Cover Image: None of This Is True

None of This Is True

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Member Reviews

This has to be the most unreliable narrator that I have ever read. She was fantastic at keeping me guessing. I loved it.

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Alix and Josie are birthday twins: born on the same day, in the same year, and in the same hospital. This story is about a chance encounter when they both celebrate their 45th birthday in the same pub. Both women are vastly different. Alix lives a seemingly glamorous life as a podcaster and married with two children. While Josie is a part-time seamstress, married to a much older man and both her children are adults. The novel is set up from both MC's POV with some chapters that are in the future, which sets up the mystery of what happened at the intersect of both women's lives. Lisa Jewell sets up the story with a sense the reader may anticipate where the relationship of these two women are going and then completely throws us through a loop. I always have trouble with untrustworthy narrators and the title primed us to question the truth throughout the novel, but overall a twisty mystery that will leave you guessing about who to trust.

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Josie Fair is a disappointed woman. She's disappointed that her life isn't as exciting as she'd hoped it would turn out. Since her marriage she has lived in the run-down flat her much older husband Walter inherited from his father. One of her daughters left home and ceased all contact with her, and the other rarely opens the door to her bedroom as she spends all day locked inside playing video games. Even Josie's part-time job as a seamstress is dull. When she and Walter are having a rare dinner out in celebration of her 45th birthday, she is immediately envious of another woman having a birthday party. This woman is glamourous and in the center of a large circle of excited friends. Josie can't help but compare their circumstances. She becomes determined to make some sort of contact with the mystery woman, eventually cornering her in the bathroom with the line, "Hi, I'm your birthday twin." While the other woman, Alix, is friendly enough but soon returns to her friends, Josie decides to find out more about this woman, who it turns out not only shares her birthday, but was born in the exact same hospital. Josie soon learns that Alix is a popular podcaster who has interviewed successful woman. In an effort to worm her way into Alix's life, she engineers a meeting and proposes a new sort of podcast, one in which Alix will hear Josie talk about her difficult past and how she's now determined to change her life. This sounds intriguing to Alix. Although her podcast has been successful, her personal life is in turmoil due to her husband's sudden bouts of binge drinking where he stays away from home overnight. As she grapples with the idea that her marriage might be over, she's even more motivated to throw herself into a new work project. But can the shocking stories Josie tells her be believed? And what can she do to distance herself when Josie begins to intrude on her life more and more?

I liked the suspense of the story as I tried to figure out how much of Josie's story to believe. As Alix delves into her background and talks to people around her, she starts to figure out that Josie might be lying about many things. But how far will Josie go to keep the truth from being exposed? It was hard to figure out what was going on with her daughters, as one was "missing" and the other was never seen, so that added an even more unsettling layer to the creepy figure of Josie. The podcast/series episodes that were interspersed with the narrative helped to make the suspense even greater!

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Another great thriller from the author Lisa Jewell, ridiculous and pulpy. Very fun and enjoyable read. Thanks!

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Decent read. A little predictable, but had some twists throughout. Kept me interested through the whole book as well

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Really enjoyed this one. Quick fun read by one of my favorite authors. Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this book.

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Anything by Lisa Jewell is a must-read for me so I was excited to get my hands on this. I thought it was going to be super predictable at first but she delivered with the twists. I would definitely recommend this for someone interested in a good mystery.

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The following review was posted on Goodreads on 03.12.24:

I've seen all kinds of rave reviews for NONE OF THIS IS TRUE, so I feel like I'm in the minority on this one. Personally, I found the novel depressing as all get out, not to mention disturbing in the extreme, and just weird overall. I kept asking myself why I was still reading it, but if it's nothing else, it is addicting. The chapters are short, the plot is worthy of a Jerry Springer show, and Jewell definitely gets you hooked on wanting to know what really happened. I give her props for that, but otherwise, the novel is full of unlikable characters, predictable plot "twists," and so much far-fetched action that it didn't feel believable to me at all. Honestly, I'm not sure why I finished it. I did, so for that, I'm giving it 2 1/2 stars, rounded up (because for some reason, Goodreads doesn't like half-stars).

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Honestly Lisa Jewell never disappoints and this book was no exception!! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next

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Really fascinating story line. I could not figure out what the goal of either main character was or why they were allowing any of it to happen but I love it. Dragged a bit here and there and felt more like a drama in a few places but the short chapters really helped move it along and make this a fast read.

