The title says it all. Some very unreliable narrators, some large coincidences and a great plot. Couldn’t put it down.

I liked - but didn’t love - this.

Found it quite gripping and suspenseful, but rather farfetched in places. And the very ending felt rushed. I thought the final twist was good, but I hate that almost ambiguous tacking it on at the end thing that so many authors do now - just finish the book properly.

It’s an enjoyable read, and a decent enough thriller, but nothing particularly life changing or unusual.

I always look forward to a new novel by Lisa Jewell, because I know I’m going to be engrossed in it for the weekend, oblivious to everything else that’s going on around me. This new novel was so addictive I’m not sure I looked up and luckily my other half knows to disappear into his workshop and remember to deliver a hot brew on the hour. I have no idea how she manages to be so prolific, but thank goodness she does! She always manages to find a new angle to the thriller and this novel has a really interesting premise based around the phenomenon of podcasts. One of our protagonists had running a successful weekly podcast based around women’s lives and interviewed women who would inspire her listeners. However, it was time for some new ideas and so far Alix hasn’t had one. Then she meets Josie Fair. Josie is celebrating her forty-fifth birthday in a restaurant that’s a little more upmarket than they would usually book. She notices a group at a large table celebrating the birthday of a rather glamorous woman. Later in the night, the women bump into each other in the lady’s loo. Josie mentions to Alix that they share a birthday and is surprised to discover they are both 45 years old. They make a joke about being birthday twins then go back to their tables where the huge contrast between them becomes clear. Alix’s table is filled with friends, flowers and balloons whereas Josie is having a quite dinner, just her and her husband Walter. A few days later they accidentally meet again outside Alix’s children’s school. This time they chat about Alix’s work and Josie admits she’s been listening to some of Alix’s podcast since they met. Alix has made a successful series interviewing inspiring women, but admits she’s now looking for a change of direction. Josie volunteers herself as a subject, admitting that she’s about to go through some major life changes and seeming convinced that Alix’s listeners will want to hear her story. They swap contact details and each comes away feeling positive, but Josie wasn’t exaggerating. Big changes are on the way, just not in the positive, life-affirming way Alix is used to. After interviewing Josie once Alix knows her story will appeal to listeners, because despite being very unsettled by her subject, she can’t help wanting to dig further.

The format really does work, with the interviews providing so much information to unravel and tantalise the reader. In-between we see the effect Josie’s revelations have on her own family life and on Josie’s as well. Each interview works very like a counselling session, but perhaps most like the early sessions when the client is telling you their story so far and what brings them to therapy. Alix is a fantastic listener and allows Josie to tell her story in her own way and at her pace, only asking questions to clarify or encourage her interviewee to expand on a point. I detected a subtle shift as the interviews progressed, but it’s almost imperceptible. While at first Alix is in control of the project, Josie starts to take charge both of the content and how often they meet and work together. This could simply be a woman finding her confidence or having an emotional need to offload her story quickly, while she has the courage. Josie weaves a tale of grooming and domestic abuse that’s not easy to listen to. Her husband Walter is much older and very set in his ways, they started their relationship when Josie was a teenager and Walter was in his thirties. There are little clues to the control he has over his wife, such as wearing double denim to please him and not having a job, even though their daughters are beyond school age. At this point I feared for Josie, but also for her daughters: why has one left home at 16 and why does the other one seem locked in her bedroom with a diet that consists of nothing by baby food? One tiny act of Josie’s made me go cold. Each time she visits, she starts to take small items from Alix’s home, starting with a coffee pod that she hides in her underwear drawer.

As Josie becomes more involved in Alix’s life, Alix’s Instagram lifestyle seems to erode.

“She thinks of Alix’s home: from the front, a neat, terraced house with a bay window, no different to any other London Victorian terraced house, but inside a different story. A magazine house, ink-blue walls and golden lights and a kitchen that appeared weirdly to be bigger than the whole house with stone-grey cabinets and creamy marble counters and a tap that exuded boiling water at the touch of a button. A wall at one end reserved purely for the children’s art!”

Her husband Nathan has always had issues with alcohol, but they really come to the fore. He’s always had a line he doesn’t cross, but now he starts to stretch to one more drink, staying out later with work colleagues, going out for a normal lad’s night then not coming home. Alix knows that once it reaches a certain time, it’s likely he will be on a bender, only coming home when he’s run out of funds or sobered up. Where is he when he doesn’t come home? Alix starts to doubt Nathan’s fidelity and finds herself searching for evidence. As the stress at home cranks up a notch, Alix notices that Josie is pushing the boundaries of their agreement. She turns up where Alix doesn’t expect her, stays longer than their agreed session and Alix can’t tell if she’s becoming subsumed by Josie’s world, or if Josie is starting to take over hers. There’s a claustrophobic feeling and a sense of menace starts to creep in, as Josie controls her story and will only let it unfold in the way she has planned. I sensed something was very wrong and wanted Alix to back off the story, even though it could make her name in the world of podcasts. Alix seems transfixed by Josie’s story, her life is like a car crash you can’t look away from and although part of Alix has the journalistic interest in a great story, another part is fascinated by the horror of what Josie is telling her. In much the same way as the reader is fascinated too, I genuinely couldn’t put the book down until I’d worked out what was going on. Were Josie’s revelations putting herself and Alix in danger from Walter? Will telling her story change Josie, acting as the catalyst to leave the situation and get help for her daughter? I kept wondering about the other daughter, the one who left home. I couldn’t help but think she might be the key to the truth about Josie and Walter’s marriage.

