None of This Is True
“Hi! I’m Your Birthday Twin!
This A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES”
There is a specific dread that comes from watching someone make a decision you can already see will end badly for them — and Lisa Jewell builds an entire novel out of that feeling. None of This Is True begins so simply: two women share a birthday, one has a podcast, the other wants to be on it. You lean in because it seems harmless. It isn't.
This is the kind of book that makes you uncomfortable with your own curiosity. We listen to true crime podcasts. We watch Netflix documentaries about real people's darkest moments. Jewell weaponizes that compulsion and turns it back on the reader. You keep going because you need to know — which is exactly what Alix tells herself, right up until it's far too late.
The novel is structurally restless. It shifts between Alix and Josie's alternating perspectives, the transcript of the podcast being recorded in real time, and snippets from the Netflix documentary made about the whole affair after it's over. You are always reading at a slight remove — always watching someone else watch the events unfold — which is precisely the point.
Jewell wrote the entire novel in five months, and that velocity shows. It moves like a bad feeling you can't shake. The creep is gradual, then sudden — the way real danger usually arrives. By the end, the question isn't what happened. It's how much of what you were told was ever true to begin with.
I adored the unreliable characters, their dark secrets, the fateful collision of their two different worlds in the same corner of London. I simply could not leave it alone, and had to keep reading until I'd reached the heart-stopping conclusion.
— Katherine Faulkner, author of Greenwich Park
Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?
Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summer 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. Source: goodreads
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Plot summary
None of This Is True is a psychological thriller that blends elements of the true crime genre. The narrative alternates between the main plot, a podcast, and a documentary, all centered on the increasingly sinister relationship between podcaster Alix Summer and her subject, Josie Fair.
A Fateful Meeting
The story begins when Josie Fair and Alix Summer, two women from the same neighborhood with vastly different lives, meet at a pub on their shared 45th birthday. Josie, seeking a change in her life, proposes that Alix document her life in a podcast. Alix, intrigued by the potential for an explosive story, agrees, and the project begins. As the interviews progress, however, Alix uncovers shocking truths about Josie’s life: she married a man more than twice her age, her oldest daughter, Roxy, ran away, and her youngest, Erin, appears to be a victim of abuse. Josie, meanwhile, begins to insinuate herself into Alix’s life, taking small items from her home and subtly manipulating her.
The Unraveling
The tension escalates when Josie, claiming to be a victim of domestic abuse, appears on Alix’s doorstep. She moves in with Alix for a week, and her strange behavior continues. She takes more items from Alix’s home and tries to convince her that her husband, Nathan, is unfaithful. After Josie leaves, Nathan disappears. The police find Josie’s husband, Walter, dead and her daughter, Erin, badly beaten. Roxy returns home, and Erin, once she recovers, reveals the truth: Walter was not abusing her but was helping her monetize her gaming streams so she could escape her mother. Erin also reveals that Josie was responsible for the murder of Roxy’s girlfriend, Brooke, years ago.
The Aftermath
The police eventually find Nathan dead. Josie sends a text message to Alix, claiming that Nathan’s death was an accident and that she was only trying to free Alix from her life. The book’s final pages reveal that Josie is still at large, and a Netflix documentary has been made about her story. She watches it, clinging to the belief that she was a good mother. The novel’s ending leaves a chilling sense of ambiguity, as Josie’s final memory of Brooke’s death suggests that it was an accident, and that Josie’s narrative is a mix of manipulation and self-deception.
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Character Analysis
Alix Summer
is the novel’s protagonist and narrator. She is a successful podcaster and journalist who appears to have the perfect life: a loving family, wealth, and a secure social standing. She is portrayed as elegant, confident, and intelligent, a person Josie wants to emulate. However, her life is not without problems. Her husband, Nathan, struggles with alcohol addiction, which creates significant stress in their marriage. Alix, in turn, uses her podcast to delve into the lives of other women, a way of coping with the gathering “dark clouds” in her own life. Despite her professional skill as an observer, she is unable to maintain a detached perspective with Josie, missing all the clues about her true nature. This failure to see the truth about Josie forces Alix to confront her own life, her identity, and the flaws in her seemingly perfect world.
