After Lucy is found wandering the streets without her memory of what happened the night before, it's discovered that her friend Savvy was murdered.
Through a series of half-told truths, a podcaster looking for the truth, and reclaiming her memories are they able to find out who killed Savvy after all these years. A thrilling novel that explores small town secrets.

Listen for the Lie is a debut novel from Amy Tintera. Hopefully, she will continue in this tradition.
Listen for the Lie is a psychological thriller involving Lucy and her best friend Savvy. Lucy is believed to be the one that killed Savvy, but unfortunately due to a blow to the head, she is unable to remember any details regarding the night in question. Does she really have amnesia or is she blocking out what she doesn’t want to discover? A popular true crime podcast decides to look into this mystery of who killed Savvy.
Lucy fled her hometown five years ago but at the urging of her grandmother, she returns to talk to the handsome podcaster, Ben Owens. He is interviewing everyone that may have some connection to both Savvy and Lucy.
I loved the character of Lucy and her nonchalant attitude towards everyone who believes her to be guilty. She relishes in making people uncomfortable and is not afraid to speak her mind. Another character that I loved was her grandmother, who is witty and fun. She believes in Lucy and provides her with the only support that she gets from her small town. There are definitely characters that you will not like, with her ex-husband Matt at the top of my list.
The novel is told in alternating chapters involving Lucy and the podcast. Some of the chapters go back 5 years ago to discover events of that time. You will want to keep reading Lucy’s version and listening to the podcast transcripts to try to figure out what happened to Savvy and if Lucy actually murdered her best friend. Questions I had for the longest time, “Who is talking in Lucy’s head?”, “Who really killed Savvy?”, “Which lie should I listen for?”
You will need to read this to the end for some of these answers. Highly recommended if you love psychological thrillers that take you on a roller coaster ride, with many twists and turns.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Published on March 5, 2024.

Lucy fled her Texas hometown six years ago after being accused of murdering her best friend Savvy. But now a true crime podcaster has decided to take up the case, and she can’t run away anymore. A pariah in her small town, Lucy doesn’t remember what happened that fateful night, yet no one believes her. With the podcaster interviewing anyone willing to speak, Lucy has to start dealing with the past, and truly start to figure out who killed Savvy, even if it’s her. Wow, this book was insane! Lots of twists, and great characters. Grandma was my favorite though. Definitely a must read for 2024. Thanks to netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love love loved this book!! I seriously couldn’t put it down and read it in basically a day. I was so enraptured the whole time and it kept me on my toes and guessing from beginning to the very end. I will 100% be looking for future books from Tintera!

I loved this book so much! It was an unreliable narrator who you found yourself really rooting for. Ben, the podcast host was okay but his development felt slightly flat for me. This was a fun fast paced whodunit thriller. I wish I had listened on audiobook because I’m sure the podcast portion translated very well to audiobook.

4.5 stars

This was such a quick read! Read it in a day and a half! It was really hard to put down. I actually enjoyed the podcast transcripts and wish I could have listened to it on audio. I was wrong with my guess about who killed Savvy, and really disliked her for 80% of the book. It wasn’t til the end where I was like damn, I like this girl!

The one part that drove me nuts is the phrase “Let’s kill…” every couple pages the first half of the book. Once that tapered down it was easier to enjoy. But I will say that once I learned the meaning of it at the end, it didn’t bother me anymore. LOL

Wow! I finished the second half of this book in a couple of hours! It started a little slow for me, but once things started piecing together, it was a really great story. Definitely recommend!

An unsolved murder in a small Texas town is rediscovered by a well known podcaster. When he tries to uncover the truth, Lucy's entire world is once again turned upside down. Did she really kill her best friend?

This was entertaining and darkly comedic at times. It was a well paced thriller that, unfortunately, relied heavily upon an overly used trope ----don't trust men-basically ever. There are too many bad men in this book I eventually lost track of them all!----I liked that the ending left a little bit open to interpretation and that this was certainly a quick read, I guess I just wish the reveal had been a little more unique.

