I didn’t particularly care for this one as other books by the author. It wasn’t bad but just didn’t do it for me. The story was good, and intriguing but also predictable.

What a WILD ride. I truly hated this man. I hated being in his head and yet it was so necessary for the story and the ending was so so satisfying.

Don't Let Him In has a very appropriate title, given the main antagonist of the book. Lisa Jewell has created one of the most detestable book characters I've read in a long time in 'Nick Radcliffe', a man whose identity is as elusive as his actual name. He glides in and out of the lives of several women in the book, including Martha, his current wife who begins to question his frequent business trips. She has no idea he is really going off the see his girlfriend Nina Swann, a recently widowed woman who enjoys his attentiveness. The tension in the book builds as the reader tries to figure out who Nick really is and how he will finally be taken down. The story keeps building right until the last page. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Lisa Jewell is an auto-buy author for me so I was so excited for her new book. The main character “Al” was incredibly frustrating in this book. Talk about an unlikeable narrator! He has multiple persona’s and multiple women that he is manipulating. He is a sleaze, a con artist and an overall bad guy. You want to strangle him by the 50% mark. I found some parts a little slow. We followed “Al” manipulating various women and moving from location to location, it got a little repetitive. I was wondering how long he was going to be able to keep up his charades and how long these women were going to put up with him. It definitely picked up by the 50% mark and became a real page turner. There are short chapters so you can really fly through this book.

If you are a Lisa Jewell fan then you should pick this up. This is a perfect fast-paced thriller that you need to read this summer!

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nina has lost her husband Paddy suddenly. Shortly afterwards, she receives a kindly worded letter from Nick, a friend of Paddy’s and later a sentimental gift that once belonged to Paddy. After her daughter Ash urges her to thank Nick they become interested in each other. It’s awkward for Ash as her father has just died tragically but there’s also something about Nick that’s off. He just seems too perfect and then Ash slowly starts to find small things that just don’t add up.
In a town not far from Nina is a woman named Martha, who owns a flower shop. Martha’s life seems perfect with her succulent business, married to the love of her life, two boys and their infant daughter until Alastair starts disappearing frequently with almost no notice. Money is getting short and the debt is mounting so something has to give. When she starts looking for answers by investigating a little bit Martha realizes it’s a lot worse than she thought.
Ash has continued looking for background on Nick. With A bit of mental health issues and a past breakdown she doesn’t feel confident about approaching Nina with all her concerns. She receives help from an unexpected source from her dad’s past and starts to uncover so much. Nick is a lot more of a threat than he seems and his connections and indiscretions are almost unbelievable. Buckle up for this one.
I enjoyed this one!! Lisa Jewell is a go to for mystery thrillers. I did have a little bit of a hard time with the alternating POV but I was still very much entertained and I adapted because I needed to know what was gonna happen lol and this book was good!
Thank you NetGalley and Lisa Jewell for a chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There’s so much happening in this book, and yet somehow, it feels like nothing is really happening at all. The plot dragged, and I found myself increasingly frustrated as these otherwise intelligent, accomplished women were manipulated by the antagonist in ways that felt implausible. The entire premise stretched credibility—this woman’s husband fakes his own death, then suddenly reappears and she just welcomes him back? And we're supposed to believe that successful, sophisticated businesswomen wouldn’t question the fact that this man has no family, no friends, no colleagues?

I kept hoping for some big twist to making it all worthwhile, but the ending felt abrupt and unsatisfying. As a longtime Lisa Jewell fan—The Family Upstairs and The Family Remains are two of my all-time favorites—I was really hoping to love Don't Let Him In. I didn't love None of This is True, and unfortunately, Don’t Let Him In left me even more disappointed.

This was a slow paced, well-written story that kept me on the edge of my seat. The plot was so well crafted, even though the pacing was slow, it was totally worth it. For all I care, everyone should read this book! So clever. On that note, I'm off to recommend this book to all my friends!

This book was interesting enough but a little frustrating. First, the male main character and love interest of all these women is not someone I can even remotely imagine being attracted to based on how he's described. He's a scammer that is so obviously a scammer that I don't understand how these women would fall for it. Often times it seems like he is whining, which is very unattractive to me. There are also so many times where the book tells me how attractive he is without actually describing it in a way that would make me feel that way. This was the biggest issue I had with the book. Second, it shifts to different women's stories and gets a little confusing to know exactly who is speaking in the way that it's organized. I eventually figured it out and got into the groove, but it took a bit of time. I like alternating view points, but the voice is just didn't seem different enough to me. Of course, I read a prerelease of the book, so that might be the issue.

