What starts off with a seemingly harmless and random meeting in a restaurant (“𝘏𝘪! 𝘐’𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯!”) rapidly takes an unusual turn in this completely engrossing thriller by Lisa Jewell. This book has received overall glowing reviews and I have to agree. This is one of my favorite Lisa Jewell books!
I loved the unique structure of the story, a Netflix documentary about a podcast that centers on Alix Summers, a beautiful and successful woman who seems to have it all, and Josie Fair, the slightly offbeat woman who will become the subject of Alix’s new podcast series. They meet the night of their birthday celebrations when Josie approaches Alix in the ladies’ room and they exchange mutual birthday wishes.
Right away, it is obvious that there is something off about Josie, but I had no idea of the twisty thrill ride I was about to take. Josie soon ingratiates herself into Alix’s personal life, crossing lots of boundaries but all the while giving Alix a gripping story of her life for the podcast.
I am so glad I went into this one blind, because the less you know about the story the better. There are some really brilliant twists, and the cast of characters is likewise absolutely unforgettable. The first page was just as unpredictable as the last and I had to go back and reread it once I finished the book. One of Lisa Jewel’s best books!
(𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.)
About the Book:
Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.
Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers 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 realise 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.
Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?