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miafromorchardstreet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
batshit in the best way
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Murder, and Emotional abuse
betteroffdev's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
After I finished my last read prior to this one and falling for the classic tactic of assuming something being labeled as "Bestseller"/"From the NYT Best-Selling Author" was somehow a testament to quality (and being let down), I struggled to know where to go for my next read, so I asked my partner to choose. I wanted to go in on something completely blind, knowing nothing, and just see where it led. Boy oh boy when I say, I don't know if there could have been a better book to follow up my previous read with than this one.
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell is a gripping, keeps-you-guessing thriller that primarily alternates through descriptions of scenes from a Netflix Documentary Series on the events of the story itself, and the perspectives of its two main characters: Alix Summers and Josie Fair, who discover they were born on the same day in the same place after they first meet on their shared forty-fifth birthday. Both women find themselves, despite these commonalities, in different places in life, with the only other tangible thread between them seeming to relate to disappointment they have been feeling (albeit for different reasons) with their husbands and their life at the moment.
Alix is known for being the creator of a podcast interviewing women who have broken out of restrictive lives and marriages and turned new leafs, reflecting on all the good that's come from it because of it, and Josie sees this as her golden opportunity to become her "turning page," so to speak. As Josie offers herself up to be the latest of the subjects at the other end of Alix's podcast interviews, she begins to delve into her wild past and confusing present, taking Alix along with her. With the more that Alix learns about Josie and her past, however, the less things seem to make sense. As Josie's fascination with and yearning for a life unlike her own, much like the one Alix currently lives, intertwines with and is warped by her distorted world-view and grasp on social interactions and relationships, the two women's stories start to bleed together more than either of them anticipated going in, and disaster begins to follow.
Coming out of having finished the book now, I feel like I can easily say I liked it. The characters, all of them, are flawed in their own ways and made human through their development and our growing knowledge of them as readers while the story progresses; and this creates the environment for a story that leaves you wondering on several moments who you are really intended to believe and thus, what parts of these stories and perspectives being shared are actually the true ones?
I'd say about 90% of the book holds these elements together very well, and it is only in the drawn-out reveal of the "twist" and beyond in the end when there is any degree of falter in these elements. According to interviews with author, Lisa Jewell, she interprets (and intends) the ending of this story to be unambiguous. Given the many and several accounts the story is able to feature both through its alternating perspectives and the interviews of countless other characters that are interspersed throughout the story, the overall result that has resonated among readers are that there are many and several accounts and tellings of events and the way things have gone to reconcile to try and come to our own conclusions.
*Spoilers Below: You have been warned!*
When the dust settles at the end of the novel and we have our time jump and see characters reflecting on the events of the main story timeline, we are given several differing perspectives and the aftermath of multiple character deaths. Jewell says this is all correctly interpreted when seen as unambiguous, but I struggle to see how that could ever possibly be the case.
Three murders occur that we know of. A character is known to be a pedophile, but this is shrugged off and fairly casually dismissed in favor of him being a supposedly good father. Our primary main character, Josie Fair, is raised by an unloving, narcissistic parent, then "wins over" the feelings of a man nearly thirty years her senior as a child and lives life with him. We are given Josie's perspective, which we are then made to doubt by the accounts of others, but it is never explained why we should believe any of what Josie says when she acknowledges herself that she tells plenty of lies, chooses on several occasions to steal, shows no remorse at any point until seeing indication by another person that she should be showing some, and her disabled daughter is made comatose and found tied up in a chair.
The story, as evidenced in the way countless readers discuss the ending all over, is clearly presented as a "Who do you believe?" sort of set-up, yet our author insists it should all be very straight-forward, which it feels (at present) is impossible given the varying accounts.
This ties back to the reality that, as mentioned above, all of these characters are flawed as individuals. I cannot truly believe that any given one of them is truly "innocent," even if everything is taken at face value, because of the things at the very least that we, as readers, do get to witness and know to have happened.
