This audiobook is going to be tricky for me to rate. It started out slow so I was bored but I found the mood creepy. Then it eventually picked up and I was excited to know what would happen next! Once I really got into the story, it turned into me being disappointed in some of the characters and questioned their true intentions. The ending was unsatisfying and confusing. I still don't know what happened.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC..

Let Him In, by William Friend was a 💀 💀 💀 💀 (4 scary-star) read for me and here is why....
From beginning to end, this book delivers and best of all, the publication date is tomorrow!!! The cover, with it’s simple yet chilling design had me hooked and excited to dive in. The story itself pulls you in as you follow a family that is processing their grief. Mr. Friend did a great job at developing characters with interesting backstories through a unique writing style that drove the story forward.
The descriptions of the setting (family home) are terrifying and still live on in my mind. The frequent appearances and demands of an imaginary friend take this story to the dark side rather quickly. I could feel the terror and unsettling horror the imaginary friend brought to the story and in my opinion, was the best written character.
This intense and gripping debut novel by William Friend, is sure to get this Spooky Season kicked off for horror fans! Go pick up a copy tomorrow and be prepared to sleep with a nightlight! This author will be on my radar as I look forward to reading more from him.
Thank you to NetGalley, William Friend, and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an audio arc of this publication, for which I am happy to share an honest review.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The dual narration on this audiobook worked so well with the story! Both the male and female narrators brought their characters to life and made the story so much more enjoyable for me! This book is about a father coping with the loss of his wife while trying to navigate becoming a single father to twin daughters. There were certain aspects I found absolutely chilling, especially as a parent with daughters, if they told me there was a man in their room at night I would probably pack their things and sell the house! It was all a very interesting story and I really like how the book concluded.

3.25 stars

Let Him In is a debut horror novel by William Friend

It follows Alfie, a widower who is struggling to raise his twin daughters while dealing with his own grief.

The girls become obsessed with an imaginary friend named Black Mamba, but Alfie soon suspects he may not be as imaginary as he believes.

The book had a lot of potential, and Friend does a good job of creating a suspenseful and atmospheric setting called Heart House and old creaky home with a lot of history. It also had some genuinely spooky moments. However, there were a few things that kept me from fully enjoying the book.

Some about the pacing felt a little off. It didn’t feel slow exactly, but it did feel like a good quarter of the book could’ve been edited down.

Also, I found the characters to be underdeveloped. Even though we get character POVs we really don’t learn much about them outside of their tropes unless it’s from someone else’s observation. I will say that Alfie’s grief comes through as very believable though.

Not getting into spoilers but the ending fell a bit flat for me. I see what he was trying to do and there are hints of it before but the execution just wasn’t there.

Overall, Let Him In is decent debut novel with some good moments and a suspenseful atmosphere. However, there are some valid criticisms to be made. I’d be interested in reading future books by Friend to see how he develops his craft along the way.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this book early; I received this ALC in exchange for review, however this does not affect the outcome of my review in any way

This was not for me. It was extremely slow and the ending had me underwhelmed. I did enjoy that elements and the creepy horror vibes. Also, the audiobook narrators were good!

Let Him In by William Friend was utterly creepy and superbly mysterious! Told from multiple perspectives, this book is creepy and will keep you guessing.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I was so excited for this book. I saw the cover and I requested right away. I really wanted to like it, but unfortunately this book wasn't it for me. I felt like the plot had holes and failed to grasp my attention. There were a few chapters that did grasp my attention, but it wasn't until I was 40% in, and thats no fun! I had lots of questions at the end that I needed clarification on and I still couldn't figure it out. With that being said, I don't know if I would recommend this book to my friends. Thank you Netgalley for this early ALC.

Twins Cassia and Sylvie have just lost their mum, Pippa. Their father Alfie, is struggling with his grief and the twins’ new imaginary friend, Black Mamba. Alfie asks Julia, Pippa’s twin and a therapist to help.

William Friend does an excellent job building tension as the reader learns about Grandma’s religion, Hart House history, Alfie and Pippa’s relationship, the twins’ struggles and Julia’s secrets and motivations.

Is Black Mamba real? Are the twins manipulative or impressionable? Is Alfie in his right mind? Is Hart House haunted? Can Julia, Alfie or Grandma be trusted?

