I really enjoyed the first half of this book and then it lost steam for me. I was just expecting more than 'he's a conman'. Overall, a good read and I will continue to read all Lisa Jewell books.

Another twisty thriller by Lisa Jewell. Her books always suck me in and this one was no different. This book is about a con man who basically makes women fall in love with him to swindle them out of their money. The villain of the story was truly detestable, but I found myself getting frustrated reading wondering how some of the women could be so dumb. The story was a bit predictable but it was still a page turner like Jewell’s previous works. Thank you Atria Books for the advanced copy.

Lisa Jewell has written a new, engaging thriller! There are quite a few characters to keep up with, but with the way it is written it makes it easier. I enjoyed reading this book and wanted to keep reading so I could see what was going to happen next. The ending gave me quite a surprise!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

WOW! This is my favorite Lisa Jewell book by far! There are a lot of characters to keep up with, but the writing style made it so easy to follow along. I loved that I spent half the book having no idea what was going on (in a good way!) and it was so much fun trying to piece the puzzle together along the way.
The plot was fast moving and ending was perfect! I was so invested in the characters, and the story. I didn't want it to end!
Overall, this was an amazing domestic thriller, with the right amount of tension, and mystery. 4.5-5 stars!


Thank you to Atria for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a quick read due to the short chapters and multiple compelling story-lines. It was hard to put down this book after completing a chapter because each subsequent chapter promised just a bit more information that was needed to ultimately pull everything together. While not a heart-pounding type of thriller, it definitely holds your attention until the very last page.

The book keeps the reader invested by moving between past and present, and by introducing several prominent characters, each with their own story. Some have been victimized and no longer have a voice, while others have been touched in some way by evil and are determined to expose it. The only first-person narration in the book is from a very unlikeable man, which in my opinion was a good choice, as it allows the reader to get into the head of a sociopath. The ending to "Don't Let Him In" is satisfying, and as an added treat, there were a few unexpected twists along the way.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Atria Books for this ARC.

thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

tbh, I expect better from Lisa Jewell. this is her usual level of well written, but like... you know pretty much exactly what is going on from the synopsis. I also feel like she usually makes her characters far more morally complex, but with a couple of brief exceptions, this book was super black and white imo.

additionally, the book feels extremely repetitive. normally in thrillers like this, where there is an antagonist who is just straight-up evil more or less, I absolutely relish the POV of that character. like the authors always make it really fun in a "should I be enjoying this?" way. Fifty-Fifty is a great example. however, this book's evildoer POVs were unbearable because they were so damn repetitive. like part of what I usually enjoy about those POVs is that they're unhinged and you never know what wild shit is coming up next; this was the exact opposite.

Ash is cool though. and again, Jewell is simply a very good writer. this wasn't a chore to get through or anything, but it's also definitely not one of her classics.

Lisa Jewell is the master of thrills, and Don’t Let Him In is no exception. What I enjoyed was that instead of dropping twists and turns at every opportunity, we see the deception from the beginning and go on a journey as it is slowly and methodically unraveled. Don’t get me wrong—there are still a handful of “didn’t see that coming” afoot, but the large deception is out in clear view for the reader to see and unspool from the onset. The author has done a fantastic job at creating characters that you are invested in (and one big one that will make your skin crawl). The suspense building is fabulous, and it all draws you in for a fairly satisfying conclusion.

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell was such a frustrating, yet compelling read, I could not put it down and finished it in one sitting.

I have hated lots of characters in lots of books, but I can't say I ever hated anyone as much as I hated the main male character in this book. I really wanted someone to stab him in the heart, or at the very least punch him in the face, so many, many times throughout this novel.

I can't say how many times I was screaming the word no at my ereader as I was reading this book. I wanted to shake the women and tell them to listen to their initial instincts, but I think that was the point of this book. People are sometimes so desperate for relationships that they will lie to themselves, and accept the crumbs they are given, if only it will keep their world from falling apart.

Having been in a not so great relationship at one time, I can understand how these women lied to themselves and believed the lies that were told to them, but that experience also made the book that much more infuriating.

