This story focused on grief and specifically the relationship between twins in this high pace thriller. The tension built throughout the story seamlessly and the atmosphere got creepier and creepier. The dual POVs and the creepy imaginary friend are my favorite parts of this story.

I’d seen such mixed reviews for this ! It did not put me off ! Loved it love a horror supernatural read and it’s coming up that time of year for me ! Can’t wait to read more like this !!!

Love, love, love, loved this book!! I wanted something twisty and psychological, the cover pulled me in and I got just what I was hoping for!!

An amazing supernatural horror book, that deals with loss and grief.

In the beginning it gave me Haunting on Hill House vibes, but then it became its own book.

For me this book gelled really well and it became a super fast read for me.

Don't let the Goodreads rating put you off! This was a fantastic horror debut! It's so creepy and atmospheric and I really enjoyed it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Let Him In by William Friend offers an intriguing premise with eerie atmosphere, blending psychological horror and supernatural elements. The story of Tom, a grieving father, grappling with strange occurrences after moving to a remote house, starts strong, building tension effectively. However, the novel struggles with pacing, and some plot points feel underdeveloped, leaving more questions than answers. The characters, while relatable, lack depth, making it hard to fully connect with their plight. Despite its flaws, Let Him In delivers enough chills to keep horror fans engaged, though it falls short of its full potential.

Grief horror is very hit or miss for me and this book was just really.... boring.
There was a potential creepiness factor here with "black mamba" This was an extremely slow burn of a story that just, unfortunately, never got interesting. I figured early on that there was going to be some sort of culty/religious aspect and even that was disappointingly dull. I didn't really like any of the characters at all, and I'm not sure any of them even lied each other... I was just very underwhelmed with this story and the relationship between the MC and his dead wife's sister was just uncomfortably bizarre. This was a big no from me.

Such a spooky read full of suspense!!! Such a great read for the Halloween Season, read it you won't regret it!!!

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. The only character I consistently liked was aunt Julia. Everyone else was either, at times, too obnoxious or too self-absorbed for me to like much. I think her character does the best job of pulling the story together. Alfie spends a lot of time wallowing in grief and self-pity and and not enough time on his daughters. Which may be the root cause of this stories issues.

I’m still not completely sure where this story was going. I spent a lot of time thinking “what the heck?” I had expected it to be suspenseful, and I had been putting off reading it b/c I expected it to be scary as well. But I didn’t find it to be any of those things. While it wasn’t bad, I quickly read it in less than a day, it wasn’t one of my favorites. I did like the Q&A the author put at the end b/c that gave me a better idea of what he might have been going for, story-wise, and helped me collect my thoughts and feelings a bit better. Would make for an interesting book club read b/c it’s definitely a book that is open to interpretation.

*I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest opinion *

This is a quick read with a creepy premise, but the story jumped from one point to another without any explanation. The characters were interesting, if a bit undeveloped.

This was a creative and creepy way to show how grief affects us all differently. I expected an adrenaline-filled horror novel that would be unputdownable. It was slow and not the pace I was hoping for. This book was slow and repetitive. I considered abandoning it, but I kept reading to see if it would take an interesting turn, but it didn’t.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher.

"Let Him In" by William Friend is a gripping psychological thriller that dives deep into the haunting dynamics of grief and fear. Alfie’s life is upended when his twin daughters, still reeling from their mother's death, start talking about a shadowy figure they claim is their new imaginary friend. What begins as a troubling yet seemingly innocent manifestation of their grief quickly spirals into a chilling and malevolent force that threatens to consume their lives. Friend expertly weaves a tale of growing dread, with the unsettling atmosphere of Hart House amplifying the tension. As Alfie and his sister-in-law Julia confront the increasingly disturbing events, the plot thickens with dark secrets and supernatural horror, leading to a tense and unexpected climax. The escalating terror and the unraveling of buried truths make for a compelling and immersive read.

This book was exactly what i was looking for in a haunted house type book. It was very atmospheric and definitely had some creepy vibes to it. Thank you for letting me read and review this book.

I enjoyed the writing and plot throughout most of the book. It conveyed a creepy, eerie tone; the characters were believable; and the plot and kept you guessing throughout. I think the ending came on a bit abruptly and could have been detailed a bit more; otherwise it was a great read!

This book is grief personified and I loved the gothic atmosphere, I couldn’t put it down once I got started. This is definitely one of those books where the cover perfectly matches he vibe of the story. Definitely reminded me of Babadook in the best way!! Thanks to Netgalley and Poison Press for an advanced copy of this spooky read!

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"Let Him In" is a chilling and suspenseful slow burn. The premise of a grieving single father dealing with his twins' unsettling imaginary friend is masterfully creepy. The ambiguity about the entity's nature keeps you guessing and adds a layer of unease that lingers long after the last page.

Let Him In
By William Friend
Review and Rating 3 ⭐️

The creepiness hooked me and kept me intrigued right until the very end.
Alfie is raising twin daughters on his own after his wife Pippa died unexpectedly nine months before. They are not coping well and the twins now have an imaginary friend called Black Mamba. Alfie becomes alarmed when they seem to prefer Black Mamba over him and he threatens to take them away.
He enlists Pippa’s sister, Julia, a child psychologist, to work with the girls and oust Black Mamba from the house and their lives. Julia, who was raised in the house, Hart House, and has her own reasons for not wanting to return, decides to help. The situation, however, only worsens, and Alfie must unravel the mysteries surrounding Hart House and Black Mamba.
This was different from my usual read. I don’t usually like books with supernatural elements. However, I thought this one was done well, especially for a debut novel. A solid 3 ⭐️

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.


Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

Three and a half stars rounded up! This book was an insane roller coaster. Just when I thought I had it possibly figured out, it went in another direction, and so much of it, especially the last couple chapters, left me with more questions. It was still an entertaining read. I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this.

I love a story where grief plays the main star in horror because it feels so natural and so real. Delightfully creepy and thought provoking read.