Publisher's Weekly Review
YA author Tintera (The Q) makes her adult debut with the outstanding story of a young woman haunted by rumors that she killed her best friend. Five years ago, 20-something golden girl Savannah Harper was brutally murdered in her hometown of Plumpton, Tex. The same day, Savannah's best friend, Lucy Chase, was discovered amnesia-stricken on the side of the road with her dress covered in Savannah's blood. While Lucy was never charged with the murder, most of Plumpton has long assumed she's guilty--and given the gap in her memory, Lucy has questions of her own. Now living in L.A., she's fired from her investment job when the new season of hit true crime podcast Listen for the Lie renews public interest in Savannah's case. Humiliated, Lucy accepts an invitation from her grandmother, Beverly, to return to Plumpton for a visit. When Lucy arrives in town, she finds Ben Owens, the charismatic host of Listen for the Lie, already poking around, and attempts to stay one step ahead of him as she pieces together the events of that fateful night. Tintera alternates transcripts of the podcast with chapters from Lucy's perspective, getting a lot of mileage from her protagonist's dry wit ("A podcaster has decided to ruin my life, so I'm buying a chicken," goes the book's first sentence) and some devilish plot twists. Readers will be hard-pressed not to wolf down this intelligent page-turner in a single sitting. (Mar.)
Kirkus Review
Against her better judgment, Lucy Chase returns to her hometown of Plumpton, Texas, for her grandmother's birthday, knowing full well that almost everyone in town still believes she murdered her best friend five years ago, when they were in their early 20s. Coincidentally--or is it?--Ben Owens, a true-crime podcaster, is also in town, interviewing Lucy's family and former friends about the murder of Savannah Harper, "just the sweetest girl you ever met," who died from several violent blows to the head. Lucy was found hours later covered in blood, with no memory of what happened. She was--and is--a woman with secrets, which has not endeared her to the people of Plumpton; their narrative is that she was always violent, secretive, difficult. But Ben wants to tell Lucy's story; attractive and relentless, he uncovers new evidence and coaxes new interviews, and people slowly begin to question whether Lucy is truly guilty. Lucy, meanwhile, lets down her guard, and as she and Ben draw closer together, she has to finally face the truth of her past and unmask the murderer of her complicated, gorgeous, protective friend. Most of the novel is told from Lucy's point of view, which allows for a natural unspooling of the layers of her life and her story. She's strong, she's prickly, and we gradually begin to understand just how wronged she has been. The story is a striking commentary on the insular and harmful nature of small-town prejudice and how women who don't fit a certain mold are often considered outliers, if not straight-up villains. Tintera is smart to capitalize on how the true-crime podcast boom informs and infuses the current fictional thriller scene; she's also effective at writing action that transcends the podcast structure. Smart, edgy, and entertaining as heck. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
YA author Tintera (The Q, 2022) makes her adult debut with a twisty thriller featuring an appealingly unlikable narrator. Lucy Chase can't remember the night her best friend, Savvy, was murdered. Though Lucy was never charged, most of the residents of Plumpton, Texas, think she did it. Lucy moves to L.A., where her alleged crimes are mostly forgotten until a true-crime podcast picks up the case. Then Lucy's beloved grandmother calls her back to Plumpton; little does she know that her grandmother promised Ben, the podcast host, an interview with Lucy, who has never publicly spoken about Savvy's murder. Oh, and Lucy is having severe murderous ideation, led by a mysterious voice in her head. As Lucy reluctantly works with Ben to piece together the night of Savvy's murder, the case is complicated by Lucy's picture-perfect ex-husband, who is just one of the people keeping secrets. The true-crime podcast hook will draw readers in, but it is Lucy's unique voice that will keep them turning the pages. An excellent takedown of small-town life and toxic masculinity.
