OMG!!!!! What in the world???!!! Lisa Jewell you Queen, you've done it again!!!
What an absolute delight this was!! It was a highly entertaining and engaging read.
The format was so refreshing, I loved how it was a podcast and that it was set in our current time. Made it feel all the more real.
The plot was fast paced and unputdownable. I literally devoured it in hours. I just couldn't stop, I was addicted. Only Lisa can take a very simple plot and turn it into a masterpiece. Only she can describe her characters as wild and sweet and then make it all eerie and sinister. I mean I am blown away by how she changed an ordinary story into an extraordinary one.
All the characters were complex and 3 dimensional. I hated Josie with every fibre of my being. I loved Alix OMG she was amazing, I kept thinking I wanna be like her lol. Thats the thing Lisa doesn't just write great stories she also has well developed characters that you eventually fall in love with. Yes I am looking at you Nathan and Alix Summer!!!

Lisa never fails to make me cry. How is that possible?? Its a thriller, crying isn't the most natural reaction but thats what she always manages to do. I was rooting literally praying for a certain character but then Gosh it was heart breaking. And the way that characters was celebrated made me cry even more.

Now lets talk about Josie and the whole unreliable narrator trope. See, the thing is I've read alot of books with this trope and things are always explained at the end so that you understand the narrator's perspectives and motives but this book is true to the unreliable narrator trope and maintains the unreliability throughout the entirety of the book. So much so that at the end I was like so confused and didn't know who to believe. I read the last chapter twice to see if I missed anything but I think the bafflement was intended. I believe the ending is supposed to be an open one, every reader drawing their own conclusions or maybe it was a cliffhanger and we'll be getting book 2 someday in the future. So alot is revealed and you're nodding along, licking your lips anticipating the next step and trembling with excitement. You think you've figured it out that all has been explained but then the last chapter hits and you're holding your head with no idea who is telling the truth and what exactly is true.

It's also heavily laden with human psychology, with how some people make justifications and create their own realities to the point that they honestly dont know what's true and what's not. Or rather they believe their version is the absolute truth.
The suspense is intense, the ride crazy!! The narrator is so unreliable you honestly dont even trust your judgement or your conclusions. Even now hours later I am trying to understand our antagonist our narrator, their motives and everything and I am still perplexed. So yess this is an excellent read and you need to read it when it releases.
Lisa Jewell you're a mastermind!! And I loved every frickin second of this fast paced mystery.
Highly recommend.

Alix Summer is a successful podcaster which features women that have overcome hardships in their life. It is also her 45th birthday and decides to celebrate it with her husband Nathan in a nearby pub. They also have two children.
Josie Fair and her husband Walter are also celebrating her 45th birthday. Not their usual scene but Josie wanted to go somewhere different. Josie comes from a dysfunctional family. Her husband is at least twenty years older than her. She has two grown up daughters which one is left home at 16 and the other one is locked in her room playing computer games. When both girls in the toilets and Josie recognises her and tells each other that it is both their birthday. They realise they are birthday twins.
Days later they meet again when Alix is taking her kids to school. Josie explains that she wants to change her life drastically and would Alix produce a podcast for her. She claims that it would be interesting enough for the podcast. Alix has just finished a series. At first, she is a bit hesitant and after she hear a bit about Josie’s life, she thinks it will attract listeners, so she agrees.
Thank you, Random House Cornerstone for a copy of ‘None of this is true’. Wow I new this book I knew this going to be good but hell yes it good and creepy as hell. From when Josie tells her of her childhood and her life with Walter but also take things from Alix. Like if it is a serial killer taking tokens of their everyday life. I read this quickly as I couldn’t put this down. The storyline was tense and chilling. Only thing that irked me a bit. Alix was listening to Josie about all the things that happened in her life, if you think something wasn’t right, wouldn’t you call the Police? Or is that just my opinion? This is an great read. I highly recommend. 5 stars from me.

The tension builds and builds until I couldn’t put this book down. I just had to read one more chapter, then one more and then the ending. WOW! Brilliant book and a must read for summer holidays.

None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
Publication date - 20 July 2023
Publisher - Random House, Cornerstone
🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

Thanks to @netgalley for providing me with an arc!

‘None Of This Is True’ is a dark and twisted look at our fractured reality and how we portray ourselves in society! Sounds deep doesn't but that's because it is, it's a complex look at how two women identify with themselves, those around them and those they love.

Two very different women form the centre of this story and it begins with an off chance meeting in a pub where Alix and Josie realise they are birthday twins. Born on the same day but also in the same hospital. Alix is a successful podcaster who interviews women of merit, with a life to be envious of. Josie is a housewife and women to two grow up girls, with an older dominant husband and works part time as a seamstress. Very different women with very different lives. But are what they are portraying reality? The women begin to meet regularly with Josie to feature on Alix’s podcast and Josie soon opens up about being groomed, abused and her fractured relationships.

