Alright so this book was definitely creepy, dark and kinda interesting, which I totally liked. Butttt it wasn't for me. It was slow and repetitive and there was just something missing . But it did have a good ending. Don't get me wrong, The author's writing was awesome and the story was good and I will look out for more of his books when they come out. Oh and we can not forget that awesome cover. It's perfect for this story. So this book was just okay for me but perfect for the spooky season for sure.

Such a good creepy book, a perfect spooky season-read.

This book made me feel so creeped out, I just couldn’t stop reading it.
The concept of ”young children talking to imaginary friends that may or may not be ghosts” - is one that really gets to me. I was lying in bed in the dark feeling really freaked out at times!
The setting of the old house gives a slightly gothic vibe to this book, which I really loved.

I requested a copy of the ARC from the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, on NetGalley and was approved in exchange for consideration of a review. All opinions discussed are my own and are subjective to myself as a reader.

"The supernatural, I know, does not exist. But Black Mamba and his intrusion into our lives--this poison flowing through our family's blood--can't be just a product of my daughters' minds.

Someone has gotten into this house."


William Friend combined some of the creepiest elements to create this haunting debut novel that centers around a recently widowed father and his twin daughters.

I don't know about you, but any type of horror or supernatural tale involving children always creeps me out. Kids in general can say things that make your skin crawl. Throw in the extra bonus of featuring twins and you really up the ante. I've been fascinated with twins ever since I was a youngster and I believe there is a phenomena surrounding them and the author really plays into that. To make things even more interesting, I could never decide if the house was haunted itself or it was being haunted. Or was it just the imagination of the characters? Perhaps a manifestation of their grief for the loss of the mother/wife? To really seal the deal, there were even religious/occult elements teased that added a bit of mystique.

Alfie and his daughters, Sylvie and Cassia, struggle to return to normalcy in the months following the death of their mother, Pippa. The twins wake Alfie up one night to tell him there's a man in their room, which sends a jolt of adrenalin through his veins and he searches the home. Night after night, this same thing happens until Alfie no longer even wakes up fully, just lifts the comforter for the girls to crawl into the safety of his bed.

The nightmares fade and give way to something else - an imaginary friend the girls call Black Mamba. Their aunt tells Alfie it's a coping mechanism, Black Mamba is filling the gap left by the death of their mother. I had an imaginary friend as a little girl - I bet you did too. Did yours ever physically hurt you? Refuse to leave? Say they were going to take you away from your home...permanently?

The author did a fantastic job of creating atmosphere and suspense. As I mentioned above, I could never put my finger on what was going on exactly, but I couldn't stop turning pages, trying to find out. This pacing combined with the easy flow of the writing style and its building dread made it possible to get lost in this book - I bet a lot of you will read it cover to cover in one sitting. (I tried, but I'm old and while I'd love to stay up late reading, my body takes that choice away, lol)

I really enjoyed my time spent with this one and look forward to what William Friend creates next!

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Creepy and spine tingling, perfect read for “spooky season”! Alfie and his twin daughters have suffered the loss of their wife and mother and all are grieving her absence. Months after Pippa’s death, the girls begin to have nightmares about a “man in their room” at night but then that sinister situation takes a turn when the girls make him into a friend. Pippa’s twin sister, Julia, is a psychotherapist and begins to talk to the girls about this imaginary friend and all the adventures they are manifesting having with him. This story is short at well under 300 pages but it packs a punch as almost an allegory about grief. Truly this book is brilliantly written. Thank you Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on October 3, 2023

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the writing style of this author even if the book was really slow and at times repetitive. Following how this family went through grief after losing their loved ones, Alfie's wife, the twin's mother. It felt creepy at times, confusing at other times. But overall an enjoyable read.

Not long after the tragic death of his wife Pippa, Alfie's twin daughters wake him in the middle of the night to tell him that there's a man in their bedroom. Every kid seems to have an imaginary friend at one point or another, and when Alfie inspects the room and sees no evidence of a visitor, that's what he suspects the man in their bedroom must be. But when the visits increase in frequency and the mysterious imaginary man gets a sinister sounding name like the Black Mamba, Alfie grows increasingly concerned. Fortunately, his sister-in-law, Julia, who grew up with her twin sister and Alfie's late wife, Pippa, just happens to be a psychologist. She begins working with Alfie's twin daughters, trying to uncover the truth of their mysterious and possibly malevolent visitor. All the while, Julia has secrets of her own and disturbing memories of her childhood in Hart House, memories that may be connected to Black Mamba.

