I started reading an eARC but switched to an audiobook copy from @LibroFM and highly advise going audio if you can. Because the plot of this novel depends on a fictional podcast I think the little sprinkle of extra production (intro music for the podcast, switching to interview format, light background sound) gives the audiobook an edge.

This novel was 5 stars for me- I didn’t want to put it down! Excellent pacing, excellent mystery. I also really enjoyed the juxtaposition between Lucy and Savvy’s reputations in the community of Plumpton. There’s a lot to unpack there but I definitely don’t want to give spoilers. I will also say that I did not see the ending coming. @AmyTintera : please write more adult novels!

Listen for the Lie is about a woman named Lucy who is now the subject of a podcast after being suspected of killing her best friend several years earlier. The book hooked me in the opening pages, and I had a hard time putting it down. Amy Tintera did a great job with character development and in casting everyone as a suspect. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an ARC of this book.

Oh my god, I LOVED this! It's my favorite book so far of this year. I loved the main character, I loved the main love interest, I loved the dysfunctional family dynamics and realistic dialogue, I LOOOOVED the grandmother character especially. This was so good, perfectly paced from the start. The story is also really tragic and sad, which are things that always make me love stuff more, haha. This would make such a great movie!! The podcast element was also really great!

I read this one close to when I read THE LAST TIME I LIED by Riley Sager, and they have some similarities, so I'll highly recommend reading one if you liked the other (or vice versa).

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for an arc of Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera. In this thriller, in a small town, there is a women, Lucy, who is accused of killing her best friend, Savvy, however she was never charged with the murder. Lucy ends up back in the small town for her grandmother’s birthday party. It happens that the Listen for the Lie podcaster, Ben Owens, is also there and has talked to her grandmother who gets Lucy to come back to town for a while. Ben investigates the murder and interviews many people for his podcast. Lucy has no memory of the night of the murder and none of it has come back since it happened years ago. It’s a great thriller and keeps you guessing pretty much the whole way through.

This book was amazing. I have read a lot of the author's young adult books which have been more fantasy/science fiction and really liked them. This is her adult debut. She did a great job. Loved the main character. Lots of humor. The podcast format was perfect. Did not suspect the actual murderer.

After seeing this all over Bookstagram, I knew I had to read it even without reading the synopsis. Yeah, I'm that person. 😏
When I heard that it was Read Now in NetGalley, I hustled on over for a free copy!
So thank you NetGalley for my free copy!

Listen for the Lie was utter perfection. It had the right amount of mystery, intrigue, and my fave, romance! Yes, friends, we have some romance. I love when there is a hint of romance in mystery books. But I digress. This book also had short chapters, which was a bonus!

Lucy has been plagued by her best friend, Savvy's death for five years. What makes it worse is she is the one suspected of killing her, but Lucy cannot remember anything from that fateful night. It's been five years and Lucy has sort of moved on from her old life. She now lives in LA with her boyfriend. Things take a turn when out of nowhere when this new up and coming podcaster, Ben Ownes, dregs up Savvy's cold case. Now everyone knows who Savvy is. When she has to return to her Texas hometown from her grandma's birthday, she runs right into Ben Owens, this not so ugly podcaster. The two decide to team up to solve Savvy's case and finally figure out what happened that fatal night.

Things I loved about this book:
Romance ❤️
Mystery 🕵🏽
Small town vibes 🏡
True crime podcast 🎙️
Short chapters 📃
Fast paced 💨

Once again, thank you NetGalley for my free copy! I may just buy this one for my library! 😉

This was a Fast-paced thriller that takes place in a small town. After attending a wedding together, Lucy's best friend Savannah was found dead and Lucy was found walking on the side of a road. Her dress covered in dirt and Savvy's blood. Never being convicted because of the lack of evidence Lucy moves to California. 5 years later a true crime Podcaster uses the murder for season two of his Podcast in hopes of finding the killer.
I loved every aspect of this book. The Podcast aspect and the lies and secrets being uncovered. I just ate it all up!

Thank you Celadon and netgalley for the arc.

Amazing book! I loved the cover and the authors writing style. I enjoyed the chapter lengths, they all ending where I wanted to keep reading the book. I found the ending very satisfying. I don’t think that there is anything I would change in this book. After I read the arc you send I then purchased a physical copy as my book of the month choice because I loved it so much. I would definitely check out any future books from this author.

Huge shoutout to @netgalley for this eARC and ALC

The audio of this book is soooo freaking good. I highly recommend listening to this one! I did the audio at work and ebook at home and it was such a great mix. I loved the mixed media aspect with the podcast. The actual story is so freaking twisty and had me guessing until the end. I usually am not a big fan of the amnesia trope but this was done so well. The FMC, Lucy, is so sarcastic and amazing. Podcast host, Ben, sounds like the perfect man. He loves true crime and sounds hot AF. I could not put this one down and you probably won’t be able to either

I loved this book! I could not put it down. I would have been perfectly fine if this book had never ended.

