Who knows what goes on behind closed doors? What is the truth here and what is being hidden? As the secrets start to spill, it’s easier to see who the victim is here. Love the format of podcast to Netflix, brilliantly written with some characters not as you expect. This is a truly creepy book, that I was sometimes reading from behind my hands.

None of this is True is quite different to anything I’ve read by Lisa Jewell in a while.
Alix and Josie meet by chance at a local bar while separately celebrating their 45th birthdays and discover they are birthday twins, even born at the same hospital. Alix is a successful podcaster who is searching for a new idea, and dealing with issues in her marriage. When Josie gives her an idea to look at ordinary women who are looking to make fundamental changes in mid life, Alix takes the bait and is soon embroiled in a situation far beyond her expectations. Josie tells her stories of her life as a child bride, the abuse of her children and others and how she needs to escape. As Alix records the podcast and Josie becomes more and more entwined in her family’s life, she beginning to question how much of the other woman’s story is true?
And that’s when the really bad stuff starts happening…
It’s an incredibly clever novel, you never quite know what is happening or how much of Josie’s life is invented. As the book is interspersed with material from a Netflix documentary you can safely assume if all going to get pretty dramatic, and it certainly does.
I could put it down and loved the ending, still keeping you guessing!

Wow! What a roller-coaster of a book. When Alix Summer celebrates her 45th birthday with a meal with friends, she doesn't know that the woman she bumps into in the loos will change her life. Josie tells her that they are birthday twins as she too is there celebrating her 45th birthday with her husband.
Josie consequently inveigles her way into Alix's life telling her she has a story for Alix's podcast. As time goes on and she does more recording the thought does occur to Alix, is this true?
It appears that Josie has an agenda, and it's not very nice.

It's no secret that I have quite the love/hate relationship with psychological thrillers these days. Yet, I can never resist the lure of a good blurb and so, once in a while, my stubbornness (?) in sticking with this sub-genre is rewarded by finding something like 'None of This Is True'. Boy, am I glad this popped up on my radar. It's a goodie.

As soon as Josie arrived on the scene, she gave me the creeps. Introducing yourself to a perfect stranger in the bathroom of a restaurant because you're birthday twins seemed awfully cringe-worthy to me. So yes, something immediately felt off about Josie and I nearly caught myself shouting at Alix to run a mile. But Alix has a podcast and is looking for a new and interesting subject. Josie might just be it. Having just turned 45, she's apparently on the cusp of great changes in her life. And even though Alix also finds Josie unsettling, she agrees to an interview.

Josie's story is uncomfortable to read. A lot of what she talks about in the podcast is awfully disturbing. She's had quite the hard time of it. Or has she? Is Josie a reliable narrator? Is what she's telling Alix the truth? Alix can't really figure things out. Until she realises that Josie has wormed her way into Alix's life and home. Sure, it's always somewhat frustrating when a character can't see what you, as the reader, are seeing. But in this case Lisa Jewell is forgiven as sometimes these things are just necessary to move a plot long along.

None of these characters are particularly likeable. Each and every one of them is flawed and untrustworthy. They lie and hide secrets, which makes them unreliable. Some of the relationships are dysfunctional and extremely toxic. There is a ton of manipulation going on, and keeping the title of the novel in the back of your head just makes you question everything you're reading. Sometimes shocking, always compelling, and most definitely deliciously dark and twisted. My kind of story, really.

'None of This Is True' is brilliantly plotted. Multiple points-of-view, podcast snippets and parts of interviews for a Netflix show really make the whole thing feel like a true crime documentary. And it keeps the reader guessing as bit by bit, the extent of the relationship between Josie and Alix is revealed. The whole twisted tale is incredibly suspenseful and full of intrigue. It is impossible not to get drawn into this, to become invested, or to shake off that sense of impending doom.

Her truth? The truth? Some recollections may vary, I suppose. You decide.

None of This is True, Lisa Jewell

I am a fan of Lisa Jewell, and this book does not disappoint.

Podcaster Alix is celebrating her 45th birthday at the same restaurant as Josie, also 45…they are birthday twins! Josie then “bumps into” Alix during the school run and she contrives opportunities to see her. Alix learns a little about Josie and her past and arranges to feature her in a podcast about her life as well as her husband - the husband that she met when she was 15 and he was 42 and whom she married when she was 18.

A dark, twisty, psychological thriller. One that you will not want to put down and you know when you are reading this, it is just going to get worse. Alix doesn’t stand a chance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for a copy of this book, I rate it 5 stars.

"Hi! I'm your Birthday twin" are words Alix Summers wishes she'd never heard when her life suddenly collides with Josie Fair. The two women happen to meet at a local pub while they are out celebrating their birthdays. Although both women were born on the same day and at the same hospital 45 years ago, they couldn't be more polar opposites. Alix is a successful podcaster featuring successful women who've overcome difficulties. Josie appears to be unassuming, has a much older husband (in his 70's) and tells Alix she is looking to make big changes in her life and wants to tell her story. She convinces Alix her story would make a great podcast. Alix agrees but what follows is both chilling, disturbing and leaves us desperately trying to dicipher what is true and what isn't.

