Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Listen for the Lie by Amer Tintera.

Oooh, Tintera, I have your number girl. I'm already looking forward to your next one!

I don't care if I'm basic, I love me a podcast, especially if it's about a creepy small town murder/disappearance. Tintera enables that love by writing a book about just that, sprinkled with quirky characters, a whole cast of suspects, romance, a handsome podcast host, the works. It's fun, fast paced, and the only thing missing for me was a beach to sit on while I read it.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera was such a wild ride. I totally forgot how much I love the narrator, January LaVoy, until I started this listen. She has such a great voice.

Wow. Just wow. I did not see that ending coming. Throughout the book, I tried to figure out who committed the crime, and I was totally shocked.

I loved the relationship between Lucy, the person accused of the crime, and Ben, the popular true-crime podcaster. Lucy was so witty, and I enjoyed the banter between these two characters.

Lucy's ex-husband - wow. Her mom and dad - wow. Her best friend from high school -wow. There are so many complex characters and so many stories within the story.

I really enjoyed this wild ride. I do not like scary and I had to tune out a little at a couple parts, but this listen kept me captivated and wanting to figure out the lie.

Well done Amy Tintera. Well done January LaVoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillion Audio for the advanced listen of the book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC!

This was such a good mystery/thriller!! Wow!! I was so wrong!! lol so good! I finished it so fast. Couldn't stop reading.

Beyond thrilling, fun to read, also an amazing audiobook. The narrators delivered wonderful performances. Highly recommended.

"A world-class whodunit."—Stephen King

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.

This book was attention grabbing & funny. you constantly swap from person to person on who did it! Great twist & ending!
Also! The narrators were fantastic with this one!

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book for an honest review. (:

Listen for the Lie
By: Amy Tintera
Narrated by: January LaVoy, Will Damron
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release date: 03-05-24

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this book! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. I was engaged the whole time and was trying to solve the murder like that characters in this book. I enjoyed the plot twist and like podcast aspect of the audio.

Lucy can't remember - her best friend was murdered following a wedding and while much of the evidence seems to point to her, she just can't recall. Declared guilty by her town, she makes a new life in LA. But when a true crime podcaster picks up the case and her grandmother insists she return for a special party, she has no choice but to face all of the people who doubt her. The big problem is that she still doubts herself. So much so that, she actually sees and hears Savvy in her mind - unfortunately it is usually advice on who to kill and how.

WHat a ride! MacMillan Audio has a stupendous production team and the narration by January LaVoy; Will Damron is fantastic. Music is inserted to cue the podcast portions and it really adds to the telling of this great story.

Fun, ironic, dark humor with podcast interviews thrown in, this is a thrilling mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. If you are true crime podcast buff, love a thrilling mystery, or just like your protagonists to be a little bit....off, this is a book for you!
#HenryholtPress #ListenfortheLie #AmyTintera #Macmillanaudio

Well this audio book was a blast to listen to! The narrators voices and sounds effects were excellent and I could not stop listening. Five years ago Lucy Chase was found barefoot, bleeding and with a severe head injury wandering along a Texas country road. She has no memory of how she got there and how her best friend Savvy ended up dead. Lucy is covered with Savvy's blood and when the police can't find a murder weapon all suspicion turns to her. Even her own home town turns against her. However since all the evidence is circumstantial and the police cannot prove she did it she is never charged. Lucy moves to Los Angeles and tries to get on with her life as best she can, still not having any memory of what happened that fateful night. Five years pass and she is contacted by a true crime pod caster, Ben Owen. Despite not really wanting to she connects with Ben back in her home town Plonkton, Texas. Lucy is bright, devil may care and funny and as she begins to let Ben interview her and her old acquaintances her snarkiness is a pleasure to follow. And after all Ben wants the truth to Savvy's murder just as much as she does. This book was darn fun and I highly recommend it. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC Audio version of this murderous romp in the woods. Loved it.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Narrated by January LaVoy; Will Damron

If possible, I suggest listening to the audiobook of this story. I can tell I'd enjoy the written version too, the snark is so thick that it can't be missed, but listening to January LaVoy voice Lucy is just too good to be missed. This story is dark but it is also funny. Being in the head of Lucy (a crowded place since her dead best friend, Savvy, resides there too and is none too quiet) is a bloody good time if you enjoy murderous thoughts.

It was five years ago when Savvy was murdered and Lucy was found covered in blood, with no memory of what happened after she and her husband had left for a wedding attended by most of their friends and enemies in Plumpton, TX. Everyone seemed to think that Lucy killed Savvy, including Lucy's parents. Heck, even Lucy thinks she might have killed Savvy since she certainly appeared guilty and she can't remember anything about that night.

