As much as I love a Lisa Jewell, unfortunately this wasn’t a hit for me. The book felt uncomfortably long, and there did not appear to be any major twists or turns. It just felt like a drawn out friendship gone wrong. I didn’t particularly grasp any real motivation or insight into any of the characters and it just felt like a story with no real story to it. For a book with as gripping of a title as “None of this is true” I really hoped for more.

This is just one book I will NEVER stop talking about! Aka Top Book of 2023 and probably even in my Top 10 books of All Time! When I first heard the premise and who wrote it (Lisa Jewell is unsurprisingly an auto buy author for me like she is to so many others) I immediately put it on my to buy list! So when I was accepted to receive an eARC from Atria Books (in exchange for my honest review) I was beyond excited!

This book was a true home run for me in almost every way!
✨The atmosphere✨….PERFECTION!
✨The Suspense✨…..EXQUISITE!
✨The Characters✨…heavily flawed in the best way and who can you trust?!
✨The Podcast✨…I wanted to listen to every single episode!
✨The Present Day Scenes✨…beautiful breadcrumbs that are delicately laid as the story slowly unfolds

I could have read this in one sitting but I ended up spreading it out over about a week because I just didn’t want it to end !!!

If you’re a thriller/mystery suspense lover this book NEEDS to be at the top of your to read, to buy, to check out at the library (whichever method floats your boat)list!!!

I 1000/10 will be getting myself a physical copy for my bookshelf come next month when it’s released…maybe even two so I can physically annotate one!

WOW! This book was such a roller coaster ride full of twists, turns and speedy downhill experiences. I had a difficult time putting the book down! If like me you'd like to scream at book characters for making choices that while seem to be the "right" one in their minds, but are oh so very, very wrong in yours, read this!

The descriptions are well done and the plot is absolutely amazing as well as original. Lisa Jewell appears to be a very talented storyteller and a very popular one at that.

Five stars!

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell is a master at alternate perspectives and keeping readers on their toes, never stop speculating, never wanting to put the book down. This book "None of This Is True" is no exception. In fact, I think it may be her best way yet.

I was gripped ever since the scene at the restaurant where Josie walks into the washroom to meet her birthday twin. The story moves so fast paced, and flows very smoothly. When I read the final chapter, I literally gasped.

Bravo.

Gotta hand it to Lisa Jewell… everything I just read… none of this is true 😂. This was twisty and very bingeable! The ending made you think and not know what the heck was going on!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

Have you ever read a book and as soon you finished you thought “What the **** did I just read?!” Well, that’s this book.

Short Synopsis:
I’m going to keep this brief because the less you know the better. It’s a podcast. About a woman who’s married. With teenagers.

My Thoughts:
This was a wild ride. It was dark and twisty. I was disgusted and disturbed and I couldn’t read it fast enough.

I did the audio for this one and it was fanatic - probably the best audiobook I’ve listened to this year. The full cast and podcast episodes really brought the audio to life. I felt like I was listening to a true crime documentary.

And that ending. 🤯🤯🤯 I don’t know how I feel.

Read if You Like:
🎧 True Crime Podcasts
🎧 WTF books
🎧 Verity
🎧 Psychological thrillers
🎧 Multiple POVs

On her forty-fifth birthday, Alix Summers runs into Josie Fair, who happens to be her birthday twin. Soon Alix runs into Josie again, and Josie convinces Alix that Josie's life would be a great subject for Alix's podcast. As Josie manipulates her way into Josie's life Alix unexpectedly finds herself the subject of her own podcast and must uncover Josie's dark secrets to protect her family.

Despite its decent start, None of This is True lacked the tension I normally feel in Lisa Jewell's thrillers. Jewell does an excellent job mixing after-the-fact documentary and podcast interviews into the plotline to keep you wondering how much of Josie's story is true. Yet, I disliked Josie's character so much that I struggled to stay engaged. Combined with the anticlimactic ending, None of This is True just didn't work at all for me even though it's getting rave reviews from other readers.

