LISTEN FOR THE LIE by takes a v popular trope (true crime podcast) and absolutely kills it (pun intended). It’s fast-paced, absolutely unputdownable, and constantly keeps ya guessing.

🤷‍♀️ UNRELIABLE NARRATOR
Lucy does not remember what happened the night Savvy, her best friend, was murdered five years ago. But the small town in Texas where she’s from is convinced she did it. Without her memory, she can’t even rule it out herself. I know this trope is also pretty common, but Lucy’s sarcastic and witty persona was SO fun and refreshing that it didn’t matter.

🎧 THE PERFECT AUDIOBOOK
The narrative is sprinkled with episode excerpts of the Listen for the Lie Podcast with Ben Owens, which he’s recording in real time as Lucy returns to town. The audiobook is produced in a way where the podcast feels so real! Music intros, full cast — it’s SO great! I definitely recommend that format!

🤌🏼 CHEF’S KISS PACING
This book FLIES by with short chapters and tons of activity (you’re never bored, promise). Even though there are a lot of characters, I never felt lost or confused.

LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera totally lived up to the hype for me! I really enjoyed this thriller! I love a good unreliable narrator and this book features a main character with amnesia. She returns to her hometown where she’s suspected of killing her friend and agrees to be interviewed on a true crime podcast about the case. I loved the podcast aspect which is featured in the writing. I listened to the audiobook and the two narrators were perfect for the two POVs. The narrators January LaVoy and Will Damron were excellent. It was so interesting to uncover the past and find out if she did or didn’t do it. This thriller is perfect for fans of None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell and The Night Swim and Dark Corners by Megan Goldin.

This was a wild ride! I binged this in one day and didn't see the ending coming. The sarcastic main character and the merging timelines set this one up to be compulsive from the get go. Excellent pick for a weekend read or to take to the beach this summer!

This seemed like the overly hyped book of the year so far, so I went in with higher hopes than I should have.

One disclaimer: for people boasting about this being a podcast centered story, we got maybe 10 whole minutes of the actual podcast in the entire book. I thought it would be longer than that. They were so brief I wondered why it was an element at all.

But anywho. This was definitely a book with a character you loved to hate and hated to love. She was funny and her inner monologue was great.

I want to say so many characters were thrown at you at once that I got a tad confused. The ending was very underwhelming, but I had a great time reading it so I bumped up a star.

Wow, that was such a "page turner" I'm not sure what the equivalent term is for when you're listening to the audiobook. It's a fast-paced mystery with a podcast element that fits perfectly. I like how the narrators had distinct voices for all the characters especially when there are so many different characters. I couldn't stop listening and finished it the same day. The way we are just pulled into the story of Lucy and her best friend Savvy's death mystery was a perfect choice. We are uncovering the mystery at the same time as everyone else. Once I finished the book I had to return to some parts after I had more context. I'm not a fan of the romance pieces but overall a great read.

This book was a fun myster read. Short chapters left you wanting more and keep reading. Loved the style and alternating pov. Great fast read. Loved the audio.

I'm so glad I listened to this in audio format. I'm struggling with thrillers lately and January LaVoy and her IRL husband, Will Damron did a FABULOUS job of narrating the many characters in this book. It is the primary reason I kept listening. January LaVoy is one of my favorite narrators and I will pretty much listen to any book she does.

I liked that this book didn't necessarily follow a specific formula that we've seen in the past? I liked the small two Texas vibe and unlikable characters. Lucy's grandmother was my favorite character. Where I struggled with the book a little was consistency with regard to Lucy's character. The first half of the book sets a very distinct tone in that Lucy does not GAF about anything or anyone, but by the end of the book that really isn't true and there wasn't much of an explanation. Also, the scene with Lucy, Ben and the knife did not fit either and was kind of strange in terms of what the author was trying to do. Is Lucy a terrible person or isn't she? She can't be both.

Also, the voice that Lucy hears, that wasn't explained very well either once you find out what it was. Why could she hear that voice and I've talked this over with other readers who felt it was PTSD, but I think that could have been explained a little.

Overall, this was a decent thriller, but my enjoyment from it mostly came from listening to the narrators read the book. If I had read the book in print, I wouldn't have liked it as much.

