None of This is True: The new addictive psychological thriller from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Family Upstairs

Product Information

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. I don’t think so. After Josie flees the scene of whatever happened, Alix repeatedly asks Josie if Erin is okay and Josie says she is. Who Killed Nathan in None of This is True? Alix Summers, a popular podcaster, is out celebrating her forty-fifth birthday when she meets her birthday twin Josie Fair. She doesn’t think much more about it until she runs into Josie again outside her children’s school. One thing leads to another, and Josie convinces Alix they should make a podcast about Josie’s life, sharing her truth and making some big changes. How does the theme of social class impact the unfolding events in the book? How do the differing social classes of the two families play into the overall storyline? Alix Summer was celebrating her 45th birthday with a large group of friends at her local Pub, when she meets her birthday twin in the Ladies room-an unassuming woman called Josie Fair, who was quietly celebrating with just one older gentleman. Turns out they were both born on the same day, in the same year at the same hospital.

First off, I am the last person to be excited by the premise of a true crime podcast/documentary/Netflix show etc. But WOWZA. If Jewell wanted to shelve novel writing and jump into screenwriting TOMORROW, I think she could do it. The Netflix show ABOUT the podcast is cleverly and neatly interspersed into the narrative, and I kid you not, every time one of these sections popped up, I could almost SEE the drama unfolding before me. Rather than a plot device, it felt like an evocative and intriguing way to leave a tiny trail of breadcrumbs throughout the story to keep you dying for more detail, more insight, and that next provocative interview. Needless to say, if this were a real Netflix documentary... UTTERLY bingeable. As the podcast continues, some very disturbing facts begin to reveal themselves, and Alix realises that she’s made a big mistake! Josie could say that she was suffering from battered woman syndrome, but why tie her daughter to a chair, the daughter she claims was being abused by Walter? To me, this shows Josie was lying. From that point on, the women's lives become entangled. It doesn't take long for Alix to suspect that Josie is so much more than she initially appeared. Josie is a smart woman, who happens to be hiding some very dark secrets. SANDRA EBEJER: Congratulations on the new book! After so many years of writing, do you still find it as exciting when a new book is going out into the world?What about a shared birthday might make you feel bonded to someone? Would you feel a sense of connection and intrigue the way Josie and Alix do? Why do you think Josie imbues this relatively ordinary coincidence with so much importance and meaning? This is my first Lisa Jewell novel, and I enjoyed it very much. It is definitely NOT a police procedural with limited police characterization in the story. It follows Alix, who is celebrating her 45th birthday and encounters Josie, who is at the same restaurant. They discover that not only were they born on the same day but at the same hospital. Alix does podcasts, and Josie worms her way into Alix's life and asks her if she would like to tell Josie's story in a podcast. Alix is game and the podcast, so to speak is afoot. That said, this game of cat and mouse was such a deviously delightful read that I can’t help but highly recommend it for your 2022 TBR. While not my favorite Lisa Jewell novel, it is an immensely enjoyable read that will be a fantastic book club choice, brimming with copious discussion material. Today, Jewell is the author of 21 novels, including her latest, None of This Is True. A psychological thriller, it tells the story of Londoners Alix and Josie, “birthday twins” who were born on the same day at the same hospital but who don’t meet until they happen to be at the same restaurant celebrating their 45th birthday. Soon, Alix, a popular podcast host, is bumping into unassuming Josie nearly everywhere she goes. At Josie’s suggestion, Alix begins a new podcast about Josie’s life. Dark secrets are unveiled, and the women’s lives become intertwined in very dangerous ways. Which is difficult to stomach. Because a pedophile is a predator and a child is a child, and to put any sort of blame on a child is misplaced.

In what ways does class influence the book’s events? How do the two families’ different social classes factor into the plot? Having said that, there are a few things that keep me from giving this novel a higher rating. I know this is fiction and but a few things did bother me. None of the characters are particularly likeable (some worse than the others) which is fine. I know this is fiction but I could not ignore certain aspects of the story no matter how much I tried. Alix's inability to read the situation, her apparent blindness to several red flags in Josie’s behavior and her insensitivity to some extremely disturbing aspects of Josie’s life was off-putting. I also had issues with certain choices that were made in the handling of Josie’s present storyline. The author ventures into some very dark and disturbing themes in this novel (grooming, pedophilia, sexual abuse of a minor, trauma and mental health) and I’m not comfortable with the way those topics were presented.I had a sense of panic from the beginning when the "birthday twins" Alix and Josie unexpectantly meet. The story became darker than dark the further I read. It was quite unputdownable and going places that gave me anxiety. I think Alix felt it too, I wanted to shake her!! Tell her to just R-U-N 🏃‍♂️ SE: That idea of secrets is a huge theme in this book and has been in your other books as well. Is that something you intentionally write about, or does it just find its way into your work? This story had me gripped throughout but I feel the ending let the book down a little. It was too contrived, and I failed to appreciate what drove this woman to do the things she did. I also enjoy more analysis when taking on difficult subjects and wanted a better ending for Roxy and Erin. The story behind Walter was left vague for me and didn’t conclude on the various aspects of his life and actions. Did he marry a much younger girl or was he guilty of ‘grooming’ her??. I settled on the former in the absence of any more detail. Even that was weird though. I’m excited to hear your unique perspectives during our book club discussion, and I have shared some additional recommendations below.

When Josie proposes she be a guest on Alix's podcast to tell the story of her life, Alix is curious about this strange woman. Josie lets Alix into her life and history through the podcast and Alix, in turn, gradually lets Josie into her life too. But the more Alix comes to know Josie and her past, the more she worries she's made a terrible mistake. I read this in day which I am deliberately not doing any more, because this was such a captivating read and a great book overall.Josie said that Roxy hit Brooke when she found out that Brooke slept with Walter. Roxy says it was because Brooke said something derogatory about Erin. To me, neither is credible. I think maybe Roxy was upset because she had introduced Brooke to her family as her girlfriend, while Brooke’s family didn’t know anything about Roxy. But that’s just a wild theory. My (and Your) Theories on Who Killed Brooke Over the years, she has penned a total of nineteen novels, with a recent focus on gripping psychological thrillers such as Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs, and The Night She Disappeared – all acclaimed selections of the Richard & Judy Book Club.

In the final scene, Josie reflects on her past while on a bus, firmly convinced that her memories reflect reality. Do you find yourself inclined to believe her perspective, or do you think she might be deceiving herself?I was convinced that Roxy did NOT kill Brooke. Yes, Roxy definitely had violent tendencies. But according to Erin, Roxy wasn’t home at the time and I don’t think Erin has a reason to lie about that. It’s more risky for Erin to blame her parents. (For the record, I was wrong about this!! And Erin is clearly more scared of Roxy.) Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home. Gloriously dark and twistier than a twisty thing.” —JOJO MOYES, New York Times bestselling author of Someone Else’s Shoes Additional Recommendations