Lucy has tried her hardest to put the past behind her but then a podcast host decides to feature the murder of her best friend. The night that she can't remember at all. Now she has lost her job and is losing her boyfriend because she was branded a murderer even though she was never charged. She heads back to her hometown where it all happened for her grandmother's birthday party. The podcast host also happens to be in town and is relentless about interviewing her. He wants to solve the case and Lucy is torn if that will prove that she is a murderer.

This book was fabulous!! I loved the back-and-forth between what was happening in real life and in the podcast. It kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. I absolutely loved the way everything unraveled. It was such a great story and a more unique angle than some books with similar types of plots.

What I liked: the story telling with a podcast as a tool is clever and works well for a mystery; Lucy's grandma is a likeable and fun character
What I didn't like: almost every character in this book is a person of questionable morals; the people are having affairs, beating their spouses/partners, have no faith in their friends or family members; I didn't find the plot compelling

I think those who love mysteries and don't mind a cast of unpleasant and unlikeable characters would enjoy this.

I really enjoyed this original true crime/podcast murder mystery. It was sarcastic, snarky, and had some terrific one liners that just had me bust out laughing. And that family! They are beyond dysfunctional, but that's what makes them loveable, especially Grandma Beverly!! I recommend this for those who can appreciate a dark comedy thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this eARC.

Lucy is a mess of a human. She has run away from her past and is living in LA with a guy she isn't happy with. Her grandmother asks her to come home for her birthday and she is forced back to her small town where she is known as the girl who killed her best friend. She can't remember the night that she and her friend were attacked after a wedding leaving her with memory loss. She's never been charged with the crime but everyone in town thinks she did it, including her parents and ex-husband. Her grandmother has an ulterior motive for asking her to come back to town, she wants Lucy to meet with the podcaster investigating the crime. Lucy wants no parts of it, and yet wants to be free of the cloud of suspicion over her.

I love a thriller with a podcast at its center. Using various POVs, timelines and media is a sure fire way to keep me turning the pages. There were no particularly likable characters here and lots of small town drama. You have to untangle all of the cheating, lying and domestic violence to figure out whether you believe Lucy as her memories surface or if you believe the people in town, sure she is not to be believed. I was hoping for a different ending but the one we got was alright.

Thanks to Celadon Books for the gifted copy. All opinions above are my own.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and Amy Tintera for an ARC of this book!**

I can now OFFICIALLY say I've used my passport for the first time this year.

But I DO wish it would have been to somewhere (or honestly anywhere!) besides the dreaded Outlier Island!

Lucy doesn't remember much about that night...except roaming the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy's blood. Savvy's untimely death, however, is a mystery to just about everyone...because despite the ugly circumstances, the evidence wasn't enough to put Lucy away and the crime remains unsolved. Though Lucy had it all back in her small hometown in Texas, with a handsome husband, a fancy life, and her bestie at her side, once Savvy is gone, nothing is the same and Lucy just CAN'T escape the scrutiny.

...Until she does, and begins a new life in L.A. She has a new boyfriend, who knows nothing of her checkered past...but he's about to get a rude awakening. Mega-hottie podcaster Ben Walsh has a true crime podcast better known as Listen for the Lie and (surprise, surprise), he's cast his eye on the unsolved Savannah Harper murder case...and obviously focuses his attention on Suspect Numero Uno, Lucy. After some urging from her grandmother, Lucy returns back to her hometown of Plumpton to Face the Music dead on. But with her memories scattered, and a voice in her head telling her...well, DANGEROUS things...is Lucy back to set the record straight once and for all? Or will the return to the scene of the crime lead Lucy to discover disturbing secrets her own mind forced her to block out...secrets that could seal her fate...or the fate of a certain nosy podcaster...for good?

Up until this point, I have to admit that after a few misses, I'd pretty much sworn off reading any more books referencing or revolving around true crime podcasts. To be frank, they just aren't my cup of tea. I've never been compelled to watch episode after episode of Dateline, much listen to a podcast in the same vein. I prefer my thrills to be fictional, and the forensic/police procedural angles of these stories is usually enough to put me into a sort of coma. I know so many LOVE this format, and more power to ALL of the true crime fans in the world (including some of my favorite thriller authors, I'm sure!) because some of these truth-is-stranger-than fiction stories have inspired some CRAZY good thrillers. So every genre and format has its place, and its audience, and I respect that wholeheartedly.

But in the case of this book...I think the title couldn't have been more apt: LISTENING for the Lie, or rather LISTENING than reading this one, MIGHT have been part of the reason why I found so little enjoyment in it.

