I honestly don't know how to feel about this book because I really enjoyed it for about 95% of it, and then I really did not like the ending.
Pros: I really liked the characters. I think overall they were really well fleshed out. Even though she was a little annoying at times, the FMC was really interesting. Even though the amnesia trope has been done before, I really enjoy it and think Tintera did a good job with it. The voices/unhinged part of her personality was also well done. At first I was confused about this part and didn't necessarily like it, but once it explained what they voices she was hearing was, it fit very well and I think it really added an interesting touch to the story. There were also a lot of different types of relationships that added a lot of layers to the story. There was a range of good, bad, toxic, healthy, romantic, platonic, and familial relationships which I think made the story much more realistic and relatable. (Although the fact that almost everyone was hooking up with everyone else got a little excessive). The chapters were quick and snappy which made it a very quick and easy read, along with the mixed media/podcast sections.
--the voices especially once it was explained, the sex scene (a little out of place, but hot), the different relationships (good, bad, toxic, normal), quick and snappy chapters, mixed media.
Cons: The ending almost entirely ruined the book for me. I think the ultimate perpetrator kind of came out of nowhere. Yes, we met the character a few times, but their motivations really were not substantiated by their actions in the rest of the book. Explaining why exactly I don't like their motivations might spoil it, so I might edit this review once the book comes out. There were also too many red-herrings. Yes, those are pretty necessary in mysteries, but there were just way too many and there were a few that were almost too good. At one point I thought I was following a thread and thought it would have been a really good ending. The author was just going to add a few details that pulled it all together and make it more surprising. But unfortunately she went with this ending out of left field that made no sense in my opinion. I think in mysteries there should be little details that readers can pick out to kind of guess the ending and it doesn't necessarily need to be this crazy plot twist that we could never guess.
Also: warning for the sex scenes (more fade to black but a little explicit). While I did enjoy them, I think they really came without warning a could be a little jarring for some readers.
I'm still giving it 4 stars (although I tempted to give it 3 stars) because I enjoyed the vast majority of the story and just really wish the ending/perpetrator was different.

📜Listen For The Lie
✍️Amy Tintera
📠Celadon Books
📚Mystery/Thriller, Fiction
🗓️Pub date: March 5, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @celadonbooks for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Also, thank you to @amytintera for writing an amazing book!

✨When Savannah is found bludgeoned to death in the woods, still in wedding guest attire, and her best friend, Lucy, is found wandering the street covered in blood, eyebrows start to raise.

✨Lucy, having no recollection of how she ends up covered in her friend’s blood, is rumored to have killed Savvy.

✨Lucy long ago left her hometown after that dreadful night, and news of a recent murder podcast—starring her as the main role—forces her to face her demons. Fired from her job and a relationship on the fritz, she decides to go back home to where it all began.

✨ With disturbing intrusive thoughts and a quest to uncover who really killed Savvy, Lucy risks everything to find answers, even if it means outing herself in the process.

✨Darkly funny, sadistic, and a narrative where no one can be trusted, Listen For The Lie is a podcaster’s dream and a thrilling ride. Not one to miss!

✨QOTD: What’s your favorite True Crime podcast?

#netgalley #celadonbooks #listenforthelie #amytintera #winterreleases #thrillerfiction #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ivegotbooks #killmewithwords #idratherbereading #qotd #thrillersandkillersofig #crimepodcast #murderpodcast #whodunit

My new favorite thriller!

The writing is so accessible; it felt like sitting down and listening to your friend tell a story... you know, the ones that start with, "so get this!" The dialogue was impeccable. Lucy's grandma, Beverly, cracked me up. I loved the snark and realness of Lucy. Lucy was not painted as some sweet and innocent girl who could never kill. (And Lucy's inner voice was a nice add.)

This book kept me guessing. I vacillated between three different suspects at various points in the book, and I was wrong on all accounts! There were so many secrets and "lies" that the ultimate unveiling was a major "ohhhhh" moment.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 10 out 10; no notes. Especially from a person who rarely reads thrillers... this one is a must read.

Yes! This book was fast paced and really fun to read! I loved Lucy’s character… as a sarcastic person, I really enjoyed her sarcasm and witty responses. Listen for the Lie had a bit of everything I enjoy– short chapters, a little romance, humor, suspense, and an ending that I did not predict. I would definitely recommend this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to Celadon Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review. Listen for the Lie publishes March 5th!

