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gwenswoons's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Alcoholism, Sexism, Violence, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Mental illness, Murder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, and Sexual violence
abookwanderer's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I sped through this one quickly, entranced and entertained—a great cast of characters, a creepy small-town setting, all wrapped around a podcast I would listen to. A few things gave me pause, but let’s start with what I liked.
Books set around a podcast are popular right now, and I don’t mind it one bit. I just finished a romance/mystery that featured a podcast theme (The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn), and I thoroughly enjoyed it, as well. I like alternating between the narrative and the podcast, which breaks up the story, building the suspense. I like how podcast hosts are basically the modern-day version of an old school detective.
Listen for the Lie is set in my home state of Texas during the smoldering summer, and I could easily identify with every description of the oppressive heat. It also successfully matches the growing pressure to solve this cold case.
The cast of characters are pretty much all unreliable, but I didn’t mind. They’re each distinctive and easily recognizable. The story is told from Lucy’s point of view with the podcast transcripts and interviews alternating some of the chapters.
Even if Lucy is unreliable, I liked her. She’s witty and sharp-tongued, but she’s pretty much been forced to put up a wall of protection around herself since almost everyone—including most of her family—thinks she may be a murderer. And thanks to her amnesia, she doesn’t even know the truth herself. I found myself rooting for Lucy, even if she did kill her best friend!
A few things did make this story a bit unrealistic for me—most that I can’t talk about without spoilers. While they took me out of the book at moments, I was able to shrug them off and keep reading. For example, almost everyone in this town is cheating on someone. I can understand one or two instances but at some point it just becomes redundant. And as much as everyone drinks and sleeps around, I found it hard to believe that the key characters hadn’t let any secrets slip.
I rarely read a thriller where the ending wraps up perfectly for me, so I’m always prepared to be underwhelmed at the end—it’s just not something I necessarily require to enjoy a mystery. If the bulk of the book has been good, I can forgive a weaker ending. And while the climax of this story was rewarding, the reveal felt a little too predictable for me, but not so much that it affected how I felt about the entirety of the book.
Listen for the Lie kept me invested, I didn’t want to set it down, so for me that’s a win! If you’re a fan of podcast mysteries or dark comedies, add this one to your tbr. It’d be a perfect vacation or poolside read for the summer!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Celadon Books for providing me with a copy.
Check out my reviews and playlists at A Book Wanderer
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
soobooksalot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Violence, Murder, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
colorcrystals's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
The cast of characters around Lucy were exceptional. There were some minor characters that didn’t get fleshed out, but all of the major players were dynamic and well-developed. Ben, as the podcaster investigating the murder, obviously played a major role, but I really enjoyed how Tintera wrote his character. He was decently developed, but he was written to be somewhat of a mystery. We never really know what he’s thinking. And not only does that fit really well with the purpose of his character within the story, but it also meant that he was never really central enough to upstage Lucy. This is Lucy’s story, not Ben’s. And I really like how Tintera handled that dynamic.
And overall, it was just really engaging and fun. Even with the seriousness of the topics discussed (which include domestic violence, gaslighting, murder, etc.), Tintera still made me laugh. I was invested in the story from the beginning, and it was a fantastic ride.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Death, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Medical content
itsheyfay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
crazybooklady89's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Minor: Grief
caitlinpfry's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Murder, Violence, and Alcoholism
amalauna's review against another edition
- 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
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