This is the third book I have read lately with the "old murder," people coming back and now we solve it. This was only fair. I felt like the authors didn't know quite how they wanted the story to go. DV, psychosis, ghosts and many players it the plot, the triple was there but the resolutions were a bit weak beacuase there were so many. Not a bad thing for more than one book but took much for one book. Good read

This was a fantastic thriller. I absolutely loved the POVs jumping from Lucy to Ben's podcast. That was a creative way to jump around and add exposition. I was thoroughly engrossed and managed to read most of this in a couple of sittings.

Fast paced, twisty, bingeable and so very entertaining! I loved the audiobook production and would highly encourage you to go that route. January Lavoy (one of my all time fav narrators) and William Dameon narrate with a supporting cast and it really elevates and brings the story to life.

It did start off a little slow and I was perplexed by the voices in her head (iykyk) but things pick up quickly. I loved Grandma Beverly, I would happily read a novella centered around her antics any day!! There is a dark humor and sarcastic edge to Lucy which I enjoyed. There was a deeper message to the plot as well, but it did get a bit heavy handed at times, I would have liked it a bit more subtly done. I thought the twists and reveals were well done and while I predicted a few things, it was more of a guess than it was obvious and I had MANY wrong guesses as well. The final confrontation was a little bit underwhelming for me, especially in relation to how much page time there was on relationship drama. Which brings me to…

My biggest drawback for this was the romance subplot. It was totally unnecessary, didn’t fully make sense to me for the characters, and took away from the momentum of the story. Removing the romance storyline would have evened out the pacing and definitely would have bumped my rating up even higher.

Thanks Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ALC/ARC!

I finished this book in one day. I couldn’t stop. I absolutely loved and i really wanted to know what happened that night.

I’m a fan of the amnesia trope or the unreliable narrator. It makes it so much more interesting and makes me question more.

I was suspicious of SO many characters. It really could have been anyone!

I really loved Lucy. She was sarcastic and real and no holds barred. She wasn’t afraid to say what everyone was thinking or making anyone uncomfortable and personally i found that relatable because i can be that way 🫢

I was riveted throughout this entire book. I loved the podcast aspect. Another trope i enjoyed. I found it kept it fresh with different perspectives and little truths slowly revealing.

The only things i wasn’t super huge on was Lucy made out with a lot of people in this 3 week people and she just did it without thought and while not even wanting to. She just allowed it and it seemed unrealistic to me. & also the ending… i guess i wanted more punch. It was good and i totally didn’t expect it! But it was kind of an abrupt ending.

4.5 rounded up.

The narration was fantastic. Podcast parts were fun and i loved the narrators. They portrayed the characters well

Engaging and wholly enjoyable experience listening to this in audio. Dual narrators did a solid job of voicing several characters and incorporating accents, etc. Plot, pacing, and character development were all strong elements, and I enjoyed the back-and-forth between Lucy's POV and Ben's podcast. Lucy was a sympathetic, if flawed, protagonist, and Ben was the right blend of confident yet conscientious. The pairing made you root for both sides to win.

The irony of the final podcast was poignant and I would not blame Lucy for never again setting foot in her hometown except to visit her grandmother.

Listen for the Lie, written by Amy Tintera and narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron is an exceptional audiobook. I found it highly entertaining especially listening to January LaVoy reading as Lucy. This is one of those books with a podcast element to it and listening to the audio version was great. Lucy has a bit of a sarcastic and snarky t0ne at times that was portrayed so well by the narrator - I didn't read the physical book so I couldn't say if that tone reads well for a physical book or not but in the audiobook it was so fun to listen to, The voice of Ben was very well done too and I loved the podcast sections of the audiobook. I also enjoyed listening to the interviews with the locals from Lucy's home town. This book has it all! A murder mystery, a podcast and a great cast of characters.
I'm giving this one 5 stars and its my first 5 star for 2024! The author is new to me but I read that this is her adult debut and she knocked it out of the park! I highly recommend this audiobook!
Thank you so much to Macmillan audio and NetGalley for my advanced listening copy!

Fun local-ish color, a great read, but -- like so many mysteries -- it got to be a bit bizarre at the end.

Review copy provided by publisher.

