This was a good read for spooky season, a bit slow for my taste. I would definitely recommend this for any fan of supernatural horror.

Thank you for the chance to read this title early. Unfortunately, it was bit of a disappointment. It was almost creepy at times, but so predictable that it took away from the intent. There is not much more to add to this one.

I got an ARC of this audiobook.

The first hour or two, I was super into it. It was a little creepy, a little slow. I had hopes. But the four more hours go of the same exact things over and over again. There was no real progress. Then randomly there is religion and stuff thrown in. It wasn't the worst horror I have listened to, but it was disappointing by the end.

Repetitive, slow narration that never builds, then poorly planned out/executed explanations for the horror.

“Daddy, there’s a man in our room...”

Months after the death of their mother, twins Cassia and Sylvie awaken their father, Alfie, in the middle of the night with that sentence. Naturally, Alfie thoroughly checks out the girls' room as well as the rest of the house before settling them in his bed for the night. Night after night, the girls come in talking of a man but eventually, the girls stop. Then one day, they tell their father that they made a new friend. They call him Black Mamba, and he is basically a shape-shifter with whom the girls share adventures. Concerned, Alfie contacts his deceased wife's sister (and twin) Julia, who happens to be a psychiatrist. Julia says Black Mamba is just an imaginary friend and not to worry. But is he? As the girls' behavior becomes increasingly bizarre, Alfie begins to lean on Julia even more. But Julia is more worried than she is letting on. She knows the history of the house and the weird religious things her parents did there. What exactly IS Black Mamba?

And therein lies my issue with his book. It was very creepy - old house where some bad things happened, odd twin little girls who only like to play with each other, strange religious beliefs, a father who is wallowing in his grief and sees his dead wife. But I feel like the ending was too ambiguous. I'm still not sure what the hell Black Mamba was - a demon? A nightmare? An imaginary friend for mourning children? Their father in a drunken stupor telling them stories during his bender? I am still confused. I would also liked to know more about this mysterious religion that the maternal grandparents practiced. I didn't feel like we got enough information about that.

Overall, the atmosphere was great, but for me the plotline lacked resolution.

I received this ARC from #WilliamFriend, # NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia in exchange for my honest opinion. The cover art, the title and the synopsis about the recently widowed father dealing with his two small girls and the "imaginary" friend is what drew me in... However, things took a left for me fairly early on. I could not wrap my head around the twins referring to Black Mamba whenever something went wrong and it seemed to me, from the vague factoids dropped by their aunt, that Black Mamba was all her doing. I could see this being made into a movie along the lines of The Invisible Man. There were twists and turns to the plot and not all were unexpected. I would have to say that I would have changed a couple things about the storyline to make it more believable across the board but it's kind of like Stephen King's It...you see where the holes are but they work well as-is. The vision may translate better onto film...

Adding kids into a horror story usually will do one of two things: up the creepiness factor if they are evil or highten the tension if they are in danger. In the case of the twins in William Friend’s Let Him In its actually a bit of both. When they first announce ‘there’s a man in our room’ you’re immediately concerned for them, but then the creepiness starts in when they begin embracing this mysterious entity they call Black Mamba, choosing him over their father. This is a wonderfully disturbing tale. Alfie is struggling, having lost his wife (partner), he is now a single father of twins who are starting act out, claiming there is a magical man in living in their house. Of course Alfie doesn’t believe them or even know the twisted history of the house he is living in, the evil that may still reside there, and enlists the help of his deceased wife’s sister, who happens to be a therapist. It’s a gripping story of loss and grief, taking numerous twists. And while I anticipated the final twist, it was still completely satisfying. I’ve actually gone through this book twice in the last two months. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press I was able to read an eARC and thanks to Dreamscape Media I had the chance to listen to the audio version which features two excellent narrators: Jodie Harris and Jonathan Johns. Whether you choose to read or listen, you’re in for a solidly creepy haunted tale.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RKLRXQ2YCAJIY/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Read if you like:
😱 Creepy Books
🫥 Imaginary Friends
🏠 Home Intruder Vibes
👯‍♀️ Twins
👻 Haunted House Vibes

This one is so creepy!!!! This is absolutely the perfect spooky season read as it gave haunted house, chilling moments, atmospheric vibes, and creepy imaginary friends with sinister vibes.

