Listen for the Lie is a captivating story that intertwines mystery, humor, and romance within the small town of Plumpton, Texas. The story unfolds a riveting mystery where Lucy Chase is suspected of her best friend Savannah's murder, a suspicion that persists despite her lack of memory of the event.

The plot thickens with the arrival of Ben Owens, a true crime podcaster, who picks Savannah's murder for the second season of his show, compelling Lucy to return to her hometown and confront her past​.

With each chapter, the mystery unfolds in a way that's both engaging and refreshingly innovative. It had me laughing out loud more times than I can count, all while keeping me on the edge of my seat trying to piece together the puzzle. I thoroughly enjoyed the witty dark humor.

The characters had me cracking up. Grandma was my favorite! Whether she's dishing out life advice or subtly nudging the investigation along, she does it with such a sharp wit that you can't help but laugh and admire her at the same time. Grandma's character adds a wonderful layer of warmth and light-heartedness to the mystery, making the story not just about solving a crime but about the quirky, loveable people caught up in it.

For anyone who loves a blend of humor, romance, and mystery, Listen for the Lie is a must-read that promises and delivers an unforgettable journey.

Themes: Redemption, pursuit of truth

Listen For The Lie is an absolutely brilliant thriller that you won't be able to put down! Amy Tintera does a fantastic job of giving you just enough information in 2 timelines to keep you on edge and guessing throughout. Lucy is found walking along the road 5 years ago and she's covered in blood and has a bad head injury. She can't remember anything that happened that night and that was the night her best friend, Savvy, was murdered! Lucy was with her and the blood she's covered in is Savvy's. Everyone thinks that Lucy snapped and killed her best friend in the woods. People saw them arguing at the wedding reception earlier that night. Did Lucy do it?

The book starts in current time with a true crime podcaster re-opening the case. Lucy has since moved away from the small Texas town she grew up in and has a new life in Los Angeles. She writes romance novels under a pen name so that her past doesn't interfere with her book sales. She works for a company and is fired when her name is linked to the upcoming podcast about the murder. No one in L.A. knew about her past until now. The police investigated and never found the murder weapon. They didn't have enough to charge Lucy with Savvy's murder, but everyone in town and on social media sure did! In the court of popular opinion, Lucy was guilty! Lucy was married to Matt at the time of the murder. Why did he tell people that Lucy did it? Why do Lucy's own parents believe she did it?

Lucy's grandmother is turning 80 and wants a big party to celebrate. She asks Lucy to come home to Texas for the party. Lucy has always been close to her grandmother and she's the one person who has never believed that Lucy could kill someone. As Ben Owens is going to be in town investigating for his podcast, Lucy's grandmother has told him that Lucy will let him interview her. She says she'll convince her to do it. As he begins looking into things, the list of suspects continues to grow. There are so many people hiding things about that night. Why are so many people lying? What really happened? Why would Lucy kill her best friend? Did she get pushed to violence? Why hasn't Lucy's memory come back? How was she injured? So many questions and so few answers!

This book had me thinking about it even when I couldn't read it. I started telling other people about it and now they want to read it. Listen For The Lie is one of the best thrillers this year. I absolutely loved trying to solve this mystery and rate it 5 stars with my very highest recommendation! Listen For The Lie should be on everyone's TBR pile. Don't miss out on this book! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy of Listen For The Lie in exchange for a fair review! #ListenForTheLie #bookreview

I enjoyed this twisted tale of murder and deceit!

Lucy has been accused of murdering her best friend years earlier, but she can’t remember anything from that night. With the help of Ben, a Podcaster, details slowly emerge in Lucy‘s memory to help uncover what really happened.

This one kept me guessing with a cast of unreliable characters, Lucy included. I really enjoyed Lucy’s wit and her grandma’s sass, which injected some humor into the dark storyline. The suspenseful plot kept you guessing until the very end!

Many thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I had high hopes for this one, the blurb really had me hyped on the book but unfortunately it turned out to be your run of the mill thriller. Not particularly interesting or unique.

The first half of the book was more enjoyable than the 2nd, I have read several books that have a storyline with a podcast & I wondered if I would find things repetitive, which I did. It starts to feel like if you’ve read one podcast thriller book you’ve read them all.

I did like the plot line with the best friends, but there were too many typical tropes that often just feel too convenient, liiiike the “i just can’t remember anything from that night.” When done right they can really work well but in this case it was just a device to keep us in the dark. The final twist came out of left field, & I much prefer a thriller I can track than a random end of the game character that we had no way of guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Listen for the Lie. I enjoyed this book, and it’s already a NYT bestseller. But for me, it lagged, especially in the middle. I thought there was too much dialogue, which is to be expected with a book based on a podcast. It did keep me guessing, so ,I liked that.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

5 star thriller

I rarely think about thriller is worth 5 stars but this was the most fun I’ve had with a book in a long time. I just loved Lucy and her cynical sense of human. Ben, Savvy, Grandma.. I loved the cast of characters surrounding her. I highly recommend this.

This book is worth the hype it's been given! Lots of twists, unreliable characters. You don't know whether or not to trust the main character on if she killed her best friend or not.

There's been a recent trend of podcast thrillers and, honestly, I'm hear for it.

This is one of the few thrillers that honestly kept me guessing until the very end. The main protagonist, Lucy, does not have any memories about the night Savvy died which has always left the open question - did she do it? This question haunts the entire narrative and keeps the reader guessing just as much as the protagonist. You don't know up until the very end!

I read this one as a kindle copy and an audiobook combined, but greatly preferred the audiobook. It has a full cast and visual cues on the portions that are the 'podcast'. I found this very immersive for the reading experience and appreciate the extra flourishes.

Pub Date: March 5th

4.5 ⭐️

GUYSSSSS Listen for the Lie has so many of my fav aspects in a thriller.
Podcast transcripts? ✔️
(Kind of) Dual timeline? ✔️
POTENTIALLY unreliable narrator? MAYBE? Who knows??? ✔️
Extremely fast paced and can’t put down? ✔️
Underdog you want to root for? ✔️ although some people may not like our semi unlikeable main character because of her unlikeable traits, but they just made me see her as more authentic, relatable, and realistic.

I absolutely ate. this. up. And left ZERO crumbs 😂 . I would HIGHLY recommend this, especially if you’re a fan of Lisa Jewel. Also, if you liked The Night Swim by Megan Goldin!

Thank you Celadon Books for my copy of this!

I could not put down "Listen for the Lie". This book had multiple twists that I was not anticipating. I loved how each time I thought I knew what was going to happen or who did it, another curveball was thrown my way. This book is one of the best thrillers that I have read in a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. It is the perfect book to pull you out of a reading slump. It’s fast paced and you will really hate Lucy’s parents. Lucy went through a lot and the support she needed from her parents was there. Her parent’s didn’t believe she was still suffering from amnesia. At times you even question whether Lucy did do it but the twist and turns were perfect. I loved the podcast setting in between. The small town trope was well done. Lucy’s grandma was my favorite person in this book. If you want a great thriller pick the book up.

Lucy and Savvy knew each other in high school but did not reconnect until Lucy moved back to their hometown of Plumpton, TX. Savvy is murdered and Lucy is the prime suspect despite having no memory of Savvy' murder. When a true crime podcaster comes to town to solve the murder, Lucy's grandma tricks her into coming home. I absolutely loved grandma, probably my favorite character. I did have an inkling on who did it and I was right. Read to find out!

Lucy does not remember anything from the night her best friend was murdered 5 years ago. Even though there wasn't enough evidence to charge her, everyone in her small town had made up their minds. Lucy was a murderer.

Then along comes Ben. A well-known true crime podcaster, his first season resulted in an arrest. Can he get to the bottom of who killed Lucy's best friend?

Amy did the most amazing job developing these characters through her story telling. I found myself laughing out loud at Lucy's wit and her banter with all of the supporting characters. At 80% complete, I still did not know who killed Lucy's bff...the fact that I was able to remain in suspense says a lot. The plot was twisty, the reveal was awesome, this book deserves to move to the top of your TBR.

Thank you Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Many thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a twisty mystery with a true crime podcast element and an unreliable narrator that made this an addictive, bingeable thriller.

Taking from my LFL drop synopsis, living in LA, Lucy has been in the process of “starting over” following the murder of her best friend Savvy. Her real reason for moving to LA for a fresh start- she is the suspected murderer! After a well-known true crime podcast focuses on solving Savvy’s murder as the subject of their next season, Lucy is pulled back to her small town of Plumpton, TX to not only prove she isn’t the killer, but also to face other traumatic circumstances that she thought she finally left behind. With an unreliable account of the events from that evening, Lucy agrees to work with podcaster Ben to once and for all clear her name and find out who actually killed Savvy.

I loved the format of a podcast script being interspersed with the chapters from Lucy’s POV. While Lucy is considered an unreliable narrator, I found myself rooting for her the entire time. I thought the concept of the book was unique and I liked how Lucy not only had to face what happened to Savvy but also faced other demons from her past. This was an indulgent, fast read!

I loved this book . It keeps you guessing the whole book. About halfway thru I thought I knew who the killer was but nope I never saw them coming . The main character has some snark and sarcasm that keeps you entertained while trying to solve the mystery .
A murder was committed ten years ago , Lucy was found wandering down the street covered in blood with no memory of what happened. Shortly later her best friend savvy is found dead on the side of the road bludgeoned to death and with no evidence to connect Lucy to the murder she isn’t charged .

Lucy moves from the hometown she grew up in to LA. Here she writes under a pen name because who wants to buy books from a suspected murderer , until now when a pod caster decides to solve the cold case .

Ben solved his last cold case from talking to people the police didn’t and connecting the dots and hopes to do it again with the help of Lucy’s grandma Beverly who he befriend and Lucy once he got his foot in the door. Sometimes it is just about asking the right questions to the right people .

I can't believe how quickly I read this book. I absolutely loved it and it got me out of an extremely long reading slump. I soon found myself pushing other priority things aside in order to read this. The pacing, story development, and writing style made this such a fun journey. This may be one of more top thrillers and I read A LOT of thrillers!

I’ve been in a raging book hangover for I don’t even know how long. Nothing I’ve read has hit lately. Thank GOODNESS for Listen For The Lie. This is the first book in so long that I have absolutely devoured, and the first thriller in MONTHS that I’ve actually enjoyed reading.

Listen For The Lie has everything I want in a book; humor, twists, badass female characters. I loved this book and will start recommending it to everyone I know immediately. Lucy was, frankly, a delight to read about, and her grandma? Come on. Just perfection.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Listen For The Lie is out now!

I love a book about a podcast! I normally would do the audio version of the book but I couldn't get my hands on it, so I read it on my kindle. It didn't limit my enjoying the story even a fraction. I loved it. Can you imagine being accused of your BFF's murder and not knowing if you did it??? Add on to that not even your family believes you, I just can't with some of these people. Then, this fella starts a podcast and just reminds everyone that you may just be a murderer. Insert Lucy's inner monologue. It was just perfect. I love dark humor and man this had it in spades! How often does a psychological thriller have you giggling?? I can tell you that personally, it's not enough for me. Don't even get me started on Lucy's grandma. Whew, did I love that lady. This book was a refreshing change of pace from the thrillers I've been reading and I just loved it. It's going right on my Desperate Housewives Type and Favorites shelf!

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have only listened to about five audiobooks in my reading life. I love holding books and reading really helps with my anxiety. However, at the recommendation of some of my GR friends, I decided to go the audio route for this one. I’m glad I did! This audio book is spectacular! Thank you GR friends!

Did Lucy really kill her best friend Savvy? Podcaster Ben Owens is in her hometown trying to get to the bottom of this unsolved crime with his “Listen For The Lie” podcast series.

Lucy is one heck of a character! Sassy, snarky, sarcastic with a dark humorous side. I laughed at times, but her Grandma Beverly was the scene stealer for me! She’s a hoot and a half!

The chapters alternate between Lucy and podcast interviews with residents of Plumpton. Everyone has something to say about what happened the night Savvy died. Listening to the podcast chapters really gave this a true crime feel. I loved them!

The book kinda started slowing down for me about halfway, but I still loved it. I found it to be original and entertaining! The narrators were outstanding. I will also recommend getting the audio version of this one. You won’t be disappointed!

I’m definitely looking forward to reading more my this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Amy Tintera for my advanced copy to read and review.

This book had me hooked in the first few pages. I loved Tintera’s writing! It was witty, quick, and captivating. It’s been a while since I’ve read a page-turner, and Listen for the Lie was utterly addictive. If I didn’t have a tiny human to care for, I probably could have finished this in a day. It kept me guessing until the very end with plenty of red herrings and twists.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
🎧 short chapters
🎧 small-town intrigue
🎧 family drama
🎧 whodunnit murder mystery
🎧 podcast investigation
🎧 dark humor

A standout adult debut from Tintera! I recommend this to anyone looking for a fast, fun read.
𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 5⭐️