None of This is True
by Lisa Jewell

Compulsive, addictive, propulsive, I couldn't tear my eyes off the page. Like all the best psychological thrillers, this resides in the space between "totally unbelievable" and "you just never know".

Centring on the unlikely newfound "friendship" between dull Josie and podcaster Alix, who find each other on the day they are both celebrating their 45th birthday, we watch Josie's uninspiring life collide with Alix's insta-perfect life bringing chaos in it's wake and prompting Alix to reevaluate her outwardly happy marriage. Josie exudes vulnerability but there is something off about her presence and Alix tries to suppress feelings of being manipulated. The pair begin working on a podcast that Josie hopes will chart her progress as she changes her life and that Alix hopes will kickstart a new direction in her career.

Sewell's intercharacter dynamics are brilliantly portrayed, marriages with creepy age differences or threatened by alcohol abuse. Dysfunctional parenting; are childhood behavioural issues stemming from parental abuse, mental health issues or undiagnosed special needs? What's going on behind closed doors and what is that ungodly smell?

Alternating narratives interspersed with testimonies taken from Alix's podcast material build a story in 360 degrees, but who is controlling the narrative? And who's version do you believe? Because as the title of the book tells us, None of This is True.

Publication date: 20th July 2023
Thanks to #netgalley #cornerhouse and #randomhouseuk for the eGalley

This is hands down one of the best books i have ever read! Lisa Jewell is my all time favourite author and she just gets better and better with each book. I found this book a bit different to anything she has written before. A few trigger warnings for this book however its done so well!! I recommend this one to everyone!! Amazing book. I would give this one 10 stars if i could!

For most of this book I had no idea where it was going. Such a compulsive read I finished it in an evening, there was no chance of sleep until I reached the final page. And when I did I sat and stared at it for 5 minutes trying to decide what I believed.

I've loved Lisa Jewell's writing for years and I love how totally different yet completely compelling her novels are.

No summary will do this one justice so I implore you just to grab a drink and dive in. Clear your plans though you won't want to put it down.

Alix and Josie are in the same pub on their 45th birthday, they are Birthday Twins. Josie wants Alix to tell her story on what has become Alix’s very successful podcast. But Josie’s story is unlike any other.

Lisa Jewell has done it again. You have to go into this book completely blind and you will not be disappointed. This book made me realise that the unreliable narrator has become one of my favourite themes within a story. I couldn’t put this down, I had to walk to work whilst reading this because I was that hooked and I HAD to know how it was going to end. I have also learnt I am terrible at guessing twists in books because I didn’t guess any, and there are a few! From the start of this book you are questioning everyone and everything and I loved that.
I also really liked the Netflix documentary aspects of the book I feel like it broke the book up a bit but still made the story flow overall, it literally like witness a true crime documentary come to life.
I am so excited for this book to be released and cannot recommend it enough

Thankyou @atriabooks @atriathrillers @simonandschuster and @netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Lisa Jewell does it again, how does she keep smashing every book out the park?! The title had me hooked before I even opened the book, ‘none of this is true’ and honestly I’m still not sure what was true and wasn’t.

Josie Fair and Alix Summers are ‘birthday twins’ both 45, born on the same day in the same hospital. After a chance meeting in a pub, Josie wheedles her way into Alix’s life by offering herself up as the focus of Alix’s new podcast, with absolutely devastating consequences.

There are so many nooks and crannies at play in this book, what is Alix’s husband doing on his ‘benders’? Why does Josie keep her daughter behind closed doors? And who ends up dead?

Loved this from start to finish! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I honestly don’t know how Lisa Jewell does it but her books are so thrilling and tense you never know what is going to happen next. Such a clever idea having a podcast and a Netflix true crime documentary telling the story of what happens when Alix Summer meets Josie Fair a seemingly trivial meeting at a restaurant where they discover they are the same age to a much darker turn of events . As always a gripping read where everything you thought you knew gets turned upside down and you can’t wait to find out the next twist.

A true-crime podcaster becomes part of the story in this dark and twisty thriller.


This is an addictive read. As the story unfolds, and multiple points of view are revealed, you get completely sucked in. It feels like you become your own investigator as your try and separate the fact from fiction.

