Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera: ⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟
Format: ALC from MacMillan Audio

Y’all, the hype for this book is SO deserved.

Listen for the Lie is a perfectly executed small-town whodunnit. While it is composed with themes and plot devices that I’ve seen in other books, they are weaved together perfectly. Fans of true-crime investigative podcasts will probably enjoy this book! Our main character Lucy’s life rapidly falls apart when a true crime podcast starts publishing episodes dedicated to solving the murder of Lucy’s best friend 5 years prior. Though Lucy has no memories of the incident due to the injuries she sustained, she has been convicted by the court of public opinion of the crime. With not much to lose, Lucy returns to her small hometown to search for the answers behind the murder- even if those answers point right back at her.

Lucy instantly became one of my favorite main characters- she’s got that snarky dark humor that I thought was super entertaining on paper here. The format of the book- mixing Lucy’s POV interspersed with podcast transcripts of various other characters- paints the scene with the information becoming available to everyone in “real time”. The podcast chapters were exceptionally well done in the audiobook format, read as duets between both narrators. I loved the production of this so much that Listen for the Lie has rocketed to the top of my list of recommended audiobooks!

There was nothing that I didn’t love about this book and I look forward to re-listening to this in the future. I strongly recommend it! Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC of Listen for the Lie, which is available now.

Thank you to #partner Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review!

The audiobook is definitely the way to read this one, January LaVoy and Will Damron did an impeccable job with this story. Lucy is a character in so many ways, I loved her, suspected her, will not forget her. I loved this story and the mystery around it, and loved everything about Lucy and her hometown, and her courage for going back when no one really wanted her there. Except grandma, but even then her agendas cracked me up as did she.

I could not get enough of this book and if you haven’t read it yet, you MUST. This is one I still think about, and I love when a book sticks with me this way. Like I said the audio is fantastic, and with the true crime podcast element worked in, the audio only enhanced this experience.

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my complimentary audiobook. My thoughts are my own.

I love a good narration when it includes podcasts and all the sound effects that go with them, and this clever thriller lends itself well to the audiobook form!

When LUCY’S best friend SAVANNAH (SAVVY) is murdered, Lucy is found nearby, covered with Savvy’s blood. But Lucy has no recollection of what happened, and because there is not enough evidence, Lucy is never convicted. However, everyone in Plumpton believes Lucy is guilty, so Lucy leaves her hometown and her family behind, and relocates to Los Angeles, where she writes novels under a pen name.

Years later, Lucy’s GRANDMOTHER decides it is time to put an end to the rumors, so she invites Lucy to her birthday party…and she also invites a well-known true crime podcaster, BEN OWENS. As Ben probes into the mystery, he interviews several colorful town residents, all of whom continue to believe Lucy is guilty, including her own PARENTS! Meanwhile Lucy is dealing with widespread gossip, a recent break-up, and an ex-husband. Not to mention, the constant voice of her dead friend, whispering “LET’S KILL!” in her ear! When Lucy finally agrees to talk with Ben, secrets begin to unravel.

This fast-paced, twisty novel deals with secrets, hatred, gossip, jealousy, and affairs. Lucy is the main character who may or may not be guilty of her friend’s murder, but her sarcastic and witty perspective, full of dark humor, makes her into a character you will find yourself routing for. (I even laughed out loud at some of her comments!) Lucy’s narrative intersperses with highly entertaining podcast chapters, and the mystery gradually unravels with a startling conclusion!

The audio version of this novel is expertly narrated by real life husband and wife, Will Damron and January LaVoy, two of my favorite narrators. I highly recommend this one!

Listen for the Lie was just the mystery I needed to get my out of a reading slump. I was gripped from the start, following Lucy as she travels back to her hometown where everyone thinks she’s the girl that got away with murder- including Ben, a crime podcaster desperate to interview her. Twists and turns of truth slowly reveal more and more of what really happened the night of Savvy’s murder.

