Just stunning, so gripping and wildly surprising. One of my favorite thrillers I've read in a while. Highly recommended to everyone looking for one of those "unputdownable" books.

Wow wow wow wow. I have not read a thriller this twisted in a long time.

Lucy Clarke was accused of murdering her best friend Savvy, but was never convicted due to a lack of evidence and lack of memory of the night it happened. Years later, a nosey Podcaster, Ben, decides to make a podcast out of the murder in order to solve it. Lucy had since left her hometown of Pumpton but returns at the request of her grandmother only to be greeted by the Podcaster. Will being back home help Lucy remember what happened that night to prove her innoncence or will Ben find more evidence through interviewing her and people in her town that proves that Lucy murdered Savvy? You'll have to listen to the lie to find out.

This book absolutely stunned me. I could not figure out the ending. The author did such a good job of leading me to make my own conclusions prior only to prove me wrong. The short chapters also make it easier to say "one more chapter" before realizing you've read for 30 more minutes. The characters are so well developed that it will have you second guessing everything you think you know.

Amy Tintera's adult novel, Listen for the Lie, was actually a fun read. It is a murder mystery with most of the violence limited to the conclusion. Tintera draws some unfortunately truthful conclusions about human nature. I wish I could argue that she was wrong, but since I happen to believe that her view of human nature is likely the truth, there is no point in arguing with the truth.

Listen for the Lie is the name of a podcast seeking to solve a cold case murder.. The victim, Savvy, died 5 years earlier. Her best friend Lucy has always been the suspect, but since she suffered a head injury when Savvy died, Lucy suffers from amnesia. I really don't want to include spoilers, Listen for the Lie is carefully crafted with lots of possible suspects, but it will take some work for readers to figure out who might be guilty, if of course, Lucy turns out to be innocent. There is a great deal of laugh-out-loud humor. All I need to do is think about grandma's birthday party and I begin to laugh again.

Thank you to the author, publisher Henry Holt & Company, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I love murder mysteries, and I am sure that suggests something rather devious about my own reading habits, but I am also very fussy about my murder mysteries. I liked Listen for the Lie and do totally recommend it.

So good! Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an early copy of this book. I devoured it today. I was really put-off by the main character, Lucy, at first until I realized she was even guarded and sarcastic with herself as our narrator.

I felt like Lucy was absolutely relatable. She wasn't perfect, and didn't pretend to be, which made her a great candidate for the murder of her best friend. She wasn't cute and likeable, but her best friend was. Her parents weren't great people and projected some of their faults onto Lucy (again, relatable, amiright?). And that ex-husband...

Small town gossip and drama are exposed when a podcaster comes to town and Lucy is forced to come home and face the music. Her to down memory lane is very eye opening! So many twists and turns and I had my suspicions, but I was still wrong. Fantastic read! Grab your copy ASAP!

“Listen for the Lie” is Amy Tintera’s debut into the adult thriller genre and should not be missed. Darkly funny and an absolute nail-biter, this novel kept me up way past my bedtime and guessing until the very last page.

We follow the main character, Lucy, who has escaped from her small hometown after being accused of murdering her best friend 5 years before. She can’t remember a thing about that night and the police never had enough evidence to charge her. When a true-crime podcast decides to make that case their next target, Lucy can’t hide from her past anymore.

The podcast angle is a genius framework for this story. The episodic style as well as the gradual information gathered as the main character’s memories start to resurface was very immersive. It was impossible not to find out what happens next.

As with any small-town story, there’s an interesting cast of characters here all dealing with their own messy lives. Each one has a backstory and reasons for a being a suspect. However, the standout is the main character, Lucy. I love a strong main character, especially when I can’t figure out if I actually like or believe them until the end. And Lucy is not likable. She’s sarcastic, blunt, very funny, and quite possibly a psychotic murderer. Chef’s kiss!

Thank you to Henry Holt & Co and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was hesitant to pick this book up because of differing views but I'm glad I did. The humour was my type of humour so I found some comic relief from the actual mystery. I was hooked to this book to find out what happened that night and if Lucy was actually guilty and i enjoyed her humour combined with Ben's.

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!