Listen for the Lie is the story of Lucy, who was somehow involved in a murder that stole her best friend. The entire town suspects that she was the murderer, but Lucy has amnesia about the night it happened. Lucy returns home only for her beloved grandmother, where she runs into a true-crime podcast host who wants to hear Lucy’s side of the story. As he interviews people throughout the town, new clues and information come to life. Did Lucy commit murder or was someone else there that night?

I really enjoyed this thriller! I enjoy true-crime podcasts and this book did a great job of incorporating that format in the interviews that are conducted. It also points out some of the flaws of this type of podcast and the effects it can have. Lucy is a great character and at times an unreliable narrator because of her amnesia. There are plenty of red herrings and clever twists. I found it hard to put this book down! Readers who enjoyed Apples Never Fall (Liane Moriarty), true crime podcasts, and mysterious murders should check this book out. I’m looking forward to what Amy Tintera writes next!

Thank you to Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Instagram, Storygraph, Amazon, Barnes & Noble etc.

Well, I didn’t see THAT coming. I guess I probably should have though. Certain plot lines weren’t as surprising, but the main one got me for sure. By far the best suspense novel I’ve read in a while, gets you hooked right from the beginning. Love the unreliable narrator trope, because how can you trust someone that can’t even trust themselves? I love the way the author doesn’t leave Lucy completely alone, yes 99% of the town and her own family don’t believe her but she’s got a few in her corner and sometimes that all you need. A good mix of lovable, likable and hateable characters which I enjoy. Pretty sure I’ve already told everyone I know to read this book, and if I haven’t, well I’m telling you now - go read this book, you won’t regret it!

I had heard good things about this and I'm glad I read it! It's a good, twisty thriller. I am not sure how I feel about the main character. And maybe there were too many small characters to keep track of? But overall it was enjoyable and I Would definitely check out other work by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a true crime junkie, this book amazed me. I got Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera from @netgalley as an ARC. WOW. The inner dialogue was so impressive, I felt like I was inside Lucy’s mind. This book will let you get lost inside the small town of Plumpton. At times, it was a bit over the top, but what story about a murder in a small town isn’t over the top? I highly recorecommend it! #listenforthelie #amytintera #netgalley #podcastbook #kindle

After seeing quite a few good reviews for Listen for the Lie, I was very excited to start reading this one! It was a fast-paced mystery centering around Lucy Chase, a woman who was found wandering on the side of the road covered in her murdered best friend’s blood.

The synopsis had me so intrigued, but unfortunately the story as a whole fell flat for me. There wasn’t much that happened until the last 10% of the book, unless you enjoy snarky, self-deprecating comments about being an accused murderer and literally everyone and their mother having an affair (or three). The amnesia trope fell pretty flat for me, as it was continually an excuse as to why nothing was happening and why we weren’t learning any new information.

I did enjoy the podcast snippets at the end of the chapters, as it helped give us insight into some of the other characters. I was longing for more throughout the book and then the ending felt extremely rushed and somewhat hard for me to believe after the build up of the entire book.

Thanks to the publisher, I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera follows a suspected murderer back to her hometown years after the incident while a podcaster rehashes the crime. At first I did. It like the sarcastic personality of the main character, but she really grew on me (like that person you think is annoying right off the bat, but ends up becoming your best friend) and I started to root for her. The supporting cast of characters is great as well. I can definitely see this one becoming a movie or show as it it was one of those books that I pictured in my head the entire time.

Thank you NetGalley and MacmillanPublishing for the ARC of Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. Lucy and Savvy are best friends. 5 years ago Savvy is found dead and Lucy is the main suspect. Without any evidence the police do not peruse any charges. Lucy is left with no memory of the event and everyone in her hometown hates her. Is Lucy a killer? That is what Ben, a true crime podcaster wants to know. Lives are disrupted, lies and secrets are exposed. I really liked the way the author presented this story. There is some dark comedy, suspense and lots of twists and turns as more and more information is brought to light. I look forward to reading more books by Amy Tintera 4.5 stars!!

