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 stalking Alix and listening to her podcasts. She thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

The two characters are total opposites. Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, partly due to her marriage to a man twice her age, and the unstable temperaments of her two daughters.

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.

I can’t believe this was my first Lisa Jewell book, and I loved it! It’s deliciously twisted, and once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

Alex doesn’t have to coax Josie much to dig deeper into her background story, and things get darker and more tangled between the two women and their families.

Just like Alix, I couldn’t help but want to know more and more about Josie, and the reasons behind some of her life choices, despite how unsettling her story made me feel.
I think the underlying theme of this story is obsession. Alix wants to know everything about Josie, and Josie is so obsessed with Alix’s life that she steals trinkets and mementos from her and keeps them hidden in a drawer at her house.

Gradually, Alix begins to question her own choice in allowing Josie into her life. Only when Josie disappears does Alix discover that she has left a terrifying legacy is her wake and Alix herself has become the subject of her own true crime podcast. That’s when I went back over the story to dig out the Josie-seeded fabrications and half-truths. It took until the final interviews in the last chapter to unravel the full truth.

The most frightening part of the whole book: I’ve known some Josies and sympathized (to a point) with their stories.

Will you recognize one in your family tree?

Overall, None of This is True is one of those stories that will stay in your mind for years. True, the book doesn’t come out until August, but I urge you to put it on your pre-order list! Well done, Lisa Jewell.
Thanks to NetGalley for supplying a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hot dang, was this a good thriller!

In this psychological suspense, Alix is out celebrating her 45th birthday at a pub where she happens to meet Josie, who happens to also be celebrating the same milestone. While they are “birthday twins”, the women couldn’t be more different. Alix is a popular podcaster and social media darling, while Josie strikes her as a dowdy, quite peculiar woman. They bump into each other again a few days later, and Josie proposes Alix bring her onto her podcast for an interview. She claims she’s on the cusp of a major life change, and has a big story to tell. Alix has been looking to take her podcast in a new direction so agrees, but is oblivious to what lays ahead for her.

Told in dual timelines, we find that the podcast has now been made into a Netflix true crime documentary. Alix’s life goes horribly off kilter as Josie (very uncomfortably) inserts herself into the life of her new friend, all while unfurling the dark, disturbing secrets of her life at home.

Dark. Twisty. Gripping. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as I tried to decipher what was truth and what was lies.

I’m a big Lisa Jewell fan, but this one blew me away. A new favourite from this author, and I can’t wait for everyone to read this one. It publishes August 8th but it’ll be worth the wait, I promise!

I don’t know what it is about this book but I could not stop reading it! It sucked me in and I wanted to figure out what was going to happen. It was so good and I really enjoyed it! I highly recommend this one! Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review!

I sped through this book, I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. Lisa Jewell’s latest tells the story of Alix and Josie, who meet on their 45th birthdays. Alix, a famous podcaster, agrees to do a podcast on Josie’s life, not realizing what she is signing up for. Like Jewell’s other novels, this is a propulsive thriller with fascinating characters, a perfect summer read.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and Lisa Jewell for my copy of this book! It is my new favorite from her and was MUCH anticipated. Alix Summers is a popular podcaster looking for something new for her next season. While she’s celebrating her 45th birthday, she meets Josie, her birthday twin who was even born at the same hospital Alix was. When the women bump into each other a few days later, Josie shares that not only has she been listening to Alix’s podcast, but she also has a story to tell.

What follows is a deep dive into the sordid history of a woman who is complicated and just a bit off. Josie is hiding something, and the more Alix digs into her life, the less she wants to know about it. But Josie doesn’t want Alix to slip away, and soon invites herself to stay in Alix’s home. What follows are a series of increasingly unsettling events that culminate in Josie going missing. Alix needs to find out what is going on and what is really true.

Thoughts: This book was so twisted and creepy and I had no idea what to believe. It was dark and damp and I felt like I was being dragged deeper and deeper underwater. It gave me a creepy feeling of being watched and smothered and I loved it. The snippets from the Netflix documentary sprinkled throughout the book were the perfect way to give context and a fun way to make sure you got important information.

This book was dark and I’m happy that Jewell didn’t shy away from them. I liked the points about the power of being a woman and what makes something the truth. There are so many levels of deception and dysfunction that you won’t know what to believe. The book kept me guessing up until the last chapter and even after I finished I was left with questions. I loved that she wrote a true thriller- 4.5 stars!

A quick paced read where you're not quite sure who the bad guy is or who to believe, with a narrative that kept twisting and turning. I love the way Lisa Jewell crafts a story, with characters that you can both love and hate all at the same time. This was a unique story, I enjoyed the podcast angle, and can certainly appreciate it in a world where it seems everyone has a podcast! I was so looking forward to this title and was not disappointed!

Thank you to Atria (Simon & Schuster) and NetGalley for my Advanced Readers Copy.

