What a way of creeping your mind. It exposes you to meanings of what ifs and it even felt like a horror film jumpscares. But overall, it seems a little bit flat for me and somewhat familiar to me.

In William Friend's spine-tingling debut novel, "Let Him In," readers are welcomed into a world of eerie suspense and psychological turmoil. The story revolves around Alfie, a grieving widower left to care for his twin daughters, Sylvie and Cassia, following the unexpected death of their mother, Pippa. The novel kicks off with a chilling scene as Alfie wakes up to his daughters' disturbing claim that there's a mysterious man in their room.

As the haunting tale unfolds, the heartache and grief that have taken residence in Hart House, their family home, become palpable. The twins' distress is painted vividly, having lost their mother at such a tender age. Seeking solace, they invent an imaginary friend named Black Mamba, who has an uncanny ability to transform into various creatures and lead them on surreal adventures.

However, the innocuous imaginary friend takes a sinister turn when the girls start setting a place for him at the table and making unsettling claims about his intentions. Alfie, concerned for his daughters' well-being, enlists the help of Julia, Pippa's twin sister and a psychiatrist, to unravel the mysteries behind this apparition.

The novel masterfully weaves psychological tension with a sense of gothic horror. The titular Hart House is itself a character, shrouded in dark secrets and lingering doubts about the deaths that have occurred within its walls. Alfie's journey to uncover the truth behind the haunting forces him to confront his own past and secrets, leading to a climax that leaves readers gasping.

Friend's writing effectively captures the eerie atmosphere and the characters' emotions. The sense of unease gradually builds as the story progresses, making it nearly impossible to put the book down. The parallels drawn between the twins' experiences and the history of Hart House lend an additional layer of complexity to the narrative.

In many ways, "Let Him In" channels the spirit of classic horror tales such as "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Whisper Man." The presence of twins, a haunting house, and a blend of psychological and supernatural elements contribute to the story's chilling appeal.

As a debut author, Friend showcases a talent for crafting a suspenseful narrative that sinks its hooks into readers from the outset. The pacing is well-executed, with each chapter unveiling new revelations and deepening the sense of foreboding. The characters, particularly Hart House and Black Mamba, are developed with a haunting allure that resonates long after the final page.

"Let Him In" is an atmospheric thriller that promises to keep readers on edge, eliciting both shivers and gasps. This captivating debut marks William Friend as a writer to watch in the realm of psychological suspense. For fans of unsettling tales and those who revel in the tingling sensations of fear, "Let Him In" is a must-read that lingers like a ghostly whisper in the night.

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐
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I had no expectations of what I would get when reading this but wow that was amazing! It's one of those books that will leave you feeling unsettled, confused and questioning everything by the end and I absolutely love that.
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The gothic atmosphere and the sheer brilliance in the quality of the author's writing made for an unputdownable, fast paced book. This is not the kind of book that will throw gore and jump scares at you to try and disturb you. Instead it will slowly chisel away at your perception of reality and worm it's way under your skin to give you a constant sense of dread and unease.
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It talks about what happens after the loss of loved ones and explores different avenues of grief. How people cope even long before they have passed, through religion and beliefs and how we (and other outside factors) can warp our perception of reality.
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This book is filled with love, loss, taboos, and most prominently, things that go bump in the night. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book that will give them chills even long after reading the last, frightening, sentence.
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Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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***Trigger warnings include but may not be limited to, death of loved ones, grief, domestic abuse, abuse of children by children and miscarriage.***

An enthralling, chilling, read! The creep factor was high with this story. It only took me a little over a day to finish, because I could NOT put it down! I had to know what happened to Pippa, and what was going on with Alfie and the twins. Definitely pick this up if you're into haunted house stories! You won't be disappointed.

