There is also some clever writing on show, as some seemingly harmless things are mentioned early on which become important later. The characterisation is excellent and I’m going to say little about either Alix or Josie as that is one of the joys of the book to discover for yourself! I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell, and this was right up there in terms of thrill, fast pace, plot, writing style and characterisation – yes but that doesn’t mean I liked the characters.

Josie tells Alix she is about to make big changes in her life and wants Alix to document it for her podcast. It starts slow but the sinister feeling tingles beneath your neck, warning you bad things are about to come and sooner all hell breaks loose. Soon they are all seated, and the first bottles of champagne are popped and poured into fourteen glasses held out by fourteen people with tanned arms and gold bracelets and crisp white shirtsleeves and they all bring their glasses together, those at the furthest ends of the table getting to their feet to reach across the table, and they all say, “To Alix! Alix and Josie bump into each other for the first time in the bathroom of a local pub, coincidentally on the day they were both turning 45. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over naShe lives in an innermost part of north London with her husband Jascha, an IT consultant, her daughters, Amelie and Evie and her silver tabbies, Jack and Milly. Instead it seemed an ideal opportunity to show how divergent women’s lives can be in spite of similar beginnings. This isn’t a pleasant read, and it can easily become too much, but the exploration of themes like obsession, manipulation and warped mindsets did appeal to me. On their 45th birthdays, Josie Fair and Alix Summer meet at a pub and discover they were born not only on the same day, but in the same hospital.

Lisa Jewell's latest Psychological Thriller grabbed my attention from the start and held it all the way through. That being said, there were a few aspects of this plot that kept it from being a 5 star read for me and more than a few times I wished I could slowly back away from the characters in this book. We were both flabbergasted when we made the discovery, it seemed extraordinary to us that we’d both come into the world on the same day and ended up doing the same job in the same very small orbit. The story provoked all my feelings, giving me shades of My Dark Vanessa and Greenwich Park, among other books. Saturday, 8 June, 2019 Josie can feel her husband’s discomfort as they enter the golden glow of the gastropub.

You know something isn’t quite right, there are red herrings making feel uncomfortable inside, but you want to dive into the murky water to see the creatures lurking there. This is slightly more character driven than some of Lisa Jewell’s other books, and that really comes out when Josie is recording episodes of the podcast. Lisa Jewell is an incredibly talented storyteller, as she can really take the odd day-to-day occurrences and entwine them with clear and concise character development, giving birth to novels that allow the reader to fully engage with the cast of characters, no matter if they are likable or despicable.

she takes the most universal observation and tosses it in very lightly at the end of a funny sentence—and it truly takes my breath away.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Lisa Jewell for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Lisa Jewell completely missed an opportunity with this one, but instead decided to victim blame a 13-year-old who was groomed by a 40 year old and married her abuser. There are always clues being planted and red herrings craftily scattered throughout the narrative, giving it a kind of unreliability that is in keeping with the title. The narrative is interspersed with transcripts from Alix's interviews with Josie's neighbors, friends, and family members, revealing so many versions of events that readers will have some trouble deciding where the truth lies.

A thrilling thriller, a chilling reminder to pick your friends carefully, and an immersive read that should keep you hooked. Alix's life is nowhere near as shiny as it appears on the surface and Josie is just a fascinating character. Told in a multimedia format, the way it is all laid out is easy to follow even allowing for the curious lack of page breaks, and it also ensures that the plot moves at a reasonably brisk pace. She loves that Nathan thinks she’s pretty, but she also wishes that Nathan could see the beauty in less conventionally attractive women too. But slowly Alix starts to realise 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.For all of Josie’s flaws, it has to be said that Walter is equally responsible for their dysfunctionality. In this edgy thriller from bestseller Jewell ( The Family Remains), meek housewife Josie Fair and true crime podcaster Alix Summers meet by chance in a pub where both are celebrating their 45th birthdays. Louise is a woman I feel a very strong bond with, although we don’t see each other much, I absolutely get her, and she makes total sense to me. But then I thought it was pretty clear from the off she was just a manipulator obsessed with her own victim complex, and that Alix is going to lift her up into a new life. She’d looked up the menu online earlier, so she’d be able to google stuff if she didn’t know what it was, so she already knows what she’s having.