Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

78 reviews

savanhahope's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual content

vicrine's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Alcohol

purplepenning's review

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Gaslighting

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

oxfordcommas91's review

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I was hooked from the very first page. I’m admittedly someone who loves a first person murder mystery and/or thriller type book, but this one had all the right pacing, character development and plot twists to keep me guessing. I liked that the plot twists weren’t so outlandish - it all felt very realistic and you could easily picture this being the plot of a real life true crime podcast. There have been a few books in this genre (true crime pod) that I’ve read lately and I think this is among the best. It’s fast paced, doesn’t get overly loaded down in irrelevant details or red herrings, yet still provides you with a fleshed out story and plenty of classic whodunnit moments. 

I really liked all the characters - not in the sense that I liked who they were as people, but they were intriguing and complex and imperfect in a way that was satisfying to read. It makes me want to continue uncovering the details chapter after chapter.

Also, side note: this book really drives home the wisdom between women of never trusting the “nice guy.”

TL;DR I devoured this book in a little over 24 hours and it only took me that long because apparently you have to sleep and eat and show up to other life obligations. I strongly recommend if you need a fast paced twisty thriller that isn’t so scary it won’t keep you up long after reading. It would be fantastic to pull someone out of a slump!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Vomit

stephanieluxton's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This book is about Lucy, a woman who has to return to her hometown for the first time since she was accused of murdering her best friend on a night she has absolutely no memory of. There she meets Ben, a podcaster who is investigating the cold case for his true crime podcast and they try to unravel the mystery of what happened that night.

This book was fun. There was a nice mixture of humour and mystery. It's set up in first person perspective from Lucy as well as contains snippets from Ben's podcast and interviews with the townspeople. I didn't guess the final outcome which is a big plus for a whodunnit. The characters were interesting and complex enough.

I rated this book highly because I enjoyed the journey. That doesn't mean there was nothing I didn't like.
The author handled the amnesia trope a little better than most but I did find it a little cheesy in the end when Lucy starts to remember the events of that night at the most convenient time for the plot. The romance aspect of the story felt a little forced - I wish there was a bit more time spent on this subplot.

This book isn't groundbreaking but it's a fun read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

br3nda's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I really thought I was going to like this one more than I did. A podcast, a mystery murder and a main character that doesn't remember anything. Sounds like a winner but unfortunately no for me. The writing was well done but I just could not connect with any of the characters, especially Lucy. I could not handle the snarkiness or the decisions she was making. 
The pacing of the storyline was off too. There just was not much happening besides the podcast interviewing and Lucy trying to remember what happened the night of Savvy's murder. And seriously, we get how hot it is in Texas. I don't think we need to be reminded as frequently as we were!

I did listen to this on audio instead of reading the ebook version. The narration was fabulous! January Lavoy and Will Damron did a fantastic job of reading a large amount of characters (some of which I got mixed up at times). 
I also did not expect the outcome. I was completely surprised by the "whodunnit"! I seriously thought it was  someone else!

Overall it was a three star for me. I was happy to have read it! 

Thanks to Celadon and Netgalley for the opportunity!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

Lives up to the hype, totally unputdownable. I sped through this one because I needed to know what how everything ended up happening and was totally surprised by the ending. I love a good podcast-based mystery and would definitely recommend this on audio. Just a note though that there's a repetitive "let's kill" voice that gets grating after a bit, but still worth prioritizing this format for the podcast element.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit

kerryamchugh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.0

quick and engrossing thriller centered on a true crime podcaster revisiting a 5-year-old murder case in which a woman is believed to have killed her best friend. explores themes of believability and likeability, small town rumors, the importance of keeping up appearances, abuse, and whose story takes precedence.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Murder, and Alcohol

juliaureads's review

dark funny mysterious fast-paced

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

3.75

 Talk about a page turner! Tintera’s conversational style and frankly hilarious main character kept me entertained throughout the story. I loved the Texas setting and the little nods toward Texas culture, and really didn’t guess the ending until it was right in front of me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

saramariebt's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Alcohol