I love true crime, and I love the sub-genre of books about true crime podcasts. Pair that with a really fascinating mystery about who killed Savi (thanks to amnesia, nobody knows—but everyone suspects Lucy), and you have a winning plot.

I really appreciated Ben’s tenacity, and I didn’t mind his blurring the ethics lines of journalism for the sake of furthering the story.

I appreciated that Lucy and her grandma had opposing but amazing personalities together. Grandma and her lifestyle are the epitome of what I hope I’m like at 80. I would have loved to know a little more about the after. And I very much loved the voice in Lucy’s head. It added levity (though maybe not intentionally?) to some very dicey situations.

Overall, absolutely killer book that I enjoyed very much!

"Listen for the Lie" offers a compelling read with its compulsively readable narrative and snappy chapters. The incorporation of the podcast element is well-executed, adding depth to the storyline without overshadowing the present events. One standout character is Grandma Beverly, a delightful presence that adds warmth to the narrative.

However, protagonist Lucy's character arc presents a mixed bag. While her initial humor and snark provide amusement, it gradually veers into territory that feels more abrasive than endearing. Her seemingly reckless behavior becomes increasingly grating, especially given the serious allegations she faces. Similarly, the prevalence of infidelity and moral ambiguity among the town's residents may leave readers feeling uneasy, though it does contribute to a plethora of red herrings.

Despite the shortcomings in likable characters, the story maintains momentum, particularly in its latter chapters. The podcast angle seamlessly integrates into the plot, enriching rather than distracting from the unfolding events. While Lucy's character development may initially give pause, her resilience in the face of trauma becomes increasingly admirable as the story progresses.

"Listen for the Lie" offers a blend of dark humor, suspense, and character-driven drama. While it may not appeal to those seeking wholly likable protagonists or pristine small-town morality, its fast-paced narrative and intriguing plot twists make for an engaging read.

Almost didn’t read this one because it was getting too much hype but so glad I jumped on the bandwagon.

As a true crime podcast listener, naturally I loved the podcast plot line. I thought it was well done and always enjoy when the narration is broken up by some transcripts.

Best part was the playful writing style!

5⭐️

A few years ago my husband and I stumbled upon true crime podcasts while we cruised around with our happily headphoned & distracted kids in the back of our suburban. It became apart of our long road trip traditions to fall into a trance with the soothing voices of popular podcast hosts. Even if they were discussing murder weapons and ALL of the trigger warnings. 

When I saw Listen for the Lie being teased on NetGalley I had to contain my excitement because I knew without a doubt that this book was in fact written for me. 

A small town murder, a suspect that has no memory, and a true crime podcast host determined to uncover the truth no matter what it takes. 

This fantastic read is for the book besties that love:

* Single POV
* Podcast transcript + interview 
* Sarcasm & witty banter
* A little spice
* Epic plot twists
* A little paranormal fun
* Small town Texas vibes
* Fast paced, bingeable read

I am jealous of anyone who is sitting down to read this book for the first time. I am jealous of the reader who is just discovering this book. It is thrilling, addicting, relatable, binge-worthy and so much fun. When I say I ate it up, I’m talking devoured.

If you are in the mood to sit and lose yourself in a book, this is the one. 

Thank you to the author @amytintera, @celadonbooks and @netgalley

I've read a fair amount of thrillers and this has to be one of the best! I was immediately engrossed in this nail-biter of a story! I couldn't turn the pages quick enough in this fast paced murder mystery.

Lucy Chase returns to her hometown five years after the murder of her best friend, Savvy. Everyone thinks Lucy killed Savvy, including Lucy herself, but the problem is no one can prove it and Lucy can not remember a thing. Ben Owens, a handsome and enigmatic podcaster, thinks he is going to crack the case as he leads Lucy back to that horrific night.

It can be hard to bring this level of suspense across an entire book, but it was brilliantly done. I loved the podcast episodes - they lead to more questions than answers and leads to more twists and turns in the story. Brilliantly done! I loved it!

Dark and hilarious at the same time, Listen For The Lie has completely exceeded my expectations. I loved every second of this book and it's now quite firmly the one to beat for 2024! I was already a big fan of a 'True Crime Podcast' trope but this story dealt with the medium in a really fresh and exciting way. The characters were such a laugh and that's not easy to portray in a crime novel but the story also dealt with some difficult topics and I thought that this was a really sensitive way to bring in the subjects that could be quite harrowing. I would be so happy to read a sequel and really hope there is one on the cards!

This is the best thrillerI have read in a while. Were the characters believable--not really, but the plot was suspenseful and I was guessing until the end.

This was wildly entertaining! It was fun to follow along as a reader while the characters are also trying to figure out who murdered Savvy. Lucy definitely got on my nerves at some point, but I still really liked her. I could see this being a series and follow Ben’s podcasts.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

THIS BOOK. WOW! I saw an article that said this was her first ever adult book and I cannot wait to read them all! Even with a large cast of characters, I felt like I knew them all and was immersed in this plot! Absolutely 5 stars!!!

Lucy is found wondering the streets covered in her best friend’s blood and she has no recollection of the events leading up to Savvy’s death. She was never proven guilty as there was never enough evidence to prove that Lucy did in fact kill Savvy and her memory of the night never came back. Fast forward 5 years later, the unsolved case gains interest when a true crime podcasters starts digging into the small towns murder. When Lucy finally returns to Plumpton, Texas from LA, she is encouraged to face her past and hopefully help solve Savvy’s murder with the help of the one and only podcaster host Ben Owen.

