This is such a fun read! Despite the heavy subject matter, I loved Lucy’s surliness and the portrayal of her friendship with Savvy. I flew through this book in less than three days and can’t wait to read what Ms. Tintera writes next.

Lucy Chase went to UT, met her husband and moved back to Plumpton, TX. She became good friends with Savvy, her high school acquaintance, who had left college after freshman year and now works as a bartender. Five years ago, Lucy was accused of Savvy’s after both attended a wedding and Lucy was found covered in savvy’s blood. After no charges were filed, Lucy fled to CA but now she has returned to Plumpton for her grandmother’s birthday party and she wants to solve this case. This story is told alternating present day, the past, and interspersing episodes of Ben Owen’s podcast in which he interviews local residents for their take on cold case murders, in this case Savvy’s death. Lucy has no memory of the events surrounding the murder. The situation is further complicated because she often hears a voice telling her how to murder other characters in the story. Tintera does an excellent job of building suspense, filling in backstories, and holding the reader’s attention. I couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Listen to the Lie is a perfect popcorn read. While the amnesia troupe has been done before, Lucy’s sarcasm kept the book moving. I would certainly recommend this book to any one looking for a fast paced whodunnit.

Lucy and Savvy were best friends. Savvy is viscously murdered after leaving a friend’s wedding. Everyone thinks Lucy done it because she was found covered in blood with a head wound. Years later podcaster Ben Owens comes to Plumpton, Texas to investigate the case. Lucy has no memory of the incident because of her head injury but she wants to help solve the case whether she done it or not.
This was an excellent read. I especially loved Lucy’s character. She was so funny with her dark sense of humor. She kind of reminded me of Joe Goldberg in You.
Thanks NetGalley and Celadon Books for this eARC that will be released March 5, 2024!

Lucy was found wondering down a road covered in her best friend, Savvy’s, blood after a wedding 5 years ago. Everyone believes she killed Savvy but Lucy was injured and has no memory of that night. She returns home to Texas for her grandmother’s birthday where Ben Owens, a handsome podcaster, is in town. His podcast, Listen for the Lie, is investigating who killed Savvy and he hopes to get Lucy to help him solve the case.

I loved this fast paced, sarcastic thriller. Lucy is snarky and witty even as she is aware she could be a killer. Her grandmother is fantastic and is the only person who believes Lucy is innocent. I enjoyed the podcast element and felt it was done well. Reminded me of my favorite podcast, Up and Vanished. The characters were interesting and full of secrets. It was paced well and just a fun, suspenseful story. The ending was good and while I had an inkling it may be who the killer was, I was not certain and was happy with the outcome. If you love a quick thriller with podcast elements you’ll want to pick this up!

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for this advanced readers copy.

Oh my gosh. What a book. This was just a run ride. Complex and witty characters, an interesting premise, and murder mystery suddenly put back in the open thanks to a podcast made for a thrilling read.

Did Lucy actually kill her best friend? Everyone seems to think so. But there’s more to the story that meets the eye and Ben is determined to figure out the truth.

This was a hard to put down book. There’s a lot to unpack once you finish it and everyone in the story is morally gray. There’s no really good or bad person. But wow the complexity of the characters added so much depth to the story. My favorite character was Lucy’s grandma. No one was truly likable though and that’s what felt really realistic about it.

Coming out on March 5 and a pick for Book of the Month, Listen for the Lie a great addition to your library.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

I loved this one!!

With its short chapters, I devoured this book in a short amount of time. I kept telling myself ‘just one more’ but let’s be honest, it’s never just one more 🫠

Lucy’s dry and sarcastic sense of humor had me smirking along as I read. She was definitely my favorite kind of character, memory gaps and all. She was a hot mess at times, and I loved her for it. I also love her granny.

Told from Lucy’s POV, there were transcripts of the podcast episodes woven throughout that really added to the story.

I had no clue at all until right before it was revealed how this story would play out. And when it did - oh it was good 😊

Thank you @celadonbooks for sending me both a physical ARC and a @Netgalley widget in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for my #gifted copies of Listen For The Lie!

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐦𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟓, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫(4.5)

WOW! This was such a fun one! I devoured the format and felt like the true crime podcast approach was so unique and I loved it!

When Lucy is found wondering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone things she is the one responsible for murder. Years later, Lucy can’t remember anything about that night and has moved to LA to start a new life. When Ben Owens, and his huge hit true crime podcast, “Listen For The Lie” decides to investigate Savvy’s murder, Lucy is forced to return home to solve a murder.

I loved how the format kept me so engaged and interested in what was going to happen next. Full of some dark and twisty turns, this will keep you guessing what will happen next.