If you are looking for great creep factor this spooky season you can’t go wrong with this one!

Thank you so much for my ARC copy in exchange for my review, this one will leave me scared of the dark for many nights to come.

Grief horror is a favorite of mine and Let Him In certainly fell into that category for me. Alfie is grieving the loss of his wife, while raising his young twin daughters alone in his late wife’s eerie childhood home. When his girls start mentioning Black Mamba, and even worse acting weird and at times malicious, Alfie reaches out to his wife’s twin sister Julia for help. Julia plays it cool, but she’s instantly triggered and taken back to a bad place in her past. Is Black Mamba an innocent attempt at a coping mechanism in the form of an imaginary friend or is there something more sinister going on?

Set near the Oceanside in England, Let Him In was atmospheric and incredibly unsettling. It was very reminiscent of Imaginary Friend, but way better execution and ending in my opinion. Let Him
In is available now. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my eARC.

William Friend’s Let Him In is the perfect spooky read for October. With its eerie little twin girls, an old mansion in England called Hart House, and a menacing shape-shifting entity, this novel had me hooked from the first chapter!

Part ghost story and part psychological thriller, Let Him In delivers both chills and tender moments. The twins’ mother Pippa has died, and the little girls have found comfort in the friendship of a supernatural creature they call Black Mamba. Pippa’s sister Julia is a psychologist, and she assures the twins’ father Alfie that having an imaginary friend is the children’s coping mechanism. Alfie is lost in grief and drinking heavily, and when he learns about the history of violent acts in Hart House, he starts believing Black Mamba could be real and that his home is haunted.


I liked how tight the storyline was, and how quickly the plot moved along. Much of the twins’ dialogue sounded to me to be much too sophisticated for seven year olds. Also it’s contrived that the immediate family had this claustrophobic life where the only people they talk to is each other and they don’t go outside the house and Alfie doesn’t work but still has money. I found it an easy, fast paced, read that held my interest throughout the whole story. It was spooky, but not terrifying.

I listened to it as an audiobook and I enjoyed both narrators.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the free audio download of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Alife awakens to the cries of his twin girls proclaiming there is a man in their bedroom. When none can be found he chalks it up to childish nightmares and nothing more. When the presence of this strange figure lingers in the daytime he decides it must be a figment of their young imaginations and a coping mechanism after the recent loss of their mother. But what is he is wrong?

The synopsis stated this as being a <i>"creeping, gothic psychological suspense"</i> and that is exactly what was delivered. Any horror novel involving children is sure to send shivers down my spine but when they are twins, living in this vast abode, and with their trauma so recent in their minds it was transformed massively into something I struggled reading after dark.

The figure they see is present throughout and the uncertainty over whether he is real or make-believe is felt by both the adult characters and the reader alike. I could trust no-one and nothing as this tale unfolded and secrets of the past were revealed.

I thought this very cleverly delivered and the ending a perfect conclusion for a delightfully chilling tale.

This was pretty creepy and fun to read. I liked how themes of grief were weaved into the story.

The audiobook was serviceable. Not the greatest, but not bad. It was immersive and creepy.

The story was a bit disorienting at times and I really disliked some of the character motivations. Some scenes at the end were confusing.