All in all, I did really enjoy this book. I feel like whether the author wanted it this way or not, the ending is ambiguous and I believe that is because there are elements of it that what is written on the pages prove to be true and can back up, and elements that otherwise line up. Regardless of author's intention, it is disappointing to me when something is left with too many unanswered or ambiguous answers to questions the story creates. I feel like the epilogue could have aided some of this, but ultimately just opened more questions (as I was afraid it would).
Still, the 90% of the book up until these factors came in are enough to leave me walking away satisfied, and if this author would ever do a complete tell-all and answer all the questions that readers have clearly been left with that she feels have not been made ambiguous, I would absolutely tune in to hear what clarification she would be able to provide.
My #1 takeaway from it all? Yay Lisa Jewell, Nay Freida McFadden
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell is a gripping, keeps-you-guessing thriller that primarily alternates through descriptions of scenes from a Netflix Documentary Series on the events of the story itself, and the perspectives of its two main characters: Alix Summers and Josie Fair, who discover they were born on the same day in the same place after they first meet on their shared forty-fifth birthday. Both women find themselves, despite these commonalities, in different places in life, with the only other tangible thread between them seeming to relate to disappointment they have been feeling (albeit for different reasons) with their husbands and their life at the moment.
Alix is known for being the creator of a podcast interviewing women who have broken out of restrictive lives and marriages and turned new leafs, reflecting on all the good that's come from it because of it, and Josie sees this as her golden opportunity to become her "turning page," so to speak. As Josie offers herself up to be the latest of the subjects at the other end of Alix's podcast interviews, she begins to delve into her wild past and confusing present, taking Alix along with her. With the more that Alix learns about Josie and her past, however, the less things seem to make sense. As Josie's fascination with and yearning for a life unlike her own, much like the one Alix currently lives, intertwines with and is warped by her distorted world-view and grasp on social interactions and relationships, the two women's stories start to bleed together more than either of them anticipated going in, and disaster begins to follow.
Coming out of having finished the book now, I feel like I can easily say I liked it. The characters, all of them, are flawed in their own ways and made human through their development and our growing knowledge of them as readers while the story progresses; and this creates the environment for a story that leaves you wondering on several moments who you are really intended to believe and thus, what parts of these stories and perspectives being shared are actually the true ones?
I'd say about 90% of the book holds these elements together very well, and it is only in the drawn-out reveal of the "twist" and beyond in the end when there is any degree of falter in these elements. According to interviews with author, Lisa Jewell, she interprets (and intends) the ending of this story to be unambiguous. Given the many and several accounts the story is able to feature both through its alternating perspectives and the interviews of countless other characters that are interspersed throughout the story, the overall result that has resonated among readers are that there are many and several accounts and tellings of events and the way things have gone to reconcile to try and come to our own conclusions.
*Spoilers Below: You have been warned!*
When the dust settles at the end of the novel and we have our time jump and see characters reflecting on the events of the main story timeline, we are given several differing perspectives and the aftermath of multiple character deaths. Jewell says this is all correctly interpreted when seen as unambiguous, but I struggle to see how that could ever possibly be the case.
Three murders occur that we know of. A character is known to be a pedophile, but this is shrugged off and fairly casually dismissed in favor of him being a supposedly good father. Our primary main character, Josie Fair, is raised by an unloving, narcissistic parent, then "wins over" the feelings of a man nearly thirty years her senior as a child and lives life with him. We are given Josie's perspective, which we are then made to doubt by the accounts of others, but it is never explained why we should believe any of what Josie says when she acknowledges herself that she tells plenty of lies, chooses on several occasions to steal, shows no remorse at any point until seeing indication by another person that she should be showing some, and her disabled daughter is made comatose and found tied up in a chair.
The story, as evidenced in the way countless readers discuss the ending all over, is clearly presented as a "Who do you believe?" sort of set-up, yet our author insists it should all be very straight-forward, which it feels (at present) is impossible given the varying accounts.
This ties back to the reality that, as mentioned above, all of these characters are flawed as individuals. I cannot truly believe that any given one of them is truly "innocent," even if everything is taken at face value, because of the things at the very least that we, as readers, do get to witness and know to have happened.