Gothic horror can sometimes drive me crazy, when the MC is too unreliable or refuses to acknowledge or seek help for the horrors surrounding them. Friend does not rely on this, and I was dragged into the darkness of Hart House just like Alfie and the twins, confused, anxious, second-guessing everything.

A solid, scary, gothic horror novel with a gripping pace and empathetic characters. POV and narration flips between Alfie and Julia and it is propulsive as I was curious as each chapter ended, to see how the other’s viewpoint would progress the story. Pitch perfect narration with Alfie’s grief-stricken desperation very tangible and Julia’s efforts to be stoic while her fear and anxiety peek through.

A dark psychological thriller that explores the grief of a single father who is out of his depth when his twin daughters say they start seeing a creepy monster called 'The black mambo." Twisty and dark, this is an interesting look at twin psychology, nightmares and the fine line between what's real and make believe.

Good on audio narrated by Jodie Harris and Jonathan Johns, this was a solid #spookyseason read with a fantastically creepy cover! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is the first book I have ever read that actually had me feeling scared.

Alfie is a newly widowed single father, trying is best to raise his 6-year-old twin girls. As a coping mechanism, the girls begin engaging with an imaginary friend that they call Black Mamba, who can shift into whatever animal he wants. At first it is all fun and games until even Alfie starts questioning just how "imaginary" this friend is. When Black Mamba insists the girls call him Daddy and refer to their real father by his given name, Alfie can't handle it anymore. He enlists the help of his therapist sister-in-law to help the girls get through this phase... that might not be a phase at all.

At the heart of the story is the theme of grief. Alfie and the girls are all coping with the loss of their mother in different ways. Alfie is trying his best but has been emotionally absent. Through the whole book, the reader is trying to figure out if this is a supernatural story, or the makings of grief ridden children who are acting out. As the story goes on, it just gets darker. Either way, it's either scary due to an actual demon named Black Mamba who visits the girls, and plans to take them away, or it is scary because little kids with imaginary friends are scary AF.

The ending is a little bit of a cliff hanger that leaves the reader to interpret for themselves. It was easily a five star read for me.

With a cover that immediately grabbed by attention, Let Him In impressed me with its exploration of some really complicated family dynamics.

In this story, we meet Dad, Alfie, and his twin daughters, Cassia and Sylvie. Nine months ago, the girls' Mum, and Alfie's long-time partner, Pippa, died suddenly and unexpectedly in their home.

Alfie, battling his own grief, is struggling to parent the girls alone. In spite of the challenges, Alfie feels like overall, they're doing okay. At least as well as could be expected. Things take a turn though when the girls wake Alfie one night stating, 'Daddy, there's a man in our room...'

Cue eyebrow raise, jaw drop and shiver running up spine.

That starts the girls' new found obsession with their imaginary friend, Black Mamba, who they describe as a man who can shape-shift into any animal. He protects them and also takes them on fabulous adventures.
Alfie calls in Pippa's sister, the girls' Aunt Julia, for help with the Black Mamba situation. As a psychiatrist, he feels Julia is probably much more qualified to navigate this situation than he is.

The Reader gets both Alfie and Julia's perspectives as the drama with the girls' new friend escalates. What they both assume is just a coping mechanism following Pippa's untimely death begins to feel like more, however, as a series of increasingly disturbing events occurs. This includes both Alfie and Julia having visions that could possibly be linked to the mysterious Black Mamba.

Will Julia and Alfie be able to exorcise this hostile presence from their lives? Their family has already been shattered by tragedy, but it seems this being, the hold he has over the girls, could end up causing even further irreparable harm.

I really enjoyed my time with this story. I did end up listening to the audiobook and appreciate that it included the use of dual narration. Having a different voice for both Alfie and Julia helped to bring the story to life.
I thought the family dynamics were fascinating, not just amongst our main characters, but the backstory of Pippa and Julia's family as well.

This is a debut novel for William Friend and I feel like it's definitely impressive in that regard. The story has a ominous, haunting feel throughout that succeeded in getting under my skin. There were a couple places towards the end where I got a little lost, but that could totally just be my own issue. Wandering mind and all that. Besides those couple of spots though, overall, I was extremely invested in this.

