Creepy and fast-paced, but not as emotionally layered as I’ve come to know from Lisa Jewell. The premise pulled me in, but the characters felt flat and the story a bit rushed with no big reveal. Entertaining for a quick read, just not super memorable.

Well, that was good! It's definitely a page turner. The story is written in multiple points of view that I found easy to follow. There are a lot of names to remember, but I didn't find that to be a big problem.

The reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because there is not a big revelation. You are pretty clear on what's going on in the entirety of the book. It feels a little like an episode of Columbo where you know who the killer is in the beginning and you are trying to see how he is going to figure it out. So, while good, it didn't give me that bombshell drop that I really love in a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley the publisher for the ARC

I am a huge Lisa Jewell fan and she will always be an-buy for me, but I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as her others. From the beginning, it was clear where the story was going and I would have loved for there to be more mystery or intrigue like we usually get from her. I also found all of the female characters absolutely insufferable in how much they let this man put them through and really found myself more angry at them than sympathetic.

I love Lisa Jewell! This was really good. It may have dragged on just a little but oh my gosh, what a creepy man. Thanks for the chance to read early.

Nick Radcliffe is a charming, middle aged man who comes into Nina Swann’s life approximately a year after the unexpected death of her husband Paddy. Nick appears from the surface like a perfect guy who always knows the right things to say and do.

Ash is Nina’s adult daughter who has been living back at home since shortly before her father’s death. Ash starts to suspect that something is off about Nick and that he can’t truly be as good and genuine as he seems. Ash starts to look into Nick further and discovers more than she could’ve possibly anticipated about the man they have come to know as Nick Radcliffe.

This story is teeming with a vast cast of characters, point of views, and timelines. Jewell does an excellent job of writing an absolutely deplorable psychopath of a character who the reader is chomping at the bit for him to get his comeuppance. This did feel a bit repetitive at times and the ending was a little lackluster, but it was an overall satisfying read.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I loved Lisa Jewell’s last book, None of This is True, so I was very excited to get approved for an advance readers copy for her new release, Don’t Let Him In. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me.
Not only did I not like the main character’s POV, as he was the villain… and he was really very awful, but I also did not like the other characters. They were all shady, made shady decisions, and I could not connect with any of them.
The timelines were confusing to me as well.
I also felt like the story developed slowly, but then the ending was rushed( although I liked the ending).

Summary: Nick Radcliffe moves swiftly and seamlessly into Nina’s life once her husband is tragically killed. She seems to fall fast for him, but her daughter, Ash, sees right through his fake smile. Ash begins to look into Nick’s past, and finds that things aren’t as perfect as they seem.
Meanwhile, Martha is stuck at home while her husband, Al, disappears for days at the time, not telling her where he’s going, and not answering his messages while he’s gone. When he’s home, her life is wonderful…. But lately he seems to disappear more often, and she begins to have doubts.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Like all of Lisa Jewell’s mystery and suspense novels this one did not disappoint. The character development was done so well I found myself wanting to scream at the pages out of frustration as the antagonist’s feelings of self entitlement and narcissism bring two women into the folds of his history of lies and deceit. Over the course of the book pieces of the puzzle are revealed with a timeline of the past meeting the present alternated with the perspective of the antagonist in a first person point of view. I found switching from first person to third person a very creative way to give the reader a true understanding of the antagonist to make the reader hate him more and more as the book went on.

This book had so much potential but was just not well executed. It had SO many characters to keep track of. I truly couldn’t keep them all straight.

Thank you NetGalley and Aria books for my Arc. I really enjoyed reading this book although I would have changed the ending slightly.. i liked how the book alternated between the past and the present. When Nina Swann, a wealthy widow begins dating Nick, a successful businessman, her daughter Ash disapproves. Who is this mystery man? Martha, a mother of three is married to Allistair. They are always in debt and lately Allistair has been acting strangely. This has been one of my favourite books this year.

I am a big fan of Lisa Jewell. She is a must read author for me. Don’t let him in read like a documentary that I am crazy about told from multiple point of views until the story begins to completely unfold. The reader is guessing what is happening. Highly entertaining

Rundown:
✨️deceased husband
✨️serial scammer
✨️concerned daughter
✨️many characters
✨️confusing plot

Synopsis ✒️
After Ash's father dies, Nick swoops in to console her mother. Ash doesn't trust him or the stories he's telling and investigates into Nick's past while her mother becomes more and more smitten. The more she finds, the more she realizes Nick isn't who he says he is.

Thoughts 💭
This was a bit of a letdown for me. I'm a huge Lisa Jewel fan, and this one missed the mark. The entire plot hinges on one man manipulating multiple women. That in itself is frustrating and doesn't even seem believable. There were so many characters and different names for the same guy, timelines, and POVs that it was really hard to keep everything straight. Once I figured out what was going on, it was predictable, boring, and unnecessarily confusing. It also lacked the usual thriller feel I get from her writing. I'm leaving this on my rec list because her writing it solid, and some might find it more enjoyable than I did.

