LIE will publish March 5, 2024.

True crime podcasts are a huge thing nowadays, and it was fun reading this book that revolves around one. Lucy was accused but never charged of murdering her best friend, Savannah. A new podcast hosted by a man named Ben is coming out about the murder, and Lucy heads home at the insistence of her grandmother. Almost everyone there believes she was the murderer, but Lucy doesn’t remember anything about that night.

I enjoyed the twists and turns of this and how messy of a character Lucy is. She and Ben had fun chemistry, and it was neat trying to figure out what was gonna happen next.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this smart, well paced story. Clues were parceled out slowly, but not too slowly. The flow of the narrative kept me captivated, anxious to see what unfolded next. I read this in two days!

Thank you Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company, Henry Holt and Co. for this enjoyable ARC!

Let me start out by saying that I blasted through this book like I was back in Junior High and reading books at the speed of light. This book was super fun and kept me on my toes. Like most everyone (I think) I was trying to guess who the culprit was and looking for hints throughout the book but until the author literally revealed the identity of the "bad guy", I was stumped guessing wrong characters left and right. I highly recommend picking up this book to get a kickstart back into reading for anyone who feels in a slump or out of the loop.

I have a million things to do right now, so I started reading Listen for the Lie thinking I could skim a chapter while on a break and put the book down without regret. I was very, very wrong. On the first page, I thought I knew what I was getting into: unreliable narrator with an "edgy" sense of humor who was probably an unlikeable murderer, and the podcaster who can't decide whether to turn her in or sleep with her. But as I moved on to page two and beyond, I realized that author Amy Tintera was doing something very unique. Listen for the Lie is one of those magical reads that delivers one surprise after another and keeps you reading well into the night (and when you really should be doing other things...).

Lucy Chase just lost her job, is about to lose her boyfriend, and is headed back to her hometown to hide out with her challenging parents. Why is she hiding? She's long been suspected of murdering her best friend Savvy--though the police weren't able to dig up enough proof for an arrest--and the case has just become the subject of a hit true-crime podcast. But when she arrives in her parents' small Texas community, she realizes home may have not been the best locale in which to shelter in place. Because smugly good-looking podcast host Ben Owens is in town looking for answers.

Lucy might start out unlikeable, but it didn't take long for me to realize there was so much more to her character than well=worn tropes. Her penchant for inappropriate outbursts of dark humor mask real trauma. And her tendency to envision murdering everyone she meets with whatever makeshift weapons happen to be at hand is her way of constantly interrogating whether she really did have it in her to murder her best friend. Because Lucy doesn't remember anything about that night. One minute, she and Savvy were hanging out at a wedding, and the next, she was stumbling out of the woods with a head injury and her friend's blood on her torn dress. The harder she tries to recall the details, the fuzzier and more faraway her memories get.

So Lucy does something that startles the local gossips, the podcast audience, and Ben Owens himself--she plunks down next to Ben in the town diner and agrees to help him figure out who killed Savvy. Is she really offering selfless assistance? Or is she a sociopath inserting herself into the investigation to toy with Ben and the police?

I used to read a lot of mystery and suspense novels, but I tend to avoid them now since I find a lot of them to be predictable let-downs. I'm not sure what possessed me to request Listen for the Lie on Netgalley, but I'm so glad I did. Listen for the Lie brought me back to my long-ago love for a thrilling, edge-of=your=seat read. With deep characterization, laugh-out-loud dialogue, and a chilling crime with plenty of delicious misdirection, YA author Amy Tintera's adult debut is a wonderful read and one of my favorite whodunits in years.

I read thrillers during almost every mood that I’m in. If I’m sad, anxious, stressed, or just looking for a good read. They are my ultimate guilty pleasure (except I don’t feel even a little guilty).
It has become hard for me to feel like I’m reading something fresh, as a result. Which is why this was such a delight. I was flipping through pages as fast as I could, desperate to find out what happened. I truly had no guesses. Not until the answers were being revealed.

(I will post a review on social media, closer to the pub date)