Listen For The Lie
By: Amy Tintera
Publish Date: March 5, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author, Amy Tintera, for the advanced copy of Listen For The Lie.

Lucy is found walking around the neighborhood, late at night with blood on her shirt in a disheveled state. Her best friend, Savannah is found dead shortly after. Everyone believes Lucy killed Savannah. Follow along while Lucy tries to remember the events of the evening with or without the help of her friends, ex-husband, and the crime solving podcaster, Ben along the way.

I enjoyed the writing style of this story- the alternating timeframe from 5 years ago and present, to the podcast transcript mixed in every so often. The character relationships felt relatable and I was curious what would happen next!

True crime podcast format? Sign me up. This was such a thrilling read, I couldn't put it down. Bingeworthy! I loved the main character, Lucy and every aspect of this book. This will definitely be one of my top books of the year. I will be recommending this one for many months to come.

Holy Crap!!! It’s been a very long time since I’ve read a book this addicting and this good! I was hooked from the very first page. I can honestly say that I had no clue who to believe or who the killer was and I LOVED that - there’s honestly nothing better than a thriller that keeps you guessing.

If Listen For The Lie is on your TBR, bump it up immediately! I am contemplating getting it on audio because I have a feeling it will be just as good!

Read if you like:
✨ Unlikeable/unreliable characters
✨ Small Town vibes
✨ A twisty whodunnit
✨Podcast vibes
✨Grandma Beverly!!!!

Wow! Just WOW!!! This is going to be one of my favorite thrillers of 2024 for sure! I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This being a debut book and it was so good, I cannot wait for more from this author! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Couldn't put this one down. It's no wonder everyone wants to read this. Thanks Celadon Books for allowing me an early preview. You won't want to miss this one.

Wowwwwwwwwww. Call me fooled! There were so many guesses of what was happening throughout this book and I did not guess correctly at all. Loved this book. Our main character was witty with a dark sense of humor, which I really enjoyed. This was fun! And the ending was wild, keep up!

The way the podcast script was woven into this story was particularly brilliant!

I didn’t pick this one from my Book of the Month subscription because I thought it was just another podcast true-crime, all the same formula book. However, I kept seeing buzz about it so I went ahead and grabbed it off of Netgalley to read. I’m glad I did! This author mixes humor and sarcasm into the murder mystery very well. I really like Lucy’s character, even though I wasn’t sure if she was a murderer or not throughout the book. The twist did surprise me and wasn’t as predictable as a lot of twists are. Overall, a solid choice for podcast/murder mystery fans!

Thank you to Net Galley and Amy Tintera for allowing me to grab this thriller as a Read Now! Listen for the Lie is out now, and if you enjoy podcasts, an unreliable main character, and secrets upon secrets, grab this now!

Lucy moved to LA after being accused of murdering her best friend in their small town of Plumbton. Without the right evidence, they couldn’t convict her. Savvy, her best friend was the happy, go lucky sweetheart and the town tore apart humorous, say it like it is Lucy. She left for 5 years and hasn’t returned home until now… when her grandma asks her to return to her hometown for her 80th birthday party.

Ben is the podcaster for Listen for the Lie podcast series, and is digging through this case to try to solve the murder. As he entwines through Lucy’s life and story, many people in the hometown start to lose their cool with the lies and secrets Ben is uncovering.

Lucy was found covered in blood while Savvy lay dead in the woods. As Lucy suffered a brain injury, she lost memories of that night and couldn’t recall what truly happened. There is a little voice in her head that is telling her thoughts… which kind of annoyed me at times. Her amnesia played a huge role, and mixed in with the harsh thoughts, she’s a wild card.

The author does a good job of making you question every person’s motives and secrets, and I went back and forth trying to figure it out.

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.