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emilypaigehumble'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Murder, Grief, Child death, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Torture, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Drug abuse, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Drug use
kshertz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Moderate: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Child death, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Infidelity, and Murder
mjs_18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Violence, Murder, Death, Domestic abuse, and Stalking
Minor: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Cursing, Suicide, Pedophilia, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Child death
ohyeahshebomb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Chronic illness, Confinement, Pedophilia, Violence, Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Torture, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol, Child death, Excrement, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, and Sexual assault
djmelodious's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Child death, Pedophilia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming, Grief, Alcoholism, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Confinement
lauren_shilling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
sarahmae531's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’ve heard such good things about Lisa Jewell but this is the first book of hers I’ve read. I’ll definitely be picking up more in the future!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide, and Infidelity
norwegianforestreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Cursing, Excrement, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Suicide, Violence, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Pedophilia
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: Alcoholism, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Death, Murder, Kidnapping, Stalking, Violence, and Eating disorder
Minor: Infidelity, Confinement, and Pandemic/Epidemic
groomingsavtruther'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Grief, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Kidnapping, and Adult/minor relationship