One of my favorite Horror tropes is the creepy kid trope. Friend definitely nailed that. Bonus points for them being twins and for the super-disturbing imaginary friend. I'm not going to say anything else about this one, because I feel it's best served if you go in knowing just the basics. Settle in and go along for the ride. This is the perfect read to kick off your October Spooky Season TBR.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press and Dreamscape Media, for providing me with copies to read and review. I'm looking forward to more from William Friend!

This book is about a family who is dealing with the loss of a family member. It follows Alfie and his two twin daughters, who are dealing with the loss of their mother Pippa. Following the loss of their mother, the twins make a new friend called Mamba man. Their father is unsure if Mamba man exists, is a figment of their imagination or a ploy to gain his attention. To help him deal with his loss and issues residing in his household, he turns to Pippa's sister Julia, who is a psychologist.
The story had a good plot and held my interest; however, the narration of the man was sometimes hard to follow. I found myself relistening to sections again and again. In the beginning I had to check my speed to make sure it was on normal. It felt like it was below the normal speed. Someone even likened it to the sound of a robot. It took me some time to get used to but thank goodness for the female narrator who was absolutely awesome and made listening to the story a pleasure!
Okay here are the issues I have with this story. It seems like there is no resolution. We never really know who black mamba is and what is his connection to the mother or any of them really. I felt like there is a piece of the puzzle missing and also like there should have been further development into Alfie and Pippa's story. As the story develops, we do see that we can't exactly trust Alfie's narration of it all, but nor can we solely rely on Julia's Pov either. She seemed to have her own motives for some time and as a psychologist was very unreliable.
It felt like the story was wrapped in a happy ever after when there wasn't any resolve. All the backdrop stories and haunted houses and still just a merry go round to end up nowhere. I would give this book a 3.5. Had there been some resolve, I would have rounded up to a 4.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this Arc for my honest review.

This is a well written story and the narrators did an excellent performance. Just after the first chapter I was hooked into the story about twin girls whom see ghosts. .. but do they?
This whole novel makes you question is this really supernatural or just coincidences.
Both POVs where interesting and didn't take me out of the story or not want to go back to the others pov.
I enjoyed this novel and a few scenes where hair raining creepy. It was a lot of fun and I finished it in just a few hours.

This debut horror novel is a study in grief and how it can effect everyone differently. Twins, Sylvie and Cassia unexpectedly lost their mother, Pippa, to a freak accident. Their father, Alfie, is not coping well and is overwhelmed by his responsibilities as a single parent. Pippa's twin sister, Julia, a psychiatrist, is also not coping well but dealing with her grief very differently.
One night, the girls tell Alfie there is a man in their room. But there isn't. Suddenly, "Black Mamba" is all they talk about, set places for him at dinner, blame him for accidents and injuries, and even start calling him "daddy". Alfie is beside himself and Julia is perplexed. Told from both POVs, this one will have you guessing until the very end.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio e-arc.*

Let Him In by William Friend
5 Stars

This is a Netgalley review, and my honest opinion. Book will be available for purchase October 3rd 2023.

Single dad Alfie is troubled when his twin girls make an imaginary friend that grows out of control. Is this spooky figure real? Or is it simply a coping mechanism for the girls to work through the grief of losing their mother?

I enjoyed this book a lot and it really gets me in the spooky horror vibes. The comparisons through the book of the twin girls and the relationship with Julia and her twin Pippa who is the dead mother of the girls was captivating. The entire book you are pulled back and forth between logical explanations and spooky haunting of ghosts or demons. Every moment you think you're on the right track the book does a brilliant job of pointing out the flaws in your own logic and giving a reasonable explanation.

The mental decline of the father, Alfie, is also a good mix into the mind games. As he starts seeing things and leans into alcohol to calm his nerves you really start believing maybe the girls are coping with more than the loss of their mother but also the neglect of their father.

I consumed this book in one night. It is short and sweet, and the constant thinking and processing new information to try and figure out what's really going on is so entertaining. Very well written horror story with one of those endings that catches you off guard and leaves you thinking about it for hours afterwards. It perfectly replicates watching a good horror movie and I was very impressed.

While looking for a spooky read for fall, this cover drew me in.

Alfie is still mourning the loss of his wife when their twin girls tell him there has been a man in their room at night. Oh, and sometimes he is a snake. And sometimes a bird. Alfie’s sister in law is a therapist, and she tells Alfie imaginary friends are normal. But something strange is definitely happening in this house….

