I always appreciate a good psychological thriller because there are so many bad ones. After one unbelievable detail, I am out. This book held my attention from start to finish, and I read it in one sitting. Literally – on an eight-hour flight. This book was not the best thriller I’ve ever read, but it kept my attention and my curiosity rapt throughout the entire story. Lisa Jewell is one of my auto-buy authors, maybe the only thriller writer on this list. Her writing is reliable and fun, and I can count on her to keep me guessing. I recommend this book!

Quick recap without spoilers:
After Nina’s husband suddenly dies, she finds a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, an unknown friend of her late husband. After following up on the card, Nina and Nick meet for dinner and begin dating. But Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, is suspicious. Who is this Nick, and did he know her dad? In another town, a florist named Martha is living with her infant and doting husband, Alistair. But Alistair’s frequent absences start making Martha uneasy. As Martha and Ash start digging into these men, they uncover more than they bargained for.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy. I will post a review on my page the month the book is released.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — A twisty, unsettling read from Lisa Jewell!
4 Stars!

I really enjoyed the concept of this one—dark, layered, and brimming with lies, manipulation, and the deceptive charm of a psychopath. The multiple POVs added intrigue and momentum, though I did feel the story dragged a little in parts.

Some plotlines felt a bit far-fetched at first, but that actually worked in the book’s favour—because let’s be real, people do fall for scams when all they want is connection, love, or a second chance.

Not my favourite Lisa Jewell, but still a compelling, cleverly written thriller that kept me hooked!

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After Nina's husband Paddy dies, a man called Nick, who claims to have known Paddy years ago enters her life and they begin dating, but Nina's daughter Ash thinks Nick is too good to be true. Martha is married to Alistair and he is the perfect husband except that he goes away for days on work trips and she is never able to reach him. She begins to wonder what he is actually up to.

4.5 stars.

This was a page turner. I was engaged right from the start, although I will say I had some trouble keeping the Tara and Martha stories straight at the beginning because they were so similar. I also found that some of Nick's antics started to feel repetitive, but overall it was a really enjoyable read and I was very invested in seeing how it would all play out.

Lisa Jewell does it again with Don't Let Him In—a layered, slow-burning domestic thriller that had me second-guessing every character’s motives. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, and I loved how Jewell wove together the lives of Nina, her daughter Ash, and Martha, a woman in a seemingly perfect marriage that’s starting to crack.

What really worked for me was the creeping sense of dread. Nick, the charming stranger who inserts himself into Nina’s life after her husband’s death, is the kind of character who makes your skin crawl in the best way. Jewell builds tension masterfully, and while the pacing is a bit slower than some of her other books, the payoff is worth it.

The characters felt real, flawed, vulnerable, and relatable, and I appreciated how the story explored themes of trust, grief, and the danger of ignoring your instincts. It’s not my favorite of hers (I’m still partial to The Family Upstairs), but it’s a solid, compelling read that I flew through in just a couple of sittings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC. I’ll definitely be recommending this one to fellow thriller fans!

✿ Don’t Let Him In ✿

Author: Lisa Jewell
Genre: Thriller
Pub Date: June 24, 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

EASY FIVE STARS🔥. This is my favorite book of the year so far AND it pulled me out of a major reading slump 👏🏼.

I knew that I was going to love it right from the start. There was a character that I completely despised and they were a literal walking red flag. The more I learned about them, the more I hated them.

As much as I hated that character, there were several that I loved for their own reasons.

I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, desperate to witness one character’s downfall and for others to flourish.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read this e-ARC and ARC!

I wanted to love this one. Jewell's last book "None of This Is True" was an absolute masterpiece - but this one fell flat for me. I don't mind a long book, but this one could have been 100 pages shorter. The twists and turns were not overly shocking, because it felt like there were a lot of breadcrumbs leading up to the finale. Wanted to love it more than I did...

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Here’s the thing. This book was very intriguing. I couldn’t put it down. But I was let down that I thought it was going to be a thriller, but it definitely is not in the traditional sense. It is more like a reality TV show that you can’t put down. I also thought the one “twist” was pretty obvious. It was enjoyable, but was not what I was expecting.

Ooof! What an infuriating, disgusting villain of a character who ruined oh so many lives! I couldn’t stop turning the pages, wanting to see if this guy would continue to get away with his complete and utter BS or if/when he would finally get caught and be stopped. The other characters were interesting and the way things all started to come together as the women started to piece the info together toward the end was intriguing too. I was glad to see all the investigation going on and to discover more details along with them. The epilogue is an absolute necessity to make a satisfying ending for the reader. Overall, worth your time!

Being from one of my favorite authors, this book did not disappoint! When a new lover comes into Ash’s mom’s life shortly after her father’s murder, Ash is not very thrilled to meet the replacement. Nick Radcliffe seems like a dream but he has so much baggage with him to unwind. Nick’s daily charm mixed with consistent answers for all his odd behavior sends Ash on a hunt to uncover his past. Many women in this story have fallen for Nick or is it Al? Andre? I have a suggestion for reading this one: block out a chunk of time to read the first few chapters. There are not many names in the first few chapters so it helped to read in a few sittings which is easily done because it’s a page turner!