At least Savvy doesn't seem to think she killed her (Savvy). Lucy should know since Savvy is taking up space in her head. What Savvy is doing is what Savvy used to do when she was alive. Although much of Plumpton didn't realize it, Savvy had a very wild and dangerous side to her and she's urging Lucy to do something very, very bad. Now Lucy's head is filled with ways to kill everyone. Lucy has brain damage from that mysterious night and maybe that's why she can't remember anything. Or maybe she did something so horrible her conscious mind doesn't want her to remember. But why does it fill her head with so much Savvy influenced bloody ways to murder people?

There are not very many likeable people in Plumpton, not once you really get to know them. But Lucy's grandmother, Beverly, is a hoot and a half, and Lucy would do anything for her. So Lucy has come home from her exile in LA and now has to face a popular podcaster who wants to solve the murder of Savvy, whether it's Lucy or someone else. Will Damron does a great job as podcaster Ben Owens. The way the audiobook is done, it sounds so real, the podcast portions sound like real podcasts which makes the audiobook even more fun. Overall, the dark humor of this story is a winner and the narrators did a great job with the material.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

Lucy has spent the past five years living under a cloud of suspicion after her best friend, Savvy, is murdered, and Lucy is found wandering on the side of the road covered in her blood with no memory of what happened. A popular podcast (hosted by super hot Ben Owens) is investigating the murder, and when Lucy returns to her hometown for her beloved grandma's 80th birthday party everyone has a story to tell about what could have happened that night.

I LOVED THIS. It was perfect as an audiobook - excellent narration! - and the way it alternated between Lucy's perspective and the snippets of the podcast episodes (I'm always a sucker for a podcast element to a thriller) was so fun. I did suspect some of what happened fairly early on, but I didn't care - the way everything unfolded was still exciting, and I absolutely loved Lucy - she was snarky and angry and not a perfect, sweet girl, and I was there for it. I think (and hope!) this is going to be super popular!

Amy Tintera’s new thriller stands head and shoulders above the other novels I’ve read recently. It tells the story of Lucy, who ran away from her small Texas town after she’s found covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood but with no memory of what happened. Five years after the incident, the story is picked up by a true crime podcaster and Lucy is thrown back into the small town drama and the question of who murdered her friend. Was it her? I’ll tell you, I spent the weekend listening to find out. The plot is engaging, the characters are unique and relatable, and the writing style is funny and well-crafted. I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron, which was especially nice because of the podcasting elements included in the story. While it’s an excellent story, there is some moderate raunchiness and drug use. Overall, it’s a great thriller and I look forward to reading more of Amy’s books.

Extremely enjoyable! I love when a novel immediately grips you, and this one grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go! Loved it!

When I saw that Amy Tintera had written an adult thriller and that one of my favorite imprints (Celadon Books) was publishing it, my expectations for this book skyrocketed. I don’t think these high expectations were the reason I wasn’t in love with Listen For the Lie, but I did feel myself plummeting from a greater height because of them.

I really did like how Tintera demonstrated erroneous perspectives through the podcast format, allowing readers to then see the real person and their true motives. The story makes a bold statement about how communities perceive charm and how they often villainize females while applauding and defending men. There was a lot of content regarding violence toward women and, going back to community beliefs, how the woman is still generally blamed for this. As a domestic violence survivor, I appreciated how the depiction felt, overall, accurate, although there were a few details that bugged me. At any rate, all of this is SO important and I love that Tintera thoroughly examined these themes, plus it all came together into a brilliant conclusion. It is because of this social commentary that I’m giving the story 3 stars. Fantastic themes can still, unfortunately, be poorly conveyed.

The narrator, Lucy, was full of snark, and her grandmother, Beverly, was full of spunk. This should have made the story more enjoyable. Although the narrative did elicit a chuckle from me from time to time, those moments were anomalies, as I rarely found this amusing, and mostly felt that it was trying too hard to be.

I was greatly annoyed with Lucy’s “killer voice,” although having it finally explained helped lessen that annoyance slightly. However, the character behind the voice felt incredibly inauthentic to me. Truthfully, all of these characters did. The societal behavior and impact rang true, but the people illustrating it all felt like bad actors.

Although it was clear that this novel was heading into romantic territory early on, I could have done without this insertion. However, I did think it had some value, as it demonstrated the juxtaposition between Lucy’s lack of agency in other relationships and her own deliberate choices in the newest one. This speaks directly into the themes of the story.

I will say that the book did have me stumped, so three cheers for that! I, over the course of the story, formed three different suspects in my mind, ditching number one and two as I focused on my final choice. I should have stuck with option number two! It was fun to try to figure it out, and the reveal of the true villain did not require much suspension of disbelief. Barring the fictional murder, the situation felt eerily familiar and, sadly, true to life.

