Five years ago Lucy's best friend Savvy is murdered. Lucy is found the morning after wondering around with a head wound and covered in Savvy's blood and no memory of what happened. Everyone assumes Lucy is the murderer, but there is not enough evidence to convict her, so Lucy is never arrested. Soon after Lucy flees her Texas hometown to live in Los Angeles. Ben Owens hosts a podcast called "Listen to the Lie" He is determined to find the truth about what happened to Savvy.
I loved this book. The cast of characters were interesting, especially Lucy's grandmother. The mystery kept me guessing. Did Lucy actually kill her best friend? Was it Lucy's ex husband, her mother, her former best friend from high school? I cannot wait to read more from Amy Tintera!
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lucy has found herself in the spotlight after becoming the storyline of a popular podcast. Her best friend was murdered, and although she has never been convicted of being responsible, everyone around Lucy thinks that she did it. She has blocked out everything from that night and can’t remember what happened. Ben, the podcast host, is determined to dive deep into the town’s secrets and finally figure out who murdered Savvy. Lucy reluctantly starts talking to Ben and realizes she needs to do everything she can to revisit that night and jog those memories; it’s what Savvy deserves.
I loved the podcast interview sections of the book. The flashback scenes were done SO well. Grandma Beverly was hilarious. The last 20% of the book had me locked in and so anxious. Ugh, I just really enjoyed it. This is my first Amy Tintera read and I immediately want to read her backlog.
Thank you to Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for the copy in exchange of my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this copy of "Listen for the Lie."

This book was so fun to read, even though it was about an awful murder and the prime suspect having amnesia about the whole event and her life being ruined because of it.

It was compulsive and addicting and I couldn't stop reading. Lucy and her grandma were such wonderful characters - Lucy wants to find the truth, even if she was the killer. And her grandma is a hoot and a firecracker and you'll love her.

Title: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Publication Date- 03/05/24
Publisher- Celadon Books
Overall Rating- 4.5 out of 5 stars (rounded up)

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

What a solid, unhinged, 4.5 star read, I did not expect that. This book is truly unhinged that’s probably the first thing you should know going in. But, take unhinged in the best way possible. This is like a murder happened mid season of desperate housewives. I loved it.

The first thing I want to say is about the writing. The banter throughout, between different characters and even within our MC’s brain is just top tier. I ate that up. I will read any thriller (this author used to write YA fantasy) that this Amy Tintera publishes just for the banter. I highlighted up and down my kindle edition. Read it for that alone. The writing otherwise is okay, it’s not the best I’ve ever read but it’s not bad. In fact, it was pretty simple but I think that really aided in it’s favor because it really felt like a popcorn thriller you could just fly through. I actually skipped my morning workout to finish this books.

The mystery is good, I really liked all the characters even if I loved to hate them. I found the ending surprising in some ways and not in others which is actually what I prefer in a thriller. I can’t stand when there are too many twists or twists that just don’t make sense. This was straight forward and made sense and I loved it. About the ending, we do get mostly a clear cut answer but it’s also left slightly open ended and some things we will never know. If you would have told me this I probably wouldn’t have read the book. BUT I felt like that really worked here and will leave me thinking. The openness wasn’t so much that I don’t feel like it was worth reading it is. Read it so we can be stuck in this slight limbo together.

I’m really interested to see what everyone thinks of this story. The only reason it wasn’t a 5 star for me is because there were some aspects of mental health that either weren’t addressed (as a therapist I know I can be a hard ass about this) or just weren’t believable in my opinion. Now, the ending does make the math, math but I just had a few mild complaints that kept it from being a 5 star.

I am so excited to see what this author will publish next, read this for the banter and a fast paced, unhinged women, interesting thriller with podcast elements that actually add to the story.

I really wanted this book to be amazing but it was just ok. It had great potential and I do the story is there but the pacing and dialogue that needed refining and some more guidance and maybe it would work. The jumping from past to present was confusing at times and I had to go back to reread and check what time frame we were in. The characters were well developed and of course everyone is sleeping with everyone it seems or did at some point in the past and this became confusing. The lack of memory was written too much in this story without enough meat - like we get it she lost her memory and doesn't know what happen.