In a sea of mystery and thriller reads, Tintera has created a unique, fresh, and highly sarcastic voice in her FMC Lucy! Truly, what is a girl to do after her entire hometown is convinced she murdered her best friend? Despite the lack of evidence or Lucy's ability to remember what happened that night? She's attempted to move on and carve out a semblance of a happy life in LA. Five years later however, true-crime podcaster, Ben Owens, is releasing an anniversary series around Lucy's case and Savvy's murder, ruining Lucy's ability to hide under the radar. Forced to return to her hometown, Lucy is determined to solve her friend's murder, even if she is the one that did it. Partnering with the oh-so-handsome Ben to interview locals, her family, Savvy's family, and her ex-husband, Lucy uncovers secrets and new details on what happened during the weeks leading up to Savvy's death in a propulsive and twisty whodunit. I adored the podcast transcripts/mixed media segments between chapters and could not get enough of Lucy and Ben's banter and dark humor. This was such a bingeable and addictive read full of flawed and snarky characters and a mystery you truly want to solve.

Amnesia has been April’s defense for the past five years since she was found walking down the road covered in her dead best friends blood. Will returning to her hometown help her remember the events of that night? Will a handsome podcast host be her salvation or demise? For fans of true crime podcasts, and unreliable narrators, this slow-burn mystery set in small town Texas will have you guessing whodunit until the very end.

Do you ever find the right book at just the right time? I was in a mini reading slump and picked up an advanced reader copy of Listen for the Lie and couldn’t put it down! Everyone believes Lucy killed her best friend…even Lucy doesn’t know if she did it or not. When podcaster Ben comes to town to solve the case, everyone’s secrets get drudged to the surface. This book was full of dark humor, mystery, and twists. Yes, please! Be sure to check it out in early March.

Many thanks to #netgalley #celadonbooks and the author for the #arc in exchange for an honest #bookreview.

#listenforthe #amytintera #mystery #mysterybooks #thriller #thrillernovels #podcastbooks #booksbooksbooks

This is my first true crime podcast novel. The story sucked me in right from the start. The point of view is of the suspected murderer - Lucy.

Lucy left her hometown five years ago after her best friend is murdered, and she becomes the prime suspect. No charges were brought against her, because no evidence was ever found but everyone in town, except a few, think she’s guilty.

Ben is A true crime podcaster and he’s decided to do his second season based on the murder of Savy, Lucy’s, best friend. I thought the podcast was well done, but I’ve never read a podcast before - I only actually listened to the real ones.

I liked both of the main characters. I thought it was very believable that Lucy couldn’t remember what happened because of her injuries. Although the suspects could’ve been, everyone who went to the wedding, it focused more on the people who might have last saw Savy, which makes sense.

I finished the book in a couple of days and would definitely recommend it to everyone. It does keep you guessing but has a satisfactory ending. I’d like to thank net galley for this complementary copy in advance in exchange for a review.

Listen for the lie was such a great read. You follow Lucy who is suspected of killing her best friend Savvy. Lucy is found wandering in the road with Savvys blood all over her. A well known Podcaster, Ben, with a show called Listen for the lie takes interest in this mysterious case of Lucy "killing her best friend." I loved the funny dark humor of Lucy who has no memory of the night her best friend died. If you're looking for a funny, engaging, twisting, dark humor type book I'd recommend picking this on up! 4.5 stars!

So many suspects that all could have been the murderer, even Lucy! I love when I cannot exactly guess the mystery!
The podcast was done really well, better than other books with similar tropes.
The banter between Ben and Lucy was great. savvy’s “memory” kept this interesting as well. I love being in on the secrets and knowing the real Savvy.
Grandma Beverly is 10/10. Lucy’s mom, and even dad, suck balls. I wish S got her wish about M he was the worst!!!
All the cheating and overlap really made it such a messy small town that I’m surprised there weren’t more suspects back 5 years ago but with the lacking evidence and only one person covered in blood they didn’t have anything to go on.

Truly an amazing suspense/ domestic thriller! Great writing!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book, Listen For The Lie.

Listen For the Lie introduces us to Lucy, a girl whose entire hometown is convinced she killed her best friend, but Lucy herself cannot remember what happened. A true crime podcaster takes an interest in her story and we learn more about the main character and her poor decision making over the years. I quite liked Lucy’s character as well as her grandma, both had a great sense of humor and I liked the relationship between the characters as well.

This story is a huge who done it as it makes you look at each and every character as a suspect while it takes you through all of their personal lives and relationships with each other leaving you to decide who can be trusted and what really happened to Lucy’s best friend Savvy.

In reading through the acknowledgments, I learned that this is the author’s first adult novel and she has previously written young adult. That was interesting to me because I tend to not like young adult works and I could see how some of the themes uncovered her previous work for that demographic of audience, but I still enjoyed the book.

4.5 stars

Publishes March 5, 2024

Sometimes you need a good one-night stand. And this is definitely one of those...books, of course!

