I devoured this book! I always tell myself that mysteries and thrillers aren't my jam until I come across books like this and then I want to find all of the books like this! It was so good and kept me guessing the whole time trying to find out what happened.

Listen for the Lie is an engaging thriller that explores themes of trust, betrayal, and teenage friendships. Each chapter ends in a cliffhanger and twists and turns so it makes it easy to be fully engaged in the story and alternating perspectives.

Trust, deception, truth and perception are all explored which raises questions about how well we truly know those around us. The building suspense kept me guessing who was actually involved and what really happened.

Anyone that likes a suspenseful thriller with alternating viewpoints will enjoy this one!

Listen for the Lie
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One thing about me is if there is a true crime podcast thriller, i’m gonna be listening to it despite how long the wait is on Libby!
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This one was so fun! The main character was so likable and realistic. The investigations felt real and not far fetched but also what a crazy experience to not know if you killed your best friend….
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I was truthfully surprised by the ending but wanted a bit more discussion about the conclusion. I rarely ask for a book to be longer 😂

Listen to the Lie was so good! I such love the storyline and the characters. Should be like a lifetime movie. Thanks so much for the review copy. It was well written and love the podcast idea. Looking forward to more book by this aurthor.

I just didn’t love this as much as I wanted to. I’ve heard rave reviews for this one but it just didn’t hit the mark.

I loved the podcast aspect, the main character, Lucy & her grandma but other than that, the characters really had no depth.

There was so much information, it made the twist kind of anticlimactic.

If you love a good murder mystery, podcast elements, dual timelines and a fun FMC, this one is for you!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5/5

I can understand why there are so many rave reviews for this book. A small town murder? A sarcastic and witty protagonist facing her ghosts to solve it? Sadly, the vibes die there.

It started out strong; I'm not usually a mystery girlie but I was here for it because I liked Lucy as a character. But she quickly became annoying and, frankly, predictable as we get deeper into the plot. The plot itself was predictable, trying to be dark and unique when it ends up coming up dry and cliche. And can we talk about the amount of sex? It's like everyone in this town is hooking up- even Lucy's grandmother- which I think is meant to provide some levity but is tasteless and takes the reader out of the story's atmosphere.

Overall, there was potential here, but it made the same mistake that many popular thrillers make, in that they try too hard to be twisty and "fresh". It's a solid airport read, but didn't do it for me.

This is one of the most voicy, riveting books I have read in a long time. The unsympathetic, intrusive thoughts-plagued narrator is impossible to turn away from.

Lucy Chase is not living her best life. She’s in L.A., and she just got fired from the job she didn’t like much anyway, and her boyfriend is going to break up with her when he gets up the courage, so she’s also about to be homeless. She hasn’t made many friends, or really any friends, in California, and she certainly can’t go back to Texas. Especially now, with the podcaster digging around in her past.

But her grandmother’s birthday is coming up, and she is insisting that Lucy come back to the small town in Texas where she grew up and help plan and execute the party. Her grandmother refuses to take no for an answer. And really, only her grandmother could get her back to town.

Lucy wants to stay in a hotel, but her parents insist she stay with them. It’s tense in the house, and Lucy is uncomfortable there, but she needs to save her money now that she’s out of work and needing to find a new apartment. Her grandmother asks Luc to pick up dinner from the local diner for them to eat at her place, and Lucy does, because it’s her grandmother. And that’s where she finally meets Ben.

Ben had been emailing her for a few months, trying to get her side of the story. Five years ago, after the wedding of a mutual friend, Lucy had been found wandering around covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood and saying she couldn’t remember anything that had happened that evening. Savvy was dead, her arms scratched and Lucy’s skin under her fingernails. Everyone in town thought that Lucy had killed her. There wasn’t enough evidence for an arrest, and eventually Lucy moved away and hadn’t been back. Until her grandmother insisted.

When Lucy first met Ben, he was just sitting in a booth at the diner. But she knew immediately who he was and what he was doing there. He was the guy from the popular Listen for the Lie podcast. He was known for taking on unsolved cold cases, and during his first season, he was able to solve the case and bring justice after years of nothing from the police. Now he’s turned his attention to Savvy’s murder, and he was wanting to get an interview with Lucy.

Lucy doesn’t want to talk to him, and she doesn’t feel like she has much to add to the conversation. In the last five years, she had not recovered her memory of that night. She had suffered a bad head injury too, and that plus the trauma she faced had made her forget anything from that night. Ben is not convinced that she had killed Savvy, but it was an unpopular opinion. Most everyone else in town thought she had done it, including her parents and her ex-husband. But as Ben goes around town and gets interviews with those who knew Savvy and Lucy, he starts to find some new information. Alibis are questioned. New facts are revealed about Lucy’s life when she was younger.

But Lucy still can’t remember what happened. And she keeps making bad choices. Being back in Texas, having all this stirred up again, makes her hear voices again. Or rather, one voice, that keeps telling her to kill people. Now that she’s back home again, will Lucy finally be able to remember what happened that night, or will she figure out that she really is the villain in the story of Savvy’s death?

Listen for the Lie is a slow burn thriller about a cold case that has haunted a small town for five years. It’s author Amy Tintera’s first adult novel, and it starts strong right from page one. Lucy’s story is interrupted with short chapters of the podcast transcript as Ben finishes them and releases them into the world. This story is compelling, and as the podcast goes on and Ben uncovers more information about the night in question, the secrets start breaking open quickly, and the race to the real truth is on.

