Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite authors. This book is a bit different from what I am used to from her, and reminded me of something Freida McFadden would write. I loved that I was hooked from early on- it wasn’t a slow burn. The quick chapters kept me wanting to keep reading to see how it all ends! as the raider, I also appreciated the satisfying ending, seeing the antagonist get what’s coming to him.

After years of consistently adding Lisa Jewell books to my TBR, I finally read my first one! And as I had predicted, this is the type of author whose latest makes the reader want to start from the beginning.

Speaking of beginnings, we open on the funeral of the effervescent Paddy Swann - famous chef, restaurateur, father, husband. His daughter, Ash, is especially bereft - so it's no surprise that she cannot bring herself to be happy for her mom, Nina, when Nina meets someone new. Enter Nick Radcliffe, with a name and a face straight out of a Bronte novel. Nick claims to have known Paddy, but Ash has her doubts. Is Nick too good to be true?

The reader does not have to wait long to find out. There is no doubt here - Nick soon becomes our very (to put it mildly) unreliable narrator. Told in voices alternating between Nick (and his many aliases) and the women Nick swindles, we quickly find out that Nick is a bad man. Just how bad, however, is slowly revealed over the course of Ash's investigation. One thing I found fascinating - Nick's complete lack of awareness. While he lets us in on some of his schemes, it is only through Ash and the other women that we find out how wide, and how wicked, is Nick's web.

The novel kept me hooked, although the impact would be the same - and the story a tiny less dense - with a few less characters.

Thank you Netgalley for this introduction to Lisa Jewell!

No surprise… Lisa Gardner has done it again! (And now I can *officially* rate it 5 stars). If you loved her recent hit None of This Is True, you will be obsessed with this one too.

Lying, scheming, love-bombing, cheating… all of us women are familiar with this kind of behavior from the propaganda known as “men.” This book explores the mind and inner workings of not just any man, but a true psychopath. One who has multiple identities and some frightening motives.

Lisa Jewell is such a great novelist in the sense that she can be descriptive and thorough with her characterization, so you really get into their lives and emotions, but in a way where you never feel bored—you will be turning the pages so quick to see what’s next. The actions of this man (and honestly, the women involved… some were just so naïve and blind to his behavior) will make you feel frustrated, angry, and most of all, determined to see how it all ends. This man is so diabolical and insane that I literally wanted to scream while I was reading this book!

In true Lisa Jewell style, there is a twist at the end that made me gasp. It's crazy how she always manages to surprise us when we think we've got it all figured out. This is THE perfect read to take along with you to the beach this summer!

Thank you SO much to the NetGalley team and publishers at Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book! Lisa Jewell consistently delivers propulsive thrillers, and I couldn’t put this one down. I enjoyed that some of the plot twists weren’t super over the top or far fetched, and I also loved reading about the vile main character and what was going on in his head.

This is another great thriller to put on a 2025 summer reading list!

3.75 ⭐️

Ash Swann is convinced there is something off about her mom Nina's new boyfriend Nick. He shows up randomly, claiming he knew her dad, and he's a bit TOO perfect. Nina is opening her heart and home to Nick, but the specifics (or lack thereof) about his job/past/etc just don't add up.
Meanwhile, Martha's husband Alistair is seemingly perfect! He's great with their daughter, getting along well with her sons, and is helping with her floral business. Only now he's going MIA more often, leaving messages unread, and is traveling to places he shouldn't be.
And once the three of these women start digging, Nick and Alistair start to look pretty similar

This was a good book! Definitely the kind of thriller my mom would let me borrow (and she has great taste in books!) The twists were all predictable, once the ball started rolling it was easy to guess how everything is connected. I was close to DNFing, because it just felt very repetitive. Everytime a new name was introduced I thought "this AGAIN?" But I'm glad I stuck it out, the epilogue was a great way to end the book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC. Projected publishing date: June 24th, 2025

In this we follow a few POV’s. One being Nick Radcliffe. He seems like such a kind hearted and cultured gentleman. He comes into Nina Swann’s life after the sudden death of her husband, Paddy. Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, isn’t so sure about Nick’s intentions so she begins to dive into his past. What she finds is shocking.
We also follow Martha. A florist, wife, and mother who lives in a neighboring village. Her husband, Alistair, often disappears for work for days at a time. He makes everything sound so innocent, but is it?

