CRAZY!! This book took me on a ride! I loved the Netflix bits in between it had you questioning everything that was happening and it was unique in the new vein of true crime/podcast tropes. This was definitely one of my more favorite book of hers. this will be one of the ones I'm putting in everyone's hands this fall.

Alix, a podcaster, meets Josie on the day they both turn 45. Josie convinces Alix to record her story for her next project and that’s where things start to go wrong. This psychological thriller is filled with uneasy suspense and unreliable characters. Lisa Jewell fans will not be disappointed!

4.5 stars. In her author's note for None of This Is True, Lisa Jewell muses, "What is this book? And why am I writing it so fast?" And while reading it, I had similar questions: "What is this book? And why am I reading it so fast?" I essentially devoured it. I could not put it down.

While celebrating their 45th birthdays at the same restaurant, Josie and Alix meet by chance and discover that they are "birthday twins." Aside from the fact that they were born on the same day in the same hospital, though, their lives are very different. Alix is a successful podcaster with a picture-perfect family life, while Josie lives a quieter existence with her much-older husband in a crumbling flat. When Josie proposes that Alix interview her for her podcast, Alix can't resist the opportunity to learn more about this odd woman. As Josie's shocking life story unfolds, Alix begins to worry that she's made a terrible mistake letting this stranger into her life.

None of This Is True has an intriguing premise and an engaging structure that incorporates snippets from Alix's podcast and a Netflix documentary based on the podcast (yes, we know right away that this all ends badly). I always describe Lisa Jewell's writing as luscious, and that is definitely the case here. Her prose is rich and vibrant and propulsive, and I can never get enough.

Jewell crafts the most complex, interesting characters, and Josie may be her strangest, most disturbed to date (second only, maybe, to Henry Lamb from The Family Upstairs and its sequel). She's so odd and fascinating, and she should be sympathetic...shouldn't she? I was riveted as Jewell peeled back her layers. Alix is less fascinating, and kind of annoyingly naïve at times -- but she's keeping a few secrets as well.

None of This Is True is dark, devious, and gripping in its exploration of dysfunctional family relationships, trauma and repression, and treacherous truths. The ending was thought-provoking, if not-all-together satisfying, and I found myself re-evaluating everything I'd just read after I finished it. This is one of Jewell's best books to date, and I'm already salivating for the next one. Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity!

Alix Summers is a beautiful, successful podcaster with a wealthy husband, two small children, and a gorgeous home. Josie Fair is a plain woman married to a much older man and has a highly complex relationship with her two grown daughters. The two women cross paths at a restaurant on the evening of their forty-fifth birthdays. Josie is immediately infatuated with Alix and reaches out to her to suggest a new podcast. Josie is ready to leave her husband and change her life, and she wants Alix to document it. When the two women begin recording, Josie's life story is full of tragedy after tragedy and many unanswered questions. Alix soon begins to question the integrity of Josie's claims.

This propulsive thriller had me glued to every page. It's exciting, gripping, and deeply disturbing. Lisa Jewell always delivers atmospheric page-turners, and this book is Jewell at her best. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

This was my first Lisa Jewell book and it did not disappoint! None of this is true had me reading “just one more chapter” on multiple occasions just so that I could find out what little tidbit would be revealed next. I really enjoyed the different perspectives offered from the podcast, Netflix series and the “birthday twins”-Josie and Alix. If you’re looking for your next pyschological thriller, this one is worth the read and will have you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.

I took off one star as I thought the plot was a bit predictable at times. Overall I really enjoyed this read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this eARC.

Lisa Jewell has done it again with this one! I spent the entire time confused and questions what the truth was.

Alix and Josie meet by chance and discover they are “birthday twins.” Alix is a podcaster and the two women decided to record a series together. What follows is a series of creepy and mind boggling events that leave you wondering what’s actually true and what was made up. This was truly a great psychological thriller!
Thank you Net Galley for the e-arc. Jewell remains a must read author for me!

Wow! 🤯 this one by Lisa Jewell is a must read for 2023.

This psychological thriller had so many twists and turns that you don’t see coming. Definitely one that is a quick read that you will want to inhale. I absolutely loved the story mixed with Netflix documentary mixed with podcast content, it made for such an interesting read. This would be a great pick for a book club or to read with a friend because once you read it, you are going to want to talk about it! 😆

Thank you so much to Atria Books for my copy. 🖤

Josie Fair and her husband don’t frequent the local pub, but for her forty-fifth birthday she decides they should go out. She is instantly mesmerized when Alix Summer, a popular podcaster, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. She declares they are “birthday twins” when they meet in the washroom.