I loved Listen for the Lie. I thought that the character of Lucy was brilliantly written, with her sarcasm hiding the sins of those around her and her emotional armor in place to help protect her from those who say they care about her. As her story unfolded, I could not put this book down. I liked the podcast storyline, and I thought it added not just a compelling reason for Lucy to go back home and face what she’d been avoiding all those years, but a perfect way to reveal pieces of the small town that didn’t fit the pristine image. If you love a true crime podcast and find yourself in need of a strong thriller for a day at the beach or a plane ride, then this may be just what you’ve been looking for.

Egalleys for Listen for the Lie were provided by Celadon Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Listen for the Lie toes the line between true crime + humor in such a sharp way. The podcast elements really landed for me. The ending did leave me questioning, "Huh, so that's it?" but overall good book + time well spent.

Many thanks to to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC!

You know when you find a book that is just fun to read? That’s this book. I loved the dry, sarcastic humor and the unlikable characters. It’s a really solid thriller too and I didn’t guess the ending until I was about ¾ through the book but there were still twists that I didn’t see coming. Highly recommend! Thank you to @celadonbooks for my copy!

This was a fabulous mystery. It kept me guessing and I loved the way the podcast was worked into the plotline. Will definitely be recommending this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC! "Listen for the Lie" by Amy Tintera is a captivating psychological thriller that grips readers with its intricate plot and deep character explorations. The story revolves around Julia, a woman who returns to her hometown after a decade, only to uncover long-buried secrets and lies. Tintera's writing is compelling, with a knack for building tension and suspense that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The characters are richly developed, particularly Julia, whose journey of unraveling the past is both haunting and riveting. The narrative is filled with well-placed twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very end. "Listen for the Lie" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers, offering a blend of mystery, emotion, and unexpected revelations.

This was such a solid thriller/mystery read for me. I loved Lucy and her take no shit attitude. She was unapologetically herself and I just thought she was a great main character to take us through this story. The podcast element really worked for me. Perfect summer thriller to get into!

This sucked me in from the beginning. I love how the POV swaps between Lucy and the true crime pod cast. Even though this was a thriller the FMC made me lol so many times. Such a joy to read. Highly recommend.!!

This is one of my favorite books of the year!

Lucy is accused of murdering her best friend, Savvy. But Lucy didn't kill her... at least she doesn't think she killed her. She can't actually remember what happened that night, but she does know that she was found covered in Savvy's blood. But it's hard to prove that you're innocent (or guilty, for that matter) when you can't remember what happened. Not to mention, Lucy has intrusive thoughts constantly that tell her to grab the nearest object and kill whoever she may be in cahoots with at the moment. Enter Ben, the podcaster who is determined to find the truth about what happened that night, and settle once and for all whether Lucy is a murderer or not. But will interviewing Lucy and her family and friends really uncover the truth about what happened to Savvy, or will it uncover secrets that were meant to stay buried?

This was a wild ride. I actually ended up listening to the audio version and it was fantastic. The story itself was great but I think the cast did a superb job of really bringing the story to life (can you say that when the book is about a murder?) I loved the character development in this book, though the only character I truly loved was Lucy's grandma, that sassy little thing she is. All of the other characters were shady and unreliable and blaming everyone else for the murder, which worked really well, but made it hard to really connect and love them.

This book gave me some Finlay Donovan vibes, as I found parts of the story and dialogue to be humorous and witty. I also found myself guessing if Lucy was a murderer or not every other chapter, and trying to figure out who it could be if it wasn't Lucy.

All the stars for this one, I truly loved it. I was even happy with the ending, and that never happens!

This book was such a page turner from start to finish! I adore the podcast style representation and the snarky FMC. Quick chapters and I loved the side characters.

If you liked A Good Girls Guide to Murder or Night Swim, this is the book for you!

Rating: 4 stars

This mystery/thriller was so fun! If you're into audiobooks, I highly suggest the production of this recording while reading a physical copy. This book was so addicting, I couldn't put this down! If you want a very fast-paced read, similar pace to a Frieda McFadden book, then this is for you. I can guarantee this will get you out of a reading slump. The main protagonist was witty and entertaining. While I guessed the plot twist at the end, I will reflect back on this book and consider my time well spent. Can't wait to read another Amy Tintera book in the future.

Pick this one up!!!

4.5 stars

I'm so glad that I actually listened to the hype for once and picked this one up. This is one of those books that pulls you in right from the beginning and doesn't let you go. Lucy is an interesting main character because she doesn't actually believe that she is innocent. She has just tried to move on with her life and ignore those missing memories but with these huge question marks hanging over her head. I really enjoyed Lucy as a main character, but it was her grandmother that stole the show for me. She was just the best honestly. This book was quite the page turner which I flew through in just a couple of days. My one warning is that this book does deal with some darker subject matter but to put it in content warnings might also be a spoiler so message me if you need content warnings and I will share. Overall, I cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next. Believe the hype!

Readers who enjoy suspenseful, page turning reads should pick this book up if you haven't yet. Also, those who enjoy podcasts in their books should also give this one a try. I'm landing on 4.5 stars and rounding up on Goodreads.

When Lucy is found walking down the street covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she’s a murderer. Even Lucy, years later, isn’t sure what happened that night. When that murder becomes the next hot topic of a popular true crime podcast about unsolved murders, Lucy has no choice but to go home and confront whatever truth she finds. If you like lead characters who are a little morally grey, a little confused, and a lot motivated to discover what really happened, this book is for you! If you like red herrings and twists, this book is for you too! And if you love books with characters you can hate…this book is definitely for you!

This was so good! Loved the podcast element and Lucy's grandma. I really liked how each town person was introduced, it made it easier to remember who everyone was. The pacing of the story was great. I liked the way the big reveal happened, I just wish we spent a little less time harping on Lucy's memory. It was an obviously huge piece of what happened, but it also felt like we were being beaten over the head with it a little bit.