As a fan of Lisa Jewell I was thrilled to get the chance to read this book early. Fans of Jewell will love this book and I am a huge fan of the slightly different format. I was torn between 4 and 5 stars for this book, but went with 4 after predicting some of the twist.

This book is told mainly from the perspectives of Alix and Josie as they go through the process of making a podcast. As the podcast progress, Josie reveals dark secrets and integrates herself more into Alix’s life and marriage. It’s hard to trust Josie’s perspective as we begin to see her stalker side.

The Netflix documentary offered a nice balance to the story, giving interviews from other people related to the story. It made the story more compelling and left me a wanting to get through the book faster to find out what happened.

The ending may leave some people questioning what really happened (in a way similar to Verity), but most people will fall solely on one side.

Overall a great read. Thanks to Net Galley and Atria books for the digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I’m really really stuck between a 4 and a 5 here because IMO this is Lisa Jewell’s BEST! Wow at no point did I guess where this was going. I loved the podcast and Netflix show elements and I love how we were kept guessing and questioning right up until the very end. I also loved the commentary on feminism in a thriller. Lisa is also a queen of writing unlikable main characters, I mean Josie, girl, wtf. Do not miss this latest book from the queen of thrillers herself! Out this August 2023.

I loved this book. I loved the way it was written, I loved the suspense, I loved the characters. I didn't want it to end and I truly couldn't put it down!

None of this is true... the title is self explanatory. I was so enthralled with this amazing new novel by one of my favorite authors, Lisa Jewell. Truly a book to look forward to this year. I love how she writes and she keeps me enthralled. BEST book of the year!!

It is impossible to read this one without a skin-crawling sense of dread. It's one of those where everyone is lying a little bit, but some are lying a whole lot, and even after the book is done you still won't be 100% sure who is who or what is what. It was my first book from Lisa Jewell but it definitely won't be my last.

Synopsis: Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

Lisa Jewell is a master of the psychological thriller! Her intentional and precise development of characters results in true to life characters who not only experience but live real life horrors such as physical and mental abuse, alcohol/drug abuse, and pedophilia. What starts as a mere coincidence of a shared birthday between strangers grows into a dark and sinister plot. Alix, a famous podcaster, who shares motivating and inspiring stories of women who have found success becomes intrigued by Josie, her birthday twin, who wants to break free from the life that is holding her back. Just as Josie's story consumes Alix's life drawing her into a desperately dangerous web of deceit and lies, I found myself drawn to the mystery of determining the truth. With every page, Jewell leads the reader on a twisted, morbid journey that one just can't turn away from. Even after the final page, I was left questioning who was really telling the truth.
Thank you to Atria Books and Net Galley for an ARC of Lisa Jewell's None of This is True!

Ok guys… this book is INSANE!
And the title is perfect. By the end of it… I honestly have no clue what is true and what isn’t. It reminds me of Verity in that way.
The author so expertly spun a web, and then spun a second competing web - that I honestly don’t know which one is true (assuming either of them even were)!
It kept me guessing, and engaged! I devoured this book as quickly as I could manage while fighting an upper respiratory infection that had me in pretty bad shape (not ideal for reading).
Highly recommend but do warn that there are elements that are a bit disturbing.

Josie is about to change her life. To honor her great change, she engages successful podcaster and birthday twin Alix to come along for the ride. What ensues has more unexpected twists and turns than the Coquihalla highway.

Alix’s instincts tell her very strongly to walk away from the project, but the journalist in her can’t do it. As Alix, gets sucked further into the intrigue of Josie’s story, she begins to see the potential for this podcast to be a career maker. Besides, everyone has secrets.

Things change when Josie shows up on Alix’s doorstep looking for help. She is somehow both histrionic and completely detached when faced with complex trauma. Her behavior becomes alarming on a number of levels. Josie begins referring to it as “her house”, “her room”, “her family”. When Alix or her husband ask her what her plans are, she feels it’s none of their business. It becomes clear that Josie is at a minimum embellishing parts of her story, at most telling outright lies. But why?

Jewel is a seasoned suspense author and it shows. This book is stylistically different than a lot of Jewel’s other work, it lacked her typical multiple timelines and almost all the characters were women (which I loved).

My main criticism is the use of the COVID pandemic as a narrative device. I’m sure the light touch of the pandemic in this book will age well and keep it historically accurate, but having lived through it so recently, it really interfered with the escapism I was looking for.

This book will leave you wondering if you just had a fever dream, as well as whose truth is THE truth. I would recommend this to anyone who tends to find suspense novels predictable, tedious, or low stakes. I found it very outside the box.

Could not put this down!
The eeriness of the story, behaviors of the characters and the depth of the storyline kept this book at a fast pace. They way the story is told, through a podcast, Netflix doc clips and current events, was done beautifully. I enjoyed how we got to see the past, present and future in this different way.

Jewell does an incredible job of building the readers feelings towards each character - sympathy, anger and even feeling creeped out. I often found myself making faces while reading about the actions of both Josie and Nathan, and thinking about Josie's daughters long after I had finished the book. I think the elusive ending leaves the reader with a loose sense of closer about who Josie really is.

Well, that was a wild ride! 😳 I had a blast shaking things up by reading a thriller, and this one did not disappoint! It was twisty-turny, fast-paced, and creepy! I said, “What?” a ton and didn’t know what was happening or who to trust or believe. But that was part of the fun! I also enjoyed the snippets of the podcast and Netflix show throughout the story. They never felt like a distraction and helped move the plot interestingly.

