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.

Lucy’s past is problematic. Years ago, she was found walking down the side of the road covered in blood and saying nonsensical things, while her friend Savvy is lies dead nearby. Lucy wasn’t charged with a crime and she has no idea what happened that day, but everyone in town thinks she did it.
Fast forward to present day, where a podcaster decides to go to her hometown and interview everyone involved in the case.

This was an enjoyable read and kept me on the edge of my seat, but I could’ve done without everyone sleeping with everyone else. It was weird to me how accepted it was for everyone to be sleeping with multiple people and cheating on their spouses. Even the grandma and the mom were involved. I know we are all new age and whatnot, but this dynamic was kind of gross to me.

The narrator was great though and so was the main storyline. I highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan audio for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this one! I’ve never actually listened to a podcast but enjoyed the podcast element in this book as well as the past and present timelines. The narrators were wonderful, I’ve listened to audiobooks with both of them and they are always entertaining. Highly recommend!

Probably one the best audio books I’ve listened to, this story combines murder, amnesia, misogyny and one of the best female friendships since Thelma and Louise. It’s been five years since Lucy’s best friend Savvy was murdered and Lucy was suspected of killing her. Lucy has no memory of the incident and isn’t really sure if she killed her bff or not. Now, she’s returned home, to face the podcaster who’s determined to uncover the truth. Funny, sad and full of surprises, this is a must read/listen

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio ARC. I really enjoyed this book and was constantly wondering and guessing at who actually committed the crime. I loved the podcast element and was thoroughly entertained. A must read!

LISTEN TO THE TRUTH.....
about "LISTEN FOR THE LIE":

1) Audiobook narrators can make or break a book.

Audiobook narrators January Lavoy and Will Damron gave brilliant performances and it was these two Oscar-worthy performances that elevated my star rating for this book.

Kudos, too, to the publisher for an outstanding job with the audiobook's production.

2) The book's premise was intriguing:
What if you thought you murdered your best friend and everyone else thought that you did, too?"

3) Even though I enjoyed the book's premise and the author's crisp and snarky dialogue, the book was "same old, same old".

Just ANOTHER book showcasing a true crime podcast reveal that failed to stand out from the crowd.
😭😭😭

4) The book was a 9-hour audiobook that easily could have been a 6.5-hour book.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm nearing 60 and am now part of the generation that has seen tremendous advances in science and technology, AND, can remember the time before. Apparently, the new thing these days are books about influencers and true crime podcasts. Until berated by my adult sons, I never even listened to a podcast because why? It seemed odd to me, and difficult to understand the mechanics of how it all worked. Now, I get it. It's like binge watching a Netflix series in your head as you walk on the treadmill or take out the garbage.

Influencers? No, there is nothing my boys could say to make me enjoy books about them.

My biggest applause for Listen for the Lie is for the production value of the entire audio book. This felt like two (good) books in one. Main character, Lucy, victim of a head injury and very real amnesia, has walked around for years with everyone believing she murdered her own best friend. She created a new life, crafted a career under a pseudonym, and avoided hometown and family until her very delightful 80 year old grandma called her home to attend her big birthday.

At home was podcaster Ben who has mastered the art of digging into old crimes and talking about them. Author Amy Tintera and Macmillan Audio were genius in the way the book was written (past and present), with snarky inner monologue from Lucy and interspersing the podcast amongst the book. Seriously, I became so engrossed in the story I was hearing that when it flipped to the podcast, it felt like a commercial into another show that also managed to keep my interest. Even the sound quality itself felt different when it flipped from narrator January LaVoy voicing Lucy to professional moneymaker Ben being voiced by Will Damron.

Well done. Highly recommend.

Twist turny story about a woman who can not remember what happened the night of the death of her best friend. As a podcaster decides to dig into the case again, Lucy makes her way back home to clear her name and try to remember that night.

I listened to the audiobook of this which I really liked. The voices were great and it was easy to know what was going on. This had a good twist but also felt predictable at times.

This was a fun mystery-thriller, perfect for podcast fans and true crime enthusiasts!

Premise - Lucy is suspected of the murder of her best friend and flees to LA to try to start over. The problem? She can’t remember if she did it or not. When a true crime podcaster, Ben, opens up the story again, she heads home to try to get answers once and for all.

The characters were well developed and I really liked how Lucy’s intrusive thoughts cast doubt on her innocence - I’m going to call the reason behind the intrusive thoughts a result of brain damage (because I don’t think this story needs to veer into the paranormal) and it works as such.

The final whodunnit isn’t anything new if you’re aware of the general political moment of the past ten-ish years, but the story is well told and an all around good read.

Thanks, NetGalley and Celadon, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for this book.

At first, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book, but as it went on, I kept getting more and more gripped into the story. The twists were well done and the podcast aspect worked with how the reader was getting information. I love how everything played out and how easy this was to get through.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Tintera and MacMillan Audio for an audio arc of Listen for the Lie in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis Quoted: "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 was a HIGHLY anticipated 2024 title for me, so I was thrilled to have been approved for the audiobook!

I rate this book at 4 Stars, overall. In a nutshell, it held my attention and was quickly paced and overall a solid read for the genre. With that said, I didn't feel like it was anything new or original. I would definitely recommend to my audience, but truthfully speaking, this story didn't stick out as something I'm going to remember next week. It was good in the moment but did not leave any lasting memory with me.

I am mad at myself because I almost always figure out the whodunit ahead of time, but didn't with this one. But, I absolutely should have. If I'd put more effort into it, I know I would have, but this was just an easy listen that didn't require too much thought.

I like the characters well enough, but Savvy's voice on the audio was CREEPY & weird! LOL

I do plan to promote this title with a more in depth review, focusing on the good parts.

Easily one of the BEST books I have ever read. Why was this so good?!?!?

Lucy is known as the girl who killed her best friend, Savvy, since that fateful night five years ago, though she was never charged and has zero memory of what happened that night.

She fled her home in Texas to LA and now she has come home for her grandmother’s birthday party. Also in town is Ben, the ridiculously cute podcaster trying to get to the truth of the murder of Savvy.

In a nutshell, that is what this is about, but in actuality, there is so much more!! There is discussion of abuse, small town secrets, infidelity and crazy and hilarious Texans… This book had me laughing out loud, whooping for joy at moments and audibly gasping at shocking reveals.

If you love a good murder mystery, if you love female friendships, and if you love books about podcasters investigating cold cases, I beg you to read this book!!!

Audiobook is the way to go, too, because this was done superbly. I would be happy if all future audiobooks were narrated by these individuals, especially January LaVoy!!