Lisa Jewell never disappoints, some books are better than others, and her latest one has now overtaken the top spot in the seven books of her’s that I have read.

𝘕𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘦 (geez, I have the hardest time remembering this title!), is a slam-dunk winner of a thriller. It’s got all the ingredients I love in a twisty, dark, tense, page-turner:

Creepy Characters: Pretty sure I didn’t really love any of these people, but wow, was I intrigued by them! The wealthy podcaster, her dark and twisted birthday ‘twin,’ the two husbands, one a drunk, the other a creeper, the mysterious daughters.

Compelling Plot: I love a plot within a plot, the playing with time, jumping back and forth through interviews - the use of the true-crime podcast and documentary within the story was brilliant and kept me turning pages long into the night.

Satisfying Ending: I love when it fits, but it’s not a perfect bow on the package - that’s this book. Jewell develops her plot throughout the entire book, and does not focus on the crazy twist in the end, but oh my, the twists exist. Loved it - highly recommend!

A deliciously twisty tale where you never know who to believe and what story is true.

Alix is a successful podcaster who speaks with women who have overcome obstacles and done well with their lives. Josie is an unhappy housewife who works in an alterations shop. The two meet at a restaurant as both are celebrating the same birthday. Josie has decided to make some changes and convinces Alix to do a podcast with her as the subject. The two women work together as Josie slowly tells her story, but what is true? Alix and Joisie become more and more entangled in each others lives with tragic consequences.

Good characters, a well developed sense of unease and pacing that keeps you going even if you are afraid of where it might lead.

WHAT. WOW. WHAT? - my thoughts finishing this book. I had to wake up at 3:55 this morning, yet I stayed up reading because I simply couldn’t put this book down. the twists, the turns, the lies, the truths(?).

Josie meets her birthday twin, Alix, on their 45th birthday. After their meeting, Josie finds Alix’s podcast, and decides that she wants to share the story of her life— marrying a much older man, the story of her two girls, and how she wants to change her life. However, after a few recordings, Alix starts to realize that things are not as they seem, and Josie’s stories aren’t adding up. Before she knows it her life has become tangled with Josie’s, and because of this, her family might no longer be safe.

I’ve read a handful of Lisa Jewell’s books, and this is by far my favorite. I truly did not know what was going to happen or who to believe. I feel like this would make a great book club book, because I have SO many questions— what really happened? who was lying? who was telling the truth??

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review — thank you Atria Books! make sure to pick this book up in August!

READ IF YOU LOVE:
✨ unreliable characters
✨ true crime podcasts
✨ family drama

4.5 ⭐️

Definitely check your trigger warnings for this one!

This was my first novel by Lisa Jewell and wow!! Will totally read more of her books. She did such a good job of making the reader feel uncomfortable and uneasy, and had me physically cringing at some points. I was completely hooked the whole way!! And the way the “Netflix” show of the podcast is put into the story was so creative it really felt like I was watching it. The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the mention of Covid and masks near the end?? But that’s just personal preference, I don’t enjoy when any form of media includes a Covid anything in their storyline it just feels unnecessary. But other than that, FANTASTIC read!!

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE, Lisa Jewell
Pub Date: Aug 8, 2023

Lisa Jewell is back and in record time!

Her latest psychological thriller was written during the span of 6 months during lockdown in 2022. While she worried it would feel rushed and stray a bit from her usual elements, None of This is True delivers with a warped tale proving we never really know a person or if their tales are more fiction than fact.

In this story two strangers' lives converge on a simple premise - sharing a birthday. What ensues after two women share brief birthday pleasantries is a series of forced happenstances edged on by one. And, unknowingly lapped up by the other who just so happens to run a podcast and in search of new subject material. This will become Alix’s best series yet!

I enjoyed the twists, unreliable narration, and cast of supporting yet unsupportive characters where no one is as it seems. This was a page turner that kept my interest as the story continued to twist and turn with each chapter. Drawing on coincidences, sleight of hand and subtle plot diversions, Jewell brought to life one’s worst imagining of how making new friendships might not always be a good thing.

Cleverly, Jewell may have just reaffirmed it’s likely best to stick to books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for my advanced digital copy!

I inhaled this book. Lisa Jewell is one of my all time FAVORITE thriller writers and she has managed to yet again keep me on my toes while second guessing everyone’s motives. None of This Is True perfectly blends two very different character’s lives while simultaneously creating an eerie sense of dread that you can’t quite place. Everyone feels a bit off? But in the best way possible. I loved this book so so much.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC! Lisa Jewell's latest tells the story of Josie Fair and her "brithday twin," podcaster Alix. Josie meets Alix at a local restaurant as the two are celebrating their birthdays, and it turns out they were also born at the very same hospital. After discovering Alix's podcast, Josie becomes obessed with Alix and proposes a podcast episode that will center around Josie and her quest to start her life over, but before that, she will need to tell Alix the truth. What follows is a wildly engrossing tale that leads to Alex becoming the focus of her own true crime podcast story. Fans of Lisa Jewell and true crime podcasts and specials will devour this book!

Leave it to Lisa Jewell to pull me out of my mystery slump! This kept me hooked from start to finish! The story is told in alternating POVs, which Jewell always does so well, yet it strays a little from her usual format, too. I guessed certain twists, but that did not take anything from my enjoyment of the book overall. This is an author who knows how to write compelling characters, and as a character-driven reader, I much appreciate it. Recommended!

