Lisa Jewell does it again—another five-star read that completely pulled me in. Suspenseful, layered, and emotionally sharp, this one kept me flipping pages late into the night.

Paddy was the life of every gathering—a devoted husband, father, and well-known restaurateur—until he was suddenly pushed in front of a train, leaving his family and friends reeling.

Ash, 26, moves back home after things fall apart at her job in London. Being back gives her the chance to support her beautiful, grieving mother, Nina. But things take an unexpected turn when Paddy’s old friend Nick sends a gift and email to Nina. Nina casually mentions how handsome he is and emails him back saying thank-you for the gift - a Zippo lighter Paddy apparently used and lost years ago. The emails quickly turn into something more for Nina and Nick.

Ash, still mourning her dad, isn’t comfortable with how fast Nick becomes part of their lives. Her unease only grows, and she reaches out to one of her father’s ex-girlfriends to help her dig into his past.

Told across multiple timelines and from the perspectives of several women, the story slowly reveals a pattern—women drawn in by a handsome man who oozes charm, only to be left with far less than they started with.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell, and Atria Books for the chance to read this early. I’ll be thinking about this one long after its June 24, 2025 release.

ohhh I love lisa jewell, but this book was not my favorite by her. it was very heavy in british lingo (which she’s british, so totally fair, it’s just not really my thing and I felt it was extra prevalent in this novel), and it was honestly very confusing in the beginning. it took a lot of concentration to follow what was going on.

ultimately, I didn’t think there was really anything thrilling or surprising about this either. once you figure out what’s happening with the different perspectives and characters, it’s pretty easy to piece together where the story is going.

i’ll never give up on lisa, but this wouldn’t be my top
book by her to recommend.

BRUV WTF !?!? HOLY SHIT THE THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!
ok y’all i’m telling you —this had me fully locked in from PAGE ONE

this book was chilling, gripping, impossible to put down. it gave that eerie, slow-build suspense, where you think you know what’s coming, but nah, you don’t. you really don’t.

Don’t Let Him In
Lisa Jewel
June 24, 2025

Three women of different towns around London have fallen into a precarious trap. A man who feels the need to find someone new in his life is out and about looking. Nina is a recently widowed, early 50’s woman who is lonely and lost . Her daughter, Ash has moved in with her to help with the months since her father passed. Martha is younger and married with a baby daughter. She has two boys from a previous marriage. Alister has been with her and fathered the baby. She is the owner of a floral shop. He travels and sometimes helps with the children when she must work evenings. Nina has recently met a gentleman who has taken to courting her. Ash is curious about him but seems OK with his presence. He maintains that he and her husband worked together at one of the restaurants that is family owned.
Don’t Let Him In will be published on June 24, 2025 by Atria Books. I was able to read and review Jewell’s latest novel via NetGalley. Frankly I was a bit put off by the plot and found myself picking it up to read, then stopping for a while. It bothered me that these 3 women were allowed to be taken by this slick man so he could use them, their families and take money from them. As per the title I assumed the book was a suspense plot. How wrong we can be. Do try it. Just not my preference.

Lisa Jewell never disappoints! Don’t Let Him In is her best yet! When I pick up one of Jewell’s books, I am reminded of what a great psychological thriller book should be. Her storylines are always fresh and unique and not the same overplayed tropes.

While I did have to make some notes in the beginning to keep the characters straight, once I was able to put together all the characters and moving parts of the story I sat back and enjoyed the twisty and shocking ride! I love, love alternating points of view in a story and the author nailed it. Jewell also created one of the cringiest, narcissistic male characters I have ever come across in a book. I loved getting inside his head! And the ending! So satisfying!

I suggest you go into this blind and sit back and be prepared to not do anything else until the very last page.

4.5 ⭐️! I can’t say enough about Don’t Let Him In it is a short chapter (my fav) thriller. I felt like I had to keep reading to find out what this man would do next!

Blurb…

Nick is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too slick, too polished, too good to be true. Without telling her mother, Ash begins digging into Nick’s past. What she finds is more than unsettling…

Martha is a florist living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and her devoted husband, Alistair. But lately, Alistair has been traveling more and more frequently for work, disappearing for days at a time. When Martha questions him about his frequent absences, he always has a legitimate explanation, but Martha can’t share the feeling that something isn’t right.

Nina, Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: Don’t let him in. But the past won’t stay buried forever.

Lisa Jewell did a great job of portraying a narcissistic man and relationship. Nicks manipulation tactics of fake tears had my eyes rolling. For those that read/have read it, I laughed when he was given a pebble, lol, exactly what he deserved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ability to read the ARC for my honest reviews.

where are my Lisa Jewell fans at?! 🙋🏼‍♀️ she’s back with a new thriller DON’T LET HIM IN in June—and per usual, it was so much fun!!

