Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Listen for the Lie

I first heard about this book from Book of the Month.
"Listen for the Lie" follows Lucy. Many years ago, Lucy was found wandering the streets of her small hometown covered in blood, her best friend Savvy's blood. The town was quick to write her off as a murderer, especially when Lucy could not remember anything. Lucy decided it best to move to L.A. and try to start her life over. Now, in the present, Ben Owens, the host of a wildly successful true crime podcast, has decided to make the case of Lucy and Savvy the subject of his next season. Lucy is forced to return to her hometown and try to finally remember what happened.
This story was absolutely phenomenal. I kept thinking I had it figured out, but then something new would be revealed and I would realize I did not know what was actually happening. The ultimate "reveal" I did not see coming and I was thoroughly pleased with the mystery and the resolution.
Lucy is the ultimate unreliable narrator. She does not remember one of the most important nights of her life, and this has haunted her every day since. She also does not trust herself because there is a voice inside of her head that is telling her to kill, and if that is the case, then maybe she did murder her best friend? Despite being hated by an entire town, Lucy comes across very strong and willing to face the people who have turned their backs on her. I loved her sarcastic humor and approach to dealing with leering eyes when she was home.
Lucy's Grandma was an absolute riot. I loved seeing one person believe whole heartedly in Lucy, and I loved that she went out of her way to try and prove Lucy's innocence, even when Lucy did not believe it herself.
Ben seems like a really great, golden retriever guy. He is smart, talented, and not at all arrogant given the success of his show. I loved watching him and Lucy interact, and I loved how he treated Lucy just like a person. For all he knew, Lucy really did do it, but she does not remember, but he never treated her like a murderer; it was the true embodiment of innocent until proven guilty.
I had such a great time with this mystery, and I highly recommend it!

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abbygh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense

Loveable characters? No

3.5

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fkshg8465's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.75

Didn’t really care for the podcast format or the amnesia (too convenient a plot device). Characters were too superficial. Only one I really liked was the grandmother. Everyone should have a gran like her.

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jamie_rich's review

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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gondorgirl's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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tjdewald's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

2.25

Very quick read, easy to follow. This book did have me hooked for the first 200-250 pages. However, when there was about 60 pages left, I felt it dragging on. The conclusion was unsatisfying and felt very rushed yet somehow drug out. It was like the author decided who did it 250 pages in and had to quickly tie it to that character. I thought there was an unnecessary amount of sexually explicit scenes. Some are okay but it became tacky quickly, especially one of the later ones (you know which one if you’ve read it).

Overall, it was okay. Two stars for the first 200-250 pages but the last 100ish just didn’t work.

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onabookban's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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gwenswoons's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

So good. I had been reading so much hype about this, and I was surprised when it was (for me) a little slow to begin! But it became so addictive so quickly - such good character building and detailed thoroughness in the plot and world, too. I love a thriller that is also a little sexy, and also one where the victims and narrators are complicated/imperfect, and this is awesome on both counts. And - so amazingly unexpected in all the turns and shocks, right down to the end - I loved it!!

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