I didn't like the audio narration of this at all. I really did at first. I like dark, I like creepy. Lucy pictures murdering people, when people annoy me, I plan out how I would murder them too. (Don't worry I wouldn't actually do it, it's just therapeutic). So we have the weird factor there in common. Butttt I can not listen to that voice say "Let's kill.." over and over again. It is weird and I don't like it.

🎧𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐞🎧

I LOVED this one friends!! Be sure to mark your calendars! Listen for the Lie comes out on March 5th🥂

Unlike anything I’ve ever read!! Both wildly hysterical and deeply disturbing, Listen for the Lie is a masterfully written who-dun-it that brings fresh material to the world of thrillers and mystery novels!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much @celadonbooks @amytintera for sending me an early copy of this one and its audio, I devoured it!

🎧The audio narration was top shelf!! Since the novel is about a cold case and true crime podcaster, the podcast episodes on audio were a blast to listen to because of the music and change in narration! Highly recommend the audiobook for this one!!

𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:

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

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. 

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 for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

The truth is out there, if we just listen.’

𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:

Loved it. Finished it in less than 24 hrs. A popcorn thriller but with brilliant writing and dark, witty comedy!!!

Be sure to preorder this one!! It will grip you until the very last page!!

This was a wild ride of a book! I listened to the audiobook and read the ebook at the same time, which I really suggest others do as well. It made reading it an experience. I was a little bit bored for maybe the first 40% of it but something compelled me to keep reading. I’m glad I did because… holy s***!!! I’m keeping this review vague because I want you to just go in completely blind and see what happens! Highly recommend!

“Be prepared like a Boy Scout and always bring your own murder weapon.”

Holy motherfu$%ing bat shit crazy! This book is completely off the rails and full of absolute wackadoodles, AND that is what made the story so riveting! I could not get enough of the mystery, hot mess small town drama, gossip, dysfunctional family, and did I mention wackadoodleness that this made this book a fast paced wild ride.

I listened to this on audiobook, and it is absolutely the way to go! The podcast sections are actually produced as a podcast and with multiple narrators the story fully comes to life.

This book absolutely has it all from sex, alcohol, violence, suspense, and tons of WTF moments, so add it now!

Thank you Celadon and MacMillanAudio for this gifted copy and exchange for my honest opinions.

This was such a fun thriller! I really enjoy thrillers featuring podcasts, and this one was so good! I would definitely recommend listening to this on audio, as the excerpts from the podcasts as well as the narrator’s dark humor really came to life.

I really enjoyed the small town drama, and the characters were really fun to get to know. I especially loved Lucy's grandmother!

I would recommend checking trigger warnings.I would highly recommend this one if you like sarcasm, dark humor, and podcast-centered thrillers!

HOLY SMOKES (I actually would rather cuss)

ABSOFREAKINLUTELY EPIC! This was such a great, twisted unbelievably dark read. The humor at times had me cackling, like slapping the treadmill and laughing out loud that I’m afraid I’m going be a meme from PFit. I felt like Lucy could have grown up in Philly with me. LOL

I loved her twisted dark humor to cope with the trauma. And my goodness her family was a mess and did her dirty. Her grandmother was a beast! THE BEST. And Ben…well boom. This was an unputdownabke listen. It is a must listen. The narrators brought this book to life for me. Wow. So dang good.

absolutely recommend listening to the audiobook for this one! @JanuaryLavoy and @JWDamron are phenomenal! They really made the characters come to life. Lucy’s sarcasm and cynical look at life (rightfully so) made me love her so much. Ben is so smooth and confident. January did an excellent job portraying Lucy’s pain and growth throughout the story. Tintera does an excellent job developing each character. The plot of the story was very interesting and a unique style whodunit thriller. Doubt is cast upon all of the characters as the Ben investigates the murder of Lucy’s best friend’s death using his podcast. Everyone in the small Texas town believes that Lucy is the murderer, but Lucy doesn’t remember that night. I couldn’t put this one down. I was always reading/listening every chance I had!

3.5 stars. Not entirely surprising but fast paced.

I listened to this one as an audiobook, and it was engaging enough that I listened to it in one day.

Five years before, Lucy was found covered in her best friend Savvy's blood and Savvy was found brutally murdered. Lucy had suffered a blow to the head and so she has no recollection of what happened. Everyone in the small Texas town thinks Lucy killed Savvy, but the police have never been able to garner enough evidence to charge her with the crime. Enter Ben Owens and his true crime podcast, he is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery--with or without Lucy's help. Lucy decides to come home for her grandmother's birthday party and her grandmother convinces her to speak with Ben and help him out.

