Pretty good and easy to read. It was a predictable story but still a good journey through it. I wasn't crazy about how whiny the narrator's voice could be at times, but I think it was meant to be annoying, so no points were taken off for that. Could easily see this as a Lifetime movie. (less)

Nicola Sanders seamlessly weaves together a deliciously dark and eerily evocative multilayered story packed with a plethora of creepy twists and unsettling turns making for an addictively suspenseful read.

Secrets, lies, manipulation and jealousy cast a cold cynicism planting seeds of doubt that had me questioning my loyalty to each character as speculation, unreliability and motivation came in to play.

Penelope Rawlins evokes so much tension and emotion with her narration, inciting a constant sense of desperation and despair while bringing a pervasive sense of uncertainty between the crazy cast of characters and the unsettling miasma of dread that held me hostage on the edge of my seat listening long into the night. I simply couldn’t put this compelling read down.

A hearty thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of this story due to release April 11, 2023. This is my honest review and the opinions above are my own.

This book was a wild ride. The ending was full of twists and turns. Just when you think you’re done, think again!

Wow if you love stressful psychological thrillers, this book will be perfect for you! This book is fast paced and unputdownable.

I was so stressed and frustrated with the MC Joanne, she is a dunce (another book with a weak main female character). I understand this wouldn’t be much of a book if she would have just grown a pair and stuck up for herself, but it drove me crazy. I guess I didn’t really like any of the characters since none of them had an redeeming qualities.

I love the twists at the end even though it wasn’t super shocking, but I still found the end of the book enjoyable since it was very intense.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to audibly read and review Don't Let Her Stay.

Narrated by Penelope Rawlins
Published: 03/07/23

Perfect day, chilly and raining. I curled up and listened to Penelope. She was perfect for Joanne. While listening, for context purposes -- I watched YouTube tutorials. I never underestimate the power of the narrator, and recognize they perform what is written.

There was a lot of whining from several characters. Really, this is a 2 star read. I did move up to 3 stars -- one star for choosing the narrator; I would have struggled finishing without her. The author tried too hard to shift suspicion. There are three primary characters, two are battling throughout the book: sometimes it is A & B, sometimes B&C, then there are the conflicts between A & C. All three lied and not one tried to work with the other, and it shows.

There are the usual lines -- mental illness, hereditary or not, step-parent, kids--Ours & Yours, and did you notice wealthy family missing? It's not, the family is wealthy. In addition, what good is a psychological thriller without the main character seeking advice and not taking it? Otherwise, this might be considered a mystery. There was unnecessary profanity, and seriously cheesy.

Bottomline: This is cheesy, the dialogue sometimes is painful (Fingernails on a chalk board.). It doesn't require a great deal of attention. It filled a void on a rainy day when I needed to catch up on journaling tutorials (I mute those, Lol -- umm, ummm, ummm, so, so, so SMH)

This was such a great book! I look forward to reading more by this author. She developed the story at a great pace and kept me holding onto my seat. She also did an amazing job of breathing life into all of these characters. I actually felt emotions of pity for Joanne and gut clinching fear for her. Sometimes I felt anger towards her husband, Richard, and sometimes I felt sorry for him. And the step daughter, Chloe! Oh my gosh, I hated that character so much, but that was the intent of the author. You are definitely meant to hate her. And the twists………just when you think you have things figured out, Bam! There is a twist and you aren’t sure of anything. No one is who you think they are. One of the best books I’ve read in awhile!

I enjoyed this audiobook. It's was a fun thriller that kept me guessing till the end. Loved all the twists. 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media and the author for advance copy.

Someone in your house wants you dead… When Joanne’s twenty year old stepdaughter, Chloe, comes to visit, their perfect life is suddenly a nightmare. Joanne soon starts to question her own sanity and decides that Chloe needs to go. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Meh. Don’t Let Her Stay reminded me of about a thousand other thrillers I’ve read. It was twisty, featured a ton of gaslighting and a was super fast paced. There is a lot of tension and it was an easy read. But man- this book was over the top. Plus, the gaslighting was intense and borderline ridiculous. ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Three stars! This was a fine enough audiobook to listen to while doing chores, but I won’t remember it next week! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
⁣⁣
⁣Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC in return for my honest review.

Thank you, Net Galley for the early access to the audiobook of Don't Let Her Stay!
I really enjoyed this one! It was fast paced and had you second guessing yourself at different parts of the book. The narrator did an excellent job!!
I did find myself not very fond of the Dad. But I think it was written to make me feel that way. :) Who is the actual crazy person in the house???
Only thing was I found the ending very abrupt. I'm not sure if the final version will be the same or not, but it just left me feeling like "Wait? Was that the end?"
Overall, loved it and it kept me very engaged!

