I'm a sucker for books with true crime podcasts. I jumped right in as soon as I knew this was that kind of book. 

Five years ago, someone found Lucy wandering the streets, covered in her best friend's blood. Lucy couldn't remember what happened that night and couldn't explain why her bruises matched Savvy's. So, everybody in her small town concluded she murdered her best friend, Savvy. Even though there wasn't enough evidence to charge her with the crime.

Now, thanks to the huge hit true-crime podcast "Listen for the Lie" and its beautiful host, Ben Owens, Lucy is forced to face the past and help find out who murdered Savvy, even if that means finding out that she did it.
 
Listen for the Lie is a fast-paced and gripping mystery-thriller. Although the plot can be predictable, the story is compelling. The book combines Lucy's perspective with the podcast entries. Lucy is snarky and funny. Her internal monologue makes me laugh out loud. I wasn't expecting the humor in this, and I love it. 

Also, her grandmother Beverly is hilarious. Their relationship is lovely. Beverly is the only person who doesn't judge Lucy and cares about her. She believes in her granddaughter's innocence, and she is the reason why Ben Owens, the host of the podcast, starts to investigate the murder of Savvy. 

The book touches on topics such as domestic abuse, PTSD, obsession, and how people perceive women.

People perceive Lucy as someone unfriendly and cold. Lucy doesn't fit the narrative of the perfect victim, so she must deserve the mess she is into, while Savvy and Nina fit into that narrative. Both are nice girls who don't deserve bad things to happen to them. Also, people perceive Lucy as a woman with a bad temper and a tendency toward violence. While other characters, especially men, are identified as sweet and kind. For example, Lucy's ex-husband is described as kind and nice and has to put up with his wife's violent outbursts. While he is the one who manipulates, abuses, and gaslights her. 

The romance plot bothers me. I didn't expect a romantic relationship between Lucy and Ben. I prefer a nonromantic partnership between them, especially since we must navigate Lucy's marriage and old flames. 

 

The audiobook is exquisite.