Five years ago, Lucy’s best friend Savvy was murdered, and everyone thinks that Lucy was the perpetrator. Lucy claims that she can’t remember the night in question but her small hometown community does not believe her.

Ben hosts a podcast titled “Listen for the Lie” and he is determined to find answers. He didn’t expect Lucy to return to the small town to support his search for the truth.

I LOVED this whole book, especially as an audiobook. The writing style was interesting and I loved the element of podcast episodes. It kept me intrigued and interested from start to finish. The narrators incorporated music and production elements that I’ve never heard in an audiobook before and I was all for it! If you are searching for a good thriller, I’d 100% recommend this one. 5/5 ⭐️

𝘈 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐'𝘮 𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯.

Lucy Chase returns to her small hometown in Texas after five years in LA. She left Plumpton under a cloud of suspicion after her best friend, Savvy Harper, was murdered and Lucy was found wandering disheveled and dazed, covered with Savvy's blood, but with no memory of the previous night's events. Now, Ben Owens has chosen to spotlight Savvy Harper's murder in the second season of his popular podcast "LISTEN FOR THE LIE." Interest in the events of that night has been renewed, the people of Plumpton are eager to be interviewed for their "two cents worth," and Lucy's grandma has tricked her into returning home so that she can tell her side of the story. Episodes of the podcast are broadcast "in real time" during Lucy's visit, and even Lucy doesn't know what Ben's investigation will uncover.

𝘐'𝘮 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘊𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵.

I thoroughly enjoyed this whodunit. Most of the town has taken sides, "Savvy's side." Even Lucy's parents are acting weird around her. Is there anybody who doesn't think Lucy did it? Lucy, for her part, is so sarcastic, ironic, and surprisingly resilient. I loved her so much. I really wanted her to get it on with the handsome podcaster who "looked like a Marvel hero" and had a constantly smug smile on his face. I really wanted him to find out she didn't kill Savvy. But people can be stubborn, and judgmental, and biased. It makes it hard to get to the truth. Does the truth even matter?

𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭.

This book was so much fun. The audiobook version was expertly narrated and dramatized. It will keep you guessing until the very end.

This ALC is gratefully received, listened, and reviewed for NetGalley and the publisher.

Highly recommend if you read this to pick it up in audiobook format! This is narrated by a full cast and there are podcast elements which are elevated in the audiobook experience.

I liked the audiobook production more than the story itself. Here are a few things that didn’t work for me:
▫️The story moves very slowly and I didn’t think much happened for a good chunk of the middle of the book.
▫️Lucy made quite a few choices that annoyed me and I couldn’t root for her as a character.
▫️I also just don’t love when everything hinges on an amnesia twist.
▫️Again the narration was great, but the voice of Savvy in Lucy’s head became really annoying 🙃
▫️Predictable, underwhelming ending.

The audio for this book was fantastic - multiple narrators and music!

Lucy's best friend, Savvy, was murdered one night years ago. Rumors around the Texas small town blame Lucy, but there is not enough evidence to convict Lucy of the crime, and Lucy doesn't remember the night. Years later, a podcaster brings the cold case to attention again. Lucy's grandmother begs her to return to Texas for her 80th birthday, at the same time the podcast returns to investigate. Small town rumors, amnesia, infidelity, and abuse all play in to the confusion to what really happened the night Savvy was murdered.

Read if you enjoy: psychological thrillers that aren't dark and creepy, unreliable narrators, twisty plots

Definitely recommend going with the audio for this one!

Thank you to NetGally, MacMillan Audio and Celadon Books for the ALC!

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have only listened to about five audiobooks in my reading life. I love holding books and reading really helps with my anxiety. However, at the recommendation of some of my GR friends, I decided to go the audio route for this one. I’m glad I did! This audio book is spectacular! Thank you GR friends!

Did Lucy really kill her best friend Savvy? Podcaster Ben Owens is in her hometown trying to get to the bottom of this unsolved crime with his “Listen For The Lie” podcast series.

Lucy is one heck of a character! Sassy, snarky, sarcastic with a dark humorous side. I laughed at times, but her Grandma Beverly was the scene stealer for me! She’s a hoot and a half!