No of This Is True by Lisa Jewell was unlike anything she has written before. It follows 2 women Alix (a podcaster) and Josie (a very strange person). They share the same birthday and was both born in the same hospital. This starts a new podcast for Alix who just finishes her series on strong women. The Birthday Twin podcast follows Josie's strange story of her life with a much older husband and her daughters. Joise has a lot of secerts and they are so believable that Alix starts to fall for everything. Alix's husband is missing and soon the truth about Josie comes to light. This book keeps you guessing on wheather what Josie is saying is true or not, up to the end. I still don't know if I believe her side of the story or not. I am still thinking about the ending and what could be true about Josie's husband, Walter and her grown daughters, Roxy and Erin. I don't think a book has ever has kept my mind turning about the events that happened in the book. I am never dissapointed when I read Lisa Jewell's books and this one is by far one of my favorites.

To celebrate her 45th birthday, Josie Fair decides she wants to change it up and go to a local pub for dinner. Alix Summers is also celebrating her birthday there and when she and Josie run into each other in the restroom, they discover that they were born on the exact same day in the exact same hospital! Alix is a popular podcaster and when Josie approaches her with the idea to do a new show on women trying to make changes in their lives, Alix thinks it's a great idea. Until she really gets to know Josie, that is.

Perfect. This book was perfect. I don't know what else to say - definitely the best of the four books by Lisa Jewell that I've read. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and the suspense was killing me in the best way. It's been so long that I've read a book I couldn't stand to put down and this one was exactly that. The entire book had a creepy, paranoid feeling about it and I enjoyed every single second. I cannot say enough good things about this one and I urge you to read it the second you can.

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE - LISA JEWELL

5⭐
Are you a fan of Verity? If yes - this one will give you similar vibes, because boy what did I Read?!? It is by far one of Lisas best work and definitely one of the top mystery thrillers of 2023. You just have to start to get sucked in the story of Alix and Josie- their flawed family lies, deep buried secrets which when exposed can destroy their respective family - the ultimate truth/reveal which wait a minute is it actually true?! And then comes the last chapter/epilogue which will make you question everything you read and leave you second guessing everything!!
The way the book has been written - unreliable narrator mixed with opening of Netflix series commentary and the podcast is very interesting which I feel will be definitely better in audio!!
Synopsis - Josie and Alix bump into each other while celebrating their respective 45th birthday Josie sees this as a sign and approaches Alix to document her story..her truth. But as Josie enters Alix's life matters complicate and things get out of hand . Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Much thanks to Netgalley for providing me this arc! It was my first book from this author and needless to say that I very much enjoyed it. It was a dark but highly captivating ride into the minds of some truly twisted characters.

It has been a long while since I loved a thriller so much. But None of This is True changed that for me. I loved the writing, the twists and the characters. It had everything I wanted from a book and more. Deserves all the hype!

None Of This Is True
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Alix, a successful podcaster, is approached by a seemingly normal woman, Josie, who claims she has a life change coming and wonders if Alix would be interested in her story. The story that comes out is believable, but how much of it is really true?

Another amazing page turned from Lisa Jewell! I’ll say that at first I wasn’t so sure this story was for me, then I thought, well maybe it is, then I thought that there is something crazy going on here. And that was just the first couple of chapters. Truly a book you cannot put down once it picks up speed. And when you think you have everything in your grasp, the end will change everything you were thinking!

A birthday twin!! How cool is that? Born on the same day in the same place and then a chance meeting on a special birthday. This has got to be the makings of a great friendship, right? Right?

Alix and Josie are birthday twins. Alix has a successful podcast, Josie lives a quiet life with her older husband and quiet daughter. But knowing Alix has a podcast, Josie has decided to tell her truth to Alix. All of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Having no idea what she's gotten her and her family into, Alix helps Josie explore her past, and what makes Josie, Josie.

This was absolutely outstanding. Not knowing what was the truth, what was not the truth, and what lived in the grey area in-between.

Such a wild book! I hardly know what to do with what I just read. I kept trying to figure out what the truth was, who was lying and why, and wow did the end just totally knock my socks off! 10/10 stars!

