Stop for spoilers, I guess?

Lisa Jewell either delivers us an edge-of-your-seat, twisty turny thriller. Other times, we get a similarly suspenseful but ultimately straightforward look at great characters that ultimately is not jaw-dropping or surprising. Don't Let Him In is the latter.

This book introduces a slew of characters that I felt overwhelmingly bored with. However, the interworkings of their relationships is soon revealed. The plot redeems the characters as it reveals just enough each chapter to keep you going, adding to the suspense and keeping you engaged. However, if you're looking for a "never saw it coming" twist at the end (because, let's be honest, that's how the blurb reads to get you hooked), get ready to be disappointed.

Giving this four stars as I thought the writing and plot were very well done, and I did breeze through this one just to see how it all ended. Minus 1 star for the unlikeable characters and disappointing ending. Saying that, I know I'll be looking forward to the author's next release and will be throwing myself into it as soon as I have my hands on a copy.

While this wasn't my favorite Lisa Jewell thriller, I still found it to be a good read. It certainly kept me turning the pages!

Wow what did I just read? That was phenomenal. Thrilling in all the right places. Loved every part of this book. This author has one wild imagination to create something this great!

✨Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell✨

Genre: Mystery
Pages: 368

📝Unfortunately, I did not like this at all💁🏻‍♀️

I don’t want to spoil the details for anyone, but I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief enough to get through this story. I found it hard to believe that the MMC was able to bamboozle so many people.

💫Thank @atriabooks for my #gifted ARC💫

I really enjoyed this one! ♥️

A huge thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy of Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell!

I look forward to Lisa Jewell’s new release every year, and once again, she’s delivered. Although I didn’t get a chance to read this one before publication day, I grabbed the audiobook. I’m so glad I did. Much like None of This Is True, this story features a full cast audio production, which made the experience even more satisfying .
Highly recommend the audio!

This book pulled me in from page one and held my attention the whole way through—a feat, especially in what’s been a very slumpy reading month for me. Every other book I started, I struggled to finish. But not this one. Jewell’s storytelling is just that compelling.

Well executed,and fast paced , Don’t Let Him In blends multiple POVs and storylines that all come together superbly.

I especially loved following Ash’s perspective as the detective: it grounded the story with just the right amount of tension and heart. And while we’re not supposed to like the villain, I have to admit: the con was fascinating to watch unfold.

Lisa Jewell continues to be a must read author for me. I’m forever a fan and will keep reading and recommending everything she writes.

This story had more characters than all 8 seasons of A Game of Thrones. I kid you not! It didn’t feel necessary and it felt sloppily done. It’s like all the characters are there to confuse you, and they did at first and I had to use way too much brain power than I care to with a thriller, so I found that I was often waiting for something to happen. A “come on already” feeling that I just wanted this guy would shut the fuck up and carry on.

Gaslighting, word salad and utter bullshit fill these pages and I loathed the main character. I’m sure I’m supposed to, however it made for an unpleasant and chore of a read.

I’m not sure if the dialogue was character specific or if it’s Jewel’s style, but the repetitive nature sent me straight up a wall.

I didn’t laugh, I didn’t gasp, I wasn’t shocked. My hope was that Jewel would pull off some kind of epic ending to make the first 380 pages more tolerable, but no. The ending felt rushed and anticlimactic.

If you typically enjoy Lisa Jewel novels, I’d give it a try, maybe she’s just not an author for me.

Plot: Man goes around lying and scamming women. One of the women’s daughter finds him suspicious and begins digging into his story.

💭 Random thoughts:
— Messy timeline
— Repetitive
— This man was pissing me off! I love to hate a character but not him
— I wouldn’t say the twist is predictable because I’m still waiting for the twist
— There’s one tiny 🤏🏽 bend in the story at the end, but it was never further explained
— Terrible ending
— The only LLJ book that I didn’t like :(

This book was an okay read, I’ve definitely enjoyed her other books more as I found the storyline and characters more interesting. This one didn’t pull me in as much and I found I couldn’t connect with the characters either. However Lisa Jewell does always write a good mystery novel to keep you entertained!

Lisa Jewell’s firm place as a suspense writing maven continues to rise. Don’t Let Him In has the reader guessing and second guessing who is the villain. This is a story of many tense moments that add up to one explosive ending. Recommend to all those who are faithful Jewell readers.

I lovd this book so much! All Lisa Jewell books are great but a few just raise the bar. I started this one on a busy weekend with family buzzing all around me and I just couldn't put it down. When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it. This book has MANY characters and MANY plot lines but it was totally easy to follow all the goings on. A man with many alias's was a psycopath who used women - and abused, gaslighted and stole from them. The women - some smarter than others - couldn't resist his charm and good looks - but this man had no soul. Towards the end there was a "come to Jesus meeting" of many of his victims and the man. It made me think that there are few famous men (an orange one comes to mind) that I wish would be forced to face all their victims. If you like Lisa Jewell books - I am pretty sure this one will top your list of most memorable.