‘Listen for the Lie’ is an enjoyable thriller by Amy Tintera, set in Texas. Five years ago, Lucy Chase was found wandering in the road covered in her best friend, Savvy’s blood. Lucy has no recollection of what happened. When Savvy’s body is found, Lucy is the prime suspect.
Without a murder weapon, the police can not charge Lucy, although the inhabitants of her small Texas town are quick to pass judgment. Lucy decides to leave the town, and the speculation, as well as her bad marriage behind and start over in Los Angeles.
Fast forward five years. Ben Owens, a popular true crime podcaster, who has been successful at solving cold cases decides to take on the case. Lucy decides to head back to Texas to uncover Savvy's murderer, even if it ends up being her.
As a reader, I had no idea if Lucy committed the crime or not. It would seem unlikely, as she loved Savvy and did not have a motive, but she often has a running dialogue with a voice in her head telling her how to kill random people. This voice casts some doubt on her innocence, and adds some sarcasm and humor to the story.
The story picks up towards the end with several twists and turns leading to the satisfying conclusion. 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This take on a true crime podcast moved quickly and kept the reader engaged. The characters are well drawn and quirky without being annoying. The podcast is woven in deftly without being clunky like other books that have used that device. I wasn’t sure where it was going but satisfied with the ending.

Lucy has long been suspected of killing her best friend 5 years ago and she left her small Texas hometown to escape the notoriety. Lucy has no memory of what happened the night Savvy died. However, a new true crime podcaster picks the case of who killed Savvy as the focus of his 2nd season.

Lucy is manipulated by her beloved grandmother to come home to celebrate her 80th birthday. But Grandma seems to have ulterior motives.

Told in chapters from Lucy's POV that go back and forth between past and present, as well as episodes of the podcast, readers get the developing theory from the podcast as well as Lucy's history and slowly recovered memories.

Lucy is a hilarious, snarky character with lots of dark humor. I was so engrossed in the various personalities of her family and friends that I wasn't really making predictions of who the murdered might be.

This was a fun, exciting pager-turner and I am impressed with Tintera's first adult novel. I look forward to more from this author.

What a ride! This audiobook created such an immersive atmosphere, and I would highly recommend this format to anyone interested in reading!

With multiple narrators, a live podcast, witty remarks, and enticing twists, this true crime mystery thriller was so entertaining. A quick paced bingeable read, with town drama, hilarious moments, and miss Grandma Beverly who will become your favorite character within minutes. Several characters appeared guilty, leading to twist after twist until the ending is revealed.

I highly enjoyed Listen for the Lie. Be sure to pick this up on audio if you enjoy a bit of wit with your thrills.

Thank you MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for my gifted ALC and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars! A fasts paced, enthralling book. I absolutely loved the premise and how the author weaved in the podcast episodes with the past and present. Lucy, the main character has her issues, including being accused of murdering her best friend but she is still likable to the audience. I did not guess the ending and I was super engaged the whole time.

Ya’ll this book, I enjoyed it so much.

This audiobook was a PRODUCTION. This dude Ben is doing a podcast on our MC Lucy, who is suspected of killing her best friend 5 years ago, but was never convicted because there was no hard evidence and she also had a head injury and didn’t remember anything.

The book switches from Lucy’s POV and podcast interviews that on the audiobook sound like actual podcast snippets. The narrator’s do a fantastic job.

The people in this town are so gossipy! They are all about telling what everyone else is up to like nosy neighbors in everyone’s business. Everyone is sleeping around and cheating on someone else which causes all this scandal.

Lucy’s humor was a highlight, like she wanted to know what happened to her friend but this girl was so unserious sometimes about being suspected of murder.

I as always could not figure out who the killer was until the reveal at the end.

Overall this book was a fun time! More mystery than thriller, with well written characters.

Thank you @celadonbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

"Listen for the Lie" by Amy Tintera is a captivating and intense thriller that lives up to the hype.
The premise of the book, centered around a true crime podcast investigating a murder, immediately drew me in, and Tintera masterfully delivers on the suspense and intrigue.
As the story unfolds, Lucy's unreliable narration adds to the mystery, keeping readers guessing until the very end. The dynamic between the characters and the unraveling of secrets kept me on the edge of my seat, eager to uncover the truth behind Savvy's murder.
Tintera's skillful storytelling and the unpredictable twists had me hooked from the first page, and I had to read it all in one sitting yesterday because it was that good and that’s a very very rare thing that I do.
I couldn’t trust any of them, the father was acting weird , her grandmother was amazing, the hookups were interesting to see them happening now, so all of them were a suspect in my cards.

“Listen for the Lie" is a must-read thriller that will keep you guessing until the final chapter.

Very grateful to the publisher for this copy, opinions are my own.

This had such great reviews that I was excited to read it. There were just so many toxic characters and relationships in this story that I could not get past. Lucy continually made the same type of poor judgement mistakes over and over again and it was too hard to root for her. Beverly, her grandmother, was the best character in the whole book.

Looking for a great whodunit with a touch of dark humor? Look no further. Listen for the
Lie is a fast paced thriller with strong characters, small town drama, and twists galore.

Five years ago, Lucy was found wandering down the road with a head injury and covered in her best friend's blood. She has no memory of what happened, but everyone believes she is a murderer. She leaves her small town and only returns for her beloved Grandmother's birthday, only to find a podcaster featuring the case is in town. And so begins the quest to reveal what happened.

I couldn't put this one down. Loved the characters. Loved the alternating between podcast episodes and Lucy's POV . A fun and entertaining read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

✨Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera✨

Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 352

📚After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast “Listen for the Lie,” and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.

📝Although the true crime podcast trope has been done, this was a unique take. The story is definitely a fast paced thriller, but I liked that it was still fun and humorous.

The chapters were short and alternated between Lucy’s POV and Ben’s podcast interviews. I always prefer this with thrillers because it keeps me engaged. I kept wanting to read on to get to the podcast interviews.

💫Thank you @celadonbooks for my #gifted copy 💫

This is also a March @gmabookclub pick!!

I don’t read a lot of thrillers because I quickly figure out the “who did it” part. I have seen many people raving about this one. It sounded good, and I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did!

I picked this up last night, and I finished it this evening. We have a podcaster taking on an old murder and digging things up to find what happened. Lucy is the one blamed for her best friend’s murder. She was also injured that night and has suffered amnesia. She doesn’t know what happened, but everyone has pegged her as the murderer. She’s been living a bland life because she’s stuck in the past. After five years of going through the motions, she’s going back home. Lucy was a fantastic character! She has been through so much, even before her best friend’s murder. The way she uses humor adds so much to this book. I was just a few pages in and laughing out loud! The funny part is that she’s so blunt that many people don’t know if she’s joking. The humor worked really well with such heavy topics. It was enjoyable seeing how uncomfortable she made everyone, but they deserved it.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the podcast episodes! We get Lucy’s perspective throughout the book with a sprinkle of the podcast. Ben is releasing all these episodes of interviews with the townspeople. It’s interesting to read them with Lucy and see her reaction to them.

My only little issue with the podcast parts was the tiny font. I had to keep changing my Kindle font size because it was too small to read. I am not knocking off anything because my actual BOTM copy does not have this issue!

I devoured this book! I could not stop reading. I had several theories and NONE of them were right! I’m rarely surprised, and why I don’t read thrillers often. The characters were fantastic too. There were so many that I adored *Lucy’s grandma,* and many that I disliked.

“In the end, life is just sweatpants and children who resent you and all your choices. But no one wants to hear that.”

Overall, I was thrilled! I loved Lucy’s character and really felt for her. The humor was one of my favorite parts of this book! The podcast segments were brilliant too. If you enjoy thrillers then you should pick this one up! I do not think you will be disappointed!

Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley for an e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own! I also own a BOTM copy!

Features I loved:
🎧 The podcast
🗣️ Dual POV
🤔 Unreliable narrator/MC
🏡 Small town/everyone-knows-everyone vibes
📝 Short chapters

✨ Savvy loses her job & finds her life seemingly upended when a podcaster begins covering a story from her past- the murder of her best friend, of which she was the prime suspect.

☁️ My thoughts:
This is honestly one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to! The podcast element was so fun; I loved the music intro to each new segment (so much like listening to @crimejunkiepodcast) - felt more immersive than your typical thriller audio! If you like true crime, you’ll love this fictional story that feels anything BUT fictional! Think similar vibes to NONE OF THIS IS TRUE by Lisa Jewell & THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin (loved both)! I flew through the story pretty quickly & was on the tip of my toes throughout. This town was full of lies, scandal, & secrets; innocence seemed few and far between. Lucy (our female MC) was such an enjoyable & interesting MC/narrator - her sarcasm, dark humor, & unreliability made her characterization top notch. I hadn’t read the anmesia trope in a while; I thought it was very well-done here! The pacing was perfect, & I enjoyed that there were multiple twists throughout & it never felt boring. I can easily see why this thriller has taken the literary world by storm lately! 👏🏼

I’m not sure that I totally *loved* the reveal/ending, which kept it from being a 5 star, but this book was one of the most entertaining books that I have read in quite some time, overall.

I so highly recommend the audio format for this novel!! 🙌🏼 it’s also an option to add to your next Book of the Month box (link in my bio for a discount- @bookofthemonth)! 😍 I absolutely cannot wait for more adult fiction from this author!