One thing I do know to be true is I absolutely freaking loved this book. It makes for compulsive reading and I completely devoured it. I loved that it was a slow burn suspense without the reader losing interest. I also loved the little snippets of a Netflix show called "Hi! I’m Your Birthday Twin!" peppered throughout the book. I thought this was pure genius. These sections added intrigue and gave voices to side characters which added complex threads to be unraveled.

Lisa Jewell is a master of domestic thriller. I was teetering on the edge of my seat while reading this book and OMG the ending. You'll have to read to find out. One spoiler I will give is both the dog and the cat are OK at the end. So you can relax while reading, well almost.

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for providing me with a copy to read and review

Five massive stars!

I could not put this down and absolutely raced through it.

The mix of awkward Josie and effortlessly glam Alix led to a much more unsettling story than I was prepared for; my stomach turned over several times with absolute dread (it’s not scary but it is DAARRRRK).

Bloody fantastic. Thank you Cornerstone for my review copy!

Often I wonder what to write in a review, is it too short? Too long? What can I say without giving anything away? Dare I use the word twist again 😎

This review was different, I knew from about 10% in how I would describe this book….its 1 word and its ‘Genius’
There’s so much could say about it but for me readers approaching it need to know as little as they can and then be immersed into it, and honestly you will be
The whole thing is Genius
That’s it 🤗

Another corker from Lisa Jewell. A page turner that I found hard to put down. The narrative is made of different character's perspectives and scenes from a Netflix documentary, yet I was unsure about who to believe at certain moments. This would be a good choice for a reading group.

I have read a couple of other books by this author previously and like those I found this one to be mostly slow to moderately paced BUT this one had some additional breath taking moments when amongst the narrative I was reading a part of the podcast would be revealed hinting at the future and making me keep turning the pages as fast as I possibly could!
The characters in this fascinating story are well written and mostly believable in this occasionally highly emotive story. To say much more than this would give far too much away and having enjoyed this read so much, I really don't want to give any hints away and spoil that discovery for any of you.
This was a great read which I devoured in about 36 hours and it only took that long because life got in the way!

I have long enjoyed Lisa Jewell's writing and this new offering doesn't disappoint in any way She has a knack of describing and developing characters in a way I've rarely encountered with other authors and the stories always take a route I do not expect.

In short, None of this is true is superb and I cannot recommend highly enough. Well done Lisa.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Josie and Alix first meet on their 45th birthday and Josie feels an immediate connection. As their lives become more entwined, life before they met seems a distant memory. But how well do you really know someone?

This was another super easy read from LJ and it was so addictive! I love how she shows her readers the story rather than telling. I really enjoyed the reveals along the way and I was completely invested. As usual, LJ doesn’t choose easiest subjects, but I loved the drama!

The Girls was my favourite LJ…until now! NOTIT will be published 20th July 2023!

Absolutely superb! This novel is slow and drawn out and perfectly paced to ratchet the tension as tight as it can go. This story is about Alix and Josie who despite being on opposite ends of the financial spectrum meet while out celebrating their birthdays in the same venue. It flips between excerpts of a podcast made by Alix during interviews with Josie about her life so far as well as telling the story from both their viewpoints. Alix is irresistibly drawn to Josie and Josie makes the most of this to the point where I felt absolutely wrung out from the tension of wondering how it could possibly end and trying to carry on hoping for the best.

Loved this book a real nail biting story of modern life featuring Alix who is podcaster who meets Josie who has the same birthday as Alix.
Alix persuades Josie to do a podcast about her life as her husband is a lot older and she admits she met her husband when she was just 15 and he was 42 and then married him when she was 18, this is when it starts to get really interesting and tense when Alix starts to get more involved in Josie's life and interviews her mother.
I was totally addicted to this story as it became darker and more intense leaving me on tenterhooks to find out more.
Lisa Jewell has produced a riveting story of how being obsessive can take over.
Highly recommended for a thrilling read.
Thanks to NetGalley & Random House UK for a ARC for a honest review.

