What a fun read.

Lucy & Savvy are best friends, but after a wild night out, at a mutual friend’s wedding, Lucy is found wandering down the road with a pretty severe head injury, covered in Savvy’s blood. When Savvy’s body is found, Lucy becomes the prime suspect, but she can’t remember anything from that night because of the head trauma she suffered. With no direct evidence linking her to the murder, Lucy is free to move on with her life, and flees from her childhood town, and the memories she can’t remember.
Five years later, a podcaster decides to focus on the unsolved crime, and Lucy is thrust back into the spotlight.
Told with alternating chapters from Lucy’s viewpoint and transcripts from the podcast, this thriller is a quick read with LOTS of shady characters. Literally everyone seems guilty and everyone has secrets they don’t want exposed. The ending, while somewhat a little too much, was quite shocking, and definitely not something I saw coming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This is definitely a must read for thriller fans.

A murder-mystery/dark comedy that I wanted to love and ending up just liking. It flowed well and kept my interest through short chapters and the interspersing of a true crime podcast. The podcast transcripts succeeded at breaking up the straight writing. I love and appreciate sarcasm but this MC was just obnoxious. I also found it a stretch the way the townspeople were all cheating on each other. It became excessive and unbelievable. I strongly disliked the voice speaking to her and found myself skimming those parts as they disrupted the flow.
Overall, I wanted to keep reading to see how the author revealed who did it. I will try this author again!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Love a good podcast book and this one did not disappoint. Loved the sense of humor of Lucy and of course her grandmother. This is the perfect spring break read at the beach or pool! Mix of everything here and all around fun read!

This book had me absolutely hooked from the very beginning. I personally love true crime podcasts and after reading the description of this book I was immediately interested. The story, characters, writing, and the twists were amazing in my opinion. While reading this story, I found myself laughing at Lucy's humor and the things she would say. I loved how it kept me guessing each chapter after a new episode of the podcast was released on who could have killed Savvy and why. I have to say my favorite character was Lucy's grandma, Beverly. She is quite the character. I liked her from the start but I loved her by the end of the book. I liked how Lucy came across as a real person and not one of the stereotypical ones that is perfect, dumb, etc. She had her flaws but I could understand why she made some of the choices she did throughout the book and to me that is what really makes the reader form a connection to the character. I will definitely be recommending this book every chance I get when it officially comes out next week. I read in the acknowledgments that the author took two years to write this and I would just like to say to Amy - Well done! I'm glad you took your time with this story and put so much effort into getting it just right, bc it was amazing! I will definitely be keeping my out for more by this author in the future.

A very creative take on a podcast within a narrative novel. A best friend is murdered and the prime suspect must fight for her innocence.. A thrilling ride of a thriller!

Wow! That is all I have to say...WOW! I loved this book. I was held captive by the riveting mystery the entire time I was reading it. The characters are phenomenal and keep you guessing as to what is truly going on behind the walls of their homes. The small-town feel is fantastic. Everyone knows everyone and their business. There is no hiding in this small Texas town. They all know Lucy killed Savvy five years ago. There is just no proof. Now Listen for the Lie, a true crime podcast, has picked up on Savvy's murder. Bringing Lucy back to the forefront of everyone's minds. Even though she has moved to LA, she cannot find peace until she knows what happened the night her best friend was murdered.

Lucy's grandmother is begging her to come home for her 80th birthday. It is hard to say no to this fun-loving, gem of a woman. She finally gives in against her better judgement and heads back to Texas. Her parents are still awkward as hell and believe that their daughter was involved in Sassy's death. Lucy hightails it out of there and heads for her grandmothers cute, very pink, tiny home. You can tell that Lucy gets her love of sarcasm and wit from her. As Lucy ventures out into the town she once called home. She runs into Ben, the podcaster who is doing a deep dive into her and Savvy's life. She decides that it is time to find out the truth. To see if she can break through the amnesia and brain trauma, she suffered that horrible night and finally have some answers.

I am telling you the sarcasm had me hook, line, and sinker. Even though the story is dark, there are some lighthearted laugh out loud moments. I love how every person that Ben interviews has a different story than what they told the police. Making you wonder what in the heck is going on, as you spin around and around this crazy carousel. The ending was fantastic for me, and I was at the edge of my seat the entire time! Thank you to Amy Tintera and Celadon Books for my gifted copy of a book I will be recommending to everyone!

