Lucy’s best friend was murdered five years ago, and Lucy can’t remember that night. When a podcaster begins to investigate, she’s forced to confront the past and finally find out if she’s the killer.

Listen for the Lie has 5 star readability. The flow was good, there was humor, and things came to light at a decent pace. I was captivated and found myself wanting to know what happened.

I would recommend this book for adult fans of Good Girls Guide to Murder. A podcast, a small town, secrets and lies, someone accused and shunned by everyone they know who might be cleared over the course of the book…there was a similar vibe for sure.

Unfortunately, I think that’s all I really liked. These weren’t characters I’d root for - even Grandma Beverly who is a lot of fun and probably my favorite character, I’m not a fan of how she kept setting Lucy up. Ben had questionable morals and was actually a really flat character. It was made clear numerous times how awful Matt is, but somehow he also was never made out to be a bad guy? I don’t know how that works.

Lucy’s…internal dialogue definitely piqued my interest and I think so much more could have come from that but honestly, it just fizzled out. A wonderful way to get the reader invested, but a disappointment by the end.

I’d recommend this as an in between read when you want something to grab you but you don’t want to think too much. Something light and easy and gripping, but don’t expect it to be your favorite book.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon books for an eARC of Listen for the Lie.

I absolutely tore through this book. Following the prime suspect of her friend's murder, Lucy heads home to small town Texas to face a new podcaster that is trying to spill the tea on everything. We follow the podcast, the host Ben, and Lucy as they find out everyone casually lies all the time and what is the truth in this case? I thought Lucy was such a fun protagonist to follow, she was witty and sarcastic and had my sense of humor.

I loved seeing memories of Savvy, her friend, and how they were together. What I wasn't expecting was a fascinating look into domestic abuse and how that can truly warp someone's mind. This is definitely a trigger warning as it is a general theme throughout the book (no spoilers here!). If you're looking for a fast-paced murder mystery with a touch of traumatic brain injury then this is the book for you.

This book was just fun to read. It's also going to be one that you speed through because you're "dying" to know who did it.

Lucy, now in her late 20s, returns to her fictional hometown of Plumpton, Texas, for her Grandma's 80th birthday party, per Grandma's request. Lucy has been gone all of 5 years. Everything should be great because Plumpton is an idyllic Texas town in Hill Country where bluebonnets bloom and country croons on the jukeboxes of its smalltown bars. It is not for Lucy, however, and there's a reason she's stayed away for 5 years - everyone thinks she murdered her best friend, Savvy (Savannah).

Because of a severe case of amnesia caused by a head injury, no murder weapon secured, and no concrete evidence, the murder could not be proven and did not go to trial. To prevent being treated as a leper by her now ex-husband, parents, friends, and all of the townspeople, Lucy fled to LA.

Things aren't great in LA though either. Thanks to a gorgeous true crime podcaster, Ben, who has reopened the case, news of Lucy's murderous tendencies has now caused her to lose her day job and her current dud boyfriend, Nathan. Lucy does still have her success as penning romance novels though. No one knows of her success there because they've all been published under the name of Eva Knightley.
So, back to Plumpton Lucy traipses. She thinks just for a week, What ensues is a modern day whodunit.

Lucy as a narrator is quirky, a little raw, a little crass, very real, and a lot snarky. Throw in a little romance as a sub-plot (and a lot of sex...it seems like nearly everyone in the fictional TX town of Plumpton is called out for having casual sex with whomever they're not supposed to be with at the time).

You'll meet Lucy's ex-husband, Matt, who still lives in Plumpton and seems to have a lot of people fooled. Lucy's old high school friends and even her parents also surface as suspects. There are certainly no lack of suspects, and very slowly, bits of Lucy's memory of that night begin to resurface.

The novel alternates between present day, five years ago (time of the murder), and podcast time (again in present day). It's a format that makes the novel read very quickly.

It truly is a modern, keep you guessing, laugh out loud, twisty whodunit.

My favorite character - Grandma!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC.

Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera is a fun quick thriller.

After a night at a wedding, Lucy has no memory and her best friend is dead. Everyone thinks she killed her. Now five years later true crime podcaster, Ben, is in town investigating what really happened that night.

I love a thriller with a true crime podcast angle. Listen for the lie read quick and kept me hooked from the beginning.

As any good thriller does, at one point each character was the main suspect and was shocked when we found out what really happened.

I will absolutely pick up anything Amy Tintera writes in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one was high on my 'want to read' list and it didn't disappoint!
The fast paced story unfolds brilliantly using transcripts of a podcast to move the story along. Lucy is a personable character with lots of snarky and humourous dialog. The mystery of 'did she or didn't she' was well crafted that kept me guessing right up to the reveal. I loved this one and highly recommend it!

This book is everywhere on social media right now, even before @gma picked it as their March choice for their book club. And with good reason.

