Book Review Wednesday: None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

I'm always so excited when new book releases are announced and even more excited when they're from my favorite authors. Lisa Jewell has become a favorite over the years and I always look forward to reading her new works. This year was no different and the fact that I was able to receive an ARC from Net Galley made it even better. 

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell is being released on August 8th but you're getting my review early. This is probably one of my favorite Lisa Jewell books to date and I inhaled the words within a few days. I was in a bit of a reading slump (I've been in one all year it feels like) and this pulled me right out.

I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I could not figure out where the story was going or what the outcome would be. It was very all over the place in a good way and I was not expecting the ending in any way, shape or form.

It was an excellent thriller novel with interesting characters who weren't really unlikable (strange for a thriller in my opinion) and lots of twists that kept you on your toes. 

Publisher's Summary

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?

My Thoughts

When you first meet Josie, something is definitely off about her. I wasn't sure if we were going to go into a mental illness storyline or something else, but there something wasn't right. The way she was so instantly obsessed with the fact that Alix was her 'birthday twin' was bizarre and her husband gave me the ick immediately. 

As you learn more about Josie and you find out about her daughters, your antennas go up. Something is drastically awry here and you won't stop reading until you find out. 

Alix on the other hand is a little too curious for her own good and gets roped into giving Josie her own podcast series. Through their conversations we learn more about Josie's upbringing and her relationship with her husband, all of which is very uncomfortable. 

Josie is weird, we learn that much, and the almost parasocial relationship she forms with Alix and her family is very upsetting. I wanted to scream at Alix to stop letting Josie in! 

As the book goes on and you learn more about both Alix and Josie's lives, things don't add up. There are missing pieces in all aspects and you almost don't even know where the book is going to go. You know that someone is harboring a secret but it's not clear that it is.

When everything comes to a head and you get the full picture, it's more wild that you could imagine. My jaw was on the ground and I was just shocked and riveted the entire time. Secrets are revealed, people die, and things are never the same for Josie or Alix.

I was not prepared for how the book would end. It was unexpected, sad and just really unsettling in so many ways. I felt horrible for all of those involved and without revealing too much, it was just devastating and undeserving but also it's important to remember that thrillers don't usually end up happy.

None of This is True was incredibly well written, had excellent pace, and some real character development - in both positive and negative directions. The main plot points were held close to the chest and it was a hard book to figure out which I always appreciate. It was unexpected in all the best ways.

If you have been wanting to sink your teeth into a thriller with an unexpected villain, you will love None of This is True. I definitely think it's one of Jewell's best books!

xoxo

B