When several women are connected by the same charming grifter, they must put together the puzzle pieces, determine the truth behind his lies, and find out how to move forward.

Lisa Jewell remains one of my favourite thriller writers in the game. I truly appreciate that each of her books is a departure from the last, but always told in told her compelling, funny, and clever voice.

By comparison to her other books, the plot did become a bit predictable and repetitive, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

I especially struggled with how unrealistic the story was for today's day and age. How did this man have so many types of identification, licenses, passports, and how did he file his taxes with all his secrets and different relationships? I just couldn't get past all the questions I had that made me pull away from an otherwise compelling story. And I wish that the women in the story were portrayed as intelligent, aware individuals. Their ability to fall for someone so obviously corrupt made me miss some of the stronger protagonists in Jewell's previous novels.

I don’t think I understood a single thing going on. I think I wanted it to be more true-crime-y where these women band together and collect all of this evidence and snooping? A tad too long for me, but a decent enough time overall.

Unpopular opinion, but this one just wasn’t it for me. I have a mixed rating with Lisa Jewell, but this one was a repetitive miss. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this advance copy in exchange for this honest review - this one comes out in 2 weeks, 6/24/25.

As I mentioned, I’ve really loved some of Lisa Jewell’s works - her release last year was amazing with the podcast element and was so easy to read, but at around 25-30%, this book had just jumped around with the same story - questionable conman meets nice woman, bleeds her dry and drains her finances and then starts another lie cycle with a new woman. Enter some distrusting daughters, and you’re set, except this was just the SAME thing over and over. You’re really going to tell me that all of these intelligent women can’t see through some of these behaviors and put up with it? I didn’t buy it - all I wanted was to see how it ended, and it was such an anticlimactic letdown. I won’t give up on Lisa Jewell, she just might become a library read for me or something I won’t purchase on my own before seeing some reviews from reviewers that align with my tastes. Bummer.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Ash’s dad unexpectedly dies. Random dude sends condolences. Ash’s mom starts dating random dude. Random dude is a d*ck. End of story kinda sorta.

I’m a Lisa Jewell fan so I had high hopes for this one but I just could not get into it. The only really redeeming character was Ash who felt something was off with Nick from the beginning. The story itself jumps between timelines and people and just gets confusing at some points. It was less off a thriller and more of a wow these women may be dumb kind of situations. I didn’t DNF but it def took me longer to read than any of Lisa Jewell’s other books 🤷🏻‍♀️

**Thank you NetGalley & Atria books for the ARC**

This story starts with the death of restauranteur ,Paddy .His widow Nina and their children are left to pick up the pieces. In comes Nick, a man who claims to have worked with Paddy., while Nina ,welcomes Nick into her world her daughter .Ash-is suspicious.

The story follows Nina and Nick, Martha a florist and her husband Al. As well,as other women who are part of this man called Nick’s life. The story moves quickly between Nick and the women he knows And the lives he lives

It can be confusing keeping up with Nick and all the different women as well as his different personas .But this confusion added to the drama and suspense.

The story moves quickly with plenty of twist to keep me on the edge of my seat.

Just when I thought it was over and justice was served, there was one final shocking twist.

At the beginning of the book, the multiple characters and timeline was a little confusing. You just have to keep reading and it all falls together. It did get a little repetitive and made me want the story to move along. The author did a good job of letting us get to know the MMC perspective. The ending was expected and over the last few chapters lots of questions were answered. It didn't feel like a thriller, maybe a mystery where you are hoping the person gets what's coming to him.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this electronic ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had very high hopes for this book, since I loved None of This is True and Then She Was Gone. The story is told in separate timelines and POVs, and eventually leads up to events happening in the present day. For me, there were too many characters to keep track of; and while I recognize this was to add to the web of lies and craziness that unfolds, it was a little too much. I was waiting for a big twist, but one never came. It took a bit of time to get through it, because I just wasn’t hooked by the story.

Don't Let Him In is intriguing and twisty. Nina Swann is contacted by her recently deceased husband's former friend, Nick. They form a connection and begin to date. He seems almost too good to be true. Nina's daughter Ash believes there is something strange about Nick and begings to investigate him.
The story also follows a florist, Martha and her husband Al. Al's behavior becomes unpredictable and he disappears for days at a time.
There are multiple storylines and many characters in this book that are all intertwined. It is somewhat predictable but a fun read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

WOW!! My first Lisa Newel book and I'm looking forward to reading other books by her.
Don't Let Him In creates a world with a villain and unsuspecting victims along his devious path.
While I would not spoil the story for you, I will honestly say that this author knows how to build a story, develop her characters and set the story in a dual timeline that is easy to follow.
A scary thought here...Villains like this one exist in real life. With their perfect faces, charming manners, flawless bodies and ability to hide behind a façade. A definite wolf in sheep's clothing.
The villain in this book is terrifying.. I was on the edge of my seat, staying up way too late because I couldn't put this book down. Everything in this story could actually happen!! His lies and deceit and dangerous behavior makes you hate him while enjoying this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster publishers for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinion.