Could not stop reading this in the middle of the night when I woke with my newborn twins, if that says anything about how addictive this is. Constantly keeps you guessing and totally hooked, well written with characters you want to know more about and plot turns that feel earned. My favorite thriller in a while!

4.5/5

This was easily the most unputdownable book that I've read this year. It's been quite a while since I've read something that I wanted to pick up every spare second that I had, and this book absolutely had that effect on me.

What I loved about this book:
- The pace and readability: This one was just quick, and I'm grateful that it pulled me out of a bit of a reading slump
- The unreliable characters: I often find unreliable narrators/characters to be a little tedious and frustrating (especially in thrillers), but I felt that Jewell did it really well in None of This Is True. You're left wondering about all the different characters who could have potentially distorted the truth (in big and small ways) in order to suit their own narratives.
- The format: I enjoyed the podcast within a documentary within a book format. It was a fun way to provide multiple different perspectives with a creative twist.

I recommend this book if you enjoy:
- Fast-paced thrillers
- Books by Lisa Jewell, Gillian Flynn, Lucy Foley, Megan Abbott, etc.
- True crime podcasts and documentaries

I highly suggest checking the content warnings, since this books delves into heavy topics including SA, DA, and alcoholism (amongst others).

I am honestly still in shock that I got the opportunity to read and review this book. Thank you SO MUCH to Netgalley, Lisa Jewell, and Atria.

Synopsis: Alix and Josie are "birthday twins," a fact they discover when they bump into each other a local pub. A couple days later, they cross paths again, this time outside of Alix's children's school. Josie has been listening to Alix's popular podcast and pitches a new idea: Alix should interview Josie for an episode. Josie's life seems odd, and Alix might find her unsettling at times, but something keeps pushing her to create this podcast. It soon becomes clear that Josie is hiding some pretty twisted secrets, and by now, she has wormed her way inside Alix's life and even her home. And then, she disappears.

Review: my queen Lisa Jewell has done it again. I think it took me two days total to get through this one because I simply had to know how everything ended up. Jewell is a master at creating that "hmmm this is kind of unsettling but I don't know why...and I NEED to know why" aura in her novels, and this one is no exception, which is why I struggled to STOP reading. As a reader, you knew something was "up" with Josie, but again, you didn't know why. You just kept getting little hints here and there from the podcast episodes. Speaking on that, I loved the novel's format - interspersing the story with snippets of the podcast episode made for an even more enticing read. I will quite literally read anything this woman writes.

There was so much hype for this one, and I was a little disappointed. Although the ending was excellent, the entire first half of the book fell very flat for me. I felt as if I was waiting for something to happen every page, but it didn't. I love mystery, true crime, thriller books, and this one just left me wanting more. I highly enjoyed the podcast / interview scripts as they brought in another view and explained some things that had me confused. I was not a huge fan of the grooming, pedophile, sexual assault portion of this story. So many turns in this one that might get a little confusing, but you'll either love that part or you won't.

The ending, like I said, was great. The twists at the end did make it worth reading, and I'm glad I did. The book as a whole was okay. The ending was exactly what I needed more of in the rest of the book.

I did like the overall plot of this book and the detailed character development. I will try some more books from this author to see how I like those!

This one hooked me from the start! 4 stars because it was lengthy and could have been cut down….details repeated several times in the book (the smell from the room) that were never explained and had nothing to do with conclusion. The epilogue leaves me still confused and thinking about what actually happened.

My relationship with Jewell is touch and go, sometimes I love her books and sometimes she leaves me wanting more grit in her books. This book was a love! Jewell captivated you from the start and kept a quick pace throughout the story. Honestly, I didn't know up from down by the end of the novel. There were a few things I guessed but the way Jewell ended the story, there were some things that were left open ended so I could be wrong.

This was much more of a mind twister than her usual thriller style. I think I prefer Jewell's mind benders. I highly suggest this book and gave it a 4 stars!

None of this is True by Lisa Jewell is an amazing book!

I have read all of the author's books and I think this is the best one yet.

The characters are so well developed, and the mystery will get you from the very beginning to the very end.

I loved all the twists and turns.

Lisa Jewell is the queen of the dark thriller!

If you are a sensitive reader, be aware there are trigger warnings galore, but know the events take place off the page.

And what a tale it was…

Alix Summer is a popular podcaster who is celebrating her 45th birthday when she meets Josie, also celebrating her 45th birthday. Birthday twins! How fun. (Or not!)

Josie tells Alix she is about to make big changes in her life and wants Alix to document it for her podcast. Alix agrees, as this could be her big break. As the interviews unfold, we learn the secrets of both women.

