I can’t believe how many times I actually yelled in my book “noooo, don’t let him in” - what a fitting title.

It’s no secret that Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors and that admiration continues with every new release. This fast-paced thriller is heavy into themes of deception, manipulation, and the intricate dynamics of human relationships. Jewell, as always with her multiple POVs, expertly intertwines the lives of three women - each connected in a certain way which gradually comes to light.

Don’t Let Him In kicks off with the tragic death of Paddy, a successful restaurant owner, who was pushed into the path of an oncoming train. He leaves behind a grieving wife (Nina), daughter (Ash) and son (Arlo). After Paddy's funeral, Nina receives a note and a package from a man named Nick Radcliffe, who claims to be Paddy's former colleague. I highly recommend this be a blind read from here so I’m going to stop there (just trust me).

It was a bit of a slow start for the first couple of chapters; however, it picked up very quickly and I ended up reading this in one go well past 2 AM. I also found figuring out the who’s who of POVs took a while as they weren’t labelled by character. Once I got used to the personalities and timeline though, we were rolling.

All in all, this was a gripping and delicious addition to my collection of Jewell novels & I can’t wait to get a hard copy for my bookshelf. Recommend to readers looking for a dark and twisty tale that explores the dangers of letting the wrong person into your life!

Another win for Lisa Jewell. At times it felt like the story could have moved more quickly, but by the end I was racing through to see how she would tie things up. Absolutely loved it.

What a douche. This just kept getting messier and messier. I will say I felt like it dragged on or got a bit confusing because of all of the different mini storylines. However, that’s the point of the book. All. Of. The. Story. Lines.

I did enjoy it. Felt very classic Lisa Jewell, though probably the slowest reading of hers so I diner get confused.

thank you to netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

maybe we just shouldn't trust men ever: the novel

this was my first lisa jewell and i can see why she is such a beloved author in the mystery and domestic thriller space. the pacing of this novel was just right - propulsive short chapters and differing perspectives and alternate timelines kept the plot moving quickly. nothing in terms of the plot was incredibly surprising or twisty but was certainly interesting enough to have me hooked. the characters were serviceable but a little bland, with some of the large cast getting a little lost in the shuffle. i wish some of the loose ends of the plot that were dealt with in the last chapter and epilogue had gotten a little bit more narrative time to tie up. i know this book will be a crowd pleaser at it's june release and can see it being a fun beach read for the summer!

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. First of all, I LOVE Lisa Jewell and was so excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley and Atria Books. I feel as if this 384 page book was closer to 600 pages. It felt VERY long. A ton happens and we go back and forth through different timelines as well as different perspective shifts. This is definitely a slow burn "thriller." I do appreciate the shorter chapters though. I would also not really call this a thriller, but more so a domestic drama / psychological drama? There are only a few twists I didn't see coming - everything else you can assume by context clues given. All of that being said the main word i would give this book is "icky" It made me feel "icky". The premise is "icky." Nick (or whatever of his 100 names you want to call him) is icky. While I did not like the feeling I got every time I picked up the book - I do believe that was the point. Although this is not my favorite Lisa Jewell book I have a feeling it's one that will stick with me and I will think about for a long time. I'd give it a go if you're a Lisa Jewell or Sally Hepworth fan. 4 stars

A solid new entry by Lisa Jewell. When twenty-something Ash’s father is killed by a mad man she thinks her life is over. Shortly after a man from her father’s past comes back into the future but he’s not exactly who he says he is. The beginning was hard to follow but the end made up for it.

I always have to read the newest Lisa Jewell book when it comes out, and this one did not disappoint! Don't Let Him In starts a little slow, and while it is interesting from the beginning it really picks up and becomes unputdownable before the 50% mark. By then I was consumed, and I read all day and into the night, not finishing until way past my bedtime.

The story follows Ash and Nina, the daughter and wife of murdered restaurateur Paddy Swann in the second year after his death, when they get a package and a note from someone who worked with him at a restaurant when they were young. We also get the POV from a man married to a woman called Tara Truscott and from a man named Alistair who is married to a woman named Martha, and they have a child together.

The storylines begin to collide and it all comes together beautifully. Jewell is a master at getting into the head of different characters, and completely nails the creepy factor as well. If you love Lisa Jewell, add this to your list right away and if you aren't familiar with her yet, this is as good a book to start with as any!

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so good , I recommend reading it . I loved the short chapters , it was a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but towards the end of the book I could not put it down . Things were a little confusing with so many characters POV with first person and third person and different timelines .
Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a psychological thriller. It had me on my toes. One of the main characters has multiple personalities and he is quite the womanizer. He’s bad news all around. I thought I had the mystery figured it out but I was surprised at the end!

The beginning of this book was hard to follow, it was slow and confusing, and the timeline felt like a complete mess. I struggled with the characters, but I have to admit, once I got into the story, I couldn’t put it down. And that ending??

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I feel like this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but this book was average to me. A good book, but nothing extraordinary. I wouldn't call this a thriller necessarily either. At no point was I on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next. And in some parts it can be a little slow paced. This is not a complex puzzle of different pieces of a story coming together. You know who the bad guy is right away. Around 60% the story started to pick up a little and get interesting.

