Book Series Guide
Lisa Jewell

Author guide

Lisa Jewell Books in Order

Lisa Jewell is a British novelist who began publishing with Ralph's Party in 1999. Her work spans romantic comedy, domestic fiction, psychological suspense, and thriller, including the linked Ralph's Party and The Family Upstairs novels. She is the author of 24 novels, whose books have sold more than 15 million copies internationally and been translated into more than 30 languages.

romanceromantic comedydomestic fictionpsychological suspensepsychological thriller

Catalog record updated .

Lisa Jewell's Newest Book

Cover of It Could Have Been Her

It Could Have Been Her

novel · First published 2026

Jane Trevally, newly divorced and feeling a little lost, agrees to accompany a man she doesn't know to his house in the darkest corner of Hampstead Heath. She's offered a drink, goes in, and then - a scream and the sound of something falling upstairs - Jane senses she's in a bad place. She runs. Twenty five years later, Jane finds herself outside the same house, this time to return a small white dog who's been found near her home in the country; a dog whose owner has just been reported missing. A fleeting glimpse of a haunted looking woman through the window sends Jane on a mission to uncover the house's secrets - secrets more terrifying than she could have ever imagined, especially when she realises it could have been her ... A missing woman, a dysfunctional family and dark, dark secrets ... Prepare to be it's the new Lisa Jewell thriller.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Ralph's Party

Her debut novel and the beginning of the Ralph's Party series.

Cover of The Family Upstairs

The Family Upstairs

The first book in the linked Family Upstairs novels.

Cover of Then She Was Gone

Then She Was Gone

A representative psychological thriller and one of her best-known novels.

Read in order

Books by series

novel-series · complete

Ralph's Party

Two novels following Ralph McLeary and Jem Catterick from their early relationship into family life.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Ralph's Party

    Book 1 · novel · 1999

  2. 2
    After the Party

    Book 2 · novel · 2010

    Discovering that they are drifting apart after eleven years of marriage, Jem and Ralph contemplate changes that they hope will rekindle their relationship, an effort that is complicated by Jem's feelings that she is losing herself,…

novel-series · complete

The Family Upstairs

Two linked psychological thrillers centered on the Lamb family and their house in Chelsea.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Family Upstairs

    Book 1 · novel · 2019

    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of None of This Is True comes another page-turning look inside one family’s past as buried secrets threaten to come to light. Be careful who you let in. Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday,…

  2. 2
    The Family Remains

    Book 2 · novel · 2022

    Early one morning on the shore of the Thames, DCI Samuel Owusu is called to the scene of a gruesome discovery. When Owusu sends the evidence for examination, he learns the bones are connected to a cold case that left three people dead on…

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (20)
  1. Thirtynothing

    novel · 2000

    Ever wondered what happened to your first love?Imagine bumping into them twelve years later and realizing you still fancy them rotten. That's exactly what happens to Dig Ryan when he sees Delilah again.Now imagine you're Nadine. You and…

  2. One Hit Wonder

    novel · 2001

    Ana has day dreamed about living the life of her exotic half-sister who had a hit single before she vanished from the celebrity scene.

  3. A Friend of the Family

    novel · 2004

    A hilarious, dead-on-target story from the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Upstairs. Brothers Tony, Sean, and Ned had the perfect upbringing, but now that they are grown up, real life is starting to get in the way. Tony’s…

  4. Vince and Joy

    novel · 2005

    Vince & JoyRemember having sex for the very first time?Remember thinking: this is The One?Remember life getting in the way...?Remember wondering: what happened to the person I once was?And what happened to the person I first fell in love…

  5. 31 Dream Street

    novel · 2007

    In a rambling house, failed poet Toby Dobbs has created a refuge for people who need one. But when a quiet tragedy and an unwelcome letter interrupt Toby's sedate existence, he needs his housemates to find some direction in their lives.…

  6. The Truth About Melody Browne

    novel · 2009

    "When she was a child, Melody Browne's house burned down, destroying all her family's possessions and her memories. Ever since this tragic event, Melody Browne has had no recollection of her life before she was rescued from the flames.…