The chapters alternate between Lucy and podcast interviews with residents of Plumpton. Everyone has something to say about what happened the night Savvy died. Listening to the podcast chapters really gave this a true crime feel. I loved them!

The book kinda started slowing down for me about halfway, but I still loved it. I found it to be original and entertaining! The narrators were outstanding. I will also recommend getting the audio version of this one. You won’t be disappointed!

I’m definitely looking forward to reading more my this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books and Amy Tintera for my advanced copy to read and review.

Sometimes I feel like maybe I'm done with psychological thrillers, they start to feel a little too predictable, a little too outrageous, a little like an author is trying way too hard to out-do all the others with the twists and turns and gasp-out-loud surprises. But then here comes Amy Tintera with Listen for the Lie, and I loved it. But I didn't love it for the thriller aspect - it actually felt more like a good solid mystery. It was the characters that drew me in - especially Lucy Chase, who may or may not have murdered her best friend 5 years ago. She can't imagine she could've done it, but she also has no memory of what happened in the hours before she was found on a back road covered in blood. When a true-crime podcaster brings attention to the unsolved case, Lucy finds herself without a job or a boyfriend (too much baggage for both when her background is revealed). So back home to Texas she goes, at her grandmother's insistence. Lucy is my kind of character, sardonic, self-deprecating, a suck-it-up-Buttercup kind of woman with a dark sense of humor who takes life as it comes at her. When she decides to cooperate with podcaster Ben Owens in hopes of finally finding out what actually happened that night, all kinds of sparks fly. January LaVoy and Will Damron do an excellent job of narrating the audiobook, and I especially appreciated the podcast sections, which sounded very much like an actual podcast, musical intros and all. Well done all around!
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Thank you celadon books for this Advance Listener Copy!

Once I started this book it was so hard to hit the pause button! Wow oh wow. This one keeps you on the edge of your seat. A good whodunit kind of story, and let me just say....who did it isn't anyone I suspected! The characters are likeable (well.....except doe those I want to throat punch for being such jerks!) But I was invested right from the start. Love the mixed media as well and the audio is top notch! Any audio book that switches back and forth from story to pod cast is A+ for me!

If you want a thriller that keeps you guessing, go get this one today!

amy tintera nailed this one! 5 stars for me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love thrillers with podcast elements and WOW this one is top-notch in both the format and story!

Plumpton, Texas. Five years ago, Savannah "Savvy" Harper was found murdered. Her best friend Lucy Chase had Savvy's blood all over and with a head injury, she also sustained memory loss. Lucy wasn't charged with the murder but people in the small town believe she's the suspect.

Ben Owens is investigating the murder of Savvy Harper for his podcast show. Lucy wants to help find the killer even though it might be herself!

The plot is very similar to something I've read before. But my, I love Lucy's character and personality. Her dark humor and snarky thoughts hooked me to this fantastic audiobook from the first chapter.

The story is told alternating between Lucy's chapters and the podcast. It's well done and won't confuse the listener with two narrators and a short jingle before the podcast begins.

January LaVoy and Will Damron are both fantastic. I love them both and they were a joy to listen to for this story.
9/10~4.5⭐

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ALC.

Four stars for this original take on a murder mystery. Five years after the death of her best friend, Lucy is just trying to move on with her life, when a tenacious podcaster brings everything to the forefront once more. Did Lucy kill her best friend? If so, was she never charged and why can she remember nothing from that night? Lucy is forced to go back to her home town and that fateful night to try and get some answers….but is it in her best interest to remember?

I enjoyed the short, snappy chapters and the podcast excerpts that make up this compulsive listen. Brilliant narration means you feel like you’re listening to a podcast, rather than a novel. The transformation of the book into an audiobook is brilliant and clever.

I thought Lucy was a brilliant character and I enjoyed her sarcastic, jarring manner - “I can’t wait to find out if I did it” she tells people as she listens to the podcast.

For the first half of the audiobook, I was irritated by the voice in Lucy’s head. It just felt a bit superfluous to her character. But in the second half of the book, I ate my words and I could see not only that it was needed but how well it worked as a plot device.