Josie Fair
is a woman who, at 45, feels she has missed out on life. She married her husband, Walter, when she was just 18 and he was 43, and has lived a life of quiet desperation. She is often mocked by her neighbors for her drab style, yet she proves to be far more complex than her appearance suggests. The novel presents multiple versions of Josie, initially portraying her as a sympathetic victim. However, as the story unfolds, she is revealed to be a deeply manipulative and dangerous individual, capable of physical violence, kidnapping, and murder. Josie is a fundamentally unreliable narrator, even to herself. She convinces herself that she is a good person and a victim of circumstance, clinging to a twisted version of reality that justifies her horrific actions. Her character highlights the challenge of discerning good from evil in an ambiguous world.
Walter Fair
is Josie’s much older husband. The novel creates a complex picture of him, initially through Josie’s eyes, as an old, retired man. However, a photograph reveals he was once a vibrant, attractive man. The novel also shows two sides of his personality. He is a caring and supportive father to his daughters, secretly helping his youngest, Erin, monetize her gaming streams so she can achieve independence. Yet, he is also verbally abusive to Josie, calling her “stupid,” an insult that reveals a cruel side to his character. His contradictory actions complicate the theme of discerning good versus evil, leaving the reader to question his true nature.
Nathan Summer
is Alix’s husband, and his wealth provides a life of comfort for their family. He supports Alix’s career, but he struggles with a secret alcohol addiction that causes him to periodically disappear on “benders.” This addiction is a major source of stress for Alix. Josie uses Nathan’s addiction as a means of connecting with Alix and, later, as a justification for her crimes. She believes that by kidnapping Nathan, she would show Alix how much better her life would be without him. However, Nathan’s absence ultimately proves to Alix how much she valued her seemingly imperfect life.
Erin and Roxy Fair
are Josie and Walter’s daughters, who serve to reveal the disturbing truth about their family. Roxy, the eldest, ran away from home at 16, a decision that stemmed from a difficult past, including her mother’s reaction to her girlfriend’s death. Erin, the youngest, lives a reclusive life in her bedroom, a fact her mother attributes to a mental illness. It is later revealed that Walter was not abusing her but was secretly helping her with her online gaming career so she could move out. Erin and Roxy’s eventual reunion, facilitated by Walter’s death, symbolizes the potential for healing and a new beginning. Their testimony exposes Josie’s lies and the horrific reality of the family’s history.
Pat O’Neill
Pat O’Neill is Josie’s mother. She is a flamboyant and self-absorbed woman. Alix’s analysis of Pat as a “raging narcissist” is a key moment in the novel, as it helps Alix understand the psychological roots of Josie’s manipulative behavior. Pat’s admission that she “didn’t like” her own daughter adds a crucial layer of complexity to Josie’s backstory and helps explain her actions. Pat’s character serves to provide context for Josie’s upbringing and to reinforce the novel’s themes of psychological trauma and manipulation.
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Podcast recommendations
Explore a world of podcasts with our curated recommendations, where thrilling true crime mysteries and inspiring narratives of women empowerment await. Join us on a sonic journey through diverse genres, from spine-chilling crime stories to empowering tales of resilience. Whether you’re intrigued by mysteries or seeking inspiration, our handpicked selection promises captivating storytelling and enriching perspectives. Prepare your headphones and embark on an adventure that entertains, empowers, and enlightens. Your next favorite podcast is just a play button away. Enjoy the journey!
Top True crime podcasts 2023
Where None of This Is True
takes place
The whole story unfolds during a few suffocating summer months in north-west London — a city that functions less as backdrop than as pressure cooker.
Things worth knowing about
None of This Is True
From the dog walk that started it all to the real podcast you can actually listen to — the making of this novel is almost as strange as the novel itself.
Lisa Jewell has said she came up with the idea for this book while walking her dog one day and noticing a man sitting in a window. She named him Walter Fair on the spot and started building his character in her head. From that single, mundane observation — a stranger behind glass — grew one of her darkest and most unsettling novels. She completed the entire book in just five months, her fastest turnaround from idea to finished manuscript.
The podcast featured within the novel — Hi, I'm Your Birthday Twin! — was brought to life as a real, listenable podcast with four episodes. Penguin UK released it to accompany the book. The audiobook version of the novel goes even further, with a full cast including Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey performing the different narrative layers as if they were genuinely separate media productions.
In 2024, Netflix purchased the film rights to the novel. The adaptation is being written by Eleanor Burgess and produced by Something Happy Productions and Modern Magic. Jewell herself is attached as executive producer — which means the author of the book in which a Netflix documentary plays a key plot role is now making an actual Netflix adaptation. The irony is noted.