This book was amazing!

This read is a slow burn, but in a good way. The story is about multiple woman and man they are/were involved with. Talk about gas-lighting "Nick" is an expert.

I cant give too many details without spoiling the plot but LisaJewell does not disappoint.

Boook available June 24th.

Lisa Jewell is the queen of domestic suspense, and her newest book delivered! The first 20% of the book was a bit of a slow burn, but once the twists picked up, I couldn’t put it down! I don’t want to spoil anything from the story because I truly believe going in blind is the best option. Just know that this book had me emotionally invested- rooting for Ash from the start and feeling angry and scared for her throughout.

If you love a twisty domestic thriller that could (unfortunately) really happen, definitely check this one out when it’s released. The expected publication date for Don’t Let Him In is June 24, 2025. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was intrigued by this book but ultimately found it to be a let down. It was all very predictable and the twists weren’t that exciting. Also there were too many characters and POVs. All of them felt really shallow.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an early copy.

I found Don't Let Him In to be just okay overall. Lisa Jewell weaves multiple storylines throughout the book, which at times felt a bit overwhelming to keep track of. However, she does a solid job of tying everything together by the end, which helped bring some payoff to the complex narrative. While it wasn’t my favorite of her novels, fans of layered suspense may enjoy it. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

I had previously read one Lisa Jewell book, which was a great thriller, and so I had very high expectations from this book. However, this book was frustrating and hard to read. It takes a few chapters to understand the different points of view and the multiple characters, which is often the case for thrillers, but what made this disappointing was that the narrative around Nick/Alistair/Jonathan seemed to be going around in circles. His act of lying, appearing loving, and crying fake tears was repetitive and annoying. Women putting up with his disappearing acts and gaslighting was a bit too much.

Perhaps the biggest issue I had was the predictability. There was no plot twist, and the story was flat in the last third of the book. There is also not much discussion about why Nick became the way he did. There was a brief mention of him just being this way since childhood and not being happy with things/ always wanting more, but that seems like a weak justification or explanation. The only goal achieved in this book seems to be to create an unlikeable character who is vindictive, greedy, violent, and a stalker, without much background into how or why.

Overall, this is far from the great thriller that was promised.

"Don't Let Him In” by Lisa Jewell is a twisty 5-star thriller! Nina Swann is trying to pull her life back together after the sudden and tragic death of her husband. She meets Nick Radcliffe, a man who immediately puts her at ease. But Nina’s daughter, Ash, is instantly suspicious of Nick, he seems too perfect and always knows just the right thing to say. Meanwhile, Martha and Alistair appear to be living a happy life, even with Alistair always traveling for work, it seems he has the family's best interests in mind.

This is a well-written story told through multiple POVs and timelines, all expertly woven together to build toward one fantastic conclusion. Twist after twist keeps you wondering just how far out of control things can spiral and the answer is: extremely far! At times, you'll be shocked at how much one character is able to get away with and frustrated by how they’re allowed to keep going. While this may be fiction, it’s disturbing to realize that situations like this do happen in real life.

It’s been a few years since I last read anything by Lisa Jewell, and this book reminded me of just how talented she is. I won’t be waiting years to read another one of her books!

Thanks to Atria Books, Lisa Jewell, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

3.75⭐️

First I’d like to extend a thank you to Atria Books, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy of this book. My thoughts are my own.

While I did not find this book to be very suspenseful or mysterious, I found the psychological thriller aspect to be well executed. The author did a great job capturing the essence of a narcissistic psychopath, providing seemingly realistic inner monologue and giving you a chilling viewpoint on the gaslighting, steamrolling and manipulation he repeatedly uses to gain control of people and situations.

Although at first I was upset about the lack of strength and awareness many of the women in this book possessed- having had an unhealthy relationship myself in the past that took me four years to recognize and leave (nowhere near the extent of this book), I understand that while this may be unfathomable or outlandish to some, this is an unfortunate reality that many people do face.

I’ve only read one other book by this author that I very much enjoyed but this book did feel quite slow at times and I felt that it danced in circles. Although the nature of those types of relationships are repetitive, for the purpose of the book and keeping the readers interest, I felt that this could have been edited down a bit as I found myself skimming the pages.

