I received this book as an ARC. As such, all opinions are my own.

Let Him In is a slow burn of a suspenseful thriller story. It follows the story of a newly-widowed father and his twin daughters after the recent loss of their wife/mother due to an accident (not explained in the book). The twins start talking about a man who can turn into a beast called "Black Mamba", and it goes downhill from here.

It gets a little slow going, but when it picked up, it was REALLY picking up. I went into this expecting it to be a different form of thriller based on the summary. I'm glad it wasn't. The themes throughout regarding grief and healing from a major loss, and how that can alter the relationships between parents and children without them realizing is a topic I don't really see a lot of. It was done very well here.

All in all, good debut novel!

A story that builds and builds on a sense of dread until you find yourself questioning your own perceptions about the events unfolding. The author did an excellent job of exploring the unnerving quality of children, especially twins, while also showing the young characters a lot of respect. I tore through this one and often times found it genuinely frightening.

I came across a review in a fb group and it sounded creepy and knew I needed to read it. I picked up an ARC on Netgalley and I have to say, it was creepy. Black Mamba? Ok... nope! While dealing with grief is hard enough when you have two young kids, adding anything to the mix would overwhelm me. I really liked the story overall.

Let Him In
By: William Friend

4 stars

Imaginary friends are a part of childhood. So, sometimes, is grief. Together, they can be a scary combination. Alfie finds this out after the death of his daughter's mother, Pippa. His daughters begin seeing and playing with an imaginary friend. When this "friend" won't leave, Alfie does what he thinks is best and calls the girls aunt Julia, who is not only Pippas twin, but is a psychotherapist. Together they must fight this "friend", while unburying long kept secrets from their family and the home they live in.

This was a genuinely spooky read. A parents worst nightmare comes to life here in this story. It's easy to feel the stress and fear seeping from the pages. The writing was good and the characters were easy to follow and fun to learn. Once I was reading this book, it had me in its grasp with the overall spooky mysterious storyline. It is definitely one that will keep you up at night, either reading, or with your lamp on.

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

Suspenseful, creepy, and page-turner are the main things I’d say describe this book! There wasn’t anything gory or horrific, it was the incredible descriptive writing that made this book eerily creepy. As the suspense of the mystery built, and I’d think I figured out what was coming next, I’d be thrown for a loop. Overall, I enjoyed this book, though I was a bit puzzled by the ending. Perhaps, the point of it was to be left open for interpretation? A good discussion book, for sure!

Thank you William Friend, Netgalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This cover is awesome! I wish I had taken more time to read this book but I couldn't put it down! The dread and creepiness never let up. The whole time I was reading I kept asking myself "What the hell is going on?!" Hours after I finished it I'm still trying to figure things out.

What a great debut. I need more!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. Definitely one crazy, wild ride. Horror readers would enjoy I believe. I read it quickly in less than 24 hours but can honestly say I am not sure what the plot really was about and it ended without a “resolution” for lack of a better word.

Thoroughly and delightfully creepy. Black Mamba is a boogeyman I won’t soon forget. The twins were just as spooky as their adopted monster and I loved the feeling of them slipping away not only from their dad but from us as the audience as well.

I am "rattled." This was such a great read. The beginning felt a little slow, and I was very impatient wanting to know what was going on. But now that I have finished it, I am happy about the build-up. At first, it reminded me of Paranormal Activity; having read the whole story, this is one unique and unmatched piece of work. One of a kind psychological/folk horror. Shall I say...a folie à deux between the author and his reader.

The author made sure that no question was left unanswered. By the end, I could see what was coming, and after some time, I put together the whole plot--or at least the interpretation created by my imagination. And let me tell you...it is disturbing, in a fun way (if you like the genre). While reading the book, I felt a whole range of emotions--from curious to creeped out. The end of the book left me speechless...like the whole thing had been meticulously planned all along by two characters that we will deem to be innocent simply by their nature. But once you have finished reading and think back to the history of Hart House, you'll start connecting the dots. It's a puzzle waiting to be solved.

If you're looking for a light read that will make you laugh, this book isn't it. This book is perfect for horror and mystery fans like myself, who will find themselves unable to put it down two hours past bedtime. And then, maybe, you'll wake up extra early because you want to get some more in before going to work. If this gets turned into a movie--which it should--I'll be in line for the first showtime.

I LOVED this book and would be giving it more than 5 stars if I could! I admit I decided to read it because of the original and creative jacket cover. I don't usually read this genre of book but I am so glad I did.