This is a fast paced thriller that had me hooked from the beginning. Alix, a popular podcaster, runs into Jodie at dinner. It turns out they share the same birthday, and are therefore birthday twins! A few days later, they run into each other again, and Jodie tells Alix she should interview her for a new podcast. Alix is very interested in the potential new project, but something about Jodie has her feeling a little uneasy. However, they continue with the project, Alix allowing Jodie into her life and home as terrible secrets are revealed. Who can be trusted?!

Lisa Jewell is always an auto read for me! Thank you so much to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell books and I am very thankful. Received an Advance Reader Copy of None of this is True.

It was just as good as I expected it would be. I loved going back and forth between Alix and Josie’s point of views. The story sucked me in from the beginning and held my attention until the end. It was very well written, suspenseful and made me feel like I was in the room with them while they were doing the podcast.

I would definitely recommend this book to all the other psychological thriller fans! Great book!

Another banger from Lisa Jewell!!!

I am a huge fan of her and this book has been highly anticipated, and did not disappoint!!!!

Josie and Alix were both such compelling characters. The poster dynamics were constantly changing. I had no idea who to trust or what to think.

While the ending was a bit predictable, I still felt completely engaged and on the edge of my seat the entire time reading.

Favorite quote: "when she doesn't like the reality of things, she's finds a reality she prefers."

AMAZING.

I read this in less than 24 hours. It was absolutely enthralling. I could not put it down. Three cheers and 5 stars for Lisa Jewell on this one. This was one where you always knew there was more to the story but you didn’t necessarily know what the “more” was. Excellent summertime thriller!

This was just a sad, messed-up tale. I'm getting tired of stories full of lies, but the title does warn you. Disappointing ending. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This one is for the true crime podcast junkies. It quickly became my favorite of Lisa Jewell's books with its unexpected twists, mysterious characters, and dramatic plot. Toss this one in your beach bag!

Modern twist on the unreliable narrator, and it’s not a spoiler because the title is actually None of This is True. So which events happened, what was just an interpretation, and how did a podcaster that talks about brave and inspiring women get wrapped up in this tale?
This reads almost as it it is a podcast or a Netflix original series, which is part of how the author wrote it, but the shifting timelines and points of view make for an intriguing story, especially since it doesn’t all line up.

Thank you NetGalley for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

▪️ The title tells you everything – none of this is true! Even when you think you know the truth, you don’t. A brilliant story with brilliant built-up suspense about what was going on.

▪️ This story had me hooked from the get-go. I was enthralled by the plot, characters… everything. The alternate POVs were compelling & added to the ambiguity of the plot. I loved the Netflix Documentary element SO MUCH! Many twists occurred that I didn’t anticipate! I even loved the open ending – & I usually hate open endings!

▪️ Lisa Jewell is one of my most favorite authors and this book just adds to my genuine awe of her ability to weave a disturbing tale about seemingly normal people. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Thank you @Netgalley and @AtriaBooks for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

What a ride! One of the best books I have read all year. This was my first Lisa Jewel book and I have no regrets. Her characters were built beautifully and really made you love (or hate!) them. I was engrossed by this book. Truly engrossed.

🅶🅴🅽🆁🅴—𝒯𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓇
🗓ℙ𝕦𝕓 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖—𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟠, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟛

✂️ P L O T L I N E
Josie Faire and Alix Summer are birthday twins. Both meet each other in a restaurant on their 45th birthday and discover they were born in the same hospital. Josie learns that Alix has her very own podcasts and persuades her to do an episode on her life because she knows it’s about to go through several changes. Alix finds Josie’s life to be weird and complicated but feels as though it will make for a great podcast. As she learns more about the unsettling events in Josie’s life, her life begins to become intertwined with hers and she soon is playing a big role in her own podcasts. 3 deaths, 2 women, 1 podcast. This thriller will have you on the ride of your life.

💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
I’ll start off by saying that this story was addicting. It had so many twists and turns up until the very end. Most of which I didn’t totally see coming. This book has you questioning what is real and what isn’t real. It gave me a little bit of “Verity”vibes. This story is completely disturbing and F-Ed up no matter what the truth happens to be…but I think that goes with the theme of a good psychological thriller. I still had a couple questions at the end of the book but overall it was an intriguing book that kept me on my toes!

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💫True crime podcasts
💫Psychological thrillers
💫Family drama
💫Intriguing page turners
💫Two Moms as the MCs

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: mentions of child and sexual abuse, infidelity, and pedophilia. Death⚠️

🎙️𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾🎙️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Lisa Jewell for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts 💕

Josie cannot believe her luck when she spots Alix across the room in a restaurant. They both seem to be celebrating their birthdays. Josie strikes up a conversation, to discover that they share the same birthday, are the same age, and were born at the same hospital. How could it be? The luck. Josie soon enters Alix's life and the two become entwined when the duo starts working on a podcast about Josie's life. Josie is ready for a big change, and Alix is just the person to tell the story. Told through podcast/documentary conversations interwoven into the narrative, Lisa Jewell hits the nail on the head. Josie's story is gripping, but how much do you believe? Is she lying? Is Alix way over her head getting involved. Pick this book up, it will leave you guessing until the end. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Woo! This one was hard to put down! A thrilling read from start to finish. Contemporary and realistic. Fans of true crime will be delighted to dive into this story.
4 Stars.