2.5 stars. So ... methinks "psychological thrillers" just aren't my jam. There's been one or two that I actually got into, but generally I'm just shaking my head wondering at all the raving reviews. Samsies here. 

This had a unique presentation ... starts with a prologue of an unknown man (I'd actually forgotten about it until I perused my Kindle copy while prepping for writing this review). The main story is told from two perspectives - two different 45 year old women, Josie and Alix. Mixed in-between, are "graphic audio" spots ... an "ad" for a Netflix special, podcast recordings and other interviews, some music and sound effects added to these portions. In print, these sections have different text and placement to make them stand apart.

No set chapters - after the prologue, there are only four "parts", and a fifth one (16 months later). In this, the audiobook Table of Contents was a little more informative, with the headers included (dates) and broken down into additional sections. They did NOT indicate the POV, so you had to grab that from the text. All 3rd person, present tense ... present tense can be written so I don't notice it ... that wasn't the case here. I was always very aware of the tense. It felt awkward.  While there were different narrators for the two POVs, the voices weren't that different. As I'd pop in and out of the story (I'm listening while multi-tasking, constantly stopping and starting up again randomly) I'd never be able to tell right off which POV we were in by the voice, had to wait for the text to point out the character. 

I felt like the title was an issue ...  a spoiler if you will ... NONE OF THIS IS TRUE ... I think that is one of my main issues with these "psychological thrillers with an unbelievable twist" ... I'm always on edge, second guessing everything, trying to guess "the twist" ... I can't fully get involved in the story because I'm analyzing everyone and everything. Throw in an unreliable narrator. Then the chronology... The prologue, is one of those "scenes" from later in the book/movie, shown at the start, then you build up to that moment, but by then it's already a bit of a spoiler because you know, have already seen what happens. In the Netflix teaser, some facts are dropped, that readers probably aren't paying too much attention to because they don't know anything yet, but again, super spoiler ... Then when things DID happen, were revealed, much of the time it wasn't obvious. I actually had to stop my audio and turn to the Kindle copy because I thought I'd missed something, things being referred to, that hadn't actually been revealed yet. It just annoyed me. 

The characters weren't very likeable either ... major issue with an older man and teenage girl, drinking problems, major family drama. Supposed to be "realistic" but ... really? I know there ARE crazy stories out there but I'm a bit judgmental when it comes to realistic fiction.

I'd just seen so many rave reviews about this, I didn't really even read the blurb, just figured I'd put it on hold at my library. A bit of a wait because it IS very popular. While I didn't have any trouble getting through it and finishing it, as I think back on it, it isn't a positive recollection. Not one I'd recommend personally. 

One odd little statement that rubbed me the wrong way (as a mother to two electricians) ... "only people who were brought up on estates and married to electricians experienced domestic violence" ... WHAT? Is that a stereotype? I've never heard anything like that (or is "electrician" just a generalization of those who go into a trade over college education). I'm not even picking on the statement because I'm offended about the electrician crack (ok, maybe a little), more the "I've never heard of that generalization at all!" point. It just seemed so strange and out of the blue. 

Quite a bit of proFanity, and some sexual stuff, and violence (nothing super gory or gratuitous).