It is a psychological thriller written beautifully, that has twists and turns in every chapter. It had a touch of the paranormal which kept me on the edge of my seat wanting more. I don’t want to give away anything other than saying it has all the elements of making this a potentially “Best Book of the Year”!

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and William Friend, for allowing me to review this book.

Let Him In by William Friend
Publishing Date - 10/03/23
Rating (4/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for accepting my request to read this arc. This is a great debut! I read this one in one sitting this afternoon. A great read on this dreary rainy day! A haunting story that slowly builds suspense. If you love spooky, gothic, paranormal, suspenseful thrillers than this one is for you!

Let him in was truly chilling. The mystery behind the black mamba and twins was very daunting at times but entertaining. Overall great read. Thank you NetGalley

Listen, as a twin mom with an old house- this is way too creepy!
I had to take a lot of breaks to remind myself that I am not in the story and Black Mamba is not in my house.
My twins are a different kind of creepy, thank the lord, but twins can be spooky in general.

Thanks for the endless nightmares. I may never recover.

Alfie's twin daughters are grieving after their mother passes away, and their Aunt Julia tries to help. But so does their new imaginary friend.

I absolutely loved the writing style of this author! The descriptions really spoke to me. Overall, I did enjoy the book, but it was a bit repetitive and slow at times, while giving erroneous details and skipping parts of the story at others. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Let Him In
William Friend
☆☆☆☆
Releases 10/03/2023

A newly widowed father, Alfie finds struggles in raising his twin daughters. Especially when they start talking of an imaginary friend who has influence well outside of their imaginations. Living in a house with a history, is this new "friend" as made up as Alfie believes?

Let Him In is a creepy thriller with a slow build. Black Mamba was fantastically written, never letting you get quite comfortable as you progress through the story. While the ending seemed a bit rushed and left some questions unanswered, I still found that I enjoyed the entire ride.

#readandreview #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #thriller
#williamfriend #lethimin

"Let Him In" by William Friend follows the journey of single dad Alfie and his 8 year old twin daughters, Cassia and Sylvie.
After the death of his wife, the twin's mother, Alfie seeks help from Julia (his wife's twin) who is a psychologist to help him with the girls and their invented (?) friend Black Mamba. From there the story builds with a dark dread usually felt during nightmares, not from reading.
Friend builds tension throughout the novel that kept me on the edge of my seat!.
Friendship, redemption, and forgiveness are interwoven within the narrative, giving the story strong emotional resonance that left me contemplating the significance of these themes long after I had finished the book.

"Daddy there's is a man in our room" is what Alfie hears his twin daughters say when they awaken him one night. He assures them after checking each room that it was just a nightmare. This leads to them complaining nightly of the same for some time but Alfie attributes this to be part of their grieving process after losing their mother.
Nine months ago their mother Pippa died suddenly and unexpectedly at their home Hart House. When the twins start to call this "man" Black Mamba and claim he can change his shape, he calls his wife's sister and twin, Julia for help.
As thie children's attitudes and explanations of what is going on in the house continue to increase, Alfie and Julia know they must do something to save the girls and themselves. A fast and riving read.

maginary Friend or Manipulative Demon?
What seemed to be an innocent game at first turned evil very quickly. Sylvie and Cassia make friends with a shapeshifting ghost who their dad cannot see 9 months after their mother passed away. This book tells a story of how the demon manipulated two twin girls to gain control of their entire household in order to bring them all to his “home” through the red door with the white cross. William Friend tells a spooky story here of innocence to evil.

I enjoyed this at first, then after about the first 1/3 felt there was too much repetitiveness, dragging out events and dialogues. I spent a good portion confused and thinking wtf is going on?? However- there was a ton of symbolism that was very smartly done and that I picked up on over time. The end of the book felt a bit rushed, but I did enjoy the ending. I feel like I’ll be a book I think a lot about going forward, lots to digest and break down. Very interesting read, lots of mixed feelings

First a thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for give me early access for review.

I don’t really know what to say when it comes to this book, I think that the premise is super interesting however it didn’t really live up to it. Nothing really feels all that explained at the end, feels very unfinished. It also kinda feels like nothing really happens in it and none of the revels really had any emotional weight.

The characters are very one dimensional and they seem to lack clear motive.

There is though pieces of a really great story, the religion aspect seemed super cool and I definitely wish it was expanded on more. I also think that though the characters were kinda bland they had some promise. A lot of potential that just wasn’t reached for me.