A few days later they meet on the sidewalk and Josie approaches Alix telling her she might have an idea for a podcast. Josie sees big changes for her future and convinces Alix that her story should be told. Alix is drawn in and starts interviewing her even though what she is hearing unsettles her. She thinks on more than one occasion that maybe this podcast isn’t a good idea, but she can’t seem to stop having Josie tell her story. Josie has inserted herself into Alix’s life in more than one way.

Josie disappears without a trace just as quickly as she arrived and has turned Alix’s world upside down as a result.

I couldn’t put this book down and kept wondering what twists would appear; I started it one day and finished it the next. Just like other novels by Lisa Jewell, this one did not disappoint. The ending wasn’t as spectacular as I had anticipated.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. #NetGalley #NoneofThisisTrue

Oh, Lisa. Lisa, Lisa, Lisa. I fell in love with her writing with Watching You, and I am still in love with her writing.

Alix and Josie are birthday twins: born on the same day, at the same hospital.

Alix has the picture perfect life Josie wishes she had.

Josie lives in a flat with a bus stop outside her windows. Her husband is 30 years her senior. She has two grown daughters: one a runaway, one a gamer.

Alix lives in a dream house. A husband her age with two children in primary school.

Josie is a seamstress, Alix, a podcaster. Josie wishes to be free of her husband, Alix wishes hers wouldn't go on benders.
Alix tells people's stories, and Josie wants to share hers.

None of This Is True will leave you with one unanswered question: But what is the truth? As I sit here typing this up, I still can't wrap my mind around what is the truth and what is perceived truth. And I love that I don't know, but also hate it because I NEED to know.

This book was so incredible!
From the first pages to the very final word of this book there was a weird, uncomfortable, sinister, page turning vibe unfolding. So well written and absolutely un-put-downable.
Josie is unsettling from the very start of the book only morphing more strangely and creepily as you continue on. Alix is both vulnerable and a bit naive because she is blinded by her own mission, making her a perfect victim of Josie’s manipulation tactics.
Portions of the twist I was able to uncover as things went along, as I believe was intended, and yet it was so much more layered and nuanced than I could have ever imagined! Down to the very last page of the book, you will be questioning the facts. Such a fun and wild ride with an ending left up to interpretation in the best way. A story of excellence, and my favorite thriller of 2023 so far!

I needed a moment to gather myself back into my body after reading this one.
The book starts off with two women celebrating their birthdays at a pub .Both very different from each other but born on the same day at the same hospital. This chance encounter starts off a whole lot of happenings.
You almost see it coming but then no..you guessed wrong.I’ve been wrong atleast three times with this book.
Very well written,a perfect well rounded thriller.
One of my favorite things about Lisa Jewells books is that she doesn’t waste time on page fillers.Never resorts to unnecessary words or fluff to fill in pages.This was fast paced.
Thankyou Netgalley and Atria books for this ARC

Wow, this book is a wild ride! It was hard to know how much of Josie's heartbreaking life story to believe when she comes to stay with Alix after a fight with her husband. The women are new acquaintances but find their lives intertwined through a podcast Alix is making with Josie, her "birthday twin". Is Josie an abused woman, trying to protect her vulnerable child or a compulsive liar (or worse)? The story unfolds through changes in time but Josie is such an unreliable narrative it is hard to know how to view her recollection of events. That thread follows until the very last page! I loved the podcast element and the inclusion of the documentary clips that are being made within the story. This is a fast read because you will need to figure out what exactly is happening as fast as possible. Thanks to Lisa Jewell, Simon & Schuster, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had some pretty high expectations for this thriller after hearing rave reviews, but I didn't seem to have quite the experience many others are having. I did enjoy the book overall, but it felt like more of a slow-paced domestic suspense than the twisty thriller I was anticipating.

This book had a compelling opening. Birthday twins Alix and Josie start working on a podcast together, but Josie seems to have some secrets and potentially nefarious motives for approaching Alix. Based on what the synopsis reveals, I expected this to be a faster paced novel, but it's a really slow build so I'd suggest avoiding the full synopsis if you're interested in picking this one up.

I found the dynamic between Alix and Josie interesting, I was just looking for more action/twists/thrills.

