I’m inclined to think the thing that haunts us the most in life is grief. Because of this belief, I enjoy seeing this topic explored in horror. Had Let Him In aptly captured the depth of that theme, I would not have minded the areas where it fell short as much.

Before I further criticize, however, let me say that I truly enjoyed the unsettling ending. This helped make my time spent with the story worthwhile.

I think the author’s intentions were admirable. The writing style, however, did not allow me to feel the emotions that William Friend attempted to conjure. Furthermore, the characters felt rather flat. The twin girls, in particular, seemed completely inauthentic as children and their dialogue regarding Black Mamba*
failed to bring about the premise’s promised eeriness. I must also note that there is a great deal of repetitiveness, which further hindered the story’s impact.

It wasn’t all terrible, of course. The pacing was sufficient and I was always invested just enough to stick with it. And, as I’d previously mentioned, I found the conclusion quite satisfying. I had not expected what was revealed and, as the final pieces fell into place, I was better able to appreciate the story as a whole.

*Since I listened to this on audio, I might not have spelled the villain’s name correctly.*

I am immensely grateful to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.*

Wow. This one was creepy. I'm not 100% sure how to classify it. Supernatural thriller, perhaps?

Let Him In is the story of Alfie, who after the accidental death of his wife, is doing all he can to raise his twins Cassia and Sylvie. The house they live in may or may not be haunted, and the girls are newly obsessed with their imaginary friend: a man who visits in the night and begins controlling what they do.

The kind of creepy that only little kids can bring. I loved the suspense and the ending.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I really really wanted to love this one. The premise was perfect and spooky. However, the pacing of the book felt very slow. It just didn’t keep my interest like I thought. It also wasn’t as spooky either. Black Mamba was an interesting character and had tons of potential to be creepy. It felt like it was just in the background of the story. I also didn’t like the ending with Alfie and the sister.

I can't decide how I feel about this one. It kept my interest for the most part, some some of it felt slow and repetitive. I did enjoy the narration, and I appreciate that the story was pretty good. Overall, I'd like to give this author another shot in the future.

Um. Oh my god. Yes.
Creepy af.

9 months after Alfie’s wife dies his twin 7 year olds start talking about seeing a man in their bedroom. He’s freaked out but chalks it up to grief until they keep talking about this man as if he is their invisible friend. Alfie seeks help from his wife’s twin Julia who is a therapist.

This was wild. I loved the mystery of the whole thing and questioning reality/ reliability of the narrators.
The ending had me shook.
Absolutely haunting.
I loved it.
The audio was great.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an advanced listening copy.

Whoa thank you so much to netgalley for allowing me an audio copy of Let Him In by William Friend. This story was crazy. I love the two narrators, they both did wonderful. And through out the story, you truly wonder if the kids are making up what they are seeing or if something more sinister is at play. It was a fun read and I had the story play out in the course of two days since I wanted to know how it would end. And let me say the ending was far from what I expected but it oddly makes sense.

I did not like this book at all. The characters, the plot twist. I thought it was supernatural and it turned out differently.

Let Him In by William Friend is a book about family dysfunction, religious beliefs and grief among older things. The novel starts with the appearance of an imaginary friend, Black Mamba, after the death of Pippa, mother to Sylvie and Cassia, wife of Alfie, sister of Julia. 67% in, the plot piqued my interest. “I see things more clearly now, but that doesn’t mean I understand them. Instead it’s like the house is revealing itself to me…” We start learning about the history of the house and that it was one of the top occult sites in England. The book cover and gothic tone make it perfect for spooky season. The ending is open to interpretation and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I listened to it in one sitting. Thanks to William Friend, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC. I received an advanced listening copy for free, and am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am always in the mood for a spooky story and kept seeing this everywhere and needed to read it for myself just based on the cover alone.

Seeing a shadow is one thing, but when you start to actually see figures does it become spookier on another level. In this story, after losing their mother, a father, Alfie, and his twin daughters, Sylvie and Cassia, try to cope in the house they’d lived in together until “someone” appears in the house. The father tries many things to come to terms with whatever his children are experiencing and telling him, but will he be able to get to a “normal” life with his family?

Do you believe in an otherworldly connection between siblings; especially twins? Or do you feel like where you are and it’s history have a larger impact on your subconscious than you realize? Or are you potentially more sensitive to other beings?

So many questions collide in this eerie tale. I was able to get the audiobook version, which I think set me deeper into the story rather than me reading it on my own. The added expressions of both of the narrators really helped set the tone of the book and give a more layered aspect.

This was a little bit of a slow build, but sped up towards the end. Once it was over, I was definitely left wondering many things/possibilities, which opens up a whole new line of questioning. I will say, I may need to start paying better attention to my dreams and subconscious from now on.