Overall, I'm glad I read the book but wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it to others.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell
This book was a bit tricky to follow at first, two storylines and two timelines had me taking notes on my phone just to keep everything straight.

One man, four names: Nick, Alistair, Jonathan, Damien… all the same manipulative, arrogant, money hungry con artist. He weaves his way into the lives of multiple women, each more gullible than the last, falling for his lies time and time again.

Nina is grieving the recent loss of her husband, and “Nick” swoops in, taking advantage of her vulnerability. Her daughter Ash sees through him and starts digging into his past.

Martha is married to “Alistair” and raising their baby alongside two teens from her previous marriage. But even after he left Tara to be with her, he still can’t stay committed.
Tara’s part of the story happens four years earlier. She’s married to “Jonathan,” who’s stealing from her and having an affair with, guess who…Martha.
And then there’s Amanda, who was married to “Damien.” He literally fakes his own death and returns just to get her money. Naturally, she doesn’t suspect a thing.

Once I started rereading the book, it became much clearer, but the beginning was definitely a struggle. The overlapping stories, multiple aliases, and clueless characters made it a frustrating read at times.
Overall, I did enjoy the book, especially the twisty ending, but the plot felt a bit drawn out and slow to progress. At times, I felt like I was reading and not getting anywhere.
Good story, but just a little messy and overly complicated.
This book releases on June 24th. Thank you Netgalley for the early copy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Veering from expectations, Don’t Let Him In takes you on an unsettling journey you can’t pull yourself away from.

Ash is still dealing with her father’s passing. Her mom is ready to start to try to live again. But who is this man she’s dating? Is he exactly what her mom needs or her worst nightmare?

This isn’t what I typically expect in a Lisa Jewell novel, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining. Giving Dirty John vibes and a whole lot of uneasiness, I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

I would definitely recommend this to any fan of hers or the genre.

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

I am a fan of Lisa Jewel, but this one wasn’t my favorite.
It is about a man who has many secret lives all at once.
It was hard to keep track of all the characters and aliases and when things occurred with the flash backs. The story was a common tale that left little to the imagination and didn’t really leaving wanting more.

Thanks to Netgalley for this EArc

“𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞.”

Lisa Jewell returns with another dramatic domestic suspense story!

This book is best enjoyed knowing the bare minimum of the plot: shortly after the death of her father, Paddy, Ash’s mother begins dating an old friend of Paddy’s, Nick - much to Ash’s dismay. Meanwhile, Martha wonders why her husband Al seems to travel for work but never has any money. Are Nick and Al who they say they are?! Jewell crafts another addicting tale; despite being 368 pages, the story flies by at a fast pace. Jewell’s editor describes the story as a ‘kaleidoscopic thriller,’ which feels incredibly accurate; the characters are dealing with a constantly changing pattern and sequence of events, due to the way Nick throws them repeatedly off balance. I did find it tricky at first to keep all the characters straight, but it is worth the work for all the connections that get revealed. Jewell perfectly captures the essence of a master gaslighter: someone who balances the lows of a toxic relationship with high moments that feel perfect. I stayed completely engrossed in the story, that simmered with tension until its satisfying ending (even if I wanted it to be slightly twistier!).

Don’t Let Him In is a compelling inclusion to Jewell’s repertoire of dramatic suspenses. Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

First off, let tell you how excited I was to receive an ARC, I was dying to tell everyone. I love Lisa Jewell, but this is not my favorite.
There are so many characters, adding a back and forth timeline, and no character name at the beginning of each chapter equals a recipe for confusion.
Once I got all the characters straight and the pace picked up, I really enjoyed this story. Ash and Emma are the real MVPs stopping at nothing to keep their mom's safe.

‼️ Potential Spoiler ‼️ I really thought Jane was going to be a former wife or girlfriend in the end.