As an audiobook, I liked that it was a full cast narration and the podcast elements felt very realistic. I overall liked Lucy's character, but I thought the voice of Savvy in her head got really annoying really quickly on the audio. It was also the second book in a row where the female main character made very questionable choices--hopping into bed right away with someone she barely knows and isn't sure they have her best interests at heart.

That said, I did like how the mystery unfolded and it was a clever reveal. I can't say that I didn't call the identity of the actual killer because I did, but it was a good story nonetheless. The amnesia was believable and the writing is on point, snarky, and easy to follow. I also loved grandma and want to be like her when I grow up.

If you manage your expectations and just go with this novel, I think it has widespread appeal to those who enjoy suspenseful thrillers.

Listen for the Lie was a great thriller/mystery. I highly recommend this book on audio. The play between the storyline and the podcast worked really well in this format and definitely added to the book's mysterious plot.

Lucy is known for killing her best friend Savvy one night after a wedding...but the only problem is Lucy has no memory of killing her. Everyone in their town believes she did it, but there is no evidence. When "Listen for the Lie" podcaster Ben narrows in on this story for his podcast, Lucy agrees to be interviewed and is determined to help him identify Savvy's killer, even if she may have been the one that did it.

This was a novel that kept me intrigued the whole way. The style of the podcast revealed information piece by piece and added to the drama and mystery. One of the better mysteries I have read in awhile and I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granting me a free audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Lucy Chase hasn’t been back to her hometown in years, ever since the town deemed her guilty for the murder of her best friend Savannah. Lucy, now living in LA, has spent years putting her old life behind her but thanks to podcast Ben Owens, her life and Savannah’s murder are about to be brought back into the light.

I love listening to books with podcast angles on audio and Listen for the Lie did not disappoint. January LaVoy and Will Damron were excellent narrators to the story and the sound effects really made this feel like an actual podcast and not an audiobook. I’m honestly sad there isn’t going to be a real podcast now.

Throughout the story we flip between Lucy and the podcast itself. Sometimes I find the transitions to be clumsy, but Tintera has done a great job of seamlessly weaving the two together. Character-wise, I love all the ones and hated all the ones we were supposed to but Lucy’s Grandma was the MVP. I absolutely adored her personality and her need for drama! Combined with Lucy’s snarky attitude, and Ben’s charisma I was all in on this story!

I always enjoy thrillers that keep me guessing until the end. I think I changed my mind about the killer 76 different times, but none of our red herrings ever felt forced. For a debut this was a fast-paced mystery, and I can’t wait to see what else Amy Tintera comes up with! Highly recommend!


Listen for the Lie comes out March 5, 2024. Huge thank you to Celadon and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

This was such a fun audiobook and if you are looking to read this one, I highly recommend it on audio! A podcast in book form where the accused is the main character. It felt very unique in terms of plot and story line which I always appreciate. I also am a sucker for a true crime podcast in my daily life so this one really intrigued me from the start!

The big twist in this one is something I didn’t see coming. It was a true tangled mess of a story and small town gossip. We get to meet so many characters and these players are very interconnected when you didn’t expect them to be. All of the different characters and secrets made it easy to imagine this story actually being real.

Special thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio version of this book.

This book was a lot of fun in audio. It's a classic whodunit of a cold case that's reopened due to the podcast called Listen for the Lie with host Ben figuring out cold cases through his podcast.

It was cool

Everyone thinks Lucy murdered her best friend Savvy but Lucy has no recollection of what really happened. When Ben decides to interview Lucy for his "Listen for the Lie" podcast, Lucy is forced to retrace her steps. WOW is all I'm going to say on this one! This book was fantastic. It really came to life on audio and if you have the chance, I highly recommend listening to it. Such an exciting read - I had a hard time putting it down!

I've been seeing this book everywhere and with good reason. In a rapidly growing batch of new books centered on a true crime podcast, this one nailed it. I highly recommend the audio version for the full effect.

Everyone thinks Lucy killed her best friend five years ago, and even she isn't sure what happened. With an unexpected dry wit, our main character finally decides to explore the past, spurred on by the podcaster examing the case.

I enjoyed the story from beginning to end, and the narration was terrific.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CeladonBooks for a free copy of #ListenForTheLie by Amy Tintera.

If I'm speaking about the plot of the story, I give Listen for the Lie a solid three stars. Great set up, compelling characters, unreliable narrator, a lot of twists and turns and then as the ending came into sight, predictability and clique.