Immediately after completing this book it felt like a 3.75 read for me because the end of the book got more exciting, but after sitting on it for a while it feels like more of a 3 star.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell does it again! None of This is True is incredibly propulsive. I binged it within a weekend and could not put it down. I had to keep reading to find out what was happening. It gave me Single White Female vibes to the extent that Josie clings onto Alix and romanticizes her life. So much of Josie's 'life story' was so horrible, it was hard to believe, but the podcast aspect kept the lies rolling. Podcasts seem to be the current trend in thrillers. I've read some books that do this well and others that haven't. None of This is True falls into the middle of those categories. I don't think it was necessary for the storyline, but it added an interesting element. I enjoyed the chapter formats that changed between the story and between podcast clips and Netflix episodes. This was a well-done psychological thriller with unreliable narrator and plenty of cliffhangers to keep you hooked.

The upending of a successful woman’s life following a chance encounter with another woman is not an uncommon plot, but the author makes a terrifically uneasy riff on that theme.

Alix Summer and Josie Fair have little in common except that they were born on the same day in the same hospital. Alix is a successful podcaster, living in a designer home, with her model family. Josie works part-time in an alterations shop, living in a grimy 2-bedroom flat, with her elderly husband and reclusive daughter.

When the two meet by chance as they both celebrate their 45th birthdays in the same pub, Josie takes it as a sign that she needs to change her life. After orchestrating bumping into Alix, Josie offers to share her story for a new podcast series.

We know from the start that a man is going to be abducted and that a Netflix series is made out of the podcast “Hi! I’m Your Birthday Twin!”, which blurbs that “within weeks, Alix’s life will be in shreds and three people will be dead.”

It’s a great set up and the author makes a fine job of gradually unpeeling Josie’s story and Alex’s reactions to it. What is true? Well, though the title promises us that none of it is, it’s hard to decide. What we do see is the gradual diversion between what we think we know and what Alix believes and that gives the novel its enticingly queasy drive.

It’s a fairly straightforward narrative structure - no “then” and “now” - as we roll through a few weeks in July 2019, interspersed with snippets from the Netflix documentary which has the advantage of hindsight, thus giving us some foreshadowing.

All in all, a splendid variation on a theme with a couple of interesting wrinkles thrown in.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I am not a thriller fan but didn't expect this to fall so flat. I am sure it will be a big hit but it wasn't exciting for me. I ended up not finishing this one. I didn't think the excitement or "thriller" aspect was enough to grab me. The store felt boring.

Wow what a crazy ride reading "None of This is True"! This was a quick, heart-stopping, disturbing psychological thriller that had me rereading the end to process what had actually happened... then I had to go back and read the prologue again! The characters and their stories still have me thinking about them even though I am done reading!

I have read several of Lisa Jewell's titles, but this has been my favorite thus far. The short, quick, suspenseful chapters keep the page turning fast paced. I found myself staying up past my bedtime two nights in a row to finish this book in three days trying to figure out what was going on and who was telling the truth!

Thank you to NetGallery and Atria Books for the arc of "None of This is True." I may never sleep peacefully again after this hauntingly disturbing psychological thriller... but it was SO worth the read! Well done and so deserving of a 5 star rating! Thank you!

One of the best psychological thrillers I've ever read is this one, in my opinion. The book is hard to put down because of its intriguing premise, interesting characters, disturbing mystery at its center, unexpected turns, and novel narrator.

Lisa Jewell’s latest novel, None of This is True, is an unputdownable psychological thriller about birthday twins and the envy we sometimes feel when we see someone with something we haven’t. Alix Summers and Josie Fair are both 45, ready for a change, and feeling the mid-life slump. Josie presents a podcast idea to Alix and the rest is history. Or rather, it’ll be in the history books. Josie’s life story, told from her perspective, is terrifying, upsetting, and disturbing. Alix can only sit quietly in the discomfort and try to figure out what her new friend’s angle really is.

Told from alternating perspectives and podcast feed, this is a true-crime feeling novel that you should absolutely make time for. It'll leave you with the creepy crawlies, but is ten times more satisfying than watching any documentary you've seen. I felt like I was in it alongside Alix and that's an incredible skill. This book was a one-sitting read for me, because I couldn’t walk away from it if I tried. Unsettling and creepy, None of This is True is a stunning release from Jewell.

I really liked this!!! I was 50/50 on The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell, but I LOVED this one. I tore through it in less than 2 days. It pulled me in from the very start, and I just could not stop until I got to the end. The characters are well developed, interesting, and morally grey. They don't fall flat like I often find is the case with thrillers. I highly recommend if you’re looking for an easy reading mystery!