I usually try to give detailed feedback, but this will be shorter. For the first third of the book, I considered just not reading the rest. It seemed weird and disjointed. It was all brought together at the end, though. I just didn't really enjoy reading it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review! I have come to have really high expectations for Lisa Jewell books—and this one didn’t quite deliver. Don’t Let Him In is a multi POV Dirty John-adjacent romp that just proves men are awful 💀 I have always liked Jewell’s writing style. Her punchy, short chapters with eerie cliffhangers always compel me to keep reading. But I didn’t connect here with the….I hesitate to even use the word *mystery*, because there wasn’t one…the story?? I kept waiting for a twist, or something that would really grip me. But this played out like a traditional story of a conman that wasn’t unique or exciting. There was nothing really happening, just lots of details on how ‘Nick’ aka trashbag sociopath swindled so many women (again, men are awful). The passages from Nick’s POV did get under my skin, but if you are hoping for a heart pounding thriller, I believe this will fall flat.

I loved this book! Lisa Jewell is fab at making things come full circle. I would recommend to friends!

Not so much a thriller but a great drama. The characters are so well written, especially Nick, who don’t get me wrong I absolutely hated him but he encompassed a toxic narcissistic ex perfectly. My only criticism is that that it never felt like a true thriller. I really enjoy putting together the pieces of the story through the different timeline perspectives. The characters are well written and deeply thought out which enriches the story greatly.

Note: NetGalley Advanced Reader Copy Review - Thank you Atria Books and Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

3.5 ⭐️ Dive into the tangled web of lies. Nick is a suave captivating man but when he steps into the life of Ash’s recently widowed mother he finds someone immune to him. Al can charm anyone but his wife is getting concerned about his growing absences. Find out how they all fit together.

We get several POVs - from the many women wondering what’s going on, Nick who is starting to see a recent widow, Ash who is trying to piece together who exactly her mother is falling for, and Al as he justifies his every thought to us.

Quite a bit of this story is told from the “bad guy” POV and Lisa Jewell has done an almost too good job at making you feel like you’re peering into a psychotic and narcissistic mind. I loved the way the story was unraveled and you got kernels of the truth given as you went. I really felt immersed and wanted to help Ash hunt down the truth. Found myself getting so mad every time there was a near gotcha moment that fell through.

If you are not a fan of being in the mind of the “bad guy” then you may not enjoy this one. While I enjoyed the story, there were a few bits that felt a bit repetitive and monotonous. Would probably play out better as a movie with a montage scene. Since the narrator switches often it may take you a bit to be familiar with who each chapter is coming from as they don’t have labels just some time markers.

TW: Gaslighting, love-bombing, toxic relationships

If you're looking for a deep, thoughtful thriller with complex characters - this isn't it. If you're looking for a trainwreck how is everyone so dumb can't look away book - this is it.

The story is told in alternating POVs and timelines. It's really confusing at first, but clears up as the story goes on.

The present timeline story starts with Ash's widowed mother Nina meeting Nick Radcliff. Nick claims to have known Nina's deceased husband from way back when. They start chatting and eventually start dating. But Ash is suspicious of Nick - he's too perfect. She starts digging into Nick's past with the help of <checks notes> her deceased father's crazy ex-girlfriend who he dated 20 years ago.

Meanwhile, Martha's owns a flower shop and has 3 children. Her husband Alistair disappears for days on end for work. But Martha has never met his coworkers or seen his office and it's weird how he can't even text her when he's gone, but she's sure everything's fine and it's just his job.

The story was a bit hard to read because everyone was so dumb. I kept trying to give anyone/everyone the benefit of the doubt, but the men are walking red flags and the women are so accepting and it drove me nuts.

I was also hoping for more of a reveal regarding the motivations with Nick/Alistair. I love con artist stories and thought that we were heading towards them trying to scam everyone out of all their money and then them taking off to a tropical island, but their motivations were a bit meh.

I'm still going with 4 stars here because it was a quick read and overall enjoyable, as long as you don't look too hard at anything.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

Before anyone says anything- Lisa Jewell is hit or miss with me, but her twists are great. That being said, this whole book was crazy. There was so many plot holes, and a lot going on, but not many answers. It almost worked so bad it worked really well at the same time? I'm not sure, but I enjoyed this read.

I tore this book up in about two days. Being a thriller, I really did not figure out the end until the last 10%, and even then, the true end still shocked me. I was able to figure out some stuff here and there but the shocks still shocked me.

This isn't my favorite of hers, but it is a great read!