Lisa Jewell is a go-to author for me, and if her writing was not so compelling and insightful, Don't Let Him In would have been DNF for me. Her main characters are a young woman, Aisling, whose father has died in a tragic accident, and the man who comes into her mother's life shortly after. Aisling has a history of instability, so here is your unreliable narrator. Nick, the new man, is the other main voice of this story, and he's telling you exactly what horrible nonsense he's up to. There is an endless carousel of women that he's screwing over (literally and figuratively), and somehow that's the whole plot. Aside from all of these women being idiots (sorry, I have no sympathy here--who wouldn't ask questions if their spouse disappeared for a week and came home without their wedding ring???), nothing happens except the death of your faith in humanity and intelligence.

Good, but not my favorite Lisa Jewell book. It was a little hard to get into and keep track of because of all the different characters and points of view. I do love this con trope though.

A classic Lisa Jewell book that had me all of the place trying to piece things together. There were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I feel like that is pretty necessary and just comes with the scam artist trope! I enjoyed this, and it was a wild ride! Definitely recommend! Thank you NetGalley for my ebook ARC!! I was so excited I was approved for a huge name like Lisa Jewell!!

"Restauranteur Paddy Swann was the life of the party until the day a man pushed him in the path of an oncoming train, leaving his twenty-something daughter Ash and wife Nina devastated. Shortly after Paddy’s funeral, the two women receive a surprise in the mail: a note and package from Nick Ratcliffe, an old friend of Paddy’s, and a nondescript lighter that once belonged to him decades ago. This unexpected gift draws Nick and Nina closer together—much to Ash’s dismay.

Martha is a small-town florist with dreams of expansion. She lives with her second husband Al, her baby, and two sons from her prior marriage. But they never seem to have any money, and with his constant traveling for work, she feels like a single parent—especially when an emergency makes her realize something needs to change.

But Nick and Al may not be who they say they are, leading these three women on a shocking collision course, wishing they had heeded a warning: Don’t let him in." (Description from the publisher)

It's been a while since I have had the pleasure of reading such a twisty thriller and "Don't Let Him In" quite easily took me down an unforgettable path! This book is told from alternating timelines and perspectives, carefully giving out clues bit by tantalizing bit. As the full picture comes in to view, the reader realizes that it is even worse than they could have guessed!

I appreciated the addition of the perspective of Ash, Nina's daughter. As an unreliable narrator, her perspective added depth to the story and just the right amount of doubt.

As with all of the books that I have read by Lisa Jewell, this one kept me hooked until the very last page. This is a must-read for old and new fans alike.

Wow! What a thriller! Really a page-turner that kept you horrified the whole time and I found myself wanting to warn these women that they were being victimized!

It's rare that a book can hold my attention for 2 days, but this book did. It ticked all the boxes: characters you care about, characters you dislike, and justice/karma makes an appearance.
Told thru multiple viewpoints. A Grifter Character turns into something more...and the women that are affected and seek to right the wrongs.

It's always tough to sustain suspense (imho) when the reader is privy to the identity of the criminal...however, Lisa Jewell clears that hurdle and makes it work for this story...keeping the reader (me) glued to the book.

There were a few parts that slowed the pace down, but nothing I'd knock off a star for.

Excellent!

I thoroughly enjoyed Don't Let Him In. It was the story of Simon Smith who toyed with and swindled several women using different names. He was Al to Martha, Nick to Nina, Jonathan to Tara, Damien to Amanda and André to Jessie. There were other women And other names too. And he killed Tara because she busted him Amanda's flat. He also tried to kill Jessie because he wanted her money and she didn't want to give into him. He had his hands around her throat and she finally acquiesced and gave him all she had, which was 20,000 pounds. By the way, this story is said in England.