There are so many great things about this book, starting with the main characters that are so unlovable yet you still really want to get to know them because they're the ones with the story to tell. The physical, emotional, and sexual tension all build up throughout the story in such a realistic way, and plausible solutions are given along the way. You may think you know what happened, but the truth is slowly released among the lies told by each character throughout this journey. The "who" becomes somewhat predictable toward the end, but the how and why are complete surprises.

I would love to read this story from Matt or Emmett's point of view as the story unfolds.

5 stars and more for Listen for the Lie. It definitely lived up to the hype that it has built.

I LOVED this one! The podcast element was done well. I'm not the biggest fan of the true crime podcast, sometimes it feels like EVERY SINGLE BOOK out there has it as a theme. So I was wary about reading this one, but it was definitely a #bookstagram made me do it. This one kept me up way past my bedtime reading, it was a page turner and had me needing to know what really happened.

Plus that ending? *chef's kiss of perfection*

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera was a 3 star read for me. I wanted to like it more than I did. Right from the beginning it felt very flat with no depth to the characters or the plot. I didn't feel there was anything for me to grab on and sink my teeth into. I wanted to be rooting for Lucy not to be the character, but in the end I didn't really care if it was her or not. I felt like those that were coming up as suspects could have been explored a little more deeply. Lucy was very apathetic in wanting to learn the truth and it seemed like everyone else around was too, including Ben, the podcaster host. The "romance" was completely unnecessary as it didn't add anything to the plot or depth to the characters. The reveal itself was not very exciting and seemed to come out of left-field and then completely rushed, coming in the last 10% of the book. There was no lead up or hints that the person who did it was involved in any way at all, you never had to think twice about the person, or stop and wonder/doubt youself.

I loved the podcast aspect in this one! I wish I would've had the audiobook of it; I just feel that would've taken it to another level, but it was still fun having the eBook. I also enjoyed the unreliable narrator. Lucy is one of the only people who knows what happened to her best friend Savvy the night she was killed, but Lucy was hit in the head that same night, so her memory is very shaky. Almost every character is portrayed to have a dark side that makes you think they did it at some point throughout the book, which makes it nearly impossible to figure it out before the end. I personally did not; I had my guesses but they were wrong. I thought the pacing was great and made it very binge-able. If you liked the book The Night Swim or enjoy podcasts about true crime, you need to grab this one!

I LOVE podcast-based books, and this one did not disappoint! All the twists, the snarky attitudes, and the mystery were all executed perfectly!

What a great dark humor mystery! I’m not going to lie I was very worried about another podcast related mystery book. Others have fell flat for me, but this was so well written and darkly funny. Wonderful twist and turns that you don’t expect keep you on the edge of your seat.
Listen for the Lie follows the story of Lucy and Savvy. They are best friends and both go a friends wedding but only one survives stumbling home covered in the others blood. Lucy is the survivor and now is the town pariah and number one murder suspect. Problem is she can’t remember what happened that night. Now she’s americas number one hated murder suspect thanks to a new podcast and she gets lured back home to participate. She’s not happy about it but maybe it’s time to figure out what really happened that night.
Such a steady treat of unveiling the different murder suspects and clues about Lucy and Savvy. One of the best mysteries I’ve read in a while and I can’t wait to read more from Amy Tintera.

A thriller that is also comedic. Run, don’t walk… this a must read. Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for a ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy, all reviews are my own!

Holy cow I loved this!! I am a big fan of true crime podcasts so anything written in this form is a win for me! Loved the writing and the twists, 5 stars!!!

📌 set in texas
⏳ jumping timelines
📑 mixed media with podcast transcripts
⏩ short chapters, moves quick!

everyone thinks Lucy killed her best friend Savannah five years ago. a podcast host is now digging up the past to figure out what really happened

this was such a fresh new take on the whole podcast element in mystery thrillers! definitely a book that’ll get you out of a reading slump!

What a fun murder mystery!
They say you can never go home again, and that seems true for Lucy, who ends up back in her hometown where everyone believes she’s a murderer. Urged on by her murderous inner voice, Lucy tried to remember what happened that night 5 years ago when her best friend was killed. With the help of podcaster Ben, she dives into the past she’s tried to forget & little by little pieces things together. This was a great page turner & I can’t wait to read what Amy Tintera writes next!

3.5 stars - There's a lot of buzz around Listen for the Lie but I have mixed feelings. I'm a sucker for true crime podcasts and was thrilled to receive a copy from Celadon Books. I liked the format of this book and thought the beginning was fast-paced, but most of the characters were unlikeable and the reveal/ending was pretty anticlimactic. I'd recommend this to those looking for a quick, fun read between other books. I feel like I'm in the outlier - I'm sure this will continue to receive a lot of positive hype from many readers.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC via NetGalley.