Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

62 reviews

jocelyn62013's review

dark emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gaslighting, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Sexual harassment, Medical content, Rape, and Vomit

enchantedfiction's review against another edition

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!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Death, Violence, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

bringmybooks's review

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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Misogyny, Rape, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Alcoholism

shannonshilts's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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: Murder, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual assault

disguisedposer's review

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, Murder, and Blood

janicee1223's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence

jlg1's review

mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Murder, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

angelarae235's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Gaslighting, and Domestic abuse

briannajlittle's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Gaslighting

Minor: Violence

heykellybutler's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I surprisingly really liked this. The dialogue was pretty natural & while I was pretty sure who the murderer was the story kept me second guessing myself.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Misogyny, Addiction, Violence, Alcohol, and Alcoholism