I have always loved books by Lisa Jewell and look forward to reading any books she writes. I have mostly given her books five stars and definitely four. But i found this book very disappointing. It is a story about a man who is a psychopath and is mostly told through the first person. It took me a long time to get into the story because of all the different names that kept coming up. Although the premise of the story was great about a charming,handsome man who prayed on woman, married, fathered children and left them penniless it felt a little disjointed when reading. Many readers did love it though and gave 4 or 5 stars so i hope you enjoy it!!
Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, what a kaleidoscope thriller.
Three women are connected by this one seemingly perfect man. He’s cunning, charming and ever so quick with his lies and deception. The intricate web of lies “Nick” has made starts to tangle as the women he’s conned begin to put together their connected threads.
The story is told in Nicks perspective and in 3rd person POV of the women. It was interesting to see Nick’s deranged thought process.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this new Lisa Jewell and found it quite interesting for sure.
Classically "Lisa" in writing style and development. You'll know it's hers right away.
A vast and intertwining tale of a socio/psychopath and the wake of devastation he leaves while victims start to realize what's going on. Along for the ride is a voyage directly into this man's intense thoughts, exploring the ideas of narcissistic minds and their victims.
Lisa Jewell did an amazing job at capturing the main male character's horrendous personality and you begin to loath this man as if he's an actual person in your life. You either feel bad for and pity the women (or possibly resent them? depending on your own attitudes and life experiences I would say), and that is actually a very impressive character writer right there. She elicits such emotion from the reader who watches this messy tale unfurl.
I found myself captivated by the suspense of who is going to turn up next and why, and strong emotions towards him and the people around him. Unfortunately, the premise of the "romance scammer" is such a reality in our world and many women everywhere get taken by these horrible criminals for their entire life savings (and lives) more often than you would think!
I would say that the story can be slow and drag at points, and there are no extreme shocks or surprises on the whole (a few maybe, but easy to have seen coming), but the epilogue tied things up nicely and throughout the book I felt so many emotions from all ends of the spectrum which in itself, I must say, is a great feat for a writer to have captured so intensely.
I might suggest headlining the chapters with the names and time period they cover, while it explains it as you read the chapter, I found some of the names were similarly bland and took a while to decipher which person was being discussed and some of the time frames didn't register well.

This is a well written psychological thriller that leaves the reader questioning if it could happen to them -- or, maybe it is? 🤔 who can you even trust!?

4 stars 👌
Definitely worth a read if you don't need anything too action packed or conventional. You'll find yourself feeling an array of emotions about all of the characters.

This is one of my favorite Lisa Jewell books!

The book begins with the death of Paddy Swan and how his wife and daughter start to move on from it. That is where Nick Radcliffe comes into play and sweeps Nina Swann off her feet, but their daughter, Ash, feels like it’s too good to be true. Ash is determined to uncover the real truth of Nick Radcliffe, and that is where the crazy roller coaster of a ride this book takes you on.

There are many more characters and storylines written in this book before it all comes together nicely at the end. I appreciate how the book Don’t Let Him In wraps up the story and doesn’t leave you hanging and wondering.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced readers copy, all opinions are my own. Publication date June 24, 2025.

I enjoyed this one! It was a bit of a slower start and then it picked up for me at the end. I liked the storyline and the characters as well. I do think it could’ve been a little shorter with less background, but it was still good nonetheless.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book. These thoughts are all my own.

If you are looking for a pretty straightforward thriller with not really any twists or big reveals you'll like this one. It gives the reader exactly what it promises in the synopsis and not much else. Interesting, quick and easy.

Thank you to the publisher for an early copy of this book!

You can guess the plot twist for this book really early on. Despite that, I still found this book to be engaging and made for an easy read. Parts of this book could be rather infuriating and overall, I would recommend skipping this one. Thank you to Lisa Jewell and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

I wanted to give Lisa J one more shot. For me, this was just okay thriller. Nothing really stood out for me and I will not remember this tomorrow.

Don't Let Him In made me have dry eyes from keeping them glued to the book so that I could find out what was going to happen next! 😅

I usually like thrillers to have a lot of twists that smack you in the face, and this wasn't one of those, but it still solidified its place as one of my favorite thrillers of the year so far. One of the main characters is despicable, and I just couldn't wait to see him get his just desserts. The plot was interesting, and the writing was easy to follow. The story was compelling, and I felt invested in the characters. The ending was great also. Definitely give this one a read if you want something engrossing and satisfying!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I read this as an arch for NetGalley. Ash loses her father immediately after losing her job. A year later her mother is moving on with a new man. Ash is skeptical of him immediately and starts finding holes in his stories. You’ll love this “At the edge of your seat” thriller!

3.5 stars
Lisa Jewell is a master of suspense, and Don’t Let Him In delivers on pace and intrigue. The story moves quickly and keeps you turning the pages, but for me, it didn’t quite hit the mark compared to her other work. Some plot points felt a bit implausible, and I struggled to connect with the characters—few of them were truly likable or memorable. It’s a decent psychological thriller, especially if you’re after something fast and twisty, but not her strongest in my opinion.