  7. The Making of Us

    novel · 2011

    Lydia, Dean and Robyn don't know each other. Yet. And they are all facing difficult changes. Lydia is still wearing the scars from her traumatic childhood and, although she is wealthy and successful, her life is lonely and disjointed.…

  8. Before I Met You

    novel · 2012

    Having grown up on the quiet island of Guernsey, Betty Dean can't wait to start her new life in London. On a mission to find Clara Pickle - the mysterious beneficiary in her grandmother's will - she arrives in grungy, 1990s Soho, ready…

  9. The House We Grew Up In

    novel · 2013

    When their picture-perfect Cotswold village family life with a perpetually young father and hippy mother is shattered by a tragic Easter weekend, four siblings pursue separate adult lives before a reunion reveals astonishing truths. By…

  10. The Third Wife

    novel · 2014

    In the early hours of an April morning, Maya stumbles into the path of an oncoming bus. A tragic accident? Or suicide? Her grief-stricken husband, Adrian, is determined to find out. Maya had a job she enjoyed; she had friends. They'd been…

  11. The Girls

    novel · 2015

    Deep in the heart of London, in a lush communal square, as a festive garden party is taking place, a thirteen year-old girl lies unconscious and bloody in a hidden corner. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?

  12. I Found You

    novel · 2016

    In the windswept British seaside town of Ridinghouse Bay, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on a beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgment, she invites him…

  13. Then She Was Gone

    novel · 2017

    She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. Ten years on, Laurel has never given up hope of finding Ellie. And then she meets a charming and charismatic…

  14. Watching You

    novel · 2018

    You're back home after four years working abroad, new husband in tow. You're keen to find a place of your own. But for now you're crashing in your big brother's spare room. That's when you meet the man next door. He's the head teacher at…

  15. Invisible Girl

    novel · 2020

    AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “I absolutely loved Invisible Girl—Lisa Jewell has a way of combining furiously twisty, utterly gripping plots with wonderfully rich characterization—she has such compassion for her characters, and we…

  16. The Night She Disappeared

    novel · 2021

    On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend. One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the…

  17. None of This Is True

    novel · 2023

    From the #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her “superb pacing, twisted characters, and captivating prose” (BuzzFeed), Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the…

  18. Breaking the Dark

    novel · 2024

    In her most imaginative novel yet, number one New York Times best-selling author Lisa Jewell (None of This Is True) launches the Marvel Crime series of thriller books for adults with an original story starring the private detective…

  19. Don't Let Him In

    novel · 2025

    Restauranteur Paddy Swann was the life of the party until the day a man pushed him in the path of an oncoming train, leaving his twenty-something daughter Ash and wife Nina devastated. Shortly after Paddy’s funeral, the two women receive…

  20. It Could Have Been Her

    novel · 2026

    Jane Trevally, newly divorced and feeling a little lost, agrees to accompany a man she doesn't know to his house in the darkest corner of Hampstead Heath. She's offered a drink, goes in, and then - a scream and the sound of something…

Frequently asked questions about Lisa Jewell

Who is Lisa Jewell, and what is she known for?

Lisa Jewell is a London-based novelist and a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her novels, which span romantic fiction and psychological suspense, have sold more than 15 million copies internationally and been translated into over 30 languages.

Sources: simonandschuster.com (opens in a new tab)publishersweekly.com (opens in a new tab)

Where is Lisa Jewell from, and what did she do before becoming an author?

Jewell was born in North London and earned a diploma in fashion communication and promotion from Epsom School of Art & Design. Before writing full-time, she worked in fashion, public relations, and other roles.

Sources: publishersweekly.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)

What inspired Lisa Jewell to become a writer?

She has said that Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity made her want to write because its voice felt immediate and familiar to her.

Source: theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)

How did Lisa Jewell’s writing career evolve?

Jewell began with romantic comedy and later moved toward family drama and psychological thrillers, increasingly exploring coercive relationships, secrets, and darker aspects of human nature.

Source: publishersweekly.com (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Lisa Jewell won?

In 2024, None of This Is True won the British Book Awards for Crime & Thriller Book of the Year and Audiobook: Fiction. The novel also won TikTok’s Book of the Year for the UK and Ireland.

Sources: thebookseller.com (opens in a new tab)newsroom.tiktok.com (opens in a new tab)