"Listen for the Lie" was an exciting, dark thriller I couldn't stop listening to once I started. I finished the whole thing in one day, and I was completely absorbed. The audiobook is excellent with multiple narrators. The chapters alternate between chapters from a suspect's perspective and true crime podcast chapters that explore the murder. I liked the alternating viewpoints and how it revealed all the characters in the story. I didn't see the answer coming. I'll definitely read more from this author.

Listen for the Lie is the adult fiction debut from Amy Tintera and is also a March Book-of-the-month pick.

"Years ago, Lucy was found wandering out of the woods. She had no memory of how she came to be covered in her best friend Savvy's blood. Everyone thinks she murdered Savvy but Lucy is never charged with a crime. She moves to California to start over.
Now a popular true-crime podcast, Listen for the Lie, has chosen to investigate this case and find Savvy's killer. Lucy is forced to return to finally clear her name and get justice for Savvy.."

This is a fantastic audiobook performance from the husband-wife team of January Lavoy and Will Damron. I did not want to stop listening, There's one part where Lavoy adds so much to the voice in Lucy's head. The first time you hear it is surprising and creepy. And it makes you wonder about Lucy's innocence. And the podcast is realistic from Damron.

One of my favorite parts is Lucy's voice. Her memory loss makes her question everything. And the voice in her head is not helping.

Lucy remembers a little at a time (yes - dual timelines) and we get the story about what really happened the night that Savvy died. Tintera has the killer hiding in plain sight. I did not guess this one.

Great story from Amy Tintera. Add this to your beach reads this year.

Thank you so much NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, & Amy Tintera for this ARC in exchange for an honest review 🖤⁠

Oh my goodness!! I loved every single thing about this book!⁠
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The storyline, the podcast, the mystery behind Savvy’s murder & the fact that everyone in town including Lucy’s parents were so quick to blame her. I truly had no idea what exactly happened but I couldn’t wait to find out!!⁠
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📖 Read this one if you're into: podcasts, true crime, small towns, unreliable narrators, multiple viewpoints, drama, who dunnits, & wild twists & turns⁠
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Moral of the story: do NOT miss out on this book!!

Lucy and Savy are best friends in their little town. But when Savy is found dead, and Lucy is walking down the street covered in her blood, it doesn't look good for Lucy. The whole town believes she murdered her friend, despite a negative sentence during the trial. Fast-forward 5 years, Lucy has moved out of the little town, but returns for her grandmother's birthday. Simultaneously, Lucy discovers there is a podcast being completed on the murder of Savy. Although she hates the thought of revisiting her worst nightmare, Lucy decides this could be the opportunity for her to really figure out what happened that night.

Let me first say I'm a sucker for podcasts, and I am finding I like the audiobooks that include podcast clips to be very enjoyable. This audiobook did a good job of mimicking a podcast with intro music and all. The story itself was good, fast-paced, and had some nice twists at the end that I did not see coming. Id recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the podcast mystery genre, or those that just enjoy reading mystery novels.

Listen for the Lie
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
By Amy Tintera

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for early access to this five star thriller! It was so unbelievably good! Wow!

There are a handful of recent popular books about producing a crime podcast. I assure you this is the very best one though. I binge listened in less than 24 hours.

Lucy is suspected of murdering her best friend, Savvy. She is never arrested, because there wasn’t enough evidence. Lucy suffered from a head injury that night, so she doesn’t remember anything. Then a popular podcaster created a true crime podcast about Lucy and Savvy. This forces Lucy to revisit her hometown and question what happened the night Savvy was murdered.

This book had me on my toes the entire time. I devoured it. Amy Tintera does a great job bringing the characters to life and truly wrote an amazing thriller.

🖤 Genre: Thriller
🤍 Steamy rating: Moderate (not detailed, but these people were having a lot of sex)
🤬 Profanity: High
🎧 Method: Early Access Audiobook


Triggers: Domestic violence, murder, infidelity, and alcoholism

Thank you to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for this advanced listener copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was fun. Nothing majorly mind blowing, but entertaining and kept me wanting to listen to just one more chapter. It's a very quick, fast paced thriller with a podcast element at its center. I have read a lot of thrillers in the past year featuring a podcast and this one did a good job - especially in the audiobook - of really bringing the podcast to life and differentiating between the cast of characters being interviewed. January LaVoy is one of my favorite audiobook narrators and she definitely elevated this entertaining, if somewhat predictable, thriller.

