Whilst out celebrating her 45th birthday with her boyfriend and friend well know podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with Josie Fair

A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Aix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging.

Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home.

Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?

Well what can I say about this book except that it is one you will really want to read or listen to as it’s just fantastic . I absolutely love domestic suspense thrillers especially ones with some horrible and unstable characters and with a storyline that will have you unable to put the book down then this book is for you . An utterly heart pounding and unputdownable read that for me is a 5⭐️ read .

This was my first ever Lisa Jewell book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! There was a tremendous sense of tension throughout, and Jewell cleverly manipulates our feelings for the two main female characters. The intermittent adding of a true crime podcast also allows her to play with the conceals and reveals- very clever! Would definitely recommend...

None Of This Is True
Lisa Jewell

Synopsis
Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.

A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Aix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging.

Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home.

Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?

Review
You cant go wrong with a book written by Lisa Jewell, always well written with a strong storyline.
This book was a great dark thriller, and at the start was really engaging and kept the reader wanting more.
I did guess the main twist, whilst the ending wasnt bad, I just wanted abit more.
I was very close to giving this book 5⭐️ but something is holding me back. There was a couple of choices made in the book which I felt were unrealistic/weak. I would recommend this book though overall.

Rated 4.5/5

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in return for a honest review.

Lisa Jewell has done it again!

This is an incredibly intense psychological thriller. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting.

This was compelling and highly addictive.. A real domestic noir with quite a few unexpected twists and turns. Lisa Jewel books keep you engaged throughout and each is quite unique.

4.25 stars rounded to 4! This was a nice level of slow suspense and I had no idea what way it was going to go. The ending felt s little ambiguous, which may have been intentional, but I’d have preferred a clearer ending. Overall a great read but not as jaw dropping thrilling as I’d have expected!

Lisa Jewell is a master at creating novels that make your stomach lurch with foreboding and this latest offering is no different. The premise of meeting your 'birthday twin' and finding them encroaching on your life is horrifying enough for any introvert but what ensues is a twisted nightmare. Told through flashbacks and excerpts of a TV show, None of This Is True is bound to be another smash hit for Jewell.

When I opened None of This Is True by @lisajewelluk I was hooked from the very first page. Lisa Jewell has created another bone-chillingly read, with unreliable narrators AND it’s got multi-media in the form of a podcast. Sound up your street? Well lucky you, it’s publication day🎉

I’m a HUGE fan of everything Lisa writes, and this was certainly no exception. It contains Lisa’s typical mind-bending story telling, and I genuinely think it’s one of her best work yet.

You NEED to pick it up! It is incredible!

Whenever a new Lisa Jewell book comes out it get bumped straight to the top of my reading pile, and I am never disappointed by my decision. Another great read.

At this point in my life I have read 50% of Lisa Jewell's backlist and this book is sitting pretty in the top 3 - with ease!

The set up of this story, the formatting and how breadcrumbs are left throughout the podcast and Netflix part of this book is perfection. Jewell excels at creating suspense and intrigue! I was sucked into this story from the first chapter and although not the ending I expected this was a really solid book that I think will be very well received.

My only critique is that I wished the relationship between Jodie and Walter was explored on a deeper level, I think that could have really added another layer to this story especially for that ending!

I've read several other novels by Lisa Jewell- but all the superlatives being bandied around about this one, for me, are true!

It is horribly credible, realistic and just one page moreish because of the ways the chapters are written.

I've enjoyed previous Lisa Jewell books, but I could not put this one down! A great one for your hols- if you don't mind not communicating with anyone else for a couple of days...

I have read most of this authors books and enjoyed them all so was very keen to read this one. There were so many twists and turns I genuinely didn’t know what was happening but it was very good! It was a very dark and unique book that I would definitely recommend.

Wow! This book had me up reading at 3 in the morning! I loved it.
It just goes to show that we can never know, or fully understand what goes on behind closed doors, and inside someone's mind.
With so many conflicting stories and points of view during interviews with Alix for her podcast, who can you believe?
An excellent read.

Relatable, dark, spine-chilling and suspenseful. Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors, but this was even better than I'd dared to hope.

Successful podcaster Alix bumps into Josie when they are both out celebrating their 45th birthdays, and soon afterwards they come up with the idea of the "Hi! I'm Your Birthday Twin" podcast.

Despite being born on the same day in the same hospital their lives have turned out to be drastically different, but soon Alix realises that there is even more to explore about Josie's story.

It is only when Alix finally meets Josie's husband that everything starts to unravel for both families.