Hear me out. This thriller has some tropes that we have seen many times: amnesia, a murder that has happened in the past, a podcast trying to figure out what really happened, podcast episodes.

But what these thrillers don't usually have is a compelling narrator. Lucy is our narrator in this thriller, and she will steal your heart. She's sarcastic, smart, and genuinely doesn't know if she killed her friend 5 years ago. She went off with her friend after a wedding, her friend was found dead, Lucy was found with blood on her, but never actually convicted although convicted in the minds of her small community.

Her grandmother gets her to come home, and coincidentally podcaster Ben is tackling her friend Savvy's murder on the current season of his podcast.

This is a great thriller to spend the evening with. Maybe your one-night stand with this will become a two-night stand like it did for me!


#listenforthelie #amytintera #netgalleyreview #bookstagram #march2024release

This was a page-turning thriller that true crime/podcast lovers are sure to enjoy. The unreliable narrator was handled in a unique way and Lucy's grandma was quite the memorable character. Thank you to Celadon Books for e-mailing me an advanced copy - it comes out 3/5/24!

Amy Tintera’s latest, Listen for the Lie, is a fast paced whodunit and I couldn’t get enough of it. This book was absolutely incredible!!!! I truly couldn’t read it fast enough.

Five years ago, Lucy’s best friend Savvy was murdered— and Lucy was the prime suspect. Lucy, however, can’t remember if she actually did kill Savvy or not. Cut to present day, and podcast host, Ben Owens, comes to town to try to solve Savvy’s case. What actually happened to Savvy that fateful night??

Listen for the Lie hits the shelves on March 5, 2024, and I HIGHLY recommend moving this book to the top of your list. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this outstanding, jaw-dropping ARC.

I’m a sucker for fictional true crime - I love the combination of the transcript and the investigation behind it. Listen For The Lie feels like a fresh take on the genre.

This book is serious, but Lucy, the main narrator, is funny. I laughed out loud on a plane multiple times while reading. The story kept me engaged throughout, made me feel like I was part of the investigation, and at no point did I think “wait, this reminds me of [insert other book here]”. The author didn’t waste words, a la Christie, but the narrative flowed.

I’ve read a lot of good books recently and this one might come out at the top of the heap. I’m looking forward to reading this again and also reading anything else Amy Tintera writes.

An amazing adult debut! True crime podcast thrillers are certainly not new to the thriller genre, but I absolutely loved the dark humor in this, and how messy it was. Read this in only a couple of days because it kept me super interested. I hope there are more adult novels from this author in the future!

This is one of my favorite reads of the year so far. It pulled me in right away and kept me hooked through the end. I liked the true crime podcast connection. That trope might get overdone before long, but it worked really well here.

This book was incredible! Often times a book will be described as one thing and be another, but this was unique and had me rushing to get to the end. Love how different it felt, love the podcast feel, done correctly! Absolutely thrilling and almost perfect!!

Listen for the Lie was overall a fun one to read. I enjoyed the podcast format & getting to know all of the characters, especially Lucy and Savvy. At times it felt like more of a small town drama rather than a thriller. Some things I wasn’t sure fit into the story, like Nathan for example. Since it was set in a “small podunk town”, it started to feel more like a locked room mystery too. Like there’s only so many characters, so it’s gotta be one of you. Overall, an enjoyable read!

Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted ARC of LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera!

LISTEN FOR THE LIE follows Lucy, a young woman who has lived with the question of whether or not she murdered her best friend years ago. Everyone else is convinced she’s guilty, but Lucy has no memories of the night she is found covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood and no explanation for her own injuries that night.

Lucy has cut ties with her home town in the years that have passed since that tragic night, but a request from her grandmother, the one person that has stood by Lucy’s side all this time, has her heading back home. A hit true crime podcast of the same title as the novel is investigating Savvy’s murder and Lucy must decide if the time is right to participate and finally get answers.

I am really drawn to books with a podcast element and I really appreciate when that is incorporated well into a book. I am happy to say that the podcast was really well done here and I think that the audiobook was a fantastic way to consume this story. With multiple narrators and additional production elements, the audio takes full advantage of the mixed media format.

Lucy was a complicated character and had me really wondering what happened all those years ago. I didn’t always love her and there were times I definitely questioned her decisions, but she was very compelling to read about. This book takes on some serious subjects as well, so I do recommend checking out trigger warnings if those may be a concern.

I started this book on my flight to Thailand and it instantly had me hooked. I had to put it down for a while as I didn’t get much reading done after my initial flight, but I kept wanting to get back into the story and I binged the last 70% on my flight home.

I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend!