I don't even know where to start with this book. I LOVED it and was hooked from the beginning! I didn't know who to trust -- every character seemed to have a hidden agenda. Josie came across as harmless at first, but the longer the story went on, the more I was thinking.."what the hell?!" I really hope there is a sequel to this one because these characters were so intriguing and I need to know more about them, especially Josie's daughters Roxy and Erin.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an e-ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

None of This Is True
Lisa Jewell
Pub Date: August 8, 2023

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really have no words! This book was unlike anything I’ve ever read and I just LOVED it!

When Alix Summers and Josie Fair cross paths while out celebrating their birthday, they quickly discover they are birthday twins, born in the same year and at the same hospital. After realizing that Alix is the host of a podcast, Josie starts to bump into Alix at various times. She eventually tells Alix that she has a new idea for a podcast, as she is about to make some big changes in her life. After Alix decides to pursue Josie’s idea, it’s not long before she realizes all the secrets that Josie is hiding and that Alix and her family are quickly getting pulled into Josie’s dark life. Is Josie Fair who she says she is? What has she done and is she telling the truth?

No description can prepare you for this book and what you are going to read. My best advice is to read this book NOW! This is hands down my favorite thriller of 2023.

Read if you like:
❓Unreliable narrators
❓Domestic suspense
❓Dual POVs
❓Podcast Interviews/Netflix Documentaries
❓Dark themes

Thank you Atria Books, Lisa Jewell and NetGalley for a #gifted copy of None Of This Is True!

Posted on Goodreads on August 1, 2023: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Mini Review - August 2, 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- August 8, 2023: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on August 8, 2023
**-will post on designated date

This was full of surprises and almost impossible to put down. Many times these books are predictable or have too many unbelievable twists to really create suspense, but this was a great success! A really fun read!

4.5 stars for Lisa’s Jewell’s latest book!! I loved this one.

Goodreads mini- synopsis:

𝘈 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳..

I was hooked from the very start and couldn’t put it down! This is an addictive page turner that you don’t want to miss.

Read if you love:
- lots of twists
- true crime podcasts
- short, punchy chapters
- a mystery wrapped in a riddle
- unreliable narrator
- characters you’ll be thinking about when you’re not reading it

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!!

Alix Summers is a podcaster who has achieved some success by interviewing women who have turned their lives around. She is approached by a woman named Josie Fair with an idea for a new program in which Josie would tell her life story and document making changes in her own life. Alix and Josie had recently met at a London gastropub where they were each celebrating their 45th birthdays--birthday twins! That gave them the title for the program: 'Hi! I'm Your Birthday Twin!'

Josie's story is pretty crazy and Alix has a feeling this could be a project that would take her podcast in an exciting new direction. There is so much meat for discussion here: pedophilia; narcissism; abuse; manipulation; addiction. The story is told through interviews, witness accounts; live action, recordings from the podcast; and even scenes from a Netflix documentary. It all makes for a very compelling, page-turning read. I really liked the title of this book and the fact that the reader is never quite sure what is true. Keeps you guessing right till the end!

I reviewed an arc of this new character-driven thriller from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

None of this is True is a propulsive face paced read. Through the book there strums an underlying anxiety. The reader know things are going to go awry… just hard to figure out the twists.
Some decision made by Alix May stretch the imagination … but if you are all in…it’s worth the ride.

4.5, rounding up. This book was WILD, and SO much of it was phenomenal. Even from the beginning few chapters, i felt the eerie unease that Lisa Jewell had surrounding her characters...it truly became a book i couldn't put down because i just had to see where it would actually end up. The POV switches, and the additions of the Netflix documentary script thrown in every now and then gave me that foreshadowing that i needed in order to keep my interest peaked the entire time. Not to mention that we as readers don't reeaalllyy know exactly what happened, because there are so many unreliable characters that we're following. i'm giving it a 4.5 instead of a 5 because one specific thing surrounding the husband was never really resolved, or chatted about...which i did not like (vague to avoid spoilers). i understand maybe leaving it as is to add to the unease surrounding the story, but i do actually wish we got *some sort of* answer for what went on with him. i wanted at least one chapter with his POV. that would've been *chefs kiss* perfect. But, with all that being said, I can't wait to read Lisa Jewell's backlog. This book was great!

I've shelved enough Lisa Jewell books to be generally interested in trying one, and now I have! This particular one especially wasn't my thing, because of, well, a bunch of spoilers, and also because one character was morally let off the hook for something really gross and like sorry, the justification doesn't' matter, the thing they did was not ok. What I can say is that it was pretty predictable, though there were a few things at the end that were surprising. I did enjoy the conceit of framing the book around a Netflix true crime documentary, because, yeah, this was like reading a sensational one of those. Anyway, it wasn't for me, but I would recommend it to fans of the genre. 2 stars - it was ok.

I’ve had to think about how I would rate and review this one for a few days. I’ve seen so many glowing reviews so I’m probably a bit of an outlier here. While I did find the story and the writing pretty engrossing, I thought maybe it was a little bit repetitive. I also couldn’t really figure out why Alix kept letting Josie into her life. I know it was for the podcast but it honestly didn’t seem like she had that much to gain or that it was worth it. Alix seems like she puts up with a lot in general and I’m not sure why.
After finishing it, I remembered that the title of the book is None of This is True and realized that I couldn’t actually trust anything that happened. Ultimately, I don’t think it played up enough on the fact that there was an unreliable narrator, which is why I forgot about that while reading. However, maybe that was the point?
I did really like the way parts of the story are told through a Netflix documentary that included interviews with other characters and transcripts from Alix’s interviews with Josie. I thought this was pretty unique and a great way to tell parts of the story that the reader wouldn’t otherwise get to see.

This psychological thriller was so well paced and never left me bored! I loved how Jewell left breadcrumbs throughout the story that kept you wondering and wanting answers! This is a great read for someone who is in a reading slump and needs to speed through something that keeps their attention. This will be checked out of our library frequently, I’m sure. I’m excited for Jewel’s next work, she is so consistently excellent!

Lisa Jewell has done it again my friends!

HOLY MOLY! What did I just read?! Can I read it again? Wowza!!!

If you're looking for a WTF, over the top, MIND BLOWN, kind of read.... look no further!

This is one of those VERY rare books that about halfway in I said...WAIT...and went back and re-read the prologue and part of the first chapter.

Admittedly, it took me a bit to get into this book. It was good, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't totally mind blown until about halfway through when it really hit me that I had no idea what I was reading.

Also halfway through I stopped and thought myself... how does the title work into all this?

The formatting of this book with the mixed media, dual narrators, and mixed timelines would probably make this stellar on audio. I can also see it translating so well to that Netflix "podumentary" they kept referencing - YES, PLEASE!

Basically, this has been a lot of rambling because honestly it's just that good. This book is so unlike any other book I've ever read and that is the BEST thing. Go into it with an open mind, no expectations, and ENJOY the ride! You won't regret it. But you will be thinking about it for ages to come!!!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the copy. I have been and will be recommending this one to everyone I know!

Oh. My. Gosh. This. Book.
I was hooked in from the very first sentence but honestly how can anyone not like this book? I loved that it was kind of different from Lisa Jewell's other books and just her overall writing style! I loved getting a deeper dive into Josie's life and then holy crap the TWIST?! THE TWIST?! I haven't been so excited by a book in such a long time and I physically had my jaw dropped. If you like twisty turny books with an epic twist, this is the book for you. If you haven't read this yet, what are you even doing?! OBSESSED!

None of this is True has got to be Lisa Jewel’s best book to date. This psychological thriller is a tension-building, slow unraveling of secrets, lies and murder, and it’s absolutely riveting! This dark, twisted story is partially told through a podcast format, as well as from Alix and Josie’s points of view and all are equally compelling.

Josie is a local woman celebrating her 45th birthday with her husband at a pub, when she notices another, rather posh woman named Alix, who is celebrating her birthday as well. Josie uses the term “birthday twin” and seeks to make a connecting with Alix, a podcaster, who seems to have it all. She quickly forms an obsession of sorts with Alix, listening to all of her previous podcast episodes, inserting herself into her life, and entreating her to branch out and use herself as a topic for a new series. As Josie reveals her life bit-by-bit, and her compulsion with Alix grows, Alix is faced with events that shock and horrify her and she can’t seem to leave it alone. As she investigates, she begins to question if what she’s being told is actually true, and will she find out the truth before it’s too late.

The character analysis and even pacing of the story captured my attention from beginning to end. There were no sections that bogged down the plot, or portions that felt unnecessary. The deep dive into mental illness and the complex nature of people, as well as the mysteries, depth, and intricate entanglements of human interactions was fascinating. This story is disturbing, for sure, and possibly far-fetched at times, but it didn’t matter because it is such a unique and well-told story. None of This is True is a story you won’t want to set down, and one you will continue to contemplate even after you’ve finished the book.

This book started off on a really good foot. The storyline was gripping. I was invested. I liked how this book took the podcast element up a notch by adding a Netflix documentary spin. However, the last 20% of the book was a huge disappointment. Without getting into spoilers, this story has two possible scenarios that left open for the reader's interpretation on what the truth is (if you don't like open ended endings then you won't like this book). However, either way you swing it, there is one particular character who is 100% a horrific person regardless of which scenario is correct. Sure, that particular character did meet their fate in this book, however, why did they get a redemption arch/sympathy. I thought it was in bad taste. Lisa Jewell completely missed an opportunity with this one, but instead decided to victim blame a 13-year-old. I almost settled on 2 stars because I did enjoy the book up until that point. However, the more time went by after I finished this book, the more enraged I became. I am not a sensitive reader, so for me to be offended by a book, it has to really grind my gears.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books, and Lisa Jewell for the eARC.