Nina had two children, Ash and Arlo, And she had been married to Paddy who owned three star restaurants and was killed by someone pushing him onto the train tracks. Al had taken Marsha to one of his restaurants and he was instantly jealous of him because people loved him. He told Martha that he didn't like the way Paddy had put his hands on her and rubbed up against her, which in fact he didn't. So he had the man killed. The person who pushed him onto the tracks went to prison, but Al had paid him to do it. Ash never liked Nick and she thought he was a liar and out to get her mother's money. So she took it upon herself to do some digging and find out who he really was. And find out she did. She and her friend Jane started seeking out women that he had been involved with. And they found several. Ash was afraid to tell her mother anything about it until she had enough evidence, and she finally got it. She told her mother and her mother believed her. Ash had gone to the prison to speak to the man who killed her father and he confessed that a man with silver hair had told him to do it. So Ash's whole plan was to see to it that Nick was imprisoned.

I couldn't put this book down. I just had to find out what happened to Al/ Nick/ Jonathan/ Damien/André/ Simon. I thought it was very clever the way the author wove the various tales around this narcissistic man. The ending seemed unexpected but I had figured it out. Nevertheless, it was quite the fanciful story And I loved it. I gave it five stars.

I wanted to love this book but was a little slow for me. I liked the way the story was told. Had details that didn’t really matter.

4/5 stars. I read this book 2 months ago and forgot to write a review. I remember really enjoying it and even followed up with other books by the same author.

✨𝐑 𝐄 𝐕 𝐈 𝐄 𝐖✨

𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐦 𝐈𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥

I was so excited to get an early copy of this one thanks to @atriabooks 😍 Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite mystery/ thriller authors & I really enjoyed her upcoming release out 6/24! SAVE this for a great summer mystery read 📚✨

👍🏼: This story was intriguing to me from the start - beginning with the death of a husband and father, with his family left to uncover the pieces and an old friend entering their lives. I enjoyed this story was told from multiple perspectives and timelines, with a parallel story of a wife and her suspicious husband who is always working late or disappearing. There were many layers to this story & twists and turns along the way. I enjoyed putting all the pieces together! It was super entertaining 👏🏼

👎🏼: Once I put all the pieces together fairly early on, the rest of the story seemed a bit predictable to me personally. I did really enjoy how everything wrapped up and came together in the end! It was also tough knowing things that the characters didn’t and wanting to shake them back to reality 😂

Overall, @lisajewelluk never disappoints and I definitely recommend checking this one out when it publishes soon!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Q: What is your favorite Lisa Jewell book? ⬇️📚😍
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#dontlethimin #lisajewell #atriabooks #june2025books #summer2025books #upcomingbooks #mysterythrillerreads #favoriteauthor

Title- Don’t Let Him In
Author- Lisa Jewell
Publication Date- June 24, 2025
Pages- 368
Genre- Woman’s Fiction/ Mystery / Thriller
Goodreads Rating- 4.00
My Rating- 1 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley & Atria Books for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have to admit, I was excited to dive into Don’t Let Him In because Lisa Jewell’s writing usually pulls me in, but unfortunately, this book didn’t do it for me. I made it about a third of the way through before deciding to put it down.
The premise itself—centered around a mysterious figure invading a family’s life—had a lot of potential. However, I found the pacing slow and the characters hard to connect with. The story felt disjointed, jumping from one perspective to another without much depth or tension building between chapters. It was hard to feel invested in the mystery when the plot felt like it was dragging its feet.

Additionally, I struggled with the writing style. Some of the dialogue felt forced, and I couldn’t quite get a sense of who the characters truly were beyond their surface traits. I wanted to care about them, but they didn’t feel fleshed out enough to make me feel anything.

By the time I reached the point where the mystery was starting to unfold, I realized I was no longer interested
in finding out what happened. It was more of a struggle to keep reading than a compelling desire to uncover the twists.

Overall, Don’t Let Him In just didn’t hold my attention. With so many other books to choose from, I had to move on to something else that would better engage me. I know many readers enjoy Lisa Jewell’s work, but this particular one wasn’t for me.

Title: Don't Let Him In
Author: Lisa Jewell
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: 24 June 2025
Rating: 5 stars

Lisa Jewell's Don't Let Him In is yet another brilliant addition to her collection! I knew from the start it was going to be amazing, and it absolutely delivered. Suspense, mystery, and plenty of shady characters made this one unputdownable. I couldn’t stop reading and finished it in less than two days! If you’re a fan of gripping stories, this one’s a must-read when it comes out in June. Don’t miss it!