I thought the structure, using the podcast for Josie to tell her story, was really clever considering how popular true crime podcasts are these days. I thought the idea for Alix’s podcast, interviewing inspirational women was very like the Megan podcast in tone showing how up to the minute Lisa Jewell is in the creative way she frames her story. As coercive control is now so well known, as compared to four or five years ago. Everyone understands what it means and terms like ‘gaslighting’ have become the norm, showing up in soap storylines and all over social media. I think what Lisa has tapped into here is the overuse of these terms, so much so that they’ve become diminished. It seems that daily someone is claiming their ex was a narcissist but these are huge psychological labels that shoudln’t be used lightly - in the same way people say ‘I’m a bit OCD’ the real understanding of the disorder has become misunderstood. It isn’t all about arranging your kitchen shelves so the labels show at the front. We are all educated into believing the victim of abuse, but in a society where these terms are so misused, should we reserve a little bit of judgment? If I was Alix I might have been inclined to walk away from the story, especially as she starts to have questions and doubts, to concentrate on my own problems. Josie’s story and it’s fallout are almost too messy and she seems very adept at knowing when Alix is doubting her, on one occasion turning up on the doorstep having apparently confronted Walter, and definitely outstaying her welcome. Lisa Jewel really is a master at these dark, almost nightmarish, stories about women’s lives while weaving so many twists and turns the reader can’t stop guessing until they’ve reached the final page. While I’ve enjoyed her recent novels I was absolutely gripped by this one and think she’s outdone herself. The setting and situation are so believable, the characters are incredibly well drawn, full of enough flaws and contradictions that you’ll be questioning everything they tell you.

Well this was a read that really set my heart racing as the story became more and more terrifying by the minute and that ending what the heck !!
So I’m still trying to process just what I read and what on earth was the truth because as sure as hell I thought I knew but the more I think about it I just don’t know and that for me makes this book a brilliant 5 star read and one not to be missed.
The story begins with two very different women Josie and Alix both celebrating their 45th birthday in the same restaurant and both born at the same hospital it seems to Josie they are birthday twins and as she introduces herself to Alix this story begins to take a very sinister turn. From then on this is a read full of twists and as Alix who has agreed to do a podcast with Josie soon begins to realise that everything in her life is becoming very frightening as Josie reveals some very dark secrets and becomes extremely obsessive.
I really can’t put into words just how creepy and menacing this read is and the feeling throughout gave me chills as the story became more and more claustrophobic. I think this is one of the best reads of the year so far for me I couldn’t put the book down and I’m still thinking about it, was such a superb story and I loved the style in which it was written so many thanks to Lisa Jewell you really have excelled yourself with this one and it’s going to be a massive success I’m sure.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone,Century for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I'm still reeling from this book.

I was drawn into this book from the first pages and never wanted to stop reading. Although a little like car crash tv at times I didn't want to know - but I did!

All kinds of things were racing through my mind as Josie and Alix both celebrating their 45th birthdays separately in a restaurant find out they are birthday twins. Not only are they both 45 but they were in fact born on the same day, in the same hospital.

Later on Josie puts herself forward as a subject for Alix's podcast and Alix agrees to the idea. In parts the story is told through the podcast and partly through a Netflix documentary, we gain glimpses of what happens next. This only made it all the more madly intriguing and resulted in me finishing this book within 24 hours.

As the story progresses and Josie worms her way into Alix's life it began to feel a little claustrophobic. What would you do in this situation? Just as I was fearing the worst it seems as if all is going to be ok and then the twists and turns begin.

Lisa Jewel is a phenomenal writer and “None of this is True” just blew me away!

I loved the concept of using both a podcast and Netflix to relay the story, talk about bang up to date!
Alix Summers is celebrating her 45th birthday in style at a posh restaurant surrounded by her family and friends. Josie Fair is also celebrating her 45th birthday at the same restaurant. When these “birthday twins” meet it sets in motion a rollercoaster of a ride from which there is no getting off!