So much of the book revolves around the podcast (which is to be expected), but unlike the stellar None of This Is True from Lisa Jewell, the podcast segments in this one weren't moody, weren't atmospheric, or frankly, even that interesting. I had a hard time trudging through the many, many pages of interviews with so many of the town's residents, and their voices too often felt interchangeable. I wanted to get that excited buzz as little tidbits of information were slowly revealed, driving the narrative and leading the reader (and Lucy of course!) closer to the truth...but I honestly felt bored more often than not. There are few big revelations along the way ANYWAY and most of them revolve around people sleeping with other people...so if that's not your idea of 'exciting twists', consider yourself warned.

And then there's our main character, Lucy. The 'snarky, humorous' narrator I was so hoping to love, to be rooting for and simultaneously questioning the whole way through. However, I could tell by about chapter 3 that not only was I not going to be intrigued by Lucy, but I was destined to find her sort of grating and repetitive, sort of like your least favorite professor who rambles on in a way that's designed to be interesting, but makes you sort of internally roll your eyes for the entire class. Lucy's 'humor' mostly revolves around thinking about how she's going to kill people around her...which not only didn't play as comedic to me, but just felt off in terms of her overall personality. The little voice in her head kept saying "Kill...kill" at times, which not only felt bizarre in and of itself, but kept reminding me of a part in the song Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie (it's a long, rambly song, but IYKYK) where the narrator of the song says "Kill? Kill?" in sort of a ridiculously high pitched voice...and once I heard it in my head...I just could NOT unhear it.

Another way to explain it that came to mind? There's a part in Grease (at least in the movie version) where Rizzo says Sandy is 'too pure to be pink'...and in my mind, THAT was Lucy. I didn't buy her as devious, clever, biting, snarky...charming...or even likable. She was simply sort of a bland character who had memory issues and poor judgment, not to mention she was just generally lacking in the maturity department. Maybe I've been spoiled by characters like Joe Goldberg who are witty AND murderous, but Lucy did not seem at any point in time to be either of those things. I wanted to buy in to her plight, but she seemed more determined to blame everyone around her even when SHE was the one calling the shots and it was hard to believe at times that Lucy WASN'T a teenager in terms of her choices and her ability to deal with the situation at hand. When I say Lucy's grandmother was the most likable character (and frankly the only one I found interesting), I mean it. I didn't care if Lucy ended up in jail...ALL I cared about by the end of this one was getting to AN ANSWER.

And by the way, hope you have your patience cap on because you're going to need it....the biggest of big reveals takes place at 91 PERCENT of the way through the book. There's plenty of meandering that goes on before that, with the aforementioned romantic revelations, and the "why oh why can't I remember?" from Lucy. In an even more disappointing turn, at times this book almost seemed more like a romance veiled in thriller, as of COURSE there are sparks between the devilishly handsome Chris Evans of the podcasting world and our MC...yawn. I could have lived without the subplot and the extra layer of forced dramatic tension as to 'will they/won't they hook up' alongside 'will he/won't he solve the case?'...and to add insult to injury, this book features a semi ambiguous ending...so even in that, you STILL don't know exactly if anything Lucy has said is even true!

Tintera is one of a few authors who has pivoted from YA to the thriller space, and has surely found a home and an audience with this true-crime podcast inspired, romance tinged effort, and perhaps with a different trope and a more intriguing cast, I would have felt as hypnotized and charmed by Lucy as I'd hoped. But as for this time? I think a quick exchange between Ben and Lucy sums up how I felt about this one:

B: "What happened?"
L: "Nothing happened."
B: "What did you remember?:

...

L: "I remembered that I hate true crime podcasts."

Me too, Lucy. Me too.

3 stars

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read this book! Many thanks to the author and publishing company! I was hooked from the first chapter. I loved the back and forth between the main character, Lucy’s point of view and the podcast’s perspective. The back and forth made the book fly by. I did NOT want to put it down.
The story centers around Lucy, who is the suspect in her best friend is murder. Ethan is the host of a podcast who has come to town to try and find the truth. Boy, this town and list of characters were messed up which you question and doubt everyone. I was surprised by the ending! Overall, it’s a great book and I highly recommend it!!!

I absolutely loved Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera. As a thriller and suspense reader, the genre can get redundant and tiresome. The main character, Lucy, is such a refreshing departure than the typical FMC in most thrillers. Being able to enjoy suspense and twists while also laughing out loud was something I didn't realize I needed as a reader. I can't wait to see what Tintera does next.

I'm not going to rehash the plot of this book because the blurb covers it. Also, I wouldn't want to spoil a second of the reading experience you'll have with this book. Lucy is the star of this show, and her voice in this story is just absolutely unlike anything I have read in recent years. She's funny, she's sarcastic, she's scary -- and so very entertaining. I liked the true crime podcast angle and how it forces her into facing what might have happened to her friend Savvy.

Listen for the Lie is one of the most entertaining mystery / thriller I have read this year. If you are looking for something fast paced and whip smart, you might like Listen for the Lie.

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.