I did not end up reading this due to scheduling issues, but it is still a book I have interest in and will be picking up to read as part of my physical media pile.

Alfie has lost his wife and raising two twin daughters on his own. 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. As she is a psychotherapist, she begins to counsel the girls. Who is this imaginary friend and what do they want? The atmosphere is creepy as all get out! I felt the story of the girl's visions were frightening. There were times where the book was repetitive and slow moving. However, Friend's writing is superb for his first novel and he's a talented writer. I will say I think he has a bright future ahead.

I had high hopes for this one. I went in wanting spooky vibes. It started off strong. We have a dad/widower figuring out how to raise his two daughters alone. All the while dealing with the imaginary friend that has come along. I feel like the story dropped off as it progressed. I wanted more creepiness. I really disliked the dad. I wish he could of been more likeable in his povs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

A solid work of horror, but it didn't blow me away or particularly scare me. I think the cover ended up being the most interesting part for me,.

The cover…..is sooooo CREEPY!! Am I right?

Anyways, just wow - my jaw is still on the floor!! This was an exceptional horror debut that will likely haunt my dreams for a long time to come.

TWINS + ‘IMAGINARY FRIEND’ + OLD HOUSE

yeah…nope- *shudders*





Thank you to William Friend, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for the eARC.

This was a solid read. The flow was good and the different perspectives provided a fun eye into the mystery. I did feel the ending was slightly unclear/rushed, but considering the rest of the book, I really liked how it left me with more questions than answers. It provoked a second read-through to really connect the dots and I enjoyed it overall.

If you’re looking for something to get your spooky season started this is the book for you! It kept me guessing about what was really going on and packed enough of a punch that I actually gasped a few times while reading. I’m still not 100% sure what happened? I think that’s the point? Either way. This was a good haunting book to welcome in fall and spooky season in general.

I absolutely loved this story, unlike anything that I've read. It's the perfect book for the spooky season. I can't wait to read more books from this author.

Kids are creepy, man. Especially twin kids. Even more especially twin kids with ‘imaginary friends’. No thanks; I’m good over here.

Though in real life I’d run from any children exhibiting the behavior the two children in this book did, give me a book about it and I’m there so fast you won’t even see me coming. Let Him In was a satisfying, well-paced, truly creepy novel. I enjoyed every second of it.

Unsettling and immersive.

This book was deeply disturbing with haunting scenes that drew me in. I don’t read a lot of horror, especially stories this dark featuring kids but Let Him In is the exception. It’s written in such a way I felt as if the adult characters were more at risk than the twin children. Told between alternating perspectives, Friend delivers an eerie observation of how children use their imaginations to deal with grief. The first is Alfie, a recently widowed father looking after twin girls, Cassia and Sylvie, since their mother Pippa was killed in a freak accident. The second perspective is Julia—Pippa’s twin sister—who is a psychiatrist, also nursing unresolved wounds from childhood. Alfie calls Julia to help after the girls mention an imaginary friend, ‘Black Mamba’, who they see lurking in the shadows of their room at night.

I enjoyed the alternating perspectives, but preferred Julia’s since she felt like the more reliable of the two. Both had different creepy experiences in the house including one in which Julia mistakes a shadow man sitting in a chair in the dark for Alfie, only to realize he’s upstairs asleep. The descriptions were immersive and the reveals slow paced. The tension was steady but took a little too long to build for me personally. The end left a lot unanswered but alluded to the entity (or demon) winning, and Alfie being the one locked in the cellar. I would have preferred more clarification but perhaps that was the point.

3/5⭐️⭐️⭐️
For readers who enjoy the haunted house trope, suspense, and a slow burn.

Slightly creepy but intriguing story. I wish it would have been scarier though. I had really high hopes for this but it didn't meet my expectations.

I wanted to like this look. I tried to like this book. It just did not do it for me. I felt like it left so many things unanswered. There were so many things that did peak my interest that are what probably kept me going but then nothing came of them. It was almost a DNF for me. I gave it 1 star because I did read it all the way through hoping for something, needing something, but getting left empty. I was disappointed as I felt like it had the ability to be great and have more to it but just did not finish out but maybe that's what the author was going for. Unanswered questions. If that was the case then he did an amazing job!

This book unfortunately was a struggle to hold my attention. It wasn't as frightening as the description led itself on to be and I was in the mood for a scary story. Thank you again for the opportunity to access the advanced reader's copy of this book.