None of This Is True by @lisajewelluk a NetGalley review. Alix summers is celebrating her 45th birthday with friends and family in her local pub. At another table Josie Fair is also celebrating her 45th birthday, Josie fixates on the fact that her and Alix are ‘birthday twins’, 2 woman that have never met before until a chance meeting at there local. A chance meeting that turns into another chance meeting and a nightmare for one of these woman. I don’t want to give to much away about this book in terms of its plot because for me reading it, seeing it in my mind and feeling it all unfold was great. This book by far is the best book I’ve read this year and even though a fairly new fan of the authors, the best book of hers I’ve read. This book is out on the 20th July and all I would say is pre order it now, you won’t be disappointed. I found self reading this book with a constant frown in place and that’s for many reasons and changes as the story unravels; the relationship between Josie and her husband Walter, Josie herself and the obsession that develops with Alix, Alix and her husbands relationship and why she takes on this idea of a podcast from a perfect stranger. This book is intriguing, full of suspense, twists and turns and plot twists you could never predict. It for me was extremely addictive, had I had the time I would have read this in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down, at every opportunity this book was in my hand. The author has written it so well that as the reader I thought I knew who was telling the truth and who was lying but I kept second guessing myself. The characters are brilliant, there’s so much more to them than you first think, there personalities and quirks just jump off the page. I even found myself thinking about this book when I wasn’t reading it! After finishing it there’s definitely an extreme book hangover. I’m very hopefully after reading the ending that there will be another book connected to these character, I have everything crossed. I will be recommending this book to everyone it’s amazing WOW! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you ever needed a reason why it is not a good idea to engage with random strangers in a bar or restaurant, no matter what coincidences you may uncover at the time, None Of This Is True could act as just that. I mean, as coincidences go, just happening to meet someone celebrating the exact same birthday (and age) as you, probably isn’t really that amazing, even if the chances of both choosing to celebrate a the very same restaurant, and ending up at neighbouring tables is quite slim. I went to school with someone who shared my birthday and worked with two others. All three of us at work ended up working in various grades of management in the exact same department. Now that is what I call a coincidence …



But I digress. This particular coincidence is enough to spark the interest of one of our two main protagonists, Josie Fair, whose life is pretty unremarkable and who takes an instant interest in her seemingly more glamorous birthday twin Alix. Now learning that Alix is a podcaster, with a successful series celebrating successful women, Josie makes her a proposition which Alix finds too intriguing to say no to. Now, that is something she later comes to regret, but the discovery of just why is a twisted and enthralling story, one where it is hard to know just when the wool is being pulled over our eyes.



In Josie, Lisa Jewell has created a really fascinating character. We probably all know someone a little like her, and I say that with heavy caveats as you will understand when you read the book. Married to an older man, and with two older children, she has little to satisfy her aside from a part time job doing dress alterations. It’s easy to see why she would find Alix’s life intoxicating, why she would be drawn to her like the proverbial moth to the flame. But there is far more to Josie than meets the eye and, as much as she is fascinating, she is also unsettling. There is just something about her which set me on edge, although, at the time, it was hard to say why. The more we learn about her, the more you feel you can sympathise with her. And yet … there was always that uncertainty.



As for Alix, she’s a far more likeable character all around, although she does make some very questionable decisions that left me shaking my head. It still felt very plausible though, and the author has played a canny game, making it easy to see why Alix did the things she did, not having the benefit of Josie’s perspective in the way we do as readers. In fact, that dual voice and perspective, works really well in this novel, keeping the truth just away from the surface and allowing from so startling revelations in the later pages of the book.



Now the opening to this book is clever, setting us up for the fact that something dark is likely to happen. But just what and why, and who all these mysterious characters are remains to be seen. It’s a very devious tale, one of obsession and misdirection that keeps you guessing and second guessing just who to trust. Lisa Jewell has created a story that kept me fascinated, and has portrayed Josie’s increasingly erratic and controlling behaviour perfectly, never overplaying it and keeping it disturbingly plausible.



If you enjoy the a real single white female kind of obsessiveness in your thrillers, then definitely give this a whirl. There is a surprising amount of emotion threaded into the story too, and plenty of uncertainty to keep fans of psychological thrillers completely entertained. Recommended.

A roller coaster read. I read this over the weekend. Lisa Jewell at her finest. This is bound to be a huge hit, she keeps on getting better!

4.5⭐️

An author who is either a hit or miss for me. The last book I read The Night she Disappeared was a big hit. This one didn’t disappoint either.

Alix And Josie meet by chance both celebrating their 45th birthday, both born at the same place. Their lives are very different. Alix is glamorous, outgoing, popular with a successful podcast, Josie, a quieter seamstress married to a much older man.

The start is a slow burn. The narrative is interspersed with before and after, the after coming as true crime podcast. It’s stitched together to reveal what’s gone on perfectly. It’s evident that something bad has happened from early on. It’s a matter of who why what and where, it’s quite dark too.

Josie seems intensely weird which is unsettling, it’s got a very disconcerting vibe which it maintains right to the end. It’s one that keeps you on tenterhooks and constantly reevaluating the situation. I was hooked throughout.

I recommend Non of This is True. I’m sure Jewell fans will love it.

What a roller coaster read. From page one the tale twists and turns and your sympathies jump all over the place. Just when you think you have sussed in your head …….. how wrong you are!

Lisa Jewell is an absolute legend and her latest book is a work of genius! I don’t think I’ve read such a cleverly constructed and crafted book in a very long time (probably since her last cleverly constructed and crafted book to be honest!!) and I completely devoured every single page-afraid to miss out on a single clue that would lead me to discover the truth about Josie and the life she slowly begins to reveal to Alix for her podcast. Full of genuinely shocking moments and with plenty of unexpected twists and turns None of this is True will be a HUGE bestseller and deservedly so-one of my books of the year so far!