So many twists and turns! A classic Lisa Jewell novel. Read this in two sittings and couldn’t put it down. Definitely recommend.

Lisa Jewell used to be my absolute must read, go to mystery writer, but the last few--this one included--have been lackluster. I like that she still uses ideas that are relevant or that have popped up in popular true crime, like the way this has that whole scammy man thing that has been in docuseries and podcasts lately, but the pacing was just weak and the voice of the 'villian,' while it should be compelling, is dull and off-putting.

Lisa Jewell’s Don't Let Him In is a layered, intriguing thriller that weaves together the lives of three women whose paths intersect through a man who seems too good to be true. Jewell excels at building suspense through shifting perspectives, drawing readers into the lives of Nina, her skeptical daughter Ash, and the seemingly unrelated Martha. The premise is compelling, and the gradual unraveling of Nick Radcliffe’s carefully constructed persona keeps the pages turning, especially as the women’s suspicions begin to converge.

However, while the setup is strong and the characters are distinct, the payoff isn’t quite as shocking or emotionally impactful as expected. The tension simmers steadily but never fully boils over, and some twists feel more predictable than explosive. That said, Jewell’s storytelling remains engaging, and her exploration of deception, grief, and intuition gives the novel emotional weight. Don't Let Him In is a satisfying read for fans of domestic suspense—just don’t go in expecting her most thrilling ride.

I wanted to love this book so badly, but it was somewhat tough for me to follow the multiple characters and multiple timelines. I think the story would have been better if I had caught on to the twists being revealed, but I was always lagging behind the plot trying to remember who all these names are. Overall, a good ending, but I needed a character map or to have taken notes!

This one had me pretty riveted to my seat! This author rarely disappoints. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nick Radcliffe enters into Nina Swann’s life and tries to sweep her off her feet. Ash, Nina’s daughter, is skeptical of Nick as he seems too good to be true. She begins to look into Nick and discovers that he is not who he says he is and the more she looks, the more she finds.

The beginning of this book was a little confusing at first and was a bit of a challenge to keep all of the story lines straight. Once I got into the book, it became much easier to keep all the stories straight and to know who was who. When I got all the characters straight, it made me really enjoy the multiple timeline style.

I also felt like the beginning of the book took a long time. At about 30% in, I felt as if I had all the set up that I needed and it felt as if things sort of dragged on while I waited for something to happen. The last 20% or so redeemed it a bit for me as things finally started to happen and as I read the epilogue, I felt as if everything was wrapped up nicely.

Overall, this book was not the page turning thriller that I was expecting. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, but it also wasn’t what I was hoping for when picking it up.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the premise and how it unfolded loved the feels of each different character - I love how the author gives everyone a distinct voice they all feel so different and special in their own way! Very clever!!!! Really well-written!

Review: Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

What It Has:
✔️ Domestic suspense
✔️ Mysterious death
✔️ Husbands and wives
✔️ Small business owners
✔️ Multiple POVs and timelines

Thoughts:
The shifting POVs were hard to follow—font changes weren’t enough, and too many characters blurred the narrative. Once the plot became clear, the repeated scams and toxic relationships grew tedious. The portrayal of women as financially naive and reliant on men felt tired and overdone.

Overall:
About 100 pages too long and ultimately not for me.

Thanks to Atria and the author for the ARC. Opinions are my own.
Publishes June 2025

I've yet to read a Lisa Jewell book I didn't like, and Don't Let Him In was no exception. I often pick up Jewell's books to get me out of a reading slump, which was exactly what I did with her latest release, and it absolutely worked. I couldn't put this one down. In the editor's introduction to the book, Don't Let Him In is described as "kaleidoscopic", which was the perfect descriptor. I was drawn deeper and deeper into the story as each new layer was introduced, while also adding context and complexity to the chapters that came before. My *only* qualm is that I personally didn't love the ending, and for me, the resolution of a thriller can really make or break the book. While it was a satisfying ending in many ways, I didn't find it to be particularly believable. Still, my overall impression of this book was positive, and I'm already looking forward to my next Lisa Jewell read.

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

Don't Let Him In isn’t your typical thriller; there are really no huge twists or jaw-dropping reveals, but it is a slow-burn story about the absolute worst guy who scams women, lies, and leaves with their money ... on repeat. It kept me hooked out of pure rage. I’ve never wanted to scream at a fictional man more.

But overall? This one just didn’t work for me. The POV and writing style kind of pulled me out of the story. And after a while, it got repetitive, just the same toxic behavior, but different women. Great premise, just meh execution. If you love messy, awful characters and short chapters, though, you might still enjoy it!