Lisa did not disappoint with this chilling thriller. She kept me turning pages and up WAY passed my bedtime reading. I especially loved that the main character is 45 years old. While many protagonists are 20-30 it is becoming increasingly difficult to find female MCs you can connect to in their 40s and 50s. Bravo on the excellent pacing and jump plot that kept me guessing until the end. Will definitely recommend to friends.

I’ve read a few Lisa Jewell books and this one is by far my favorite! It was just SO good.

Alix Summers is a popular podcaster and Josie Fair is a bit of a plain Jane loner… they are “birthday twins” and Josie wants to be the subject of Alix’s next podcast.

Josie’s is a crazy story - her husband is old enough to be her father, her daughters are a bit mysterious, and she dresses in all denim all the time. Alix gets wrapped up in the story but at a cost.

In keeping this a spoiler free review I will say you need to read this book and just go in somewhat blindly. You won’t be disappointed!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy

None of This is True 😅
If you’re looking for a thriller that keeps you on your toes and questioning everything, None of This is True is what you’re looking for. When Alix and Josie meet in a local pub on their shared birthday, they find out that they also were born at the same time, in the same hospital. What are the chances? Alix is a successful podcast host and Josie decides that she is the perfect subject for Alix’s next episode. It is slowly revealed that Josie has been hiding some very very dark secrets and manages to convince Alix to allow her to stay in her home for a week after an incident occurs. This is when Alix realizes that Josie isn’t who she seems and now her family is in danger.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books and Lisa Jewell for allowing me to read and review this book before its Aug 8 release.

Oh my gosh… what is this book. It is INSANE. So much is going on. It never slows down. I have never read anything like it! I don’t think I have ever hated a character as much as I hated one in this book. While simultaneously loving and cheering on another character!

It is so unpredictable. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was miserably wrong. The ending was absolutely perfect.

I think the thing that worked so well for this book was that it was written as a story, a podcast and as a Netflix true crime documentary. You got pieces of the past, present and future. It really added to the suspense!

This is by far my favorite book by her, and HIGHLY recommend it.

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Child Sexual Assault and Incest

None of this is true is a psychological thriller about two women, Josie and Alix, who share the same birthday. They happen to meet each other by chance out celebrating their birthdays. Alix is an avid podcaster and Josie ends up doing a podcast with Alix regarding her strange life.

The book starts a little slow. You can tell there is a little suspense but most of the thriller portion of the book is in the 2nd and 3rd parts. It's pretty predictable overall which is part of why I could only rate it 3 stars.

There is mention of child sexual abuse multiple times in the book which I know can be triggering to some. <spoiler>Josie accuses her husband of being a pedophile as well as sexually assaulting their children.</spoiler> I haven't seen a warning on goodreads for that. So readers be aware.

At one point the author has the characters saying "er..." in every other sentences. It was very noticeable and annoying. Once or twice wouldn't have been bad but I felt like I just kept reading "er..." "er..." "er...".

I wasnt a fan of the inclusion of netflix. You have Alix making a podcast but then its only a smell excerpt from the podcast into a Netflix documentary. I felt like it was too much and would have been better executed as just a podcast.

This is a quick read and overall is a good novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review

Woah! This book had me gripped from page one. This was different than other Lisa Jewell books but yet was as I completely expected to be obsessed. I read this on my Kindle as an ebook and I'm a tad sad that I didn't wait and listen to the audio because I expect it to be an amazing listening experience. Regardless, it was an amazing read. I do really hope Netflix turns this into an actual show because I could visually see everything happening.

Our main characters were so different from each other, but both were extremely captivating. Sometimes I find myself wanting to hurry up and get back to "x" character's POV, but I never experienced that with None of This is True. However, I did find myself mowing through this book as I desperately NEEDED to know what was going to happen. How big was the age gap between Josie and her Husband, what was behind her daughter's door, where does that key go to, and how was Josie going to put Alix's family's lives in danger? Don't worry, you get all those answers and more!

As for the ending, I loved it. I felt like it was realistic and kept you wondering, "what did I just read?" and "What was true?". Overall, I was not shocked that this was absolutely fantastic. I recommend everyone pick it up as soon as you can.