A thriller with an edge. And a snarky edge at that. Everyone’s a suspect, doubt is always in the back of your mind.

Could it be the amnesia that blocked out the evening? Could it be a personality split? Could the ex be in on it? And why does it feel like everyone could have had a motive but at the same time, it’s reaching to suspect that.

Short synopsis: five years ago Lucy was found wandering the road, incoherent and covered in blood. Her best friend is dead. And she remembers nothing. But 5 yrs later, a podcaster named Ben wants to unravel the missing memories no matter what the outcome.

Again I’ll say, there’s a reason why it’s everywhere. Because the plot stays tight and the reader doesn’t know where it’s going next.

Easiest 5 stars to give

4.5 Stars! From the minute I started reading this book, I loved the voice of the main character, Lucy. She has the perfect amount of humor and sarcasm even though she has become a murder suspect. 5 years ago her friend Savvy was killed, and Lucy doesn't remember the night. Now a podcaster named Ben has gotten nosey and interested in solving the case. At times Lucy's family isn't sure if she is a murderer or not (she had blood all over her when she was found). I highly recommend this mystery/thriller, because it had a fresh/different approach to the genre that I really enjoyed. Thank you Netgalley and Celadon books for an early copy of this book! I loved it and will be recommending to all!

LISTEN FOR THE LIE was a thrilling ride from start to finish, and laced with humor that was laugh out loud funny, but somehow didn’t distract from the tension of the plot. I truly enjoyed this story from start to finish, and excited to see what this author writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celdadon Books for the opportunity to read and review LISTEN FOR THE LIE.

I didn’t want to put this one down! I really tried to figure this out while reading it but eventually I stopped trying to spoil it and just enjoyed the ride. I would not have predicted the ending/who did it. What a ride. You won’t trust anyone in this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this book!! I loved the way it was told through Lucy’s POV and the podcast episodes. It kept the story going at a great pace. Also loved Lucy’s character. She was funny, relatable and likeable. Kept my guessing the whole way through and I enjoyed how it ended. Will definitely read more from Amy Tintera!

Any book that starts with our female main character, just fired from her job, making an ‘apology chicken’ for her self absorbed boyfriend who hasn’t bothered to figure out she’s actually accused of murder…I’m IN! Add she’s a romcom author under an assumed pen name, the integration of podcasts, a sassy grandmother, and it’s clear why Listen for The Lie by Amy Tintera is GMA’s book club pick for March 2024!

Five years ago Lucy was found covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, Savvy dead. Lucy had absolutely no memory of the events. Law enforcement never found a murder weapon, and although many in the small Texas town believed Lucy knew something at the very least, or was guilty, she was only charged in public opinion. Lucy made a fresh start in California, which had largely worked until podcaster Ben Owens started poking around. Out of a job, without a place to live, Lucy agrees to go back to Texas for her grandmother’s 80th birthday. When Benjamin Owen’s shows up and asks to talk to her Lucy begins to wonder if the truth doesn’t matter can it really hurt to talk to him?

I was drawn into this story immediately! Lucy’s internal monologue is so unexpected, there’s a macabre edge that could be humorous…or not? We are fed new information, background on different players through conversation, interviews on the podcast, in ways that are nonlinear, keeping us from seeing the full picture, putting things together, or understanding motivations. The pace is so effective. I could not look away, wanting to read it again the moment I was done!

This makes an excellent buddy read, a propulsive, unputdownable weekend read that you do not want to miss. For my audiophile friends January LaVoy and William Damron narrate. I can guarantee my reread will be on audio!

Thank you to my friends at Celadon Books for the early review copy via Netgalley.

This is my first book by this author which I enjoyed reading and look forwrd to seeing what is next for her. I enjoyed her writing style as well as her attention to details that made the characters come to life. This is a well written story that is hard to put down and full of suspense. A story a murder and finding out who did it even if it is you. I enjoyed the characters and what they bring to the story. They are connectable and add so much to the story. I enjoyed watching their growth throughout which made the story easy to read. The twists and turns are like no other and ones you do not want to miss. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon for an ARC of this fantastic thriller! This book had me hooked from the start, when we meet Eve, who was accused of killing her best friend five years ago, but had no memory of the events leading up to it. There isn't enough evidence to convict her, but the court of public opinion gave her no choice but to leave their hometown. She has rebuilt her life in Los Angeles, but her past comes back to haunt her when a popular podcaster decides to report on her case. After being fired and dumped, she decides to go back where it all started and see if she can remember what happened. I loved how this book was written, with it going back and forth between Lucy's narrative and the podcast script, and it made for a fun, FAST read with the reader guessing until the last chapter.

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4.25⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery/thriller 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
I really enjoyed this one, it was such a quick and fun read!