I loved this book! Bouncing between Lucy and the podcast episodes- made for a unique way to meet characters and start to piece the mystery together!

I especially enjoyed the audiobook! The narration was great and easy to follow and I loved the podcast intro music, which really makes for a listening experience!

I'm a sucker for a book that has a built-in Podcast, especially if it's True Crime. Lucy's story -- believing she murdered her best friend, Savvy, but not remembering it -- drew me in from the beginning. I knew this would be a tale of discovery as Lucy struggled to remember what happened on that fateful day. Enter podcaster Ben Owens, who is determined to find the truth no matter what it is. Lucy decides to work with him despite her family feeling that she is making the wrong decision. As each podcast episode dropped, interviews revealed more and more of the story until the shocking ending! This was my 3rd five star read of the year and definitely worth the hype!

The wife and husband team of January Lavoy and Will Damron rocked the narration. The exchanges in the podcast interviews made it seem like I was listening to a real podcast. Kudos!

Woah! This was outstanding! I loved this book! I enjoyed it even more with the audiobook production! I felt I was right there with the characters trying to solve the murder and listening to the podcast! Well done!!! A MUST read!!!!

Listen for the Lie
By Amy Tintera
Narrated By January LaVoy and Will Dameon
5 ⭐️

I’m not exactly a true crime podcast junky, but I do occasionally partake. This audiobook expertly taps into that indulgence. It alternates between the POV of the prime suspect to the crime, the suspect’s flashbacks to the time of the crime, and the interviews collected by the podcast host/investigator presented as clips from the podcast. The book flows just like a podcast investigation does.

The prime suspect’s grandmother steals the show as far as favorite character goes. She’s how I hope to be as a grandparent, minus the alcohol bit - maybe. She’s spunky, straight to the point and fiercely loyal to her granddaughter even when her own parents aren’t in her corner. She’s a 10/10 kind of lady.

This book would likely be great regardless of the format type consumed; however, I do think it uniquely lends itself to be a truly fantastic audiobook, and the narrators absolutely delivered. Check this one out!!

audiobook ARC - thank you netgalley, Amy Tintero, and Macmillan Audio

This book is fabulous! It quickly grabs your attention and keeps it throughout the book to the very last word. I was absolutely captivated by the plot and the many interesting characters in this murder mystery thriller.

Is Lucy responsible for Savvy's death? Well, a new true crime podcast is leading people to believe that she is to blame. Unfortunately, Lucy does not even know she killed her best friend. But now that she is returning home to her small Texas town she will have to face the past that she ran away from five years ago. Then there's the host of this new podcast called "Listen for the Lie". This is only Ben Owen's second true crime murder mystery he has investigated through his podcast but he is very good at what he does. When Lucy meets him she is skeptical about his intentions of getting to the bottom of this crime through helping her to confront her forgotten past to try to uncover the truth.

Lucy is an amazing character to get to know. So many things were uncovered about her and her friendship with Savvy. She has an unique dark wit that combined with Ben's seriousness created the perfect pairing. Lucy's grandma was my favorite side character her personality has me laughing out loud, you can truly see that Lucy gets her wittiness from her.

As the book unfolds the readers are sucked into Ben's podcast and it makes you feel like you are truly listening to a true crime series. There are so many times I thought I'd figured out who was to blame for the murder and then something new is revealed. The twist and turns are done perfectly throughout the storyline, they feel natural and not forced at all. The ending comes with such revelations I think my jaw may have literally hit the floor.

Listening to the audiobook was highly entertaining. The narration by January LaVoy and Will Damron was superb. The Dual narration format truly brought the story to life especially with the extremely realistic podcast audio. It was an absolute pleasure to listen to this book and I can without hesitation give it 5 stars. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I am extremely grateful to MacMillan Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of this enthralling book. All opinions in this review are my own honest thoughts.

If you like true crime podcasts and thrillers you will enjoy Listen for The Lie. This story is fast paced. I liked how the podcast was included in the audio and each interview was voiced by a different character so it was easy to follow. Lucy is accused of murdering her best friend but she can’t remember if she did it. Ben is the voice behind a true crime podcast who is trying to solve the murder. When Lucy returns to her hometown is is forced to confront her past and figure out what happened to her best friend.

INCREDIBLE!!! Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a riveting and suspenseful mystery thriller that will keep readers engaged to the very end!! The insane tension, dark humor, suspense, fast pacing, drama, short chapters, secrets, podcast interviews, dysfunctional family, biased neighbors and a main character that you cannot help but cheer for is what makes this a phenomenal thriller!! Also, I absolutely loved the ending and found myself shouting YESSSS!!!! Everything you could possibly want in a book and MORE!! This is my first read by Amy Tintera and it will not be my last! I cannot wait to read more of her books! Another thriller to add to my favorites list for 2024!!

Five years ago, Lucy is found wandering the streets with a head wound, covered in dirt and her best friend Savvy's blood and everyone thinks she is a murderer. The problem is she can't remember anything about that night! To make matters worse, her own parents and community think she is lying despite there being no evidence to charge her of murder. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," host Ben Owens, has decided to investigate Savvy's murder for the show's second season. Will he be able to uncover the truth? Did Lucy really kill her best friend or is she another victim wrongly accused by everyone? But does the truth really matter? I guess you will have to listen for the lie to find out!!

If you're looking for a gripping suspenseful whodunit thriller that is unputdownable then this is the book for you! I highly recommend and it deserves ALL the stars!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was definitely a thriller that kept me guessing! Thank you @celadonbooks for my early copy, the audiobook I switched between and my extra copy for a Little Free Library drop today!

If you like thrillers with a podcast theme, quirky twists and 🤨 moments, this will keep you flipping the pages as fast as you can.

Lucy is found wandering the streets with her friends' blood on her clothes, yet she doesn’t remember what happens, and those that should support her don’t. I can’t imagine what this felt like for her!

A popular podcaster comes to town to try and solve Savvy’s murder with Lucy’s help of course, even though most of the town thinks she did it.

Told in a fast paced storyline of mixed media, interviews, stream of consciousness, and plot development, this is a solid thriller in my opinion.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillianaudio for my ALC of this book!

For anyone who listens to true crime podcasts and enjoys audiobooks- this is the book for you!

Lucy goes back to her hometown for her grandmother’s birthday party which sounds like it should be a normal everyday situation. Except that everyone in her hometown thinks Lucy is a murderer. Years ago, Lucy was found covered in her best friend, Savvy’s blood with no recollection of what happened or how Savvy died. Despite never being formally charged with her murder, public opinion was swayed toward Lucy’s involvement in her death. While back home, Lucy finds out that true crime podcaster Ben Owens is also in town investigating the crime and the two of them together might finally be able to solve Savvy’s murder- even if it turns out Lucy is the killer.

The plot sounded like it would be a standard podcaster comes to a small town trying to solve a cold case, but it was so much more! A combination of Amy’s points of view during present day and past chapters at the time of the murder. Dispersed throughout the book are full chapters that are episodes of Ben’s podcast. I loved the character development throughout the story and the way it was written with dark humor- it was right up my alley. Lucy’s interactions and thoughts were so well-written and I felt that as the reader, I got to know her as a person. Her sarcasm and snarkiness was entertaining, especially listening to January narrate in just the perfect tone. And if you’ve listened to the audiobook, I hope you also appreciate “the voice” as much as I did (IYKYK). I thought that the plot was smart, different, and enjoyable. The dialogue throughout flowed well and was realistic. And again, humorous at times which really added to enjoyability of the book. I was surprised by the twist- it was not what I had expected. I’m shocked to find out that this is the author’s first adult novel- bravo!

