Listen to the Lie is about a true crime podcast delving into an unsolved murder where everyone thinks they know who the killer is - the best friend. Lucy has no memory of her best friend’s murder but is willing to eventually participate in the podcast.

I was excited for this book since I am a fan of true crime podcasts. I enjoyed the snippets of the podcast that were interspersed throughout the book. I was a little surprised though that the book was more funny than I expected. Lucy copes with dark humor so there are a lot of jokes and off handed comments she makes. It just wasn’t what I was expecting and was a bit jarring. I was expecting a serious suspenseful mystery but it didn’t quite feel that way.

Overall I enjoyed the book and felt mostly satisfied with the ending although there was a bit that seemed left untold.

This book was fantastic! I’ve given it 5 stars!

The premise of the book is what initially drew me in. Lucy Chase is found in a state of injury with the blood of her best friend on her dress and podcast host Ben Owens has decided to highlight the case on his show and begins to delve in what will be a deeply intricate story of Lucy and the events that transpired that lead to a murder mystery:

The beginning of this book was a lot to grasp but once I got into the book properly, I was ‘in’ in every sense of the word. You are led down many twisty paths, each one as compelling as you learn about Savannah and Lucy’s lives. The energy throughout this book was creepy as well as dauntingly electric and I was left reeling - which as someone who reads a LOT of thriller novels it’s not very easy throw a spanner in the works for me but this book achieved that and splendidly too. There’s also this slight comedic touch, a realistic depiction of flawed characters and an ending that will be more than satisfactory for the reader.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this e-ARC!

I really liked this book up until the end. It felt like there were too many questions left unanswered

4.5 "the truth doesn't matter" stars

I really enjoyed this one. The story revolves around snarky main character, Lucy and Ben, the hot true crime pod-caster who's trying to solve the cold case small town murder that Lucy was the lead suspect in.

Oh, and the person who's murder remains unsolved? Lucy's best friend, Savvy, who was a heck of a side character, I might add.

I could't put this one down. Lucy's self deprecating humor, that she often uses as a shield, pulled me in right away. Couple that with the murderous thoughts she frequently has and I was hooked. The small town of Plumpton, TX was ripe with interesting characters, all ready to give their opinions on what happened that night to the hot shot pod-caster, Ben. Lured back to the town she hasn't set foot in for 5 years to celebrate her grandma's 80th birthday, Lucy doesn't plan on conversing with Ben until her grandma arranges for them to be in the same place at the same time. What evolves is a strange friendship, romance, infatuation between the two as Ben tries to piece together the events of that night. Did I mention Lucy has no memory of that night?

The characters were interesting and feisty, the pacing just right, and I read on with baited breath, waiting for the reveal. Enjoyed it, really fun read!

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn't matter?

Lucy was found wandering down a road covered in blood, carrying a bloody tree limb and no memory of what happened to her or her best friend, Savvy. She leaves town and returns five years later for her grandmother’s birthday to only get involved with the true crime podcaster who is in town trying to solve Savvy’s murder. What really happened that night?

My favorite read of 2024 so far! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Listen for the Lie!

I loved this story! I was guessing and second guessing right until the end. I loved the pacing of the story and couldn’t put it down!

Okay wow! This was my first Amy Tintera book and it will certainly NOT be my last! What a thrill this was! It hit every single thing I love in a thriller: suspense, tension, a little bit of quirky humor, short chapters, a little dash of romance, and a good solid unpredictable twist at the end! I ate this book up! I loved it!

Lucy is drawn back to her hometown where podcaster Ben Owens is investigating the murder of Lucy’s best friend Savvy. Lucy has been suspected by everyone for the murder for years after she was found wondering the streets covered in Savvy’s blood with Savvy’s DNA under her fingernails but no memory of the night of the murder. However, Police didn’t have enough to charge her. Now, Ben wants Lucy’s help to uncover the truth of what happened. Does Lucy really not know what happened? What really happened to Savvy that night?

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Do you ever start talking to someone who isn’t a mystery/thriller reader and go woah….this book makes me sound crazy? Well that was me at work last night!
This book was a roller coaster. I definitely don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Needless to say I was thinking that some of these characters needed a psych consult.
I did figure out who did it by the end of the book but it took me a while to figure it out.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I could not put this book down! It was fantastic—my favorite type of book where you are trying to figure out who the bad guy is at the turn of every page. So good!

After Lucy is found wandering the streets covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she’s a murderer. It’s been five years since that horrible night and Lucy still can’t remember anything. When Ben Owens, true crime podcast host of “Listen For The Lie”, has decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season, Lucy vows to help solve her best friend’s murder even if she is the one that did it.

This fast-paced, gripping, cold case murder mystery had me hooked from the start and kept me up late, rapidly turning pages to uncover the truth. Mainly told from Lucy’s POV, I found myself laughing out loud at her unique personality. No doubt she is a hot mess, but she is also hysterical with her dark humor and sarcasm. The podcast interviews thrown in here and there were such a unique way to get other characters’ take on the events that unfolded and I always looked forward to the next one. The cliffhangers at the end of the chapters were so well done and the twists were jaw dropping…especially the main twist at the end 😮‍💨. This was my first Amy Tintera book and it did not disappoint! I highly recommend this if you are a mystery/thriller lover like me!

Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Amy Tintera for a #gifted ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Listen for the Lie took me by surprise. I am a VERY hard critic when it comes to thriller books. I find it hard to get into them. Usually it’s too much build up, they often tend to be repetitive, and usually the pay off is obvious and not worth the climb to get there.

Didn’t feel that way about this one.

From the start this book had me hooked. I think it was the balance between whodunit and the humor that really worked in its favor. There’s little to no downtime in this one. Something is always happening. You will always be in the state of wondering if she did or didn’t kill her best friend.

The main character, Lucy’s dark humor and F it attitude 100% works. The scene where she’s at her grandma's birthday and raises her hand to a bad joke took me out! So funny! Speaking of her grandma! The perfect side character. Obviously in a book like this side characters are just as important and the main one because you need them all to be on the same playing field. You need to believe any of them could be the killer. They are here! Also, Ben the podcaster, is well done so well!

I also really enjoyed the podcast aspect of this. It hasn’t always worked in books I’ve read in the past, but Tintera does an amazing job using that to bring in new information without it seeming forced. Just sprinkled in the right amount of info to keep you wanting more.

The characters are fun and just the right amount of unlikable, the plot has a great pace, and the book has an amazing hook. I think my only negative was something about the ending felt a little off…. Can’t quite put my finger on it.

I tandem read the ALC and ARC. Highly, highly recommend the audiobook! It is extremely well done via audio, especially the podcast portions. This fast-paced mystery crime thriller restored my faith in the thriller genre after being sorely disappointed for the past year.

Long story short: Lucy is the #1 suspect in her best friend’s murder, but due to a head injury that resulted in memory loss the case is closed without being solved due to lack of evidence. Five years later, Ben decided to highlight the case in his unsolved murder podcast. With everything coming to the surface, Lucy isn’t sure she wants to know what exactly happened that night.

Look, amnesia in thrillers doesn’t really work for me. I feel like it’s a tired trope. But damn did Tintera prove me wrong. Listen for the Lie is so fresh, fun, and completely unputdownable. I loved the slow reveals, the surprisingly sweet romance, and the small town Texas setting. Lucy is an utterly charming protagonist and I loved being in her messed up little brain.

This book is definitely going to be a hit with all the crime thriller and murder mystery fans!

4.5

This was a big yes in my book!! Podcast and a girl murdered her bestie? Love it. Some of the storyline (as well as) the ending was a bit jarring. Was I meant to be left unsettled & unsure if I believe it? Probably. However, it took off a half star for me. I kinda wanted something more for the end!

Friends, this book pulllled me out of the start of a reading slump. My earbuds were basically glued into my ears because I just wanted to listen to this book nonstop. What I loved the most about this book was the sarcastic inner dialogue we get from our main character Lucy! I also just could not get enough of her relationship with Ben and my favorite character… her grandma. They made me laugh, I was wholly invested in their story and I was just rooting for them throughout the whole book. The mystery was great, the banter was perfect and I loved how the book tied up at the end.

& the audio was AMAZING! So well done and very entertaining!

Listen for the Lie was my first novel by Tintera & it did not disappoint. A page-turning & worthy thriller with a sprinkle of humor and a cussy little minx of a grandma tossed in! Do yourself a favor & dig in!

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this arc!

Pub date: 3.5.24

4.25 Stars
I love a true crime podcast, so this book that centers around one was right up my alley. The unsolved murder of Savvy, in a small Texas town five years ago is the subject of the second season of Ben's podcast. He has reached out to Lucy, the suspected murder and best friend of Savvy, but received no response. Lucy moved away shortly after the murder and has not returned home since. Her grandmother convinces Lucy to return for her 80th birthday but fails to tell her that she is working with Ben to get him an interview with Lucy. Lucy has no memory of the night that Savvy was killed, but finally decides she is tired of not knowing what happened. She agrees to help Ben and to be interviewed for the podcast.

Lucy is the very sarcastic, very flawed, unreliable narrator. I loved hearing this story from her POV. Her small town experiences and frustrations are not only relatable, but very funny. And the transcript from the podcast episodes are a great addition to the story. There were so many possible ways this story and these characters could have gone, and the story remains very compelling and entertaining throughout.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author and publisher for the advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued by this book as soon as I read the summary, and it did not disappoint. I liked the time jumps and multiple POVs which, if done well as they are here, I always find add depth to a story, particularly when the narrators are unreliable. I did feel the ending was a little rushed, but all in all, an entertaining read! I'll keep an eye out for this author's next book!

Five years ago, twentysomethings Savannah Harper (Savvy) and Lucy Chase of Plumpton, Texas - who were best friends - went to a wedding, and drank and partied with the other guests. After the wedding, Savvy was found in the woods, with a crushed skull, and Lucy was found nearby - injured, dazed, and covered with blood.

Lucy claimed to have no memory of what happened, and the police found no evidence to prosecute her. Nevertheless, the residents of Plumpton labeled Lucy a murderer; Lucy's marriage ended; and Lucy's parents acted like she was guilty. So Lucy left town and moved to Los Angeles, California.

Now, half a decade later, Savvy's murder is in the news again. A true-crime podcaster named Ben Owens, whose podcast is called 'Listen for the Lie', has taken it upon himself to solve the case (in other words, to prove Lucy did it). Thus Ben is interviewing people who knew Savvy and Lucy, and reconstructing the night Savvy died. Ben's podcast goes viral, after which Lucy loses her job and gets the cold shoulder from her boyfriend Nathan.

Meanwhile, Lucy's grandmother Beverly is planning a big bash for her 80th birthday, and she implores Lucy to come to Plumpton for the celebration. Lucy is VERY reluctant to set foot in her hometown, knowing that people will stare and whisper and possibly do worse. Nevertheless, Lucy agrees to visit Plumpton for her grandma's party.

As it happens, podcaster Ben Owens is in Plumpton at the same time as Lucy, and he asks her to give him an interview. Lucy is tempted, but the truth is, Lucy isn't convinced of her own innocence. She continually hears a voice in her head telling her to kill people, and suggesting ways to do it. Still, Ben seems to be getting the local folks to open up and reveal new evidence. Moreover, Ben is handsome and personable, and Lucy finds him very attractive. After awhile Ben and Lucy get friendly, and decide to work together to reveal the truth.....even if it means proving Lucy DID kill Savvy.

The narrative is interspersed with episodes of the 'Listen to the Lie' podcast, where we learn - bit by bit - about what happened in Plumpton five years ago. The town was chock full of podcast-worthy occurrences, such as unrequited love; domestic abuse; violent outbursts; marital infidelity; and more.

At the book's climax we see how all the chicanery in Plumpton resulted in Savvy's death. The best characters in the book are Lucy, whose observations are sarcastic and amusing; and grandma Beverly, a feisty octogenarian with a long line of admirers.

I enjoyed the mystery, but the plot isn't totally realistic. It seems that ALMOST EVERYONE in Plumpton lied about where they were at the time of Savvy's murder, but the police (apparently) didn't suss any of this out. They just focused on Lucy and let the investigation go stale.

Still, this is an engaging thriller with interesting characters and a touch of romance.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron, who do a fine job.

Thanks to Netgalley, Amy Tintera, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

I kept hearing about this book and had to see for myself if it lived up to the hype. It definitely did!! The author dropped hints and red herrings left and right; she had me guessing almost every character as the murderer at some point in time. The intensity of the book was sprinkled with humor whenever Lucy’s grandmother was involved. She was the most likable character in the story and kept things “real”. This was a well written thriller/mystery and I can’t wait to read the next novel this author writes!

Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #ListenfortheLie by #AmyTintera in exchange for honest feedback. - 4.5 stars rounded to 5

This was a great page turner, somewhat like Gilmore girls meets Ashley Flowers (Crime Junkie podcaster). In this small town, Lucy is found with her best friend's blood all over her and no memory of the night or how Savvy died. Everyone believes she is a murderer, and even though she's never charged, her life is changed forever. Five years later, Lucy has come back to town for her grandmother's birthday celebration, and an up and coming podcaster has decided to delve into the cold case and see if the murdered can be revealed. This book is full of small town rumors, good ole boys, and a grandmother that somewhat resembles Golden Girl Blanche Devereaux. Great read!