Have I been completely over the podcast elements in thrillers-absolutely. So was I surprised when I loved this one from start to finish-absolutely.

Listen for the Lie is a fresh take on the podcast thriller. I liked the interjections of podcast transcripts but also really appreciated that it was one POV-the subject of the true crime podcast, Lucy.

Every character is unlikeable and unethical. But Lucy was an unlikeable, unreliable narrator that I could root for. She was funny and dark and quite honestly, I saw a lot of my own humor in her. She had bits of lightness, like her relationship with her grandmother and the fact that she never gave up her writing dreams but she was also reasonably hard and rough around the edges.

This book thrilled me. There were twists and turns and I was CONVINCED I knew who did it. I was guessing until the last page. I seriously flew through this one in 24 hours thanks to the page turning mystery and the short chapters.

I definitely think this will be one of my top thrillers of the year. Loved loved loved

3.5 stars rounded up.
This book was definitely entertaining - the main character was sarcastic and hilarious. I enjoyed the fast pace and I read the second half in one day because I needed to know the ending! It definitely had me hooked. I do wish there was deeper characterization/stronger writing for that, but knowing this is a debut I’d definitely read a second book by the author. Some stuff didn’t totally make sense to me about her parents, but I did love the grandma.

I read this on kindle but I think the audio would be better with the podcast element. I didn’t like that on the kindle version the font got small for the podcast elements and I had to keep changing the font size but I also had an ARC so the final may not be like that. It looks fine in the physical copy.

Strong TW for DV.

Having recently finished “Listen for the Lie" by Amy Tintera, I am happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy; thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books!

This story was funny from Lucy’s first sentence; “A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I’m buying a chicken.” Lucy’s dark thoughts and visions brought smiles throughout this murder mystery. Some of the funniest moments were from Lucy’s eighty-year-old Grandma, Beverly. Any scenes between this duo were hilarious! One of my favorite parts in the story was the reveal of the evil little voice inside Lucy’s head; I was definitely surprised! As a matter of fact this was an entertaining story full of so many surprises; I mean lies. And the ultimate lie at the end of this story? THAT was a surprise!

Lucy is accused of murdering her best friend Savvy! A true crime podcast called listen for the lie with a host named Ben starts a series about savvy's murder. I don't know if I just don't care for the true crime podcast trope or what but it took me a few days to get through this because I just didn't care to pick it up. I probably just didn't like Lucy or her intrusive thoughts.

I am so sad I did not love this as much as all my freakin friends did….

The writing was great, I was engaged the entire time and didn’t really want to put it down, but like the ending?????? So anti-climactic and boring I’m sorry 😭

Listen for the Líe left me wanting more of Ben and Lucy! Ben’s sassy attitude was exactly what Lucy needed to open up and be vulnerable with her past. The whole time I was left wondering, who killed Savvy and did Lucy really do it?

This was definitely a delightful surprise in the mystery/ thriller world this year.

A very refreshing and different story. The podcast element/format is what makes this book unique, and the plot twist at the end is very unexpected and a good one.

While Lucy may seem a little predictable of a character, Ben, on the other hand, was a shocking character for me. I did not like Savvy's character that much, however, it does not mean it was not well-developed and important to the story.

I could not put it down. I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I would 100% recommend it, and can't wait to read more books by this author in the future.

Thank you to Celadon Books and Netgalley, for the Advanced Free Copy, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this at the beginning, but felt the bulk of the book was a bit slow. The ending wasn’t anything too exciting. Overall, an entertaining but forgettable thriller for me.

I was immediately drawn in by the premise where a podcaster is set to unravel the unsolved murder mystery of a close-knit Texas town. Lucy can't remember the events of five years ago, the night her best friend was murdered. Despite most of the town believing Lucy to be the killer, Ben Owens, the host of the true crime podcast will not settle for anything less, but the truth.

This novel has been described as the "perfect whodunit" - fully agree! - and "funny and twisted" - maybe not quite that. The characters were an interesting bunch, connected and tangled up in their relationships, affairs and alliances. Most had questionable moral principles which made them easy murder suspects. Was the narrative twisted? Absolutely. Reading, I had so many theories, but I still didn't predict the ending! Was the story funny? I would say it had a hint of dark humor, and that was mostly Lucy's personality, but some parts of the story were actually quite dark and disturbing.

I really enjoyed how the novel was structured: the narrative intertwined with the podcast episodes revealing bit by bit the information about the murder case and town's residents. Quite a gritty story with mounting intrigue and heart-pounding suspense.

Murder, amnesia, podcast and dark humor, great combination and Grandma was an extra bonus! Looking forward to more from this author!

I absolutely loved every second of this book. This is the thriller that I have been waiting to read for a long time! Listen for the Lie will grab you from page one and hold on tight until the end. I cannot say enough good things about everything contained within this story. The way the story is told both through Lucy's POV and through the podcast. The way that Amy Tintera was able to weave a seemless plot and make it move at a breakneck pace while keeping it fresh and interesting and fun should be applauded! I have read so many "thrillers" in the last two years that have repeatedly let me down or were just meh. However Listen for the Lie was everything I was looking for and more! Amy Tintera has made it to my auto buy list and I cannot wait to read more by this author!