Expected Publication Date: 8/8/2023

4.5 stars

From the title to the last words, this is one gripping read.

Alix and Josie are birthday twins, and when they're out celebrating this shared event at the same location, they learn this information. In addition to having the same birthdays, they were both born in the same hospital. This causes Alix - a known podcaster - to wonder how the life of someone who started on the same day and same location she did compares. The two women begin meeting in Alix's home podcast studio to work this all out in recorded form, and readers notice way faster than Alix that Josie is not the kind of person anyone would want to be tied to for any reason.

The pacing and plotting are so successful throughout. Readers get into Alix's head and Josie's head (yikes), and we also learn all kinds of deeply disturbing information about various characters' pasts. One important related note is that Josie meets her now husband of more than two decades when she is a young teenager...and he is in his mid 40s. This is a major plot point (not a secret one by any means), and it is disgusting. Readers need to be prepared for a fair amount of grooming talk and also for a central couple who get together when their age discrepancy is appalling. This point, though hard to read at times, also reveals the compelling nature of Jewell's writing. This situation never becomes okay, but it does become much more layered than readers may expect at first blush. It also sets up some crucial dynamics between the married pair as well as their two children. Also, of course this information shapes Alix's impressions of Josie, her husband, her baggage, her trauma, and - at times - her truthfulness.

There were characters I'd liked to know more and/or better, but this minor hope aside, I really enjoyed this one. It's also (shockingly) my first read by this author, and I'll be enthusiastically queuing much more of her work after this very positive first read.

description:

Alix finds herself apart of her own true crime podcast when interviewing strange Josie Fair. Alix and Josie meet in a restaurant where they are both celebrating their 45th birthday. They discover they are birthday twins. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcast and thinks she would be an interesting subject to interview as she is in the beginning of big life changes. Josie is most definitely strange but Alix is intrigued to interview her. However, Alix begins to learn the dark secrets Josie holds and soon Josie immersed herself into Alix’s life and home. Not long after, she disappears leaving Alix’s life in shambles. This is when Alix is the centre of her now true crime podcast.

my thoughts:

Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors so I was super excited to get this book from @netgalley ! this book was definitely super easy to get through and found it very intriguing. Although, I did find the beginning a slow start but it didn’t take me long to get into it. However, with the slow start and the mention of current social media and Covid I definitely found myself being more critical of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the eARC. All opinions are voluntary and my own.

This is my first Lisa Jewell book, and I was not disappointed!

I really liked how this was formatted-with the sharp rise in popularity of true crime podcasts and tv specials, I enjoyed how that was incorporated. I also enjoy dual- or multiple-POV thrillers, as this was.

It did take me a few chapters to really get into the storyline, but I definitely found myself wanting to keep reading. There were a couple of plot points that I had figured out by about halfway through, but the ending was still twisty. There was a lot packed into Part Four, but it didn’t feel too rushed to me. I liked that the pandemic played into the anonymity of the character at the end, instead of feeling thrown into the plot “just because”.

I enjoyed Josie and Alix’s characters and their interactions, as well as their families’. Pretty good trauma/mental health representation, in my opinion.

Helloooo, that ending! I haven’t read a mystery/thriller in a while, but I do love a good open-ended conclusion. I feel as though it sticks with me longer.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Lisa Jewell for the advanced copy of None of This is True in exchange for my honest review!

I honestly don't know how she keeps doing it, but every book Jewell puts out gets better than the one before it for me! I absolutely LOVED this book and could not put it down until I finished it. Jewell long-ago cemented herself as an autobuy author for me but I'm so happy she is continuing to knock it out of the park.

I enjoyed the mixed media format of this (podcast, Netflix series, POV chapters) as well as getting alternating viewpoints from both Josie and Alix. I was definitely on the edge of my seat until everything was resolved.

How fitting that Jewell is finally coming near me for a book tour as this is my favorite book of hers that I've read yet!

Don't miss None of This is True, on US bookshelves August 8!

This book was weird. I was enjoying it at the beginning, but there were so many strange parts, the characters were extremely unlikeable (except maybe for Alix and her kids), and the constant references to “what happened” through the whole book with barely any explanation until the end annoyed me. I got bored towards 70% or so and was impatient to get to the end to find out “what happened.” When I did, it felt anticlimactic. 2.5 stars from me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½
Publication date: August 8, 2023

This was the first thriller I’ve read in a while and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I had forgotten how much I love suspense. The book gave off an eerie feeling that kept me questioning what was real right up until the very end. (My beige flag is I always try to see the best in people even if it’s clear their intentions aren’t good). 🫠

I really loved the podcast/documentary element of the story. It was so easy to visualize the events as I was reading. I definitely recommend this book!

Just a heads up, though – some bits are quite dark, so keep that in mind if you decide to give it a read.

A huge thank you to @netgalley, the talented @lisajewelluk and @atriabooks for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 💛