Lucy Chase was found bloodied, dirty and with an injury to her head, walking down the road with no memory of what happened to her five years ago. Then her best friend Savvy was found murdered and Lucy’s loved ones and the whole town believed she was responsible. And now a podcast has taken up the case, and with the help of her grandmother, convinced her to come back to her hometown to find out the truth about what happened.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The way Lucy was written was just perfect. She is sassy but not too sassy. She’s got a very dark sense of humor and is just a highly likable character. Her grandmother is spunky and just a riot. Loved her! They really just made the whole book for me.
The storyline was a little predictable and there are a lot of mysteries out now with the whole podcast subplot that it’s becoming a trope. I guessed the killer pretty early on. It says a lot about Amy Tintera’s writing that I was still so sucked in, I couldn’t put it down. Definitely will be looking for all of her future books.. Definitely give this one a chance!
Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

What a surprisingly fun novel that I flew through! “Listen for the Lie” is dark, yet incredibly funny. Yes, funny! I’m not sure I’ve read a thriller with so much humor and snark mixed in, but that is definitely what made this one stand out among the spate of mediocre thrillers that bombard bookstores these days.

Although not as unique anymore, I’m also a sucker for a book that features a true crime podcast, and this one did not disappoint. With that in mind, I wholeheartedly recommend the audiobook for this one! The production was wonderful and they really brought the podcast aspect alive. I’m talking sound effects, intro and outro music, plus two separate actors playing the various parts. It was quite the listening experience and kept me captivated the entire time!

US release date: March 5, 2024.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and Celadon Books for this advanced copy!

This is Lucy's story. She may have just killed her best friend. But, she doesn't know if she did. Others may think so, but no one is sure. A podcaster gets involved five years later, trying to unravel the truth.

At the start of this book, my nerves were already shot.
The title had me wondering about everything that every character was saying. I was listening (or reading) for the lie.

Also, I can tell that we have an unreliable narrator. So, can I believe everything or anything she says? What if I miss the lie? What if I think something else is the lie?
Oh, my nerves!!!!!🤯

Fast-paced. Somewhat disturbing, but in the way you expect to be disturbed reading a thriller. Lots of triggers, but, I would expect that most people with triggers would not choose to read a psychological thriller.

A lot of characters, perhaps enough to get confusing. Lucy is very outspoken, sassy and interesting. She's an enigma. Her 80-year-old grandmother loves her cocktails and men. Lucy's parents don't seem to be parent material.

For these, like me, who are worried about missing the lie, don't worry. You won't miss it. In fact, I turned the page back to make sure I had not misread it.

The ending was reminiscent of the endings created by Alfred Hitchcock. You know what you just read. But, do you really??? If the ending is the truth, does the truth really matter?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

I love a mix media book. Podcasts are something I listen to regularly, especially true crime. I love the unreliable narrator, and I truly did not know who to believe.

I haven’t had a 5 star read in awhile, but this one was easy to get into, kept me wanting to know what happened next. The length was shorter than I normally read, but that definitely helped.

Amy Tintera’s adult debut definitely lived up to the hype for me. If you like podcasts, snarky main characters, and dark humor, you’ll probably like this book.

Did Lucy kill her best friend, Savvy? Everyone in her small Texas town seems to think so. Even Lucy thinks she might be guilty because she was the last person with Savvy and has no memories from the night of the murder. Five years after the murder, Lucy comes back to town to celebrate her grandma’s birthday. Ben, who is making a true crime podcast about the murder, is in town at the same time. Lucy and Ben are both trying to solve Savvy’s murder even if it means proving Lucy is guilty.

This book is told in mostly present day with episodes of the podcast every few chapters. There were also several flashback chapters. I love podcast elements in thrillers, but Lucy and Savvy kept me equally invested in the other sections as well.

I love dark humor is my thrillers, so this book really hit the spot for me. I loved Lucy as a main character. She was constantly making me grin and chuckle. I also really liked Savvy from the flashback chapters, but the real star of the book was Lucy’s grandma. The mystery was intriguing, but the sassy characters were what really made me love the book.

This was a fun and fast thriller that centers around Lucy, who is accused of murdering her best friend five years ago. The podcast element and writing is fun and makes this read super engaging and quick! I received an ARC edition of this read.

A woman returns to her small hometown in Texas when a podcaster starts a series about the murder of her best friend - which everyone is convinced she committed. I will forever be waving this book in the air as proof that overused tropes can still work when done right! This was the most fun I’ve had reading a mystery/thriller in years. Don’t take it too seriously and just enjoy the ride.

