None of This Is True

Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite thriller authors. Her novels are intricate without being confusing. They contain plot twists that make me gasp. Her characters are real and relatable - none of the upper-echelon milieu for her. Her characters are people who feel the pressures of working and caring for a family, worry about money, and try their best to get by. Some of her characters are luckier than others, e.g., have successful, profitable careers, but all work hard for their success. All of this is important because thrillers are best when you connect to the characters and become so involved in their stories that the story melts away. Best of all, none of her books are the same. You never know what you are going to get.

None of This is show more True has all of that and more. I say more because, with this novel, we know the big reveal. Ms. Jewell tells us IN THE TITLE. You would think that would be a turnoff, but it is anything but that. Instead, what Ms. Jewell has for her readers is a major mind-f*ck.

I find that neither Josie nor Alix are altruistic women. Josie has plenty of issues, which we learn about throughout the story. That is the reason for the podcast, after all. Alix, however, is not the perfect angel. She uses Josie as much as Josie uses her, which, again, is the point. These details are not spoilers. You know all this upfront. Again, it's in the title. That is the beautiful thing.

Another thing Ms. Jewell does so well in None of This is True is that she keeps you guessing. Yes, you know that the characters are lying. Yes, you know that the family drama is not what it seems to be. But you never know what the truth is. Even at the very end of the novel, when you think you have all the answers, you are never sure you do. Ms. Jewell brilliantly exploits that doubt throughout the entirety of the story. She tells us that the entirety of the story is a bunch of lies, but then she places questions in our minds about those lies. It's masterful storytelling.

In a summer filled with fantasy, romance, and horror, None of This is True is a welcome breath of fresh air. Once again, Ms. Jewell tells a spectacular story that keeps you guessing again and again and again. The characters are not ideal people, but no one ever is. We all have our skeletons, so it is only natural that Josie and Alix have theirs. With an ending that you don't see coming, characters that keep you guessing, and plenty of suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat, None of This is True is the perfect summer thriller. show less

A chance meeting in a pub brings together Alix Summer, a podcaster who normally interviews successful women, and Josie Fair whose ears prick up at the sound of Alix's birthday celebrations. The two women are birthday twins, exactly the same age and born on the same day. Alix agrees to Josie's request to interview her for a new kind of podcast - 'Hi, I'm Your Birthday Twin' - and it's 'fair' to say that before too long she doesn't know what has hit her. There's a lot more to Josie Fair than meets the eye.

I've always loved Lisa Jewell's books but None of This is True has to be one of her best. It's completely and utterly addictive, a metaphorical car crash playing out before my eyes as Josie insinuates her way into Alix's life. Given the show more title of the book, I was wondering how much to trust Josie's account of events in her life and I loved that about it.

I found the format of the book very appealing. Chapters that tell the story day by day and at various times on those days feel like a blow by blow account of events and are interspersed with interviews for a Netflix series which gives the unfolding story a real sense of foreboding with a fabulous touch of the unexpected at the end. I found None of This is True to be a hard to put down book full of fascinating and complex characters. It blew me away with its razor-sharp storyline and Jewell has once again proved what a brilliant author she is. show less

This book kept me on edge and guessing all the way through. Right away, there are clues that these characters are messed up (on different levels and for different reasons perhaps, but messed up all the same). All the major characters engage in risky behavior without the most pristine and ethical of motivations, but some are particularly off the charts. IMO, this quality is what makes a thriller insanely thrilling, disturbing/offkeel, and unsettling.

Different readers have different lines and so it’s worth telling prospective readers that there are children involved in this story (current children and one-time now grown children). While nothing is explicitly said or descriptively described, as the story progresses, there's plenty of show more implied and imparted information to understand there are themes of pedophilia, child abuse/childhood trauma, and parental neglect, among other felonious issues. Those are inherent to the story and plot, so if knowing that crosses a line for you, you might want to sit this one out.

This sort of borrows shades of Single, White Female and Fatal Attraction, but does its own thing. It’s not derivative of either, there are just certain…similarities. Likewise, there’s a degree of, unreliability in the narrator that veers towards insanity and instability.

