⭐️: 2.5/5

My first instincts about this one were right, and essentially, the TL;DR of this review is going to be that I wish I listened to them and didn’t finish this book. My initial reaction was that there were a lot of names involved, and that I truly didn’t see what the “mystery” was going to be in this thriller, since it kind of just seemed like a straightforward story of a mentally ill man with like, zero twists. I’m not even sure if like, maybe some things were meant to be twists? But they were just so cut and dry, and basic, that I was just left bored and unsatisfied.

I really haven’t had much luck with Lisa Jewell’s new releases for the past few years, and with two years in a row of books that I almost DNFed but didn’t due to author loyalty, but realized I should have after finishing (I found None of This Is True to be derivative and contrived and lacking nuance too), I might have to put aside her books for now. Again, there was just no nuance in this one, it was just so black and white, with unrealistic, unlikable (and not in a fun way) characters all around. I don’t need to read a POV about men with a superiority complex behaving badly, it’s present in real life.

Anyway, there was nothing really thriller-y about this one, and the whole read was lacking in so many ways.

Thank you to @netgalley and @ for providing this eARC for my review!!

3 stars! This book was fine, but not my favorite by this author. To me, it was a little repetitive in that we saw the same situation play out with different women and on top of that, there were several instances where these experiences were recounted or summarized to or by other characters multiple times. Because of this the book felt a little slow and as though no enough happened (because the same thing was happening over and over again).
I also didn't find this all that thrilling or suspenseful because you knew for the most part what was going on, so to me there wasn't a big reveal at the end. I also found the timelines and multiple (similar) characters a little difficult to keep track of. Because there were so many characters, I found the character development lacking and was pretty ambivalent about everyone. The author was successful at keeping me interested enough in wanting to know how everything was going to come together and be resolved. at the end. I was mostly satisfied with the ending, but was hoping this book was more twisty than it ended up being especially since I was able to guess a lot of the "twists". I would recommend this book if you like domestic mysteries/suspense and other works by the author, but just know it's not a "thriller." A lot of readers are rating this book highly, so there's clearly an audience for this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Paddy Swann is the life of the party and active member of the restaurant community until his life is cut tragically short when a man pushes him onto the path of an incoming train. His family is left to grieve and try to continue on with their lives, when one day a surprise package comes in the mail from one of Paddy’s old friends. The man who sent the package is named Nick and he and Paddy’s wife Nina grow close in a short amount of time. Paddy’s daughter Ash immediately finds Nick to be unnerving, leading her to look into his background and see what he might be hiding.

Lisa Jewell is the queen of writing that disorients the reader, ultimately leaving them with a “WHAT did I just read” feeling. In the best possible way of course! Don’t Let Him In is gripping from the first page and does not stop until the final sentence. Nick’s character and the unraveling of who he is and where he came from had me GLUED to the page!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC! Don’t Let Him In releases on June 24th 📚

This book was hard to put down. Every chapter kept you wanting more. Highly recommend this book to those who love books that twist and turn and keep you guessing.

I received an arc of this book and really enjoyed this psychological thriller. I’ve read other titles by Lisa so I knew to expect to be slightly confused and I’ll know more as I go. This book is like a puzzle, at first you just see the edges and you can start to build the perimeter. As you start working on it, you get chunks of pieces that start to come together. Then those chunks fit together to start to really bring the puzzle together. It’s not until you’re on the last few pieces that the whole picture comes together.

There are a lot of names and characters to keep track of in addition to the timeline. In the beginning I felt like I needed to keep a timeline with names, relationship statuses, and locations. As the puzzle was coming together, they become more second nature and easier to remember who is who.

I find second (3rd and 4th and on and on in this case) families to be very interesting on a psychological level - how the person can go into them knowing they have a family already, then continue the charade with invalid marriages, have children, celebrations and milestones. This was a slightly darker take on that with the added level of crime and scamming women. It was a quick read and kept my interest the entire time.

Wow. Like all of Lisa Jewell’s books…wow. Following multiple timelines and characters, we essentially have a scammer story. The first half seemed to drag on, and then out of nowhere it’s a race to the end. It was a satisfying ending and I’m glad I stuck it through.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC.

