None of This Is True

Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Thriller, Popcorn Thriller
366 pages
Publisher: originally published in Great Britain by Century, 2023

Synopsis
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell is a captivating psychological thriller. The novel begins when celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realize that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has worked her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

My review
None of This is True by Lisa Jewell is a devilishly fun and suspenseful novel that dives into the complexities of human relationships and the impact of past events on the present. The story is narrated from multiple perspectives, allowing the reader to glimpse into the minds of the characters and understand their motivations and emotions.

One of the strongest aspects of the novel is its character development. Each character is fleshed out and feels like a real person, with their own strengths, weaknesses, and secrets. Jewell does a fantastic job of creating a sense of intrigue and suspense, keeping the reader guessing until the very end.

Overall, None of This is True is a compelling and highly entertaining thriller and I loved that it focused on a character who was producing a podcast, making the story current and relatable. Since this is a standalone novel, I was a little let down by the ending and would have preferred a more solid conclusion that didn’t leave so many loose threads. Nevertheless, I’m glad I read it and recommend it to fans of popcorn thrillers.

My recommendation: read it! It’s a fun, light psychological thriller that throws in a few curve balls along the way.