Do not fear, the hype around this upcoming thriller is REAL. This book was SO. MUCH. FUN. Laugh out loud fun. ⁠
Lucy and grandma Beverly are fantastic characters. They are funny, sarcastic, honest, and just very real. And in a sea of characters who are shady it was a refreshing dynamic between all the players in this game.⁠
The podcast format is really fun when well done and this absolutely was. Ben wasn’t an intrusive, “I must solve this at all costs” host which I appreciated; he let the story play out on Lucy’s terms, making it feel like an easy, natural story progression.⁠
This is just a 10/10 and you gotta pick it up!

“Some people will never believe you no matter how hard you explain yourself. Trust me, there's no pleasing people. If they're determined to think the worst of you, they will.”

rating: 4.5/5⭐️
genre: thriller
pages: 352
pub date: March 5th, 2024

Swipe for synopsis ➡️

If you like podcast-format books and thrillers that aren’t too scary, this book is perfect for you!

With short chapters and a fast-paced storyline, this book was absolutely bingeable. I loved how sarcastic the MC was and there were a couple supporting characters that made this book (looking at you, Grandma).

The story follows Lucy whose best friend was murdered, and Lucy was the last one to be seen with her. Since she can’t remember that night, everyone thinks she did it. Years after the murder, a podcaster picks up the cold case to try to get to the truth. Did Lucy murder her best friend? But wouldn’t she remember doing it?

This book comes out TOMORROW and I highly recommend adding it to your March TBR. A big thank you to Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

🎧 Listen For The Lie - Amy Tintera

4.5 ⭐️ - Wow was I hooked to this one! Podcast stories and formats seem to be quite popular now but the way this one was told had me totally and completely obsessed. Short chapters, cliff hangers, and a binge-worthy story, sign me up!

What if you thought you killed your best friend? What if the truth doesn’t matter? Lucy is found wandering around with her best friend Savvy’s blood on her dress and everyone thinks she’s the murderer. It’s been years since that horrible night; Lucy can’t remember anything from it and she’s since packed up and started a new life in LA. But when a true crime podcast and it’s good looking host, Ben Owens, decides to investigate Savvy’s murder for the second season, Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to step foot in again.

Doesn’t this sound fun?! It is. I listened to this one via audio, which I HIGHLY recommend. The narration along with the podcast effect was perfect for grabbing and holding your attention. Short chapters, twists and turns, unreliable characters, what more could you ask for? It’s a super binge-worthy, quick murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat! I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to Netgalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan audio for the early reader and listener copies! This one hits shelves TOMORROW and it’s a BOTM pick!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for a digital copy of this book 💜

Welllllll……I’d give it a 4.5. I needed an epilogue with some closure to give it a full 5, but I had to round up because I loved Grandma. And Lucy.

Thriller/mystery that had my mind spinning at the end. I always love a good twist, especially if it’s slightly unexpected.

This is my favorite book so far this year! loved the main character Lucy and her personality, her sas, her sarcasm. I laughed throughout the book and the twists were shocking! If you can imagine a book written from Wednesday Adams point of view, is the best way to describe it (but Lucy of course is a whole vibe on her own). I only wish we got to see a little more of Emmett and a little more background on that situation, but other than that, I devoured this book!! Thank you to Amy Tintera, Celadon Books and Netgalley for this #arc. I can not wait to read what this author puts out next!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 Stars rounded up to 5!

There is nothing like reading a book by a debut author and the book being GOOD! Please know that this goes to show that sharing these books with each other and boosting them does so much for the authors and for our TBR piles🙈. I kept seeing this book EVERYWHERE and couldn’t take it anymore so I picked it up to see what the hype was for myself!

Swipe ⬅️ for the blurb and check out my thought below!

The (main) characters:

Lucy was funny, and she was unapologetically herself. She never hesitated to crack a joke about the fact that she might be a murderer. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t 🤷🏽‍♀️. Who knows?!

