This was creepy. While being deliberately scary, this story has a very strong psychological aspect to it, particularly about grief, that just hit different.

Twins have an imaginary friend. A very strange and creepy imaginary friend. Their family is trying to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on, and this leads to some dark and intense revelations.

I really enjoyed this. It is a good, sometimes intense, spooky read.

Out October 3, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

This was a great atmospheric, spooky read!! Perfect for fall, it really got me in the mood for the season. The writing was better than expected and the plot was interesting!

This was a great creepy debut! I definitely felt the chilly goosebumps and the mystery vibe. It did fall slower than I thought it would read and just a bit flat at moments. Other than that it really kept me intrigued to find out if the twins had an imaginary friend or a real life boogie man.

SHORT SUMMARY
A Father (Alfie) is now taking care of his distraught twin daughters after his wife, their mother, was killed in an accident in the cellar of their house. Their dead mother Pipa is a twin as well and her living twin Julia (psychiatrist) steps in to help Alfie with the twins. The twins are experiencing disturbing haunting interactions with a man after their mother has passed, but is he real or not?

I will start by saying this book cover is one of the main reasons I had high hopes for this book. The art followed by the depictions of the story had me sold. This book was very well written. I loved the characters, all of them and that is rare. I found myself rooting for all of them and wanting them to find peace. I will say my interests in the book dropped off towards the end. I felt the final product of what was going on was sloppily handled and did not feel complete. I understand that some mysteries leave you wanting more but this one simply left me with questions and honestly, I don’t care to find out more. This book had great potential and really let me down.
Thank you to William Friend for providing me with an ARC on Netgalley.

I really really wanted to love this one. The premise was perfect and spooky. However, the pacing of the book felt very slow. It just didn’t keep my interest like I thought. It also wasn’t as spooky either. Black Mamba was an interesting character and had tons of potential to be creepy. It felt like it was just in the background of the story. I also didn’t like the ending with Alfie and the sister.

Um. Oh my god. Yes.
Creepy af.

9 months after Alfie’s wife dies his twin 7 year olds start talking about seeing a man in their bedroom. He’s freaked out but chalks it up to grief until they keep talking about this man as if he is their invisible friend. Alfie seeks help from his wife’s twin Julia who is a therapist.

This was wild. I loved the mystery of the whole thing and questioning reality/ reliability of the narrators.
The ending had me shook.
Absolutely haunting.
I loved it.
The audio was great.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listening copy.

Let him in focuses on a young widow and the father of two young twins who are starting to engage with a new imaginary friend. As the girls engage deeper with the new friend, behaviors are changing, and the father engages the help of his wife's twin sister to help counsel the girls.

The book does a great job building up suspense as you learn more about the mother's death, the history of the house and the strange religion that the family is a part of. The twins were a little creepy with finishing each other's thoughts and the imaginary friend could have been imaginary, real or supernatural - seems all these choices were possible. Also seemed like there were odd details that did not add to the story or were not explained. I also think the ending fell a little short, after the reveal, the situation was quickly cleared up. I did give 3 stars for the good story as it was captivating until that end.

Was interesting to know there is a version of the book already I publication in England, and this is the US version.

After Alfie’s wife dies, it’s up to him to raise their twin girls. When the girls start seeing a new imaginary friend, it’s seen as a harmless coping mechanism. Until it begins taking over their lives.

While I already said The September House was my Halloween season recommendation, now I have a second. September was humorous, Let Him In is straight creepy. I could not put it down. I love any type of spooky entity, especially with kids involved and the hint of a possible demon. The author did a great job of escalating the creepiness page by page. You won’t want to read this one at night. I need to discuss the ending with someone!

“Demons are our servants, and we are their masters. We can control them. Command them.”

Let Him In comes out 10/3.

I did not like this book at all. The characters, the plot twist. I thought it was supernatural and it turned out differently.

I got 1/4 of the way through and just gave up. I did not like the style of writing and thw story just didnt grab me. I tried to keep going but I found myself skipping large chunks just to get through it.

Thanks to netgalley for the prerelease ebook,but I just can't recommend it.

I've given this book a 4 star rating as it had a great premise and the ending pulled everything together.
This is a good start for debut author William Friend Really enjoyed his writing style and would definitely read another story by him. He is British and there were some new words that pertained to the country he was from.
The book is written from two perspectives, Julia and Alfie, and bounces between the now time and the past building a foundation for what is going on in the present. The characters all of them engage in very detailed and repetitive dreams. The first 70% of the book is really a slow burn.
Was this book scary - no, creepy -no. Mind you I have a very high tolerance to scary, but honestly I did not find it as a true horror. The story is based on the premise of grief. Alfie and his twin daughters, Cassia and Sylvia, had recently lost their mom, Pippa, to anaphylactic shock. They are all dealing with their grief in different ways including Pippas twin sister, Julia. The twins begin seeing a person they call Black Mamba that can turn into any form of animal and take them to faraway places. To their fathers and Julia’s bewilderment at this revelation, the two make an attempt to dissuade the twins from their vivid illusions of Black Mamba, and specially when it begins to have negative affects on everyone.
The story is steeped in religious undertones pertaining to spirits and demons but not to the point of being distracting from the story. It’s based on the parents of the older characters beliefs, but not the beliefs of the older children. Matter of fact Pippa had discouraged any contact with her twins by her mom due to the stories she would tell the twins. If the religious aspect was over the top, I would not have finished this book as I do not enjoy any book that is reaped in religion.
All in all it is a good thing bought ghost story by an author who clearly has a flare for words and story telling
Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC copy on exchange for my honest review

Meet Sylvia and Cassia. They are twin girls bonded by genetics and isolated through tragedy. All they need is each other; until they make a most dangerous. Discover the power of truth, belief, and love in this dark, gothic psychological horror story. The tone of the book was dismal and desperate, suspending the reader in a spiritual limbo as the truth is revealed. Let him in was provocative and creepy, unique and anxiety-inducing. I am left with many questions and a feeling of unease. Thank you to NetGalley and the Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review .

