None of This is True ⭐⭐⭐⭐

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell 

G👀dreads About Summary

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.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Crime

The How/Why: Influenced by influencers, GR bookie friends, and SM ads. It has been on my Hold with Libby for a couple of months. It became available via a partner library.
I decided on a thriller after two chick flick books and thought this one had potential to check all the boxes. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎉 Overall Storytelling? 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕If you enjoy a thrilling thriller

🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ 

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Maybe 🤷 

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? MŪrdɇr, KidnaƤƤinᵷ, D0mɇsti￠ Vi0lɇncɇ

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? YES!!

👟 Pace? Good

💻 Tidbits ~ 
At 50% - So twisted. Lisa Jewell are you okay?!?!?!
At 100% - Which unreliable character do you believe?
Warning: Implication of cuss words ahead. 

Birthday Twins, born on the same day in the same hospital 45 years ago, celebrating their BDs in the same restaurant. Coincidence? 

Alix is a true crime podcaster, married with two small children, under six. 
Josie is a seamstress, married to an older man, two adult children. Her 21 year old daughter is a run-away and a 23 year old daughter who won't come out of her room. 

Josie "bumps into" Alix a few days after their Birthday dinners and convinces her that she has a story of her own for Alix's podcast. 

Before you know it, Josie has finagled her way into Alix's family life. Josie is quite the story teller for the sake of the podcast. She starts sneaking out little trinkets from around Alix's house as if she's making a vision board. If that wasn't creepy enough, things get creepier. Alix knows their relationship is out of control but continues for the sake of the podcast. Then Josie is gone and Alix realizes she just might be the main event in her own true crime podcast. 

This was a five star thriller for me up until the very end. 
Possible spoiler:  I deducted one full star because THERE WAS NO ENDING!** Not as in a cliffhanger to a sequel, which might have been forgivable. This is said to be a standalone so we are just left not knowing. We are left to decide on our own who is telling the truth and who is lying. That's not the way it's supposed to work! Since None of This is True, I don't believe any of them! 

SIDE NOTE: The audiobook has a "bonus" final chapter with the final POV of Josie's two daughters and a final-final POV of Josie. This is said to not be included in the early printings or the eBook. Now I feel bad if you missed out.  That being said, I thought I knew who I believed until everybody was pointing fingers at everyone else and now I think they were all lying! 

Not a spoiler but... at the sign off of the final episode Alix has a message for Josie and tells her she's An Evil M0therF'g Basic Bit￠h". IMO Josie was anything but basic! Evil? YES 100%. Does this bring Josie out of the woodwork to defend herself? Reminder: NO ENDING**. 

Possible spoiler: **Technically the was an end. No ending as in no reveal of who was telling the truth and whose truth was all in their head. 

Extra Tidbit: Funniest Comment Award goes to Anonymous, contributed on another site. Someone quoted the blurb about the book:

“and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.”
Then said:
“I can't remember the last time I learned a new word from a goⓓⓓamn book blurb. Frankly I can't tell if this makes me want to read this book or stay far far far away.”
Sorry, since it was anonymous I can't give credit where credit is due. I do however want to stalk them for more nuggets. 

Audiobook narration was good. Podcast sound effects were also great.
Nicola Walker (Alix), Louise Brealey (Josie), plus a cast of ~12. 

🎧 Narrator: Nicola Walker (Alix), Louise Brealey (Josie), plus Cast of ~12

🎧10.32 hours 🕮 390 pages

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