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david_slack110507's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very messed up story that focuses on the blurred lines of what is true and what is false and how far someone will go in lying to themselves, so they believe it, particularly with Josie in the ending. Josie was an interesting character to watch as when from her perspective she repeatedly lies to the audience and shapes the narrative in a way that suits her and what she truly believes is the case and it is only later on that we start to be encouraged to question whether or not what she is saying is truthful and has any merit to it. Alix felt like at times she was a representation of the audience who are trying to piece together Josie's story while also eventually coming to point out the lies in what is considered to be the truth. I felt like the two were very interesting characters to follow as they interweave in and out of one another's lives. Josie's story of being a victim, whether her narrative is real or not, does not place her as a villain because of the things that she has said has happened to her and the subject matter is dealt with in an appropriate fashion without being written off when it comes to light that at least certain things are proven to be not true.
The ending of the book was a major highlight for me as it seemingly wraps up the story in a clear and concise fashion in which every major plot point or secret is explained and its importance is revealed only for the final chapter to be from Josie's perspective to flip the narrative on its head due to how it questions the finality of the ending and whether or not the narrative has been properly revealed or manipulated due to who is control of it. In the ending, Josie seemingly believes that she is innocent and has done nothing wrong including the murder of her daughter, Roxy's, friend Brooke which she blames on her daughter. I liked this to be the ending chapter of the book as not only is it a good representation of the theme of control of a narrative but it also ends with the 'true' narrative of the book being up to the reader as to whether they believe what was accepted as the general truth by the majority of the public, the truth believed by Josie (that is most likely a narrative she created to avoid taking the blame) or maybe a bit of both (e.g. the murder of Brooke could be what Josie said that it was not actually her but her daughter and so she along with her family helped cover it up linking back to what Walter feared earlier in the book about something being revealed to the police). Even though it appears that it has an open and shut case ending, it could also be picked apart and given a different interpretation depending on the reader which made me appreciate the writing even more.
Overall, I really enjoyed my first Lisa Jewell book, and it makes me excited for whenever I get around to reading the other books I have of hers as well as the rest of her books. The twists and turns that were consistent throughout kept me invested and the characters particularly our main ones were very interesting in themselves.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
kelly_e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.50
Pub Date: August 8, 2023
I received complimentary eARC copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad
T H R E E • W O R D S
Bingeable • Gripping • Unsettling
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers 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.
💭 T H O U G H T S
My interest in thrillers has really waned over recent years (for a variety of reasons), yet Lisa Jewell's is one author that continues to capture my attention and offer fresh takes on the psychological thriller. I honestly never quite know what to expect, which is what I like. And the same can be said for None of This Is True.
The format of this novel is genius! With podcast transcripts interspersed throughout, they offered small snippets of what was to come without giving anything away until the exact right moment. I don't say this often, but this is one of those books that is definitely meant to be listened to. The audio production is fantastic and adds a whole extra layer of tension.
The characters are all equally twisted and unlikeable. I came away not knowing who or what to believe, which I just have a feeling is what the author intended. There are a lot of lies, secrets and acts of revenge.
However, as much as I loved the pacing and entertainment value, I did have conflicting feelings concerning the content. Some of what happens is highly unsettling and I don't feel was handled with care or concern. At different points throughout the narrative there's a certain level of need to suspend belief in order for the plot to progress as it does.
Upon finishing, this one left me with that 'wtf did I just read' feeling. I keep having to remind myself it isn't true-crime, because that's exactly how real it all felt. The ending left me unsettled - which doesn't always work for me, but in this case was perfectly fitting. None of This Is True genuinely felt like nothing I'd ever read before, and since I have consistently enjoyed Lisa Jewell's books, I continue to pick them up when I am in the mood for a thriller.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Lisa Jewell fans
• unreliable narrator enthusiasts
• bookclubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"And there it is, the point which it all boils down to eventually. The point where there are no words, no theories, no explanations for behaviors that baffle and infuriate and hurt."
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Confinement, Infidelity, and Pandemic/Epidemic
groomingmads_jpg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The positives:
- I liked the non-linear storytelling through the Netflix clips that start to reveal certain details.
- The story was interesting enough that I read it quite quickly despite the length.
The negatives (Spoilers!):
- The book seems to paint Josie as a man-hating feminist, which doesn't sit right when she then goes on to kill the only men in the story.
- The author said in the acknowledgements that she wrote this book in less than a year, and it shows, because given the inclusion of something as sensitive as pedophilia she did not portray it in a responsible way.
- I can't tell if the book is a commentary on or a victim of the idea of the 'perfect victim' who never does anything wrong.
- The way the author described Josie's grooming by Walter was awful in almost every case, either saying she "allowed herself to be groomed" or that she in fact wasn't groomed at all and actually seduced Walter herself. Which still wouldn't make it ok since the adult is ultimately responsible for shutting that kind of thing down.
- Every character is incredibly unlikable, and their actions make no sense. E.g Pat who is reviled as this full of life, go getting woman just let's her 16-year-old daughter take her 40-year-old boyfriend from her? And doesn't do anything to stop it?
- Why the hell is Alix still working on the podcast after Nathan goes missing AND after he's confirmed murdered?!?!?! I was reading this assuming the police/documentary filmmakers had gotten a copy of the podcast, not that she'd RELEASED THE DAMN THING.
- Alix mourns Josie's victims as people who were killed "for no good reason at all", and that was a big issue for me. I really did feel like I had no idea why she would go this far, and the last minute twist in the epilogue doesn't account for that.
- I'm all for an unreliable narrator story, but at no point did it feel like the reader had any chance at following what was really going on, and the ambiguous ending made that even more frustrating, but that's probably just a me thing and not a legitimate issue.
- It was also bloody annoying how many times the author said Josie could hear the sound of Erin's headphones through the door, there's literally no way that's possible without Erin sustaining serious ear damage, I'm sorry but no.
Overall this felt like a dangerously careless representation of some very serious issues given the amount of trigger warnings I had to add to this review.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
blackcatkai's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
this book made me angry in a bunch of different ways. i wish I had known going in that it centered around an abuse/grooming victim.
I know that a lot of the different characters act very true to life in regards to how pervasive victim blaming is & painting horrible people as martyrs or good men in their death. how someone being not entirely truthful can make everyone around them believe that then EVERYTHING is a lie, even when it isnt. so much of what happens in this book is very true to life.
however, I am still conflicted. honestly, what Josie did isn't ok. but neither is all she went through or how everyone treated/saw her. she was a woman who desperately needed help & care from such a young age and she never got that. a narcissistic mother, a married 45 year old man taking advantage of her as a young teen, her own adult children never seeming to understand how fucked up it is that their dad groomed their mother.
I don't know. I don't honestly think we're supposed to side with alix. I really don't. I can see how Jewel is also attempting a commentary on how true crime can sensationalize and twist stories about real people and turn them into something else entirely. and she's not wrong! but overall something just feels off with the way the subject is handled that doesn't sit well with me, but I also can't quite put my finger on it.
there's also a tiny moment of autism mentioned in regards to a character that also felt a bit... not quite right. just go in carefully with this one.
I will say either way that the audiobook is done EXCEEDINGLY well. a full cast & production. little touches that make the podcast moments feel like a real podcast. very well done, in that respect.
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, and Medical content
Minor: Rape, Stalking, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
prairieraven's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
pomoevareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Child death and Pandemic/Epidemic