None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

None of This is True
by Lisa Jewell
Published: August 8, 2023 by Atria Books

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her “superb pacing, twisted characters, and captivating prose” (BuzzFeed), Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

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.

A few days later, 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 inveigled 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.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

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Review

5 Stars

Lisa Jewell’s latest novel, None of This is True, is an unputdownable psychological thriller about birthday twins and the envy we sometimes feel when we see someone with something we haven’t. Alix Summers and Josie Fair are both 45, ready for a change, and feeling the mid-life slump. Josie presents a podcast idea to Alix and the rest is history. Or rather, it’ll be in the history books. Josie’s life story, told from her perspective, is terrifying, upsetting, and disturbing. Alix can only sit quietly in the discomfort and try to figure out what her new friend’s angle really is.

Told from alternating perspectives and podcast feed, this is a true-crime feeling novel that you should absolutely make time for. It'll leave you with the creepy crawlies, but is ten times more satisfying than watching any documentary you've seen. I felt like I was in it alongside Alix and that's an incredible skill. This book was a one-sitting read for me, because I couldn’t walk away from it if I tried. Unsettling and creepy, None of This is True is a stunning release from Jewell.