Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

280 reviews

phillip_thebruce's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting

shadowsandspells's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

**4-Star Review: Clever Format, but a Flat Ending**

Lisa Jewell's *None of This Is True* grabs your attention from the start with a unique and engaging format. The story unfolds in an almost documentary style, interspersing interviews, podcast transcripts, and alternating perspectives. This structure keeps you on your toes and adds a layer of realism that’s both fresh and compelling.

The characters are intricately woven, and the slow unraveling of secrets keeps the tension building. As the narrative progresses, you find yourself drawn into the psychological manipulation and mind games, questioning who’s truly trustworthy.

However, the highly anticipated reveal at the end felt a bit underwhelming. After all the clever buildup, I expected more of a shocking twist. Instead, it lacked the punch needed to truly satisfy. While the journey itself was immersive, the conclusion didn’t quite live up to the intensity of the plot's earlier moments.

Overall, *None of This Is True* is an inventive and thrilling read with its clever format, but it leaves you wishing for a bit more at the finish line.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Toxic relationship

tasnimtanisha's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship

dhanon's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Child abuse and Confinement

Minor: Violence

ellic23's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

avalon's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Me the first 95% of the book: okay that was pretty predictable

Me the final 5%: oh. Maybe i should have listened to the title

Seriously though the ending was pretty strong in my opinion, though it can be considered a sort of copout for any plotholes I still enjoyed it. Was it a perfect mystery? Not by any means. Was it fun? Absolutely!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Ableism, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

jenlizkins's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.5

I got sucked into this book. The audiobook narration had a high production value, which added another dimension to this story and paired well with the podcast element of the plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Drug use

mairi99's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal death

suchallie's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This was a quick and easy read, it was easy to get into and it really picked up on the last half of the book. I think the concept and structure are fairly novel and they work here, however I wasn’t a fan of the theme of gaslighting victims of abuse (regardless whether the abuse in the plot was true in the universe or not this isn’t necessarily a narrative we need to be pushing). Also the fact that Walter is deemed as imperfect and not villainous by the end despite being an actual pedophile and just all around creep is pretty nuts. Sorry, but I don’t care if he is a good dad, he’s still a pedophile?? I would have liked a spicier ending as well with Josie. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Drug use, Eating disorder, and Injury/Injury detail

voilajean's review against another edition

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Incest, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Toxic friendship