This is a book in which no one can be trusted so I still had no clue who the culprit was, right up to the last few chapters. The ending gave me a lot of think about.

It’s a fantastic debut and I will certainly read more from this author.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion

Imagine being accused of murdering your best friend. And then Imagine not remembering anything that happened that night. So now you don't even know for sure if the awful things people are accusing you of are true. This is Lucy's case, so now she has to return to her hometown to help a podcaster try to solve this mystery!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you're looking for a who did it, mysterious thriller, this is the one! I enjoyed this audiobook so much that I had to buy the hardcover!! I freaking love the humor in this book. Lucy's sarcastic humor is my kind of humor!🤣 The chapters alternate between Lucy's POV and Ben Owen's podcast episodes. So between Lucy's hilarious comments and Ben's interviews with the people from a small town in Texas, the entertainment is chef's kiss! This is a 5 star read, one of my favorite thrillers this year so far, and i highly recommend it! 😍

Listen for the Lie is a fantastic read! Thanks @celadonbooks for the gifted copy. Thanks also to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for access to the audiobook which I absolutely loved!

Lucy is accused of her best friend’s murder and she cannot remember what happened that night. When a popular true crime podcaster decides to investigate, secrets don’t stay buried.

I enjoyed the alternating of narration and the podcast. The audio highlights this so well. If you’re looking for a fun, quirky thriller with a surprise twist you will want to read this one!

For Lucy, the night five years ago still remains a blank though their entire Texas town knows that Lucy killed her best friend Savvy. When a popular true crime podcaster chooses to investigate Savvy's murder, Lucy finally returns home at her grandmother's insistence. Now Lucy must face her ex-husband and her distrust family while trying to find out the truth about Savvy's death, even if it ends up pointing to herself.

Listen for the Lie had me hooked from the very first page. After ordering a physical copy, I found out I had received a free copy of the audiobook from the publisher which turned out well for me since the audiobook was fantastic. Lucy's cynical sarcasm kept making me laugh and the podcast chapters sounded so realistic in audio format. Although Lucy's personality was the highlight of the book for me, I also found myself fully invested in the mystery and was satisfied with Tintera's many twists.

I have an idea… Let’s kill…

I will never not chuckle when I think about that line and I will never not hear it in the outstanding narration by January LaVoy. Let’s back up a bit before I get into that more… I am absolutely buzzing to talk about Amy Tintera’s latest psychological thriller, Listen for the Lie. This is one of those mysteries that is humorous and dark in equal measure.

Lucy is accused of murder

Lucy Chase is infamous, particularly in her hometown of Plumpton, Texas where everyone thinks she killed her best friend Savannah “Savvy” Harper and got away with it. Lucy was never charged, though she was found covered in Savvy’s blood the night of the murder. Unfortunately, Lucy can’t really defend herself because she has no memory of what happened after she and her husband Matt arrived at the wedding reception that evening. The rest of the night is a black hole. Lucy herself has never been certain if she killed Savvy or not, and she’s afraid of the answer. Not long after, Lucy and Matt divorced and Lucy fled the accusing stares and cold shoulders for Los Angeles.

Lucy is back in the spotlight

When a popular true crime podcast hosted by the attractive and dogged Ben Owens launches, covering Savvy’s murder, Lucy finds that her name is back in the public eye. Her job lets her go and her boyfriend Nate breaks up with her. When Lucy’s grandmother asks her to come home for her birthday, Lucy doesn’t really have a reason to say no. Not long after she arrives, Lucy remembers why she left in the first place. Everyone in the town seems to hate her and think she’s guilty. Savvy was “the sweetest girl you ever met”, and Lucy was the sarcastic misfit who returned home from college with a big ring on her finger, a husband, and a beautiful dream home in Plumpton.

Lucy wants the truth

Lucy isn’t the only one who recently arrived in Plumpton—podcaster Ben Owens has come as well to record interviews and gather evidence for his podcast. He hopes to uncover the truth about Savvy’s murder. Lucy also wants to find out what happened, even if the answer is one she doesn’t want to accept. Agreeing to her first interview about the case ever, the podcast kicks off and people from around the town have some interesting things to share. As the townspeople spill secrets on the podcast, it becomes clear that there was a lot that was kept hidden during the original investigation. Meanwhile Lucy continues to hear a voice in her head “I have an idea… Let’s kill…” that she can’t seem to shut out. Will the real killer finally be unveiled?