I cannot rate this book highly enough. I lived Alix’s life through her podcast, all her emotions, her unease, her fears became mine. Although I have to say that at times I did get annoyed with her for not walking away, but understood her journalistic instinct to keep digging deeper and deeper.

Lisa has written a very dark and extremely twisted cautionary tale of what happens when jealousy and envy rears its ugly head!

That ending is still going round and round in my head!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an advance copy of this book.

4****
Where to start? Well all I can say is this book is fantastic and there was not a moment that I didn’t want to pick it up and carry on. The storyline was fantastic, one that keeps you questioning what will happen next or what is round the corner. This book has a good amount of characters all of which were very well detailed so you get a real connection to each one. I only reduced the star rating by 1 because I really wanted more descriptions of certain events and felt that some things were skipped/rushed. I will read anything that Lisa brings out so I already cannot wait for her next book.

this took a turn I didn’t expect
Dramatic as heck
Loved how one of the main mcs was a podcaster and so we had those clips within the book.. love media in stories duh
Josie? Wtf is going on with her
Deffo trust issues, you never knew what or who to believe
TW- discussion of abuse & child abuse
Ending was twisty, I expected something bigger ? But it was super enjoyable & for sure one of my fav Lisa Jewell’s thus far

4.5

What can I say Lisa Jewell never disappoints! Another fantastic, dark, chilling, twister of a read which kept me on the edge of my seat. So many questions after the ending though!

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

“None Of This Is True” is a compelling and engrossing story, full of surprises, beautifully written with a clarity and command of style, all of which qualities make it one of those books one cannot stop reading – even if pacing oneself would be a sensible option!

I loved the whole ensemble, from the familiarity of London settings both social and geographic, the contrasting lives and aspirations, to the acts and emotions of the complex characters and relationships that both endear and repel, and the cleverly woven twists and turns of the plot.

Highly recommended.

This book keeps you on the edge revealing small parts of the what's going to happen but never the entire truth.
We know about some twists but you're kept turning pages as you want to know who and why.
We are also left wondering what is true and what is make-believe.
Lisa Jewell did an excellent job and some parts of this story are quite creepy and disturbing.
Well plotted, excellent character development and storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

None Of This Is True was SO good: a twisty delight of a book where I never quite knew what would come next. As the title suggests, truth - and how people tell it - is central to the narrative, and the character of Josie is particularly compelling.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5: this is the perfect holiday read.

Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors, so I had been relishing the prospect of curling up with this, and it certainly did not disappoint. As ever, the divine Ms J pulls the reader in from the start with her skilled world-building and well-drawn characters. And what an intriguing premise: finding your “Birthday Twin”!

Quite by chance, while celebrating her 45th birthday in a restaurant, Alix Summer meets a woman called Josie Fair, whom, it transpires was born on the same day, in the same hospital. Alix hosts a popular podcast, interviewing various successful women who have made their mark on the world in one way or another. When, soon after their initial meeting, she bumps into Josie outside her children’s primary school, the pair strike up a conversation and ultimately Alix agrees to interview Josie for another podcast, with a slightly different angle.

Soon Josie has wormed her way into Alix’s life and, although slightly discomfited by the woman and her increasingly alarming revelations, Alix feels compelled to continue recording the podcast, certain it will attract listeners. But the more Josie Fair reveals, the more Alix regrets ever embarking on such a venture.

Throughout the narrative, the reader is given glimpses of how events will unfold in the form of snippets from the Netflix series airing recordings from Alix’s podcast, and through interviews with various people, connected mainly with Josie. From the outset, we know that the denouement will be grim: that within weeks of meeting Josie, Alix’s life will be left ‘in shreds’ with three people dead – but not until much later do we learn who or why. As ever, Lisa Jewell deftly weaves a twisty, labyrinthine plot with believable if not always likeable characters. No spoilers, but suffice to say it’s probably wise never to invite a stranger into your home...

Absolutely loved this book and can’t recommend it too highly – now for the Netflix series, please!! A solid five star read.

My thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House and Lisa Jewell for the ARC.

Intriguing and enjoyable read. Loved the main characters.. the birthday twins. I hadn't worked out the plot or the end but was gripped all the way through. First book I have read by this author and it will not be my last.

In this thriller two women that are celebrating their birthdays meet by chance. Alix is a podcaster and likes to tell stories and Josie is a woman with a story she wants to tell.

Lisa Jewell knows how to write a thriller and I am a huge fan of her writing style. Every book she writes draws you in and will have you turning the pages so fast to find out what is going to happen. This book was no exception.

I really enjoyed the podcast element and getting to know the characters. Josie is an example of an amazing unreliable narrator which I always love. She is pretty sick and twisted and in her own way believes her actions are helpful. I was chucking at her obsession with denim, I could imagine her character so clearly.

There are twists and the ending will have you second guessing everything in the book.

