Becca Reviews: None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

Listened on Audiobook - Read by Nicola Walker, Louise Brealey

This is the first Lisa Jewell novel I've read, which may be some kind of crime in itself as they've been dominating the Tesco best seller shelves for years. There's a reason we all enjoy a thriller like this, similarly to why all the girlies love a true crime - a sense of morbid curiosity? Plus in a world where many crimes and attacks are directed at women and non-binary people it means gaining an insight, facing a fear, or maybe just liking some spooky stories.

Let me start with my main disappointment - very minor, very vague, potential spoiler...but not really because the title gives us a clue that, in fact, whatever we're being told is to some degree NOT TRUE. My main disappointment with this book (and it does have me thinking, was that the whole point?) is that the twists are the wrong way around! When we found out the 'truth' I thought, "oh right.." not "OH DAMN THAT'S CRAZY". The twists and therefore the ending felt anticlimactic. Although there are 'post-credit' scenes that further add to the mystery which I enjoyed.

Carrying on from this idea, I didn't feel a pull to continue reading in order to find out what happens because the story (true or otherwise) outlined early on is already shocking enough. I am glad I chose to listen to this book rather than read it or I know I would have been all yucked-out and struggled to push through. In the first chapter, couple Josie and Walter are out for her 45th birthday. The two are often confused for daughter and father, although they have been married approx 27 years, as they have a surprisingly large age gap. Some quick maths already tells us this is looking a bit questionable. We soon come to learn they met when Josie was about 14 and Walter about 41. Yep. Even keeping it vague and relatively spoiler free that's still pretty scary stuff!

Josie meets a women, Alix the podcaster, who is also celebrating her 45th birthday and after some chatting and a couple more 'accidental' meetings they decide to.. start a new podcast.. about birthday twins..? Yeah okay maybe a cool quirky idea, two people born same time and place and how their lives grew so wildly different but I don't think this podcast has a very long run time. It felt a bit forced but then they did have to start a podcast about something or other just so it could be flipped in order to write this tagline... 'Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.' Job done, let's go home!

There are lots of little mysteries alongside the major plot, there are questions, plus some interesting (and some totally 2-dimensional) characters. The parallel lives of the two women are written convincingly and the character/s who fill the 'evil character' role do so very well. I think there is a appropriate level of violence and gore for this genre. Some of the elements of age differences were very uncomfortable and it was explored deeply, but necessarily for the plot.

If you love a thriller, particularly if you're after a female protagonist - p.s. this book would pass the Bechdel Test so woohoo! - I would recommend this book. Overall I AM now more inclined to read more from Jewell but I won't be rushing to recommend this one to friends.

Read: 21/08/2024

Published: 20/07/2023

ISBN: 9781982179007

Price: £5.00 (GBP)