Listen for the Lie was a quick pace amusing suspense - I would call it "thriller light". Our main character Lucy is showcased during 2 timelines, the first is five years ago just following the murder of her best friend Savvy - which she has no memory of. The current time she has returned home to Texas for her grandmother's birthday, all the while Ben, a true crime podcaster, is sleuthing around town trying to solve Savvy's murder. Lucy is snarky, smart, strong, witty and sometimes reckless. She's had a tough past and for five year's the world has suspected her of murder and she herself doesn't know what occurred.. Her inner voice is often amusing and I did chuckle out loud a few times. Great adult debut by Tintera and I will looking to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for granting me access to this book.

This was a great book. Five years ago there was a murder in the small town of Plumpton, Texas. Lucy Chase was never charged with the murder of her best friend Savannah, but only because no evidence could be found. However, she was there and later found wandering the road covered in blood. She later moved to LA to get away from all the accusations. She soon has to return to Plumpton to attend her grandmother's birthday party. Ben Owens, comes to town too, with his podcast, hoping to find the answer to the question of who killed Savannah.
This book will keep you turning the pages. The tension between the characters, the short chapters, the fast pacing, the drama and a main character that you can't help but cheer for will keep readers engaged all the way to the end. Also, the ending was perfect!
Put this book at the top of your TBR pile!

This was a wild ride! I enjoyed the humor woven throughout the story, and the way the story was told through Lucy's POV and the podcast. This definitely kept me up late reading because I had to know who killed Savvy. This was a great adult debut for this author and I look forward to reading their work in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Listen For The Lie by Amy Tintera
Publishing date - March 5th 2024
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Book for the advanced copy of this ebook.

This book was engrossing and addictive from the start! I loved the short chapters , the podcast interviews, and the wow 😮 ending!

Gripping, suspenseful, and impossible to put down. Highly recommend this debut novel when it releases on March 5th.

This is so intense and thrilling (in a good way!). I kept making up theories on who the murder was, so you know it’s a good book when it keeps you guessing. Also, I think that the portrayal of trauma was an important theme of discussion, especially because trauma affects how we perceive everything. The main character, Lucy, is a somewhat likable due to her sarcastic attitude towards life and her inherent flaws are vital to make her guilt more substantial. Lucy’s grandmother, Beverly, is someone I admired from the beginning because of her outlook on life and sense of humor. She definitely made the story more interesting and entertaining!

There is a significant amount of victim abuse and domestic violence in this novel, so fair warning to those triggered by those themes.

Overall, such an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Oh, where do I even begin with Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera? Let me just say, this book is absolutely INCREDIBLE!!!
This is one of the most gripping thrillers I've ever read! I mean, seriously, I was hooked from the get-go, and let me tell you, once I started, I couldn't stop till the very end.

After Lucy is discovered covered in her best friend Savvy's blood, suspicions of murder haunt her small Texas town. Lucy and Savvy, once the envy of all for their charm and popularity, now cast a shadow of doubt over Lucy's innocence. Despite relocating to Los Angeles to start anew, Lucy's past catches up with her when the hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie" and its charismatic host, Ben Owens, decide to investigate Savvy's murder. Forced to confront her memories—or lack thereof—Lucy returns to her hometown, determined to uncover the truth behind Savvy's death, even if it implicates her in the process.

What really blew me away was Tintera's ability to blend suspense with humor. I mean, Lucy's dark wit had me laughing out loud one minute and then clutching my heart in the next. It's such a unique and unexpected aspect of the story that adds so much depth to Lucy's character.

And let's not forget about Ben's podcast. As if the mystery surrounding Savvy's murder wasn't enough, now we have this whole other layer of investigation unfolding before our eyes (or ears, I guess). It's like being sucked into your favorite true crime series, only you're living it through the pages of a book!

And can we just talk about that ending? Just when you think you've got it all figured out, Tintera hits you with another bombshell that leaves your jaw on the floor. It's the kind of ending that stays with you long after you've finished the book, and let me tell you, I am still reeling from it.

Listen for the Lie is hands down one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time, and I have no doubt it will be topping bestseller lists left and right. Amy Tintera has outdone herself with this one, and I am already counting down the days until I can read it again. Trust me, you do not want to miss out on this must-read for 2024!

The page turning mystery was so much fun to read. I love when a book has an added media. In this case it’s a podcast. I swear I could hear the podcast in my ears as I was reading it. I was really absorbed in the story. I couldn’t get through it fast enough. The ending was a surprise to me too.

Can you tell who is lying and who is telling the truth?

