I really enjoyed the plot and the format of this book but I only rated it 3 stars because it was so unbelievable that Lucy just kept kissing every guy she interacted with. It made no sense and took me out of the story. Without the unnecessary kissing I would have given it 4 or maybe even 5 stars.

Five stars!

"Listen for the Lie" is Amy Tintera's first adult book and my first introduction to her work and it does not disappoint. The premise is pretty simple: Five years ago everyone in Lucy's home town thinks she killed her best friend Savvy. Unfortunately, Lucy suffers from a convenient case of amnesia and doesn't remember anything about that night. And then we have Ben Owens, the host of a super popular podcast in town, "Listen for the Lie" He is trying to get to the bottom of Savvy's murder and Lucy helps...... Even though she may very well be the killer and she just forgot.

Where this book shines is the characters. Both Ben and Lucy are very well written. Some authors struggle with writing snarky characters but this one triumphs in the best way with Lucy. She is snarky, quick witted, and genuinely hilarious. I laughed so many times with some of her comments and interactions. Plus the thriller part was very "thrilling" Very well executed with great twists.

Highly recommended!

I really appreciate Celadon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book for free for my honest review and it is out right now.

It's rare that I genuinely enjoy reading a thriller, but I can honestly say that about "Listen for the Lie." Often, I'm too focused on trying to figure out the twist or keep track of the players and timelines that I fly right through them in a matter of days, retaining little to none of the actual story and walking away disappointed. Listen wasn't like that. Listen made me want to slow down and spend as much time as I could with Lucy. She was likeable, interesting, the opposite of an unreliable narrator. Despite just about every other character in this book not believing her, she was just about the only person I believed as the story unfolded. She was written in such a way that she didn't have anything to hide and was very honest about that. She was clear on what she knew and what she didn't know, and didn't bother to cloudy anything with miscommunications or lies. I really enjoyed having her as the main character and I wish more thrillers had characters like her.

I also enjoyed how the podcast was used in the story. I personally don't listen to true crime podcasts. I don't enjoy them, and I have an issue with what they do to the people involved with the crime. That was actually mentioned and handled in this story. I also enjoyed that Ben had a bit of slime to him, in my opinion. He wasn't written as this "trying to help the world through podcasting" character. He, just like Lucy, was very human, very real. By the end, I ended up liking him as a character but it took the entirety of the book and him proving himself to be him in it for than just the angle.

My only critique is that this thriller has very similar themes that I see in just about every thriller these days: spousal abuse, assault, cheating. It's so apparent in thrillers that it's tiring. I would love to read a twisty thriller with great characters that aren't cheating on their spouses, aren't abused, and aren't victims of assault. I want it unhinged with hidden family members, cult secrets, out of this world weirdness. Thrillers are meant to be strange; get weird with it!

This was a really good book. It follows the story of Lucy who comes back to her hometown 5 years after her best friend died. The whole town believes Lucy killed Savvy and that she is faking amnesia. Ben comes to town to do a podcast on the death of Savvy to finally find out what happened. I loved the podcasts sections where you get the POV of people from the town.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is one of the most entertaining thrillers I’ve read. Highly recommend!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, of all the genres I read, thrillers are the most hit or miss. But I never really love them—I either think they’re good enough or I downright do not like them. However, Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera might make me a lover of thrillers. This one is super good.

There’s an unreliable protagonist at play, but she 100% knows this. Did she murder her best friend? She doesn’t know because of memory loss.

Yes, this all sounds so familiar. But how this aspect is written is so unique and interesting. And bonus, for once, the thriller woman protagonist is not an alcoholic, in fact, she’s a lightweight. So all the overused thrillers tropes are given a fresh spin and it’s works so well.

This novel is fantastic. It takes you on such a wild ride, and will make you laugh. But it also does cover serious issues too. I thought it was a great balance all around.

Lucy, a twenty-something who left her hometown after her best friend, Savvy, was murdered, must return home for the first time since the murder happened five years ago. Why was she away from home for so long? Everyone thought Lucy did it. And now a popular true crime podcast is dissecting the murder to try to figure out who actually did kill Savvy, so Lucy steps in to help clear her name and get justice for her best friend.

Such a fast paced, page-turning thriller! This book kept me guessing until the very end. I had so many theories of who I thought did it, and I was wrong every time!

I loved the unique storytelling in this! The narrative cleverly weaves between Lucy's perspective and excerpts from the podcast itself, making you feel like you're right in the investigation. Which was so well done on audio!! This book also totally gave off unreliable narrator vibes: Can you trust Lucy? and it kept me guessing who's friend or foe. Just when I thought I knew where this was headed the author threw in some twists that kept me hooked until the end!