Alix’s life and marriage is far from perfect, and Josie likes to call her out on the situation. By the time Alix feels unease, Josie has wormed her way into Alix’s life and home, with repercussions that are unforeseeable and devastating.

I enjoyed the alternating POV of both women which includes transcriptions of the podcast and scenes from a Netflix documentary on the case.

The reader knows this isn’t going to end well, but when the inevitable twist came, I had to pick my jaw off the floor…it was brilliant.

It was fun to try and suss out the ending. Who is truthful and who is not? This is a story that is discussion worthy, and the mark of a great read. All the stars! There is a LOT to unpack here.

A winner for Lisa Jewell who has written a literary thriller of substance!

If you had asked me at the halfway point what my rating was, I would have said around 2.5-3 stars. The book was propulsive but there were some icky themes, which I can’t discuss because it’s a thriller and they would be spoilers. I just kept reminding myself of the title and pressed on. The end definitely bumped up the star rating and I’m glad to have read my first Lisa Jewell. I will be reading more of her in the future!

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Unreliable narrators
Podcasts
Fast paced thrillers

Thank you Atria Books for the digital ARC through NetGalley and Simon Audio for an ALC through Libro FM.

I’ve read the majority of Lisa Jewell’s novels and None of This Is True is by and far my favorite! It was compelling and at times quite disturbing. I loved the setup of this story with the Netflix documentary and the overall commentary, it was really well done. The overall tone of the story was very dark which I loved and the fast last plot kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I even audibly gasped at several parts!

I expected to enjoy this more after all the amazing reviews, but I just couldn't really connect. I think I expected a lot more, and in the end, I wasn't particularly surprised or invested. Nothing really stood out to me. I prefer not to publicly post negative reviews, so I'll be leaving this solely on Netgalley. Thank you for the chance!

I wanted to love this book; the hype around it was real. Perhaps it was a victim of its own buzz, then, because I was underwhelmed. Everyone was terrible, and the ending was a bummer — but it was fast-paced, at the very least.

None of This is True was truly creepy. Josie is right up there with Chuckie in my mind. When she becomes obsessed with Alix and her life, I could not believe the odd things she did and how much she manipulated the people around her. This book kept me awake many nights while I found out what was going to happen. It is not a happy ending but a really good end of the story. I will read anything Lisa Jewell writes and this book solidifies my opinion.

You might not know who’s telling the truth in this book, but believe me when I say you’re going to want to read it. Go in blind, but if you need some extra convincing here’s what you can expect:

🕵🏼‍♀️ multiple POVs
🎤 story told in multiple formats: a podcast, a Netflix documentary and the different POV’s of the characters (mainly two)
👖 unreliable narrator
🇬🇧London setting
👀 a book you won’t want to put down and will keep your head spinning even after you finish

P.s “And there it is, the point which it all boils down to eventually. The point where there are no words, no theories, no explanations for behaviors that baffle and infuriate and hurt. Just that. Men.”

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE may be Lisa Jewell's best novel yet! I could not put it down! It's best to go in "blind." You'll have so many questions in the beginning but then the answers are revealed as you keep reading. Really really clever plot and executed so well. There were a couple plot holes but it didn't take away from how good the book was or affect the story. Jewell incorporates a podcast, but it's done in a way that it doesn't seem overdone. Absolutely brilliant book. Highly recommend to everyone! 4.5 stars!

Thanks so much, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the eARC and copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

So good! Probably My favorite! Lisa Jewell book to date! I was shocked to read in the acknowledgments that she wrote the whole thing in 6 months. Amazing!

Note: Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Y'all are making reading dreams come true and it is greatly appreciated! All reviews from this reader are honest, usually blunt, but never won over by the ARC itself. I like to tell it like it is!
Book of the Month Club: August 2023

This book out here pretending it is not going to have any creepy twists and turns and leave us questioning the first half of the book...
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That being said, this is not my first Lisa Jewell book. Ha ha!
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So, honestly, I had a feeling we were going on a roller coaster ride and some things were going to be flipped up down. In all actuality, there was one moment at the beginning of the book where I thought to myself "oh, I bet that... [no, I'm not telling you silly!]" and by the second half of the book, I had nailed it. That's okay though, bound to happen. There were plenty of other directions that the book took which I did not see coming. It all worked out.

So let's talk about this book for a moment. Podcasting.
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Podcasts are popular right now and they're popping up all over the place. One of my favorite shows, Only Murders in the Building, even pokes fun at how addicted to podcasts we are as a society. It used to be kind of niche. Now everyone can make a podcast about everything. If you market it well, you get followers, and it seems like there's a market for every type of podcast. Don't get me wrong, I love true crime podcasts (yep, yeah, I'm that girl). Therefore, makes sense that we're seeing podcasting pop up in novels now. In this one, one of our main characters is a podcaster named Alix and she's pretty well known -- has a decent following.