Thank you so much to the author, William Friend, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audiobook galley in exchange for my review!

Thank you Net Galley for this advanced copy audiobook. I had high hopes going into this book, but it quickly faded. I had a hard time following the story and ultimately couldn’t get in to it. A no for me.

Can we take a moment to acknowledge this wonderfully creepy cover? Unfortunately, that just may have been the best part here. Generally, the cover tells you what you’re going to get on the inside and this one felt misleading and disappointing. Ok now that that’s out of the way…

Our grieving father, Alfie, is raising his twin girls after the accidental death of his wife nine months prior. But when the twins mention their new imaginary friend, Black Mamba, Alfie grows concerned and enlists the help of his psychotherapist sister-in-law, Julia.

This is a short read at only 240 pages or 8 hrs 12 min on audiobook. Narrated by Jodie Harris and Jonathan John who, in my opinion, did a wonderful job.

I enjoyed the alternating POV between Alfie and Julia. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else that I did enjoy about this book. There was a lot of unnecessary character description and very little plot progression throughout. I kept waiting for some big event or turning point to come but it never did.
There was so much talk about Hart House in this novel (the house where the family is living) and there was SUCH potential there to create an incredibly haunting atmosphere that would have made this book terrifying but that was nonexistent too. I just felt bored reading this and was ready for it to be over… The premise fascinated me but the execution did not live up to the hype.

Thank you to NetGalley for my audio copy! Out 10/03/2023!

Alfie, grieving the loss of his wife, is now left to care for his twin daughters by himself. One day the girls see a black shadow which eventually becomes their new friend, Black Mamba who brings dark consequences and Alfie is left to figure out if it’s just make believe or if something sinister is at work. Are the children just dealing with the loss of their mother in their own way, or is there more to it than that? Is is paranormal, supernatural, God or demons? Alfie calls upon his sister in law, who also happens to be his late wife’s twin, and is also a psychologist, to come and talk to the girls and to try and get rid of Black Mamba but soon Alfie is also having visions at night and questioning the dark forces at play because whatever this “friend” is, he doesn’t want to leave and Alfie is going to have to face his past and the past of the Hart House in order to be set free.
The idea of Black Mamba and mythology isn’t something I’ve read a lot about so for me it was fairly unique and I wish it had been executed a little better. And the religion aspect should have been flushed out more. But the author does have am interesting writing style and I will look for his future work.
The narrators did a good job of keeping the story engaging and entertaining.
Thanks to the author Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

4.25 stars

This was a bit of a mind f**k. I’m still a bit unsure of what even happened. The narration is done by two people, doing a really great job of capturing the emotional range of both narrative characters.

Alfie is raising his twin daughters alone after the death of their mother. Recently, they have been coming in his room at night talking about a man in their room. They call him Black Mamba.

Julia, their mom’s twin sister has been somewhat absent from their lives since her passing, but she arrives to see how they are all doing. Clearly, things are not going great. And the increasing presence of the twins’ imaginary friend is putting a strain on things.

When Black Mamba becomes more demanding and bad things start happening, Allie and Julia have to figure out what is really going on. And it’s not good.

There were so many layers to this horror novel. There is borderline religious trauma, supernatural horror, the very creepy twin vibe, and a very unsettling psychological thriller element that had me in circles!

I thought this was fantastic. I love the creepy overall feel I got with this. I didn’t know what was really at play here and I’m not sure I fully get it upon finishing it. All I can say is that it made me uncomfortable to look in the shadowy places in my house.

YO... what a weird one. Always trust little kids who say they see things... Those effers are spiritual masterminds I SWEAR. I jumped when I got audiobook access to Let Him In from Dreamscape Media, and I'm also very thankful to William Friend, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Netgalley for granting me digital access as well. Let Him In is a psychological/paranormal horror that will keep you guessing and wondering what's real until the very end. This baby is projected to hit shelves on October 3, 2023, so get those pre-orders in NOW!

After the sudden death of Pippa, her widowed husband and twin daughters are left in shambles, grieving the way they need to, and for Cassia and Sylvie that means co-depending on their new imaginary friend, Black Mamba... who comes to them in many forms. At a loss, Alfie calls upon Pippa's surviving twin sister, Julia whose a therapist and specializes in these behavioral lapses.

For a short while, Julia moves in to help Alfie out and care for the girls, but what she ends up discovering is deeper and darker, and way more dangerous that an imaginary play friend, there are roots to curses, seances, and dark history that aims to hurt all in its path. Can Julie and Alfie put a stop to this malicious force before it takes more lives?