Overall, I wouldn’t call this a mystery or very suspenseful but this book was a good psychological thriller and I’m glad.

Lisa Jewell’s Don’t Let Him In continues her signature blend of psychological suspense and domestic tension, with a slow-burning plot that keeps readers intrigued. The characters are layered and flawed, adding emotional depth to the narrative, though some readers may find their development a bit uneven. Jewell’s writing remains compelling, with atmospheric scenes and sharp dialogue that heighten the sense of unease. However, the pacing feels inconsistent at times, with a buildup that takes a little too long to pay off. While the twists are clever, they may feel familiar to fans of the genre or Jewell’s previous work. Overall, it’s a solid but not standout thriller—gripping in parts, but not quite as unforgettable as her best.

The only reason this isn’t 5 starts is because I feel like this is the most predictable of her books and I was missing the normal twists and turns! Even with that said, I loved how the story unfolded and was truly left amazed. The epilogue was the only part I didn’t see coming!

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've only read one other Lisa Jewell book and I loved it. So, I went into this a bit overconfident, believing that I was in store for another twisty, unputdownable read.

Unfortunately, that's not how this one went for me. This dragged, leaving me very unmotivated to pick it up. I spent nearly two months slowly trudging through this, which (in my eyes) is not the mark of a good mystery. In fact, I'd argue this isn't really a mystery at all. There are no true curve balls in this. No guessing game. The entire time, you know exactly what (and who) you're dealing with. It's more of a domestic drama than anything else. And while I'm not totally against that, it's really just not what I was wanting or expecting from this author.

In a nutshell, Ash has recently lost her father under really terrible circumstances. Shortly after, her mother begins seeing Nick, a guy who immediately begins raising red flags in Ash's eyes. Given her mother's vulnerable position (and the fact that she will be inheriting Ash's father's chain of restaurants), Ash believes Nick has ulterior motives.

And guess what? He does. We learn very quickly that Nick isn't who he says he is; that he is essentially a sociopath that preys on women in every way (emotionally, financially, sexually). He has a pattern of behavior that is never limited to just one con. He jumps from woman to woman, caring little about the potential overlap. The book is alternated from first person POV (told from Nick's perspective), as well as third person POV (focusing on Ash's). It's a weird way to structure a book... and certainly not my favorite.

While I'm into reading about complex, flawed characters, this one felt very... limited. There's no good reason for why Nick is the way that he is. The author seems to attribute this to a case of nature over nurture, which isn't really something that aligns with my belief system. I believe humans are more complex than that. However, if you're cool with reading about someone who is a villain for the sake of being a villain, this one might work for you more than it did for me.

Martha is a successful business owner married to her husband Al. When Al starts disappearing more frequently, Martha begins to feel something isn’t right.

Nina Swann tragically and unexpectedly lost her husband recently. Still a grieving widow, she meets Nick Radcliffe who says he knew her late husband and she lets him into her life. Nina’s daughter Ash is suspicious of Nick, realizing something is off about him and begins digging around.

Both women are on a collision course to the truth, but is either woman prepared for the darkness they will uncover?

Don’t Let Him In has a strong start but a bit of slow build up. In the beginning it was easy to keep track of what was going on, however as the web of lies gets deeper there is more to follow and while I didn’t get lost I’m just not a fan of thrillers where I have a lot to keep track of.

I have mixed feelings as I really wanted to love this book. This wasn’t your average thriller with all the twists and turns. Don’t Let Him In was predictable and I found it hard to stay engaged. I know this will be a book many people love, it just wasn’t it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC opportunity. This is an honest and voluntary review.

I requested this book because I usually love Lisa Jewell novels. “Don’t Let Him In” was just an okay read though. I was expecting a thriller, a mystery, some suspense & maybe even some twists along the way, but this felt very straightforward about how the man was playing these women on repeat.

Wow! Talk about complicated relationships. It all seems impossible, but the book is so well written that I understood how everything could have happened. Highly recommend.

I am a big fan of the author but this book just did not hit. Other readers will love this but it fell flat for me. There were multiple POV’s and dual time lines to keep track of. There were a lot of characters to keep straight too. I was able to figure things out pretty quickly. About halfway through I was asking myself how it’s not almost over yet. I read it fast hoping it would get better or there would be some wild twist. For me it was just okay.

Thank you for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review