Wow, another great one from Lisa Jewell! The twisting lives of Nina Swann, Martha, and Ash as they intersect with "Nick" is so interesting. The book gets more and more interesting and wild from the beginning to end. The plot about a romance scammer was so interesting and I was satisfied with how the book ended.

Lisa Jewell paints a perfect picture of a narcissist at his finest, creating a path of destruction of the lives around him. With many moving parts and characters, this story slowly weaves itself together as it progresses, creating a complex tale of deceit. Any woman who has crossed paths with a narcissist will have more understanding of how easily someone can be fooled under the guise of love. The writing style is, as always, impeccable and compelling. This author has a way with words and creating a world that draws the reader in. This was another great read by Lisa Jewell, and I give it four solid stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this ARC.

A fantastic thriller!
Ash is the daughter of recently murdered Paddy, a successful restaurateur that she adored. He leaves behind Ash, her brother, and his charismatic wife Nina. A year later Nine receives a box with a lighter in it from a man named Nick who knew Paddy back in their twenties, who wants to return her dead husband’s lighter.
Martha has a loving husband and new daughter, two sons from her previous marriage, and her flower shop. She loves her husband, Al, but starts to become frustrated when he disappears on business trips with his phone turned off. What is her adoring husband doing?
This book weaves in and out of past and present, a page-turning thriller that you don’t want to put down. And just when you think you have things figured out, another slight twist to make you question everything.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC!

In Lisa Jewell's latest novel, three women have one man in common in this kaleidoscopic thriller. A kaleidoscopic psychological thriller "uses the imagery and structure of a kaleidoscope to create a sense of disorientation and uncertainty, mirroring the psychological complexities and shifting realities within the story." Our MMC does just that, masterfully using disorientation, gaslighting, and love bombing to get his way with women and to keep the reader off balance. It is a great narrative device and I won't go into more detail on the plot to prevent spoilers.

The premise is disconcerting because it is so realistic. Jewell is a master at creating tension and suspense to keep you turning the pages until the end. This book will ensure you do your due diligence with new people in your life! This is a really unique and enjoyable read that I highly recommend!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Lisa Jewell for the advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

#DontLetHimIn #LisaJewell #AtriaBooks #NetGalley #bestbooks2025 #bookreview #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #booklover #bookworm #mystery #KaleidoscopicThriller #Suspense #ARCreview #read #bookrecommendations #TBR2025 #AnticipatedBooks

We found another non-thriller "thriller."
Similar to Laura Dave, Lisa Jewell writes an incredible story, but the books become victims of incorrect genre classification. This will result in a lot of lukewarm reviews.

This book needed another read through by its beta readers. There were a lot of errors, and the story became so repetitive I wanted to DNF at 93% out of sheer annoyance. There was not ONE surprise or twist. Not one.

HOWEVER, this is a good story that definitely deserves a read once it's published. Just know going into this that it's not a thriller. I'd say it's best described as a Women's Fiction.

I absolutely devoured this book in a day and a half. I loved everything about it from the twist to well just everyone this book left me out of breath and staying up way past my bed time to read. Lisa definitely knew what she was after when writing this book. Only my 3 5* of the year so far.

I have read a few Lisa Jewell books and they can be a hit or miss for me but I thought this sounded so good. I was expecting more of a thriller, but this was more domestic suspense. It took me a little bit to get into this, about 20%, but once I was hooked….I was HOOKED. I ended up loving this one.

Three women are connected by one man. And one narcissistic man at that. This had a very unlikable main character, but that just added to the insane amount of drama, if that's what you'd call it. There were so many shocking twists and I could not put this down. This one has me flustered and pissed off at points with the treatment of these women.

I'll tell you though, Lisa Jewell knows how to develop real characters. This was a crazy book, and there might be some triggers if you're sensitive, but It was definitely entertaining.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow! I was on the edge of my seat! It did start off a little slow, but then took off! It’s a very fast paced book once I got further into it. I liked the short chapters. It was definitely a page turner, which what I like in a thriller/mystery. It was definitely intense. Excellent thriller! She made me really hate the villain. I will want to read more of Lisa Jewell’s books in the future.