She decides to start interviewing a woman named Josie who she coincidentally bumps into at a restaurant. Turns out, they share a birthday. Exact day. Same age. What a weird thing to want to start podcasting about but here we go!

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It starts off pretty mellow, really. And then suddenly the birthday twin, Josie, is telling that absolutely insane and horrific story about how she was groomed by her podophile husband Walter. Like... omg wow that's a shocker! Of course, Alix is terribly concerned -- and like any good podcaster she continues to get this story out of Josie. The story just keeps getting crazier and crazier and there are all of these layers of abuse. There are two children who were in this home also dealing with different abuse.

The social boundaries then start getting really confused. Alix wants to help Josie, but also wants to get this story recorded. Next thing you know, Josie and Walter have been in a huge domestic fight and Josie shows up at Alix's house and wants to stay over for a few days. She has no one else. She doesn't want to call the cops. Yeah, she knows there is one kid still at the house with Walter but theoretically that kid took off that night so she's not, as a mother, really concerned about where her daughter Erin is at all. She just really, really wants to stay with Alix.

To which Alix is like.... sure.

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I mean... Alix... what are you thinking at this point?

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No, really, let's be serious for a second here. We probably have all had a friend who was in what we'll just call a "bad relationship" and no matter what that relationship looked like, and how bad it was, there was a moment where our friend was making a terrible decision. Doing something stupid. Brushing something off they shouldn't have. And let's be honest... we go, yeah okay stay on my couch a few days... when really we should be shaking them and telling them to snap out of it and fix their issues. That's how I feel about Alix in this moment. In a novel setting -- Alix is a complete idiot for just allowing this woman into her house, ignoring all of these red flags, not calling the police, etc. She's bonkers. But in reality, I think we've all been this person on some level, the person who says "it will blow over" or "they'll come to their senses, I just need to be supportive." Wake up call. Call people bonkers when they're being bonkers.

Back to the book though!
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It just keeps getting weird. Alix's husband isn't perfect -- let's get that out here right now. But he's also kind of right when he starts wondering why this weird woman is in his house. And there's friction, which of course, just makes things even weirder in this house!

People get obsessed. People get murdered. Secrets start spilling out. Things that you thought were true may be not true. Or are they? Can't really tell you... but let's just say this is Lisa Jewell through and through.

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I will tell you that if you love this type of story, this one is good. I can also tell you, rather honestly, that I did not like any of these characters. Alix is the start of a decent character, a podcasting mom with a hubby with drinking issues, but... it just kind of falls flat. A lot of her choices are ones that I do question and I have to think, really? That is how you handled that moment? There was just something that I could not fully connect with. From the beginning, I thought Josie was all up in people's business and couldn't be trusted, which put me off of her a bit. And she just never redeemed that.

Side characters... I mean, again, kind of fell flat throughout the story. I know they're not the "main content" but at the same time there wasn't enough there to enjoy enough to 'love' and feel like they were deep enough to connect to. Which is fine for this type of novel. I don't have to really 'love' anyone to get the creepy vibes, follow the mystery, uncover the secrets... I just wish I did.

While not perfect,

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Read it. I think you'll enjoy it!

What a wild ride! I was super into this book and couldn’t put it down…until the lame ending. I felt like there was so much more that could have happened, maybe a final confrontation? I am conflicted because I liked 95% of the book, but the ending just fell flat for me.

The full-cast narration audiobook was fantastic. I loved the different perspectives and storylines throughout the book. It kept my attention the entire time. Had I not had it on audiobook, I would have gotten nothing done the weekend I read it.

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE takes the traditional podcast suspense novel and twists it until the reader doesn’t know which story is true. Jewell effortlessly weaves together a tale of lies, hidden secrets, and murder.

When I sit down with a Lisa Jewell novel, I am never disappointed. The intrigue, duplicity, and carefully crafted layers of the mystery unfolding are all consuming and downright bingeable. From the first encounter with Josie and Alix, the reader gets a sense of unease. Then, as the characters reveal themselves, their actions allow opinions to form. But is anything ever what it seems? This is especially the case with Josie. She captivated me just as much as she baffled me. I am not ashamed to admit I went down the rabbit hole with Alix as she gave her story for the podcast. Then she is gone, and everything is turned upside down.

NONE OF THIS IS TRUE was a fast-paced, wonderfully juicy, and darkly twisted read. The characters jump off the page as they navigate through a complicated situation only made more so by lies and murder. Lisa Jewell really delivered on this one. I cannot wait to read what she gives us next.