Delighted to include this title in the August edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Fascinating story of two women drawn together because of a coincidence at birth. One a journalist with a popular podcast, the other a woman with secrets. As they continue to meet and stories are revealed, things spiral out of control for both. I couldn't put it down.

Every person on the planet has read this already (it feels like it anyway) and loved it! I can see why! This may be the best Lisa Jewell yet!

I don’t want to go into details about it. I know you’ve seen countless reviews of this. I just love how real Lisa Jewells stories feel. As scary as this story is, it COULD happen. They are so naturalistic and practical yet expertly plotted. This one holds your attention and suspense the entire damn time.

Needless to say, I loved it and if you haven’t read it yet-get it! Thank you @netgalley for my advance copy in exchange for my review!

Absolutely mind-bending and captivating! This book skillfully navigates the delicate balance between stupidity and cleverness, keeping you on the edge of your seat throughout. The author's storytelling is impeccable, delivering a unique experience unlike any other in their repertoire. The incorporation of podcasts into the narrative adds an exciting new dimension, making it a true gem of the year. The themes tackled here are not for the faint of heart, eliciting a rollercoaster of emotions where you'll find yourself wanting to both cheer for and console the main character while pushing against the formidable enemy. Just when you think you have it all figured out, the story takes unexpected twists and turns, leaving you in awe. The ending may not be what you expected, but it paves the way perfectly for a potential sequel. Kudos to the author for crafting such a masterpiece. A huge thank you to my fellow buddy readers for making this reading journey even more enjoyable. Highly recommended!"

None of This is True us a very disturbing book. What starts out as a seemingly innocent meeting of two women who are celebrating birthdays evolves into a nightmare. It is well developed and engrossing. Things are turned around until the reader can’t pick out the truth from all the lies. A great read!

I did not read None of This is True through an educator lens.

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell was one of my favorites from her. She tends to be hit or miss sometimes with the plot of the story for me, but this one was well done and kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. I appreciated the quick pace of the book and her character development to pull me in and keep me intrigued.

No other title could be more perfect for this book. I am still unsure about what I read or of what parts I believe. Lisa Jewell writes plaster piece after masterpiece and this one is no different. I think we are all going to have different experiences reading this because you just don’t really know which parts to believe. It was that good.

Josie is the most creepy and confusing character. Her story is a wild ride and Alix recording the whole thing was great. I loved the podcast and documentary feel of this book. Kind of a story within a story. When the documentary wraps, I felt one way and believed one side of the story but then that last chapter, I finished the book not sure what to believe was real and that makes for an incredibly well written thriller.

Podcaster Alix Summers is out to celebrate her 45th birthday when she bumps into another woman celebrating the very same thing - Josie Fair is Alix’s birthday twin. It’s a chance meeting for Alix but Josie is so struck by the other woman she listens to her podcast and looks into her life. The next time they meet, Josie has an offer for Alix: make her the next podcast subject, because she thinks there are going to be big changes in her life. The closer Alix gets to Josie, the more unbelievable her story seems. She even ends up letting Josie stay with her for a week, until finally she vanishes without a trace. With her disappearance, life as Alix has known it begins to disintegrate.

Well, with title for this definitely was fitting - I’m still not positive exactly what was true or what the hell was even happening! Told in the dual perspectives of Alix and Josie, I found myself sympathizing for Josie, especially in the beginning. I can understand why she was so captivated by Alix and the lifestyle she lived that was so very different from her own. But as the story went on, I found Josie more and more unlikeable. It was SO hard to tell exactly what was true and to be honest, it made the story fun! Interspersed with transcripts from Alix’s podcast, including interviews with those closest to Josie, readers find out more about her past and what led to the present moment. I couldn’t tear myself away from this one, and I think readers will find it addictive and unique!

Thank you to Lisa Jewell, Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC! “None of This is True” releases August 8th. This review will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

BUT WHAT IS TRUE?! 🫨😶

This is my favorite thriller I’ve read in a WHILE! I hold them to a different standard I guess?! But Jewell DELIVERED!

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time + was immediately pulled into the story. I even risked motion sickness to finish the last 20% on a road trip because I HAD TO KNOW!