This one had me torn on what I wanted to rate it. Lisa Jewell is a master at her craft. And I say this due to the fact that I have never disliked a character more than I did our main male character in this book. Nick Radcliffe is everything he thinks is a good man, but while reading about him and being in his mind, as this book is in first person POV with multiple POVS, I wanted nothing more than the worst for him. He is a manipulator, a swindler and everything you could possibly detest in a character. And while that made me want to write this book lower, it only made me want to rate it higher because that in itself made Lisa Jewell show her talents as a writer.
The thing that took me a little getting use to though is the back and forth between the four years ago and keeping it all straight in my mind at first.
In this book we focus mainly on Nick, Martha, Nina and Ash. And they are the POV‘s that we get. Martha with her husband Alistair. Nick dating the more freshly windowed Nina Swann and her daughter Ash.
I loved how the plot progressed and how Ash ends up becoming the detective trying to figure out everything about Nick. And how everything ends up getting interwoven together. After this and None of this is True I am very interested to see what Lisa Jewell does next.
Thank you Atria for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I did like this book however it wasn’t my favorite by this author. At times I found the multiple timelines and POVs a little confusing.

Lisa Jewell is a master of suspense and this book was no different. You will be wondering what the truth is and questioning which information you can trust throughout the whole book. A must read if you love sweet sweet justice.

Lisa Jewell has done it again with a brilliantly constructed plot that kept me hooked from start to finish. Her storytelling never fails to impress. Every time I dive into one of her novels, it feels like I'm eavesdropping on someone else's scandal—like peeking into a stranger’s life in the most compelling way. This book featured one of the most detestable characters I’ve encountered in a long time—thankfully, clearly positioned as the villain from the start. The "ripped-from-the-headlines" feel of the plot added an extra layer of urgency and realism that made it impossible to put down. Overall, I absolutely loved this novel—gripping and thoroughly entertaining.

*I received an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Lisa Jewell delivers another masterclass in psychological suspense with Don't Let Him In. The novel intricately weaves the lives of Nina, a grieving widow; her daughter, Ash; and Martha, a struggling florist, as they each become entangled with the enigmatic Nick Radcliffe. Nick's charm masks a sinister agenda, leading to a web of deceit that unravels with devastating consequences.​

Jewell's strength lies in her ability to craft deeply flawed, relatable characters. Ash's skepticism and determination to uncover the truth provide a compelling counterpoint to Nina's vulnerability. Martha's storyline adds depth, highlighting the ease with which trust can be manipulated.​

The narrative's shifting perspectives and timelines are executed with precision, building tension and keeping readers on edge. While some may find the pacing deliberate, the payoff is a haunting exploration of trust, manipulation, and the facades people maintain.​

Don't Let Him In is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers that delve into the darker aspects of human relationships.​

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really like Lisa Jewell. I read her novel Then She Was Gone years ago and still think about it. I also just read Breaking the Dark recently and loved it, so I was excited to get an ARC of this one to read. It took me a little while to really get into this. The main character’s whole story just felt very overdone. He does the same thing with each woman and it gets a little redundant after a while- you know what he’s going to do and how it’s going to go. I feel for the women affected but also many of them keep giving him
more chances despite showing the kind of person he is? He didn’t seem to be THAT charming. I also was able to see any “twists” coming. However, despite all of that, I did finish this quickly because I really wanted to know what would happen next. I liked Ash as a character and really felt for her. This was a fun read and I think fans of the author will find another good page-turner with this one.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Atria books for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a huge Lisa Jewell fan, and have been since reading And Then She Was Gone, with my favorites being the Family Upstairs duology. If you loved those, then you will absolutely LOVE this new one, Don't Let Him In. It is a WILD ride!

The plot focuses on Nina and her daughter Ash, who have recently lost their husband/father Paddy to a horrible accident. Enter into the picture one of Paddy's old friends, Nick Radcliffe, who soon begins to date Nina, much to Ash's dismay. In the same timeline, Martha is becoming unhappy in her marriage to Al, with whom she has a baby girl. Both Ash and Martha begin digging, and what they find unsettles them both and puts their lives on a collision course.