The amnesia trope gets old sometimes, but it didn't really bother me in this one. I did guess the whodunnit early on but it was still fun to uncover why and how as I listened. Overall, an enjoyable read and I definitely would recommend the audiobook solely for January LaVoy - but also to bring the podcast element of the book alive.

If you’re an audiobook listener - definitely “read” this book on audio! The narration was fantastic!

After Lucy is discovered covered in her best friend Savvy's blood, suspicions of murder haunt her small Texas town. Lucy & 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.

Tintera's ability to blend suspense with humor was truly excellent. 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 (which is definite made better with the audiobook version). As if the mystery surrounding Savvy's murder wasn't enough, now we have this whole other layer of investigation unfolding before our eyes. 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.

Trust me, you do not want to miss out on this must-read for 2024!

This story was phenomenal and tandem reading it with the audio was absolutely the right choice. Podcast books are always best on audio and the production here was great. I loved the narrators and it added the right vibe to the rest of the story that I wouldn’t have gotten if I stuck with just print/digital

Lucy’s best friend was murdered and everyone in her hometown thinks she did it. Lucy can’t be sure she didn’t because she remembers nothing from that night.
Lucy moved away from Texas to LA to get away from the people and memories. However, a podcaster named Ben digs up the cold case and begins to resurface all the details surrounding that night. Lucy goes back to her hometown to finally trudge up the past and see if she can remember what happened and when she does, it’s a wild ride.

The narrator was fantastic as was the book! I really enjoyed it!

I have a feeling that we're going to be seeing Listen for the Lie everywhere this spring and summer. In a market where so many of the over-hyped books just don't live up to the anticipation, this one does. Not only did Amy Tintera grab me right from the very first line, but she kept me riveted until the final one. I absolutely loved the podcast interview style of moving the story forward, and Lucy is a fantastic character who is dark and gritty, but also full of snark and wit. For sure, Listen for the Lie is one I'm going to be recommending to all my thriller-loving friends.

While this book is fantastic in any format, it's next level in audio. The narrators are perfect.

I did not see the ending coming. I love how this book was written and how it worked out. The mystery and then the amnesia was so well written. The ending was perfect and I definitely will be reading this one again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow! One of the best books I’ve read this year! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of Listen for the Lie. There were so many things I loved about this book: a layered plot, fast pace, a tiny dash of humor, and a flawed main character who I could root for. The author was masterful in setting up the beats of the plot and I’m already looking forward to reading her next book!
The narration was excellent and I think the audio version of this book is the best way to consume it!

This story was great but the ending was so very violent. It should come with trigger warnings for domestic violence & violence against women. It’s a story that backs up the idea that every woman had had negative interactions with toxic men. Lucy was an amazing character & she definitely got the short end of the stick in a lot of ways. Her Grandma was fabulous & Lucy needed that since her parents were jerks. I was always Team Lucy which allowed me to like Ben as he was trying to solve the mystery. I enjoyed Ben and the alternating segments with the podcast made the story so much better. I hope this isn’t a spoiler but when Lucy remembered what really happened that night with Savannah I was totally surprised, Wow! It was a bit hard to deal with Lucy’s murderous imaginings especially when it was so graphic but then when that surprise got revealed I didn’t see that coming either.

The alternating narrators was so great & made this book so fun. I so enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley , MacMillan Audio & Celadon Books for a copy of this audiobook. It was great!

First of all, this was a fantastic audiobook! January LaVoy and Will Damron did a fantastic job with narration. I highly recommend listening to this book!!

I’ve never read anything by Amy Tintera and I am so glad i took a chance on this one! In this book, we meet Lucy. Lucy is suffering from amnesia revolving around the night her best friend, Savvy, was murdered. The whole town is against her. Everyone thinks she’s guilty. The only problem, she cannot remember ANYTHING about that night. Lucy goes back home to her hometown and bits of the story begin to piece together. But, who’s responsible?! Did she actually kill her best friend?!

Ben, a true crime podcaster, is investigating what happened the night Savvy was murdered. He wants to prove Lucy’s innocence or if she’s guilty.

This book was suspenseful, twisty and kept me engaged. I finished this audiobook in one day. I would definitely recommend this book!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC!

The audiobook had the same vibe as “none of this is true” by Lisa Jewell. It was a fun story to listen to.