📱Whodunnit
📱Small Town
📱Family Drama
📱Podcast Episode Transcripts
📱True Crime Podcast Investigates A Murder
📱Dark Humor
📱Hidden Secrets

Posted on Goodreads on March 3, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around March 5, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on March 5, 2024
**-will post on designated date

This pod-cast thriller was a HOME RUN for me! I will admit, I was VERY skeptical about yet ANOTHER thriller with a pod-cast element... I thought by now it has been overdone, but Amy really took my breath away. She had me by the edge of my seat with the witty humour in Lucy, the easy dialogue and the podcast that kept me turning the pages. At no point did I know where it was going, and I truly was just enjoying the ride the whole time!!!!!! Often times, you dislike the unreliable FMC, but I LOVED Lucy, and I was rooting for her the ENTIRE time!!!! This was super great, and I highly recommend. Coming out Tuesday!

This was meant to be a currently reading post but I couldn't put down Listen For the Lie and spent a little too much of today reading on the couch!

Listen for the Lie was SO good! Easily 5 stars and I don't rate many books 5 stars, especially thrillers! And for me to binge a thriller in a few hours!!

From the first line - "A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I'm buying a chicken" I was hooked. I don't want to give too much away but this book was funny in a way I wasn't expecting. I loved Lucy's sense of humor and her grandmother! There were so many unexpected twists too!

A huge thanks to Celadonfor an advanced copy via Netgalley! It comes out this week on March 5th and is also a BOTM pick! Plus I've heard the audio is fantastic too!

I really enjoyed this book and would rate it 4.5 stars. Ben Owens is a podcaster looking into a case from five years ago in which a young woman is accused of killing her best friend, Savvy. Lucy Chase was never arrested, but everyone in her small town thinks she's guilty, so she moved away to get away from the gossip and accusations. Lucy returns to her hometown for her grandmother's 80th birthday party and is surprised to learn Ben is also in town conducting interviews for his broadcast. Lucy eventually agrees to assist Ben, but there is a major obstacle - Lucy doesn't remember what happened the night Savvy was killed.

Lucy is a very unique character and her frequent intrusive thoughts about killing are shocking. I read a lot of thrillers, but Lucy makes this one stand out. In spite of Lucy's strange inner dialogue, I liked her even though I wasn't sure I could trust her version of things. In fact, the town of Plumpton, Texas is full of unlikable characters ranging from a little shady to downright horrible, and I gave up trying to keep track of which of them had hooked up with each other. I only fully trusted Lucy's grandmother, who is a delightful character that I liked from the very beginning.

Mixed in with Lucy's narration of the story are transcripts from the podcast. Many bombshells about the case and about the people are Plumpton are dropped throughout the book in the podcast episodes. The book is intense but is not without humor. One of my favorite scenes of the book is when Ben joins Lucy at a family event after he had made a shocking revelation about someone in her family. I kept changing my mind about who had actually killed Savvy and was surprised when a dramatic showdown exposes the true killer but leads to a great ending.

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Celadon Books, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Everyone should stop what they’re doing immediately and get the audio version of Listen for the Lie. It 👏 was 👏 everything.

The whole podcast within a book situation is one I don’t think I’ll ever tire of. It’s a fun medium to discover secrets, and in this case, it really drove home the point that not everyone see’s one person the same and how either consciously or unconsciously, that person’s traits that are maybe deemed hard to swallow or just make them look like a human are washed over in favor of a golden complexion.

Another reason I’m obsessed with the podcast tie in is how easy it is to give it a murder mystery feel with countless potential suspects. Tintera made the switching of suspicion smooth and, in my opinion, it could have been anyone and I would’ve accepted it based on their past.

But the ending 👀 It was great and infuriating and too close to reality. I didn’t see it coming but the moment it did everything clicked. I promise you’ll have a hard time not bingeing this one. Or wishing that you’d become Beverly when you get older 🤞

I decided on a whim to add Tintera’s Listen For The Lie to my Netgalley account and was excited to get started, not really knowing what to expect.

The story follows as a podcaster, Ben, tries to discover the truth behind Savvy’s death and whether or not she was really murdered by her best friend Lucy. Lucy, for the first time in 5 years since the murder, is willing to work with Ben to uncover the truth she can’t remember, uncovering what her role that day really was for better or worse.

The plot was good and flowed well. There were twists that kept me guessing until the end, though some misleads felt unnecessary. The characters were not really the kind to root for and I found myself more annoyed by some of the narration at the beginning than excited by it. The odd nature of the narration becomes more fitting as the story progresses, but it was a little hard to get into at first. Overall, this read was fun and I’m glad I read along to uncover Savvy’s murder in the end!

Small town. Murder. Amnesia. Podcast. Questions.

Lucy travels to her small Texas hometown to find out whether or not she killed her best friend years ago. Ben, a podcaster, is reopening the case to help Lucy look for answers.

I could not put this book down. I loved the switch between Lucy’s first person pov and the podcast interviews. Lucy’s grandma, Beverly, was a scene stealer to say the least… I loved her and how supportive she was of her granddaughter. I also loved hearing Lucy’s inner thoughts - she is a sarcastic and amazingly snarky main character.

This book is a wonderfully written witty, dark comedic thriller with “Only Murders In The Building” vibes. I loved it and won’t stop recommending it anytime soon!

When I first started this book I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy it because Lucy just didn’t seem my vibe to be honest, but I ended up loving it! It turned out to be an incredible take on a podcast thriller.

This was such an exciting, suspenseful thriller! It didn’t take long for me to be hooked and then I was quickly turning pages until the very end. The drama, humor, tension, and mystery of who killed Savvy kept me fully engaged, and the podcast interviews at the end of each chapter were so fun, every one leaving a little breadcrumb leading slowly to the truth.

It took me a little bit to identify the murderer, but I got there before the big reveal, and once my suspicions were confirmed it was CRAZY. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Lucy to begin with, and “the voice” weirded me out, I kind of wish that part had been left out, but I quickly began cheering for me and was upset on her behalf throughout most of the book. Everyone’s hair-trigger judgment and her awful ex husband and family felt so unfair when you don’t know whether she is the one who killed Savvy or not.

This was such an excellent thriller and I’m very impressed by Amy Tintera! I’d love to check out her other books after reading this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for this ARC.
Publication date 3/5/24

This audiobook was so FUN!! This is not your typical murder/thriller/whodunnit story. Yes we’re dealing with a story of the brutal murder of a young girl, and our FMC is potentially the murderer…but it’s far from dark and dreary - it’s often laugh out loud funny. It reminded me of a book version of the show “Dead To Me” in that way. You’re rooting for the (maybe?) bad guy because she’s just so damn funny. Lucy's inner monologue (and her one liners) are snarky, sarcastic, witty and hilarious. Almost as hilariously awesome as her grandma - and we LOVE a sassy grandparent! We 👏🏻 need 👏🏻 more 👏🏻 sassy 👏🏻 grandparents 👏🏻 in 👏🏻 our 👏🏻 books!

The format gave us a true podcast feel - flipping back and forth between the podcast interviews and then Lucy’s inner thoughts and memories. I know this is one of this month’s BOTM picks, but I would highly recommend the audio instead!

What an amazing story. The author sates this is her first mystery type book but I hope she writes many more.
A woman return to her home town after many years away. She is suspected of killing her best friend but she has no memory of it. The plot is well thought out and the twists and turns will keep you riveted.
Thanks NetGalley for sending this one to me to read.

What a page turner! I had to get to the end quick to see who actually did it, and when I did it was definitely not what/who I expected. It showed that you never really know who is on your side when tragedy strikes and you're the main suspect in your best friend's murder. It was a super fun read because along being a whodunit thriller, there was sarcasm, humor and a bit of romance - I loved it! This is one I will be recommending to reader friends in the future!

Thank you to the author, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Best thriller I have read this year. This book gripped me from the start and I finished it in under 24 hours.

The Good: The main leads? Sarcastic and just my type .The mystery? Suspenseful and engaging and I actually did not see the end coming. The female main lead? The best kind of sarcastic and witty. I liked the way they incorporated the podcast into the story, and it truly added to instead go detracting from like in the case of other podcast thrillers I have read.

The Bad: I either missed something pivotal in the end or the answer was just too open-ended. After a fantastic read the end left me a little baffled and confused.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Listen for the Lie is author Amy Tintera’s first book for adults (she has written several YA novels previously). The plot is intriguing. Lucy is found wandering around covered in blood with no memory of what happened to her or her best friend, Savvy, who is found dead. Just about everyone she has ever known decides she is the killer, and most don’t believe her amnesia is real. She flees her small town in Texas for Los Angeles with no plans to go back, but gives in 5 years later to her grandmother’s request to come to her birthday party.

At the same time that Lucy is begrudgingly headed back to Plumpton, a true crime podcaster is focusing on Savvy’s case for the second season of his podcast. He is also in town, interviewing friends and family of both Savvy and Lucy, trying to solve the mystery of whether or not Lucy, or someone else, was the one to end Savvy’s life. 

Lucy is the ultimate unreliable narrator, as it becomes apparent she truly does not know what happened the night her best friend died. Her relationships with her parents and ex-husband are somewhat maddening, because she just lets them walk all over her and say what they will about her, without standing up for herself throughout the story. She is clearly still suffering from the traumas in her past, but I found her hard to root for. The internal dialogue throughout the book is distracting, and until the flashbacks start midway through the book, I also found it more irritating (in a “rolling the eyes, this is weird and not helping the story along” kind of way).

I didn’t see the final twist coming, which was a nice surprise, but other than that, I had a hard time caring how it would all end for Lucy and everyone else involved in the rehashing of that night’s events. One bright spot for me was Lucy’s grandmother. I enjoyed her character a lot, and found her to be the most interesting part of the story by far.

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