Truly gripped from the first page to the last, this is an absolutely fantastic new book from Lisa Jewell, and feels the best yet! It flows so easily and eerily, keeping you guessing whilst drawing you into the deeper darkness of both the main players. I was even astounded at times which was unexpected!
Josie Fair is enjoying a well planned night out with her husband for her 45th birthday when she spot’s another lady in the same venue celebrating her 45th birthday …….. birthday twins, she introduces herself to Alix Summer who is a podcaster and so begins a strange relationship, serendipitous or planned it’s not what it seems.
This story drew me in and enveloped me. Brilliantly written and crafted, with depth insight and knowledge of the different mental health and unseen disorders that affect so many of our young people today. The way this author observes and presents people is very clever, insightful and totally tuned in. Loved this awareness.
This is now in my top three books of the year!!
I couldn’t put this book down!! I’m still thinking it all through now and talking about it!
Hugely and highly recommended, wish I could give more stars!! This one is worth more!!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the early opportunity to read.

I love every single one of Lisa Jewell's books, and this one is just as good. Her writing style is brilliant and grips you from the very start. Always a treat!

Twisty you say ? If that is what you are after, pull up a seat make several cups of beverage of your choice, and settle down. I had no idea how this was going to pan out, and the more I read the less I knew. Really good book that tore along and I couldn't read it fast enough.

None of this is True Lisa Jewell

5 stars

What an amazing story

I loved this book and read it in a couple of days. The title is so apt as all the way through I was trying to work out who was actually telling the truth.

Alix Summer is a 45 year old podcaster who has been very successful, she has a happy marriage and two young children and when the book begins is out celebrating her 45th birthday in a smart restaurant. Quite by chance at the same restaurant celebrating her own 45th birthday is Josie Fair with her elderly husband and she cannot help noticing how happy the other party is compared to her mundane life. She has a boring job making alterations to clothes, her husband is 27 years younger than her and her two daughters are in their twenties. Roxy has run away from home and Erin spends her whole life shut in her bedroom gaming and only eating soft food.

Josie decides to approach Alix with a suggestion of a new podcast commenting on how two lives of two women born on the same day and in the same hospital can be so different. Alix is intrigued by the idea and agrees to meet up to chat about the concept of ‘a birthday twin’

Little does Alix know how Josie will inveigle her way into every aspect of Alix’s home life and as the book progresses things take a very sinister turn. The most amazing aspect of this book for me, however, was the ending when suddenly everything I thought I knew changed and I was left wondering what was actually true. A very apt title and a fascinating book.

Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net Galley

This is probably one of the cleverest, sinister thrillers I've read this year. Lisa Jewell, in my opinion, has written her best book so far with None of this is True.
Quiet, unassuming seamstress Josie goes out for a birthday meal with her much older husband Walter. Whilst in the restaurant another woman, Alix,a podcaster, is also celebrating her birthday. Josie corners Alix in the toilet and announces, "I'm your birthday twin". Upon chatting it appears its not the only coincidence, born on same day in the same hospital Josie convinces Alix to record a new podcast as she says she's going to change her life. But as the podcast starts she ends up changing more than Alix's life, she completely involves herself into her world.
In this book Lisa Jewell confused me so much in a positive way, and the title is so appropriate as even after the last word you find yourself wondering what the heck you've read and who is telling the truth. I've got to read it again to see if there were any clues given away

Alix is a podcaster celebrating her 45th birthday with her family and friends. Unbeknownst to her, Josie is also at the same restaurant celebrating her own 45th birthday with her elderly husband. When the two women meet in the toilets, a seemingly random occurrence provides us with a gripping and addictive psychological thriller. Josie suggests that Alix produces a podcast based on her birthday twin, someone who is about to change their life. Alix soon discovers that Josie is hiding many dark secrets - can she uncover them before it is too late?

Cleverly written, with the story interspersed with sections from a documentary produced after the events taking place the author hints at what is to come. Definitely worth a read, I was hooked!

In 'None of This is True' by Lisa Jewell, two very different women come together as a result of being 'birthday twins'. Born at the same hospital, on the same date, Alix Summer - a glossy instagramer and podcaster, and Josie Fair - an apparently downtrodden seamstress, end up in the same pub celebrating their 45th birthdays in very different ways. Alix is surrounded by laughing friends and family, while Josie sits opposite her elderly husband struggling for conversation and feeling uncomfortable in the more expensive surroundings. When Josie tracks Alix down and suggests she make a podcast about their different lives and the changes she is on the cusp of making ,Alix agrees. Little does she know that it will lead to the podcast becoming True Crime.

