I was fortunate to be able to listen to the audio version of Listen for the Lie. I loved that there were both female and male narrators who alternated depending on the character and there was also a musical intro to signify that the POV had switched to the podcast (much like the beginning of a real podcast episode). This really added to the overall enjoyment of the story. The author's wit and sarcasm came through in the characters and made them more relatable and likable (or not). As for the story itself, it was all that a good mystery should be, filled with suspense and lots of twists that keep you guessing. I recommend this one especially the audiobook version, it's great entertainment for a few hours! My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was without a doubt, the best audiobook I’ve ever listened to. And I listen to a lot of audiobooks. The podcast format combined with the different voices just really helped to pull me into this story. I could not get enough of the murder mystery, and the dark humor was the icing on the cake. I could not get enough and will be recommending this one to everyone I know. Thank you so much NetGalley and Macmillan Audio! Five stars!

WOW! I can already tell that this is going to be a top thriller for me this year! It was so well paced, and honestly the most successful use of a podcast within a book. I adored our main character, Lucy Chase, and felt like she really stood out to me compared to a lot of other female leads in the thriller genre. Lucy is sarcastic, and she is the embodiment of dark humor, but who can blame her when everyone thinks she's responsible for her best friends murder.

I also want to stress that if you're going to pick up this book, to go with the Audiobook. It is probably one of my favorite audiobooks I've heard. It had sound effects, many different southern accents, and the podcast clips with duet narration was so immersive. This is one of those books that you sincerely don't want to put down, highly recommend it!

This is one I think that might be best as audio due to the nature of the podcast component. It started out rocky for me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the main character or the narrator. The voice the main character hears also annoyed me that it had an accent. However, a podcast in a book is typically a winner for me and I adored the grandmother and the premise to get all the players together so I was interested. I am super glad I didn’t go with my first impression because I ended up really enjoying this one. It had some complexities that other thrillers haven’t overused. The characters were all very distinct, which I have not found to be the case with group ensemble thrillers of late. I have already started recommending this to my friends.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Listen for the Lie is the best thriller I have read tis year! And the narration was even better. Did Lucy Chase kill her best friend Savannah? She doesn't know because she has no memory of the night, Until a podcaster comes to town and opens the chase back up.

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.