About the Book
None of This Is True is a psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell, published in 2023. It centers on Alix Summer, a true crime podcaster who meets a woman named Josie Fair on their shared birthday. The two keep crossing paths, and Josie eventually persuades Alix to interview her for the podcast. What starts as a routine recording project gradually turns into something much darker as Josie's story, and her intentions, begin to unravel.
The novel is structured around Alix's podcast and the aftermath of events that follow her involvement with Josie. It plays with the format of true crime media in ways that feel deliberate rather than gimmicky, using the podcast-within-a-story structure to keep the reader uncertain about what actually happened and who to believe. The central tension is less about action and more about the slow accumulation of dread as Josie's real circumstances come into focus.
This is a standalone novel, not part of a series. Readers familiar with Jewell's other thrillers, The Family Upstairs, Then She Was Gone, will recognize the style: domestic settings, unreliable perspectives, and a plot that withholds information strategically rather than withholding it arbitrarily.
Narration & Audio Performance
Kristin Atherton handles the narration here, and she's a good fit for the material. Her voice is controlled and measured, she doesn't oversell the suspense, which actually serves a thriller like this better than a more theatrical approach would. The tension in the story builds slowly, and a narrator who leans too hard into the drama early on can make the eventual payoff feel cheap. Atherton avoids that problem.
Character differentiation is clear enough to follow without confusion. Alix and Josie have distinct vocal registers, which matters because the book depends on the listener being able to track who is speaking and when. The pacing is steady across the runtime, and the prose, which is fairly clean and dialogue-driven, translates without friction to the audio format.
If you're on the fence, the Audible sample is worth checking before committing. Atherton's style is calm rather than expressive, and some listeners may find that slightly underplayed for a thriller. That said, the general consensus among those who've listened is that the performance holds up well for the genre.
The Audible Verdict
The audiobook is a competent, well-matched production, Atherton suits the material and the format works for this type of thriller. That said, the book's strengths are primarily in its plotting and structure, not in anything the audio version adds beyond a good listen on its own terms. It's a reasonable use of a free trial credit rather than a paid one.
Listen on AudibleIs This Book a Good Fit for Audio?
None of This Is True fits the audio format reasonably well. It's a linear narrative, the prose is accessible rather than dense, and the dual-perspective structure, tracking both Alix and Josie, is clear enough to follow without the visual cues of a print edition. There are no charts, footnotes, or formatting-dependent elements.
The podcast-within-a-story conceit is worth mentioning specifically: a story structured around audio recordings tends to feel natural in the audio format. Listening to a character's podcast episodes described within a podcast-style thriller has a certain internal logic to it. It's not a full-cast production with audio effects to lean into that premise, but the thematic resonance is still there.
Where the audio format is less decisive is that the book's twists depend heavily on what the reader knows at any given moment. In print, you can flip back. In audio, if you miss a detail during a distracted moment, you may lose a narrative thread that pays off later. This is a listen that benefits from relatively focused attention rather than background listening during commutes or chores.
Popular Listener Questions
Is None of This Is True a standalone novel or part of a series?
It's a standalone. You don't need to have read any of Lisa Jewell's other books before listening to this one.
Is the audiobook narrated by the author?
No. The audiobook is narrated by Kristin Atherton, not Lisa Jewell.
What type of reader is this book aimed at?
Readers who enjoy domestic psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators and a slow-burn structure. If you liked The Silent Patient or The Family Upstairs, this is in that space.
Is this suitable for distracted listening, commutes, exercise, chores?
Less ideal for those settings. The plot turns on withheld details and perspective shifts that are easy to miss if your attention drifts. Better suited to focused listening sessions.
Similar Audiobooks
The Family Upstairs
Lisa Jewell's earlier thriller shares the same domestic tension and slow-reveal structure. A natural next listen if you enjoy her style.
Then She Was Gone
Another standalone Jewell thriller built around an unreliable timeline and withheld information. Frequently cited alongside None of This Is True by her fans.
Alex Michaelides's debut thriller occupies a similar space, psychological, domestic, structured around a central mystery that reframes itself at the end.
Another thriller built around an unreliable central narrator and a slowly escalating sense of danger from within domestic life.
Ruth Ware's thriller uses a comparable slow-burn approach with a narrator piecing together what happened. Works well in audio for the same reasons None of This Is True does.
Audiobook Details
| Title | None of This Is True |
|---|---|
| Author | Lisa Jewell |
| Narrator | Kristin Atherton |
| Genre | Psychological Thriller |
| Year | 2023 |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
| Abridged | Unabridged |
| Cast | Single narrator |
| Author-narrated | No |
Ready to listen?
None of This Is True is available on Audible and is a reasonable choice for a free trial credit if you're looking for a psychological thriller that holds together well in audio form.
Open on Audible