This book was AMAZING! I give it an easy 5 stars. The author grabs you from the first words and keeps you on your toes for the entire book. The main character Lucy is a very strange girl with very intrusive thoughts. Her intrusive thoughts tell her to do very bad things. But did these thoughts tell her to kill her best friend? I guess you will have to read this book to find out! Amy Tintera's writing style is unique and fabulous. As the reader you end up bonding with the crazy main character. There are a variety of odd characters in the book and they are all memorable so you will not be confused at all. Amy will put you through a variety of twists.....and then she will take that twist and retwist it 3 more times, leaving you in shock! I can't wait for this book to come out I will be telling everybody to read it!

Holy crap. I can already tell this is going to be in my top 3 reads of 2024, if not my favorite! I cannot believe what I just read. I was on the edge of my seat, my jaw on the floor, in complete disbelief pretty much the entire book, but especially the last 20-30% or so. I suspected everyone. I had two hundred theories. None of them were correct. My heart was literally racing in the last couple of chapters! 100000/5 stars

I was on a rollercoaster for this book but the rollercoaster was me -- from being engaged to unengaged. I thought the narrators were fantastic, especially for this style of book, and thought the premise of the book and writing style made it a perfect contender to enjoy via audio. But, for me, it was a little all over the place and hard for me to stay focused. I wanted to love this and I can't put my finger on just why I couldn't fully connect with and commit to the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this ARC in audio format.

4.5⭐️

Exceptionally well done. This is how you do this sort of story.

Taught, twisty, suspenseful, with a likable but flawed, delightfully snarky protagonist, I ended up finishing this story in one sitting, unable to put it down. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you have the chance, as the narration and the realistic podcast vignettes really add to the experience - but whatever format you prefer, definitely do read this one.

January LaVoy and Will Damron did a fantastic job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Amy Tintera, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I'm not sure what caused me to pick up this one, because I usually am not a fan of true crime or podcast themes. I'm so glad I did, though, because "Listen for the Lie" was fun from start to finish!

Lucy, a pariah in her hometown, has reluctantly returned for her grandmother's birthday party. She hasn't been back for years, following the murder of her best friend, a crime that she was suspected of committing. Never convicted in a court, she's nonetheless found guilty in the court of public opinon, and with amnesia surrounding the night in question, Lucy isn't too sure they are wrong.

While back in town, Lucy finds herself running into Ben Owens, producer of a true crime podcast that has been looking to profile her story. To his surprise, Lucy agrees to speak with Ben, and the two soon find themselves working to unlock the secrets of what happened the evening Savannah died.

Lucy has a dry, self-deprecating sense of humor that feels like a genuine fit with her position as a social outcast. While I did find her internal monologue and lust for violence a little abrasive at first, it doesn't take long for it to make sense within the context of the book. I read enough thrillers that I did sleuth out the culprit partway through, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment in the least. Lucy's grandma, by the way, was by far my favorite.

While Amy Tintera no doubt gets full credit for crafting an engaging story that isn't what it seems on first look, January LaVoy and Will Damron also get high marks for delivering excellent performances as narrators.

4.5 stars rounded up.

I love true crime podcasts and I was excited to read this book about a murder being investigated via a podcast titled "Listen for the Lie". This book was done so well. I really like how the book goes back and forth between Lucy's POV and the podcast POV. I enjoyed Lucy's humor, and her kooky grandmother Beverly. I also really liked Ben, the podcast host. This book definitely had me guessing right up until the end.

The audio narration in this book is spot on and I applaud the narrators January LaVoy and Will Damron. This could have been a mess without the proper narrators, and I'm happy to say they did a wonderful job.

This book is filled with humor, mystery, suspense and a bit of sexy time to keep every reader entertained. 4.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and Amy Tintera for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE LUCY. Her banter was sarcasm was top tier. I loved how the story unfolded slowly but steadily. It was shockingly easy to keep the characters sorted, which is usually difficult with so many moving parts. Great book!

The audiobook was fantastic. I loved the production for the podcast clips as well as the narrators.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

Wow- what an easy audiobook to listen to. The production was so well done and I loved all the special sound effects. I will never not want to read a thriller with a podcast element!

This is the story of Lucy. She's just like you and me except for the minor detail that everyone thinks she murdered her best friend. The crazier part is that she doesn't even know if she did or not because she has no memory of the night she was found covered in her friends blood! UM TALK ABOUT CRAZY!

Now enter a famous podcast writer who is trying to find out what even Lucy doesn't know: who killed Savvy? And why? The podcast "Listen for the Lie" is interspersed throughout the story as well as present tense and past tense stories of Lucy's life unfold. I loved all the literary and audio variation, it really helped keep things interesting.

Personally, I don't looove when my thrillers have a side of romance, so I could have done without that as well as excessive (imo) strong language. Both of those things to me became a distraction that actually took away from the enjoyment of the story for me.

Overall, I thought the ending was wrapped up well and I didn't see it coming!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for GR

This will be available for purchase on March 5, 2024.

Dare I say this is the best mixed media book I’ve read/listened to since A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder???

I usually have to tandem read if I listen to an audiobook. For some reason, I can’t absorb a story solely via audio, but mixed media books are the exception. Especially THIS story. Amy Tintera did a masterful job of balancing the actual story with the podcast episode chapters. Each chapter from Lucy’s POV would end on a comment about a person, place, event, etc. and then we’d go into a podcast episode where Ben was interviewing someone about said person, place, or event. Not only did the story flow effortlessly, but Lucy is a really funny main character to follow. But it’s not the over the top, try-hard, quirky kind of funny. I actually believe that Lucy is that snarky, I believe that her grandma is the life of every party, and I believe how biased and gossipy the small town is.

My two nit picks: 1) the fact that Lucy’s family is a “founding family” and Savvy’s family aren’t from Texas, and anyone from a small town knows that the founding families are untouchable, so it rang untrue to me that the whole town would see Lucy as the villain. 2) the voice inside of Lucy’s head. I honestly don’t know what it even added to the story or Lucy’s character arc.

I can see how some might find the mundanity of Ben interviewing someone, asking Lucy about what that person said, Lucy not remembering anything, rinse and repeat, kind of annoying. But I enjoyed the story for what it was, and it was an entertaining listen. Everyone likes to throw around the term “gaslight” without knowing what it means or what it looks like, and I think Lucy’s story is a really heartbreaking but accurate example of what manipulation and gaslighting from the people you trusted the most is like. Not being able to trust your own judgement or your own memories, feeling betrayed by your own mind; Tintera did a great job balancing the dark humor and the seriousness of the subject matter.

January LaVoy and Will Damron are award winning narrators for a reason; their performances are top notch as always! I highly recommend the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing this ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love this new thriller. It is dynamic, witty, and fresh. It changes back and forth from what's transpiring with a suspected murderer and a true crime podcast titled Listen for the Lie.

Lucy, the main character, has her dead best friend as a hallucinatory dark passenger to go along with her intrusive thoughts. Part of the reason for these disturbing mental health issues is that her bestie, Savanah, was murdered...and Lucy was the prime suspect even though none of the other evidence stuck, and she can't remember what happened the night Savanah was killed due to a head injury. So, did she or didn't she kill her BFF?

The mystery unravels as memories resurface and a well known true crime podcaster works to solve the case and uncover the truth of that night.

The audio was excellent! I highly recommend this route. The podcast portions were fun and the multiple narrators did so great capturing the voices of the characters.

This would be a four star read for me, which means I really enjoyed it. But the audio bumps this review up to 4.5 stars because I thought it was so well done and really loved listening to it and rounded up to 5 stars for this review post of the audio.

I loved listening to this one. Great narration plus with the podcast piece, these are just so much more fun to LISTEN to then read. Fun, suspenseful read. I’m sad it’s over! Highly recommend. Thank you for the early review!

I loved every second of this book.

I can only hope to become as amazing as the grandma in this book lol she was truly an icon.

the book managed to be thrilling, mysterious and funny all at the same time. I loved the writing.

if you know me at all you know im a sucker for books with podcast elements so this was just *chefs kiss*

Whatever reason Amy Tintera decided to try her hand in adult fiction, I am thankful! This book did not seem like an adult debut! The audio was done so incredibly well, I’m sure due to the talented January LaVoy! I could listen to her read all day. This book kept me listening every single chance I got! The narrator was hilarious and dark! Her responses were sarcastic and most of the time inappropriate and I was here for it! Listening alongside Lucy as she is trying to figure out who killed her best friend all those years ago, and if it was her was enthralling. I did not see the ending coming and was very pleased with how the book wrapped up! I also really enjoyed the podcast element added to the book! Cannot wait to see was Tintera comes out with next!