This was a fun and easy book to read. It had lots of twists and turn and threw in some red herrings to make you want to keep reading. I thought the addition of the podcast was done well and added to the story. I found the main character, Lucy, to be annoying at times but it didn't turn me off from the book. She was meant to be an unreliable narrator. The side characters made the book more interesting especially the grandmother who is arguably the best character in the novel.

Overall, if you want an easy book to sit down and read in a few hours this is a good option.

This one was so so good. One of the best thrillers I have read in a while. First of all - characters top notch. It delivered on the snarky, not give a damn, not wanting to please MC and I was here for it. Also GRANDMA! Who knew one could have a role model for their olden times? I do now!

This book was tense, and fast moving. It kept delivering on red herrings and twists at the same speed of light. Which I really appreciated. The podcast theme/inclusion was very helpful. I bet listening to this on audiobook would be even better experience than just plowing through it on paper. The whole concept - is the narrator reliable or not, was such a refreshing take on that trope. The ending - OMG! That's all I have to say. And IYKYK - I hoped she would do it!

This one will definitely be a favorite for a while. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of thrillers featuring podcasts will LOVE this one. It is fast paced, lots of twists and turns, and I had no idea how it was going to end. Definitely a must read and I could not put it down.

Highly recommended!

At times compelling and intriguing. Yet often annoying. Purposely the author has made the FMC an unreliable narrator. Granted that she can't remember what happened the night her best friend was murdered and everyone thinks that she did it, but I found her to be an annoying character. Possibly intentionally by the author. A crime podcast decided to look into her case five years later, so the story is focused on solving murder. Perhaps, the fact that I figured it out by one third into it kept me from enjoying it more.

I received a free copy of Listen for the Lie in exchange for an honest review.

Many thrillers revolve around the tropes of memory loss and an unreliable narrator, but few do this as successfully as Amy Tintera in this astonishing debut.

The format of the book, alternating between podcast episodes and chapters from the accused murderer protagonist’s point of view, cleverly hid all the novel’s secrets until the final chapters.

Tintera has an authentic Southern voice which made her Texan characters live off the page.

I hope Tintera writes many more thrillers as superb as this. Highly recommended.

I haven't read a book that kept me on the edge of my seat like this one in a LONE TIME. From the moment this story starts, introducing Lucy Grey and her break up chicken, I couldn't wait to find out what would happen. And the side characters including her Grandma, absolutely fantastic. If you are looking for book you're not going to want to put down, this is it!

Fast-paced and impossible to put down - the audio version was incredibly well-done. I'm looking forward to reading more from Amy Tintera in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

I love when a book just hits differently! What a witty, dark, and weirdly funny mystery! Lucy has been proven guilty of killing of her best friend in the court of public opinion. Lucy and Savvy were the “It” girls in their small Texas town. Lucy is married to the town heartthrob and Savvy is everyone’s favorite hometown queen. One horrible night, Savvy is murdered and Lucy can’t remember anything about what happened. Now the hit podcast "Listen for the Lie," with its’ dreamy Ben Owens have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder. Ben is set on solving the case and taking us along for the fun ride!
5 stars for this one!

Devoured this book! Great original storyline. Humour, suspense and wonderful characters all rolled into an addictive read. Thank you to NetGalley and Amy Tintera for the opportunity to read this ARC. I can’t wait for more novels from this amazing author.

"Listen for the Lie" is an entertaining mystery that stood out with its engaging characters and dark sense of humor. After her best friend was murdered, Lucy fled her hometown. Because she was with her friend the night she was killed, Lucy has always been a suspect, but she can't remember what happened. When a podcast host decides to revisit the crime, Lucy returns home to try and figure out what happened. The book balances suspense and spookiness with great characters, such as Lucy's grandmother. This was a good page-turner with a unique voice.

This was a solid three star book. Trigger warning for TBI and DV. The main character is sarcastic and a smart aleck. Lots of dark humor. Thanks for the review copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the ARC.

Although I don't listen to podcasts, I love when they are part of a storyline. It keeps things interesting and is a fun addition to the narrative.

This was a slow burn type of a mystery that definitely had me guessing until the end. I read this as a buddy read and we were all over the place as to whodunit.

I found the writing witty at times and up until about the 75% mark, I thought the pacing was really good. However, this story became too long and drawn out for me.

I'm clearly the unpopular opinion as everyone else seems to love this book. I liked it. I just didn't love it.

I recently read Kill for Me, Kill for You and enjoyed that more, so I'm going to rate this one accordingly.

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ebook and Macmillan Audio for the audio version. I rated this a 4 out of 5 stars only because it was a little long to get to the end for me and I was getting a bit impatient. I definitely recommend the audio version if you’re willing to check out this thriller. It just makes the podcast parts of the story feel so realistic. It felt like a movie and I could visualize the characters and setting of the book throughout the entire time.