Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Listen For The Lie

Perspective: Our main character is in their late twenties, with a string of failed relationships and job losses. A new podcast exploring their role in the death of their best friend five years ago isn’t helping things. They return to the town where it all happened and where the podcast is taking place at their beloved grandmother’s urging.

🐩 Tail Wags: The characters and their dynamics. How the podcast element is handled. The slightly unhinged romances. Fine-tuning the plot so it’s like a popcorn thriller, but then it hits in the feels.

🤔 Random Thoughts:

The podcast felt like a real one – like a CBC investigation or Wondery style production

I love diverse settings in books, like a tiny house! I love when we just get normal middle class homes in books too.

An amnesia trope that works! I don’t really like amnesia tropes, but I think because it doesn’t take itself so seriously (like, other characters are skeptical) while acknowledging what trauma-related amnesia really is and what it looks like.

Short chapters and perfect pacing.

You know how mysterious cold cases irl have those details that could mean absolutely nothing, or could be a major clue? This story captured that dynamic. Both from the investigative/podcast side and from our MC trying to recall what happened.

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🤓 Reader Role: Insider to Lucy’s thoughts, almost like she’s talking to us directly. Also the podcast audience. As we get snippets of the podcast investigation, we get ahead of or behind the other characters’ knowledge, depending on when they’ve listened to the episode.

🗺️ World-Building: Immersive and set not just with detail but with dialogue that is witty and sarcastic but also real-sounding (including the podcast snippets and interviews).

🔥 Fuel: Did Lucy kill her friend, Savvy? If so, why? If not, who did? Can Lucy trust those who seem to support her? Is she unhinged, mentally ill, or overstressed?

📖 Cred: Plausible realism.

Mood Reading Match-Up:

Beer. whiskey. AC cold. Crickets. TV and laughter downstairs. Podcast intro music. Summer heat. Humidity. Dirt roads.
Amnesia + whodunnit cold case
Romantic suspense and who to trust

Content Heads-Up: Murder. Potential false accusation. Intrusive thoughts. Infidelity. Domestic abuse (mental, physical). Violence (brawl, rage). Sexual content (consenting, role-playing, intoxicated). Misogyny. Gaslighting. Traumatic memory loss, blackouts. Sexual assault. Alcohol use. Alcoholism.

Rep: Latina, White, and Black American. Dark, pale, and ambiguous skin tones. Cisgender. Heterosexual. Lesbian.

📚 Format: Library Digital

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Content Warnings

keppers_jax's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

enchantedfiction's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

5.0

Listen for the Lie follows Lucy, a woman who has run from her past. 5 years prior, she was found walking on a road, covered in her best friend's blood. Obviously, this made her look guilty for Savvy's murder. But with not enough evidence to prove she did it, Lucy left her hometown in Texas for what she thought was for good. But it's been 5 years, her grandmother is asking her to come back, and more light has been shed on the cold case thanks to a true crime podcast. Lucy might not be completely ready to face her past, but she feels like she should get answers on what happened to Savvy, even if it means she'll find out she's a murderer. All you have to do is listen for the lie.

Listen for the Lie was my first Amy Tintera book, and it did not disappoint! This was such a great audio experience, and I literally listened to this during my son's nap time within 2 days. I needed to know what happened to Savvy! The narrators were absolutely wonderful, and I love that during the podcast sections, they used multiple voices like a true interview.

Now, into the actual parts of the story that drew me in:

I love having an unreliable first-person POV in books like this. Be it that they don't know what happened because of repressed memories or amnesia, or they are just trying to get the reader on their side. It makes everything feel tense. Lucy's internal dialogue throughout the story gives the reader reason to doubt her and question her motives, and I would argue she's not a super likable character, though I don't think she would be surprised with me saying so.

I love small town murder stories because in cold case stories, you know someone, or multiple someones, are hiding something. People talk and maybe don't realize they saw something that could be pivotal, and the pressure of the podcast makes things come to light.

I thought the pacing was done very well, and the story flowed nicely. The side characters were great in the ways they either made you love or hate them, and the reveal at the end was believable.

I will definitely be checking out more of Amy Tintera's books after this one, and would highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a good mystery/thriller and would encourage the audiobook because it's such a great experience!

Content Warnings

bringmybooks's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense medium-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

✨Bring✨ | ~~Borrow~~ | ~~Bypass~~

Review: This was SO. MUCH. FUN. I've heard the audio is absolutely fantastic, although I read it via ebook - and honestly? It might even be worth a re-read via audio, that's how much I enjoyed it! I was genuinely surprised multiple times throughout the book, and I loved the way it played with how we view those around us, and how that interpretation can change depending on other information we're given. And Lucy's grandmother? LOVED HER. I will definitely be on the lookout for more thriller/mystery books from Amy Tintera!

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ / 4.88

Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★
Writing ★★★★
Plot ★★★★
Intrigue ★★★★★
Logic ★★★★
Enjoyment ★★★★★
Pacing ★★★★
Dialogue ★★★★★

★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it