Here are my thoughts for Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera.

First, let me preface this by saying I gave this book a four-star rating. And honestly, it's more of a 4.5 situation (if I was one who believed in half points, that is). So I think this sense of something lacking may be because of the Instagram hype this thriller has, causing me to expect a bit different twist than I received. Or maybe I am just in another phase of not being able to trust any narrator, leaving me hoping for an outcome that is different than what I encounter.

But, I digress.

Give me a messed up female main character any day of the week - I flipping loved Lucy! Don't get me started on her Grandma, because she is a meddler from way back, and I ate her up! There is a small town full of wacky characters in this book, and on some level I enjoyed them all!

I loved the roller coaster that was trying to figure out what happened to Savvy, the slander and accusations, the funny shitstorm birthday party, and the morally gray qualities of basically everyone. I had a WTF moment around the 44% mark, and I did not see the outcome coming at all!

This audiobook really felt like real life, in that messed up true crime/podcast kind of way. January LaVoy and Will Damron both did a phenomenal job narrating this book; how the two of them kept coming up with different voices for all the plethora of characters, I'll never know! Their voice acting skills were perfection! Stylistically, the podcast interview interactions were impeccably well done (that timing, though)!

I loved this book.

But, I just somehow felt like it was missing something to bring it up to a full five stars - but I just can't exactly pinpoint what that was!

Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

This was such a fun read. Really liked the main character and the podcast story. Had an idea of the ending but not all of it. Super twisty and enjoyable!

Dark, edgy, and absolutely thrilling, this perfectly paced “whodunit” will have you obsessively page turning through impeccably timed twists and laughing out loud at the stabbing wit and dark humor.

There wasn’t one point where I wasn’t all in from start to finish.

The dialogue was so perfectly executed that I’m certain when this gets picked up for TV, Amy will be the main writer in that room. 👏🏻 The bulk of the work has already been done!

Lucy’s character was masterfully done. She took this story over the top in the best way. She’s full of grit, quick witted, and is the best kind of unreliable narrator. You can’t help but root for her even when the odds seem overwhelmingly stacked against her.

Listen to the Lie by Amy Tintera
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you are into true crime podcasts, then this suspense thriller is for you! Five years ago, Lucy was found wandering the streets of her hometown, hands covered in the blood of her best friend Savvy. Lucy suffered a blunt head trauma and doesn’t remember anything that happened that night. Quickly she goes from being a victim to a suspected killer. Lucy now returns to her Texas hometown to celebrate her grandmother’s 80th birthday. Meanwhile, everyone still believes she murdered sweet, bubbly Savvy. Ben Owens, a true crime podcaster wants to get to the bottom of this cold case and interviews everyone who knew Savvy including Lucy. This was such a wild ride! This made me guess all the wrong people, doubt Lucy’s unreliable memory, dislike all the people she grew up with and laugh at her sarcastic wit. It jumps from past to present, as Lucy slowly tries to remember what really happened that night. It is written in the form of Ben’s podcast interviews to Lucy’s POV. Totally recommend! It had me guessing, laughing and in suspense throughout the book.. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to @amytintera , @netgalley and @celadonbooks for the e-ARC of this wonderful novel!

I wanted to read “Listen for the Lie” when I saw a spoiler that it was the March GMA Bookclub pick. I’ve read a few books involving true crime podcasts, and this one is one of the best. Lucy Chase is suspected of murdering her best friend Savvy five years ago. She’s essentially shunned from her small Texas town after everyone thinks she did it. Her marriage ended, and Lucy fled to Los Angeles. But after losing everything, she finds herself back in Texas at the same time as a podcast host is digging around for clues.

I appreciate the transcripts of the podcasts as alternating chapters throughout the book. But I find myself wishing I had just bought the audiobook instead of reading the book.

The small-mystery trope works well for this story. Every new clue produces a new red herring. So many people have the means of motive to have murdered Savvy.