Ben was boyfriend goals and for a thriller this had some serious tension of the special kind if you know what I’m saying 😜

Beverly was grandma goals. She was always in Lucy’s corner, and she too was a HOOT! Let’s just say her social calendar was a little active 😁

The plot:

This book was very well written and it did not read like a debut at all. It didn’t seem like Amy Tintera was just getting started in the business and was a little dusty. This was a very strong debut that came out with a bang! It opens up in a way that makes you say “okay this is going to be good” and you just keep reading. The tension was thick throughout and the author did an amazing job making sure you don’t know who the guilty party is or who is lying. This was a strong page turner that kept the pages turning easily and I couldn’t ask for more in a thriller.

GET THIS BOOK!

Thank you Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy is suspected to have killed her best friend five years ago, but she cannot remember anything of that evening. Now, Ben, the host of a true crime podcast is doing season 2 of his show about Lucy and her friend Savvy. Lucy wants nothing to do with the podcast, but her grandmother has other ideas. She tricks Lucy into coming home for her birthday party and surprise there is Ben.

Lucy's inner monolog is laugh out loud funny, the relationship between her and her grandmother is honestly the best and made me smile every time they were together. Listen for the Lie, has short chapters, podcast episodes, witty humor, and a twisty murder all wrapped up into one book. What is there not to love about it!

If you like true crime podcasts and twisty, quick read books. I highly recommend Listen for the Lie!

This book was a whirlwind and I enjoyed every last second of it. I picked it up and absolutely could not put it down until I finished. The story follows Lucy who may or may not have killed her best friend 5 years ago and Ben, a podcaster, who decides he is going to find out what really happened.

I felt connected to Lucy from the beginning- her dark humor and sarcastic inner thoughts really kept you wondering did she or didn’t she kill her best friend. Her hallucinations and inner monologue have you really questioning, did she do it and the trauma of the event keep her memories locked away or is it someone else entirely.

When Ben started interviewing everyone from Lucys hometown all the juicy details of people’s lives surrounding Savvy’s murder was revealed and I was here for it. Who doesn’t love a little drama, with a side order of whodunit?

If you want a fast paced read that will keep you guessing the entire time then I suggest picking up this book! Make sure you check the trigger warnings and enjoy the ride.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my early review copy of ‘Listen for the Lie’, which debuts on March 5th.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I am seriously a sucker for a book with a true crime podcast plot. It’s so fun to me and this one absolutely delivered!

This book is easy to fly through between its short chapters and podcast sections. Lucy’s inner monologue is quite sarcastic and entertaining, displaying how trauma can truly affect an individual mentally. Secrets are slowly revealed as you make your way through the story and the last 80% or so is jam packed with action, tying the story together well.

I didn’t figure out the whodunnit aspect until a couple chapters before it happened. Things were piecing together slowly throughout the story and then became really obvious towards the reveal, which isn’t a bad thing. The ending made sense and provided a sense of justice I think for our main character. I really liked it! It is a book that has been popping up everywhere and I will say, I think it lives up to the hype. I really liked Ben as well and his character. And Lucy’s grandma was hilarious and probably my favorite of all of them!

There are a number of things that could be triggering going into this, especially regarding domestic violence so I recommend looking up trigger warnings before diving in.

I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a quick read on a whodunnit murder with the assistance of a true crime podcast.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera (@amytintera )

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tomorrow is listen for the lie pub day!! I’m going to start this off by saying I’m not a big fan of thrillers so I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Even if you don’t love thrillers I would highly recommend this one!

Despite serious subject matter it is honestly very funny and MC takes dark humor to another level (considering she’s accused of murder). There are lots of fun twists and I really enjoyed the podcasting format. While most of the book is in regular prose there are chapter breaks interview style from the podcaster investigating this murder. It’s also being released real time so characters in the book listen to and react to new information.

It’s fast paced and interesting. I don’t want to say too much so I don’t spoil it but I have nothing but good things to say about this book! I literally read 70% of it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down!

If you’re looking for a great book for your March TBR pick this one up! (Synopsis on the last slide)

Thank you @netgalley and @celadonbooks for this copy in exchange for an honest review!

Absolutely loved this book. Fast placed who done it mystery. Sat and read this in one sitting, and it melt me guessing til the end. For sure a top 5 favorite of 24.

Amy Tintera's adult debut is not to be missed.

When a true crime podcaster decides to cover the murder of Savannah "Savvy", her best friend Lucy finally comes home to her small Texas hometown to face the night she cannot remember, as well as the people who all believe her to be a murderer. As Lucy recovers her past, secrets crawl out from all the dark corners of town.

If you enjoy the mystery of an unsolved crime mixed with excerpts from a true crime podcast, read this book. The writing is excellent, the tension is palpable, and the twists keep coming. This book is completely bingeable (I read it in one day) and worth the hype.

Listen for the lie

I love a good book about a podcast! So when I saw this book coming out I knew I needed to read it!

What I like about this book was the podcast (duh) and I actually really liked Lucy as a character. Her dark humor and the way she was always picturing killing people randomly really made me laugh. I mean it’s supposed to be serious with the investigation into who murdered her friend, with her being the main suspect, but her inner monologue just gave it a light feeling 😂 however, when it’s reveal what the inner voice actually is I was….. disappointed. I mean i get what the author was trying to do. But I didn’t think it worked or was necessary in this context. I think on screen it would make more since but to have savvy being in Lucy’s head? Idk I didn’t like that.

The drama is another positive in this book! I thought it was very juicy, like could we have one person not involved in something sketchy or scandalous? Absolutely not. Not even mothers are safe! I loved that! However, I predict that people won’t like that about this book bc most if not all the characters are unlikable and make bad decisions. I think people will find it hard to root to/relate. But for me? I don’t have to have likable characters! I thought they were fun and every time something would be revealed about a bad decision, I was like “of course yes bc why not” 😂 however with this, I found there to be too many characters and I would end up getting a couple mixed up! I probably should have done a character map to help but 🤷🏻‍♀️

3.5

This book reads exactly like when I first discovered Serial. I think that's the best compliment I can give it. Props to the author for creating such a gripping story, with an underlying message that so important and should be yelled out, always.

I adored this book. I completely binged it and have no regrets.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely loved this one! Thrillers aren't usually my jam, but my interest was piqued when I saw that Stephen King and Liane Moriarty both had blurbs on the cover. I couldn't put it down. It was fast paced, humorous and fun. It really had everything going for it, including the Texas setting with so many wacky characters. As much as I want to tell everyone about it, I think it's best enjoyed if you go in blind like I did. I think this book will be a hit! Many thanks to Celadon books and Netgalley for my physical and digital copies.

While I enjoyed this more than not, it did feel a bit too messy and unrealistic. I didn’t love how hallucinations and the murder fantasies were supposed to be some big character build for Lucy. The sexualization (of pretty much all characters) also felt like a stretch. On a random note, I don’t get why the chapters all included Lucy in the title when we don’t have any other narration- just a weird editing error. I’d check out this author again but given the podcast story has been done quite a bit lately, I hope to see something fresher and with less lazy character development.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am really liking all the crime podcast formats that are injected in to thrillers lately, I enjoyed the fast-paced readability of this one. And I really wanted to know who the killer was, since the main character wasn’t sure whether or not she was the killer of her best friend…or not.
It’s going to be a hard one to rate, however. because I didn’t like ANY of the characters, to include the main character, the victim, and all the other suspects. (I didn’t even particularly care for grandma either). Everyone was just constantly wanting to have sex with everyone else, or they were downright awful, dumb, or full of sarcasm (or a combination of. any of those things.
3 1/2 stars
~Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera was absolutely captivating, and the narrative moved at an incredibly fast pace.
Her character development was fantastic and were well written.
The plot was so clever, and really well thought out.
And the story was engaging, full of tension, secrets, and so much drama.
Amy Tintera kept me so entertained and hooked keeping the suspense alive.
This book is definitely going on my favorites list!

Thank You NetGalley and Celadon Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Oh my goodness what a book! My new favorite book of the year. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I went back and forth between the audio and the ebook. It’s great in both forms. Loved the podcast parts in the audio. What a great and twisty who dun it. I read the whole book in one day and couldn’t put it down.

I listened to the audiobook in one day, non-stop, because I was committed to this whodunit murder mystery. Lucy Chase is a complex main character who has amnesia from the night her best friend Savannah was murdered. Everyone in her town believes she’s the one who murdered Savannah because she was the last one with her. Ben Owens is a well-known podcaster who aims to solve murder cases and picks up Savannah’s case. The audiobook is the best way to emerge in this story and the podcast elements entirely. I don’t want to say anymore, so I don’t give anything away. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend the audiobook.