Lisa Jewell has the domestic thriller down to a fine science.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for my eARC for review!
None Of This Is True is the story of Alix and Josie, two women who meet in a restaurant, then learn they share a birthday and birthplace.
Alix is a well-known podcaster, who decides Josie would make a great subject for her next series.
Little does she have any suggestion of what Josie will reveal during their recording sessions.
The plot is unsettling, at times disturbing, and I absolutely could not put the book down.
I really enjoyed how the story unravelled with inclusion of clips from Alix's podcast, and scenes from the eventual crime documentary.
Another win from Lisa Jewell - recommended!
For release on Aug. 8.

Title: None of This is True

Author: Lisa Jewell

Publication Date: August 8, 2023

Publisher: Atria Books

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 384

Content Warnings: adult/minor relationship, alcoholism, domestic abuse, pedophilia, murder, violence, death, mental illness, stalking

PG-13 May include profanity, violence, sexual situations, or drug use.


› I love the cover. It's giving mirror/twin vibes. None of This is True is told from multiple timelines and from many perspectives. The story is about Alix, a popular podcaster, who recently helped develop a fictional Netflix True Crime series called Hi! I'm Your Birthday Twin! based on her real-life experience with her birthday twin Josie.

"Coming to Netflix in May: Hi! I'm Your Birthday Twin!"

› The short chapters of the Netflix special include a description of the video and audio recording transcripts of Alix Summer's podcast from the summer of 2019. Many people are interviewed for the Netflix series: old neighbours, schoolfriends, Detective Albright and others.

› Saturday, June 8, 2019: Josie usually stays in to celebrate her birthday, but this year she's turning 45 and feeling like she needs a change in her life. Josie and her husband, Walter, go to a pub to celebrate her birthday where she sees Alix with her friends also celebrating a birthday. They run into each other in the bathroom where Josie discovers they have the same birthday, they are both turning 45 and were even born in the same hospital. She's convinced it must be fate.

› Alix seems like she has a perfect life, however, her husband Nathan is an alcoholic and will go out with friends on an overnight bender and show up the next day a mess, apologizing and promising he'll never do it again. They have two young children who attend the same school Josie's kids used to attend when they were younger.

› Twenty-three-year-old Erin is Josie and Walter's oldest. She's a gamer who never leaves her room. She doesn't eat regular food and only eats baby food that Josie heats up and leaves outside Erin's bedroom door. Roxy is two years younger than Erin and left home when she was 16. For the past five years, Josie searches for Roxy online and on the streets but hasn't seen her daughter since she left.

› Josie's husband is a lot older. She was 13 and he was 40 when they met. Yup. He's a pedophile, and this isn't the first time he's had a relationship with a teenage girl. She understandably has unresolved trauma caused by this relationship. She also has trauma from her relationship with her mother.

› Josie is a lurker. She's constantly observing other women's lives, wishing she can be more like them. Have their job. Have their house. Have their family.

"She never posts, she never comments, she never likes. She just looks."

› Josie convinces Alix to interview her for her podcast because she wants to tell her life story and is determined to make a big change. She wants Alix to help her document everything so she can be an inspiration to other women to chase their dreams. Alix usually interviews women after they've achieved success, so she's thinking this could be a fresh new take for her podcast.

› Where is Roxy? Why does Erin never leave her room? Why does Nathan go on benders and why does Alix stay with him? What are the secrets Josie will tell Alix? Is Josie telling the truth? How much of it is true?

What happens when you let the wrong person into your life?

› Characters: 3
I usually love how Jewell develops characters, but these characters just felt flat. Some didn't have motivation for their actions, I wanted more characteristics - more strengths, more external conflict and interesting side characters.

› Atmosphere: 4
I wanted more description and world-building. I didn't feel anything.

› Writing Style: 6
This didn't feel like Jewell's typical writing style. It was repetitive and strange. "Her hair is winter blonde, cut into a shape that makes it move like liquid." What does that even mean? However, she did a great job with the multiple timelines and perspectives.

› Plot: 6
Great beginning and middle. This was a page-turner, but anti-climatic and I did not like the ending because it felt rushed and unfinished.

› Intrigue: 10
I was hooked from the first paragraph and didn't want to put it down.

› Logic: 4
I have an issue with how Walter and Josie's relationship was treated in the story. The victim blaming doesn't sit well with me at all. "allowing herself to be groomed" Ummm...no...she was 13, he was 40. There was no "allowing".
"Why did she get pregnant at twenty?" Well, because she had sex and birth control isn't full-proof. I really don't like it when a woman is accused of getting pregnant as if it's her fault.
I can't stand it when a character who should just call the police and has no reason NOT to call the police doesn't call the police.
Josie meets up with someone who she's never met, yet walks in and knows what they look like.