⭐️ rating: 4 stars
genre: mystery / family drama & suspense
#️⃣ pages: 368
🥳 out 6/24
✍🏼 same author of NONE OF THIS IS TRUE, THEN SHE WAS GONE, THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS & more
🫶🏼 #gifted from @atriabooks
read if you like: slow burn mysteries, interconnected plots, con-artist tropes, domestic thrillers

it’s always a good day when you have a new book from Lisa Jewell to read! i liked this one—it was captivating, full of lies + secrets and i was excited to see how it would all come together. coming off her hit NONE OF THIS IS TRUE, this was a different vibe for sure—lots of characters, various plots and love stories going on and one nasty man at the center of it all. it’s truly SO impressive how she interconnects so many plots, storylines and 29283 characters so effortlessly 👏🏼 LJ is the queen of domestic mysteries but this one is more in the con-artist trope with a side of domestic thriller. it took me 30% to get all the characters/plots down and start to put everything into place, so heads up on the slow burn. but once you get ~30% in and read the male characters’ backstory…🤯😳 it gets soooo juicy. his behavior is SHOCKING! the scene in Tooting? i was not prepared! LJ went there!!

DON’T LET HIM IN follows three women that all live very different lives but are all effected by one man’s shocking behavior. when they all start to notice something is off with him and dig for the truth, they will find secrets that will absolutely shock you 🫣

despite enjoying it, i was wanting more with the ending. it wrapped up nicely and some readers will enjoy the little bow at the very end, but i personally like my thriller endings with a bit more shock/cliffhanger vibes. enter: the ending of NONE OF THIS IS TRUE.

readers will certainly enjoy this come release in June! despite it being a bit longer, i think it’s perfect for a pool/beach day binge!

👇🏼 for reference, here are my top 3 faves of hers
1️⃣ NONE OF THIS IS TRUE
2️⃣ WATCHING YOU
3️⃣ THEN SHE WAS GONE

I'm going to hop right into this review because *sigh*, Lisa, I just don't think this is it in 2025.

The good news is that she still writes a fast-paced thriller with short chapters that keeps you engaged the entire time. The narrative style keeps you interested without confusing the reader. That's where the good ends.

Because WHAT WAS THAT?

I don't need to read a book of a man gaslighting naive women over and over again with twists that I could predict from the very beginning. Nothing about this was a fresh approach to the subject matter at hand. All of it had me repeatedly bashing my head against the wall.

The only spoiler I'll even touch on was 1) I saw the Ash twist coming from a mile away and 2) it was not touched on at all how she too was SO naice as to keep showing up these places when it was her boss, he was married, and he never engaged with her!!!! Why did every woman have to be so stupid for this story? Especially when Ash was immediately onto Nick and was able to solve that mystery that poor Emma (whose mother disappeared) could not?? You're telling me she's that motivated, but had to go to a mental hospital over something she knew wasn't her fault? I don't buy it.

And yeah, the ending was so cheesy it hurt. Those women would have had the police on standby during their little revenge fantasy meetup. But I guess at least Amanda FINALLY came clean? WOW, what a twist.

Mostly this reads as a PSA for all women out there to not approach obvious gas lighters alone, report strange behavior, and don't believe an obvious liar who has an excuse for everything and disappears for DAYS without turning on their phone in 2025. Ladies, if he won't share his location, dump him.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for this honest review. I'm not giving up on Lisa yet, but I cannot in good conscience recommend this book unless you need help recognizing a lying man.

This was a very well done non linear story with different timelines. I enjoyed the story quite a bit and at one point thought I had the ending figured out. I did not. But, the ending to me was super rushed and I wish there was just a little more to end the story. Overall a great book, just need more at the end to tie it all up.

I love this author but this book wasn’t my favorite by her. It was an enjoyable read, would recommend but not as good as her others.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

A BIG thank you to #NetGalley, #AtriaBooks, and Lisa Jewell for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

About the book: Nina Swann is a widow who has just lost her husband. Nick Radcliffe writes a letter of condolence to Nina, claiming to know her husband from his past. They meet and Nina feels like Nick is exactly what she needs to help her move on from her husband, and so they start dating.
Ash, Nina’s daughter is super suspicious of Nick. He just seems way too perfect. So, she starts doing some digging to find out more about him.
In another part of the story, Martha is an owner of a flower shop, and she’s married to Alastair. But he isn’t being truthful with her, and lies constantly. His job seems to keep him further and further away from home, and for longer periods of time. Martha starts to become suspicious and begins questioning Alastair more. He always has a “good” excuse but Martha still feels like something just isn’t right.
All three women don’t realize it yet, but their on the same insane path that is eventually going to collide. They all start wishing they never starting trying to dig for the truth.

What I thought: This book started off super slow for me and was a bit hard to really get in to. I don’t know if I actually did really get into it. Honestly it never really picked up pace any, but it wasn’t boring either. It’s labeled as a “thriller” but there was nothing suspenseful or thrilling about it. No twists. I’d say it’s more mystery. I also felt that it had a lot of characters that just weren’t necessary to the story. It just made the story a little confusing. I absolutely hated the antagonist, which is probably good, because you’re supposed to! There were times while reading that I just wanted to slap all the women! Open your eyes! I enjoyed how all three different storylines tied together at the end. While this story didn’t exactly keep me on the edge of my seat, it still kept me invested where I wanted to keep reading. I also really liked the shorter chapters. I felt like I really flew through the book because of this. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you are a Lisa Jewell fan. I’d rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

This book will release June 23, 2025 so be sure to pre order a copy!

