None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Has there ever been a better title for a novel? And what a novel it is! Run to get this book (Seriously, run)! A story that presents itself like a podcast within a documentary within a novel, it's like something bingeable on Netflix. Jewell can always be counted on to deliver such as with Then She Was Gone and Invisible Girl, and this one is Jewell at her very best!

Josie Fair is drawn to Alix Summer when she sees her at a restaurant. They both happen to be there celebrating their birthdays. When Josie orchestrates a meeting, they realize they are "birthday twins", born on the same day of the same year at the same hospital. Afterwards, Josie does a little research about Alix and approaches her with a proposition. Alix is a podcaster who interviews women about their lives, and Josie talks Alix into doing a podcast about her.

They are two very different women. Alix is polished and well off, seeming to be living her best picture-perfect life in a beautiful home. She is stylish and has a beautiful family. Josie lives in a shabby flat with her much older husband, kids that are grown, and a dead-end job. She is partial to wearing everything denim and seems to have no friends. Josie tells Alix that she is looking to make a big change in her life because she wants something better and that she wants Alix to document it through her podcast.

As a podcaster, Alix is drawn to Josie's story. On a personal level, she is slightly repelled by Josie's intensity and her instincts are telling her very strongly to walk away. But the thought of doing a podcast that is completely different is stimulating. Alix is bored of listening to women who made good decisions and ended up exactly where they wanted to be. Inevitably, Josie insinuates herself into Alix's life via her podcast.

Lisa Jewell is masterful at developing technicolor characters and creating a general mood of unease in her plots. As a reader, one knows that something is off with one of the characters. Trying to put a finger on it alongside Alix is part of what makes this book so compelling! This dark domestic drama was delicious to read and unputdownable!