If I could give more than 5 stars to this book I would. I loved the narrators on this audio version and the podcast portions sounded like a real podcast. I thought everything about this book made for a perfect.

I couldn't read this book fast enough. If I wasn't working or sleeping, I was reading this book. It's a story that toggles between the present day, a podcast about a past unsolved crime, and finally some flashbacks of the event 5 yeas previous. I found this book to be engaging, addicting, and super fast-paced.

I was lucky enough to get this book in digital and audio format, and while both are great, the audio is extra fun because the podcast sounds like a podcast, with theme music and separate actors for the voices.

THANK YOU NetGalley for early access to this wild ride of a thriller.

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
How I Read It: 🎧

Synopsis
Lucy goes out for a walk with her best friend Savvy’s blood all over her clothes. She’s being accused of murdering her best friend, but there is just one problem; Lucy suffered a head injury and doesn’t know what happened, she can’t remember that night. Lucy moves from her small town in Texas to L.A. to escape the public eye, but at her grandmother’s request, makes her way back to Texas where she starts unraveling what really happened that night.

My Thoughts
I LOVED Lucy’s grandma’s character! What a hoot! Lucy, however, as one person interviewed by the podcast pointed out, was a sarcastic witch. Since she was accused of mustering her friend, she’s been mentally killing people in her head, which makes you start suspecting her right off the bat, because what normal person has those kinds of crazy thoughts? I mean, she wanted to hit a lady over the head with a squash at the grocery store. Seems a little psychotic to me! This book was uniquely different for a thriller; it had me laughing A LOT, but it was about a murder, how could that be? Such clever and fun writing!

Final Thoughts
🎧 I listened to the audio of this book and the narrators were great! I highly recommend the audio version.

❗️Of Note
📝 there’s a little bit of spice 🌶️
📝 Spousal abuse

Themes:
🔪 True Crime Podcast
🏡 Small Southern Town
🤕 Amnesia

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

This book was a read now for a brief time on Netgalley so I scooped it up. I have been seeing it all over Instagram and I was having FOMO. I also received an audiobook version as well. This is my first experience with Amy Tintera and it won’t be my last.
I thought Listen For The Lie was very well thought and for a brief moment I suspected the murder for who they really were but then I was tricked into thinking others things right until the end. I liked that that book had podcast involved in it and that made the audio book great to listen too. I liked that we had the unreliable narrator and that she didn’t even know what happened again until the very end. I like that kind of suspense.
Character wise… I didn’t like that our main character Lucy basically just rolled over and let whatever happen to her happen. She didn’t even try to help herself, she just ran away. She also has no idea what a healthy relationship looks like. I actually like Ben and Paige and want their backstories. And even Savvy’s story would be interesting to hear. The rest of the characters can kick rocks hahaha. Too many webs of deceit happening everywhere.
Overall I enjoyed this book and I will be reading more by Amy Tintera in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon books for the complimentary copy.

*Audiobook Version*
I have listened to other books that have January Lavoy as the narrator and I really enjoy listening to her. I did a quick creep on her and she’s in her 40’s but she has such a soothing and young sounding voice, love it. I like that that Podcast sections have there little intro music. And I love, love, love that each character is voiced by a different narrator (or male by male and female by female).
Thanks to both Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the complementary copy.

An engaging story that I couldn’t stop listening to. The audio narrators did so well I forgot I was listening to an audiobook, I was fully immersed into the story and podcast episodes.

I thought I knew who the person was and where the lie is, but was thrown off with so many revelations that quickly came one after another.
Highly recommend this one!

I went into this audiobook not knowing anything in the plot other than I saw it on bookstagram as a must read thriller. I'm glad I did because the lack of expectations made this thriller a hard to stop surprise. When Lucy's friend, Savvy, was murdered she became the prime suspect in her small Texas town mainly because of Savvy's blood on her hands. Her lack of memory of the event and with no evidence leading to her arrest, Lucy leaves her home for LA. Unfortunately, for Lucy her life is upended when a true crime podcaster decides that Savvy's murder is his next case. Compelled by her grandmother, Lucy makes her way back to her hometown and right into the path of the podcaster. The characters are twisty and interesting. The small town setting is believable.. The narrators are wonderfully expressive. The podcast sections are candy for the ears. I enjoyed it and glad I took the chance! Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a free copy for an honest review.

Savvy died years ago… her friend Lucy was found covered in her blood and no memory of what happened. In the public eye Lucy was responsible for Savvy’s death - though never formally charged by the police.

Now five years later a podcaster is investigating and asking questions…or should I say stirring the pot. Will we finally find out what happened to Savvy? Will Lucy be able to clear her name? Or will she be doomed to remain as guilty as everyone assumes?

Lucy’s inner murderous voice was hilarious! Though I have to admit... it did lose steam about midway.

Favorite character: Grandma!😂 I can’t even imagine!🤦🏻‍♀️

The audio version is definitely the way to experience this read. It’s truly a production, not just the telling of a story. The podcast episodes were fabulous!

The two narrators January LaVoy and Will Damron were outstanding.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audi

LISTEN FOR THE LIE
Amy Tintera

Spoiler Alert: I LOVED IT!

Everyone thinks Lucy Chase killed Savvy. And as much as she’d like to, Lucy doesn’t remember certain details of the night of the murder. Time passed and Lucy moved on. She started a new life with a new love. The last thing she wants or needs to do was revisit the horrific night in her past when her innocence came into question and her whole life changed forever.

But that’s exactly what Ben would like her to do.

Ben Owens is a true crime podcaster with one thing on his mind, the story. On his podcast, LISTEN FOR THE LIE he features those involved in crimes from the past. This time he wants to do a piece on the long-ago murder of Savannah, known to us as Savvy.

Let’s dive into the book!

LISTEN FOR THE LIE immediately jumps into the action. And from the first page to the last, I was hooked. I immediately liked the voice. Tintera is funny in a rewarding and mischievous way. The writing is quick, and Tintera is masterfully writing 10 steps ahead of you the entire time.

I recommend listening to the audiobook copy!

January LaVoy and Will Damron, the narrators, have outdone themselves here. In addition, there are podcast sounds and podcast segment interludes. It made it feel like a mixed-media experience, which you will be missing if you read a hard copy.

The perfect book to take on Spring Break. The length and style of the book make it an excellent choice for a long drive or a short flight. Drowning in misdirection, my last tip, LISTEN FOR THE LIE.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy of the audiobook!

LISTEN FOR THE LIE…⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh wow! I am going to be thinking about this one for a while.
If you're a fan of thrillers and True Crime podcasts this should be your next audiobook. The format of podcast-style chapters mixed with traditional chapters is quickly becoming one of my favourites. I'll be recommending this to everyone!

As usual, I thought I had things figured out several times throughout listening but I am happy to say that my last guess about 75% through was right! That never happens to me.

Lucy was a flawed main character. Her life isn't where she thought she would be, she's notoriously terrible at choosing romantic partners and she cannot remember anything about the night her best friend died, making her the number one suspect. But, as memories come back to Lucy and the events of that fateful day unfold you see that she's far stronger than you initially gave her credit for. I loved the relationship Lucy had with her grandmother - she sounds like a fun time!

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Amy Tintera for a review copy. These are my honest thoughts.

Thank you for the gifted audio! I had almost lost all hope in thrillers lately, but this one did not disappoint. It was surprisingly funny and fast paced with dark humor and a very sarcastic, unreliable narrator that I couldn’t help but root for. One of my favorite characters was Lucy’s grandma. She was hilarious and I loved the dialogue between her and Lucy.

The short chapters kept the book moving and the pacing was great. Even though it’s been done a lot, I still loved the element of the podcast episodes added in with interviews from people in the community! It seemed like everyone had their secrets and there were so many suspects. The ending was unexpected and it was definitely a binge worthy read.

I read the first half and listened to the second half. I highly recommend this on audio. It was so engaging. The narrators were great and I loved the podcast sections and effects. Well done!

If you’re going to read this— I definitely wanna recommend that y’all check this one out on AUDIO!! Love the podcast structure on audio because it made it feel so fun and realistic! The narrators January LaVoy + Will Damron did a phenomenal job— it felt like there was a full cast!