There is a reason this book holds such wide appeal! Or I should say multiple reasons. Not only is it a wonderfully written debut (how is this a debut 😱), an absolute page turned but Listen for the Lie has some of the most interesting, absolutely unforgettable characters I have ever come across. I think it’s just a matter of time till we see a movie/TV adaptation of Listen for the lie and I for one CANNOT WAIT! 🤩

Beverly, Lucy’s grandmother, stole the show for me. I hope I’m half as cool and fun as her when I get to be that age! Plus the format worked beautifully - a combination of Lucy’s first person narration and Ben’s podcast episodes about her/Savannah’s case. Probably the very first time I wished I could make audiobooks work for me - I’m sure podcast episodes were even more impactful via audio.

Read this if:
💜 you’re a fan of twisty plot lines
💜 you’re looking for a page-turner
💜 you enjoy element of comedy with your suspense
💜 you like MCs who are tough and prickly and just the right amount of emotionally messed up
💜 you like small town claustrophobia & gossip
💜 you are looking for your next unputdownable read

This book is such a treat and yes, it’s obvious you’ll be seeing it everywhere this year! It’s definitely going to end up on my list of favorites for 2024, no doubt about that!

Thank you to Celadon Books & NetGalley for my gifted ARC!

Everyone thinks that Lucy killed her best friend, Savvy. Often even Lucy herself, but a severe concussion removed her memories of that night. Convenient, people think, if they even believe that she has amnesia. Now Savvy’s murder is going to be the focus of a popular podcast, and with Lucy returning home for the first time in years, it looks like answers are finally going to be found. Whether Lucy really wants to know or not, in Amy Tinterra’s engrossing adult debut, Listen for the Lie.

While liking the protagonist is not a necessity for a good book, it certainly doesn’t hurt. For the first chapter or so, I thought that Listen for the Lie was going to be one of those novels where I disliked the protagonist as Lucy appeared snarky and mean, totally dislikable. Those characteristics, however, soon proved to be methods of protection for her. Lucy did remain snarky, not mean though, well, not really. Let’s just say that I understood where she was coming from. Some of Lucy’s comments and observations were unexpectedly lol-worthy. Unexpected laughs in the middle of a murder mystery add a welcome layer. So, yes, I came away loving Lucy, feeling empathy and distress for her.

Listen for the Lie is told with flashback sections that illuminate the past and the characters. We see that dead best friend Savvy might not be as wonderfully sweet as everyone says but not unlikable either. Those observations ring true for many of the characters whose outward appearance shows a different personality from whom they are. (A lot like life.) Tinterra obviously has a good handle on human behavior and depicts it accurately, sometimes heartbreakingly so, on the page.

With an engrossing story, good pacing, and one of my favorite characters of the year, so far, in Lucy, Listen for the Lie is a thriller to enjoy. I hope you do.

Many thanks to Celadon Books for sending me a copy.

So excited for this one! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This ended up being a March 2024 BOTM pick as well as a Top 10 Thriller for me! I enjoyed this one from beginning to end, I promise you won't be disappointed!

3.5 stars.

I really liked the protagonist of this story. She felt real; obviously quite flawed but like a real character. The story was pretty interesting but got repetitive. I also found the actions of almost everyone in this book hard to understand... I just couldn't believe anyone, let alone almost every single character, would make the decisions they did.

A quick, suspenseful read with a satisfying twist and ending.

I really liked this book, it got me out of my reading slump (but now I'm back in it). It was really engaging, and I really like fictional true crime podcast types of books. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy!

One night years ago, Lucy was found roaming the streets covered in her best friend's blood. She has no memory of the evening as she suffered a terrible blow to the head. Everyone in her small town is convinced she murdered Savvy and is faking amnesia, her own parents and ex-husband included. She moved away to distance herself from the tragedy and accusations, but the case is at the forefront of everyone's mind now that a popular true crime podcaster is covering the story. Against her better judgement she returns home for her grandmother's birthday, but also to see if any memories will come back to her.

LOVED & OBSESSED. This is the best audiobook I've listened to in a long time and definitely one of the best thrillers. I was hooked from the beginning and on the edge of my seat the whole time. I thought Lucy was a great MC and enjoyed not knowing who or what to believe. I liked how she always said and did what she wanted regardless of what people thought - the reactions to her candidness were priceless. There were so many loveable characters (hi grandma!) and plenty to root against (ew, Matthew). The narrators were fantastic and I highly recommend listening to these because I loved the podcast episodes being sprinkled throughout.

Loved loved loved. I will be recommending this one to anyone who will listen!

4.5 stars.

I couldn't put this down! The story had me fully engrossed and I couldn't wait to find out what happened. It's been a minute since I've found a thriller I truly love but this fully hit the spot. It's the perfect kind of thriller to me: reveals are peppered throughout the book, and while it contains violence, it's not overly gory or rapey in a way that makes me feel emotionally scarred, lol. I can't say much more without spoilers, but I think this fully deserves the hype it's getting and can't wait for more people to read it.

Thank you Celadon Books for the gifted finished copy and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

If you are looking for a fun thriller filled with dark humour then this is for you. I enjoyed the unique voice of protagonist Lucy- her snarky, sarcastic personality added depth to the book. Lucy returns to her Texas hometown for her grandmother’s birthday. However, she hasn’t been home in years because she is trying to escape her traumatic past, one where she was covered in her best friend’s blood and accused of her murder. A popular podcast is re investigating the murder, so once again Lucy’s life is thrown into the spotlight. Tintera created a book filled with things I love in a story- small town setting, murder podcasts interspersed through out, unreliable narrator, amnesia, and twists with a satisfying ending. I found myself engaged throughout the book and I questioned several times if Lucy was guilty of murdering her best friend Savvy. There were well developed supporting characters, many of them unlikeable but I loved Lucy’s quirky grandmother.

My rating: 4 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this eARC which will be published March 5 2024.

I know people have strong opinions on this, but as a huge reader and an avid true crime podcast listener, I have been loving books that combine these two mediums! Listen for the Lie is a terrific adult debut and read like a fast paced thriller. I also think this book read as if it would be fantastic on audio too (if only to add the "podcast effect"). The goodreads blurb was short and I appreciated this- this is definitely a good book to go into blind! I enjoyed it so much it was also my March BOTM pick to get a hardcover copy for my shelf.

Thanks to Celadon books for the ARC!

Thank you, NetGalley for this advanced reader’s copy. This book was a lot of fun! What if everyone thinks you murdered your best friend, but you can’t defend yourself because YOU CAN’T REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED?! Do you feel horrible and just go along with it? Do you find out what really happened? Do you run away in shame? All of the above! This book has some twists that I predicted and then some things I definitely didn’t see coming!! Very good thriller with a timely “murder blog” theme. I’ll be on the lookout for what this author comes up with next.

I LOVED this book. I couldn't put it down. I think it will be all over the place when it comes out!

It has so many of my favorite things in a book:
- sassy, sarcastic main characters (Lucy & her grandma will definitely be on my most memorable list for 2024!)
- fierce female friendship
- short chapters
- more, but I don't want to spoil anything!

Things that sometimes don't work for me in a thriller but worked in this book:
- amnesia storyline
- romance

I saw the audio will be done by January LaVoy and her husband, and I love that! I plan to re-read via audio at some point.

I can't wait to see what this author comes out with next!

Rating: I loved it! (5)

Listen For The Lie is a thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat till the very last page. I really enjoyed the format of this book. The podcast aspect was so interesting and brought a lot to the story. I also loved the characters. They were raw and flawed and awful people. It was refreshing to read about people that weren’t perfect. I have to admit I have a soft spot for an unlikeable main character.

I will say this book has a lot of cheating and it felt like a little too much. A lot of it wasn’t necessary to prove the authors point that all the characters are flawed in some way.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I would love to read more from this author in the future. If you love a thriller with a podcast element you should definitely check this one out.
3/5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. I loved this one!! I don’t always love books that are podcasts, but this setup really worked! Sometimes in that format it feels like you’re getting a lot of duplicate information but I didn’t feel that way at all in Listen for the Lie. The podcast interviews were sneaky little bits of extra information! I had several ideas of where I thought the story was going, that evolved as we got more information. I didn’t figure it out until right as it was revealed. I also really love fun grandma side characters!

Twisty solid thriller dealing with an unsolved murder in a small town. Lucy is suspected of killing her best friend five years ago but was never formally charged and she has no memory of what happened. Since then she moved away and tried to start over and be anonymous. When the case comes back into public eye because of a new podcast she has to go back home and face what happened to find out if she's guilty or if it's someone who's been behind it. I really liked this book enjoyed the shifting between the story and the different podcast episodes to move the story along. Rating this one 3.5/4 stars enjoyed the story and had a good twist ending will look for more from this author. I want to thank NetGalley and Celadon Books for the arc in exchange for an honest review.