Blaming a 15-year-old for the actions of a paedophile is an emphatic NO from me. Also some problematic behaviour by another man that just gets resolved in a "but he's still a good guy", which is another red flag.

I was rather enjoying this book until the abovementioned two things happened. Without them, this might have been a four-star. But please, can we stop normalizing bad behaviour from men? There's enough of it going on in real life, must we have it in fiction as well?

(Review copy from NetGalley)

A fast paced thriller, well written which kept me on the edge of my from the beginning until the end. All the characters were well described and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for this ARC which I have no hesitation in recommending.

A compelling, fast-paced story that kept me guessing at every turn, until the very end (and I'm still trying to figure out some of it now, almost one week after finishing it!). I was absolutely obsessed with finding out the truth, and Jewell's writing style is so easy to read that I flew through the pages without even noticing.

I loved the mixed media structure, with the podcast recordings and Netflix series breaking the chapters and making the whole book flow even faster. A very good way to keep the interest high, especially given the hints of something terrible that had happened but we didn't see yet...

Probably my favourite book by Lisa Jewell so far, I highly recommend reading it!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance review copy.

None of This Is True is a modern psychological thriller. The book starts with two women meeting on their birthdays and they are “birthday twins”. Nothing can prepare you for what will happen throughout the book. Lisa Jewell creates many different stories in the narrative that could be portrayed as the truth and it made me doubt what I thought was the truth. Even at the very end I wasn’t 100% sure on the truth.

There was an eerie sense to the book from the beginning and it only got more sinister as I read more. I could sense that something big was going to be revealed, I was just waiting for it to come out. There was many twists and cliffhangers that led me to believe in different stories but I could never have imagined what actually happened. I thought the pace was fast from the start but it never felt rushed, there was enough time at the end to fully end the book. This book will stay with me forever, I am already excited to re-read it in the future.

I like how the podcast/documentary style netflix show script was weaves into the main story, revealing snippets of information at a time. The netflix show brings in the thoughts and version of events from people in Josie’s life, most of their narrative was cut short to create cliffhangers. I was eager to know the truth so it made me want to stay and read the book for longer. I really didn’t want this book to end because it was written so well and I loved the chapters had the podcast clips in.

Alix and Josie, the main characters, were so different but they became friend very quickly. I thought Alex was very naive to what was actually happening at first and she saw through the red flags that Josie had. Josie was very mysterious and appeared to vulnerable. She had an eerie and creepy sense to her and I was scared about what was going to be revealed whenever I read about her. She was such a believable person and that’s how Alix got drew into her lies.

I highly recommend this one! I only had read a handful of psychological thrillers that have actually made me feel truly scared and this is my newest addition. Thank you so much to Random House UK and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book.

Well, if ever a book had a true title! We start the story with Alix and Josie, both born on the same day in the same hospital, celebrating their 45th birthdays in the same restaurant. Alix has a lovely life, a fond husband, two children and works as a podcaster. Josie married a much older man, has two daughters, one of whom has run away and one stays hidden in her room.

She decides Alix is her ticket out of that life, the catalyst for change, so she approaches her at the school gate and persuades her to do a podcast of her strange life. But is Josie telling the truth?

Half way through I was gripped in fear, sure I knew what Josie was up to and fearing what would happen to Alix. But nothing is what it seems in this book - we can believe what people tell us, or we can seek the real truth. Who is lying? Who is living in some fantasy world? The results will be catastrophic for Alix as Josie makes her play to escape her life.

A great read, sat on the edge of my seat, as the 'truthometer' swung one way then another. I'm still not sure what the realities really were!

Thank you to NetGalley and for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

None Of This Is True Book Review 📖

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Considering how many books Lisa Jewel has written, I've hardly made a dent in her back list, but this was a highly anticipated read for me. A group of us read this together in what was meant to be a 7 day buddy read, but around 5 days a few of us couldn't contain ourselves any longer and ended up finishing the book, and what a wild ride it was, we literally had no clue which turn this book was going to take.
On the back of the book is written 'prepare to be hooked' and never have I read truer words - I was gripped from the start and it didn't take long for me to be fully invested, it was very hard to stop reading at the designated pages.
I loved the alternating POV from Josie and Alix, as well sections from Alix's podcast, and those tantalising teasers from the Netflix documentary thrown into the mix too.
Now, I'm going to call it and say this book will divide booksta. I wasn't 100% on the ending, but some of the people in the buddy read loved it. HOWEVER, it was such a fantastic read that I can't mark it down. This book has everything you need, it's dark and disturbing, tense and well plotted with moments and characters that will have you on the edge of your seat.
None Of This Is True has knocked The Night She Disappeared off of top spot on my Lisa Jewell list.
This was a fantastic buddy read that I loved being part of, so thank you to everyone involved and to the publishers for the advance copy of this book.

None Of This Is True will be out on 20th July

I really enjoyed this book! What a ride!
Loved the podcast/true crime format & could totally see this as an itv/Netflix drama!
This ones for you if you’re looking for a quick thriller binge, love not knowing who to trust & fancy being creeped out a little!!

Probably my fave LJ book to date! Thank you!

The premise of this one really drew me in and in the main, the plot was twisty and kept you guessing as to the motives of Alix and Josie and how that linked to the netflix documentary and podcast.

What I didn't like was the netflix sections jumping around in time. I'd have preferred them to be included from about half way...rather than distracting from the start. Also...SPOILER...if the author is trying to portray two potential endings, there needs to be more clues to the ending Josie believes. I didn't feel that I could believe Josie's account because there was no evidence that was believable. There wasn't enough "other side of the story" for me.

Another fab read from Lisa Jewell. I read this in two days on holiday. In fact I totally ignored everyone around me. Full of twists and turns. Loved it

I loved this book. It is Lisa Jewel at her best. You know the format - that the plot shifts are going to change your view of "the truth" in her usual way, but it is great to try and see which way things will go. The layering of the plot is great - if only all modern authors could do this as well.
I didn't really feel any warmth for any of the characters though - even at the end when supposedly we knew the story from every angle - or did we?

A creepy and weird book that left me needing to process before writing a review.

Alix Summers is a Podcast host with her own home studio, she unfortunately meets Josie Fair while they both are celebrating their 45th birthday’s in the local pub. Later in the week Alix crosses paths again with Josie who knows all about Alix and tells her that she may have a story for Alix’s podcast. Although Alix is unsure, she fights off her bad vibe and reluctantly agrees to tell her story.

What a mistake that turns out to be.
Josie is a very indepth character, she has some issues clearly, and she doesn't seem to mind inserting herself into Alix's life. Josie is a nobody really, her children are grown up and aren't close with her, her husband though much older than her seems to enjoy her company at first but the more you sail through the pages of the book, you start to doubt if it's love or just routine. To his face she seems to enjoy his company too but behind his back she has this facade going on, where she's mistreated, groomed, abused, bullied or hurt in her marriage, having children, her life etc and I just hated her for it.
Of course, it could all have been true, but the way she talked, I just knew There's no denying she wasn't happy in her life, maybe the idea of running off with an older man to spite her mother caught up with her, maybe having children that had learning difficulties and anger management issues was too much for her, but that wasn't the full story.

Josie is a jealous person, a manipulator and a compulsive liar but though she has major faults, she's not the only one in the family that seems to have though issues, Josie's daughter Roxy though never actually in the book apart from the occasional snippet towards the end or written in a memory, it's clear she is also like her mother, clearly needing some help and support mentally.
Of course though, Josie conveniently skips past all this stuff and turns anyone who doesn't fit her vision of herself into a baddie, it's clear to me that even Josie might need some help and support mentally too.

Alix also has issues but not until Josie inserts herself into her life, obsessed with Alix, Josie starts to cause trouble, stealing tokens from her life, a bracelet from her husband on her birthday to pictures of her children. Alix is the type of person that talks about her life and feels safe and protected, it only worsens when Josie starts to invite herself into her life on a regular basis, Alix really needed to exercise her right to boundaries, even when she wasn't busy, she should have said she was, I find it's when you relax around someone that you can really start to be walked over without even realizing it, this made Josie feel like she could turn up whenever she wanted and basically start blaming it on Alix's lack of attention. This is the most fatal error Alix can give in to because when s starts to take her eye of the ball that's when it all hits the fan!

I absolutely HATED Josie because the writing was absolute quality as always, Jewell knows how to get the reader to follow the direction she's sending them in!

I did enjoy this book as I LOVE Lisa Jewell! She is one of my favourite authors, though it wasn't my favourite, I really enjoyed this book and completely recommend it, it is an absolute page turner!

Clear your diary because you have got some reading to do!

With thanks to NETGALLEY, the publisher and of course, Lisa Jewell for this amazing free ARC in return for my review!

