None of This Is True

A chance meeting between two women born on the same day leads to an entanglement of their lives when podcast host Alix Summer agrees to interview Josie Fair for her next project. As strangers who share a birthday, they form an unlikely connection that begins with casual conversation at a pub. Alix, facing creative struggles with her podcast and personal tensions at home, becomes drawn into Josie's complex narrative. Josie's life story involves a much older husband, a reclusive adult daughter, and hints of psychological manipulation that span decades. The narrative structure alternates between real-time events, podcast interview transcripts, and documentary footage, creating multiple perspectives on the unfolding story. This innovative format allows readers to piece together information through various media forms. The book explores themes of fate, identity, and the consequences of crossing boundaries between professional distance and personal involvement in storytelling. It raises questions about truth, perception, and the ethical implications of turning real lives into entertainment.

Readers call this book confusing but compelling, with many noting they couldn't put it down despite feeling disoriented by the complex plot and multiple perspectives. The experimental format, combining podcast transcripts and traditional narrative, creates an immersive experience. Liked: - Fast-paced storytelling - Creative structure mixing podcasts and narrative - Strong character development of Alix - Unpredictable twists - Meta-commentary on true crime podcasting Disliked: - Too many characters to track - Confusing timeline jumps - Unsatisfying ending - Some plot points left unresolved - Second half pacing issues One reader noted: "The format keeps you guessing what's real and what isn't, but ultimately leaves too many threads hanging." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (86,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (23,000+ ratings) Book of the Month: 4.2/5 (12,000+ ratings) Barnes & Noble reviewers rate it 4.4/5, with most criticism focused on the ending.

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Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica Multiple disappearances in a suburban neighborhood become linked when a missing woman returns eleven years later with a story that changes everything.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave A woman searches for the truth about her disappeared husband while protecting her stepdaughter and uncovering a complex web of deception.

Such a Quiet Place by Megan Miranda The return of a convicted murderer to her small community forces residents to question their roles in the original conviction and face mounting suspicions about who really committed the crime.

🎯 The novel's innovative format incorporates fictional podcast transcripts, making it one of the first major thrillers to extensively use podcasting as both a storytelling device and plot element. 📚 Lisa Jewell wrote this book, her 21st novel, during the COVID-19 lockdown, completing the first draft in just six months. 🎧 True crime podcasting, a central element in the book, has grown from just 5 shows in 2010 to over 50,000 active true crime podcasts in 2023. 🔄 The concept of sharing birthdays, as the two main characters do, has a mathematical probability of 99.9% in any group of 70 people (known as the Birthday Paradox). 🌟 Lisa Jewell made a significant genre shift in her career, starting with romantic comedies in the late 1990s before successfully transitioning to psychological thrillers with "I Found You" in 2016.