Nick Radcliffe enters Nina Swann's life at a seemingly perfect time. Her husband has just passed away from a tragic and unexpected death. She's lost and looking for some type of companionship, which Nick is more than happy to try and help provide. Ash, Nina's daughter, is ever so careful of her mom's life. She is very hesitant about who Nick is and where he magically came from. After some initial digging, her gut tells her right away he is not who he seems.

Lead in the 2nd storyline, of Martha. Martha is a mom. A tired mom. Whose husband Alistair is consistently mysteriously disappearing for days on end. He is supposedly travels to different hotels and restaurants to troubleshoot logistics, but "turns his phone and location off" for days. When Martha has a true emergency one evening with her kids, that is the final straw.

How will these two storylines combine? Will Nick be who Nina thinks he is? Will Martha get the courage to leave Alistair?

I think I've mentioned before, but Lisa Jewell is such a hit or miss for me. She either blows it out of the ballpark or sinks it by ship. This was a five star ballpark read. I couldn't put it down (something that hasn't happened in a long time)

This took a few chapters to get into but once I finally wrote down all of the characters names and could remember their backstories, I couldn’t put it down!
I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell and this book did not disappoint! Overall this was a
great domestic thriller/suspense!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa Jewell is back at it - this latest thriller is reminiscent of some of her best work. The plot is intriguing and captivating and keeps the readers at the edge of their seats throughout.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this arc. Omg I just loved this, what a twisty time I had reading this book. I could not put it down I needed to keep reading and I love when that happens. Basically a man cons a lot of women into doing all these things for him and you have to figure out the connections between them all. Such a good time. Definitely recommend to anyone wanting a good twisty time.

Am I to believe that these strong, and otherwise capable women, repeatedly fall victim to this man’s okidoke? I don’t buy it for a single second.

I can summarize this book very concisely. Ahem (clears throat) here ist goes…

Man loves multiple lives, with multiple women. Man uses women for financial gain, but mostly just to satisfy sociopathic urges. Man exhibits extremely shady behavior. Women confront man. Man makes terrible excuse and women somehow buy it (again and again and again). Women dig deeper into man to uncover incriminating information (over and over and over again). Women still don’t believe. Woman’s daughter has to step in and be the adult, but is repeatedly (and I mean repeatedly) ignored and diminished. Women finally realize he’s bad, and set out for revenge. Twist, surprise, end.

I can’t tell you the ending because that’s literally the only thing in the entire book I had slightly positive feelings towards.

The number of women in this book that were made to be naive, mush-brained, mealy-mouthed, incompetent fools was infuriating. I don’t know how any woman, or any slightly enlightened man, could read this book and not be enraged. I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room.

I wish I didn’t let this book in.

Lisa Jewell is the queen of the thriller and mystery. She is an autobuy author and she had never let me down. This book was no different!

This starts with a father's shocking passing - his daughter and wife mourning. When a package arrives from a stranger saying he knew their husband/father from long ago and he'd love to share something he'd had from him years ago - a lighter. It's a sweet gesture and the mother reaches out to him and they start talking. This is the POV of Ash, our main character, as she narrates their loss and her mom starting to date someone new.

Another POV is Martha, a weary but happy wife. She's a business owner, a mother, and she's exhausted by having to constantly hunt down her husband. He works hard, at a very intense job that can call him away at any moment, leaving her to take care of everything in their life.

Our final POV is Nick aka Al. He's both Martha's husband and also the man just starting to get to know Nina. He is a horrible man, self centered and disgusting. He's a rough POV, one that made the book hard to read, and although I see how his POV rounded out the story, I hated it.

I did enjoy the mystery though. Ash is dogged and I loved her spirit and her push to want to know more. The chapters were quick, the mystery was interesting, and I enjoyed this one. Just be prepared for that third POV and you'll love it, too!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I had to draw a diagram for the first chunk of this book, but it did get significantly easier to differentiate what was happening soon after. There is turning point in the story where there is no going back and a need to know how it all ends. Frustrating in that way where you want to yell at some characters, but enough depth to understand.

Side note, I really liked 'None of This is True' and wouldn't shut up about it for weeks after.

This book was clearly inspired by the mega-viral "Who the F Did I Marry?" TikTok series; it follows the stories of several women and a mysterious man who weaves in and out of their lives, wreaking havoc. To be honest, because you figure out what's going on right away, I lost a bit of interest in this book. When I read a thriller, I really like to be surprised by reveals and be able to go back and pick up on foreshadowing. I didn't experience that with this book.

That being said, I did enjoy the book overall, and Lisa Jewell is a great writer, so the book was redeemable. Definitely not my favorite book of hers, but still a good reading experience!