I’m a huge fan of Lisa Jewell’s books and I love true crime podcast fiction, but the execution of that genre is very hit and miss, even in the hands of talented authors. So I was both incredibly excited and a bit nervous that one of the most incredible domestic suspense writers of our time was venturing into this genre. I needn’t have worried. None of This is True is both of one the best true crime podcast novels written yet and one of Jewell’s best books. Honestly, for me this is one of her top two, second only to And Then She Was Gone. The two main characters were fascinating and skillfully developed and the plot was gripping from start to finish. And the podcast sections elevated the entire book, making a great story truly amazing. I read this in less than a day and cannot recommend it highly enough. Thank you to NetGalley for the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of this novel!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! I could not put this book down. I got some Gone Girl-like vibes. You know something is wrong, but you’re only getting hints here and there, trying to piece it all together. The character of Josie is fascinating and builds and changes as the story develops while Alix is getting sucked into her story and trying to figure her out, too. There’s so much as you read that you can’t decide what to believe, and I loved it. It all started with the women being birthday twins and turns into Alix interviewing Josie for her podcast (which actually isn’t originally a true crime podcast as the book blurb makes it sound). Things spiral from there, and Jose becomes more and more entwined into Alix’s life. I liked how the book had this Netflix series woven into the story and the podcast as that really kept my attention and made me want to keep reading since I was only getting bits and pieces that were more and more ominous. This book is going to be the summer’s beach read, I can feel it. I highly recommend it. FYI adult fiction with violence, abuse, alcoholism, and profanity, among other adult themes

This book was the best possible kind of mess, ever. You will be left wondering what the fork you just read, what is true, what is fake, what is what. Just a fabulous twisted thrill of a book and I can not WAIT to buy my physical copy to place on the front of my shelves to display. Absolutely a 10-star read. Pre-order asap!!

Alix is a podcaster with a family and fabulous home . When she meets Josie at a restaurant, they realize they are both celebrating birthdays and are birthday twins . Thus behind this story that becomes more unbelievable page by page . They decide to podcast Josie.’s story and the twists keep coming . Don’t mix yet another fabulous LisaJewell page turner

I love a story that keeps me guessing and leaves me wondering what to believe, even at the very end. I guess the title of this book boded well for it, and it definitely delivered. It kept me turning pages and kept me intrigued about what would happen in the end. I am left with a few questions about some pieces of the story that left a bit to be desired and left it feeling a tab unbelievable. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Twisty, so very twisty! None of This is True is a thriller that follows the story of Josie, a housewife that wants to tell her story, and Alix, the podcaster that is going to document Josie’s tale. By the end of the book, I still didn’t know who to trust or what was the truth.

The format was what really set None of This is True apart from others in the thriller genre. The screenplay like interludes and the interviews with other characters was dramatic in the best way.

I would definitely recommend this to a lot of our patrons, especially those that enjoy thrillers and mystery novels. 4/5 stars from me. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review None of This is True by Lisa Jewell.

Loved this dark story. The format was really engaging and kept the story kicking. One of my fave reads so far this year.

WOW.
I haven't read many thrillers in my life, but this one blew me away.
Josie is a seamstress and we learn she has married an older man, her oldest daughter ran away and her youngest is a gaming addict who stays in her bedroom. Josie and her husband, Walter, go to dinner and Josie meets Alix, both out celebrating their 45th birthdays. Josie wants a fresh start and Alix is a podcaster. Josie invites herself into Alix's life to tell her story and interwoven in all of Josie's stories are tidbits of interviews and Netflix documentary notes on a film. This book was bonkers, but in a good, thrilling way. While there are snippets of pedophilia and abuse, the story isn't centered around it. This was my first Lisa Jewell novel and it definitely won't be my last. None of This Is True was masterfully interwoven with backstory that didn't reveal anything until the perfect moments. #noneofthisistrue #lisajewell #netgalley

My thanks to Net Galley ad Atria Books for an advanced copy of this e-book. Pub Day July 20, 2023.

Josie and her husband Walter go out for a rare night on the town to celebrate her 45th birthday and they sit near a group of lovely people who are also celebrating. Josie can hardly take her eyes off them. She follows Alix to the restroom and they strike up a conversation and learn they are both celebrating their 45th birthday. They are Birthday Twins. Josie seems pretty obsessed with Alix and her "beautiful husband and friends". Alix is a podcaster and Josie decides it is time to tell her story. Alix finds Josie's story interesting enough to do the podcast. But as they get deeper into Josie's story, the podcast finds Josie to not be as she first seemed. Things get darker and more entangled between these two women and their families. And the creepy factor is full on! Hard to stop reading this one!

Thank you to Lisa Jewell, Atria books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story is based on two female main characters, Alix Summers and Josie Fair. The two women discover they are birthday twins after meeting briefly out at a restaurant where they are both celebrating their forty-fifth birthday. They were born on the same day in the same hospital.

Alix Summers is a popular podcaster. She is living her dream life. She is married to Nathan, lives in a beautiful home and has two young children. However, things aren’t always what they seem. Her husband has spent quite a few nights not coming home after going on drinking benders.

Josie Fair is married to a much older man and has two adult children. Josie’s life isn’t as glamorous as Alex’s life. She sees Alix as who she wants to be. She convinces Alix to let her tell her story in a new podcast about birthday twins. Josie’s life seems to be full of heartache. As Josie’s story unwinds, she becomes more obsessed with Alix’s life. Josie tries hard to become a part of Alix’s world.

This story took many twists and turns and like the title warns, none of this is true.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5335576099

Wow! This book is enthralling! It draws you in and leaves you wanting more. I had to live life before I was able to finish it and just kept thinking about it. Wanting to know what Josie would do next. How Alix would handle it. This is definitely a must read!!!

Lisa Jewell is one of the most consistent writers on the bestseller lists in recent years and she knocks it out of the park with this one. It's been ages since I stayed up all night to finish a book, but the sun was definitely up this morning when I turned the last page. It's a sly who-done-it in that you don't realize that it IS a who-done-it for a good long time, but when the twists come, they don't stop coming. Jewell's characters come to life and feel vividly real and relatable. This is a sure-hit for Lisa Jewell and she's on my always-buy, always-rec list for people looking for a can't-put-it-down read.

This was a great little twisted (and very fast) read. I liked the characters and the podcast/Tv adaptation approach throughout was a cool approach. This book was hard to put down. Lisa Jewell doesn’t disappoint.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!