If you’re intrigued or at least not repelled, highly recommended.

And a mild rant to those who scold the author and/or down-rate this (or any) book because of its plotpoints and themes, this is a work of fiction. It doesn’t at all mean that the author is endorsing or excusing A or B because she’s writring about it, in the same way an actor convincingly portraying a part shouldn’t be confused with the character s/he is playing. Totally understand if a book isn’t for you, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have been written at all.

And with that, the decision is yours. show less

Hooked me from almost the first page, and the first half was fast-paced and had me asking all the questions, but then I got the ick. Why?

It started to read like we're meant to believe that because a 15-year-old girl may be a psychopath, she wasn't a victim of grooming/SA by the 42-year-old man she ends up marrying at 18. I kept on reading, my thought process being, maybe this is simply the viewpoint of the pedophile, but no, others started to say it. Their "testimony" supporting the notion that the crazy, narcissistic teenager was at fault. That it was all her doing.

For me, the book plummeted from a 4-star read at that point.

I will say, I actually enjoyed the ambiguous ending because, to me, the whole point of this story is the show more malleability of memory and truth, and while an unreliable narrator is, well, unreliable, they are telling us their truth from their (perhaps curated) memories. This makes them suspect and we can never trust anything they're telling us. Certainly some of what they're saying could be true, but how can we tell the truth from the lies? And how do we avoid invalidating their real experiences when buried under a mountain of selective truths? show less

The crux of the main character's story was disturbing and played out in a less than satisfactory way. Without spoiling the plot, all I can say is that this more than distasteful and triggering subject matter was not only ultimately glossed over but somehow almost deemed okay. Unacceptable victim blaming. The ending felt more akin to a balloon fizzling out of air rather than being popped in an explosive reveal.

Frankly, there are far better mysteries out there.

Would otherwise bump this review up to 3 stars because the audio version was well produced and made for compelling listening and I'll admit I found it hard to stop listening at times.

Reading this book felt like reaching into a bag of potato chips - you start with one chip/chapter, and you try to eat/read a reasonable amount at a time, but invariably you finish the bag/book in one sitting. Suspense is still not my favorite genre, but when I get the rare urge to take the plunge, Lisa Jewell is my go-to author.

From the book's opening, the script for a Netflix trailer promoting an upcoming true crime documentary, we know that podcaster Alix Summer's encounter with her "birthday twin" at a local gastropub will end in tragedy. But it's a long way from an accidental meeting in the ladies room to three dead bodies. Lisa Jewell is skilled at gradually ratcheting up the tension and creepiness. It's right there in the title, show more but if none of this is true, are either Alex or Josie reliable narrators? Is it possible to feel empathy for someone who does monstrous things? Were there points along the road where the story could have gone a different way if there had been earlier intervention or fewer concessions made?

By the book's final page, you will be reasonably certain that you know the truth, but there will also be a seed of doubt. Because the truths we tell ourselves are often the biggest lies.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review. show less

Oh. my. gosh. I've read and enjoyed all of Lisa Jewell's books. But her latest - None of This is True - is crazy good!!
Take a second look at that cover. The same image, but with one turned upside down. And that's what you'll find - everything you thought you read, will be turned topsy-turvy.

Alix and Josie are both out for dinner to celebrate their 45th birthday and discover they are 'birthday twins' both born on the same day and in the same hospital. Until tonight they've never met before. Another chance meeting brings an unusual request. Alix is a well known podcaster and Josie would like Alix to document her life as it changes. It's an odd request, but Alix is intrigued...

If you can, I recommend going into this book blind. There are show more many twists and turns and discovering them as I read was a treat. The plotting is fabulous - unpredictable over and over again. (And had me shouting out loud more than once!)

The two lead characters are very well drawn, but do we really know them? Their inner dialogue belies the faces they show the world. There's a number of supporting players that may or may not be unreliable as well. Who to believe?

I loved the epistolary element of the podcast episodes. A story within a story.

Kudos to Lisa Jewell for such an addicting, unpredictable read. I couldn't put it down. An easy five stars!

Gentle readers, there are some triggers. show less