Told in alternating chapters from the points-of-view of Alfie and Julia, Let Him In is a solid, if unspectacular, horror read. There aren't many scares, but a couple scenes good enough to make a reader's skin crawl, if only a little. The narrative is clear and concise, though I never really felt like I was able to connect with any of the characters, leaving me feeling more like a casual observer to a story happening around me, but not drawing me in enough to really get invested. Overall, I found Let Him In to be a fairly light and breezy haunted house horror story. Not one that I'm sorry to have read, but not one I'd rush out to read a second time.

Please note: I received a pre-publication, complimentary copy of Let Him In by William Friend from netGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Daddy, there's a man in our room..."

Yep I was already creeped out with this line!

After their mother passes away, two twin girls tell their dad, Alfie, about their imaginary friend Black Mamba - a man who can shape shift into a snake/bird/moth/etc. Their Aunt Julia, who is a therapist and is still grieving the loss of her twin sister (so many twins!), comes to help the girls deal with their grief and help Alfie cope with how to handle their imaginary(?) friend.

Creepiness and strangeness and many questions ensue - Are Alfie and Julia starting to see Black Mamba too? What are those noises? Is their house haunted or cursed? Why have so many people in their family died in strange and unexpected ways? Is their Grandma in a religious cult and influencing their thoughts? Why are twins just so creepy? Is this all in their head and just a reaction to their grief? Why did the imaginary friend have to be called Black Mamba (just a personal question from me - started to feel comical when hearing it so often on audio).

This featured alternating chapters of Alfie and Julia and it definitely started off with a bang. I was invested in the story and the creep factor and wanted to know more. It did get a tad slow and repetitive sometimes but overall this was enjoyable and really made me wonder throughout what was real and what was not.

This book ends in a very abrupt way. It is eerie - especially on audio - but very abrupt and I found myself checking my phone to make sure it didn't skip ahead or pause by accident because I expected more. There were just SO many unanswered questions - which maybe was the point, but I found myself wanting more. I wished that the author would have taken out some of the repetitive parts that dragged and used that space to give us more answers or at least more details to come to our own conclusion about parts of the story and characters.

Overall - super enjoyable and good for spooky season. My favorite thing about this book is the COVER! One of the best covers I have seen in awhile - reminds me of one of those Rorschach tests where black blobs make a picture but the picture may be different for everyone or change depending on how you look at it.

I would definitely be interested in what this author writes next.

Rating edit:;4.5 stars.

First thing that attracted my attention was this stunning cover of the book. And then the blurb, of course.

'Daddy, there’s a man in our room.'

This is the story of an old mysterious house ―Hart House, and of course, of the people who live and have lived (and died) in this house. It's about Sylvie and Cassia, 8 yo twin sisters who talk in unison, draw unbelievably similar sketches and who think there's a man (who can change various shapes) in the house. It's about Julia, the girls' aunt (their mother Pippa's twin sister) ―a psychologist; and Alfie, the girls' daddy who is mourning his wife Pippa's death struggling to raise his children alone. It's about unexplained smells, voices and visions.

Sometimes you connect with the narrative (and characters) so well that even slow-paced, descriptive writing style seems soothing. And it is a big plus point for me, as a reader. I connected with the characters, I felt for them.

It's a very well written story, cleverly crafted. The writing is very engaging, very beautiful sometimes. Wonderful blend of paranormal elements and psychology, which makes it unpredictable and even more mysterious.

Certain things felt unnecessary, as they don't add anything to the story. And certain things, especially the backstories seemed unresolved. I wanted to know more. The ending, although unconventional and kind of open ended, is creepy. It's unsettling but very engrossing.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'd like to read William Friend's next book.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading this story. Let Him In is about a widowed father of two twin girls and their new imaginary friend. What starts out as an innocent “game,” results in a twisting nightmare where it is apparent that girls really believe that their friend is real. This was a gripping read that kept me guessing and had a really cool ending in my opinion. Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for my digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alfie is raising his twin daughters by himself, after the death of his wife. When they begin telling him a man is in their room at night, he seeks counsel from his wife’s sister, Julia. The twins reveal that the man in their room is named “Black Mamba” and although at first it seems like a coping mechanism for their grief, soon creepy things begin happening. The twins tell their father that Black Mamba has told them they must call him “daddy” now, and that he wants to take them away. Alfie and Julia struggle with a solution, forced to face the history of their family, the home they have been living in and the girls themselves.

If this isn’t the perfect read for spooky season, I don’t know what is! Reading at night, there was literally a section that made me look up and briefly scan the room I was sitting in! The creepy sensation of “Black Mamba” watching truly permeated off the pages. I thought it was unique to see grief as a main theme coupled with the creepiness that haunted their home. I had no idea how this was going to end, and even after I finished reading, I kept thinking about this story and wondering if I truly understand the ending…does that make sense?! This was an impressive debut and I’m looking forward to whet William Friend comes up with next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC! “Let Him In” releases October 3, 2023!

This record will be shared to my Instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly!

Let Him In definitely makes you think differently about children's imaginary friends.
When Alfie's twin daughters start having nightmares about a man in their room, he thinks it's just the grief over recently losing their mother as it stops pretty quickly it's basically forgotten. At least until they start talking about their imaginary friend Black Mamba, this causes Alfie to reach out to his late wife's sister Julia. She is a therapist and he hopes she'll be able to sort out what's happening with his kids.

The kids begin changing, acting out not only towards their father but also each other, always with the excuse that Black Mamba made them do it. And Alfie starts to have the feeling that Black Mamba might not be so imaginary after all.

This book was spooky and atmospheric, you could feel the growing tension in the family and Alfie's fear about what was happening with his family. I do wish it were a bit longer, and the bit at the end that kind of makes you go wtf? is not explained.. but we get to see the fallout from it.
I think this is going to be a great read for the Halloween/spooky season

I enjoyed this one. I love a good imaginary friend trope. I was a bit disappointed with the ending, though. It felt a bit anticlimactic and a there is some ambiguity, which I tend not to like. All in all, it's a good spooky tale that fit for the season.

Daddy there's a man in our room...

If those words don't send shivers down your spine than you are far braver than I am. This book is utterly chilling at times slowly preying on your mind. This isn't a book of jump scares but it doesn't need them. Let's also take a moment to realize this is the first book for this author and damn does he leave the gate running.

Loosing the love of your life is horrific enough and then add mysterious circumstances. That alone is the set up for many sleepless nights. Alfie has just lost the love of his life and is left to father his twin daughters alone in his wife's creepy old family home. The twins begin coming to their dad nightly when all of a sudden they stop. Entering the ring we have Black Mamba the girls new friend (potential foe) and what happens next left my jaw on the floor a few times.

This isn't just a haunted house story. It's a story that reflects complicated family dynamics and how their affects can domino out of control. The writing style of this story is unique with different paces throughout the story to set a tone. I can't wait to see more of this author in the future.

A huge thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy of this gem. Spooky season is approaching and this one will be perfect for those chilly autumn nights when the clock strikes 3.

3 words: CHILLING. CREEPY. SINISTER.

The writing truly heightened the reading experience for me, the iciness of Hart House seeped out of my kindle and onto my skin. I could NOT enter a dark room without thinking of Black Mamba and feeling edgy.🫣

My toddler has a large stuff pet snake that has the same eyes as Black Mamba’s was described and I kid you not, I had to put that snake away for a few days. I couldn’t look at it! 😂

Highly recommend you add this scary story to your tbr this spooky season!

William Friend's debut novel is a truly ambitious horror story with vibes of dread that permeate each page.

A father of 8-year-old twin girls, still mourning the loss of his wife, has to slowly face the fact that his daughters have acquired an imaginary friend, Black Mamba, an entity that begins innocent enough and progressively gets more and more sinister.

I was genuinely scared while reading this book and found myself not wanting to read it before bed. A truly great read for the upcoming spooky season. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this early read. LET HIM IN will publish October 3, 2023.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s creepy & ominous. It sucks you in from the first page. I couldn’t put it down! Perfect read for spooky season!

I loved this! It was a quick read, and I loved the development of the characters. I thought the relationships between the characters were compelling, particularly the one between the twins and their father. I loved the suspense of whether or not Black Mamba was a real character and the allusion to past events that unfolded slowly throughout the story.

What a great, fun, spooky listen, this book was! I enjoyed this author, and narrator so much! Perfect season to dive into this book! It was creepy, and eerie, but not so much so that I couldn't read it at night! And a huge shoutout to the narrator!

The cover of this book caught my eye while searching through NetGalley and once I read the synopsis I was completely sold. Thank you @netgalley and Poisened Pen Press for sending me an arc.

Haunted house books are my absolutely favourite and I find them particularly terrifying when small children are involved. Let Him In truly delivered on the spooky. I was at the edge of my seat with the mystery behind what was happening with this family as they dealt with the grief of losing their wife and mother. I couldn’t put the book down because I just had to know what was going on. There were moments that I had goosebumps.

It was so easy to get into and it played like a movie in my mind. All this and I absolutely loved how it ended!

This is William Friend’s first book and will definitely be checking out anything else he comes out with.

I’m a lit fic girl whose favorite genre is horror. Why I haven’t read more literary horror is beyond me and something I need to remedy immediately. This was a great book! It was eerie, had me questioning what was real and what was fake, and the gothic setting was masterfully done. The plot wasn’t terribly original and get reminiscent of a few other books I’ve read but this had some twists and a unique ending to set it apart. If haunted pasts, creepy kids, grief horror, and gothic settings are your thing then this is a must read. Looking forward to more books by Friend.