This has to be my favorite audiobook that I’ve ever listened to and I’m not even exaggerating on this. It was just so much fun to listen to and I honestly enjoyed the entire thing so much. The narration and format really brought this story to life. When I got to the first chapter of the “Listen For The Lie Podcast” and heard the intro music to the podcast, I had to stop what I was doing and look at my phone to make sure that I didn’t accidentally switch to an actual true crime podcast… the production of this audiobook was THAT good. The podcast music intro/outro added to the enjoyability of this book for me by clearly differentiating the beginning and end of each podcast chapter. I’ve never listened to a book narrated by January LaVoy before, but I am now officially a huge fan and will be keeping my eye out for other books narrated by her!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A super trippy murder mystery in which everyone is convinced that Lucy, and therefore Lucy is too, killed her best friend. The problem? Lucy has know memory of that night, but is it real or is she faking it to get away with murder? The solution? A true crime podcaster picks up the case determined to solve it.

I love murder mysteries and this one is crazy. The web woven in this small Texas town, you know the one where everyone knows everyone and everything about each other, and it is slowly detangled. It’s real good.

#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen
@gmabookclub
#readersofinstagram
#bookstagram
#bookstagrammer
#netgalley
@netgalley
#macmillanaudio
@macmillan.audio
#netgalleyreader
#netgalleyreviewer
#netgalleyarc
#bookish
#mybookishlife
#wearebookish
#goodreads
#audiobook
#readinggoals
#2024reads

Loved this audiobook. The narrators were fantastic. I loved the podcast parts the most- really kept my interest.

Listen for the Lie is a very fun read, even though extremely farfetched. Lucy suddenly gets dragged back into the murder of her best friend after having escaped town as a result of having no memory of the events and being the prime suspect. A podcaster has started digging and her grandmother lures her back to town to agree to be interviewed under the guise of celebrating a milestone birthday. Even though many people, including her own parents, are against the investigation because they are worried it will prove she did it; some thing it might exonerate her by digging deeper than their small Texas town police department was able to 5 years ago.
There are numerous very entertaining characters and intersections due to the small town/limited prospects setting -- and many secrets get uncovered and secretive acts get committed.
This is a great mix of humor, twists, and entertaining characters.

This book was a wild ride and I was totally here for it! I absolutely did not see that last twist coming! Her husband and parents were total douche-bags and essentially threw her under the bus "for her own good". FUCK THEM! This was my 1st book by Amy Tintera but will def not be my last!

Huge shoutout to @netgalley for this eARC and ALC

The audio of this book is soooo freaking good. I highly recommend listening to this one! I did the audio at work and ebook at home and it was such a great mix. I loved the mixed media aspect with the podcast. The actual story is so freaking twisty and had me guessing until the end. I usually am not a big fan of the amnesia trope but this was done so well. The FMC, Lucy, is so sarcastic and amazing. Podcast host, Ben, sounds like the perfect man. He loves true crime and sounds hot AF. I could not put this one down and you probably won’t be able to either

I can't recommend this dark thriller enough! This story involves a five year old murder in which everyone thinks Lucy murdered her best friend, and she can't remember what happened. A true crime podcaster comes to town to find out what really happened. The audiobook is fabulous with short chapters told from Lucy's POV and the podcast. The narrators, January Lavoy and Will Damron do an amazing job. The book was darkly humorous and kept me engaged until the very surprising ending!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advanced digital copy of the book.

“Let’s kill” is always in Lucy’s mind. Lucy and Savvy were best friends. One night Savvy is murdered and everybody thinks Lucy did it. Ben Owens host a true crime podcast where he interviews everybody and solves whether or not Lucy actually did kill her best friend.

This is one I couldn’t put down. Lucy is living a pretty mediocre life in L.A. when a podcaster begins a series reexamining the murder of her best friend. Everyone from Lucy’s hometown is certain she did it. The past and present intersect when Lucy returns home.

I suspected so many people when reading Listen for the Lie and I was still shocked by the ending. Definitely grab this one!