Told mainly from the perspectives of the two strong female lead characters and interspersed with podcasts, interviews and telephone conversations from a full range of characters who are all vividly drawn. Truly unputdownable and the audio featuring narration by Nicola Walker is absolutely fantastic.

* The Hi! I'm Your Birthday Twin podcast has been bought to life! Listen to all 4 episodes and find out more at penguin.co.uk/BirthdayTwin *

WOW. This will be my favourite book of the year. Calling it now. I was gripped from the start. I love how this was completely different from Lisa's previous novels, podcast style etc. I also loved the Netflix style documentary elements within the book too. PERFECTION.

Lisa Jewell you are a QUEEN.

I love Lisa Jewell books and have read some crackers over the years. This latest book did not disappoint.

The format of the story with short chapters, pod cast inserts and different view points had me flying through the pages

Alix certainly gets more than she bargained for with her latest podcast. I had so many questions and it really kept me guessing

Okay, so I really don’t understand Gillian Flynn’s hype train. I stayed away from Gone Girl because of the hype. Sharp Objects missed the mark. The narrative, the characterisation, the connotations. I just disliked the writing style. There’s something about the writing that doesn’t click for me. I appreciate the talent of the author, but it wasn’t something I’d scream about.

Oh man, so many things failed to hit the mark in Sharp Objects. The connection between self-harming and being a promiscuous loner, both bothered me. It just seemed disrespectful to me. Her mental illness seemed to be the primary focus of the story right away, it shouldn’t of been her entire personality. Even though I enjoy a good crime novel, I felt the central theme of someone killing young teenage girls was glossed over. There was no build-up or insight, and it simply felt two-dimensional. Furthermore, the lack of meaningful exploration into the motives of the killer was troubling, as it failed to offer any meaningful resolution for the characters or the audience.

I had no interest in Wind Gap as a setting for the story. I was not captivated by it. I did not find it interesting. Rather than simply supporting the story, I like to imagine the scenery, the houses as an integral part of the plot. Flynn tried way too hard to emulate Agatha Christie, and ultimately failed. While I love it when authors experiment with different themes and voices, they must remain true to themselves at all times. Ultimately, Wind Gap felt like a poor imitation of a classic mystery novel. It didn’t have the same charm or intrigue that I was expecting.

There was a real lack of humanity in this novel. Please don’t come for me. I wasn’t shocked or repulsed by the ending. Especially after reading a lot of horror and psychological fiction, that could be a sensitivity issue. The use of gore and violence seemed gratuitous to me. This lack of humanity was evident throughout the novel, and not even the ending changed my opinion. It was almost as if the author was trying to shock the reader, instead of providing a meaningful story. This emptiness struck a chord with me, and I found it difficult to read the book.

This story’s protagonist Camille is one of those tropes that I dislike – a mentally damaged heroine with alcohol- or drug-related problems unable to enter into relationships. That’s bullshit, man. We seem to have left that trope in the early 2000s. As a matter of fact, I disliked her drinking more than her self-harming. SPOILER -The fact that she could take ecstasy with her thirteen-year-old sister and sleep with an eighteen-year-old as a thirty-year-old woman is beyond irresponsible. She’s screwed up a lot, whether because of her upbringing or simply because she hasn’t grown up. She certainly has questionable decision-making skills, and it is concerning to witness the consequences of her choices.

After loosing my “thriller” mojo None Of This Is True has really pulled me back in. Packed with twists and turns I never saw coming this book left me shocked and truly entertained. Amazing

This is my first Lisa Jewell read, and it won’t be my last!

What a page-turner. I couldn’t put it down. I was totally drawn into the story and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. Alix gets pulled further and deeper into the drama of Josie’s life and starts to document it via her podcast but who is to say what’s true and where it will all end?

A claustrophobic and compelling read.

Without a doubt, this is the best Lisa Jewell novel I have ever read. In the author's note at the end, she explains at how it flowed out of her without many of the tropes we usually see in her thrillers. This means we have something completely unique and captivating with the story of 'None of this is True'.

Alix meets her birthday twin Josie whilst celebrating her forty fifth in a pub. Intrigued by this odd woman, Alix makes Josie the centre of her new podcast. We follow the making of the podcast whilst Josie reveals her life story bit by bit. This is intercut with excerpts from a Netflix documentary about the making of the podcast - so we already know things are going to take a tragic turn. Jewell has warned us to be suspicious of all of these characters in the title and wow, the twists and turns are worth it. I will not reveal anything further- read on go on the journey for yourself.

You will be completely absorbed and unable to put this down. Jewell is at her best here! As always, I am already desperately awaiting what she pens next. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.