All in all, I did really enjoy this book. I feel like whether the author wanted it this way or not, the ending is ambiguous and I believe that is because there are elements of it that what is written on the pages prove to be true and can back up, and elements that otherwise line up. Regardless of author's intention, it is disappointing to me when something is left with too many unanswered or ambiguous answers to questions the story creates. I feel like the epilogue could have aided some of this, but ultimately just opened more questions (as I was afraid it would).
Still, the 90% of the book up until these factors came in are enough to leave me walking away satisfied, and if this author would ever do a complete tell-all and answer all the questions that readers have clearly been left with that she feels have not been made ambiguous, I would absolutely tune in to hear what clarification she would be able to provide.
My #1 takeaway from it all? Yay Lisa Jewell, Nay Freida McFadden
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Domestic abuse
Author claims the ending should be seen as straight-forward, not ambiguous, but it feels like many questions are left unanswered when all is “revealed” at the end.wickedgrumpy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
When it comes to ambiguous open endings, I usually don't mind because I can imagine what I want to follow as an epilogue. That requires having a good foundation though and this book lacked that in spades. When the title is the book, you question everything.
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Bullying, Drug use, Excrement, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Body shaming, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Torture, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
what_karla_reads's review against another edition
challenging
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, and Emotional abuse
daffodilcherry's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
4.0
A psychological thriller following the link between two women, Alix and Josie, who meet when they realise they share their birthdays. Josie then asks Alix to make a podcast about her, unravelling her life. Interspersed in their tale are flashforwards to a true crime documentary made from their story.
This story reads like a Netflix/BBC miniseries that gets crazy popular and that everyone's mum is obsessed with. The first 50% is amps up the tension between the two women, but ultimately it goes along very slowly. The second 50% is fast paced, desperate and dramatic. My one ultimate annoyance with this book is the title: None of This is True.It ultimately spoils the fact that Josie is lying about the exact circumstances of her life. if it had been named differently I think the revelations of the second half would have hit a lot stronger. However, the ending was so very satisfying (ending spoiler:)especially the final twist of Josie's final chapter where she may not be as diabolical as we were lead to believe...
In terms of diversity, both Alix and Josie are white cis women, married to their husbands. Everyone appears to be ambiguously white and straight, except for, some of Nathan's friends andJosie's daughter Roxy, who is a lesbian with her dark moments. Erin is autistic with smooth food preferences and is the gamer queen of my heart.
I very much enjoyed this as an audiobook, with two excellent main narrators and then a full cast making up the interviewees of the inserted documentary moments. My only gripe with it was that at times in the documentary aspects the interviewer's voice was very quiet, but otherwise it was good.
Wheelhouse: narrative parallels/foils, women protagonists over 45,unreliable narrators, spliced in revelations in the form of interviews.
This story reads like a Netflix/BBC miniseries that gets crazy popular and that everyone's mum is obsessed with. The first 50% is amps up the tension between the two women, but ultimately it goes along very slowly. The second 50% is fast paced, desperate and dramatic. My one ultimate annoyance with this book is the title: None of This is True.
In terms of diversity, both Alix and Josie are white cis women, married to their husbands. Everyone appears to be ambiguously white and straight, except for, some of Nathan's friends and
I very much enjoyed this as an audiobook, with two excellent main narrators and then a full cast making up the interviewees of the inserted documentary moments. My only gripe with it was that at times in the documentary aspects the interviewer's voice was very quiet, but otherwise it was good.
Wheelhouse: narrative parallels/foils, women protagonists over 45,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Ableism, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, Incest, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
The dog is uninjured and fine at the end. Josie's relationship with Walter:kathryn0628's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I hated the ending. Are we supposed to feel sorry for Walter and just ignore the fact the he slept with his girlfriends 16 year old daughter when he was 43? Gross.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Stalking, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Torture
tfaison3's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
Relatively predictable but enjoyable. Narration was incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Stalking, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
anarobin's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Pedophilia
tamsenreed's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia and Violence
kjackowski's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Confinement, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Murder, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Kidnapping, Torture, and Eating disorder