Review

I picked this up and didn’t want to think about anything else until I finished reading it. The mystery was interesting and there was enough new information coming out throughout the book to keep the reader’s mind engaged trying to figure out what happened the night of Savvy’s murder. This isn’t only a good mystery, though—it’s entertaining. Tintera writes with a dark humor that is positively addictive. Lucy is a highly sarcastic character, but not in a way that is alienating or off putting. Her commentary both in her head and to others is just my type of humor and I found myself chuckling on more than one occasion.

The opening sequence with Lucy losing her job and her relationship could have been sad, but Lucy doesn’t care too much. She doesn’t actually like her boyfriend very much, and finds it more amusing watching him try to come up with an excuse for spending time apart that isn’t “I heard on a podcast you murdered your best friend”. Lucy’s grandmother is a delightful character—a rea spitfire! She is one of the few people in Lucy’s life who understands and accepts her. She also is in contact with the podcaster Ben and convinces Lucy to do the interview.

The town of Plumpton is not as idyllic as it may seem! The investigation and podcast interviews reveal a lot of secrets hidden beneath the surface in this town. Some were known and some weren’t—but let’s just say there don’t seem to be a lot of people in Plumpton who are faithful in their relationships! And it wasn’t just who may have slept with who in this case, there were a lot of relationships between characters that were surprising or different than what was known. In a small town, everyone knows everyone and that leads to a complicated social matrix that is just bursting with juicy gossip.

One of my favorite elements of this book were the podcast episodes sprinkled throughout. The chapters are told from Lucy’s perspective, but the podcast episodes are Ben’s voice. I love a podcast element in a book and I highly recommend the audiobook in this case (more on that below) because it’s presented with a different style that feels like it’s a real podcast. Ben was an interesting character—he’s outside of the case and this world and is there as a supposedly unbiased narrator and detective. But often I wondered, is he unbiased? Unexpectedly, he and Lucy form a bond that probably isn’t appropriate (doesn’t this violate some sort of podcast ethics?) given that he is investigating a case where she is the prime suspect. I wondered throughout if he was on Lucy’s side or not. Did he think she was innocent, or was he just manipulating her to get the story and interviews?

Lucy is plagued by a voice throughout the book and it was so funny and well-executed in the audiobook. Lucy will be in the middle of a conversation with a character, for instance her ex-husband Matt. And as the person is talking to Lucy, the voice will speak up, “I have an idea!” Lucy shuts it down and her inner dialogue with this voice tickled me. Eventually you’ll learn more about the voice and what its purpose is.

A major theme in this book relies around how a person who tragically loses their life becomes an idealized version of themselves. At the beginning, all we hear from people in the town is what a sweetheart Savvy is. Many muse that Savvy really wasn’t friends with Lucy. They blame Lucy for more than just Savvy’s murder, they blame her for Savvy’s life not being what it could have been. Ironic because Savvy dropped out of college and moved home long before Lucy arrived back from college with Matt in tow. Lucy and Savvy had a much closer friendship than people acknowledged, and Savvy was much dynamic than how she is described since her murder. I loved the Savvy we got to know through Lucy’s memories. She was spicy, brazen, funny, and flawed. In other words, she was human.

If you like a good whodunnit with a wickedly sharp sense of humor and a compelling format—this is your book! And I’m not the only one saying that. This book is getting major attention from some big-name authors that is well-deserved!

Audiobook Review

I touched on this throughout but I want to mention it again—do the audiobook for this one! January LaVoy as Lucy is incredible, and I particularly loved the way she narrated the voice in Lucy’s head. I laughed every time it happened! January captures Lucy’s humor perfectly as well. Lucy is dry, sarcastic, and has a certain nonchalance that it fascinating. Will Damron narrates the podcast episodes in Ben’s voice. The podcast element was so well done—Will Damron was a fantastic choice for Ben (I seriously wondered if he is a real podcaster) and the way the audiobook was produced with music and audio quality differences to make it feel like a real podcast was masterful.