Listen For The Lie - Amy Tintera

I’d seen a lot of rave reviews for this one and my FOMO kicked in.

A suspenseful m*rider mystery, Lucy is the main suspect, she’s either a m*rderer or the second victim who got away. Lucy has no memory of the events and Ben with his investigative podcast is determined to try and get to the truth. It’s told through Lucy’s perspective and the podcast with interviews with various involved parties.

It’s a light and chatty style, I preferred the chapters from Lucy’s perspective to the podcast, I don’t find pages of conversation the best way to connect with characters. To be fair, I’ve only properly connected with a few podcast based thrillers.

I’ve heard the audiobook is excellent, and I think I might have enjoyed listening more. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from reading it, just personally I might have connected with it better hearing the voices.

Not bad at all, especially if you like podcast based novels and a light and chatty writing style.

Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon

When I give a thriller 5 stars nowadays it means I was truly invested and entertained!

What I loved about this thriller;

🎤: Centered around a true crime podcast. This broke up the chapters nicely and was a breath of fresh air!
📖: Short chapters! This constantly shift working girly loves an easily bingeable book in the midst of my busy lifestyle!
🔪: Back and forth guessing of the murderer. I love attempting to guess the culprit before the book is up and 9/10 I'm never right!
💭: Amnesia plot line. This author pulled off a difficult feat of selling the reader on the main character not remembering what occurred the night of her friend's murder. This sends her into a spiral of thinking she herself killed Savvy and not knowing if someone else was truly involved.

I would not be surprised at all if this gets picked up for a tv series adaptation. It would be the audience entertained by the sarcastic and often unreliable main character, the undeniable chemistry she has with the podcast host, and the dual timelines that gradually lead you to the night of Savvy's murder. There's enough of a shock factor too that would easily translate well to the screen to keep the audience on their toes.

Yes, the podcast thriller seems to be the rage right now amongst thriller authors (None of this is True & The Book of Cold Cases just to name a few) but I think what this one did so well was the character portrayal of Lucy was so witty and unsure of herself due to the amnesia caused by a head injury the night of the murder that you can't help but root for her. She gradually wins over the people of her small town that instantly marked her as Savvy's killer years ago and you almost want to tell those characters to go pound sand after tarnishing Lucy's name. So when people like Ben (podcast host) and Lucy's grandma are on her side from Day 1 you instantly flock to the next chapter in hopes that their gut feeling of Lucy being innocent is true.

There's some juicy secrets that also come out in the midst of this podcast that adds to the distaste of some of the local community members of this small Texas town. It's easy to point fingers at people when you yourself have a deep secret you don't wish to get out 😏

Thank you to Celadon Books for this early preview of what could end up being a surprise favorite thriller of the year for me!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4.75 stars rounded up

I absolutely loved this book. I was not expecting to love it (or laugh while reading) so much. A thrilled that had me at the edge of my seat and laughing out loud in the same chapters. I loved (or loved to hate) each character and the setting with perfect. I need more books like this from Amy Tintera. One of my favorite reads of the last year.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and the author for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Read if you like:
😬 Unreliable Narrators
🎙️True Crime Podcasts
🤫 Secrets and Lies
💨 Fast Paced Reads

This story truly kept me hooked with all the pointing fingers combined with a bunch of seemingly crappy characters that you could see any and all being responsible for Savvy’s death as well as our FMC being a super unreliable narrator due to her head injury, lack of memory of the night in question, and her murderous thoughts.

If you are looking for a quick and engaging thriller to pull you from a slump, I’d highly recommend this one!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I must say that this was an amazing read. Fantastic story and the snarky FMC was great. I found myself laughing and snorting at her antics. This is normally not my genre but I must say that I will not be passing it up anymore. This is a must read for everyone!

Thank you so much to Net Galley, Amy Tintera and Celadon Books for this E-ARC!

When Lucy is found wandering the streets with a head wound and her best friends blood on her clothes anyone would think she is a murderer! Right? Well turns out, Lucy can't remember the events of the night before. If you were Lucy what would you think? Do you think you'd be capable of murder? Especially the murder of your best friend?

This mystery thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat with its short chapters, cast of characters and podcast influence. I could not put this book down end eagerly kept reading to find out what the truth of Savvy's murder was. There were enough twists and turns to keep you guessing without making you feel frustrated.