› Enjoyment: 8
Overall, I had a good time. None of This is True is a great suspense novel. It has an average Goodreads rating of 4.44 and 90% of Goodreads readers gave it four or five stars, so I am in the minority on this one.

Average 5.9

My Rating ★★★

Other books I read by Lisa Jewell:
Watching You ★★★★★
The Family Upstairs ★★★★★
Invisible Girl ★★★★
The Family Remains ★★★★
The Truth About Melody Browne ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• None of This is True is an unsettling, dark, tense, compulsive and mysterious novel that will keep you guessing even after the ending. I recommend this one to fans of true crime series and podcasts.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Delighted to include this title in the August edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

This might be the best Lisa Jewell book yet. It is twisty, dark and gripping. Every time you think you know what is going on, another twist comes at you. This is the book that keeps you reading well past your bedtime!

Josie seems so meek and scared when Alix first meets her, but as the story unfolds, I started to wonder if she really was who she appeared. If her story was what she claimed, or only what she wanted people to think. And I'm not going to tell you whether I was right or wrong. You really need to read this book yourself to find out.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good variety of characters in it. I have read other books by this author and liked them too.

Alix Summer is a popular podcaster who is out celebrating her forty-fifth birthday, and coincidentally Josie Fair is also celebrating the same birthday who she happens to run into. Wow birthday twins.

They run into each other again outside Alix’s children’s school. But this time Josie convinces Alix to do a podcast about her- as she’s making great changes in her life.

When Alix starts learning about Josie’s story, she uncovers some dark secrets about her. Once Alix is in too deep, her family is now at risk.

I enjoyed how this book was written. And the way Lisa incorporated the Netflix show/podcast/story. It’s set up so you really have no idea what happens in the end and who is dead or alive. The little plot twists at the end still had me thinking what actually happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for a DRC. None of this is True is available August 8.

None Of This Is True is a psychological thriller that had me hooked from the very beginning. It is completely unhinged in the best possible way! 🫣 Lisa Jewell is the queen of foreshadowing. She drops these little nuggets to keep you invested but you still can’t figure out exactly what’s going on, leaving you questioning everybody. If you want something that is fast paced, slightly disturbing😆 and entertaining, this is your book!

Well done @lisajewelluk ! 👏🏻

Thank you to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🙏🏻🥰

#simonandschustercanada #simonandschuster #noneofthisistrue
#lisajewell #lisajewellauthor #lisajewellnovels
#bookadoration #bookstagram #canadianbookstagram #canadianbookstagrammer #candianbookstagrammers

When Alix Summer, known for her popular podcasts, met her “birthday twin” at a restaurant while celebrating, she never imagined the interaction would go farther than that. Josie Fair, born at the same hospital as Alix, and who married to a much older man, couldn’t be any more different than Alix. But when Josie encounters Alix for a second time with a proposal for a podcast, Alix can’t resist the story. She begins to realize that Josie’s home life is dark and twisted, and somehow she has weaved herself into Alix’s home life with no telling what she is capable of.
Every time I read one of Lisa Jewell’s books I think, how does she come up with this stuff?! True to her style, she has once again put together a fast paced, chilling psycho-thriller that keeps you reading. Though I can’t say it’s my favourite of all her books, if you tend to read this author regularly as I do, then I’m certain you will enjoy this one as well. The author comments in her afterward about how she felt she was building characters and storyline differently in this book than previous stories. I actually felt like I did notice her style was a bit different while reading the novel, but I enjoyed it just the same.

Lisa Jewell has been a long-time favourite with her character-based thrillers with domestic drama. I thought this was her best one yet. It was well-named, containing lies of omission and commission to family, friends, police, and the public through podcasts. This was a compelling, exciting, heart-pounding story with unreliable narrators, twisted tales, shocks, and misdirection. I found this brilliant, fast-paced story impossible to put down.

Alix, a podcaster, wants to change her format of straight interviews with interesting people and is approached by Josie, who suggests a podcast involving herself. She says she is on the verge of changing her lifestyle for the better, and the public will be hooked in listening to her progress. What happens is that she gradually controls Alix's thoughts and behaviour in a devious way, gradually moving into her home through deceit. She intrudes into Alix's family life.
Her podcast followers become familiar with Josie's sordid tale of pedophilia and the physical and emotional abuse toward herself and her two daughters. What happens next is diabolical. How much of Josie's story is factual? When Alix confronts Josie for some inconsistencies in her story, she feels trapped. She feels sorry for Josie, her background and her present horrific home life. The podcast (also featuring people who knew Josie's family) is becoming increasingly popular.

Only too late does Alix realize her broadcast has become a true-crime program, and the police are involved. The conclusion seems to have sorted truths from lies, but there is a final twist coming. This leaves the reader conflicted about what to believe.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the much-appreciated ARC. Highly recommended. The publication is due August 8.

