This reivew is posted on Goodreads and Storygraph.

In the gripping tale of Listen for the Lie, Lucy finds herself at the heart of a mystery that could unravel her entire existence. Once the darling duo of their Texas hometown, Lucy and her best friend Savvy’s lives take a dark turn when Lucy is discovered covered in Savvy’s blood. Branded a murderer by all, Lucy flees to Los Angeles, leaving behind a shattered past. But five years later, a tantalizing true crime podcast, hosted by the undeniably attractive but smug Ben Owens, thrusts Lucy back into the spotlight as they delve into Savvy’s murder. With the truth lurking in the shadows, Lucy must confront her past and unearth the secrets she buried, even if it means facing the terrifying possibility that she may have killed her own best friend. In a whirlwind of suspense and betrayal, Listen for the Lie promises a riveting journey into the depths of guilt and deception, where the answers may lie just beneath the surface, waiting to be uncovered.

I absolutely devoured this book! I loved Lucy’s sarcasm and really appreciated seeing the story unfold from her point of view. I can’t even imagine what she was going through losing the memory of *that* night and it was eye opening to see how everything happened from her perspective. I adored Lucy’s grandmother throughout the entire book and loved the role she played in Lucy’s personal growth. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good murder mystery with a little humor and deception thrown in.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC of Listen for the Lie in return for my honest review.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
5/5 Stars
Pub Date: March 5, 2024

Five years ago, Savvy and Lucy were best friends living in their small hometown in Texas. They went to a friends wedding and when they left together, Savvy ended the night dead in the woods and Lucy was framed as the murderer. She had terrible memory loss though from a head injury so she can’t remember if she actually did murder Savvy or not. Present day, she is living in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Nathan when a true crime podcaster has started a new series trying to figure out if Lucy is actually the murder of Savvy. Because of this, she ends up losing her job and everyone seems to know who she is again after trying to rewrite her life in a new city. Her grandma ends up telling Lucy to come back home for a birthday party, but in all reality she just wanted Lucy to talk to the podcaster to figure out if she really is the murderer. Will Lucy talk to Ben? Will she confess to what she did? Or does she really not remember? Did someone else murder Savvy?

This book had me invested from page 1. I loved how Tintera made Lucy funny from the start of the book and I think that is what drew me in before solving the mystery even got started. The fact that Lucy always had killing on the brain just made it funny to read about. Once Lucy decided to go back home and we started to hear from other points of view on the podcast, I started really getting interested in the story. My mind was never made up as to who I thought murdered Savvy because there were so many options and reasons as to why it could have been so many people. When that ending came along though and we found out who actually murdered Savvy, I was SHOCKED and didn’t see it coming whatsoever. This was honestly one of the best mysteries I have read in a while.

Thank you to Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this as an ARC for an honest review! I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more of Amy Tintera’s books!

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Lucy has been suspected of killing her best friend, Savvy, several years ago. There was never enough evidence to charge Lucy, especially because Lucy herself suffered significant head trauma that night and suffers from what some say a very "convenient" case of amnesia related to the events. Lucy's grandmother is throwing herself a birthday party and wants Lucy to come home to celebrate, and oh by the way, the true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie" is investigating Savvy's murder and might be in town. Now Lucy has to face facts and try to figure it out if she really murdered her friend or not!

This was such a fun read! Lucy's sarcasm and the ability to make her family, friends, and neighbors squirm was hilarious. The grandmother also had some great laugh-out-loud scenes! I liked the different media used in writing the book too--the podcast episodes made this a fast, but interesting read. I guessed the ending before it was revealed, but not until it was pretty close to the end, so that was enjoyable as well! I did find the self-sabotaging behavior of MANY of the characters to be a little bit annoying at times and I was confused by the voice in Lucy's head (was that supposed to be part of her brain trauma? A PTSD response? Just an overactive imagination? Why didn't it go away after everything was solved?). But besides those two nit-picky annoyances I really enjoyed reading this and would definitely recommend to others--especially all those true crime podcast fans!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

For fans of None of This is True and First Lie Wins

If you are someone who wants to get more into audiobooks, this is a great one to start with. It’s read from the main character’s -Lucy - POV and excerpts from the podcast that is being investigated surrounding Lucy and the accusation she killed her best friend Savvy. It’s interesting from start to finish, and i enjoyed the little romance going on as well. I half listened to this, half read It, and i flew through It. Really enjoyed!

