Reviews tagging 'Murder'

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

496 reviews

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 and

Josie'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.

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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:

allegedly started dating when she was 15 he was 42, describes grooming behaviour, alleges that he is physically, emotionally and fiscally abusive towards her.

spoiler for the twist of Josie and Walter:

this is then twisted when her children allege that she was manipulative and emotionally abusive towards the whole family, including Walter, and that she may have attacked him as he died.

Josie's relationship with her children:

Erin is autistic and while Josie is mostly supportive in terms of providing her with food she likes there is an underlying current of slight abelism when it comes to Josie's views on Erin. Josie ends up fighting Erin, restraining her in her house and abandoning her for dead while stealing her money. Roxy appears to have a more fraught relationship with Josie, with allegations of child abuse and that Josie allegedly sabotaged her relationship with Brook. There is a custom made child's chair with restraints which apparently Josie used on Roxy.

Josie's final plan:

she kidnaps Alix's husband and ends up killing him, apparently accidentally.

Roxy:

final final twist spoilers: Roxy might have been the one to have killed her then girlfriend Brook.

michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

⚠️ CW: paedophilia, grooming, domestic abuse, narcissism, murder ⚠️ If you're looking for a book that you can't put down then this one is for you! When podcaster Alix Summer and the unassuming Josie Fair meet by chance while celebrating their 45th birthday's at a local pub they don't realise it yet but their lives will never be the same. Yet a few days later they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life. Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Alix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life and home. But soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really is and what she's capable of. This book had me absolutely hooked! It was so unsettling but I just couldn't stop reading. And just when you think you've figured everything out, you are hit with twist after twist. Even the ending left me reeling and questioning what was the truth. Overall, I absolutely loved this read and highly recommend it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, and Adult/minor relationship

izzyfreeman's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Murder

kerryamchugh's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

A wild twist on the unreliable narrator. Definitely recommend the audio, which is fully sound edited to sound like the podcast/documentary series at the center of this story, with a full cast. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Murder, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

kyrakorres's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-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

5.0

holy shit… i don’t even know where to start with this book. first of all, just the amount of twists and turns and different ways that I thought this book was gonna go and none of them was what actually happened. I still don’t even know what I think the truth actually is. if you can, I recommend listening to this on audiobook so hard it is such an immersive experience and this book is perfect on audiobook and it really gives you the full experience that I don’t know if I would’ve gotten if I physically read it. Overall this was an amazing read!!!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Kidnapping

Minor: Alcoholism and Drug abuse

heather_harrison's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

4.75 ⭐️

0.25 off because a pedophile is a pedophile not matter the twist

This had my jaw on the floor many times. Somebody order a wellness check for Lisa Jewel because her mind is just 🤯

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Death, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Pedophilia

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, and Drug use

tfaison3's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

3.5

Relatively predictable but enjoyable. Narration was incredible. 

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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

apsarareads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Stalking, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Kidnapping, and Drug use

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

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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

laurenmkayyy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I don’t remember the last time I read a book this fast, but I couldn’t bear not knowing what was going to happen next! The tension & pacing of the plot were so well done, and it kept me guessing  until the very end. It was such an insane & twisty story, but I wish the ending was a bit more resolved. Overall, a great creepy, mysterious thriller! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Murder, Stalking, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping