Let Me In was a completely unputdownable book that I really enjoyed. I was gripped from start to finish with all the twists and turns and I absolutely loved all the interesting characters and their backstories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my ARC.

A great psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns, that will keep you guessing.

Helen and her husband, George, have packed up their life in London and are moving to a house in Cornwall. Helen hasn’t seen the house and has no idea where the house is, as George has dealt with the purchase, but as soon as they get to the house little things start to trigger memories for Helen. Has she been to the house before ?

The house hasn’t been lived in for years and needs completely updating but when Helen visits the village everyone seems to be very wary when she tells them where she lives. What happened at the house ? Who used to live there ? Why has it been empty for years ?

It soon becomes clear that not only is the house hiding some secrets but Helen and George have plenty of secrets of their own. Will the truth finally be revealed ?

This is a great psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns. We get to hear the story from both George and Helen, as well as the person that used to live in the house. If you love a mystery with twists then definitely add this one to your TBR pile !!

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Let Me In by Claire McGowan was one of my favorite books so sar this year. All the characters have flaws and they story is very powerful and important.

Helen is an over-worked physician and George is a journalist. Both have experienced some setbacks in their careers and need to make some changes. With Helen’s reluctant blessing, George goes house hunting and finds the perfect fixer-upper in Cornwall. But, instead, it’s a creepy house with a tragic past. Furthermore, the local residents are less than friendly and there are persistent rumors of witchcraft related to their new home.

Let Me In has an unsettling atmosphere, with a feeling that there is much that is unresolved. Both Helen and George have secrets that they’re hiding and past events are slowly catching up with them. The pace of the book is good and the characters are varied and interesting.

There’s a lot going on in this book, the plot is a bit convoluted, and at times it’s a bit farfetched. The final chapter left me somewhat unsatisfied and also unhappy that the ending is so much like other books I’ve recently read.

Even so, Ms McGowan has created an interesting story that held my attention. I would give it 3.5 stars. NetGalley provided an advanced copy.

Tense, twisty and gripping, I had a lot of fun in reading this well plotted thriller that mixes gothic and psychological thriller.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

McGowan just keeps getting better! I loved the creepy vibes of this book and was drawn in from the beginning.

Definitely one of my favorite thrillers of the year! I couldn't put it down and was engrossed from page one!

Helen and George buy a fixer-upper in a remote area of Cornwall, both wanting a break from London, but for different reasons. George handles the entire purchase, so Helen goes into it sight-unseen. However, when she first sets eyes on it, it feels as if she has been there before. The house is more derelict than Helen was led to believe, and Helen's unease grows. Then, as the builders begin tearing down walls and cabinets, they find things - sinister dolls, dead animals, jars filled with liquid and other things buried in the yard. The villagers are openly hostile to them. Helen and George separately begin investigating the house's previous owners, and as construction accidents take a near deadly turn, and secrets start to become revealed, the couple realizes they are in terrible danger, and they can’t trust anyone—not even each other. Because Helen hasn’t been entirely honest with him either…
This book was good. It had a lot of potential to become a really creepy thriller, but it didn't turn out that way. There wasn't a big reveal at the end, so you already knew everything several chapters before the end. I was really hoping for a big twist at the end, but all of the cards were laid out early on. I didn't especially care for Helen or George. Their characters seemed very one-dimensional and I just had a hard time feeling invested in them. My favorite character in the entire book had to be Janna - the one who was arrested for murder at the beginning of the book. Overall this was a decent read.... good, but not great.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this read. This was not for me. II almost DNF because the book was way too slow in the start for me . It was not holding my interest and I did not want to keep reading it. I think if it started of a bit better, the book would have been better. I kept reading it bit by bit. but it was not for me. It was not too bad later on but normally I would not have finished this book but I try harder to read arcs.

I did not connect with this book. Between the ghost and just the lack of action it was hard for me to really sink my teeth into. I wish there had been more of a plot front page 1 so I could hold my interest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this ARC. This was a book I just couldn't get into although I got my way to the end. I like the story line, but it just went slow. The eerie parts were cool.

Two people who met and got married but how truthful were they being to each other during their relationship. Both Helen and George had an intriguing life story before and during their marriage. I loved the way the plot unfolded with a couple of surprises along the way.
The whole story was told from a couple of points of view.
I enjoyed this book and another great plot by Claire McGowan.

Thank you to Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK and Claire McGowan for an ARC in return for an honest review

3⭐️

This is one of those stories that leaves me with conflicting feelings...

I really enjoyed the premise of the book and how the chapters were separated by character. The spooky house, witchy vibes and literally every single character in this book is hiding something. That part I absolutely loved! I was immediately drawn into this tale - even though both MCs Helen and George were quite stupid. I mean who lets their husband buy a house and move them away without even seeing the house?? Also, is the the 1950s - who doesn't check how much they have in the bank account, when it was all basically HER money?

So obviously there were some plot holes I couldn't quite get over... but putting that aside this was a decent thriller. I didn't guess the ending - which I have a very bad habit of doing. But the ending did seem very rushed and I had to reread many parts to see if I just read that right. But I did enjoy plenty of the other plot twists along the way that kept me wanting to read more.

Easily this one was a 3-star read... nothing remarkable, but a decent thriller that will keep you entertained. I wish there had been a little more of the witchy aspect and less of the COVID parts. If you are a fan of unreliable narrators, multiple POVs and lots of little plot twists - give this one a go! This was my first read of McGowan's and I am interested in seeing what else she has to offer.

A horrific and terrifying physcological thriller that had me locking all the doors and windows. This one is truly dark and creepy read with all the lights on.

I enjoyed this book and felt it was quite a fast read.
George a journalist and Helen a doctor, decide to move to the country after George’s career spirals after an incident and Helen is suffering from burnout post Covid and some PSTD.
George purchases the house sight unseen by Helen but when they finally move there, strange things are found, workmen have accidents and it looks like a person is watching them in the garden at night.
Worse is that most of the villagers are very unfriendly…but both George and Helen are hiding secrets from each other which are bound within the house and village from years ago.
Even though I liked this book, there were a few moments of disbelief like Helen having absolutely no idea of the house George had brought with their money. There are a few more but I feel they would be spoilers if I went on. At the beginning there was a touch of supernatural which I liked, although that is not the direction the the story ended up going in.
All in all it did keep me guessing and I liked how layers of the story were revealed.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was an excellent thriller! I absolutely loved the atmosphere; it really felt like you were in the decrepit, possibly haunted old house along with our characters. I really enjoyed the final twist of the book, I didn’t see it coming and the whole story took a turn I wasn’t expecting. While I guessed a few minor plot twists, that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. I highly recommend this one!

A house with a secret

One might question Helen's decision to go along with the move without seeing the house or understanding what challenges awaited her. It seems she sacrificed everything to accommodate George, who can come across as rather foolish. This dynamic adds depth to the story, providing intriguing material for the unfolding events. The strength of their relationship is now at stake as they face the mysteries lurking within the house.

The combination of a creepy house and elements of witchcraft makes for a thrilling premise in this book. Although the ending felt rushed and left something to be desired, the inclusion of these eerie elements adds to the overall appeal. While some readers might prefer shorter chapters, this book consisted of five longer chapters. However, it's important to note that this preference is a personal one and does not reflect any shortcomings on the part of the author or the book itself. Despite these minor critiques, the story as a whole was enjoyable.

I appreciate the chance provided by Netgalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and Thomas & Mercer to read and review this ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up.

For Helen and George, the remote fixer-upper in Cornwall was supposed to be a dream home, and a way to leave behind the problems they're both running from. But something about the place seems wrong from day one. And why does Helen have a creepy feeling she's seen the house before? Her unease only deepens after renovations begin, when the builders find sinister dolls hidden in the walls. As Helen digs into the houses past, she discovers that the previous owner was not only rumoured to be a witch; she was also imprisoned for the brutal triple murder thirty years earlier.

When Helen and George move from London to Cornwall, nobody in the village is friendly towards them. Helen is looking into the history of the house and finds out that the previous owner was a witch, George is also investigating the house, hoping to write a bestselling book. But there's so many unanswered questions and mysteries surrounding the house.

I found this to be quite a confusing read at times, so I took half a star off my rating for that reason. The story is told from Helen. George and Jenna's perspectives. It's quite an atmospheric read that has a creepy vibe to it. Secrets are being kept and there are some surprises in this twisted novel.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #AmazonPublishing #ThomasMercer and the author #ClaireMcgowan for my ARC of #LetMeIn in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Let Me In’ written by Claire McGowan in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Helen is a hard-working doctor in a London hospital, her husband George an out-of-work journalist. When they decide to move George finds them an old house with character in Little Hollow near Penzance but as soon as she steps inside Helen knows she’s been there before. The house is in poor repair, the builders turn up at 6am on the first day then don’t come back, there’s no internet and the neighbours are unfriendly. Helen finds jars with strange contents in the kitchen cupboards and a cloth doll with human hair (a poppet) is hidden in the wall. She starts to wonder how George found the house and if he’s keeping secrets from her.

‘Let Me In’ in a thriller that touches on witchcraft and has eerie unsettling vibes from the previous owner who was said to have murdered three people in the house. At the beginning I was hooked, I liked Helen and George and their reason for moving, but by the time I was half way through the story became so unbelievable that my incredulity was stretched to breaking point and I lost interest. I’d really hoped to enjoy this story and am disappointed that I didn’t and my review isn’t more positive but I’m sure I’ll be in the minority.

Helen and George decide to leave their lives in London behind and move to the village of Little Hollow in Cornwall, George was tasked with finding them a house and sorting the move, but when they arrive Helen is certain she has been here before and the house is in a worse state of repair than she ever expected. They are eager for the renovations to start and George employs a local builder, but Helen’s fears increase when she discovers that the house was previously owned by a witch who is now in prison serving time for a triple murder over thirty years ago, which could explain why the locals are so distant with them. The events that follow give Helen more cause for concern and they realise they can’t trust anyone, especially not each other, because neither of them have been telling the truth…

Let Me In is the latest thriller by this author, told from the perspectives of the four main characters during the present and the past. It’s a tense tale of murder, witchcraft and abuse with some unexpected twists along the way. There are parts of the story where you do have to suspend belief but isn’t that what fiction is all about? It’s the first I’ve read by this author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

I’d like to thank Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.