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An added treat was Buddy Reading it with my beautiful niece, Lyss. I definitely recommend it for Buddy Reads or Book Clubs. There's a lot to discuss. 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. This book is no different, and the multiple povs really give us insight into the various narrators inner thoughts and feelings while the tension ramps up around them. Josie and Alix couldn’t be more different; they come from different lifestyles and circumstances, and yet… Could they be more similar than originally meets the eye? Many thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. 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. 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 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.
How did the book’s title shape your expectations of the story and its characters? Were there any specific aspects you were skeptical about right from the beginning due to the title? Right off the bat, I was intrigued and I felt like I was being misdirected in some way. The path the story took, I was never quite sure who I could trust. 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. They were birthday twins! As I was writing up the summary, I realized how many there were. Yes, some of the interview transcripts were after the fact, but Josie was stealing things on camera. She was sneaking around. Her own mother said she was a liar. Nathan didn’t like her. She was clearly trying to undermine Alix’s marriage and get Nathan out of the way. Plot Summary for None of This is True by Lisa Jewell “Birthday twins” Josie Fine and Alix Summer Meet
I just knew I was going to love it and per usual, I was right. Not only did I love it, I freaking loved it. This will definitely be on my Favorites of the Year list. As we follow the breadcrumbs, we soon learn that Josie’s story in None of This Is True can definitely be added to that category. As we learn more and more, we are swept up into it all, and by the end, tragedy is unleashed. Jewell was born in London and educated at St. Michael's Catholic Grammar School in Finchley, north London, leaving school after one day in the sixth form to do an art foundation course at Barnet College followed by a diploma in fashion illustration at Epsom School of Art & Design. In what ways are we encouraged to see Josie in a sympathetic light in the early chapters? How does Lisa Jewell’s characterization lead us to think of Josie as just a little quirky or lonely --- and ultimately harmless?
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? Shortly after, they bump into each other again outside of the school that Alix's children currently attend, and Josie's attended years ago. It’s getting to the point that every single year @lisajewelluk is on my top 10 of the year… sometimes multiple times!! This year is going to be no different!!! She killed it!! 👏👏👏 Perhaps her best yet!!! 🤫😍 First, if you handed me the first three chapters of a story in a binder, with no title and asked me to guess the author-I could identify her distinctive writing by her often QUIRKY and always well developed characters.
Prologue
I absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys fast-paced and tense Psychological Thrillers. Bonus points if you have enjoyed Jewell's work in the past, or love stories that incorporate a podcast, or true crime, element. 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. Well. To say this one threw ALL of my preconceived notions out of the window COULD be the understatement of the YEAR! 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? In the initial chapters, how does the author lead us to view Josie in a sympathetic manner? What techniques does Lisa Jewell employ to portray Josie as slightly eccentric or lonely, and how does this affect our perception of her as harmless?
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? At the end of a particularly sinister and AMAZING horror movie, I always have that moment where I'm GRATEFUL to leave the theater, blink in the sunlight, and feel part of the less ominous real world. This book took me to that same sort of deep, scary place...and while I did manage to enjoy most of the ride? Unable to resist temptation to dig into Josie's life, Alix accepts her offer and begins to record the podcast, inviting Josie to her home studio for interview sessions.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
Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria, and Lisa Jewell for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Now available as of 8.8!!**
Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Aix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging. This book doesn’t have a super-complicated plot, just SO MANY questions at the end. This post will include:
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