The beginning is a little overwhelming because of all the different POVs and alternating timelines, but once you get the rhythm of it, I liked the alternating character stories and the short chapters (makes for an easy read and an easy "just one more chapter"). But I really didn't feel compelled to stay awake for just one more chapter at any point reading this book. It was an easy enough read, but nothing that I was desperate to finish and find out what happens.

Without giving anything away, the ending was a big let down. The entire story was building, building, building to this big moment and then it was just meh. I truly found the ending unbelievable, like it's just not realistic, and left me rolling my eyes. The epilogue provides a little bit more of an ending to the story, but I couldn't get over the way Jewell decided to end the last chapter.

Overall, it was an entertaining read. But there are no mind-blowing twists that I would expect in a good thriller.

3.5 Stars Rounded Up for Review Purposes

Thank You NetGalley & the publisher for this advanced copy of DON'T LET HIM IN ◡̈

I usually gravitate towards thrillers for the excitement and joy of reading them and getting to the end/plot twist. I did't necessarily feel strongly about finishing this book and reading what happens next. Not the page-turning thriller I was expecting, but still creative and original overall. I would maybe recommend this one, but not my favorite by Lisa Jewell.

Lisa Jewell is hit or miss for me. It pains me to say it, but Don't Let Him In was a hot mess. The constant "Four Years Ago" chapters got confusing. When was something going on? Whose house was it happening at? I think it would have been better if chapters had been labeled with a year. Most of the book was just a man being a jerk, almost without any story. Thank you NetGalley for this ARc.

What dp you do when your husband and or boyfriend seems to disappear for long periods of time? Whwn he is full of love and romance and then suddenly has a devastating illness or a job that demands way too much time? A suspenseful novel full of so many plot twists. Not to be missed.

Lisa Jewell is a queen of psychological thrillers. This one about a scam artist preying on women, jumping from relationship to relationship and leaching off women draining their bank accounts was fantastic. Every woman thinks they’re too smart to fall victim to a man like this but reading how the MMC weasels his way into each relationship and jumps from woman to woman makes you realize how vulnerable every woman is. So well written, couldn’t put it down.

I loved None of this is True by this author and this book gives the same suspense and leaves you shocked.

The plot of this story builds so well as you are introduced more of the woman and the similarities in each of their stories and similarities of the man in their life and how they all start to intertwine. As you are reading, you want to yell at the woman to stay away!

If someone comes in and sweeps you off your feet, seems to know what you want before you do, what do you think you'd do? This is a mystery of a man that keeps reinventing himself, and there's much suspense in finding out that the women he is involved with will figure out. And there is one heck of an ending!!

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

Lisa Jewell is one of my all-time favorite thriller authors, but I just wasn't vibing with this book.

The book felt really disheveled from the start as it wildly flipped between storylines. It didn't take long to get in the groove of things, but the reader knew exactly what was going on, almost from the very beginning. It was bizarre to me that there was no real plot twist or big reveal, it just kind of plodded along the storyline.

The fact that everything was on the table, and slowly moving along made it feel like there was no real suspense to me.

The main character, Ash, had some hidden backstory where she kept telling people she wasn't being crazy and this "wasn't like last time," and maybe I missed something, but I never really got an explanation as to what happened "last time." The very end seems to have a plot twist connected to this, but without knowing what the incident really was, it didn't land for me at all.

The book was essentially a long unraveling story about a bad man ruining the lives of women, interspersed with the lives of women he had ruined in the past.

Overall, it is well written, but I was disappointed. Nothing in the book brought me to a point where I would even think to bother to recommend it to anyone. I will continue to be a fan of this author because I have loved so much of her work in the past, but this one wasn't for me.

I loved Don’t Let Him In, but I love all of Lisa Jewel’s books so I’m not surprised. There were a lot of women to keep track of, but it was not difficult to follow the story. I highly recommend this book! Thank you for giving me the early opportunity to read this book.

Will 2025 be the year for great books? It’s certainly looking that way after reading this gem from Lisa Jewell. This book was another jaw-dropping, page turner that delivered on every aspect for me. Let’s just say that Jewell certainly did her homework for this book.

I’m not going to go into too much on what this book is about, as I feel I would give the whole book away. This is a book that needs to be read and enjoyed page by page (although some things will make you pretty angry). I feel you will get a clear look on how single women with not much family, or perhaps women who are vulnerable or dealing with a tragedy or grief can so easily get taken advantage of by men like Al (or whatever his name was). Men like Al find women who are easy prey or perhaps a meal ticket for their own sick world in which they live.

I loved the short chapters in this book (my favorite). And as I mentioned above, Lisa Jewell did her homework on this one about narcissistic/toxic men- and she is spot on! I was teetering between four and five stars with this one, but I decided to bump it up because she nailed it so perfectly!! I also enjoyed the Epilogue at the end. :)

If you are a fan of Lisa Jewell, and love fast-paced books- then I definitely recommend reading this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Atria Books (Simon & Schuster), and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own.
Publication date: June 24, 2025