Let Him In is my first book by author William Friend. I selected this book solely for the cover art. It looked eerie and a bit spooky. Perfect for the beginning of the spooky season. Being a big horror fan, I was all in!

The setting of the book was the creepy haunted house, Hart House. The story follows a grieving father, Alfie, and his twin girls after the death of his wife, Pippa. The twins reveal they have been experiencing visits from an imaginary friend called Black Mamba. Mysterious and sinister things begin to happen that put Alfie on guard, fearing his family is at risk.

While there was a slow buildup of tension, it lacked something for me. This was not a jump scare type of book; it was more psychological suspense. A family dealing with grief and trauma. The book was a bit too slow for me. The book's vibe was pretty good, and I enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley, William Friend, and Poisoned Pen Press for gifting me an eARC of Let Him In. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Let Him In was a creepy story that I mostly enjoyed reading. It's perfect for the upcoming spooky season!

The pacing of the book felt a little off to me and seemed to drag in the beginning. I thought the storyline was interesting but I didn't find myself constantly wanting to pick up the book and continue. This did get better in the last quarter of the book when the story gains speed. While it definitely did have creepy moments, there were definitely some underwhelming moments for me as well.

I think this read really depends on the reader. While I did like it I was left wanting more. I have seen many others absolutely love every bit of this book, so I still do recommend for others to check it out! Especially with October coming up soon.

Thank you to William Friend, Poisoned Pen Press, and Netgalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book to read and review.

I was absolutely attracted to the cover of this book. Had to do a double take on it to fully see the creepy details. And the gist felt horrifying enough. But... I am left perturbed after finishing it.

Alfie is a single dad to twin girls, after tragically losing his wife. Nine months after her passing, the girls woke him up in the middle of the night, horrifically telling him there was a man in their room. That was the start to erratic and unbecoming behaviours, weird dreams and sightings plus secrets of a family filled with tragic passings and a house with a dark past.

Everything sounded legit good. Even the story had moments of intensity and ominous horror. Friend's writing felt eerie and it had plenty of points which pulled you in deep, making you turn the pages hurriedly, wanting to know more. The pacing was a weebit wonky, high at some points then it dipped and then peaked again.

But 85% into the story, while i was expecting an explanation and getting a clearer picture of the whole haunting or possession or whateverthethingis, i am left even more confused then before. Huh?! And a real eww point involving Alfie and his sister in law just did not sit right with me. Though at the very very last bit,there is a sentence that leaves you hanging in a sense, whoa i felt that part was smart. But as a whole, i was simply too confused by the huh? parts that mask as an explanation/closure. I would say this was a psychological horror which carried much suspense but fell flat in the end for me.

2.5 rounded up.

Let Him In is gothic, spooky, atmospheric, and guaranteed to send chills down your spine. Perfect start to my spooky season reads.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital review copy.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters. Creepy at times and did not expect that ending. Would definitely recommend!

Let Him In was well-set up based on the book's synopsis. The cover alone made me want to read this ARC, along with the synopsis. Unfortunately, for me, I did not find this book haunting or scary. If anything, it was more dismal and grief-stricken. This book touches on family death(s), mourning, and psychotherapy. It was hard to distinguish the true angle of the book. Drama? Horror?

The premise was great, but the execution and power of "the man" that could have presented was lackluster. I would describe at as a movie scene where you feel a creepy presence, but then there is a flat line. The story loses mobility; the adrenaline rush does not kick in; the expected enthusiasm is not being generated.

Friend, himself is a good writer. He's descriptive, creative, and I was engaged throughout the story, as it held interest, but it is not a thriller to me. Let Him In isn't a book I'd recommend to someone who wants a scare. I would be interested in other books by the author.

For the classification and confusion of the stories' true genre, I will have to say it was a two-star read for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this Arc.

Let Him In is about twins who develop an imaginary friend after their mother passed away. Their father consults their aunt, his wife's sister, for help as she is a family psychotherapist. The story follows them helping the twins work through their grief and let go of this imaginary friend. But is he really imaginary?
Overall I did enjoy this read. I did feel like the pacing was off a little as the first half of the book felt very slow and I was losing interest, but I'm glad I continued because all of the best parts of the book happen in the second half.
There were a lot of spooky scenes in this book which I loved. This would be a great read for the Halloween season. It was much more of a haunted house story than I anticipated, which was a nice surprise.
I didn't quite understand why the imaginary friend was called Black Mamba. It was never really explained for sure a specific name. I couldn't take it seriously anytime the name was mentioned.
Also, it was much more of a haunted house story than I thought, so I was happy about that personally.
Overall, I thought the ending was great and left room for debate on what actually happened.

A really upsetting, spooky and dark story set in a mysterious house and with creepy twin girls. All that was missing was a clown to make this the stuff of my personal nightmares. To say why I enjoyed it so much would require spoilers so I will do my best. What I liked the most is how the book can have such different interpretations. Are the characters hallucinating, dreaming, lying or is there a supernatural force at work? Alfie just lost his wife and is trying to raise his twin daughters with the help of his sister in law. He tries hard but is barely functioning. Then, the girls suddenly have an imaginary friend. Now that is not that unusual in itself but what is not normal is that said friend is a grown man called black mamba (being named after one of the most lethal creatures on Earth is never a good sign). I liked the way that the characters are written. They are not perfect and I wanted to slap them sometimes, but also empathized with them and understood why they were acting in such ways. I really loved the last part of the story, including the ending. Five stars!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Poisoned Pen Press!