The character Giovanni — one of Nathan's friends — was not invented by Jewell but selected through a charity auction raising funds for Young Lives vs Cancer. The winner's name was worked into the novel. It is a small detail, but one that blurs the line between fiction and reality in a way that feels entirely fitting for a book about unreliable narrators and constructed truth.
In a bonus chapter released by Jewell after publication, told from Erin's perspective, it is revealed that Roxy strangled Brooke in a rage — because Brooke went to prom without her. Josie and Walter then covered it up. Erin witnessed the whole thing and has been isolated by fear ever since. The novel leaves Josie's guilt ambiguous; the bonus chapter quietly reassigns it — though Roxy shows no remorse and remains convinced no one will believe Erin.
The book hit the New York Times bestseller list instantly and has sold over a million copies. Critics praised the pacing and construction while flagging that it is "hard to read but hard to look away from" (Kirkus Reviews). Publishers Weekly noted that readers with a lower tolerance for nastiness should turn elsewhere — perhaps the most accurate description of what you are signing up for.
The book alternates between first-person prose, podcast transcripts, and documentary interview segments — three forms of storytelling, each with its own editorial voice and blind spots. The reader is never given a neutral perspective. Every account is filtered, shaped, performed for an audience. This isn't just a structural choice — it's the argument of the entire novel: that the truth of any story depends entirely on who gets to tell it, in what format, and to whom. Jewell doesn't just write about unreliable narrators. She builds a book that is itself an unreliable narrator.
The title is both a warning and a dare. Josie's final memory of Brooke's death — ambiguous, self-serving, possibly true — leaves the reader exactly where Jewell intends them: unsure of what they just witnessed, and unable to stop thinking about it. None of this is true. Some of this is true. You will have to decide how much.
Bookclub questions
General Impressions
How does None of This Is True compare to other psychological thrillers you’ve read? What elements make it stand out or feel familiar?
Thinking about Lisa Jewell’s other novels, do you see a pattern in her writing style or the themes she explores?
Were there specific moments in the novel that you couldn’t put down? Did you feel your attention waver at any point, and if so, what do you think caused it?
What were your first impressions of the main characters, and how did your feelings about them evolve as the story progressed?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Did the relationships between the women in the book, particularly Alix and Josie, feel authentic to your own experiences with female friendships?
The novel portrays two very different marriages. Did Alix and Nathan’s or Josie and Walter’s relationships feel authentic to you?
Was there a character you felt a strong connection to, or one whose life seemed to align with your own?
The book’s themes of manipulation and psychological control are intense. Have you ever encountered a similar dynamic in a relationship, and how did it affect you?
Societal and Cultural Context
How does None of This Is True make you think about the role of media in our lives? Do you see it as a positive or negative influence?
The novel uses a true crime podcast as a central plot device. How did this book complicate or inform your perspective on the popularity of the true crime genre?
The book explores themes of domestic violence and psychological abuse. How do the different characters’ experiences with these issues contribute to the overall conversation?
The novel contrasts different social classes and lifestyles. How does this book comment on socioeconomic differences and their impact on people’s lives?
Literary Analysis
How did the novel’s unique structure, which blends narrative chapters with media like podcast transcripts, affect the tension and pacing of the story?
How did your understanding of Josie as a character shift as more of her “real story” was revealed? What specific moments were most shocking?
Jewell juxtaposes Alix and Josie to highlight themes of friendship and competition between women. How do their personal styles and fashion choices contribute to this contrast?
The book blends the “domestic suspense” genre with true crime. How did this combination enhance your reading experience and highlight the novel’s themes?
The characters in this novel are all trying to control their lives, and sometimes the lives of others. How does the theme of control manifest in the story?
The novel’s ending is ambiguous. What do you think the title, None of This Is True, ultimately means?
Creative Engagement
At the end of the novel, Josie is still free. What do you think she will do next? Could you envision a sequel featuring her?
If a movie were made of None of This Is True, who would be your ideal cast for Alix and Josie? And for their husbands?
Imagine you are a host on the Netflix documentary about the case. What is one question you would ask Alix, and one question you would ask Josie?
The book is set in a specific, everyday neighborhood. What is the significance of setting the story in such a mundane place?
If you were Alix, would you have agreed to do a podcast with Josie? Why or why not?
What were the biggest red flags in Josie’s behavior that Alix missed?
What is the most memorable line or quote from the book for you?