And omg, THAT ENDING. I can’t stop thinking about the ending. My jaw was on the floor, and I need more!

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, Lisa Jewell’s new novel, None Of This Is True, is one you DO NOT want to miss. Alix and Josie are complete strangers but each just happen to be celebrating their 45th birthday at the same pub.

Alix has a successful podcast about women who have overcome hardship in their life to become successful more improved version of themselves. On her 45th birthday, Josie, a wife and mother of two, decides she is going to take this opportunity to make changes in her life. When Josie approaches Alix, who is ready for a new challenge, with an idea to cover a story about the changes Josie is ready to make in her life, Alix decides to embrace the challenge.
As Josie's dark story begins to unfold, Alix begins to have an uneasy feeling about this project.

This riveting , deliciously, creepy psychological thriller is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It has the same dark, suspenseful feel as Gone Girl. The characters are so authentically flawed and the plot line so engrossing, I couldn’t put it down. In my opinion, this will be one of the best books of the summer.

'None of This is True' is a psychological thriller that kept me guessing and sleeping a little less soundly at night (but in a good way). Two women's paths cross and both of their lives are never the same. For me, the book had overtones of the 90s movie 'Single White Female,' as well as Steven King's 'Misery.' I find myself wanting to read it again to catch more clues (now that I know the ending). Very enjoyable page turner!

*I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I always try to describe to my husband what I am reading and this one left him with many follow up questions for me. I would tell him the premise, but then say, according to the title, none of it is true! This book was so easy to pick up and hard to put down. I received a book I had been waiting months to read, but haven’t even started it yet because I just had to finish this. Well done, Lisa Jewell!

This was a “read in less than 24 hours” thriller, and it was a goooood one!! It kept me guessing the whole time, didn’t have an overly contrived twist, and was just good! Fast paced, drew me in right away, and kept my attention until the very end!

Loved this twisty tale! Different points of view from characters through the book leaves the reader not quite feeling they know what is really happening.

WOW! 🤯 4.5 stars rounded up!

Thanks, NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy. I’m still reeling and unsure of what’s true and who to believe… which I guess that was the point and why it is SO good.

I’m conflicted, though, on my sympathy for Alix. Like there were so many red flags and she just ignored them? It was frustrating to see her continuously make poor decisions, but no one deserves what happened to her.

Long story short: People are crazy. Don’t trust them.

Got this ARC from NetGalley in lieu of an honest review. This is definitely a Lisa Jewell novel, with characters that are creepy, mind blowing, and overstay their welcome. I could have used a little less of the “interview” portions throughout the book, and more of the MCs so the pace and stakes intensified throughout - the build up would suddenly disappear when you got thrown into new characters you’d only see once and their relationships to the MCs. This all being said, I enjoyed the author’s ability to make you feel so unsettled and it’s a great thriller to read once it hits shelves this summer.

Thank you so much @AtriaBooks for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 08 Aug 2023)

SYNOPSIS | Josie is 45 year old seamstress who is married to a significantly older man & when she meets Alix (a podcast host) at her local pub she approaches her deciding it is time to tell her story.

WHAT I LIKED:
- that I questioned whether Josie was a reliable narrator on multiple occasions
- how the story slowly unravels & the tension builds steadily throughout
- the interwoven Netflix interviews
- embraces the 'ick' (TW: pedophilia, grooming, child abuse & incest)

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- open ending leaving readers with more questions
- some loose ends

Thank you to Lisa Jewell, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of a digital advanced reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

The book follows Josie Fair who's with her husband celebrating her 45th birthday at a local pub when a large group walks in. In that group is Alix Summers, a popular podcaster, who just so happens to also be celebrating her 45th birthday. Josie strikes up a conversation with Alix in the bathroom and the next day, and Josie pitches the idea of doing a 'Hi! I'm Your Birthday Twin!' podcast with Alix. Alix thinks it is a great idea because she wants to dive into a new angle of her podcast of following women that have come up from the ashes into success. They get started interviewing and more interviews she does with Josie, Alix realizes what Josie tells her just is unsettling and that she's hiding some very dark secrets.

I have to give it to the author, I could never have predicted that twist in a million years. As a true-crime podcast listener, this book peaked my interest because the reader isn't privy to what is going on in the actual interview, but many of the chapters begin with the interview's re-creation into a Netflix series that seamlessly flows with the storyline. My only criticism is that I just wish the author began wrapping up the loose ends of this book sooner. The ending felt like it was 3 chapters too long because the author had to keep adding storyline in order to tie up the loose ends. If not for the drawn out ending, this book would have been a 5-star read, hands down.

If you ever meet a “birthday twin” in a restaurant bathroom, do not, I repeat, do NOT give them the time of day. Just ask Alix Summer. ☺️

What in the world? I read this book in one sitting. It has a great podcast format. Some parts will make you cringe, some parts will make you angry. Don’t you just love it when books can do that? Don’t read the long synopsis (why do they make them so long?), it’s better to just pick it up and go! Lisa Jewell is an auto-read for me (since Then She Was Gone) so if you haven’t read her yet, this is a good one to start with.

Releases August 8, so preorder your copy!

Thank you NetGalley and AtriaBooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.