A husband still in morning twin daughters adjusting with their new friend black mamba and an aunt who does not at all want to revisit her childhood home Alfie cannot get over the loss of his wife so how is he going to help little Sylvie and Cassie get over the death of their mother this is why he Tourister his sister-in-law Julia a therapist to come and help the girls the only problem is Julia has her own dark memories from Heart House a place she does not want to revisit. Alphie thinks it’s their imagination and the girls insist their friend is real but whatever it is it is causing a rift between dad and the twins and they even have real world consequences. This was a great book especially the audio book I found the male narrator to have such a classic erry tone to his narration and with the female narrator holding her own it made for an awesome audio experience. I think William friend has written a creepy tale and it’s one I highly recommend with great narration and an awesome story you cannot go wrong with Let Him In I am a big critic of horror stories and this was a brilliant one. I want to thank the publisher and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Let Him In by William Friend is a deliciously spooky and chilling read, perfect for snuggling in with a coffee or tea and a warm blanket!

Recently widowed Alfie is now a single father raising twin girls Sylvie and Cassia in the childhood home of his deceased wife, Pippa. The girls suddenly begin talking about an imaginary friend they refer to as the Black Mamba. The seemingly innocent arrival of the imaginary friends comes nine months after the passing of their mother. When the imaginary friend seems to take on a more sinister tone, Alfie reaches out to his sister-in-law, Julia, who is a psychotherapist, and was Pippa’s twin sister. Alfie soon learns he’s not the only one concerned about his daughters; their teacher arrives with disturbing pictures the girls made at school.

Life quickly turns chaotic as things begin to go bump in the night; Alfie turns to alcohol to fall asleep but wakes up abruptly from nightmares, covered in unexplained scratches; the girls have unexplained bruises and refer to their father as “the other Alfie;” they also claim the Black Mamba flies them to the moon at night when daddy is too tired to wake up and will soon take them away from home forever; items in the house are being moved, footsteps are coming from the attic, and what is that familiar smell in the air? Hart House is holding secrets from the past and wants to share them at any cost.

Again, this was a deliciously spooky and perfect read as fall sets in with early and dark nights and as Halloween quickly approaches! However, spooky tales can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere! Twins, imaginary friends, creepy, old houses, and -oh yeah - an overly religious zealot of a grandmother are all perfect ingredients for this 5 star, must-read novel!

Thank you NetGalley, William Friend, and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy of the audiobook ahead of today’s release (on October 3rd). I loved it and can’t wait to check out more suspenseful and thrilling reads from the author!

A creepy chilling story..
I personally enjoyed reading the book than listening to it. It was just slow for me.
Overall 3.5 stars
Thank you #NetGalley for this audiobook to listen to and review. #LetHimIn

This is the story of widower, Alfie and his twin daughters. After the death of their mother the twins begin to communicate with an imaginary friend, Black Mamba. Their aunt Julia happens to be a psychiatrist and explains that this is a normal response when children are faced with trauma. As time passes though Black Mamba becomes more dominant and even Alfie begins to question the true purpose of this “friend’ as well as his own sanity.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a slow build but it is well crafted and delivers the uneasiness and creepiness it promises. The uncertainty and the pain that the characters are experiencing are the driving force throughout the story. It is best to go into the story without spoilers or expectations. My only wish is that some of the back stories and history had been given more time, I found them interesting and wanted more details.

The narration alternated between Julia and Alfie and was done well and added to the story.

Thank you toNetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

4 ⭐️

#NetGalley #LetHimIn #WilliamFriend

👻Book Review👻
*
Summary: Daddy, there's a man in our room..."

Alfie wakes one night to find his twin daughters at the foot of his bed, claiming there's a shadowy figure in their bedroom. When no such thing can be found, he assumes the girls had a nightmare.

He isn't surprised that they're troubled. Grief has made its home at Hart House: nine months ago, the twins' mother Pippa died unexpectedly, leaving Alfie to raise them alone. And now, when the girls mention a new imaginary friend, it seems like a harmless coping mechanism. But the situation quickly develops into something more insidious. The girls set an extra place for him at the table. They whisper to him. They say he's going to take them away…

Alfie calls upon Julia―Pippa's sister and a psychiatrist―to oust the malignant tenant from their lives. But as Alfie himself is haunted by visions and someone watches him at night, he begins to question the true character of the force that has poisoned his daughters' minds, with dark and violent consequences.

