A good mind bending, twisty psychological thriller that will not come unglued from your hands. Kudos to Lisa Jewell for this original plot and the execution of it. The only reason I couldn't give it 5 stars is that the ending lacked the same suspense as the rest of the book. But still an enjoyable read that I will be happy to recommend. My thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

While out celebrating her 45th birthday; Alix meets Josie who also happens to be celebrating her 45th birthday. When they run into each other again, Josie tells Alix that she believes she would be an interesting guest to have on her podcast. They start meeting up to work on the podcast & Josie’s story is very unique, chaotic & full of twists. It ends up being turned into a Netflix documentary & other people who have met Josie come on & tell their experiences with her & Alix begins to notice that what Josie has been telling her isn’t adding up. So how much of what she has been told is true & did Alix make a mistake agreeing to have her on the podcast?

I was so excited when I received this eARC! The whole plot is so interesting & different from other thrillers I’ve read. I really enjoy Lisa Jewell’s writing style, it puts you right into the story & keeps you interested all throughout. I couldn’t wait to see how this book would play out. I loved how the documentary segments were written in the book, it added a whole other layer to the story. Some parts did feel a bit dragged out for me & I the ending felt incomplete which lowered my rating. However, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller!

Thank you to Netgalley & Atria books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book left me wanting more. Every single page I kept wanting to read to see what happens next. I liked that this book left me questioning everything and I didn’t know what would happen next. The ending caught me off guard. I didn’t see anything coming. I was a bit confused on some parts and still am🤣.
I certainly loved this book writing style. It was easy to follow and was a fast paced thriller.
My first Lisa Jewell book and certainly not my
Last! None of This is True is out now!!
This ARC was provided by @atriabooks via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!!

Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite thriller authors. Her novels are intricate without being confusing. They contain plot twists that make me gasp. Her characters are real and relatable - none of the upper-echelon milieu for her. Her characters are people who feel the pressures of working and caring for a family, worry about money, and try their best to get by. Some of her characters are luckier than others, e.g., have successful, profitable careers, but all work hard for their success. All of this is important because thrillers are best when you connect to the characters and become so involved in their stories that the story melts away. Best of all, none of her books are the same. You never know what you are going to get.

None of This is True has all of that and more. I say more because, with this novel, we know the big reveal. Ms. Jewell tells us IN THE TITLE. You would think that would be a turnoff, but it is anything but that. Instead, what Ms. Jewell has for her readers is a major mind-f*ck.

I find that neither Josie nor Alix are altruistic women. Josie has plenty of issues, which we learn about throughout the story. That is the reason for the podcast, after all. Alix, however, is not the perfect angel. She uses Josie as much as Josie uses her, which, again, is the point. These details are not spoilers. You know all this upfront. Again, it's in the title. That is the beautiful thing.

Another thing Ms. Jewell does so well in None of This is True is that she keeps you guessing. Yes, you know that the characters are lying. Yes, you know that the family drama is not what it seems to be. But you never know what the truth is. Even at the very end of the novel, when you think you have all the answers, you are never sure you do. Ms. Jewell brilliantly exploits that doubt throughout the entirety of the story. She tells us that the entirety of the story is a bunch of lies, but then she places questions in our minds about those lies. It's masterful storytelling.

In a summer filled with fantasy, romance, and horror, None of This is True is a welcome breath of fresh air. Once again, Ms. Jewell tells a spectacular story that keeps you guessing again and again and again. The characters are not ideal people, but no one ever is. We all have our skeletons, so it is only natural that Josie and Alix have theirs. With an ending that you don't see coming, characters that keep you guessing, and plenty of suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat, None of This is True is the perfect summer thriller.

For sure the best psychological thriller I have read this year. Couldn't figure out what was going on but couldn't put it down. Bravo!

My holiday read for our trip last week was None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. I was beyond excited when I was accepted to review just before we had left. Cruising through the mountains with my son and husband in our new Mustang and reading late at night on twists and turns added to the suspense I was feeling reading this book.

I have read almost all of Lisa's previous work. Everyone who knows me knows I enjoy multiple points of view and switching characters. If that is what you like pick this one up. It also reads like you are watching a true documentary on Netflix and I can easily seeing this being adapted for a new series. Netflix please make my dream come true!

Alix meets Josie at a restaurant when they are both celebrating their birthdays. Josie later reaches out to Alix to do a podcast of her life. She has a story to tell...

Boy does she ever! Will you believe her? To say I was so incredibly hooked and I think I sat in stunned silence at the end just pondering how I was going to recover from this book. I felt many things in this book. I am still thinking about it. That is a sign of a wonderful book. It has done it's job. Even days later after typing this review I am still thinking about this novel.

A huge congratulations to Lisa Jewell as today is the day this book releases. Happy publication day! This is definitely ranked high in m all time favorite thrillers.

I would like to thank Lisa Jewell, Atria Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read None of This is True.
My reviews can be found here:
Instagram: @hedwigsandhopes
Goodreads: Nikki- Hedwig's and Hopes

Thank you to Atria books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this thriller in exchange for an honest review.