You'll love this story if you like:
-Short chapters
-True Crime podcasts
-Dual timeline
-Sarcastic MC

I absolutely loved this book and would give it more stars if I could.

Absolutely loved this. Got very invested rather quickly. I’m a sucker for mixed media in books. Would love to know how things end up for Ben and Lucy, she needs a good win in her life.

In the age of true crime podcasts, there's few places for Lucy to hide besides behind her romance novel pen name. Even all these years later, the world remains convinced that Lucy murdered her best friend Savvy in cold blood the night after a wedding they both attended. As convenient as a defense would have been all this time, Lucy doesn't have one because she can't remember a thing.

When Ben Owens, host of the wildly-successful true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie" approaches Lucy for an interview and chance to set the record straight once and for all, Lucy returns to her small town home with Savvy's devious ghost in-tow to try and uncover what really happened that night.

Advanced praise has been hailing "Listen for the Lie" as the thriller of the year, and despite not loving the premise of the long-overdone podcast trope, I decided to give it a shot. Before long, I was reminded why I so rarely connect to adult debuts of YA authors; so often, the writing still feels YA with some adult elements haphazardly strewn throughout the plot.

"Listen for the Lie" doesn't boast nearly enough newness to stand out in the sea of thrillers that publishing puts forth these days; the prose is somewhat witty at best and the true crime podcast plot felt tired and overworked. By the end, I found myself wondering how I'd flown so quickly through 350 pages where seemingly nothing happened. If thrillers are your only genre, this could be worth a read if-only for something to breeze through between heavier reads, but I don't see myself revisiting this author again.

Okay, but why was this the funniest thriller I've ever read? I was cracking up out loud with some of the comments made by the FMC Lucy. Her dry sense of humor and twisted thought process was perfection. And her grandmother Beverly?! Her drunken anitcs, multiple men, and no filter cracked me up.
The plot was very intriguing also. A murder mystery where the main suspect doesn't know if they comitted the crime? SIgn me up. I loved the twists, the podcast elements, and the smutty romance sprinkled in. This will be a thriller I will be recommending over and over.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the eARC!

Listen for the lie is Amy Tintera's adult debut and it did not disappoint. Told from the perspective of Lucy, a woman who is thought to have killed her best friend, but has no memory of that night, as well as through transcripts of a murder mystery podcast centering on Savvy's murder. I really enjoyed the alternating POVs and found the podcast perspective in particular added a certain 'je ne sais quoi' to the novel. I did find it dragged a little bit in certain parts, and found some of the characters a bit confusing to keep straight, but that's probably more of a me problem than an issue with the book. Overall I really enjoyed reading it, was surprised by the ending and would recommend.

😁𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹?
The writing is absolutely top notch with twists and turns that kept me guessing until literally the VERY end!

I adored the relationship between Lucy and her grandma, Beverly and the witty, snarky, sarcastic comments they would throw in there had me laughing out loud at times which is unheard of in suspenseful thrillers!

I enjoyed how story line was around the FMC who suffered from a TBI (traumatic brain injury) / amnesia and can’t recall the night the crime took place. It was a unique plot and unlike anything I’ve read in any thriller!

👍🏼𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹?
YES YES YES! If you’re looking for a riveting, dark, twisted, fast-paced, page-turner with podcast elements than look no further! I can’t wait to read more from Amy Tintera in the future! 🤗

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the eARC.

This was fantastic. I could not stop reading. I loved the podcast interviews, I loved Lucy’s POV, and mostly I loved Beverly. I needed to know what happened to Savvy.

I just felt like this was so well done. 5 stars. Stellar.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a pre-published addition of this book.

This has to be my favorite style of a way a book is told. Going into the past, podcast blurbs, and one maine narrator. This book was a quick read and the story line was amazing!

Amy illustrates the story into your mind perfectly. There are just enough details and not too much where things feel drawn out.

I would recomend this to friends and family to read.
On my list for top favorite books I've read.

I look forward to reading more from Amy.

3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. I did enjoy the characters and their sarcasm. I felt like it could have had more twists, something different. Overall, it was a decent read .

Lucy has always wondered if she was the one who had murdered her friend, Savvy. Found wandering the road covered in Savvy’s blood, Lucy had now memory of what happened in the time leading up to the murder.

Five years later, Ben is in town trying to discover the truth. The host of Listen to the Lie podcast, Ben interviews friends, family members and finally Lucy trying to uncover the truth.

This book sounded right up my alley but it didn’t quit hit the mark. I really enjoyed the podcast aspect of the book and I loved the grandmother. She was fun! I found I didn’t connect with or care for the main character. I found her inner dialogue annoying and it got old quickly. There is also a lot of sleeping around in the small town of Plumpton. A lot. Like, everyone. Overall I give this one 3⭐️. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

What an amazing first adult novel from Amy Tintera! She will be a must read for me from now on!

Lucy returns to her small-town Texas hometown after five years when the new life she made for herself in LA is threatened by a new true-crime podcast. The podcast focuses on getting to the bottom of the murder of Lucy’s best friend Savvy, and finding out what really happened. Lucy has suffered from amnesia since the incident and by going back she is determined to find out what happened.

I loved this book and could not put it down. I enjoyed the fast pace of the story and all of the twists I did not see coming. Lucy’s character really grew on me with all of her sarcasm and wit throughout. I especially liked her relationship with her grandmother. 💕

I highly recommend this book 😊

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing access to this book.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I was blown away. I love the podcast episodes within the book. I’m usually a fan of mixed media, so that was no surprise to me.

Lucy was such an unreliable narrator it was fun to question her and her motives. I was very interested in her relationship with her family members. Her intrusive thoughts were interesting to say the least.

This book had more twists and turns than I was expecting. The ending was jaw dropping to say the least.

5 Stars!

Wow, I can't believe this was a debut! An absolute nail biter from the beginning.

What to Expect:
- Whodunnit
- Small town murder
- Cold Case
- Mixed media (podcast!)
- Dark comedy
- Feisty and hilarious grandmother

I savored every page of this book. It was that good.

Lucy is believed to have murdered her best friend five years ago. There was never enough evidence for a conviction so she wasn't charged but she might as well have been because everyone believes she did it. Including her parents. Lucy remembers nothing from the fateful night. It's five years later and a podcaster has taken interest in the case, opening it all up again.

This was smart, sarcastic, and unputdownable.

I listened to the audio on this one and it was great. I heard that the narrators are good friends or a couple maybe?

The mystery was clever and I had no idea until about half an hour before it was unveiled.

If you enjoy dark humor, witty banter, and a story that will totally hold you in its clutches until the end, then I definitely recommend checking this one out!

I loved this. It was fast-paced, funny, and kept me wondering until the very end.

Lucy and her best friend, Savvy, are attending a wedding in their hometown of Plumpton, Texas. They leave the wedding together and the next morning Lucy is found wandering the streets. She’s barely coherent, has a head wound, and is covered in blood. Complicating matters is that she can’t remember anything that happened at the wedding or afterwards. There are no other witnesses and not enough evidence to arrest her so she is never charged.

We meet Lucy five years later. She’s moved to a new city and has built a semblance of a new life, but a popular true crime podcast has dug up the story and drawn attention back to Lucy. In the middle of dealing with the fallout from the renewed interest in Savvy’s murder, circumstances arise that require Lucy to go back home to Plumpton where she must face her past and try to remember what really happened the night her best friend died.

I was hooked from the first page. I really enjoyed Lucy’s character. Her sarcastic humor and snakiness had me smiling from the very first page. I was rooting for her throughout the whole book, even knowing that she might actually be the killer, and I was definitely cheering for her at the very end. Her grandmother was also a wonderful addition to the cast of characters. She was sassy and straightforward and had no qualms about making her opinions known.

This being a murder mystery there were, of course, several unlikable characters, including Lucy’s parents and her ex-husband. We’re introduced to some of them during Lucy’s time back in Plumpton, while others we get to know through the podcast. We also get to know Savvy and learn about her friendship with Lucy through flashbacks and through Savvy’s voice that we hear in Lucy’s head. Tintera does a great job of keeping us on our toes and making us question everyone and everything, including Lucy. The podcast helps reveal several lies and motives that keep us guessing until the very end.

I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more of Amy Tintera’s work.

Thanks NetGally, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Publishers for this advanced copy.

Great book! My first by this author. The MC Lucy was a force to be reckoned with. I loved her sarcasm and banter. Will be checking out more by Amy Tintera.