3.5 stars. If I were rating this solely on plot development or thriller aspects, I’d rate this higher. It was fun, unpredictable, fast- paced and creative with a narrator who really doesn’t know if she is guilty or not for most of the story. However, there were so many dysfunctional people in this story. I can’t think of one character who didn’t have a ton of issues. The problem with this is that other than a couple of characters, most of the dysfunction was just ignored and not acknowledged. Almost every person in this book has an affair and it’s written like — oh yeah that’s fine and normal. Maybe it was a commentary on what happens in small towns when everyone is a little too familiar with one another, but again, there didn’t seem to be a tone from the author that everyone was dealing with a lot of problematic things. Definitely pulled me out of the story and I wish there had been a little more nuance or recognition of all the toxic relationships around our main character contributing to why she struggled so much. I didn’t find her very likable either, but maybe you’re not supposed to. Either way, fun read. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for this advanced copy.

I know I said I was over the podcast as a catalyst in thriller novels, but this one has made me rethink that opinion- it enhances the story and didn’t feel like a gimmick. This was a great whodunnit that kept me puzzled and guessing until the very end and I am hard to surprise. I loved the dark humor that was woven throughout and found myself chuckling quite a bit. And the small town Texas setting was fantastic. This is a fun one.

Fast-paced and addicting with characters you can’t get enough of. I love the way this was written (formal interviews/switching POVs). It’s gripping and holds your attention the entire time. The podcast aspect was so well done, I want to listen to the audiobook because I can imagine it being even better. I was hoping for more in a couple of the situations, but overall very well done for a debut adult fiction novel.

Thank you, Celadon Books & NetGalley for this eARC!

This book was such a great surprise. I wasn't sure how I would feel because 1) I feel like the podcast element in books is a little overdone at this point and 2) I don't like the trope of main character experiences memory loss then slowly gets her memory back as the story progresses at the most opportune times. HOWEVER, this book I think really used these mystery thriller tropes in a new and fun way. The writing style and tone of this book was perfect. I was laughing, I was engaged, and I really cared about the main character and her story. I was surprised by reveals and also saw some coming, but that never really ruins my reading experience for me, because in thrillers you want the reveals to make sense with the story you've read so far.

Thank you to Celadon Books for sending me a copy of LISTEN FOR THE LIE. This one is out now.

I am obsessed with this book. If you're at all an audiobook person I highly recommend the audio. This book has a podcast element and they really went all out with the production of that. I honestly am sad this one is done. I really loved this book and read it over the course of 24 hours. Go grab yourself a copy of LISTEN FOR THE LIE. I'm off to look for more books by Amy Tintera.

Listen for the Lie is just what I want in a thriller; fast-paced, kept me guessing, and a great format by including the podcast episodes. I loved the dark humor and the outrageous characters. It was a little too long, but otherwise a great read. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the eARC.

This book took me by surprise in the best way! I have read some of Amy’s previous works and loved them, so I was so excited to get this ARC and jump into her first adult thriller and she did not disappoint.
There were so many twists and turns and with Lucy having no memory of the night savvy was murdered, and being found covered in her best friend’s blood, it’s impossible not to wonder if she killed Lucy. As the story unfolds, with snippets from Ben’s interviews for his true crime podcast (Listen For The Lie), I was constantly at the edge of my seat wondering who did it. Was it Lucy? Was it someone else? What was the motive? Why can’t Lucy remember anything?
Amy kept be guessing until the very end and even though I don’t read a ton of thrillers, I was so impressed with her writing and this stories set up. Highly recommend Listen For The Lie.

I loved this book from the start. The dark comedy mixed with the whodunnit story was excellent. It had me hooked immediately, and I could not stop thinking about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced mystery. The MC, Lucy was a spitfire. Feisty, twisted, and a little bit crazy.

Short chapters alternating between Lucy and Listen for the Lie Podcast with Ben Owens added to my interest. Lucy comes back home to attend her grandmother’s birthday where 5 years before her best friend, Savvy was murdered. Lucy is still the main suspect. Lucy was found wandering that night near where Savvy was found with Savv’s blood all over her with no memory of what happened. Evidence points to Lucy but the case remains unsolved.

Ben Owens is interviewing everyone in town who has ties to Savvy and Lucy. Airing episodes of his true crime podcast trying to get to the truth behind that night.

Still, Lucy doesn’t remember what happened. She’s not even sure if she did it or not. But true to Lucy’s form she goes for it and goes along with Ben to try to regain her memory and figure it out.

Lucy’s character is unique. She likes to fantasize about different ways to kill the people she is with. Her best friend Savvy appears before her egging her on. In Lucy’s defense, she was involved with quite a few idiots one being her abusive ex-husband, Matt.

Funny, snarky, and with a twist I didn’t see coming, Listen to the Lie is original and full of small-town secrets that come to light in the best way. This fresh story with great characters was a fantastic read.

GMA March Book Club Pick