Thank you Libro.fom / Macmillan Audio, for the ALC and Celadon Books, #partner for the advanced copy of Listen for the Lie in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Celadon Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: March 5, 2024
Summary:
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.
My thoughts:
There is so much hype about this book and it is definitely well deserved. This book is so engaging and addictive and whether you read the print copy or listen to it – and if you are an audiobook fan, I highly recommend going the audiobook route as it is fantastic on audio – just be sure to clear your schedule because once you start it, you aren’t going to want to put it down!
This is such a fast-moving story and I loved every second of it. I immediately became obsessed with who killed Savvy, needing to know that answer as much as Ben, the host of the true crime podcast, “Listen for the Lie” was. I was all over the place with who I thought did it, including at times, thinking Lucy it was indeed Lucy…she is just such a great character – totally flawed, at times unreliable and full of sarcasm.
I loved the way this story was structured, alternating between Lucy’s point of view and then segments of the podcast. I have really come to love this trope in my thrillers, and here it is done so well. You really feel like you are part of the investigation as Ben takes a deep dive into what really happened that night. He has such a way about him that people tend to reveal secrets without realizing it. And of course, the supporting characters are so dynamic. There are ones you will love – Lucy’s grandmother is a hoot and I loved all the scenes with her – and then there are ones you immediately become suspicious of…or is that just me?
I cannot recommend this one enough! It is Amy Tintera’s first adult novel and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!
Audio thoughts:
This was amazing on audio! Narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damon, with sound effects for the podcast segments, this one really was such a joy to listen to. The narrators do such a fantastic job bringing this story to life, infusing just the right amount of emotion, snark, and tension into their voices as needed.
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