None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell Book Review

Goodreads score: 4.4 / 5 ⭐
My score: 5 / 5 ⭐

I suggest reading None Of This Is True if you like psychological thrillers, suspense, mystery, domestic thrillers. Bonus points if you love crime podcasts/documentaries.

None Of This Is True Synopsis 📚

It all begins with a chance encounter between two women who share the same birthday. Alix Summer is a famous podcaster, and Josie Fair is a regular, unassuming woman.

They are both celebrating their 40th birthday at the same restaurant, which gives Alix an idea for her next podcast – the story of two women who are different in every aspect, bound together by the fact that they are “birthday twins”.

When Alix starts interviewing Josie for her podcast, she doesn’t expect to unearth so many dark secrets about her life and past. Josie is clearly not who Alix expected her to be, and as her sense of unease grows stronger, Josie is slowly making her way into Alix’s life — and into her home. Alix begins to realize she and her family may be in danger.

None Of This Is True Book Review 🕵🏻‍♀️

None Of This Is True is not only one of my favorite books from 2023, but it’s now one of my favorite psychological thrillers of all time! Many are calling this book Lisa Jewell’s best thriller yet, and I absolutely agree.

Lisa Jewell has created two intriguing, multifaceted characters who stand at the center of the story. As with all her other books, I find it difficult to process the fact that these characters don’t actually exist in real life. From the very beginning, their vibrant personalities jump off the page, immediately pulling you into the story.

Josie Fair is one of the most interesting protagonists I’ve ever had the chance to read about. Most of the suspense, mystery and anticipation in None Of This Is True comes from diving deeper into Josie’s mind and past, making this a classic psychological thriller.

This is easily Lisa Jewell’s most bingeable thriller book to date. Unlike the author’s previous books, this one is only told from the perspectives of Josie and Alix in the past. If you find it difficult to keep up with too many POVs or timelines, this is the perfect Lisa Jewell book for you. The simplicity mixed with the author’s simple writing style and addictive prose makes it a perfect book to binge-read in one sitting.

In None Of This Is True, Alix’s podcast plays a large role. The podcast has been turned into a Netflix documentary in the book, so we often come across recordings or interviews from the documentary. This gave the story a modern, bingeworthy element that I really enjoyed and found quite original.
If you have read Lisa Jewell’s other thriller books, like The Family Upstairs and Then She Was Gone, you know to expect some truly dark and disturbing stories. None Of This Is True is no exception, and with each revelation, the story only gets darker and twistier.

None Of This Is True Verdict 👩‍⚖️

If you want to read a book involving family secrets, true crime vibes, a podcast and Netflix documentary within a book, and intriguing and memorable characters, I highly recommend reading None Of This Is True.

None Of This Is True Trigger Warnings ⚠️

Domestic violence, gaslighting, sexual assault, mental health struggles.

Books Like None Of This Is True ❤️

If you are looking for your next read, I have a few different recommendations for you. If you like thriller books about podcasts, you should consider Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson, All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham, and The Night Swim by Megan Goldin.

Keep It In The Family by John Marrs is not about a podcast, but it also includes interviews and newspaper articles that give the book those “true crime” vibes.