What I liked: psychological thrillers can be tough but this book nailed it. Josie fair seems like the typical housewive who decides to do something different for her 45th birthday. It is celebrating that she discovers that she is the exact same age as Alix summer a semi successful podcaster. Although they are the same age their lives took very different paths. Josie married a much older man and had kids early. Alix married and had kids later. Both characters are richly written and will confuse, anger and make you resent them. Every time I thought I might have a character figured out a new twist was presented which made you question everything. She really got you into the characters head and I still think about Josie and Alix and their decisions and actions. I have seen some criticism if the ending but I think the authors ending left enough to the reader to determine their own conclusions.
This book is written as a true crime podcast and has short chapters and enough suspense to keep you turning page after page. I can’t wait to see this as a series on Netflix. It will be perfect.

None of This is True is a psychological thriller that grabs you immediately and you just cannot look away. Alix meets her birthday twin, Josie, one evening at dinner and decides to interview her on her podcast. As they continue to meet and record Josie’s life story, Alix learns about her dark, sinister, and traumatic life but is addicted to learning more. Soon Josie has infiltrated every aspect or Alix’s life before disappearing and leaving behind an unthinkable hidden secret threatening to upend Josie’s entire life.
Dark, sinister, yet still realistic, this is a book that you won’t be able to put down and will possibly give you nightmares. I thought I knew where the plot was heading, until I was face smacked with another shocking twist. This will be a top selling thriller for all of 2023!

Thank you Netgalley, Lisa Jewell, and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Lisa Jewell book and it won’t be my last! Holy cow! What a wild ride it was, I enjoyed every second of it.

Between Josie and Alix it was everything I had wanted in a thriller novel. It started out innocuous and it lead to so much more. Everything built up and formed a twisty turny plot that made me guess who was telling the truth. It was suspenseful in the best ways and left you wanting more and more, like a train wreck you can’t look away from.

At first I wasn’t sure if I would like it because of the podcast / Netflix tie in but it worked really well and actually added to the story as a whole. It felt like a mix of reading a book and reading the script for a Netflix documentary. This book was well thought out and executed. It was an easy enjoyable read that I never wanted to put down and I kept thinking about in between reading and not reading it.

But I will say towards the end I was looking to see how much of the book was left, it wasn’t a bad thing just something I noticed myself doing. I also felt the pandemic aspect of it was thrown in, I don’t know if it really added to the story at all? But maybe it was an attempt to make it seem more real work esk?

The ending had been all wrapped up, but then you had Joise come in and it made me question things again. When an author can do that, leave you with the choice as to what to believe. I think it’s excellent. The only other book that has done that for me is Verity by Colleen Hoover.

Alix is out celebrating her 45th birthday and runs into Josie in the bathroom, who we find out shares the same birthday. The two woman run into each other again, and Josie would like Alix to feature her on her podcast. This turns into Josie sharing her life story but is she telling the truth? Lots of twists and turn it was great read!

Book Review 🗣️

Happy pub day to this chaotic domestic suspense thriller! 👏🏾

I was provided an arc by @atriabooks via @netgalley Thank you!

📖 Book • None of This Is True by @lisajewelluk
🎭 Genre • Suspense Thriller (Domestic)
⭐️ Rating • 4/5 (I struggled with deciding on a rating, the ending alone makes me push it up .5 stars)
📱 Format • Ebook via Kindle Paperwhite
🗓️ Pub Date • 08/08/23 (TODAY!)

What’s It About 🧐
Alix Summers and Josie Fair meet at a local pub while separately celebrating their 45th birthdays. Josie dubs them “birthday twins.”
Alix runs a successful podcast. They later cross paths again and Josie believes that she would be a great subject for Alix’s podcast series. Alix soon finds herself, her life and her family the center of her own podcast, turned true crime.

My Thoughts 💭
This is my first Lisa Jewell novel that I’ve read. Even though as I’m writing this, I checked and realized that I already own two of her other novels. I definitely have to read those sooner rather than later now!

This book was a mess. I read it in two days in between work and family life. I kept wanting to read to uncover what was going on! At several points, I didn’t know who or what to believe! The characters were written well. Especially that Josie. They all were in my opinion. I am really good at guessing/figuring out things in books like these, but some of this caught me off guard! I both enjoyed and appreciated that.

What I Liked 👍🏾
• Various formats in which the story is written. Netflix documentary series and podcast transcripts
• Multiple points of view
• Unreliable characters
• Mentions of Global Developmental Delay, Oppositional Defiance Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• The ending!

⚠️ Check the warnings to make sure this is your cup of tea ☕️

A Captivating Psychological Thriller!

Two women are celebrating their 45th birthday in a restaurant. Alex is a popular podcasted, Josie, lives a very boring life, is married to a man twice he age has two troubled daughters and works as a seamstress. Their seemingly innocent meeting spawns a series of events. Soon Alix is doing a podcast on Josie’s unbelievable life. What follows is a harrowing tale of mystery, intrigue and horror.
I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. Lisa Jewell is very adept at spinning a tale of intrigue and mystery. I usually struggle with psychological thrillers as I have a hard time suspending belief, but this one held my interest. I loved how the story unravelled like a podcast. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This Lisa Jewell is quite different than her usual work and I devoured it! The story focuses on Alix and Josie, birthday twins! 👯‍♀️ Not only were they born on the same day and year, but also the same hospital. They feel drawn together when they meet at a pub and Josie learns that Alix does podcasts for a living. Josie approaches (stalks) Alix with the idea to do a podcast on her story, promising her life story is anything but ordinary.

