I picked up Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell with high hopes, but I struggled with the back-and-forth timelines and multiple character perspectives. I found it hard to keep track of what was happening, and eventually I put it down before finishing. It just didn’t hook me the way her other books have. That said, I’ve seen plenty of readers really enjoy it so it might just be a “not for me, for now” kind of read. I may circle back to it later with a fresh mindset.

Another crazy page turner from Lisa Jewell! This one alternates between three perspectives. Martha is married to a husband who is always going on work trips and becoming totally unreachable. Ash is a young adult woman living at home who becomes suspicious of a new guy her mom starts dating. And the final perspective, starting 4 years in the past, is from the perspective of a guy who pretty quickly reveals himself to be what is now sometimes called “a dark empath.”

I’ll say no more about the plot, but if you’re a thriller reader you can probably guess where this one was going, though maybe I’d say this was more of a psychological suspense than a thriller. It was perhaps less twisty than some of Lisa Jewell’s books - but still with some good surprises and jaw dropping moments! It also was a gripping and creepy book I couldn’t put down and read in the span of a 24 hour period.

OMG!!! I don't think I have ever had an aversion to a character as much as I did towards "HIM", Nick/Al/Justin/whatever he calls himself. I could not put this book down because I wanted to find out how they were going to make him pay....and that epilogue!! boom!!! I did not see that one coming!

Loved the book! Congrats Lisa Jewell
and thanks for this ARC, Netgalley and Atria Books

So many layers to peel away!! Like a great episode of Dateline, things are not what they seem. What made this especially entertaining to me was all the different stories of deception in the past. I loved that by the end we got to see just how deeply the MMC's deceptions went and the justification that gave the mostly main female character.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #AtriaBooks for an ARC of this entertaining suspense thriller

First, thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read the ARC of this book.

With Lisa Jewell as the author, you know that the book is unputdownable! I was completely invested in the story almost immediately. I found myself hating the MMC, and then he would do something that seemed like he wasn’t a total POS and I would get sucked back in. Ultimately, he was a total POS. LOL

This book kind of hit home for me, as I’ve been lied to and manipulated by someone I fell for, although not to this extreme. I couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out how these women would take care of the situation. They were nicer than I would’ve been.

This one is definitely worth the read!

It's Lisa Jewell. That is the review.

Joking, but I could leave it at that without really needing to say anything else. Jewell has, time and time again, proven herself to be a master of mystery and suspense and Don't Let Him In proves no differently. This story is intense, pulse-quickening, and I torn through it at light speed. The characters are so well thought out, especially our villain of the story—he's the guy that you love to hate (or hate to love). The absolute perfect summer thriller. Fans of Jewell will not be disappointed and if you haven't read Jewell yet, well I am not quite sure what you are waiting for.

I could not put this book down. I loved the story.

This book is hard to describe. There were layers upon layers of stories. There was is a man with multiple names, who marries a woman, sucks all her money and life out of her and then moves onto the next woman to con.

Its such a realistic story. Not much happens - there isn't any action, no twists or turns. And yet I was very invested in it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book. Publication date is June 24, 2025.

I was really excited to receive this book but it fell short for me. I didn’t feel like it kept me in suspense or that the characters had a lot of depth to them. This isn’t the first book by this author so this one just didn’t fit the mark for me.

This story was intense, and the mmc got away with more than I would have put up with. The multiple POVs through me off a bit, but the story was intriguing. Lots of twists and turns, which is to be expected from this author.


Thank you Netgalley and Atria books for the opportunity to read this early.

DON’T LET HIM IN, from the very first page, hooks you. More of a crime oriented story, this author always does a great job balancing and creating nuanced stories. Blending timelines, POVs, and crafting an engaging narrative, this author created a very bingeable book.

The way Jewell handles a variety of storylines, timelines, and POVs goes to show how powerful her writing is. It would be easy for all of this to hurt the narrative. And it didn’t. Instead, as readers we got so many different viewpoints that enhanced the story and added to the sense of foreboding and dread I had, in a good way! It was like watching a thriller unfold.

I will say that because this is more of a crime book where we know immediately what the characters is up to and doing (think The Family Upstairs), there wasn’t really a plot twist and, after a little bit, the story became repetitive.

Overall, I enjoyed the book! I think if you like more crime thrillers with a family aspect, multiple timelines, unreliable narrators, and multiple POVs, this is worth the read.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited to receive an ARC of Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell, especially since I’ve enjoyed her books in the past. Unfortunately, this one just wasn’t it for me. The writing and pacing felt off, and the story didn’t pull me in or keep me engaged. I was really hoping to enjoy it, but it ultimately wasn’t the right fit.

As many of you know by now, @lisajewelluk is an auto-buy author for me, so I was excited to be approved to read this ARC (even if it only gave me a couple of weeks to do so!). If you’ve read any of her books, you know they are always really effed up. This one was as well, while also being pretty clear from the synopsis of what it’s about. I enjoyed the multiple POV and having the character of Al have the first person POV was an excellent choice. While this one was a bit more predictable, I did really like the little twist thrown in at the end. Overall, a fast paced thriller that is a perfect beach read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster publisher, and Lisa Jewell for providing an arc copy. I have read Lisa Jewell books and have recommended them to my friends so I was happy to read a copy. This book I found the storyline to be uninterested and rather boring. This was a con artist who tried to take advantage of a widow. I recently read their is No Ethan so maybe this is why I found this book not to be the best that Lisa Jewell had to offer.

I had high hopes for this. When I read the description I was so excited. It was okay but a little bit let down.

My first issue was there was way too many characters to keep track of. That combined with going back and fourth into different time lines. It’s just not my vibe.

Overall it was an okay read and I will still read her books but hers are definitely a hit or miss with me. Some are phenomenal and some are just okay or on the boring side.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell has done it again. This book about a creepy psychopath worming his way into different women’s lives is the perfect summer thriller. I love how Jewell keeps you guessing up to the very end. This was a fast paced thriller with an ending that was so satisfying. If you’re looking for a fantastic thriller to throw in your beach bag, this is the one! Thank you to Netgalley and Astros books for the advanced copy!

I was so excited to get to read this one, I'm a big Lisa Jewell fan! This felt a little different than her other books, but I enjoyed it! The stories were seamlessly linked together in ways that were surprising, with little hints being given here and there. Even when I figured out where something was going, it was still done so well that the reveal was exciting.

The ending is where things got interesting - I thought it was heading in one direction, and I wasn't really happy about it, but then it went in a totally other direction and I loved it. I don't want to say much, this should not be spoiled.

Don't Let Him In is a classic Lisa Jewell book with the relatively slow buildup, which suddenly turns fast-paced with dizzying twists and turns. This was quite interesting and full of suspense and I absolutely loved the ending.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are mine

3.25/5⭐️
I went into Don’t Let Him In expecting an intense, twist-filled thriller, but was left a bit underwhelmed. The story leaned more toward domestic suspense than psychological thriller, and I think it would’ve benefited from being marketed that way to better set expectations.

The multiple timelines were initially confusing—it took about a quarter of the book to really get my bearings—and the large cast of female characters made it difficult to stay fully immersed in the plot. While the pacing picked up slightly in the latter half, I found the ending lacked the punch I was hoping for.

That said, Lisa Jewell is still a go-to author for me. This one just wasn’t my favorite from her, but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what she writes next.

First of all, this story has a GREAT villain. I mean, he’s seriously out there and someone any woman should avoid…. It doesn’t take much to hate him at the beginning but by the end? You just want him behind bars or maimed in some tortured way. Kudos for building in such a strong emotion for a reader.

You also want to yell at each of these women to not fall for him! (Of course, they always will….)

Things that didn’t work for me though included the multiple characters - so so many to start, and the changing POV at the beginning was tricky. I also had a tough time with the ending. Not sure if it was me reading quickly or if it seemed too rushed? I didn’t get the closure to the story that I was expecting.

Overall, more of a 3.5

I want to thank NetGalley for the advance copy of this book! I have loved other Lisa Jewell titles and will continue to read her work!

This wasn’t my favorite Lisa Jewell, though it’s worth reading for sure. Definitely more of a slow burn, but I’m not complaining about that.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.