Fast paced, uniquely delivered - I highly recommend!

Two women with the same birthday meet at their respective 45th birthday dinners. Josie and Alix couldn’t be more different. Josie is a dowdy housewife and Alix is a glamorous podcaster. One thing they do have in common is that they are holding onto secrets about their marriages. None Of This is True has whiplash pacing and truly unhinged characters. Who is telling the truth? I could not put this book down. MAJORLY check the trigger warnings, there were a few points of the plot that were incredibly dark. I had no idea where this book was going and even when it was finished, I was shocked about how it all went down. I stared at a wall in disbelief for at least ten minutes. Personally, the podcast device always does it for me, and I loved the podcast and the Netflix special scenes. The sensationalism of the podcast and Netflix show added a bit of realism, it felt like this could have been a story ripped from today’s headlines. I have been reading Lisa Jewell for years and this is one of my new favorites.

Thank you, Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

My Ratings:
Plot ★★★★
Reading Experience ★★★★★
Characters ★★★★
Writing Style ★★★★★

Overall ★★★★.5

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 stars

This book is such a wild ride. It makes you second guess yourself and question whose story you believe. I loved the structure of this book: it’s told in podcast/Netflix clips and Josie’s POV. I could really imagine the Netflix clips in my head! I had a few “holy shit!” moments, but I didn’t really like how long it took to find out anything. There are teeny tiny little hints throughout but I needed just a little bit more to understand what was going on.

Highly recommend!

None of This is True couldn’t be more apt for the title.

Alix Summers, a popular podcaster, is out celebrating her forty-fifth birthday when she meets her birthday twin Josie Fair. She doesn’t think much more about it until she runs into Josie again outside her children’s school. One thing leads to another, and Josie convinces Alix they should make a podcast about Josie’s life, sharing her truth and making some big changes.

Alix believes Josie has a compelling story to tell, even if she finds her unsettling and a bit intense. Things escalate quickly, and the two women’s lives become inextricably tied.

If this book didn’t victim blame a thirteen-year-old girl, it would have been a four-star read. A teen is incapable (and inculpable) of holding any power over a creepy middle-aged man.

I was actually totally engrossed in this story until Walter’s crimes were glossed over. It seems his repeated pedophilia was excusable because he was supposedly a good father. Can a pedo even be a good father? It doesn’t add up.

Until this point, I found the story utterly compelling. I could feel Alix’s anxieties and Josie’s oppressive presence, but it all went downhill from there. The more I think about it, the worse it gets.

Lisa Jewell has once again mesmerized me with a spine-chilling journey into the depths of obsession and deceit, masterfully weaving her signature unforgettable twisted characters into the heart of the narrative. With every turn of the page, she kept me guessing their true intentions until the heart-stopping climax and rewarding conclusion to the story.

While out celebrating their birthdays at a local pub, Josie, a seemingly ordinary woman, meets Alix, a renowned podcaster. They meet again, and Josie shows interest in being featured in Alix’s podcasts. Alix agrees to feature Josie, and the story takes a chilling turn, drawing us into a web of deception and terror. As Alix delves deeper into Josie's life, she unravels a series of strange secrets, each one more sinister than the last, leaving me gasping as I struggle to figure out if none of it is true.

Lisa Jewell's talent for crafting heart-stopping stories is undeniable, reaffirming her place as a standout author in the genre. She is an author who can do no wrong in my book, leaving me yearning for the next thrilling adventure she will take me on.

I received a copy from the publisher on NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

“None of This is True” follows the story of Alix And Josie, who meet by chance on their 45th birthdays. They realize they were born on the same day, at the same hospital. This coincidence of date, time and place opens the door for Josie to act upon her immediate obsession with Alix. These two women live very different lives. Josie is quiet, unassuming, has few friends, married to an older , retired man, while Alix is very outgoing, successful on her own and married to someone her own age who has his own success in the business world.
We are drawn into the dark web of this story, and it made me feel uneasy and unsettled, but a fantastically written novel will do that and do it well, and this one does not disappoint. I could not put it down.
The ending, however, left me feeling a bit confused. I needed it all to be wrapped up and finalized, but it left me feeling still on edge.
This was my first time reading Lisa Jewell’s work. I will definitely be looking for more.

Thank you to Atria Books, Lisa Jewell, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!


What. The. Heck. Did. I. Just. Read?

I honestly don’t even know how to write a review. Do I know what is true? No. Will it plague me for a while? Probably. I literally binged 80% of this book in one setting. It was dark, disturbing, gritty, uncomfortable, and completely spine-chilling. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I hate so many people in this book, yet I couldn’t stop consuming page after page. The ending? In the last 75 pages my heart broke, my brain broke, and I literally don’t know what to do with myself. The actual structure of this book was so unique and added to the overall reading experience. The use of podcast episodes and the documentary scenes added to the atmosphere of the book. It kept me completely enthralled. The characters in this book were so nuanced, so complicated. They felt real and raw. The way Lisa Jewell took you into the minds of these characters in a way that made you question your own truth while reading was brilliant. This was my first Lisa Jewell book and definitely will not be my last!

Lisa Jewell weaves multiple perspectives in a beautiful fashion. This story follows dual main characters Alix and Josie through the creation of a friendship and the murder of several family members. Taping thee podcast Birthday Twins, Josie fabricates sweeping lies that both shock and bewilder Alix. Alix invites Josie into her space repeatedly for the podcast and their weird friendship. Josie creates a story that overshadows her actual actions of killing several characters and severely enduring others. This book weaves portions of the podcast, with stories from Josie’s life, and scenes from a Netflix original that tracks the true crime story.

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

None of This is True gives serious Single White Female vibes. Alix, a podcaster, meets Josie in a restaurant on their 45th birthday. After they bump into each other again, Alix decides to interview Josie for her next podcast. As events unfold it becomes apparent that something is not right. Are the narrators reliable? Who can you believe? Did that really happen? All these questions ran through my mind as I read…this book had me guessing until the very last page.

None of This is True is the perfect name for this dark and suspenseful thriller because I am still not sure if I know what is true.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC to read and review.

Oh my gosh. This book was phenomenal. So fast pace and I LITERALLY couldn’t put it down!!!! If you’re a lover of domestic thrillers, I truly can’t recommend this enough!!!! 5 stars!!!

How could you have paced a book more perfectly than this?? This book WOW! I cannot believe how great Lisa Jewell is and she just keeps getting better!

OKAY BUT JOSIE THOUGH?!?! What an INCREDIBLY well-written character! While I love Alix and I was here for her journey, Josie my God. I cannot believe the thematic layers that were all over this book. Once you thought you knew everything you absolutely did not! I highly recommend this book for all lovers of thrillers and especially if you're a fan of Lisa Jewell. This is one not to miss this summer and it will be a great read for even early fall for a little bit of spooky vibes!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the eARC!

None of This is True
By Lisa Jewell

There’s Lisa Jewell books and then there’s THIS Lisa Jewell book! Guys, it’s her best book to date!

If you love a true crime podcast, mark your calendar for the August 8th PUB date for this psychological thriller…You will devour this book, feel completely mind blown, and question the sanity of every character. And the ending!!! What!? I need to talk!

None of This is True is about two women who have the same birthday and were born in the same hospital, but that’s where the similarities end.

Alix is a popular podcaster who interviews inspirational women and appears to have the perfect life. She has a beautiful home, two young children, and a husband who loves her, but occasionally doesn’t come home at night due to his excessive drinking.

Josie is married to a man who is twice her age and has two grown daughters. She is very unhappy with every part of her life and decides on her 45th birthday that she is going to make some changes.

When Alix and Josie both happen to celebrate their birthdays at the same restaurant, Josie becomes obsessed with Alix, who appears to be perfect. Josie makes sure to “run into” Alix and eventually convinces her to include her in a podcast. After hearing SHOCKING details from Josie, Alix realizes that there is way more to Josie’s life than she suspected. The problem…Josie is doing more than just sharing her story for Alix’s podcast. She is studying Alix’s lifestyle, taking little “trinkets” that she feels are special, and lurking outside of her house in the middle of the night!!!

Creepy and addicting are the two words that best describe this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest opinion.

💬What’s your favorite podcast? Do you like true crime podcasts?