Reading Between the Wines book review #36/115 for 2023:
Rating: 3 ½ 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: Don’t Let Her Stay
Author: Nicola Sanders
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Available now!

Sipping thoughts: This is one of those books that get you so mad. I was yelling at Joanne and how she was acting and responding. Then I could not choose a side. I had no idea if Joanne was crazy, if Chloe was a horrible person, if Richard was just lowkey gaslighting. Heck, at one point I wanted to blame the baby, Evie. This book will take you on a whirlwind and you just don’t k now what to believe.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @DreamscapeMedia for an advanced copy of @DontLetHerStay.

#ThoseEmptyEyes #NicolaSanders #DreamscapeMedia #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

Talk about a blockbuster thrill! From the opening scene Joann trying to escape from someone in the night with her fussy baby I was hooked, and had to find out how she got herself in that situation.
From there the story resets and we are thrown back into a "Calmer" time. Joann is married to RIchard, 19 years her senior, and they have a baby Evie. Joann finds her self a bit discontent living out in the countryside and stuck at home with her baby. As she considers getting back into the work world, Richards daughter, Chloe from his previous marriage shows up ready to reconnect with "Daddy" and moves in to serve as the "baby sitter".
Written from Joanne's point of view it quickly becomes apparent Chloe is not "sweet daddy's girl", is Richard covering for her deranged daughter or is there something more sinister in Richard's past he is trying to cover....??

So as you can see this plot was definatly a pull for me-I love domestic thrillers. Sanders is a new author for me and will be reading more of her books in the future, she is a great writer and knows how to push the story along, buy into the plot and keep you guessing.
At times I think she over played Chloe's childish behavior, and maybe took that thread a few too many pages. The ending made up for any of that however, I was really satisfied with the ending. Definatly caught me off guaurd just when I had though I knew everything-HA! CURVEBALL!.

ALso want to add the narrorator did a great job! She did a great job caputring Chloe

Thank you Net Gally and Nicola Sanders for this advanced copy read. I was not influenced for this honest review.

Fast-paced thriller with great characters and tense twists. Definitely covered all the bases of a good thriller.

A very dark twisted psychological thriller. Joanne and Richard are adjusting to life with their new baby. For Richard, it is round two. For Joanne, it’s all new and she is learning to navigate the highs and lows. Out of the blue, Richards estranged daughter Chloe shows up and let the gaslighting begin! This is one that will leave you creeped out and surprised by the ending.

In this psychological thriller, Joanne meets Richard, who is everything she ever wanted, rich, tall, dark and handsome. She falls in love, gets married and has a baby. Richard gives her everything she could ever want, or does he? Soon his grown daughter (Chloe) is asking to come live with with them and once she moves in Joanne starts losing her mind, or does she? Richard and Chloes dark past comes to light, all hell breaks lose and Joanne has to choose who to trust, will she choose correctly?

This book is so twisty and turny! I had an incredibly strong visceral reaction to one of the characters and I couldn't want to finish and find out what happened. I would recommend this book if you like thrillers.

''Someone inside your house wants you dead, but no one believes you…''

Don't Let Her Stay is a really well written, twisty domestic thriller. I really enjoyed this read especially in audio book form as the narration was incredible!

3.75 out of 5 stars

Thank you to netgalley and Dreamscape media for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.



This was a fun, twisty thriller. I know that this may sound like an insult but it totally isn't because I love these kinds of movies but the book had a kind of twisty, 80's TV thriller feel to it and I was there for it.

Joanne thinks she has the perfect wife with the perfect husband, she should think again. When her husband Richard's daughter wants to come for a visit to meet her new baby sister everything changes. From the moment Chloe arrives Richard starts to act strange. He begins to treat Joanne like she is imagining things. That Chloe isn't acting hostile towards her.

Penelope Rawlins was an enjoyable narrator. I think my only issue with this was that the twist was very obvious but it didn't really ruin the novel for me.

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

This book was so gripping! I did not want to take a break from it at all. Chloe was so messed up and twisted and it really made the book creepy at times. I really enjoyed the listening experience with this book.

While I will recommend this for book groups and will purchase (because I know readers will enjoy it), it took till the last 15mins for me to really get intrigued. The first part of the book just annoyed me, "how can one woman be so naive and stupid," the last 15mins made it clear why I was annoyed, simply twisty. So do yourselves a favor, push through the screaming at the character to "get out" and hang in there for a satisfying end.

Thank you Dreamscape Media, Nicola Sanders, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for an honest review. Is Joanne being paranoid or is something more sinister happening? You’ll have to listen to find out. Narration was on point, fast paced listen. Major twists that will leave you literally gasping out loud. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 solid stars. Definite must read/listen.