I wish Grandma was written in more and helped tell the story because she was very entertaining. It got tiring hearing all the gaslighting by each character for the same thing. Repetition of certain phrases and actions also stands out like a sore thumb - sweat down her back - it is Texas but other parts sweat too and the word smug is way over used.

I did like with the audiobook the format with the podcast and how it was used in the book. I did like the snarky way Lucy spoke and how Savvy was around in her head. I didn't like how she thought how she would kill each person she interact with and thought this was distracting and confusing making me think she was the killer or at least mental illness.

I really wanted this to be good and really kept thinking it would get there but didn't make it for me.

Thank you to Celadon Books, NetGalley and author, Amy Tintera, for the digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC to honestly review. This will be published on March 5, 2024. Keep Reading and find your next adventure in black and white.

I absolutely devoured this book in one sitting! Did I read it while also watching the Super Bowl-- yes, but the fact that this book held my attention and I could not put it down despite the Super Bowl being on says a lot!

This was such a quick, easy read, and it kept me engaged the entire time. The chapters were super short, but something was happening in every chapter. This is a classic "who done it" style murder mystery, but I think having the true-crime podcast aspect to it makes it such a unique read. I loved seeing the multiple interviews with each character and discovering the truth behind what happened five years ago.
The entire time, you uncover so many plot twists that you have to wonder if anyone is telling the truth. Everyone has their own secrets to uncover, and how far are they willing to go to keep them hidden?

I was not able to guess who had done it, but I was not as shocked as I hoped I would be. It still surprised me, but the ending just fell a little flat for me. Still, a fantastic read that kept me on my toes the entire time, needing to rush to the end to know the truth.

With that, I rated this book 4 Stars!

I love books that involve podcast parts. I love that they give straight to the point information and I can try and deduce the whole book. I couldn’t with this one because I was too engulfed on what would happen next. Lucy is the perfect complex character for this book, Ben is an even better example. Never would I have considered the ending what it was.

Lucy Chase's life couldn't be worse. Five years ago, her best friend Savannah (Savvy) Harper was murdered and while she was never charged with the crime, Lucy was found guilty by the court of public opinion. Rather than remain a pariah, she moved from her hometown of Plumpton, Texas to Los Angeles to start over, leaving her husband and family behind. When a podcast on the unsolved murdered of Savvy called Listen for the Lie started to get national exposure, Lucy lost her job, and her live-in boyfriend was sure to dump her. She reluctantly returns home to attend her grandmother's 80th birthday celebration where Ben Owens, the true-crime podcaster, is waiting to interview her. But Lucy has never been able to remember anything about the night of the murder and can't explain why she was found with Savvy's blood all over her.

In her adult fiction debut, author Amy Tintera triumphs in Listen for the Lie. This highly entertaining, sharp, fast-paced mystery thriller is told mostly from Lucy's point of view as well as through the podcast transcripts. Ben is good at what he does and pushes for the truth. Lucy, who has accepted that people's minds have already been made up, agrees to open up to Ben even when she has many secrets to hide. She's a great character who is sarcastic, funny and smart. Her grandmother Beverly is another appealing character and is someone who never loses faith in Lucy. The unfolding of the mystery of who killed Savvy was very well done with some good twists and surprises. It's a winner.

I received an Arc of Listen for the Lie from Netgalley. Publication date: March 5, 2024. This story centers around Lucy who was accused but never charged with the murder of her best friend Savvy. Five years later a podcaster Ben starts a podcast about Savvy's murder to find out if Lucy did indeed kill her best friend. Lucy has since moved to Los Angeles but returns to her hometown for her Grandmother’s birthday party and ends up working with Ben to discover the truth of what happened the night her friend was murdered. Lucy has no memory of what happened that night due to a head injury she sustained that same night. A lot of secrets are uncovered and plot twists. The story will also have you laughing.

Listen for the Lie
Amy Tintera

After Lucy’s best friend Savvy was brutally murdered, she was found wandering around her body, covered with her friend's blood with no memory of what had happened. Years later, she returns to her hometown for a family celebration and finds that everyone in town including her own family still thinks she is guilty. Fuel is added to the fire when a true crime podcaster begins investigating Savvy’s murder causing more doubt to Lucy’s innocence. She begins to doubt her innocence and searches for the truth, retracing her steps through the area where the murder occurred. A top-notch whodunit, full of twists and turns and highly entertaining characters, any one of whom could have been the murderer. Guaranteed to keep you up all night.

This book was clever, intriguing and fun to read. Right from the first chapter I liked Lucy. You want to know her story. Did she kill her best friend? Was she innocent. I had to know. My favorite part of the book was having part of the story told by a Podcaster. I so enjoyed reading his podcasts. It felt like a story within a story. I'm so happy I got to read this book. It was fun ride throughout.

US pub date: 3/5/24
Genre: thriller (true crime podcast)
Quick summary: Lucy woke up covered in BFF Savvy's blood with no memory of the night's events. That's made her suspicious to just about everyone - but can a new a podcast determine her guilt once and for all?

I don't listen to a lot of podcasts, but I really love this framing for a thriller. It's a great way to get in lots of different perspectives and make the reader feel super immersed in the story. Lucy's story kept me hooked (I wish I had had time to read the book in one sitting!), and I didn't know how things were going to end until the last moment. As other reviewers have noted, Lucy's voice is snarky and sarcastic - if you like that kind of tone, I bet you'll like this book!

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book to read and I definitely enjoyed it! I really didn't know how it was going to end or "whodunit" so I thought it was a very well-planned-out plot. There was a diverse cast of characters personality-wise and that always keeps things interesting. Lucy, the main character who was thought to have murdered her best friend, Savvy, is sarcastic and impulsive but also self-aware. She was clearly a good friend to Savvy so all the pieces didn't really add up until the end. I very much recommend reading this one. I really liked the podcast aspect of the story and that would make it a really good audiobook to listen to as well!

This is an excellent page-turning, exciting, propulsive and FUNNY thriller. I devoured it in one sitting because I loved Lucy immediately and couldn’t wait to find out what happened.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc, in exchange for an honest review. This was a dark comedy meets murder mystery and I loved every second of it! The story gripped my attention from beginning to end and I couldn’t put it down, it was incredible!!! I can’t wait until this book hits the shelves, so that I can recommend it to customers at my store!

I thought this was going to be a 5 star for me as I was hooked right from the first few chapters. I read 70% in a single day but after that point, it got boring with all of the back and forth. I loved the humor in the beginning and how brash the MC was but too many people were involved.

Lucy, the main character in Listen for the Lie, is so refreshing and relatable (sarcastic and snarky with a dry sense of humor). I liked her from the very first page.

The chapters in this book alternate between Lucy in present day, Lucy five years earlier (in and around the time the murder took place), and present day episodes of a true crime podcast (focused on the aforementioned murder). The various narratives propel the story forward in an intriguing way that keeps you interested throughout and guessing until the very end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Amy Tintera for the digital ARC. Release date: March 5, 2024.

I read this book in a day; I could not put it down! Throughout the book you mainly get Lucy's POV. I loved Lucy from the first chapter... she was hilarious and snarky and sarcastic. I literally laughed so many times, which doesn't happen for me especially with a mystery. You also get podcast transcript from Ben's podcast and it was done so well. I felt like it could be a real podcast I would want to listen to. The while book was fast paced and suspenseful with some dark humor and a perfect ending. Honestly one of my favorite books. I can't wait for more from Amy.

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder. Lucy has no memory of the night of Savvy's murder. Did she kill her friend?
This whodunit held my attention and kept me guessing who the murderer might be. The book alternates between Lucy's POV and transcripts from the podcasts and also a couple of flashback chapters. It's a quick read and has a bit of humor, too. I don't read a ton of thrillers so I don't have much to compare this to in terms of how it stacks up against similar books, but I liked it and would recommend it.

Thank you to Celadon Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC! I absolutely LOVED this book and couldn’t put it down. The characters were great and the storyline had me hooked immediately! I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a new mystery/thriller read!