Read if you like:
😬 Unreliable Narrators
🎙️True Crime Podcasts
🤫 Secrets and Lies
💨 Fast Paced Reads
✨Sound Effects
🗣️ Dual Narration

This audiobook was sooo well done! And made me love the story that much more because of the wonderful dual narration & the sound effects and immersive experience with the way it felt like a fast paced podcast as I listened.

January LaVoy is quickly becoming one of my top narrators that if she narrates I will have to listen!

In addition to the great audiobook aspects, the story truly kept me hooked with all the pointing fingers combined with a bunch of seemingly crappy characters that you could see any and all being responsible for Savvy’s death as well as our FMC being a super unreliable narrator due to her head injury, lack of memory of the night in question, and her murderous thoughts.

If you are looking for a quick and engaging thriller to pull you from a slump, I’d highly recommend this one!

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Lucy and Savvy are best friends and live in a small town in Texas. One fateful night Savvy is murdered after attending a wedding of one of their friends. Lucy was the last one seen with her and was found wandering down the road, injured and covered in blood. Lucy has no memory of what happened and the town residents decide she killed her. Lucy leaves town and makes a life in LA. Years later her grandmother asks her to return to celebrate her birthday.
Ben has a podcast, Listen For The Lie, and is investigating the cold case of Savvy’s murder. He finds out Lucy is visiting the town and he goes there to interview people for the podcast. Lucy reluctantly agrees to be interviewed by him and together they embark on a journey to find out if she really did murder Savvy and if not, who did.
The story is so well written in first person perspective! Each character’s story is unpacked and it builds the intensity. This book is filled with enough suspense and intrigue to keep the reader completely enthralled and on the edge of their seat.
The narration is well done. The narrator captures the personality of each character, especially Lucy’s snarky attitude.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Even though I somehow guessed how it ended, this book was still top notch for me. It held my attention and I devoured it!

The narrator for this book is superb! I enjoyed the entire book from start to finish and I didn’t see the plot twist. I finished it in one day and I will read more by this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this story as an audiobook. It was entertaining, and I loved the podcast element!

This has to be my favorite style of a way a book is told. Going into the past, podcast blurbs, and one maine narrator. This book was a quick read and the story line was amazing!

Amy illustrates the story into your mind perfectly. There are just enough details and not too much where things feel drawn out.

I would recomend this to friends and family to read.
On my list for top favorite books I've read.

I look forward to reading more from Amy.

An amazingly fast paced mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end! I finished this audiobook in less than 24 hours. I was hooked the moment it started! I loved the chapter transitions! Small town murder mystery really kept me guessing. I felt like I was a detective trying to solve the case. There are a lot of different characters with different personalities, they will throw your guessing off making you think “they did it!” If you like true crime podcast you’ll absolutely love this fast paced novel!
The narrators both made this book so exciting and exhilarating. I loved their expressions and tone in their voice. They did a fantastic job really setting the scene in my mind as I listened. I highly recommend listening to this book!

5 Stars!

Wow, I can't believe this was a debut! An absolute nail biter from the beginning.

What to Expect:
- Whodunnit
- Small town murder
- Cold Case
- Mixed media (podcast!)
- Dark comedy
- Feisty and hilarious grandmother

I savored every page of this book. It was that good.

Lucy is believed to have murdered her best friend five years ago. There was never enough evidence for a conviction so she wasn't charged but she might as well have been because everyone believes she did it. Including her parents. Lucy remembers nothing from the fateful night. It's five years later and a podcaster has taken interest in the case, opening it all up again.

This was smart, sarcastic, and unputdownable.

I listened to the audio on this one and it was great. I heard that the narrators are good friends or a couple maybe?

The mystery was clever and I had no idea until about half an hour before it was unveiled.

If you enjoy dark humor, witty banter, and a story that will totally hold you in its clutches until the end, then I definitely recommend checking this one out!

WOW! A non stop thriller that you won’t put down. I’m predicting it to be one of the top books you will read in 2024! My mind is spinning and I’m defiantly in a book hang over. TBR TBR TBR
You will not regret grabbing this book as soon as it’s released.
A MUST READ


Thank you Net Galley & Macmillan Audio for the advanced Audiobook