Podcaster Alix Summers meets her “Birthday Twin” Josie Fair on the night of their shared 45th birthday. They soon begin working together on a podcast discussing Josie’s claim that big changes are coming to her life. Over time it becomes clear that Josie is harboring a darkness that Alix doesn’t even know that half of. Jewell’s latest novel “None of This is True” is unfortunately a real slow burn with an unlikeable cast of characters and no real twist. The premise of the story is interesting, but never really picks up and leaves the reader disappointed in the end - 2/5 stars.

Excellent!

Alix has a popular podcast featuring successful women. When she meets Josie, a woman with whom she shares a birthday, Josie pitches the idea of a podcast of someone who is on the verge of changing her life. Josie is in an unhappy marriage to someone who is about 25 years older than her. Her daughters have severe mental damage. One left when she was 16 and hasn't been heard from since. The other does not leave her room and will only eat liquified foods.

Alix's life looks perfect, but her husband has substance abuse issues.

You know there are many things below the surface, but don't really know who the bad guys are or what is really going on with Josie's family.

This had me reading way too late into the night. Highly recommended. I expect this will top the best seller list for many weeks.

If None of This is True was a movie, I would've been screaming at this screen like a thriller-cliche, in the best possible way. This book is packed full of suspense with a main character sure to make the hair on the back of you neck stand up.

This unfolding story flows back and forth from a Netflix true crime documentary, to the live action that lead up to the story. Alix Summers is the woman who seems to have it all, including a successful podcast series, perfect house, family, and friends. Perhaps in a moment that could only be called fate, her path crosses with Josie Fair who is celebrating her birthday at the same restaurant only to realize that they were born on the same day at the same hospital and are "birthday twins." Josie, however, does not the same life style and her backstory is a lot more complicated. When Josie weaves her way deeper into Alix's life more and more of that backstory starts to unfold and the further it goes the more your stomach will turn.

I would recommend this for anyone who likes to read a good thriller, binge watch a true-crime show on Netflix, listen to a grizzly podcast, and is looking for a fast paced read that will keep you turning the pages. Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell, and Atria publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of my favorite Lisa Jewell books yet. Sometimes these yearly thriller releases by buzzy authors don’t land—but somehow Jewell kept this one original, engrossing, and just plain GOOD. Two women, strangers who run into each other as they’re both out celebrating their birthdays and realize they are “birthday twins.” One is an established podcaster; the other is determined to break out of a cycle and change her life, and pitches making a podcast out of it. Lies, drama, and chaos ensues. In classic Jewell fashion, I’m left to the very end wondering exactly what happened and who I believe. This might be excellent on audio too given some of the narrative structure, with the podcast/documentary elements.

Oh Man Lisa Jewell never disappoints and this was no exception. I loved the podcast premise and how the Netflix documentary was used as the opening of the chapters with interviews of people that coincided with who was being talked about in the interviews that Alix was doing with Josie. I love that her books always keep me guessing and how the plot unravels like an onion. I just couldn’t put this book down. The title is so apropos that none of this is true and to be careful who you let in your life and in your house and trust your instincts instead of what you think is a fascinating story. Just so good and I can’t wait to read the next one.
Thanks to Atria Books and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

I absolutely loved this book! None of This is True is an addictive page-turner. It had hints of Single White Female and untrustworthy characters. Heck, the title says it’s not true. 🤣

I really like the trend of authors incorporating podcasts and other formats in books. This is one that I will listen to again on audio to see how they portray the story. The clever way Jewell foreshadows elements of the story in the glimpses of the future Netflix show was brilliant and engaging.

This is going to be a big hit! Great book!

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

❓Wooooow it’s been a while since I’ve read a thriller that I binged in less than 24 hours (have I mentioned how much I love summer break?!). NONE OF THIS IS TRUE was such a wild ride and I was invested in the story line right away. I neeeeeeded to find out how the story would end and felt like I couldn’t read it fast enough.