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Whoodunit mysteries
True crime podcasts
Unreliable narrators
Captivating and bingeable reads
Uncovering secrets
Dark humor
Suspenseful thrillers
Dysfunction family
All the drama
Sarcastic FMC

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Grandma Beverly was the best
Short chapters

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
I’ve said it before but I’m not the biggest fan of the amnesia trope however this one wasn’t too bad lol
A little repetitive at times

LISTEN FOR THE LIE is a darkly hilarious thriller about Lucy, a woman who returns to her hometown for her grandmother’s birthday…a hometown where everyone believes she murdered her best friend, Savvy, years ago. During her visit, Lucy’s grandmother convinces her to meet with a podcaster currently investigating and producing a true crime podcast based on the Savvy’s murder.

Lucy is a sarcastic, self-assured FMC. She is hilarious and not afraid to play into the part that the town casted her in as the town’s murder suspect. She is fiercely loyal. The dark comedy murder vibes had me laughing as each chapter unraveled new layers to the night Savvy was murdered. The story was primarily told from Lucy’s point of view and Ben’s published podcasts. I enjoyed it start to finish.

I highly recommend you read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for this advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was fun. Nothing majorly mind blowing, but entertaining and kept me wanting to listen to just one more chapter. It's a very quick, fast paced thriller with a podcast element at its center. I have read a lot of thrillers in the past year featuring a podcast and this one did a good job - especially in the audiobook - of really bringing the podcast to life and differentiating between the cast of characters being interviewed. January LaVoy is one of my favorite audiobook narrators and she definitely elevated this entertaining, if somewhat predictable, thriller.

The amnesia trope gets old sometimes, but it didn't really bother me in this one. I did guess the whodunnit early on but it was still fun to uncover why and how as I listened. Overall, an enjoyable read and I definitely would recommend the audiobook solely for January LaVoy - but also to bring the podcast element of the book alive.

I LOVE when a psychological thriller keeps me engaged from the first page until the last page. There were SO many twists and turns and I could not figure out if Lucy had killed her best friend or not. The characters were all amazing - they were not fully trustworthy and had their own quirks, making them feel like real people and not just book characters. It was a quick read/listen - and truly enjoyable. I loved that the book alternated between Lucy's point of view and also told from the perspective of a podcast. It was done seamlessly and added to the fun of the story.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced e and audio copies!

Fans of true crime podcasts and mysteries are going to love this book!

First off: HIGHLY recommend the audiobook format for this book! Once I realized that there were podcast snippets woven throughout the story, I knew this was the format I wanted to use. I’m sure the physical copy portrays these well, but I have to say the narrator and production absolutely nailed it!

Tintera centers Listen for the Lie around our main character, Lucy, who was suspected, but never charged with killing her best friend. To make things more mysterious, Lucy also suffers from amnesia for part of the day in question. This aspect allows readers to sit side-saddle with Lucy as we work to try to uncover those lost memories and piece together the series of events. I loved this structure and all the ways Tintera comes up with for Lucy to uncover a new clue.

I don’t want to talk too much about the plot for this one because I think it’s one of those books that are better to go in blind. Just pick it up and find out what all the hype is about!

5 years ago, Savannah Harper was found dead after attending a wedding. Her best friend, who Savvy was seen leaving the wedding with, Lucy Chase was found wandering the streets covered in Savvy's blood. Lucy was never charged in the murder of her best friend, but pretty much everyone in town believes that Lucy murdered her best friend. The problem is that Lucy claims to have absolutely no memory of the night in question and leaves town shortly after.

5 years later interest is reignited in the case when podcaster Ben Owens decides to cover the case in season two of his podcast Listen for the Lie. Ben was able to solve the case he covered in season one, and the town is optimistic that he will finally be able to prove that Lucy murdered her best friend. To everyone's surprise, Lucy agrees to speak publicly for the first time and be interviewed by Ben. Will Lucy finally be able to unravel what really happened to night Savvy Harper was murdered? Will Ben Owens be able to give answers

Listen for the Lie was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it certainly didn't disappoint! I really enjoyed the podcast format that accompanied a lot of the chapters in the book, and was completely surprised at the ending. I couldn't put this book down, and can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

“You don’t owe anyone your whole story.”

This story is about a girl named Lucy who was found walking by the side of the road covered in her best friend’s blood, except she doesn’t remember how it got there. Now in present day a true crime podcaster has come to her hometown to investigate the mystery. Lucy decides she must go back in order to figure out what really happened that night. But what if she finds out she’s the one who did it?

I really loved this fast paced mystery. The podcast element was executed really well and felt integral to the story. The dual timeline of both present day and the night of the crime five years ago kept me intrigued. I really thought Lucy was a great main character and I was rooting for her even though I disagreed with almost every decision she made throughout the story. Lucy’s grandma Beverly is perhaps my favorite character and the only who seems to truly be in Lucy’s corner. The unraveling of this story kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. A solid 4.5 stars for me.