One of the characters is an alcoholic, and it felt like they were given a free pass for their bad behavior, like I was expected to sympathize with them and understand why they behaved so poorly. Now Josie thinks he's a pedophile and has been sneaking into their daughter's room during the night. As the birthday celebrations get underway, a chance encounter between Josie and Alix reveals they not only share the same birth date, but they were also born in the same hospital, on the same day, and went to the same school.

The premise of this one had me really looking forward to it – a strange woman befriends a podcaster and drags her into her strange, dark world. Having discovered they are not only the same age but were born in the same hospital, Alix and Josie strike up a friendship, with Alix inviting Josie to be interviewed on her podcast.Sometimes, when they have a high-energy babysitter, the children will still be up when they get home, restless and annoyingly awake. When Josie shows up beaten and bruised one night on Alix’s doorstep, she leaves Alix little choice but to let her stay temporarily.

Lisa Jewell's first novel, Ralph’s Party, was published in 1999 and was the best-selling debut novel of the year. Unable to resist temptation to dig into Josie's life, Alix accepts her offer and begins to record the podcast, inviting Josie to her home studio for interview sessions.Josie’s hand finds the chain she’s worn around her neck since she was thirty; her birthday gift that year from Walter. These tidbits add another layer to the events, but the snippets don’t show the whole of the situation until the end when the truth is finally revealed. It’s like listening to a concerto slowly raises its tempo and as you reach the ending, you hear the crescendo: that’s moment the earth shattering revelation squeezes your heart, you barely breathe! I buddy read this with my sister Irina, and part of the reason I love reading the same book as a friend or friends is due to the fact that you can really hash out your book review content ahead of time. I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell, and this was right up there in terms of thrill, fast pace, plot, writing style and characterisation – yes but that doesn’t mean I liked the characters.

Alix Summers, a popular podcaster, is out celebrating her forty-fifth birthday when she meets her birthday twin Josie Fair.It doesn't end there, these two women seemingly share frustrations with each of their respective partners. She scattered secrets like candy pieces, which I happily gobbled up along the way, using a nice mix of detail from Josie herself, interviews with people from her past, her mother and others to provide variety and intrigue.