Is it bad to want to be friends with a potential murderer? After leaving Texas after being suspected of her best friend's murder (in the Town's defense, Lucy was spotted walking down a backroad covered in Savvy's blood with no memory of the event), Lucy is lured home by her grandmother under the guise of an 80th birthday party. However, a smug podcaster is waiting to interview Lucy and share her side of the story. The only problem, Lucy has not been able to recall anything from the murder.

I LOVE a sarcastic female lead and Lucy does not disappoint, neither does the snarky voice in her head that encourages her to kill creatively with objects nearby.

This book does a great job with quirky characters; a balance of present, past, and podcast and coaxing out the truth from the town folk.

While I guessed the ending, I enjoyed every chapter along the way and appreciate the freshness of Amy Tintera's voice in the thriller market.

Thank you Celeron Books and NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

Lucy Clark has to relive the worst time of her life thanks to the true crime podcast that is trying to look into her best friend's murder. As Lucy was the main suspect in it but there was not enough evidence to convict her. Lucy still doesn't remember what happened that night and whether she is guilty as her small hometown thinks.

Lucy's sarcasm and dark sense of humor and smug podcaster Ben made really hard to put this book down. Lucy's family and some neighbors threw some shade on her and their innocence in this crime. It was a fun read with an elements of a suspense.

This book! It’s SO GOOD. If you love a suspense novel that has you reading quickly and staying up into the night, then you need Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. The story centers around Lucy, who has lived with the guilt of possibly murdering her best friend. When a true-crime podcast dips into the story, Lucy must revisit the night her friend died and come to terms with the truth, whatever that may be.

I’ve seen many books with a similar plot but this didn’t feel stale or boring. I enjoyed it and have been recommending it to my friends, its a captivating novel! Its not just me who loved it, this is consistently receiving four and five stars along with glowing reviews!

Synopsis:

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?

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.

Out now!

Wow! This book was exactly what I was looking for...and then some. Twisty, suspenseful, and full of laughs too. Part past, part present, part podcast. There are a whole host of characters and getting them all sorted took a minute but overall this book drew me in and kept me there until the last page. 4 stars.

🎧 Listen For The Lie 🎧

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@potatoesandpaperbacks 4.5 ⭐️

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Thank you @celadonbooks for the arc!

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Lucy Clarke might have murdered her best friend. After amnesia leaves her with no memories of the night of Savvy’s death, she flees the suspicion and ostracism of her Texas small town for the anonymity of LA. However, years later Savvy’s murder becomes the subject of a true crime podcast, and Lucy is dragged back into the spotlight. Reluctantly, Lucy returns home and works with podcast host Ben to try to recover her memories of that night. Will the truth matter? Or will Lucy always question what happened that night?

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💭 Thoughts 💭

I really liked this book! Lucy’s inner monologue was so snarky and had me laughing out loud, she reminded me a lot of Ani from Luckiest Girl Alive. I always enjoy a podcast angle (it’s giving A Good Girls Guide to Murder for grown ups) and I did not guess what had actually happened to Savvy.

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⌛️ Favorite Moment ⌛️

Favorite character- Lucy’s grandmother! Beverly was a fire cracker who drank, has numerous boyfriends, and told it like it is. She reminded me of Betty White’s character in The Proposal!

In the past I have read a few podcast focused books and thought they were just ok. This one was different for me. I liked it much more than the others I have read.

Years ago, Lucy was with her best friend on the night she was murdered. Lucy has no memory of what happened. Everyone thinks she is the killer. But is she?
Now Lucy is back in town and everyone is watching her. Including the podcast host.

For once I actually enjoyed the podcast portion of the book. It seemed much more realistic than others I have read.

Lucy is a fun character for the most part. Considering what she is dealing with, she is holding up well.

Grandma Beverly is the best character. She is funny, conniving and a little bit drunk.

I switched back and forth between the ebook and the audio book versions of this book.

Thanks to netgalley and Celadon Books for the arc.

I really loved this Thriller. I was absolutely hooked until the very end. I have heard that the audio version is excellent. I listened to a sample of the audio and it was fun to have the podcast episode have music playing and act like it was an actual podcast. I think many non-Thriller readers would actually enjoy this. The MC was sarcastic and funny in the midst of this true crime thriller. Also, MC's grandma is a pure gem.