There was a couple of little plot holes that had me thinking would that really happen? So that made me drop my rating a little. Despite this I burned through this book in a couple of days and I just know so many people are going to love this thriller. It will definitely make you think at the end.

Another smashing thriller from Lisa Jewell!

This was one of those books that you just want to keep reading "just one more chapter" and before you know it you are up way past bedtime.

Alix Summer is out with a group of friends celebrating her 45th birthday when she meets Josie Fair, her birthday twin! They were born on the same day, at the same hospital. Josie researches Alix and discovers that she has a successful podcast talking to women who have turned their lives around to find success. Josie wants to make big changes and pitches the idea to Alix to follow her along the way to change her life.

Alix has her own problems with a husband who has restarted going on drinking binges and not coming home. She is intrigued by Josie's idea and, dare I say it, enjoys hearing about Josie's life that has more challenges than a husband going on a bender.

As you may guess from the title, Alix starts to suspect that there is more to Josie than meets the eye. Where will it all end?

If you liked 'The Family Upstairs' you will love this!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and PenguinRandomhouse for my early copy of the latest brilliant book by @ lisajewell
This was an excellent thriller. From the minute the main character Alix meets her ‘birthday twin’ there is a feeling of unease, which continues to build throughout the book. Plenty of suspense, great writing and well developed characters. This was one I found unputdownable!!

"It was almost as if I knew, even then, that there was no way back. That once I'd befriended the monster, that was it. For life."

This has to be one of my top thrillers of the years and yes, I know it's only May, but Lisa Jewell is a master and this is her at her twisty best.

Alix Summers is a successful podcaster, with a loving husband and two beautiful children.
She's out celebrating her 45th birthday when a woman approaches her and says they're birthday twins.

It's Josie Field's 45th birthday as well but the two women couldn't be more different. Alix is glamourous and outgoing while Josie is quiet and appears unassuming.

Josie becomes interested in Alix's podcast, about women who change their lives for the better.
When the two women bump into each other a few days later, Josie convinces Alix she would make for an interesting subject, as she's about to make big changes to her own life.

As Alix records Josie's life story, one of abuse and trauma, she becomes more embroiled in her birthday twin's life on a personal level as well. But, things take a dark turn and Alix realises Josie's hiding some terrible secrets.

Fact and fiction become blurred.

The book begins with an excerpt from a Netflix series script that's been made of Alix's podcast about Josie. The reader is informed right off the bat that it's true crime series about murder. But whose?

The author reveals delicious tidbit by delicious tidbit as the novel progresses. We have both Alix and Josie's viewpoints but can we believe anything we're being told? I was fascinated, engrossed and horrified.

This thriller has everything you could possibly want: murder, secrets, betrayal, and dark, dark twists. I can't fault it.

Having never delved into the works of Lisa Jewell before, I was intrigued by the positive buzz surrounding her previous books. With a leap of faith, I embarked on her new literary adventure, although I must confess that it took a while to fully immerse myself in the story. Nevertheless, as the plot unfolded, the tantalising podcast snippets hinted at an impending calamity, leaving me on the edge of my seat.
The novel's pacing may initially seem slow, but it masterfully builds suspense, assuring the reader that something significant looms on the horizon. Jewell expertly weaves a web of intrigue, maintaining an air of mystery throughout the first half of the book. While the podcast snippets didn't give away any concrete details, they artfully insinuated the existence of a dreadful event, adding to the mounting tension.
Around the midpoint, the narrative gains tremendous momentum, captivating me completely and rendering the book unputdownable. It was during this enthralling portion of the story that Jewell's writing truly shines. The author's ability to engage and grip the reader is commendable, transforming a slow beginning into a thrilling page-turner.
As the story hurtles towards its conclusion, the intensity escalates, and the plot becomes packed with revelations. Jewell's skilful penmanship artfully unveils a subtle yet impactful reveal, casually slipped into the narrative. This unexpected turn of events sent shockwaves through my senses, leaving me in awe of the author's ability to surprise and captivate. The ending tied up loose ends while leaving room for contemplation, resulting in a satisfying conclusion.
"None of This is True" has left an indelible impression on me, compelling me to explore more of Lisa Jewell's literary creations. Despite the slow start, the book's irresistible allure and the author's adept storytelling won me over. I look forward to delving into Jewell's previous works and eagerly anticipate her future releases.

None of This Is True" by Lisa Jewell is a captivating contemporary fiction novel that delves into the complexities of relationships, secrets, and the power of storytelling. Set in a small English village, the story unfolds through the eyes of multiple characters, each grappling with their own truths and lies.

Overall, "None of This Is True" is an engrossing and well-crafted novel that keeps readers intrigued until the final page. Lisa Jewell once again demonstrates her ability to delve into the intricacies of human relationships and deliver a satisfying narrative that will linger in readers' minds long after they finish the book.

Another great book from a great author.