This was a great first adult novel by Amy Tintera. This was super twisted and the characters were all a damn mess. The sarcasm was an A+ and the ending was intense!

I flew through it buuuut...⁣
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Super Brief Summary⁣
What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?⁣
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I have some thoughts. I don't always read full summaries, especially for thrillers so I missed a major plotline that usually makes me not read a book and that is AMNESIA. To me it is a cop out, an easy way to make plot holes that otherwise would not work. So why did I continue? Well, many friends said it was a fun ride AND y'all, the audio was GOOD. It includes a full-fledged podcast and you are listening along with the characters and secrets just keep unfolding making it super propulsive!⁣
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The audio is the only way to go on this one, had I not had it I definitely would have bailed. There was also one completely unnecessary component that I get was used to confuse the reader but it was so excessive that after the ending you think back, "hey, why in the world did *that* have to happen?!" It will spoil the ending for anyone who hasn't read it but if you'd like to know (or you think you know what I'm referring to, feel free to DM me).⁣
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What do you think about books that use amnesia??

I was GLUED to this book! Loved the main character because she was flawed but hilarious. I thought the ending was kind of anti-climactic (like she just remembers what happened one day) but I enjoyed the ride so much it’s still a 5 star for me!

Thank you so much to Celadon for the advance copy of the book!

This book was all over bookstagram and I am so mad at myself for not picking this up sooner!

I love when podcasts/documentaries are incorporated into thrillers. It just adds an extra element and you learn so much about the characters in these moments. The chapters were short and the podcast part really helped keep the book moving.

Obviously I cannot go into too much details my thoughts without spoiling the book but I will say that there were a lot of characters and the timelines to remember. We did get to see some flashback chapters which helped us establish a relationship with the deceased & learning more about Lucy then.

Lucy is our unreliable narrator as she sustained a traumatic injury the night her best friend died which hasn't allowed her to know if she truly killed her friend or not. Lucy has been ostracized by everyone and now a popular podcast is putting the spotlight on her even more. With the help of Ben, the host/found of the podcast they work together to figure out was Lucy truly the murderer or did someone else do it?

"What are you thinking about, when you do that?"
"I'm thinking about killing you."

My favorite relationship in the book was between Lucy and her grandmother. Their relationship was really sweet from the beginning and went strong even in the end. I normally don't like when a random romance appears for the FMC but in this case I did not mind. There was a moment towards the end where I gave big eye roll emoji as I was reading and was surprised by some of the stuff coming out of Lucy's mouth. I know I know it is very vague but trust me it would make sense when you read it.

I just really enjoyed the book & thought it moved pretty quick!

I recommend if you love true crime podcasts, dual timelines and an unreliable narrator!

4.75

I loved this book! Lucy's twisted humor kept me laughing the whole time. I loved her Grandmother so much, she might have been my favorite in the whole book. This book kept me guessing until the very end. Loved it!

What a fantastic page-turner! I love a thriller that can tell a story of murder with a little bit of humor. And at the same time, I found parts of the story very poignant. My favorite parts were definitely the dynamic and relationship between Lucy, our main character, and her grandma Beverly.

This book was extremely entertaining, and simply a pleasure to read. I’ll definitely be following this author!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. The story was fast paced and interesting. I liked the perspective of Lucy and also the podcast point of view. The characters were interesting and easy to keep track of. Loved Lucy’s wacky grandma. Lots of good twists. I highly recommend!

4.5

I love true crime and recently have gotten into true crime podcasts so this was literally right up my alley. I love an unreliable narrator along with shady characters who all have some secret in their closet. I really enjoyed the flow of the book, how the lies were untangled, and the various bombs dropped throughout keeping me on my toes wondering who was the guilty one! It also doesn’t hurt that the setting is in a small Texas town and uncovers the interesting dynamic of female bonds. This book was fantastic and is absolutely perfect for book club!!

