If you’re a mom this book is going to make you crazy, furious! I chose to listen to this book on audio and it was narrated by Penelope Rawlins. She did a great job and I felt like I was right there.
This story had me second guessing everything. Did I imagine it? Am I forgetting? And how would I win a stepdaughter over. I was frustrated and I had such an uneasiness. And that ending really threw me for a loop!
Suspenseful and very unexpected with growing fear! Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

I liked this book! It was a gripping story, which kept me on edge until the end. I was just as confused and torn as the main character in the height of the action. I read it on audio, and I think I might have enjoyed it a bit more on paper/e-reader, the narrator’s voice for the younger daughter was hard to listen to at times. Overall, it was enjoyable!

Psycho stepdaughter from hell psychological thriller- but with someone me very fun twists! Great antagonist I loved to hate. Easy five stars.

Joanne and Richard are happy with their newborn baby, Evie. They are settling into the job of being new parents when all of a sudden, Chloe shelves up out of nowhere. Chloe happens to be Richard's daughter from his first marriage. Chloe's mother died under mysterious circumstances, but was later determined she committed suicide. Chloe is 20 and is angry and bitter. Richard feels obligated to take her in and have her live with them, much to Joannes dismay. She makes Joanne's life a living hell and even gets her dad on her side. What a crazy roller coaster ride that was up until about the last couple of hours of this audiobook. Then things took a ridiculous turn that had me rolling my eyes quite a bit. And I'm sorry to say this, but the last couple of minutes of this audiobook is what sent this audiobook rating down from a four to a three star. I'm sure others will be thrilled with this story, but it just fizzled out for me completely. Big eye roll. I wish to thank NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nicola Sanders' DON'T LET HER STAY —a wild roller coaster, twisty, wickedly evil cat-and-mouse domestic suspense of gaslighting. Your loyalties change multiple times throughout the novel as you try to determine whom to trust with this cast of unreliable narrators.

Joanne is married to Richard, and they have a happy life and home with a beautiful baby girl, Evie.

That is until the stepdaughter shows up. She is one manipulative, scary, mean character. She is pure evil! Richard's twenty-year-old daughter Chloe. She plays nice as long as her dad is around, but the claws come out when he turns his back.

Before her arrival, Joanne had planned to return to work (working from home as a real estate agent) and had been interviewing nannies. She found one she loved and was ready to start. However, when Chloe shows up, Richard says she can be the babysitter since she quit college. NOOOOOO...

Joanne is against it and notices Chloe does not know how to take care of a baby, but Richard is firm and insistent. She is afraid for her to be around her daughter.

Chloe begins gaslighting Joanne, and Joanne is not naive. She does not trust her. She also learns about Chloe's past mental issues, Richard's ex-wife committed suicide (or did she), and Chloe's baby sister died (natural causes or by Chloe).

What is Chloe capable of? Joanne is afraid for their safety. When Richard is away for work and out-of-town trips, Chloe is uncontrollable. However, Richard will not believe his wife thinking she is paranoid and possibly inherited her mother's mental problems.

Joanne even tried to install nanny cams until her husband caught her. Richard was in denial, or was he? As the tension mounts, Chloe says her dad is the problem. Chloe was only trying to protect Joanne and Evie.

So, who is telling the truth, Chloe or Richard?

When you think the book is wrapping up, readers hear from another voice that confirms that everything they thought was true is not— making you second guess everything. Jaw-dropping!

I absolutely loved the last three words: DON'T LET HER STAY!

Wow, this was a gripping, addictive audiobook I listened to in one sitting. It hooks you from page one to the end. The narrator Penelope Rawlins (love her), did an outstanding job, even though I was screaming at Chloe as she got on my nerves!!! That voice! OMG. She acted like a two-year-old spoiled brat.

I liked that Joanne was brilliant until you reached the point when it came down to the culprit, Chloe or Richard. This is gaslighting at its finest. The tension and suspense remained high for an entertaining, dark, twisty psychological thriller.

My first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more! For fans of Authors Emily Shiner, Daniel Hurst, and Freida McFadden.

Thank you to #DreamscapeMedia and #NetGalley for a gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: March 7, 2023
March 2023 Must-Read Books
My Rating: 4 Stars (audiobook)

Joanne is happily married to Richard and together they have a baby girl named Evie. She loves their beautiful home and their life together. That is, until Chloe, Richard's daughter, who hasn't spoken to him since he married Joanne, contacts Richard saying she wants to make peace. Chloe even offers to move in and help Joanne with Evie. They happily accept but soon Joanne is no longer happy.

Soon she begins to fear for her daughter. Things have been happening that make Joanne uncomfortable and question herself. Chloe isn't the sweet helpful person she presented to be in Joanne's mind. But Richard defends his daughter and is becoming more and more cross with Joanne. At various parts in the book, I was shaking my head at all the characters.


Don't Let Her Stay proved to be a very fast read/listen for me. I found this book to be well written and well thought out. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a great job with the voices. I was quickly drawn into the story and just when I thought I had everything figured out, the twists started happening, the pace quickened and I have to say, Nicola Sanders managed to shock me and left me in awe with how things turned out.

What a gripping and well done audiobook! Such a great plot with fabulous narration!


This is my first book by Nicola Sanders, and I look forward to reading to more of her books in the future.


#DontLetHerStay #NetGalley #Dreamscapemedia #NicolaSanders

3.75 stars

This is a fun domestic thriller that will keep readers guessing until the end!

Joanne, the m.c., is mom to tiny Evie, wife to Richard, and step-mom to Chloe, and while she has all these connections, she seems to know way too little about two of these three characters. When Chloe appears and shares that she has "quit college," she also proclaims herself her little sister's new babysitter. No one else seems quite comfortable with this, and - as one expects in a domestic thriller - the reasons for this become clear quickly.

It's tough to trust anyone at all at any point in this novel, and that is what makes it an engaging read. Joanne comes off like a complete imbecile at times. She has married a guy with major info gaps. Chloe is...who knows? A victim? A manipulator? A murderer? Something else yet to be defined? And what about Richard? Truly, the baby is the only one who seems like she isn't possibly a disaster, but with this family, it seems likely that'll change at some point, too.

There are lengthy stretches when it seems that one or more characters may just not be taking an important hint, and while that makes the pacing a bit tough at times, overall, there's enough confusion, misdirection, and general creepiness to keep the excitement going. It's a fun listen, and truly, readers will have to keep guessing for longer than they might expect.

Thank you Net Galley, author, and publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

HOLY CRAP, this book has all the things I love in a book. Twists and turns, intense action, characters that you are rooting for, and a bomb shell at the end.

This is a must read if you like thrillers. Be warned the step-daughter is someone you'll want to punch the whole time.