3.5 stars★ rounded up

"Some people will never believe you no matter how hard you explain yourself. Trust me, there's no pleasing people. If they're determined to think the worst of you, they will.”

Lucy's stuck in a job she can't stand and living with a boyfriend she's not really feeling. Back in her hometown, life was a dream: a wealthy hubby, a gorgeous house, and a promising writing career. But everything went downhill when her bestie, Savvy, passed away and people pointed fingers at Lucy. She can't recall that fateful night and worries she might be responsible for Savvy's death. So, she flees to LA, hoping for a fresh start. But when a popular true crime podcast delves into Savvy's story, all eyes are back on Lucy.

Alright, let's dive into the audiobook! It's seriously good! The way January LaVoy and Will Damron narrate the story is absolutely fantastic. They make the characters come alive, especially with the alternating perspectives between Lucy and Ben's podcast.

The story had me completely captivated right from the beginning. Since Lucy can't remember what happened on the night Savvy passed away, you're left in the same state of uncertainty. As the plot unravels, you discover secrets that go beyond just the murder. Lucy's dark sense of humor and sarcastic personality. I found it fascinating and it added even more depth to her character.

While I wished the ending was more tied up and had an epilogue, I still think you should absolutely check out this book when it releases in March. If you enjoy small town thrillers with a unique storytelling style. And trust me, getting the audiobook will take your reading experience to a whole new level!

I liked the main narrator's voice acting, it was usually distinct enough to tell which character was speaking, though sometimes was hard to tell when they were speaking the lines vs narrating the actions/thoughts. Loved the snarky-ness.
I liked how the story was slowly revealed to the reader as Lucy started to remember more of what happened.

Felt the ending was kind of abrupt and didn't get to wrap up the characters stories in a satisfying way.

LaVoy and Damron are such wonderful narrators and them working together is fun. The story has plenty of dark humor moments and LaVoy's delivery of it had me laughing out loud.

4.5
In Listen for the Lie, Amy Tintera shows that a town is ready to convict a woman for murder even though she has no memories of the event that happened:

Five years ago, Lucy's best friend, Savvy, was murdered, not only is this devastating to Lucy, but Lucy was found wandering, covered in Savvy's blood. What starts out as Lucy also being a victim is twisted into Lucy being the one to kill Savvy. Lucy should be able to clarify what happened that night, but Lucy has no memory of that night. With not enough to charge Lucy, but a town willing to convict her. Lucy left, to find a place where no one knows who she is. That changes when the Pod Cast Listen for the Lie decides to look into Savvy's death and is drumming up notoriety that Lucy does not want. When the host decides to visit her home town, Lucy is forced to go back and confront the past and horrible events she ran away from, she doesn’t want to regain those memories just in case she did it, just in case she really did kill her best friend.

This is the first book that I have read by Tintera and after reading this one it will not be the last. The twists keep on coming in this book both related to the murder of Savvy and the craziness of secrets in this small town will knock you back each time. I enjoy that Tintera did not just focus on the murder of Savvy but realized that the small town secrets all affected what happened to Savvy.

You cannot help but feel sorry for Lucy for a good chunk of the book. Not only does she not remember what happened to her best friend, but everyone around her (including her parents) believe that she murdered Savvy. This leads her to questioning herself, could she have killed Savvy. I enjoyed and that it was unique that Lucy murders people in her head and this happens basically every interaction that she has especially when she doesn’t like someone. Lucy gets creative in the ways she murders people and always takes into account what she has on hand to use. This is a constant in the book, and really adds weight to Lucy’s thoughts that she may have killed Savvy.

Does it add anything to the Pod Cast book genre. I would say yes and no, it is hard to really add anything new to this sub-genre but I will say that Trenten did feature more people in the Podcast than I have read in other books, which i appreciated as it really showed that most of the town was against Lucy and in doing so reveal additional secrets of the town. I would like to know in real life how podcasters choose which unsolved murder(s) in random small town that they choose. What are the boxes that need to be ticked to choose that one over others.

I really enjoyed this book by Tintera, and although I was able to guess what happened to Savvy, I will say that Tintera had me questioning my guess till the very end. Highly recommended book, you're going to want to read this one in one sitting.

Enjoy!!!

Lucy was found wandering the street with her dead friends blood on her Did she kill savvy. Well her life has been a shit show ever since. Having to go back to town for her grandma’s birthday and the murder podcaster every where doesn’t help The murderous thought about everyone is an added bonus