The story becomes more twisted as we continue to learn about Josie's history and along the way Josie tries to insert herself more into Alix's life and family. The beautifully crafted slow burn comes to a grand finale at the end when we see how the podcast turns into true crime.

I couldn't put this book down and can't wait for her next one! Read this if you enjoy domestic suspense, true crime, fast pacing, and an unexpected ending!

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Lisa Jewell for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

You guys, this book is insane. Twisted and bizarre and soooo fun to read! You’ll think you know the truth but I promise you don’t because…all together now…NONE OF THIS IS TRUE. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is I get really frustrated with main characters that continue to make stupid (and sometimes unrealistic) decisions. Most people probably would have stopped podcasting with this insane woman after a point right? Still totally worth the read, I genuinely enjoyed it. Thank you to @atriabooks, @netgalley, @simonandschuster, @bookclubfavorites for giving me an early copy for an honest review!

Genre: Thriller⁣
Length: 384 pages⁣
My Rating: 4.5 stars⁣
Read If You Like: binge-able thrillers, other Lisa Jewell novels, podcasts in thrillers⁣
⁣
Well, I absolutely gobbled up this novel. This is only my second Lisa Jewell novel but everyone says this is her best and I’m inclined to believe them! Set against the backdrop of a quaint English town, this captivating psychological thriller takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of deception, secrets, and unexpected revelations. ⁣
⁣
The story centers around two women- Josie and Alix- randomly meeting in a restaurant’s restroom while celebrating their birthdays. Alix is a podcast host and agrees to have Josie as her next guest to share her life story. The more Alix learns about Josie, the more unsure she becomes about this strange woman.⁣
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Podcast 🤝🏻 Netflix documentary 🤝🏻 short chapters 🤝🏻 a handful of wtf moments⁣
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I loved it! However, there are some heavy topics here such as pedophilia which was icky. So be aware!⁣

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE comes out in the US today!! Go get it 🥳

Happy #PUBDAY @lisajewelluk

I honestly just finished reading my e-book copy from @netgalley and then my physical copy from @bookofthemonth came today! What great timing!

This is such a twisted read. I had a slow start but once I got about a third of the way in I could not put this book down!

If you’ve been around my page long enough you’ll know I love a book that I can’t guess the ending and I kept wondering what was truly going on with these characters.

Giving it a good ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating with a highly recommend!

None of This Is True exceeded almost any expectations I had for it. Going in, I thought I would just be reading another domestic thriller. Boy was I wrong. From the first chapters, I just couldn’t put this book down. I was hooked on figuring who was being honest and who was hiding something. I enjoyed the podcast interview excerpts and found myself shocked by some of them. Lisa, you’ve got a new fan in me! 4.5⭐️

Lisa Jewell has absolutely cemented herself as a thriller queen! And this might be her best!

I was engrossed, taking in every page of every chapter and when I was done I just wanted more. Such a fast paced read with a unique format incorporating a podcast/documentary excerpts that will leave you desperate to learn all the facts.

Addictive is really the best way to describe it. This is one of those books that when you finish, you just want to flip back to the first page and read it all over again.

3.5 stars

Lisa Jewell is a talented storyteller who writes edge-of-your-seat page-turners, but I have mixed feelings about None of This Is True. The book captivated me from the first chapter. I liked the short chapters and podcast/documentary style. I found both main characters, Alix and Josie, interesting and complex. The story had some surprising twists. But I didn't appreciate the victim (Josie) blaming and glossing over Josie's husband's pedophilia. Also, the ending was ambiguous and left me with more questions than answers. I am torn between a 3.5 and 4 stars rating.

I’ve read and enjoyed several Lisa Jewell books before but None Of This Is True is my favorite by far. I really didn’t want to put it down and I hated to have it end!
I enjoyed the mix of dual POV and transcript. It created such a superb suspenseful unreliable narrator. You never truly knew what to think and who to believe as the story progressed. I found myself leaning toward one side or the other and then there was a little twist to the tale to turn me back around. It was like a perfect game of cat and mouse.
The thing I loved most (that is sometimes hard to find in a twisty thriller) was that there was nothing that left me questioning the probability or legitimacy that events could have realistically taken place. There were no plots holes. Just an exciting game of Who Do You Believe?
And that ending?! I thoroughly enjoy a book that makes me think and also that makes me feel strong emotions, whether it’s sad, happy, angry, frustrated, disgusted. This story (and especially that ending) did both. I felt like I was experiencing Team Manuscript or Letter all over again. Am I Team Alix or Team Josie? I still don’t know!

I have posted this review on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvr_NL6L0VU/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5108293480

And Amazon.