Thank you to NetGalley, Celedon Books and Amy Tintera for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Five years ago, Lucy Chase was found wandering down the road covered in the blood of her best friend, Savvy, with no memory of the past 12 hours.
Lucy became the prime suspect in her murder. But, without enough evidence, Lucy is never charged and moves away to Los Angeles.
Podcaster, Ben, decides to dig up this cold case determined to find the truth. Lucy and Ben find themselves in an unlikely alliance to uncover what truly happened that night five years ago.
Everyone is hiding something and damning secrets are finally revealed.
And everyone is tuning in to find out, did Lucy Chase truly kill her best friend?

This was such a great, fast paced thriller.
I couldn’t devour this book fast enough.
I loved Lucy (no pun intended) She was so unapologetically herself. Dark humor with zero fucks to give.
Ben was such a fun character. Him and Lucy had such great chemistry and I loved seeing them work their way through this mystery.
But the best character by far was 100% Lucy’s grandma! She was sassy with such spunk and so loving.
This book was a wild, twisty ride filled with secrets and shocking revelations.
You’ll love this book if you enjoy
- Murder mysteries
- Return to hometown
- Amnesia
- Small town secrets
- Dark humor

A must read for every mystery lover!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the best thrillers I've read in a long time!

I thought it was perfectly paced both in terms of plot and in terms of the truth coming to light piece by piece. The main character, Lucy, was edgy but loveable even as she was the definition of an unreliable narrator.

I don't even care if you're over the true-crime podcast trope, if you like thrillers and unreliable narrators, you've got to give this one a go.

Review on Instagram @fromsarahsbooknook coming closer to release date.

This was a rollercoaster ride I didn't want to get off of. Was the ending the actual truth? Do I think it was? I'm not sure. But I loved it.

If you want a mystery thriller with a sharp and somewhat unreliable narrator (due to amnesia and also secrets) with a podcast element, you should absolutely give this a go. Because most of this really worked for me.

I think where I lost some of the fun — and don’t get me wrong, there is a surprising amount of fun to be had with this reading experience, especially considering the subject mater — was where it devolved into focusing a lot on the very messy romantic entanglements that seemed very common and popular in this small town. Everyone’s a liar, everyone’s a cheater, there’s a prevalence of violence that most people look away from in the same way no one really acknowledges the infidelity except it’s, of course, worse, and.. yeah. It was messy.

I’m also struggling a little bit with the big solve and the aftermath of what realistically happened with said character between then and when this story picks up because I just don’t really get it.

Outside of that though? Lucy constantly imagining how to kill people while also not knowing if she killed her bestie? Very entertaining. Lucy’s constantly-drinking grandmother? Amazing. The dynamic between Lucy and the podcast host? Flirty with a side of fuck yeah. Plus, you know, I loved the whole podcast except elements. It’s probably great on audio, too. There was also something particularly sharp and poignant, and dark, about how the truth didn’t ever really matter, that everyone’s mind was made up, no matter what evidence did or didn’t exist, and the sad reality that it’s easier to believe a man’s version of events than a woman’s.

So, yes, a surprisingly mostly fun murdery time was had. And I would definitely read more from Tintera if this is the direction she is going in these days (I remember really loving her zombie sci-fi YA from way back in the day so this was a cool way to reconnect with her writing) and oh, yeah, that’s another thing I loved. The writing was really well suited for Lucy’s narrative voice and that helped make this a one-sitting kind of read which is exactly what I needed right now.

Wow! This was certainly a page turner! I was sneaking chapters in on my phone, in the shower, wherever. The dry sarcasm of the main character, Lucy, speaks to me. I love her. The set up of this book is super fun. The premise is a podcast made by a journalist about the murder of a young woman. Lucy is the main suspect but can't remember anything from that night. The entire town of Plumpton believes Lucy is guilty but will this podcast prove otherwise? Will it send Lucy to jail? I definitely had fun finding out! This incredibly twisted tale of deceit will definitely keep the pages turning!

Five years ago, Lucy Chase was found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend's blood. Her best friend is dead and she can't remember a thing. The entire town and even her family turn on her and believe she's murdered her best friend. And now a popular podcaster has come to town to investigate. Will this podcaster discover Lucy's deepest, darkest secrets? Did Lucy really kill her best friend or is she another victim in this case?

This book was engrossing and addictive from the start! I loved the short chapters, the podcast interviews sprinkled within, and the dark humor was highly enjoyable!

Gripping, suspenseful, and impossible to put down. Amy Tintera has knocked it out of the park in her adult debut and I can't wait to read more from her in this space!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Book for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.