Creepy, propulsive, and addicting. This book was spine chilling and I completely devoured it. The audio narration was also phenomenal. Highly recommend the audio to anyone who asks. fast paced, great character development and it gripped me from the first chapter!

"Let Him In" is the first novel by William Fiend, and I have to say, it is truly remarkable. The narrative is skillfully crafted, drawing me in with its vibrant descriptions that make me feel as if I am experiencing the story firsthand. While the pacing is a bit slow, it provides ample room for the gradual exploration of each character's background, allowing me to develop a profound connection with them. The unsettling and eerie atmosphere of the story captivates me from beginning to end.

In my perspective, the novel tends to lean more towards psychological horror rather than the supernatural. Although there are moments that imply a presence of the supernatural, they are not consistently present. The backstories provide information about the Hart House and the seemingly cult-like family of Julia and Pippa. The novel can be seen as a psychological horror as it creates a creepy atmosphere and explores the emotional and mental states of the characters, particularly the twins and their father. There is a suspicion that Black Mamba may have been created from the imagination of one of the twins, but this has not been definitively confirmed. I still believe that it is possible for the supernatural to be involved, perhaps with the twins successfully summoning a demon with the assistance of their grandmother, Marian, in order to communicate with her deceased husband, Eric. However, this is not established until the end. Furthermore, the ending, which I personally find thrilling, leaves me dumbfounded and confused about who was actually living with Julia and the twins.

Nevertheless, the book is sufficiently creepy, making me shiver and causing me to put it down when I was alone in the house. The unsettling feeling stayed with me, especially during nighttime when I imagined something lurking in the dark after reading it.

This was my first book for this author and wanted something spooky for fall. It did take me a bit to read it because the writing seemed a bit slow for me but once I got hooker i blew through it.
I liked the way it showed how grief affects us all differently. There’s not a lot of characters, which kept it simple. It’s written from the POV of the grief stricken dad of two twin girls and their aunt. I’m still not sure of the ending and may not understand how the backstory of the family came into play but it was a good read.

•Thank you NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoy this book it took me a little time to get through it but I love how much detail was in it without feeling overwhelmed. I felt like I was I'm the story and times. After I out the book down and picked it up a little later, I always thought to myself why did I stop.

I would recommend this book to others.

I could really take or leave this book. I wasn't really into how the story progressed and ended. The sexual tension between Julia and Alfie was a bit strange, especially the way it was presented. This was a very meh read for me and felt very predictable.




Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read/review this novel

So I’m not 100% sure how I felt about this story. The entire story is “are these girls handling their grief through a shared imaginary friend or are they being targeted by a demon?” I spent the entire novel trying to decide if it was paranormal or psychological, and at the end I still don’t feel like I got my answer. I hated the dad for most of the story. I understand he was grieving, but he had two kids that should’ve come before his grief. The aunt seemed really suspicious for the entirety of the novel. Like ma’am, why are you being so weird? I think the girls were done really well though and between them and Black Mamba I was feeling weird for the whole novel. I do feel like it did drag in parts. I can see where it may have been trying to build tension or backstory but there were times that I was just like please continue with the story.

This review may sound real negative, and I don’t mean for it to be I actually quite liked the story. The ending sent my head spinning because I don’t fully believe the answers that were given. I’ve thought about the story many times since reading and I’d say that’s a win regardless. I had a few things that I didn’t love but overall I decent read.

“Daddy, there’s a man in our room...”

Adjusting to life as a widower and single dad, Alfie is struggling to accept his new normal. But as his twin daughters wake him up one evening claiming there is a shadowy figure in their room, Alfie begins to worry that his struggles to adapt have caused his girls to create an imaginary friend. Until, of course, he begins to see and feel strange things in their home.
The premise of this story is so creepy. Imagine your children talking about an invisible "friend" in your home while strange things are happening that make you begin question if this "friend" is more than just their imagination. I will say that if this story focused more on the "friend" and happenings surrounding that and less on the back story of the main characters it would have been SO scary. All of the elements where there for this story to go from creepy to goosebump inducing scary.
This is a great story and perfect for those who like their spooky reads a little less spooky. But that ending, just wow.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley @poisonedpenpress and @dreamscape_media for the gifted copy of this book.