This was a highly enjoyable read from Jewell. Framed around a Netflix documentary based on the podcast, the novel takes us inside both Josie's and Alix's minds, as well as using added commentary from 'interviewees' and podcast exerts. Josie is a highly unreliable narrator and as the story progresses the readers allegiances change, as does there understanding of events. I was gripped throughout and sad for the book to end. I would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

There are two ladies born on the same day. Fate appears to bring them together in a pub on their 45th celebrations.
One approaches the other and initiates conversation.
Over the next few days and weeks they appear to bump into each other again and again.
They start working with each other on a podcast. Stories are told and confessions are made.
But out of everything that we’re reading, which parts are truth and which are lies?
Who can be trusted?

A gripping tale or deception, perception and murder.

Josie and Alix meet while celebrating their 45th birthday at thesame restaurant. Later they learn they were born in the same hospital. They call themselves ' Birthday Twins'. Josie becomes obsessed with Alix and when she learns that Alix hosts a podcast, Josie shows interest in sharing her life story.

This book was just Wow!! As the title goes, this one had me guessing till the end. There was a constant sense of unease and as a reader I was being manipulated with Josie's story throughout the book.

The premise was executed in a unique way as some chapters were interviews filmed for a Netflix series called 'Say Hi to your Birthday Twin' and some alternated between Josie and Alix's PoVs. Something about Josie is off right from the start. The author leaves you with breadcrumbs here and there as she slowly peels off layer upon layer of twisted lies and by the end I was still not sure of what to believe.

Lisa Jewell is pure genius for writing a dark, twisty and gripping thriller which is a must-read. Definitely her best book yet. I loved every second of it.

Thank you @netgalley and @lisajewelluk for an eARC to read and review.

This is a dark and twisty psychological thriller that follows two women who meet by chance during a birthday meal out. They learn that they are birthday twins. Both were born in the same hospital on the same day and year. After they meet they become friends but one of them is not what the other is expecting.

This is well written, fast-paced with plenty of twists that will leave you wanting to know what happens next, every time you pick up the book.

The characters are well-drawn. They are dark and complex, especially Josie. Her character is the most unreliable of them all. I won't say too much as you need to discover their true colours for yourselves as the plot unfolds.

Jewell's books have been hit and miss in the past, but this one had me gripped and think is my favourite so far!!

If you're looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller, this is definitely one to give a go.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers Random House UK, Cornerstone, for my digital review copy (eARC).

These are my honest and unbiased thoughts, and I am sharing them voluntarily.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

I really enjoy reading Lisa Jewell’s books and this was no exception. I found the story quite unique. I don’t remember reading anything about podcasts in this thrilling way.
Alix and Josie felt real to me, except that Josie’s story became darker and more complex. I felt for Alix, she was completely taken in by Josie and I wanted to warn Alix not to get involved with Josie.
A brilliant ending which made me feel emotional, which I think is the sign of a good read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and share this book.

Lisa Jewell is without a doubt one of the finest authors for twisted thrillers and she has certainly nailed it once again with this one.

One of the easiest five star reads of the year.

⚠️ Don't start reading this unless you have a spare 4 hours as you will not want to put it down!

Alix Summers is a podcaster. She is married to Nathan and they have two children. It's not the easiest marriage as Nathan has a drink problem, often staying out all night.

While out celebrating her 45th birthday, Alix crosses paths with Josie Fair, who is also out celebrating her 45th birthday. What are the chances? Born on the same day, in the same hospital!

A few days later, Alix bumps into Josie again, outside her children's school. Josie has been listening to Alix's podcasts and suggests to her that she could interview her as she is hoping to change her life. Alix agrees to a trial meeting with Josie and even though she finds her rather strange, she is compelled to discover more about Josie's life and the dark secrets she has been hiding.

Chapters written from multiple points of view with podcast and interview scripts, which makes this feel like a real true crime documentary. So cleverly written.

If you are looking for a twisty thriller with an extremely creepy, unhinged character, an annoying husband and a disturbing, but totally riveting plot, then this is for you.

I think this is the best book I have read from the author (and I have read and enjoyed several). Totally different to any of her others but wow, just wow, what a read.

This has a really dark sinister vibe to it that will get under your skin and you won't be able to sleep til you've finished it and worked out what has happened. The characters all have quite serious flaws yest they are so human and believable, it won't take many pages til you feel like you really know them. I finished at 2am last night and kept thinking about Alix and Walter all day at work.