With the title ‘None Of This Is True’ you know from the off not to believe what is presented on the page. It makes you question everything you are reading and it slightly put me off the story as I wasn’t that investing in the story as I kept thinking that this won’t be reality! But that’s because as a reader I like to form my own opinions and analyse what is happening. But that's my only kibble as there are so many great things about this book! The formatting of including interviews between the chapters was clever. The pacing of the book was like a steam train hurriedly pushing along the tracks but the excerpts of the interviews for Netflix give the readers time to breathe and reset ready for the next revelation!

The two women were strong, complex and at times frustrating characters and the dynamic between them sang off the page. Josie in particular was a fascinating woman! I can't say too much without spoiling it! Eek.

I loved this twisty, in-depth look at self-identity, how we portray ourselves to society and how we wish our life could be different. At times this book was chilling, addictive and downright mind-boggling! Let me know if you read it!

Already this year I have read some marvellous books. However, this one - this one is different.

A book where you read page to page, barely stopping for breath, barely wanting to put it down, reading in any spare interval of time you have - that is a rare book.

And this is one of those.

Full, rounded characters. Full of mistrust and twists and turns and people you love and hate and love again - this is one of those books.

This is one of those books I will wholeheartedly recommend as a 2023 absolute must read. So read it.

Josie is in a restaurant with her much older husband celebrating her 45th birthday when local popular podcaster Alix comes in with a big group of friends; she’s there also celebrating her 45th birthday. They’re birthday twins. But that doesn’t mean anything, does it?

A few days later the two bump into each other again, but this time Josie knows exactly who Alix is as she’s been listening to her podcasts and she wants Alix to make a podcast based on her. You see, Josie has reached a point in her life where she wants things to change, and thinks Alix might have all the answers. But as Josie embeds herself in Alix’s life, can Alix really believe everything Josie is telling her?

I’ve been a fan of Lisa Jewell’s since I was a teenager so no matter the plot, I’m still reading it, so I was over the moon to receive an ARC of this book. I did enjoy it, however, it isn’t one of my favourites.

I do think the novel starts off incredibly strong, introducing two very different characters with polar opposite lives. Jewell is a talent at creating interesting scenarios that you find yourself engrossed in. However, I found myself becoming a little frustrated with Alix for being so passive, and the ending seemed to lack any kind of big finale. I did enjoy the ambiguous ideas within it, but was left disappointed with the unsatisfactory end. Surprisingly, I also wasn’t’ a fan of the format; I enjoyed the podcast and the prose, but I thought the ‘Netflix’ documentary descriptions have been done better, and I just found them disjointing and unnecessary as it slowed the pace.

Overall, I think if she’d written this ten years ago, it would have hit so very differently, but because we’ve had the ambiguous unreliable narrator done repetitively, it didn’t quite hit as hard as it should. However, good level of tension and Jewell is an incredible writer so you are in safe hands.

This book is due for publication in July this year, but I got sent an uncorrected proof via @netgalleyuk.

Having read another Lisa Jewell book late last year (I Found You), this one didn't disappoint. Immediately gripping, it tells the story of two women who meet when out celebrating their birthdays and discover they are 'birthday twins', born in the same hospital, on the same day.

Alix is a successful podcaster, who lives an Instagram-perfect existence. Josie, who lives a much more mundane life with her much older husband, is captivated by Alix and sets about getting Alix to interview her for her podcast. Alix is unsettled by Josie, but can also sense that a podcast with her could bring a new angle to her brand. Little does Alix know what she's about to unleash....

If you've read Underbelly by Anna Whitehouse, you'll like this. It's vaguely similar in terms of confronting how dangerous social media can be, particularly for people who want a piece of that 'perfect' life, that we all know doesn't truly exist.

Highly recommend!

This is was such a good book! Started snd finished in a day and didn't want it to end!

A super clever story which keeps you guessing right to the end. With female characters that are interesting, flawed and nuanced.

Superb!

Another thriller from Lisa Jewell that I couldn't put down.
Josie meets Alix in a restaurant when they are both celebrating their birthday. Realising they are birthday twins, Josie becomes obsessed with Alix and wants to be part of a podcast.
Slowly, we discover more about Josie's past and realise her intentions may not be the best!
A great book, thoroughly enjoyed this and highly recommend.