I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio, Celadon Books, and NetGalley for my copy.

LISTEN FOR THE LIE started out strong for me with a cold case murder and a podcasting element. The story follows Lucy who returns to her small Texas hometown years later after being accused but never convicted of murdering her friend. Working with a podcaster to uncover the truth, Lucy begins to remember things about that fateful night.

I had a hard time with this story for a few reasons. I just could not get on board with this protagonist. Lucy was a morally gray character which I typically don’t mind, but she had an utter lack of self-respect and common sense. She also had a sadistic voice in her head that felt over the top and grated on me. Finally, I found some of the relationship dynamics to be completely implausible and repulsive and the “ah-ha” ending where Lucy suddenly recalled exactly what happened after years of no memories to be cliché.

While the plot fell short for me, I did enjoy the full cast audio production and the added sound effects for the podcast. I think this will be a book getting a lot of buzz this winter so it may help to have your expectations laid out before picking this one up.


Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I think these podcast true crime mystery thrillers are easily becoming one of my favorite tropes. It was dual POV with our main suspect and then the podcast chapters in which people close to the main suspect were interviewed. The title itself was captivating enough, but the podcast chapters were by far my favorite.

I loved the grandma the most, and was not fond of Matt or her parents who automatically assumed our main character was guilty. The final reveal was 3/5 and I think this book really could have benefitted from an epilogue. I needed to know what happened to the guilty parties - beyond that they went to jail.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron, both of whom do an exceptional job!

This is my first read by this author and it will not be my last! I looked for every opportunity to continue listening to this one! I love authors that have the ability to completely pull you into the story that time and responsibilities become irrelevant!

Lucy was found wandering in the woods with no memory of how she got there...and was covered in her best friend's blood. The whole town thinks Lucy killed Savannah and yet she was never charged. Fast forward 5 years where Lucy is scraping by in LA. Returning home for her grandmother's birthday, Lucy finds out that the podcaster hot on her trail also has come to her hometown to set up shop and interview everyone about the night Lucy cannot remember.

Told in alternating time lines with multiple plots and well developed characters, this is a consuming and suspenseful read!

5 stars - Highly recommend!!!

An engaging and immersive story that was meant for audio. A recommended purchase in all formats for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

I absolutely loved this as an Ebook so naturally I had to give it a listen, especially with the narrators chosen. This is a book that is meant to be listened to. It was the best experience! I love Lucy and her intrusive thoughts. I too have intrusive thoughts but hers are more interesting. I related anyway. And The whole thing with Ben is hot. Loved Ben.
I am obsessed with this audiobook. I highly recommend this.

I thought this was a well-done thriller, and the podcast components of the story were woven into the overall narrative in an effective way. New information was introduced in a compelling way, though I wouldn't actually call the new information "twists" in the classic thriller way of thinking about the word. The main character had a nice balance of toughness and protectiveness - I was really rooting for her, though she wasn't "likable" in the way some readers want. I thought the resolution of the story was a bit abrupt - a bit more shading of the way characters are painted might have helped in this regard.

In terms of the audiobook, January Lavoie was, as always, stunning in her narration and the podcast components were done well in terms of simulating interviews and sound effects.

Lucy has been running from the past and living in LA for this reason for the past five years but now that a popular podcaster is doing a whole season about why she was the main suspect in her best friends murder ends life as she knows it in her new city. What makes it really unfair is Lucy doesn’t remember the night of the murder at all. So when her grandmother calls and says she’s throwing herself an 80th birthday and she wants Lucy to be there Lucy agrees and flies back to Texas. Lucy‘s arrival back in Plumpkin goes as expected stairs, gossip and it doesn’t help that the podcaster is sculking about looking for guest for his show. Something he gets in spades it seems everybody is eager to tell their opinion about the big murder in pumpkin not only about the murder but things people didn’t know about each other like the affair Lucy‘s mom head the affair her husband Matt head and on and on it doesn’t stop Lucy from starting a relationship with been the podcaster nor does it stop Lucy from making out with other people as well. Lucy doesn’t remember the murder but when she sees been really just wants to find the murderer and not prove she is the murderer she gives it the old college try. During their investigation it brings up lots of things that shocking to not only Lucy but the town of pumpkin but not her memories. Can Lucy remember what happened and if so will it prove her guilty or someone close to her? this book was so quirky and good. It was so complicated and I didn’t know how the author was going to bring it all together but boy did they. I think a great book especially a mystery is when you cannot figure out the end and trust me when I say you will not figure the end of this one. With the great narration by January Lavoie and Will Damerin definitely makes this a stellar on put down a book book. I spent all of Saturday listening to it and to be honest I was supposed to be doing something else lol! I want to thank McMillan audio and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.