You know when you pick up a book and are hooked from page one? This is one of those. The plot had me wanting to read this one, but I definitely was drawn in by the podcast perspective as well as the very sarcastic humour Lucy kept the entire novel. I loved this small town vibe because everyone just starts pointing fingers at each other and so many Plumpton secrets are bound to come out. Come for the murder, stay for the drama? I could honestly go on and on about this one but honestly if you are looking for a mystery/ thriller novel with a podcast weaved in, this one is absolutely a must read!

✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖢𝖾𝗅𝖺𝖽𝗈𝗇 𝖡𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗌, 𝖠𝗆𝗒 𝖳𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖺 ＆ 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝖦𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐.✵

The audiobook was fantastic. I love that it has a different narrator for the podcast portions and even a theme song. Very well done and entertaining. The story was well paced, kept me interested and was not at all predictable.

I was able to listen to the audio for this book and I think that is the best move- the production is incredible.
I feel like podcast based thrillers have been pretty popular and I have read a few. In this book, Lucy is suspected of killing her best friend but she remembers nothing from that night. A true crime podcaster comes to town to try and solve the case.
There were some elements that didn’t quite work for me, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. I really liked Lucy’s grandma! I had a hard time putting this one down and I think it’s a crowd pleaser.

I have been intrigued by books with the format of podcast ever since I’ve read the first one like that! Especially on audio. Also, they’re usually thriller/mystery so this girl is going to read it more so. This book was the classic murder mystery, with a very powerful start in my opinion (the first sentence!) and I couldn’t stop reading. The voice in Lucy’s head plot twist was a shock and from there it was a fast ride.

“Listen for the Lie” by Amy Tintera follows Lucy, a young woman accused of murdering her best friend. Now years later, a podcast has picked up the cold case and wants to discover what really happened. Lucy, unable to recall the night herself, teams up with podcaster Ben to discover what actually happened that night.

I thought I was over the podcast theme in books, but somehow this one hit different. Lucy is such a good character and her half-in, half-out vibe makes for interesting reading.

Overall, this book was a solid 5 star read for me. I knew from the first few pages this book would be good, but honestly the pages just flew. I HAD to know what happened!

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! This book is out now!

This book hooked me from the beginning and was completely bingeworthy!!!

One of my favorite genres is thrillers/mysteries, which can sometimes make me picky. I am always trying to see whether I have figured out the twists and 'who did it.' This book made me happy that while I might have figured out a few things, the author still delivered some surprises. This was such a twisty and fun ride with some great sarcastic humor thrown in. Also, I loved the characters and podcast episodes throughout.

In terms of the characters, Lucy Chase was a fantastic female lead. Even when you wonder what is going on with her inner-thoughts and what happened that night, you root for her. She is strong, doesn't appear to give much of a damn of what others think, and sarcastic in the best way. Reading this book, I laughed way more than I likely have before for this genre. Amy Tintera also outdid herself with Lucy's grandma. What another amazing character! The banter between her and Lucy, along with her mischievousness was icing on the cake!!!

Highly recommend this one!!! I'm not going to lie....I could use more books with these characters and this podcast!! Regardless, I will keep an eye out for future books from Amy Tintera.

Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for a copy of the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a quick, fast paced mystery/thriller that kept my attention the entire time- I couldn’t put it down!
Everyone assumes Lucy Chase murdered her best friend and got away with it but when a new podcaster comes to town, more details and secrets come to light about the murder.
It was a dark comedy and fast paced whodunnit that I’d highly recommend

Despite being the prime suspect in her best friend's murder, Lucy has no memory of the night five years ago. No one was ever officially arrested/convicted of the crime, but the town no longer made Lucy welcome so she left and never looked back.... that is until a true crime podcast began looking into Savvy's death.

I loved this one. I am a fan of the podcast trope and it was executed well here. The audio was entertaining and I'd recommend checking it out.

This by far is one of my top reads so far this year! Lucy returns home after her best friend was killed a few years earlier and she's the prime suspect. When Podcaster, Ben Owens wants to interview her, her grandmother Beverly, steps in and helps coordinate the interview. As he digs in to the people, places, and things that are Plumpton, TX secrets abound and nothing and no one is quite what they appear to be.

Lucy & Grandma are my absolute favorites. The sparky, sarcastic dialogue had me laughing out loud multiple times. I honestly couldn't put this down and would love a Ben Owens Listen for the Lie book series.

Way back, like many folks at the time, I got sucked into true crime podcasts like Serial. Digging into a case and trying to find the truth is exhilarating and it’s exactly what I loved about this book. Alternating between our protagonist and podcast episodes, this book was a wild ride! I had a lot of fun with it, though I did figure out the true killer early on. I really enjoyed this one!

Five years ago, Lucy wakes up to find that her best friend, Savvy, has been murdered. With Savvy's blood on her clothes, their entire small town of Plumpton, Texas thinks Lucy is the murderer. Lucy can't remember anything about that night, including what happened to Savvy. Now, a popular true crime podcaster, Ben, has returned to Plumpton to solve the mystery and finally uncover who is responsible for Savvy's death.

Listen for the Lie blew me away (apparently 2024 is the year for 5-star mystery/thriller releases and I'm here for it)! As her adult debut, Amy Tintera absolutely knocked this one out of the park. It was so unique, sarcastically funny, and the fast-pace kept me wanting to keep reading. It definitely had that element of not wanting to put it down. As a lover of podcasts like Morbid, Up and Vanished, and Serial, I also loved the true crime aspect. I was disappointed that I couldn't immediately go and read one of Amy's backlist books to fight the reading slump that this will undoubtedly put me in because this is the first of its kind. I will definitely be reading anything and everything she writes in the future. I think that this book will be loved by readers in all genres and that while it is a mystery, the humor and writing style makes it a book for absolutely everyone!

5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!