Fantastic book. I just tried to keep up with the pace as the tension builds. I am still trying to figure out which version is the truth. It all depends on whose perspective you believe.

Enjoy I did

Just wow!

Lisa Jewell does not disappoint! I loved this book, utterly gripping from the start. I felt I had no idea what was true or who would end up being the reliable narrator for most of the book but this just added to the drama!

A mind bending look at what is true…every story has two sides, but this one seems to have several.

A story of family, love, friendship, and ultimately truth.

The characters were brilliant. Josie and Alix are the ones we really get to know but there were some strong peripheral characters too.

Alix is a podcaster who wants to help people tell their stories, but she soon regrets agreeing to help Josie tell hers! Josie wants her truth heard, but does she even know what the truth is? The secrets keep unraveling, but will Alix ever get to the truth?

I’m a great fan of Lisa Jewel and loved her new offering. The dread throughout was great and the slow build tension was fantastic.
And the final chapter was explosive. A fantastic read!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an arc of 'None of This is True'
Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors and this could well be one of her best books ever. I read this book in almost one sitting as I was so totally invested in the main characters and storyline. What a roller coaster of a domestic psychological thriller with just the right amount of twists and turns to keep you wanting more...and more! Highly recommend you put it firmly to the top of your summer reading wishlist.

When there’s a glut of novels written like true crime podcasts or documentaries, it’s easy to become jaded however Lisa Jewell provides a masterclass in how to write using this format but still make it seem fresh and exciting.

It’s no wonder she’s the queen of crime. Thoroughly recommend.

Once again a belter of a book by Lisa Jewell.

It is quite hard to review this book without giving any spoilers but it starts fairly sedately with two women celebrating their birthdays in the same pub/restaurant and after a short conversation it transpires that they are birthday twins having not only the same birthday but being born in the same hospital.

The story then progresses with us learning more about the lives of the two women which couldn’t be more different, saying more than this would ruin the story.

Suffice to say I loved it, read it over 24 hours as I literally couldn’t put it down. The main characters are likeable and horrific in so many ways.

An absolute page turner

Wow what a thrilling and twisty read. I questioned who was telling the truth right until the very end and to be honest I’m still not entirely sure! It’s not often a book can keep me guessing so much. I struggled to put it down as it was such a compelling read. Perfect for holidays!

As a long time reader of Lisa Jewell’s book, this was an auto read for me and I must say it really did have me hooked quickly.
Josie met Alix one night in an up market restaurant and it just happened to be both their birthdays and also being born in the same hospital, Josie declares them the Birthday Twins.
Alix is a well known podcaster and being at the end of a series, an idea of another series forms…how has Josie’s life been…her Birthday Twin…
But little did she know that maybe letting Josie into her life might not have been the best idea.
Well this book has me guessing all the way through and at times I couldn’t stop turning the pages but towards the end it did loose momentum. Which surprised me with the story line it had, it wasn’t enough to disappoint me too much, just wasn’t expecting the slow down.
Still a great read and one I would recommend.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Ooh - this is a fabulous book - and as twisty and turny and exciting as you'd expect!

Whilst Alix and Josie might be 'birthday twins' there aren't many similarities in their lives. Alix and her husband Nathan have primary school aged kids, live a seemingly 'insta perfect' life with lots of family and friends around, and whilst Nathan is a commercial property letting agent - Alix has a successful podcast. Josie, on the other hand, lives with her very much older husband and one of their grown up daughters - the other daughter having left home suddenly a few years before. Apart from her little dog, and a job as a seamstress, and a slightly odd obsession with denim, Josie doesn't appear to have much going on in her life.

After initially bumping each other in the pub on their respective 45th birthday - Josie then 'accidentally' bumps into Alix again - and offers herself up as a potential interviewee for Alix's podcast series.

The book is told from both Alix and Josie's points of view, interspersed with recordings of the podcast and then also descriptions of a Netflix series made from the podcast series. You therefore know something 'big' is going to have happened.

The twists and turns keep you speculating as to what this could be - and I'm not sure you'd guess at all - and I'm not going to give any clues - you need to ride the journey for yourself!

I think social media - and particularly podcasts - have given everyone the opportunity to tell ' their truth' - even if it's not necessarily what everyone would consider THE truth. Recollections may vary and all that - and that is very much the vibe of Josie sharing 'her' story. But you also look at the back stories of the other characters and realise that you never really know what's going on behind closed doors and in other people's relationships.

A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC - and I'd highly recommend you all pre order it ready for release in July 2023.