It's 2019. Josie Fair is celebrating her 45th birthday with her much-older husband Walter at a nice restaurant. A departure from their very modest lifestyle. Also celebrating at the restaurant is Alix Summers, a beautiful, popular podcaster who focuses on inspiring women's stories. Alix is with friends and her successful husband Nathan. It turns out that the two women were not only born on the same day but in the same hospital. The next day, Josie starts to listen to Alix's podcast and becomes obsessed. She finds a way to run into Alix and presents an idea to her. Josie thinks that she should be the feature of the next podcast. Alix decides that this does present an interesting angle - to feature someone who seems very ordinary on the surface but has an intriguing story to share in her quest to improve her life. And Josie has quite a story to tell including the fact that she started dating her husband when she was a minor. Once the interview process gets underway, Josie's keeps revealing more and more about her life and her family. As her story starts to unfold, it is not clear if everything or anything she is telling Alix is true. It is riveting and often creepy, shocking stuff. Yet Alix keeps recording. Even as she starts to fear her.
Lisa Jewell is a master of creating the type of thrillers you simply can't put down. None of This Is True kept me reading through the night as the quasi-friendship between Josie and Alix starts to grow. As the book progresses, the reliability of Josie's story becomes more and more uncertain. One thing is clear. The relationship between Josie and Walter started when it shouldn't have as she was a minor. Their grown children are shrouded in mystery. The story is told in a very clever way. It is revealed at the beginning that Alix's podcast has been made into a Netflix documentary series. Most of the book takes place in 2019, when Alix met Josie and parts of the book are sections of the documentary featuring re-enactments and portions of Alix's actual interviews. I read many thrillers and it has become the norm that most of these books require the suspension of disbelief. Jewell's latest is no different. If you enjoy twisted thrillers, this one is worth reading.
Many thanks to Atria Books / Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book in advance of its publication. It was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Psychological Thriller.
Publication Date: August 8, 2023.
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