The audiobooks, however, is five stars because of the narration by January LaVoy and Will Damron. I really loved January's ability to portray so much emotion and make Lucy sound as confusing as she was. I also liked the contrast with Will Damron when he came in to simulate the podcast and voice Ben. They get five stars.

Thank you MacMillian Audo for the gifted ALC.

wow!! i really loved this book. i flew through it, and when i wasn't reading it, i wanted to be reading it! i read most of it in one day.

i had the ebook and audio copy of this book, and i really think it was beneficial to have both. first off, there is a podcast element to this book. however, this book does something different with the podcast aspect since the podcast host, Ben, is not the protagonist. he is described as smug and self-assured, which is a departure from the podcast host being the hero of the story. the whole book is told from Lucy's perspective with podcast clips in between. the podcast clips sounded like a real podcast, and there were different voices for different characters. the audiobook narrators were absolutely fantastic! i always think January LaVoy does an incredible job, and Will Damron was also outstanding (and i'm realizing that i have loved his narration for other books). it was so cool that the title comes to life in this book, because the characters in the book listen to the podcast, and you're listening for the lie with them. sometimes you know who's lying, and sometimes you don't. i found that to be unique because the podcast was not just a means to give information to the reader--rather, the reader is questioning both sets of stories in the book (Lucy's POV and the podcast). i would HIGHLY recommend the audio for this, but i was also glad to have the words in front of me so i could see the changes in font, from Lucy's narrative to the podcast clips. Lucy can't remember what happened the night her best friend Savannah was murdered, and she hears a voice in her head (indicated by the italics). the book also used italics to indicate a flashback when we were in a present-day chapter, which was helpful. there were chapters that took place 5 years ago, too, and it was easy to distinguish which time period we were in.

Lucy is a hilarious protagonist and i enjoyed being in her head. she was a flawed, complicated, and quirky person. i felt like the (selective) amnesia trope was well done with her character. often, i feel books can be repetitive with a character trying to remember details, but this book did not feel that way. Lucy knows she isn't always a good person and doesn't try to convince anyone that she is. i found her to be very different from thriller protagonists in that sense. i had a strong sense of her character, and she was so funny! there is a cast of other characters who are brought up in this book, and it's easy to keep track of them.

i also did NOT predict who the perpetrator was. i was surprised by that reveal, and didn't feel like it was over-the-top or unrealistic by any means. i was also surprised by other reveals throughout this book.

this book discusses topics like the ethics of true crime (a topic i'm always interested in), how a narrative can divert from the truth, how much the truth matters, and the complications of victimhood. this book brings up these topics in a subtle way and doesn't hit the reader over the head with them.

i would recommend this book if you like:
- podcast elements
- audiobooks
- flawed, funny protagonists
- Texas small town settings
- compelling books
- questioning the truth
- true crime
- a teeny bit of romance in your thrillers

Listen for the Lie comes out on March 5, 2024. thank you to Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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

I really enjoy a book with a podcast element and this one did not disappoint! Several years ago Lucy was found wandering the streets, hurt, covered in her best friend’s blood, and no memory of what happened. We jump to present day and Ben, from Listen For The Lie podcast, is determined to get to the bottom of what happened.
The book switches between the podcast episodes and Lucy's POV. It's filled with sarcastic humor that had me laughing out loud. The main characters, Lucy and Ben, were fantastic and the cast of side characters enhanced the story. The mystery of what happened that night is slowly revealed throughout the book, but that story itself was very well paced and had me fully engaged.
I would suggest listening to the audiobook, it's so well done and the perfect way to consume a book with a podcast.
This is such a fun story and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 (4.5)

Thank you to @netgalley @celadonbooks and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

The audiobook narrator did an excellent job with this book. The difference in tone between each character, including between two female characters, was distinct, and added to the book. The inclusion of the musical intro to each podcast episode section was also a great choice. Tintera made it clear when there were flashbacks and shifts in perspective. My only complaint about this book was that Lucy did not feel like a 28/29 year old. There were times when I thought she was married as a teen, and the story took place in her very young adulthood, as it felt like a young adult novel. Still a great read that I devoured in ~2 days (it was on audio, which takes a bit longer).

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced audio copy of “Listen for the Lie” in exchange for a review.

I cannot wait for everyone to experience this book when it releases in early March (2024). It’s one of the best thrillers I’ve read in a long time. It’s fast, keeps you guessing, and has great characters. If you get a chance to listen to it on audio, even better! The podcast sections were done so well and really added to the overall ambiance of the story.

Seriously…don’t sleep on this one.

A gripping tale with an epistolary feel with the “podcast” interspersed in the story. The two narrators are well matched for the characters they portray.