Celadon Books Archives - The Litertarian

Wow – I was blown away by this book. From the title, which has to be one of my favorites of all time, to the intricate and relentless mystery, I was inexorably hooked from the get.

Ben Owens investigative crime podcast, Listen for the Lie, has a new season and a new case to unravel – the brutal murder of a woman named Savannah, colloquially called Savvy, in the small Texas town of Plumpton. The prime suspect, Lucy Chase, has a new life in LA, but the popularity of the up-and-coming podcast has her new life crumbling around her. Who wants to hire a murder suspect of an unsolved crime? Who wants to live with one? The answer, clearly, is no one.

Returning to Plumpton for the first time for her grandmother’s birthday celebration, Lucy is confronted with the dark past and the community that was all too ready to shun her. She genuinely has no memories of that night, and with everyone so certain she was the killer, she’s not completely convinced of her own innocence. She loved Savannah, and she sustained serious injuries of her own that night. Isn’t it finally time to find out the truth, if it’s even possible?

The web of suspects is small at first, until lies about alibis come to the surface, and suddenly there is real doubt about whodunnit. It seems there isn’t much to do in Plumpton than drink and knock boots, two things sure to muddle the facts and motives. Thrown in the unreliability of Lucy’s memories and this mystery will keep you up way past your bedtime.

What a treat of a thriller. Absolutely recommend!

Details

Title:: Listen for the Lie
Author:: Amy Tintera
Genre:: Mystery Thriller
Publisher:: Celadon Books
Length:: 352 pages
Audio Length:: 9h 18m
Audiobook Narrator:: January LaVoy & Will Damron
Published:: March 5th, 2024
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars

If you liked this book, check out…

Sunny Side Up is a new novel by Katie Sturino for all the second-act ladies out there. Sunny is trying to find her mojo after a divorce from a marriage that only lasted a handful of months. She’s put on weight and lost a lot of confidence, but she’s determined not to let that d*ck of a husband have the last laugh. I thought this book was funny, reflective, and actually quite stressful to read, though it wraps up nicely in the end.

Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino Book Cover

There is a lot of body positivity here. Sunny is a plus sized gal who works in PR and the fashion industry. For too long she’s seen brand after brand compromise in the wrong direction on size distribution and availability. Encouraged by her friends, Sunny is inspired to start a new swimsuit line of her own with the goal of getting size-inclusive suits in brick-and-mortar stores for women like her to finally feel good about flaunting swimwear. At the same time, she’s getting back out there, hoping to wash the grime of her ex-husband out of her intimate memories. She gets a little narrow focused on herself in that pursuit and as the plot thickens, it is more than just her own heart on the line.

Though I could feel the tension brewing early in this book, and saw the big conflict in the end coming from a mile away, I really enjoyed the story. It has many important messages including but not limited to:

There is life after divorce
Plus sized women also need clothes, brands…listen up
You don’t have to compromise your values to be successful
It’s okay to explore to figure out what it is you really want, but…
Be clear about where you’re at with other people! They have feelings too!

This book felt more realistic than a lot of the ‘typical’ romances I’ve been reading lately. Though Sunny is making good headway on her dreams, she also finds herself getting increasingly tangled in other situations she didn’t mean to find herself in at all. From her own perspective, the whole thing makes so much sense, and who hasn’t found themselves in some situation in life that went too far (romantic or otherwise).

This is the kind of book that really helps build empathy in the reader. I understood Sunny. I saw her. I wanted to have a girl’s night with her and point out some of the things she wasn’t seeing so clearly in the thick of it all. She’s a lovely girl doing her best, and she’ll be a great companion for anyone looking for a great summer read.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title:: Sunny Side Up
Author:: Katie Sturino
Genre:: Contemporary Romance
Publisher:: Celadon Books
Length:: 304 pages
Audio Length:: 10h 8m
Audiobook Narrator:: Yael Rizowy
Published:: June 24th, 2025
The Litertarian Rating:: 4-Stars