❓Here’s a summary of the plot:👇
Josie is out celebrating her 45th birthday when across the restaurant she spies another woman celebrating her own 45th birthday. Josie can’t shake the feeling that there’s a reason she’s in the same place at the same time as her “birthday twin” and so she stages a run-in in the bathroom. Alix, her birthday twin, is the host of a popular podcast showcasing stories about women’s lives and the challenges they’ve overcome. Josie implores Alix to feature her on the podcast, even though she hasn’t done anything drastic with her life yet. But she promises Alix that she’s about to make some decisions that will completely alter the course of her and her family’s lives forever…

❓This book had me trying to guess the twist(s) and I don’t think I guessed a single one right. 😅 I never knew which characters I trusted or who to root for. The ending definitely surprised me! I think this would be a great audiobook given the fact that a podcast is a prominent part of the story! Overall, I really really enjoyed this one! Definitely check this one out when it publishes in August!

❓Thanks to @atriabooks and @atriathrillers for my advanced copy of this one! NONE OF THIS IS TRUE publishes August 8, 2023!

Hi! I'm your birthday twin! With this simple line starts a spiral into one edge of your seat & crazy descent into madness, truth, lies & fate. Easily Lisa Jewell's best book ever. I was sucked right in from the beginning and could not stop reading! All the stars!!!

this story intrigued me right off the bat and I had no idea where the story was going in the best possible way. Secrets and an unreliable narrator are some of my favourite thriller tropes. Through in pieces of the story told through a Netflix documentary/podcast and I am hooked.
This was definitely my favourite Lisa Jewell book to date and I would read that woman’s chore list!

I’ve read a few of LJ’s books but I’ve never felt “wowed” by them - until this one! From beginning to end this was dark & compelling and LJ/thriller fans are in for a real treat when this one releases in August!

I could not put this book down! Alix and Josie are birthday twins who meet at the local pub on their birthday. Alix is a podcaster and Josie pitches her an idea to do a series on her life.

NONE OF THIS WAS TRUE was truly unhinged & I LOVEEE when thrillers make you second guess everything and you can’t tell fact from fiction 👏🏼👏🏼. These characters had me questioning everything and I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire read. I ended up bingeing this one because I just needed to know how it ended!!! Thanks to the podcast/Netflix elements, this one played like a story in my mind and I think it would make a great Netflix adaptation 🤓

I tore through None of This Is True while on vacation—I couldn't put it down. I can almost always guess what's coming next with Lisa Jewell's writing (and this story was no different), but she has a way of writing that keeps me hooked even though I almost always know what's coming—it's like I know it's going to happen but I just want it to happen already so I have to keep reading. None of This Is True follows two women who are birthday twins in a present/future context of a story, a podcast, and a Netflix documentary, which was a really cool format. I hated Josie from the jump, but I feel like you're supposed to with her creepy mannerisms and the way she acts around people. The ending was pretty satisfying despite not really getting closure, but it leads you to draw your own conclusions about Josie—which I have done. Per usual, Lisa Jewell has knocked it out of the park.

This book felt relevant and timely in content, had great twists, and was another wonderful story by Lisa Jewell. I wanted to keep going to find out how things would turn out. I enjoyed the point of view.

Round up to 4.5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I LOVED this book. I could not put it down. I have read several of Lisa Jewell's books and this was among my favorites. It was fast paced with unreliable characters and was psychologically intriguing. It was not violent or graphic, but rather featured some twisted characters, which I always find more compelling. I liked that, even as the reader, I didn't know for sure what was true and what wasn't. The only reason why I knocked off half a star was because the epilogue revealed something about the protagonist in an attempt to make her more sympathetic, and I didn't think it was necessary. Aside from that, it was great.

5/5 stars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Atria Books for the advanced reading copy (special thanks to my book club friends for gifting the physical copy)!

First things first: my recommendation would be to GO IN BLIND to this one. I knew that people were hyping this up as Lisa Jewell's best book yet (spoiler alert: I agree) and I knew nothing else beyond that. It was ideal for a truly fun reading experience.

Okay, now that I've said that... if you still want a synopsis, here it is:

On the night of her 45th birthday, plain and simple Josie Fair runs into Alix Summer, a popular podcaster who just happens to be celebrating HER 45th birthday, as well. Newly identified "birthday twins," Josie and Alix strike up an unexpected connection, leading to a new podcast endeavor involving them both. Alix begins to uncover Josie's shocking, unsettling and, yet, captivating life story and is utterly shocked when Josie simply disappears. Suddenly, Alix is left with more questions than answers, the biggest of which: who will make it out alive?