What a story……this kept me reading far into the night until I had to quit because I couldn't keep my eyes open, even with just 22 minutes left to go.

A chance meeting between 2 women, both celebrating their 45 birthday, triggered a story with staggering details. I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough to see where it was going.

Unusual formatting totally worked for me. It was alternating narration by Alix and Josie (the 45 year old “Birthday Twins), interviews for a podcast by Alix and a Netflix documentary presentation. It sounds confusing but it fell into place easily.

The story kept getting deeper and deeper, stranger and stranger. I'm still not sure how I felt about the ending.

I have read several books by Lisa Jewell. I have liked them all but this one was my favourite. Fast-paced, intriguing and unpredictable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

Wow!!! I have always been a Lisa Jewell fan and consider her one of my most consistently good thriller authors. BUT, this book was on a whole other level. This is going to be my favourite thriller of the year. I cannot see anything beating it.

This book is definitely darker than most of the author's previous work and I was living for it. Also, the podcast and Netflix show developement elements were on point. I will be re-reading this with the audiobook as soon as I can get my hands on it. I want to experience the podcast elements as they were meant to be experienced! Multiple times in this book, I would read something and just think "What is going on?". I didn't know who to trust, what was true, and I can't wait for more people to read this book so I can discuss it with them.

**Read an ARC from Netgalley

Rating : 5 Stars

Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster Canada and Lisa Jewell.
Two women born on the same day in the same hospital met on their 45 birthday.
Housewife mets podcaster in a pub and what ensues is pure craziness
Fast-paced, quick read,
Recommend 4 stars

I could not put this book down, and could not stop thinking about it between sittings! It's weird and twisty with all the kind of family drama Lisa Jewell is so good at! The whole book had me wondering what was going on and where the truth actually lies.

Lisa Jewell just keeps getting better and better! I think I have a new favorite by her!

Thank you to @netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review!

This one is getting quite a bit of hype and after reading it, I would say it is well deserved. This book was packed with suspense and mystery and I loved how it was a bit creepy and dark. I had no idea where this story was headed and it was so easy to just keep reading because I needed to know what in the actual heck was going on!!!!!! Great story line, plot, characters, and twists made this a total binge read. Add this to your list, you will not be disappointed 😉.
4.5⭐️

Such a great thriller! The ending blew my mind. I never want to read thrillers again but I might make an exception for this one. So entertaining!

Holy smokes what a twisted tale! This book was incredibly well written! I read through this at breakneck speed, could not put it down. It grabs you from page one and holds you in its death grip till the last page. So many twists and turns. This was one crazy ride. Awesome characters woven into a super suspenseful, heart stopping plot. Absolutely brilliant!

If you know me, you know Lisa Jewell is my favourite author, so I was extremely excited to read this ARC last month! …And Boy - it did not disappoint.

This story had me intrigued right from the start! I loved how we got two point-of-views from both of the female main characters, and also had a dual timeline. Tying in the Netflix docu-series was such a great touch as well, and really made me picture the book play out as if it were actually on tv.

With both MCs being unreliable, this truly added to the suspense and intrigue of the plot, and honestly made me question everything and everyone in the book! I loved being able to go back and forth between both POVs and through the timelines, to figure out if Josie was actually the sane one or if she was the unreliable one.

I’m not going to explain the book any further, because I feel like going in blind would be the ultimate way to experience this chilling read.

This is probably my new fav Lisa Jewell book (sorry Then She Was Gone - you’ve been dethroned). If you are someone who wants a great suspense thriller where you’re always left guessing, and where the ending is unpredictable and leaves you wanting more; look no further. Add this to your TBR!

Thank you @simonschusterca and @netgalley for a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

📖None of This is True by Lisa Jewell- the hype is real with this one! I couldn’t read it fast enough. It was such a wild ride and I had no idea how it was going to end. Please tell me which Lisa Jewell I should read next, because I think I’m officially a fan!

Great read! I was hooked right from the getgo!
When popular podcaster, Alix Summerruns into her birthday twin, Josie, at the local pub, Alix would never suspect she would end up spinning her life out of control.
When the women bump into each other a few days later, Josie seems eager to become a subject on Alix’s podcast.
as things spiral out of control, Alix questions of her own life is becoming podcast worthy.

Great read! Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the genre. Well written and had be hooked from the first pages.

Lisa Jewell's latest book had me completely engrossed from start to finish! I stayed up late into the night just to see what would happen next. Jewell skillfully sets the scene and introduces the main plot early on, with each chapter revealing new information that kept me eagerly turning the pages. While reading, I couldn't help but shake my head at some of Alix's decisions as she becomes more entangled in Josie's world. It's an unsettling and thrilling read.

If you enjoy reading Lisa Jewell's books, this one is definitely worth adding to your TBR list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.