I was thrilled to see this as a read now on NetGalley after it was chosen as an option for Book of the Month. I grabbed it right away and I couldn’t wait to start it.
Unfortunately…it was just ok for me. Although the chapters were short or in interview form, it moved slow in places. I found most of the characters unlikeable and only out for themselves. The violent men, Lucy, Nina, Ben. Only the snarky, drinking at 10 am, grandma Beverly, was truly real. I also never understood why Lucy waited 5 years to figure out who murdered her best friend!! I did give this 3 stars because the ending was unexpected.

3.5. I was hesitant to read this because I feel podcast thrillers are so overdone but I’ve seen a ton of good reviews so I was Influenced. This was a really fun read, not super unique but I liked the writing and the funny spin on it. The FMC & the grandma were very entertaining.

PHEW okay, if you pick this book up just know you're in for a suspenseful ride!! Right from the beginning I was drawn into the book, the author puts the right amount of humor that tops it off. Then there's the *internal voice* that practically added an extra character to the book which was different than most if not all thriller books I've read. The chapters are fairly short so you'll keep telling yourself *one more* only to end up reading half the book in one sitting.

I give SO many props to the main character and the BS she's put through in the book, oof. Lucy's resilience, strength, and compassion was inspiring to read. Yes she has her flaws but as do all of us.
By far my favorite thriller book of this year so far, I HIGHLY recommend!! 5 stars all the way!

Looking for a page turner you can’t put down? I got you! Pick up Listen for the Lie by @amytintera It was so well done.

Everyone in Lucy's small Texas hometown is convinced that she murdered her best friend, Savvy, five years ago. She has done her best to escape the stares and judgements by moving to LA, but a popular podcast is now focusing on Savvy’s unsolved mystery as the topic for their second season. Lucy reluctantly returns to Texas to face the unanswered questions about the night she can’t remember.

I devoured this book! The short chapters made this a very quick-paced book. (Why do short chapters do that? Mind games!) This book has possibly one of the best first lines ever, “A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I am buying a chicken.” Lucy’s dry wit and sarcasm was one of the best parts of the book. It helped to capture that “I am so over people thinking I am a murder…but maybe I am a murder?” vibe. Every chapter is told from Lucy’s POV, with some jumping back and forth to her life five years before. We, mostly, get everyone else’s perspectives from the podcast episodes. This was something I didn’t realize I enjoyed until after I finished the book. Not jumping back and forth between chapters devoted to multiple characters maintained the flow of the narrative.

Thank you to @celadonbooks and @netgalley for my gifted digital copy,

Good read - I like the podcast direction that some newer thriller have explored. For me It gives the book the illusion that the characters and the readers are taking the steps to solve the murder at the same time. Keeping everything in pace but also keeping momentum and solving the mid book slump.

I don’t think this book had anything stylistically that I could comment on other than waste of some characters. The mother and father were for a lack of a better word useless. Didn’t try to help the daughter, protect her, literally sent her to the store in the town where everyone thought she was a murderer.

Would read this author again

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Publishers for an advanced reader copy of Listen for the Lie in exchange for my honest review.

Suspenseful and fun all in one.

The main character Lucy is something else and lots of laugh out loud moments with her as she's trying to remember if she murdered her best friend.

I ended up listening to the audio so I will add comments on that one. First 5star of the year. Twisty but enjoyable - with laughs., and tears. I didn’t recognize the answer until late in the book.

This book was an entertaining, popcorn thriller but if I’m being honest, nothing great really stood out to me. Although I did enjoy Grandma Beverly’s character. I did not find the plot to be very unique. It was a typical “some murder happened so she must return to her home town but wait….a podcast is involved” which seems to be a popular thriller trope right now.

A delicious debut!

This was a suspenseful read that kept me guessing. Despite the many characters and possible suspects, the book was easy to breeze through.

I loved Lucy's wry humour and her chemistry with Ben, though there were times I felt peeved at her decisions. I also enjoyed how the chapters are interspersed with podcast excerpts and found the storytelling creative e.g. instead of just describing the setting, Ben's POV was atmospheric and let me visualise the town vividly.

Although the whodunit was underwhelming and did not blow my mind like I'd hoped, I loved the 'why', 'how' and the events leading up to the murder. The social commentary was hard-hitting, on point and my favourite aspect of it all.