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While this book explored intriguing themes, I had a hard time connecting with the characters and following the story. However, that is obviously on me and not the book. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other mystery thriller readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

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This was my first Lisa Jewell novel, and it won't be my last. I listened to the audiobook of this while also following along with the digital copy on my kindle. The characters are fun and I truly didn't know what to expect. The audiobook added another element with all the interviews and multiple timelines. A must read!

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Of all the Lisa Jewell books I've read, I think this one may be my favorite!

Alix Sumner is out celebrating her birthday at a local pub when she encounters her birthday twin, Josie Fair. Both women are turning 45, but their lives and stories couldn't be more different. One chance encounter sends the women down an unusual path of pseudo-friendship. When Josie finds out that Alix is a semi-famous podcaster, she becomes infatuated with her life. Josie is convinced that her story would make a great podcast, and convinces Alix to sit down and record with her. The story Josie weaves for Alix is bordeline unbelievable, and by agreeing to listen to it Alix gets dragged in deeper and deeper into a situation she didn't bargain for. It becomes impossible to tell what is true, what isn't, who's lying and who is being truthful, culminating in a denouement that is shocking to everyone involved.

Lisa Jewell weaves dual POVs with absolute ease and mastery and it's one of the things I like the most about her writing style. Does the idea of an all-denim ensmeble give me the heebie-jeebies now? Absolutely. This is one story I didn't quite know where it was going the entire time - which is always the mark of a good thriller in my book!

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Twists, turns and birthday twins to boot. Alix Sunmer, is at a local pub celebrating her birthday when she runs into Josie Fair who is also celebrating her birthday. They are both turning 45 and share so many things and can’t believe they have never met before. But it is a one time, random meeting and both don’t think about it again. Well that’s until a few days later when Alix and Josie run into each other again. This time at Alix’s kids school. It seems a bit strange that she would see Josie here but doesn’t really think about it as just another coincidence. They start speaking and Josie realizes that Alix is a pretty famous podcaster. Josie is kind of star struck. As it turns out she has a pretty great story to tell.. she thinks it’s good enough for Alix to make a podcast of. Should Alix get involved? Should she go down that rabbit hole? It could be the story that solidifies her success.. but at what cost? She decides to do it and her life will never be the same. Having Josie in her life turns everything upside down. Between Josie’s stories and her presence in her life, Alix becomes very scared. She can’t tell what’s true? Or what are lies? She can’t seem to trust anyone, even her husband.. As quickly as she arrives, she disappears and Alix is left guessing and hunting for truths. Including a truth about her husband, which will leave her devastated. I am a big fan of Lisa Jewel and her books. This book was one of my favorites. I was guessing the whole way through and I kept reading to see how it would end. None of this is True by Lisa Jewel, was so good. I want to thank Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read and review this book. I can’t wait to read the authors next book. This book was 4 stars all around.. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 😊

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Ready to have your moral compass thrown out the window and shattered? Prepared to have an obsession with denim make your skin itch? Pumped to think you know what is happening in this book and be completely (maybe?) wrong?

If you enjoy a complete mind-bender, step right up to this absolute freak show of a book! It’s wild, perverse, and completely thrilling.

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This was so compelling to read and it took me on a roller coaster. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest review.

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What a wild ride! While it did take me a minute to get into it, when I was in, I was in!
We read this for bookclub and the whole group was into it! We had some great discussion that went on for more than a hour.
Lisa Jewell always delivers on characters that have you questioning to the very end.
A excellent bookclub read and another hit from Lisa Jewell!

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Loved this book!! None of This is True written by Lisa Jewell did not disappoint!! This thriller had me from the beginning! I could not put it down! Thank you NetGalley for the advance ebook of another 5 star thriller!

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What a fun and great read! I finished it super fast, and it did not disappoint. Lots of twists and a great ending.
Thank you for the ARC!

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This is my new favorite LIsa Jewell book! I absolutely could not put it down! Josie is such an intriguing character, I just could not figure out what to think of her!! At times it felt so predictable, and then NOPE! another twist! The ending was great-a bit disturbing, but not at all where I thought it was going! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this amazing book in exchange for my honest review!

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