5 brilliant stars from me. The writing style and short chapters were *chefs kiss*. The story never lagged from start to finish it flowed so well. Auto buy author for me now and already got a copy for my shelves. 👏🏻

This book was SO good. So many twists and I read a lot of thriller books but some of these I didn’t even see coming. I heard about this book through book of the month club but then was lucky enough to get an arc. This one one of my favorite books so far this year and I highly recommend it. I would especially like to thank the author and Celadon books for this opportunity.

I tried to avoid looking at too many reviews before reading this very popular thriller, but I still feel like my expectations were pretty high going into this one after seeing it all over my feed the last few months!

I loved the inclusion of podcast episodes in between chapters, and enjoyed that Lucy’s narrative was told in first person POV. The combination of her sarcasm and dark humor were really enjoyable and helped me connect with her a lot as the main character.

I loved the small town atmosphere in this one and the relationship that built between Lucy & Ben over time as they worked on the podcast. This is a page turner that you won’t want to put down once you get going! Highly recommend for thriller lovers, or those who enjoy a good true crime podcast!

Thank you to the author, @netgalley & @celadonbooks for my ecopy of this thriller to read and review!

I’m starting to think my new favorite thing is incorporating a true crime podcast into a thriller book….

I truly enjoyed every second of the book! I was constantly engaged and loved the cast of characters. I loved that the FMC was not the most likable person but she still cracked me up all the same

Five starts for Listen for the lie by Amy Tintera

This book is about a girl whose best friend is murdered and is suspected of killing her, although she does not remember what happened. A podcaster, helped eventually by the protagonist, decides to investigate the murder and find the truth.

The characters are really well written and there are many twists and turns that left me guessing the ending multiple times.
The book is fast paced and I flew through it in a couple of days. I loved how the different characters are introduced and the way the podcast adds different elements to the story.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good, fast-paced thriller.

Listen for the Lie
Author Amy Tintera
Available now!

Thank you, @librofm and @celadonbooks, for my #giftedaudiobook and thank you, @netgalley for my #gifted e- arc! This one was an excellent audio and one of my March BOTM picks!

So, I loved this one! With the podcast spin, it had the feel of a true crime mystery, but not as gory and just so perfectly paced. Not typically a fan of amnesia, Lucy and her sarcastic charm had me cracking up and rooting for her whether she turned out to be her best friend's killer or not! She and Ben had a great connection, and their efforts to solve Savvy's murder together was fun, filled with twists, and captivating. If you haven't read this one yet, I definitely recommend reading for a suspenseful and unique psychological thriller with a dark comedic twist.

I really enjoyed reading this thriller. One of the things that made it so interesting was that the book included a podcast element, where the host of the show interviewed various people in a small-town neighborhood who knew the characters Savvy and Lucy. This made the book a fast and enthralling read. I also appreciated the fact that many of the characters were unreliable, which added to the suspense. I loved Lucy's sarcastic and snarky personality, and her grandmother was a hilarious character. Overall, Listen for the Lie was a fun thriller/mystery with just the right amount of humor.

Thank you Netgalley, Celadon Books, and Amy Tintera for the eARC.

Fairly confident this book will land on my top 10 of 2024. It has all my fav things: true crime. Podcast. Sarcastic FMC. Sassy grandma.

Lucy finds herself in the spotlight when the murder of her bff is the subject of Ben Owens' latest podcast. Why is this not just a bad thing, but the worst thing? Lucy herself is accused of committing the murder. Insert one of the most sarcastic, funny, female MC's I've ever read. So much so that she reminded me of me, which I'm still trying to figure out is a good or bad thing.

This story flows so well. I was so invested in whether or not Lucy was guilty, and let me tell you, I didn't get my answer until the end.

Thank you times a million to Celadon for providing me with my copy of LISTEN FOR THE LIE in exchange for an honest review.