Okay, I'll say this: you think you're gonna know. You will think you have it all figured out.. you. do. not. This book was clever and cunning until the very last page. I am laughing at myself for writing down a prediction about 1/3 of the way in and being so absolutely wrong that it's hilarious. A bit of a different style for Lisa Jewell and I am HERE FOR IT. While all of her other books have past and present timelines written very obviously separate, this one was a little more chaotic in the best way. The documentary aspect painted a fantastic picture for the reader and added a few twists and turns at unexpected moments. This book left me unsettled in a really fun way; I could tell that something just wasn't lining up but I had no idea what until the very end. I haven't read a book this fun in a while and I was instantly sad it was over. @emilybookedup labeled this story as "addicting" and I've never heard anything more accurate -- I'm telling you, you won't be able to put it down. Lisa Jewell's mind is chilling and that is the highest praise I could bestow. Preorder this RIGHT NOW, because come August 8th you're not going to want to wait one single second longer.

It’s my last Charleston inspired post because it’s time to get back to reality. 🥺 I spent my girls weekend reading None Of This is True by Lisa Jewell.

Here’s the premise: This is a psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Alright y’all here is what I loved…multiple POV, mixed media format, creepy disturbing characters that kept me guessing. My only issues were the pace was off and the ending was not my fave. It very much felt similar to The Family Upstairs. So if you like psychological thrillers with a podcast element consider picking this one up when it comes out August 8th!

Thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the E-ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book. Lisa Jewell is hit or miss with me. Some of hers are amazing twisty thrillers and some are so so. This was a so so read. The storyline was familiar and characters not likeable. 3 stars.

Calling all true crime podcast fans, this one is for you! Lisa Jewell works her psychological thriller, twisty magic in this novel about a woman who suddenly finds herself the subject of her own true crime podcast.

Two women with the same birthday meet on their 45th. What could go wrong?!

None of This is True is told through three alternating perspectives: Josie, Alix, and Alix's birthday twins turned true crime podcast turned Netflix series. Whew! The last 10% of this book is hard to read. There's so much mystery throughout and then you get the answers you've been searching for and those answers are devastating. This is one of the darkest and smartest thrillers I've read in a while, and it will definitely be a great summer companion to those when it comes out on August 8th. Just totally captivating, intense, full of that familial drama, and very disturbing but in a delicious way... 5/🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂

Thank you to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the egalley!

Thank you to #AtriaBooks and #LisaJewell for the ARC of #NoneofThisisTrue. I know I am always in for a good time with Lisa Jewell, and of course she didn’t disappoint with None of this is True! Two strangers, each celebrating their 45th birthdays at a restaurant, find their lives inextricably intertwined when they discover they are “birthday twins.” Dark and twisting, the story takes on many suspenseful turns as the relationship between the women grows more convoluted. The format of the book is absolutely fantastic, written with several different narrators, including a future Netflix documentary made of this most incredible friendship. Fantastic read – everything and more I would expect from Lisa Jewell.

None of this is true by Lisa Jewell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I wholeheartedly believe this book may be my absolute favorite book by Lisa Jewell!

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Riveting, bone-chilling, dark, twisty.

You'll find yourself drawn into this psychological thriller within a few pages, and it won't let you go as you get into the unreliable back-and-forth feeling as if something bad is about to happen

Podcast meets true crime documentary- the story is told both after the tragedy happens and as it's happening. The story revolves around birthday twins - who run into each other on their 45th and things escalate from there.

Alix: a well-off Podcaster that is married and with two children, and a seemingly perfect life.
Josie: A mother of 2 and married to a man who looks old enough to be her father - she tells a story of darkness and unaccomplished dreams

The ending was shocking. It was heartbreaking. It both unsettled and disturbed me.
Honestly, this book will haunt me for years. And it's 💯 going on my physical shelf.

#qotd 💬 Do you listen to podcasts? If so which ones.