I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved the characters (except Nick) and I enjoyed the mystery and suspense of the plot, and how the lives of Nina, Ash, and Marth slowly wove together. I also enjoyed the chapters of the past, 4 years prior, which added a lot of depth and insight into the story. But I HATED Nick's character. It has been a long time since I have read a book where I just vehemently disliked a character through the whole book. And it got worse and worse as the story went on. I mean, I know there's always a villain, but DAMN. He was a walking red flag and it is painful to read/watch people blatantly fall for people like that. Nick's off-putting-ness aside, the story is so good, and will suck you in further and further until you realize you've binge-read the whole thing. Also, the ENDING! Yassss.

I very much enjoyed the book, and will definitely be recommending it for my book club.

This is probably one of my favorite Lisa Jewell books. I would really classify this more of a character study though than a thriller or honestly even mystery. You pretty much know the story from the beginning and just get to see it play out. I don’t think it’s a bad thing there wasn’t anything shocking or twisting. Sometimes a book about deranged man is enough. It was for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for my ARC in exchange for a review.

Don't Let Him In had me hooked from the very beginning. Lisa Jewell masterfully weaved the lives of three women—Nina, Ash, and Martha—into a suspenseful narrative that kept me on edge. The character development of each character was exceptional; each woman feels real and relatable, making their experiences all the more gripping. That said, some of the plot twists felt a bit rushed/underdeveloped. Still, it's a compelling and haunting read I couldn’t put down!

Thank you, Atria Books, for providing a copy of Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell. I liked Ash’s investigation into Nick’s past, and how far she went to figure things out. It went on too long though. I usually like multiple timelines, but in this book I thought they made the story confusing. This is a slow starter. You'll have to be patient and let the story unfold. I’m not sure this book was really for me. It’s getting really good reviews though, so you might love it! 3 stars

Nina lost her restauranteur husband to murder nine months ago, her 26 year old daughter, Ash, is back at home after having a nervous breakdown. Nina is just trying to hold the pieces of her family together when she receives a letter from a dear old friend of her husbands, Nick Radcliffe. From here the two begin to correspond back and forth. Nina decides it's nice to talk to someone that knew and loved her husband. Eventually they decide to meet and the sparks fly instantly.

Ash, on the other hand, doesn't buy what Nick is selling and vows to protect her mother in any way she can.

Meanwhile, Martha is growing tired of her husband, Al, and his constant traveling leaving her to tend with the kids and the house while he is off doing who knows what. He shuts his phone off and avoids her for days and weeks at a time. Always with an excuse and always some one else's fault. During one of his disappearing acts their infant daughter becomes sick and still her husband is no where be found and won't answer her texts and calls. This may be the very last straw.

These two stories and more converge into an absolutely juicy and explosive reveal.

Lisa Jewell has done it again. She always manages to reel me in and keep me hooked. This isn't the most original plot but the way Jewell peels back the layers in such a tantalizing way keeps the reader holding their breath in anticipation. This book is officially beach bag approved! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my complimentary copy.

I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell, so when I saw this new book coming out, I had to get my hand on it. I was a bit disappointed though and it certainly won't be on my list of favorites by her. I was quite confused for the first half of the book, and not in a mysterious way, in a way that was difficult to follow. I found myself turning back to previous pages a lot to reread and see if I could figure out what I was missing.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lisa Jewell and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell is a fantastic thriller with multiple POVs and twists and turns galore. Lots of drama and this one kept me interested. A solid 3.5 star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

this was not my favorite Lisa Jewell. I didn't dislike it but I felt it was predictable. I'll admit, I was confused for a good chunk of the beginning. This is a book where each chapter bounces back and forth between multiple characters POV and the reader is responsible for deciphering who the people are. I find this hard to do, when i don't have many details. You know that feeling, where it seems as though you missed something important, and you are constantly trying to figure it out? That happened to me in the beginning.

I do think people will enjoy this! But I don't think it's my favorite Lisa Jewell. But I'm anxious to know your thoughts! I do think people will enjoy this! But I don't think it's my favorite Lisa Jewell. But I'm anxious to know your thoughts! if you like LJ, I do suggest you give it a read

As always,  thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for the early read opportunity! Always appreciated!! 😊