Lisa Jewell never disappoints!
None of this is true is a really gripping story. Josie Fair meets Alix Summer by chance when they are both celebrating their birthdays. She quickly becomes obsessed with her.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved everything written by Lisa Jewell but she has completely surpassed herself with this stunning novel that is one of her best.
When podcaster Alix Summers meets Josie Fair, Josie is keen to become a subject of the podcast. Although Alix feels uneasy she is intrigued by Josie and is soon drawn into her life.
There have been many recent novels themed around podcasts but this is by far the best. Lisa Jewell writes so effortlessly and this is a dark, disturbing, compelling and twisty read with well developed characters and plot.
I absolutely loved it, I could not put it down and would highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I am a big fan of Lisa Jewell so was very excited to get a copy of her latest book. It certainly didn't disappoint! Alix Summers is out celebrating her 45th birthday with her family and friends. Josie Fair is doing the same with her elderly husband. They chat briefly in the Ladies, laughing about being birthday twins. Alix is a podcaster and when Josie engineers another meeting she suggests to Alix that she might be a good subject for a new podcast as she is about to make big changes to her awful life. Alix agrees to interview her, setting off a chain of events where Josie manages to inveigle herself into Alix's home and family. This is a brilliantly written story which had me totally engrossed right to the very last sentence!! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Lisa Jewell is a great author & I really enjoyed this. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review this book.

I’ve read quite a few of Lisa Jewell’s books and I think this was my favourite so far. Absolutely gripping story with well developed characters and I really liked the bits from the show that were spread throughout as they added another layer of suspense as I tried to piece together what was happening. If I was going to point out anything I think it would be that I would prefer the title was different.

Can’t wait to read it once again when the audiobook is out!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the writer for this fantastic opportunity to read this ARC.

Another excellent tale from Lisa Jewell! Alix and Josie are birthday twins but couldn’t have lived more different lives. Alix, privileged with a charmed life save her husband who has a problem with alcohol. Josie with a much older husband and two dysfunctional daughters. Alix decides to tell Josie’s life story through her podcasts and slowly Josie gets her feet under the table…. Told partly in flashbacks by a supporting cast, the story gets more and more disturbing.

I read this so fast I felt dizzy. Really believable characters and definitely an original plot. Just wish there was more twists/ shocking ending, I feel like the action didn’t really start until 70% - Still a good book though ⭐️

Absolutely adored this page turning thriller and Lisa Jewell has kept me awake all through the night again!!

Alix and Josie are both out for their birthdays in a local pub and meet up in the toilets and realise they are both celebrating their birthdays and are exactly the same age. They meet a few days later and Josie has been googling the podcaster Alix and suggests they do a show all about birthday twins.

However, as Alix starts to interview her for her show more and more of Josie's life is revealed about being married to a much older man, experiencing domestic abuse, having children with issues and so much more

But as time goes on, Josie's truth is not quite what it seems. Such a twisty turn novel, that surprised me right down to the last chapter

Another exciting well written novel by author Lisa Jewell. I loved this novel from start to finish.

Alix Summers is celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub when she is approached by Josie Fair who is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

Days later they bump into each other again 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. Josie tells Alix she is about to make great changes in her life. Josie’s life is very complicated and although Alix feels unsettled by her she cannot resist making a podcast. As they start the process of making the podcast it becomes apparent that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets and it is not long before Josie has started to intrude into Alix’s life.

When Josie disappears, Alix discovers 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. Both Alix and her families lives are under threat.

This an exciting novel that twists and turns and had me turning pages as quick as I could read them.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I’m sure this book will prove very popular if you liked Gone girls then this is one for you
The story is told as if it is one of the increasingly popular true crime series on Netflix or other streaming services .I personally generally avoid them as they can be rather formulaic and deliberately toy with viewers emotions in a way that I don’t enjoy .I suppose the same could be said about this novel which did grab my attention immediately and was filled from the start with a certain type of ill defined tension from get go .I felt like I was watching it happen from behind the sofa .
The author leaves little clues throughout that are picked up later in the story .
The book is an easy read and has a satisfying climax the author is an experienced story teller and knows just how to craft a novel that will get under your skin .If you enjoy reading about psychopaths and having your emotions manipulated by them you will love the book
I read a copy on NetGalley Uk the book Is published in the Uk on 20 July 2022 by Random house Uk

This book comes out in July 2023, so I’d like to first thank Netgalley and Random House UK for granting me early access.

The TLDR; version of this review is that if you like reading stories told by unreliable narrators this is the book for you. Pick it up with closed eyes and thank me later.

A longer explanation of the 4/5 star rating is that this book could easily have been a 5/5.
I liked the way all the information was presented, the multiple POVs didn’t feel long an unnecessary & and podcast format felt authentic.

At certain points of the plot the reality gets too mixed up with the fiction. There’s never a clear line where the truth lies and as a result you can’t hate or sympathise with any of the characters that much so there was definitely room for improvement there.
Additionally to that, I really dislike the trope where supposedly intelligent fully grown adults with kids just can’t seem to be able to say no, will blindly invite questionable individuals to stay in their house when they barely know them and let them walk all over them without questions. For multiple reasons. First because at this point I get frustrated and start questioning their intelligence and second because this is clearly the lazy way of making things that make no sense happen.

Other that that, this book was a crazy ride. Extremely fast paced, it took me less than a day to get through this whole thing and I’m still not sure who was lying and to what extent, so as mindfuck it worked really well for me.