I’ve been in a bit of reading slump lately, but I found myself wanting to just sit on the couch and finish this book above all else. I think you’ll enjoy the modern-day podcast-themed murder mystery as much as I did. So many twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end!

I love podcasts and I love a sarcastic, witty narrator. Listen For The Lie has both of these.

Our main character is accused some years earlier of killing her best friend. Because of a head injury she sustained on the night of the murder, she has no memory of the night. In the years that follow, she moves from her small town and tries to get on with her life. Eventually, a podcaster, Ben lures her back to her small Texas town (with some prodding from her Grandma) to solve this murder once and for all.

Check this one out for a fast, page turning read!

Listen for the lie was a fun twisty read. The set of of a pod cast and finding the real murderer is always a good read . Lucy Chase thinks she murdered her best friend and Ben Owen’s is looking for the truth. I loved the set up of reading interviews. Very hard to put down and a great suspense read

I read this book in one day: I couldn’t put it down! It has some of my favorite tropes!! Amnesia! Podcast format! It literally had my name written all over it.

A popular podcast has taken over a small town in Texas where they are trying to figure out what occurred five years ago when Lucy was found walking on the side of the road covered in her friends blood shortly after she was found murdered; but she had no memory of the nights events….

I loved everything about this book. It was juicy and wild and shockingly really funny; this is a blend of dark comedy mixed with mystery- it’s super unique and just a damn good book, Brava, Amy Tintera!

I loved this book! I did guess the ending about 75% through but that didn’t stop me from flying through to the end to see why they did it. I loved Lucy’s character, she cracked me up. My favorite character was her grandma though. She was the best lol. The pacing was perfect, and I really liked the inclusion of the podcast episodes and the reveals the podcast gave us!

What a great thriller! The mystery kept me guessing until the very end. I absolutely loved the sarcastic humor Lucy and her grandmother both had. Her grandmother was a delight! I read this in one day - I couldn’t put it down, which is my highest compliment.

What is it about a podcast mystery book that has an absolute CHOKEHOLD on me??

Listen for the Lie follows Lucy who has moved from her hometown in Texas because everyone thinks that she killed her best friend. When a true crime podcaster starts investigating her cold case, secrets start unravelling and the truth starts to emerge.

This was the perfect, fun, fast-paced thriller. Everyone was a little devious and I really had no idea who was going to end up being the killer. I feel like this would make for an awesome audiobook too if that’s your thing! The podcast element especially would really come to life!

A great cast of characters and honestly, a great amount of humor for a thriller. There’s so much fun and crazy shenanigans in the small town setting and I especially loved Beverly – what a treat! I’d say this is a great thriller read for fans of thrillers, drama and just people looking to get into the genre.

This one surprised me (in a good way)! I was shocked by how quick & bingeable it was. Once I started, I could not put it down. Loved the pacing of how the story was revealed and the podcast episode format to introduce the many characters which can sometimes be overwhelming in a thriller. Only downside for me was the ending which felt a bit rushed and anticlimactic in the reveal for all the build up that was created. My favorite part was not so much the ‘whodunnit’ of it all (because you can start to figure it out), but more so the small town drama that is unveiled and the questionable (at times) podcast host. 4.5/5 stars

In Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera, a true crime podcast influencer, wants to investigate a five year old case where a best friend is held responsible for the murder. The supposed murderer has amnesia of the whole incident due to a traumatic brain injury and is not convicted. Did the best friend commit the murder? This book is @gmabookclub pick.

I don't want to give away anything in this book. Every part of this book is the key to the mystery of the story. Alternating between podcast interviews and Lucy Chase's story right now, this story tries to build a picture of Plumpton and the people residing in it.

I did enjoy this thriller. The characters not so much, but the way I see it is that when we feel something about the characters, that is when we like the book.

Thank you, Celadon Books @celadonbooks , for this book.

CW: Infidelity, cheating, domestic abuse, brain injury, blood, and words that might trigger