Whatever this "friend" is, he doesn't want to leave. Alfie will have to confront his own shameful secrets, the dark past of Hart House, and even the bounds of reality―or risk taking part in an unspeakable tragedy.
*
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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My thoughts: thank you @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for the advanced audiobook of Let Him in which releases today! This was a fun slow burn horror story. The narrators were fabulous and black mamba was so creepy! I really enjoyed this book it was unique and the kids freaked me out. But I did feel it was a very slow burn! A perfect read for spooky Halloween 😍
*
QOTD- do you enjoy audiobooks? Have you ever read a horror audiobook before ?!
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#lethimin #williamfriend #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookworm #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #booksofinsta #booksofinsta #bibliophile #booknerd #bookobsessed #bookaddict #bookish #bibliophile #bookreader #readersgonnaread #readmorebooks #readersofig #horrorbooks

Rating: 2.83 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 3/5
-Cover: 4.5/5
-Story: 2.5/5
-Writing: 4/5
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller
-Horror: 1.5/5
-Paranormal: 4/5
-Mystery: 2/5
-Thriller: 1/5
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Eh, I guess

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

You ever just read a book and it feels like you aren't taking anything in? That is how I felt with this book. It was a drag for me, sadly. He got the creepy kids down pretty well but everything else? Julia worked my nerves on more than one occasion.

It was okay in the end. I wouldn't say it was great, but it wasn't all around bad. I gave it a 3 because I felt like it didn't deserve the 2.

I LOVED this story!! I needed a bit of creepiness to start off October! Multiple Twins!! A twin having twins! Multiple Deaths! A house with a wicked history & a spooky cellar! Great atmosphere!

Start horror month out right and get this audiobook! It’s a fun easy read!

The story is told by a twin & a brother-in-law. It makes for easy listening no matter if you’re in Julia’s head listening to her think about a dark past, growing up in the house OR Alfie a sudden widower unsure of his twins sanity.

It does feel like a cross between Imaginary Friend & The Amityville Horror. Not as long as Imaginary Friend but a couple similarities & not quite as scary as The Amityville Horror but just enough to kick off Spooktober!

Thank you NetGalley & Dreamscape Media, this was a highly anticipated read and it didn’t disappoint. Now I need to go see if the author has a back catalog to plunder!!

PUBLISHED TODAY - October 3rd, 2023

A very good debut from William Friend. Well written with excellent timing and ample amounts of creepy oozing from the pages.

Twins in horror fiction are extra creepy. There is something about the bond that lends itself well to scary tales. So when 9 months after the unexpected death of their mother, Sylvie and Cassia see a man in there room and befriend him, their father Alfie believes it is just a manifestation of grief.

And then…

Well, you need to read it to find out…duh. Do I have to do all of the work. Give it a shot like I did, and I think you will be pleasantly pleased.

I am always happy to find a new author and am looking forward to more of William’s work.

4+ Stars and Highly Recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook ARC. Jodie Harris and Jonathan Johns team up to provide the perfect narration for the tale. Pacing and tone throughout made the story even more unsettling and dark.

Alfie is struggling to cope with the loss of his wife, Pippa, while simultaneously caring for their twin, seven-year-old daughters. The girls begin talking about someone they call black mamba, and their father assumes they’re talking about an imaginary snake. But the girls tell him their friend is actually a man. Assuming the girls are just trying to cope with grief, Alfie calls upon Julia, his wife’s twin sister, who is also a mental health professional. Nothing Julia suggests works and it becomes clear that the girls imaginary friend has no intention of leaving. With signs of physical violence appearing on the girls, school officials become alarmed. They believe the girls are harming themselves, but Alfie and Julia know that it’s some thing much worse. Something they will have to face if they are to save the girls. This is a creepy, insidious horror story. Leave the lights on.