4.5/5

would have been a 5 if it wasn't for the main negative that i will mention!

I got this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you

PROS:

1- The book is very, very fast. You just fly by, and the hook keeps you going

2- it is very rare that i fome across a serious murder mystery, that is NOT a cozy mystery, with a good plot drive, and good twists and reveals, yet written in a very lightweight manner! it felt light and fun to read in a sense
Dark comedy thriller, perhaps? Comedy thriller? I dont know.. it was great

3- To follow with the previous point, i seriously enjoyed Lucy's personality. Her wit, sarcasm, and bravery were all things that i sincerely enjoyed, and even more, her grandma! i think i just enjoy the sass! 😂

4- The reveals and the build-up were done very nicely. it is very well-rounded and keeps you hooked and guessing. the reveal was not something i had guessed, although i had a strong resolve about someone close to Lucy.
even though i was not very off, I did not hit it right. which i LOVE!

5- the pace, the comments, the small-town Texas vibes ( I LOVED), the gossip, the memories, and the cheating all added some depth to what we were reading and kept adding a bit more dimension to the characters, which in some instances made you reevaluate your guess.

CONS:

1- Listen... at first, Lucy was super fun, and she was toward the end, she is going crazy or not ( that is something you need to figure out) but she can't run around and make out with EVERY SINGLE MAN SHE SEES! like bruvvvv... get it together!
felt too weird, in my opinion, unrealistic, and just cheapened her character!

if it was only memories of when she was young, it would have been different, but .. I couldn't get past this one!

2- the action when everything fell into place and the big reveal happened was slightly stupid, and a bit "lucky" , i am not fully mad at it, its just, with the whole theme of the book being very interesting, i would have expected a slightly better action, and communication, with a better thought process

would I recommend this book?
ABSOLUTELY YES!
I think this will definitely be among my top reads of the year!

Lucy is summoned back home on the heels of her grandmother’s birthday. She’s started her life over in LA leaving her Texas town, ex-husband, and envious life behind her. She has no desire to return to her hometown, to the place where her high school best friend Savvy was found murdered; the place where Lucy was found wandering the streets with Savvy’s blood all over her. She prefers her now-quiet life writing romance novels under a pseudonym.

As Lucy hesitantly returns, only at the insistence of her grandmother Beverly, she runs into Ben. Ben hosts a true crime podcast and the case he’s covering hits much too close to home; his Listen for the Lie podcast is covering the death of Savvy. Will Lucy finally remember the events the night Savvy died that she has blacked out? Or were the people of the town correct when they acted as juror and judge and declared her guilty of Savvy’s murder?

This was a 4 star read for me and I really enjoyed the banter between Lucy and Ben. My favorite character however was definitely Beverly! Her spunky, tell-it-like-it-is demeanor had me frequently laughing out loud! I highly recommend this for fans of thrillers, for fans of books about podcasts (which I LOVE!), and for anyone who enjoys a story that keeps you flipping page after page, telling yourself “just one more chapter!” You can check it out now since it was published yesterday - Happy (day late) Pub Day!

Sure sign of a great thriller? Binging it in less than 8 hours!!

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera is a gripping, propulsive, page-turning dynamo that kept me enthralled from start to end. Lucy has lived for five years, accused of murdering her best friend, Savvy, but she has no memory of that night, after suffering a concussion. Her small hometown refused to believe that she couldn’t remember anything, and made her life miserable enough that she left for the anonymity of LA. But now a podcast is trying to find all the answers, and Lucy’s name has become a national headline. She returns home, and gets caught up in the old gossip, and the new theories. Will Lucy find out that she actually killed Savvy? Or will other truths come out, and threaten her life again?

I paired my eARC with the audiobook, narrated by January Lavoy and Will Damron, who did a fabulous job bringing these characters and the podcast episodes to life. This book is going to receive all kinds of hype, and it is definitely worth it!! A strong 4.5 stars from me!

Many thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest review. Available now.

This is now possibly one of my new favorite thrillers. I hope that Amy Tintera continues to write adult thriller novels because if they continue to be any like this one, I will for sure pick up any and everything that she writes. The podcast element to this was so good and made the book that much more intriguing. I also had no idea who the actual killer was actually going to be. I really liked that it didn't turn out to be an obvious character but also wasn't too unbelieveable.