Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Listen for the Lie: A Novel by Amy Tintera

78 reviews

jevon_mommy's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Umm...I am gobsmacked! This book was SO DAMN GOOD! I couldn't put it down. Just incredible. The most unreliable narrator and cast of characters I've read in a long time. Lucy and her group of misfits in this town were deranged! Even the Grandma! I highly recommend this book!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, and Domestic abuse

crazybooklady89's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was great! I’ve never laughed so much reading a murder mystery/thriller before. Putting this book down in order to go to sleep each night was painful. I could be heard proclaiming, “Just 1 more chapter” several times over. This is definitely an author I would read from again.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

kimveach's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

With the unreliable narrator and excellent storytelling, I raced through this novel.  The author kept me engaged with the twists, and I didn't realize the ending until she told me.   I bet this would be great on audio, too.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Bullying, Vomit, Blood, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Stalking, Murder, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Gore, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

lmcarr0314's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

OMG this book really had me captivated. I could not put the book down. I also couldn’t figure out the whodunit part till much later into the book. This book was really good. I gave it five stars because honestly I was really into the plot , the characters. Everything was a huge part of why I enjoyed it so much. I would read another book from the Author for sure.

Also her hearing a voice over and over again about killing really drew me in. The MC’s Dark humor and bad placed jokes were also a fun part of the story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Minor: Grief

caitlinpfry's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Alcoholism

prioryofprose's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Death, and Murder

amalauna's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Sexual violence, Death, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Grief, Infidelity, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Violence

amysalwaysreading's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Lucy isn’t exactly sure what happened several years ago when she was found wandering the streets of her small hometown, covered in her best friend’s blood. All she knows for sure is that Savvy is dead & the entire town is convinced Lucy is the murderer. A true crime podcaster named Ben is determined to find out what really happened. 

 

Listen for the Lie is a story of small town politics, female friendship, and how victims are portrayed after they are gone. It’s also a story of why we choose to believe (or not believe) someone. This book has a cast of mostly unlikeable characters (except for Grandma; she is clearly the best character in this book) who make questionable choices. 

 

This story is propulsive and engaging the entire way through. I loved the mixed media format; I read on Kindle but have heard the audio is fantastic. It’s dark, morally grey, and laugh out loud hilarious in many places. The pages flew by as I anxiously waited for Ben and Lucy to figure out what really happened the night Savvy died. The podcast element of this book peeled back the many layers of lies that the members of Lucy’s hometown had hidden for all these years. This would be a great one to add to your TBR for spring break! 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

 

Thank you to @amytintera, @celadonbooks, and @netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Murder, Death, Infidelity, and Domestic abuse

juanat77's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Cursing, Gore, Mental illness, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, and Sexual content

astoriareader's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SYNOPSIS

• Lucy left her hometown, a small town in Texas, five years ago after being accused of killing her best friend, Savannah, aka Savvy. Unfortunately, Lucy doesn’t remember anything about what happened to Savvy. 
• She’s been living in LA and trying not to revisit the past. Ben, a podcaster, decides to investigate Savvy’s murder for the 2nd season of his podcast. When Lucy returns to her hometown to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday, she links up with Ben to uncover the truth.

MY THOUGHTS

• I loved this one. Two POVs - Lucy’s and the podcast episodes - with alternating chapters. Fast-paced. Compelling. Satisfying ending.
• Lucy also has dark humor, and I enjoyed her as a main character. Since the story covers some tough topics, the comedic relief was a nice balance.
• I loved Beverly (Lucy’s grandmother), too! She was a fun character, and she truly loved Lucy
• There were lots of twists and turns. I appreciated reading about a woman who doesn’t fit in with societal norms & no one listens to her or believes her. When a male podcaster comes along, it’s the only thing that may bolster Lucy's credibility, which is pretty realistic.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5 stars. Compelling writing. Satisfying ending. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Gore, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault