“When she doesn’t like the reality of things, she finds a reality she prefers.”
Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True was one of the most popular psychological thriller books from 2023. The story is centred around successful crime podcaster Alix Summers and a mysterious woman named Josie Fair, who encounter each other on Alix’s birthday and then again outside her children’s school. The unassuming woman tells Alix that she thinks she would be a good subject for her series, and Alix soon finds herself embroiled in the web of dark secrets Josie has been hiding. Then, as quickly as she first appears, Josie vanishes, leaving behind a terrifying legacy that has found its way into Alix’s life and her home. If you loved the fast-paced set-up and dark, gripping and multi-layered unravelling of Josie and Alix’s story, check out the best psychological thriller books like None of This Is True with us here at What We Reading!
First Lie Wins – Ashley Elston
First up on our list of books like None of This Is True is Ashley Elston’s 2024 thriller, First Lie Wins. On the surface, Evie Porter looks to have everything the unassuming Southern girl could hope for – a doting boyfriend, a white picket fence, and fancy friendship circles. The only problem is that Evie Porter doesn’t exist.
She has been given her fake identity by her boss, the mysterious Mr Smith, and learned all there is to know about the town she is moving to and the people in it, especially Ryan Sumner, her mark. But Ryan has already gotten under her skin, so much so she’s beginning to question whether a different sort of life might be possible. As she juggles the murkiness of her past, grapples with the future and attempts to keep the prospect of a future ahead of her, the stakes for Evie could hardly be higher in this suspenseful thriller.
Her One Mistake – Heidi Perks
Charlotte was supposed to be watching the children, and she swears she was. But, when all three of her children are safe and sound and Alice, her best friend Harriet’s daughter, goes missing, she realises she only has herself to blame and must muster up the courage to tell Harriet that her only child has disappeared.
Harriet, naturally devastated by this unbearable loss, is no longer able to speak to Charlotte again, let alone trust her with anything. Alone and struggling to keep her marriage off the rocks, Harriet no longer believes anything anymore. But, as the police investigation into Alice’s disappearance begins to bring dark secrets to light, she soon realises that confiding in Charlotte may be the only means of seeing her daughter again. Dark and fast-paced, Heidi Perks’ Her One Mistake is the perfect mystery-thriller for any fans of None of This Is True!
Not So Perfect Strangers – L.S. Stratton
Taking her teenage son with her, Tasha Jenkins has finally found the courage to leave her abusive husband. But fully escaping is never easy, and she soon finds herself back on the road to him when a white woman begins pounding on her car window, pleading to be let in. Spotting the angry man in hot pursuit, Tasha makes a split-second decision that will forever alter her life.
Whilst Tasha and Madison Gingell may come from very different daily lives, they are bound together by a need to escape from two very unhealthy marriages. They both want to help each other but quickly discover that their expectations don’t always match up. A modern spin on Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, Not So Perfect Strangers is a breathless read-alike for None of This Is True, flipping the lens on race and gender politics.
Everyone Here Is Lying – Shari Lapena
Serial bestseller Shari Lapena whisks readers to Stanhope, an idyllic safe neighbourhood, perfect for families in her 2023 thriller, Everyone Here Is Lying. To most people, William Wooler looks like the perfect family man. But, he has secretly been having an affair. An affair that only just ended badly at a motel. When William returns to his house to find his nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, his anger snaps.
A few hours later, Avery has been declared missing. In one moment, the quiet Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. Witnesses come forward in turns with pieces of information that may or may not be true, and it soon turns out that many of the residents on William’s street have been hiding their lies. For a suspenseful thriller that captures the paranoia of small-town suburbia similar to None of This Is True, Shari Lapena more than delivers in Everyone Here Is Lying.
All The Dangerous Things – Stacy Willingham
Like None of This Is True, Stacy Willingham’s All the Dangerous Things was nominated for Best Mystery & Thriller in the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards. The story centres around Isabelle Drake, a woman still reeling from the disappearance of her toddler Mason one year ago. With few leads and little evidence, the case quickly went cold, but Isabelle cannot rest until he is returned to her. Literally.
Having not slept properly for a year, she reluctantly agrees to appear on a true crime podcast in the hopes of conjuring up a new clue or crucial witness. But, the combination of the interviewer’s bombardment of questions and her severe insomnia soon led to Isabelle starting to doubt everything she thought she knew about the night of her son’s disappearance. Before long, she is questioning and second-guessing who she can trust, including herself.
Greenwich Park – Katherine Faulkner
With a stunning Victorian house, an accomplished architect husband and a baby on the way, Helen’s life is nothing short of idyllic. Until her first prenatal class, where she runs into the chaotic Rachel, a single mother-to-be. Despite smoking, drinking and showing little sign of being interested in becoming a mother, Helen is drawn into Rachel, making her feel confident, distracting her from her worries and encouraging her to have fun.
But, as Rachel’s behaviour becomes more erratic and unsettling, Helen isn’t the only one who begins to notice. Her friends and family begin to wonder how much shared history the two women have together. And when Rachel threatens to expose a terrible past crime, the hidden secrets buried beneath Greenwich Park are all brought to the surface. One of the best books similar to None of This Is True for its female-centred narrations and a beautiful community with plenty to hide, Katherine Faulkner’s Greenwich Park is gripping, shocking and exactly the sort of slow-paced thriller that readers are sure to find themselves glued to!
The Drowning Woman – Robyn Harding
For another book similar to None of This Is True that grapples with toxic friendships, retribution and deceit, look no further than Robyn Harding’s 2023 thriller, The Drowning Woman. Lee Gulliver never thought she would find herself homeless. But, when her restaurant fails and the debts mount, she parks her Toyota Corolla in an isolated spot beside the beach and begins to plan her next move. Then, one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the sea. But, instead of gratitude, the woman, named Hazel, is furious for being saved. She claims that she lives in an abusive marriage and that this was her one chance to escape.
Despite Hazel’s initial anger, the pair soon strike up a close friendship. Until Hazel asks Lee to help her disappear. She assures Lee that it will be easy to accomplish, but she soon discovers that not everything is as it seems and Hazel may not be the unlikely friend Lee had first assumed.
Never Lie – Frieda McFadden
Frieda McFadden’s 2022 psychological thriller Never Lie follows newlyweds Tricia and Ethan on their search for their perfect home. They visit the remote estate owned by Dr Adrienne Hale, an infamous psychiatrist who disappeared four years ago, where a violent blizzard leaves them stranded.
With no service and nothing else to do, Tricia goes in search of a book to read from the psychiatrist’s impressive collection. It is only then that she stumbles upon a secret room housing audio transcripts from every patient Dr Hale had ever spoken with. Playing each tape one by one, Tricia soon begins to unearth the shocking chain of events that led to the doctor’s sudden disappearance. As each piece of the puzzle behind Dr Hale’s life falls into place, Tricia reaches the final cassette, where the full horrifying truth is revealed.
Check Out Our Never Lie Book Review
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