My first read by this author thanks to NETGALLEY! Let Him In by William Friend was an unsettling, thought-provoking story reminiscent of The Shining, revolving around two eerie twins who’ve lost their mother. As time passes, his daughters start talking about an imaginary friend. They say they can see him and hear him. When Alfie becomes frightened, he calls on his sister-in-law, Julia for help. The writer blends supernatural elements with emotional turmoil and creates an innovative take on the haunted house trope, filled with atmosphere, gloom and tension. Never in my life would I have anticipated the fear that consumed me while reading this novel (by the way which I loved). #netgalley #lethimin

Let Him In is the debut from William Friend. Alfie, a widower, is raising his twin girls alone in the family home of his late wife. The twins appear at his bed one night, claiming that they saw a man in their room. Initially seen as a coping mechanism for their grief, Alfie isn't concerned with their imaginary friend. However, as their friend Black Mamba inserts himself more and more into the family's life, Alfie turns to his psychologist sister-in-law to evaluate the girls and try to get rid of Black Mamba.
This book is creepy and atmospheric, with a chilling ending. However, the pacing is slow. There were a lot of side plots that weren't fleshed out, which was disappointing because I felt like there were a lot of unanswered questions. Maybe that was the intention, but this book was very short, so there was room to expand on these areas, and doing so may have taken this book from creepy to terrifying. I know others have loved this one, so I am likely in the minority but I prefer to have not so much left up to interpretation and speculation.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

William Friend's debut novel, Let Him In, is a horror story with a big serving of psychological thriller on the side.

Alfie and his twin daughters are grieving the loss of their wife and mother. An imaginary friend initially seems like a harmless coping mechanism for the young twins, but as the friend becomes more center stage in their lives, Alfie begins to worry. Julia, Alfie's sister-in-law and twin sister to the deceased, is called upon to help. When Julia arrives, she also must face her grief, along with her daunting family history,

The cover of Let Him In is stunning, and the beginning of the book pulled me in quickly. I found myself intrigued by the family, house and imaginary friend. The sadness of the characters permeates the pages of this book. You can almost physically feel their distress. As the book continues, crumbs keep falling, and they kept me interested, wondering how everything would unfold in the end.

Unfortunately, the pace of the book never really picks up. And the ending isn't as tidy as I'd personally like it to be. I'm all for taking time at the end of a book to reflect and come to my own conclusions. But there are too many unanswered questions for me to really come up with any sold theories. There were a lot of horror themes running through this book, and it maybe could have done with one or two less to help it's ending all tie together.

If you are a fan of gothic horror and enjoy a slow burn thriller, this book is worth a try, especially since it is being released during the spookiest time of the year.

A big thank you to the author, NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with this digital ARC. I am voluntarily leaving this honest review after reading the book.

Let Him In by William Friend was an unsettling, thought-provoking story reminiscent of The Shining & The Babadook, revolving around two eerie twins who’ve lost their mother. The writer blends supernatural elements with emotional turmoil and creates an innovative take on the haunted house trope, filled with atmosphere, gloom and tension.

We’re privy to two perspectives and psyches: Alfie, father of the twins and Julia, aunt to the twins. The twins exhibit erratic behaviour and claim that there is a man who lurks in their room.

What I enjoyed about the events that unfold after this is that debut author William Friend blurs the boundaries between the real and the imagined using grief, guilt and trauma as a catalyst, leaving me uncertain about what was truly happening. The book was, at times, slowly and deliberately paced, and while I could appreciate why it was done, it might’ve been a little bit too slow for my tastes.

This read is not for you if you’re seeking more traditional jump scares and gore, rather, it’s a psychological, atmospheric experience open to interpretation for readers. I must say, the ending was quite satisfying in that regard! Congrats to William Friend for a great debut, and to the artist for the haunting cover art!

My thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and author William Friend for the opportunity to read this work, which will be published in October 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Well paced, spooky book about familial grief. Take a house with a sketchy past, dead parents and multiple sets of twins and you have a perfectly chilling tale.

Classic haunted house novel that will give you the creeps through the Halloween season. Alfie is recently widowed and left alone to care for his twin daughters after a tragedy takes his wife. The twins are struggling to cope and first start waking Alfie telling him there is a man in their room. He chalks this up to grief but soon they start talking about an imaginary friend. Alfie quickly reaches out to his sister in law, who is a psychiatrist, for help but Julia has her own secrets. Told by both Alfie and Julia, this story has plenty of scares and the ending leaves the reader wanting more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisened Pen Press for the ARC.

I started this book with high hopes. I got about a quarter of a way into it and I was still confused an bored. I'm sorry for the harsh review, but I ended up DNFing the book.