Without giving any spoilers, the way things played out in this story just wasn’t for me. There weren’t very many creepy or chilling moments the way you’d expect from the cover, and the ending is left very open to interpretation. I also couldn’t stand something that happened with the main characters towards the end. The writing could be repetitive at times and was very slow paced.

I did think the twins were well written and found them to be the best characters in the book.

The narrators did a good job with the main characters. I found the audio to be more engaging than the ebook.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

***3.5 rounded up***

“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. He assumes the girls had a nightmare he soon realised the girls have an imaginary friend, and it seems like a harmless coping mechanism. But the situation quickly develops into something much more dangerous. The new friend doesn't want to leave, and Alfie has to confront his own demons if he has any hope of helping his children.

This was a very unique story and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish very creepy, and I couldn't put it down. This was a creepy atmospheric story that is perfect to read now going into spooky season.

The audiobook was well read and easy to follow and added extra creepy to the story for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and William Friend for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Debut author. Alfie's wife has died leaving him to raise twin girls who have been claiming to see a man they call "Black Mamba"," but only they can see. Are they really seeing Black Mamba or is there more to this family and their past?

I read/listened to this whole book in 1 day. It was so well written, so creepy and unsettling. I had a feeling about where the story was heading but it didn't take away from my enjoyment at all. I was very fond of the characters, it is so easy for me to be distracted by an annoying MC in a thriller/horror but I think Alfie was well written. I also loved the dual POV with Julia, I think this was a fantastic way to further explore the grief and haunting in this book. The only thing that took away from the story was the development of Julia and Alfie's relationship (though this is mentioned in the synopsis I read so I wasn't so caught off guard by it and it didn't take away from the story as much as it might have).

Thoroughly enjoyed the narrators of this audiobook, really enhanced the story and they were so easy to listen to.

It's out in less than a week so be sure to add it to your tbr!!!! Really impressed by this debut from Friend and I will be looking out for their next horror/thriller release.

Thanks NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an eALC of Let Him In.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, William Friend, and Dreamscape Media for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

William Friend marches onto the scene with a chilling debut novel that had me taking notice from the opening pages. Dark and haunting, Friend tells the story of a recently widowed father and his twin girls. While the girls appear outwardly normal, they possess an eerie best friend who is imaginary and directs them to do things. When the line between imaginary and real blurs, trouble follows soon thereafter.

When Alfie wakes one night to the pleas of his twin daughters, he is shaken to the core. Both assert that there is a man in their room, which causes Alfie to investigate. While he expects someone lurking in the shadows, all he finds is a room as he would expect it. Alfie is left to presume this is some nightmare or odd joke the girls have created for their own amusement.

All this seems normal, to a degree. The girls’ mother, Pippa, died suddenly nine months ago and one could only presume this is a fitful means of coping. However, Alfie begins to see things becoming even more troubling when the imaginary friend, Black Mamba, has a place setting for dinner, whispers to the girls, and apparently plans to take them away.

When Alfie seeks professional help in the form of the girls’ Aunt Julia, he hopes that it will bring some resolution to the situation. However, Alfie soon begins to feel some of the same ominous senses and wonders if this is grief in high-gear, haunting the entire household. Black Mamba is imaginary, but his presence lingers far past anything life could expect. It will be up to Alfie to rid the house of this ‘friend’ and keep his girls safe. A great thriller by William Friend that keeps the reader completely engaged.

I enjoy a thriller as much as the next person, particularly when it does not follow the cookie-cutter style of the genre’s writing. William Friend does well with this piece, gathering all the essential elements in a strong narrative. He builds from there and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, as the story morphs from simple storytelling into a spirit hunting, told through the eyes of Alfie and Julia.

The character development is strong and ever-evolving, which keeps the reader wondering what awaits them. Both Alfie and Julia have their own secrets and sordid pasts, though these bleed into the present, rather than be compartmentalised. There is something about this eerie discovery that shapes all the characters in the piece.

Plot lines develop and are enriched by the writing style that Friend develops. There is a ghoulish sense of Black Mambo at times, though it is more the lingering effect that this imaginary friend has over the twins keeping the reader wondering where things are headed. I liked the twists and unpredictable turns, without things getting too graphic or out of place.

A great debut novel and I can only hope William Friend will return with more horror, thriller, or something in the same vein.

Kudos, Mr. Friend, for a standout debut!