This was a fun, quick read. It scratched the itch of needing a good haunted house story. I liked the dual perspectives. I'm confused by the ending but I think it's intentional. Ambiguous endings aren't my favorite but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

Interesting Paranormal Thriller! A grieving father discovers his twin daughters' strange behaviors. But what he thought as a harmless coping mechanism for the twins became more eerie and disturbing. Could it be the house is haunted? A strange bonds twins do? or maybe he's the one failing to cope and is now losing it? I'd definitely recommend it, It's an easy read, slow burn, intriguing story.

"Let Him In" by William Friend is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine and is the perfect book to read in preparation for the spookiest time of the year-Halloween! Alfie is trying to cope with the tragic loss of his wife and raise his young twin daughters on his own when the girls become fixated on an imaginary friend named Black Mamba. At first shrugging it off as a way for the twins to deal with their grief, Alfie and his psychiatrist sister in law become increasingly concerned when Black Mamba's character turns dark and they are forced to consider whether he is imaginary at all. The atmosphere created by the author's words is tense and claustrophobic, and the setting is perfect to set the scene for some seriously bone chilling moments. The story moves a bit slowly, but this just adds to the tension that boils over into an explosive and satisfying ending. This is definitely one of the creepiest books I have read in quite some time.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and William Friend for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

This will send shivers down your spine. Twins that share an imaginary friend can be deemed normal, but their father who is recently widowed has a feeling something is just not quite right.

From beginning to the end as the reader you have no idea if the imaginary friend is real or not. He's trying to find any way to get their father out of the picture and in the end does it actually happen? We may never actually know.

I was pretty satisfied with this debut novel. The premise gives great anticipation that kept me coming back for more. Dual narrators for the main characters helped create a well-rounded expression of typical reactions to the situations described. Although I did struggle to care about the parts of the story that took place outside of the main location, they were brief enough to get the action back on track. The story moves along at a fairly upbeat tempo with twists and turns I didn’t see coming, but the ending held some givens that made sense and a resolution that left me willing for more.

Let Him In is a spine-chilling gothic tale infused with grief and family drama. This sinister story creatively uses horror to show the different ways grief can affect people.

The tale is set within Hart House, a haunted house filled with dark secrets. Alfie, a grieving father, struggles to care for his twin girls, Sylvia and Cassia, after they mother, Pippa tragically died. The twins experience nightly visits from a man in their bedroom, but Alfie never finds any evidence. Eventually, the girls' night terrors die down, replacing the mysterious presence with their new imaginary friend, Black Mamba, a man who can transform into animals and whisk the girls away on fantastical adventures. This concerns Alfie enough to finally bring in Pippa's twin sister and psychiatrist, Julia, who fears something may be threatening the family tied to their own religious beliefs and past.

The disturbing atmosphere and gradual buildup of tension captivated me the entire time, and the ending left my jaw on the floor. It mostly a psychological thriller and leaves a lot of doubt for readers to draw their own conclusions. This is an absolute killer debut novel from William Friend, and the cover for this book is stunning. I recommend this book to anyone who liked The Babadook, Rosemary's Baby, Haunting of Hill House, and/or The Shining.

Ohhh I absolutely loved every second of this book.
I went into Let Him In By William Friend with zero expectations and boy was I pleasantly surprised.
This is the story of a widower and his two young twin daughters. One night he wakes up to find his girls standing by his bed telling him that there's a man in their room.
From there the story goes on a wild, yet subtle, ride that truly scared me. I think this will be a favourite of many this year.
For a more detailed (but still spoiler free review) please check out my youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C2iOczqy6c

This book is well-written and kept me on the edge of my seat pretty much the entire time I was reading. I just had to know what was going on in Hart House. After finishing, I don’t feel that I’m any closer to knowing what was happening than when I started. While it was a quick read, the plot was slow to come around. I’m glad that the book was as short as it is, because the suspense likely would have gotten annoying had it been much longer. The characters are nearly all mysterious and interesting, none of them particularly unlikeable, so that was refreshing. I think this is a very promising book and I know there is an audience that will absolutely eat this up. The author’s writing style is proper, but easy to follow. I certainly would check out another work by William Friend. I appreciated the opportunity to read a copy of this one before print.

I enjoyed this and would definitely pick up more by the author.

After finishing, I feel I have more questions than answers.

Thanks to Netgally and the author for the ARC!