Despite how angry I was throughout most of the book I really enjoyed it. Any time an author can get such a strong emotional response from me, I have to admire their ability to write. With this book Lisa Jewell maintains her position as one of the authors I most enjoy reading when it comes to psychological thrillers.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

⭐️ 3.5/5

Honestly, I had a hard time rating this one. All of the characters annoyed me and were, quite frankly, dumb (except Ash who was the only sane one). It was sort of the same story over and over just happening to different women. The climax was SO uneventful. But it was also unputdownable? Like I needed to know what happens next.

Reminded me a lot of the show “You” on Netflix.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell’s latest novel is a heart-racing psychological thriller following a serial con-man and the families he infiltrates. Featuring unreliable narrators, multiple timelines, fake names, gaslighting, and justified female rage, Don’t Let Him In is my favorite Lisa Jewell yet!

Giving names to the characters here would take time as there were many. Suffice it to say all are basically facing the same situation which is a lot of gaslighting by a sociopath who comes across as handsome, wonderfully kind and thoughtful while also not seeming to have a real job or friends or a past that can be verified.

It started slow, too slow for me and I was annoyed, but stuck with it; so glad I did. This wasn't my first book by Jewell and the past one had never let me down so I stuck with it. Right up to the last page I wasn't sure how it would end and I really like that in a story. Funny, I like guessing and being shown I am wrong as it makes me think more and try harder.

The bad guy here is easy to not like. Some of the women are likable and some are not so likable which makes you feel funny when they are trying to learn what you are trying to learn. All told, a well written story that certainly kept my interest once I let myself get past the slower early parts.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

A phenomenal new addition to Lisa Jewell’s legacy with Don’t Let Him In. A true psychological thriller with a cast of complex characters, untrustworthy narrators and a puzzle so messy and addicting, you get sucked right in.

*4.5 stars*

Great thriller. It kept me hooked the whole time. I loved how everything came together in the end. It was really interesting seeing how one person was able to do everything that happened throughout the story. It was difficult to keep track of the different characters/timelines at times, but I appreciated how they connected to each other. Lisa Jewell is a great thriller writer and I love how fast-paced and action-packed her thrillers are.

This is simultaneously very similar and completely different from all the other Lisa Jewell books I've read.

I'd recommend going into this expecting something different from "None of This is True." It has similar shady men, everyone is lying vibes, but the storytelling and genre are very different. "Don't Let Him In" is not a classic mystery/ thriller. It's definitely not thrilling and the "mystery" is pretty easy to figure out, although this was not a fault (for me), because things KEPT happening and there were continuous reveals that kept me hooked. It's a very long thriller, but every time I picked it up, I was invested and sucked back in.

I would usually include a short little synopsis, but I genuinely couldn't if I tried. This was such a fever dream. My biggest struggle with this book (besides the countless British terms/ phrases that I has to look up) was keeping all of the characters straight. There were SO many important characters and a non-linear timeline, which made it difficult to keep track of everything. This is the essence/ nature of the book, though. It is so messy, there are so many strings, and we are following this insane, elaborate web of lies. If you like reading about drama, MESS, toxic relationships, and horrible people, pick this up!!!!

Lisa Jewell delivers another heart pounding thriller! If you are a fan already, you’re going to love this one. It’s by far my favorite of her books. If you’re new to the twisty tales she writes, then buckle up because you’re in for a great read.
Lisa Jewell will have you asking yourself, is anyone really who they claim to be? This story has all the ups and downs of relationships; new love, forever love, heartbreak and even the nightmare of deception. What first appears as a simple premise quickly tailspins into a trail of hidden motives and secrets.
Grappling with life in the aftermath of her husband’s sudden death, Nina Swann is not looking for love. She spends her days caring for the restaurant her husband owned and loved. Her already shifting life takes another turn when in walks Nick Radcliffe. Charming and confident, Nick claims to be a long-lost friend of her husband. Despite objections from her adult daughter, Nina, this new friendship quickly evolves into something more.
This fast-paced thriller is definitely worth a read!

*Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for sharing the advanced digital edition of this book. This is my honest review.

Oh my goodness! This book was really good! The need to know what was going to happen next kept me turning the pages until I finished the book. I stayed up past my bedtime to read just one more chapter and then just one more. I wasn’t sure where we were going with this one. I thought I had a general idea of what was going to happen in the story. Some parts I think were a bit easier to anticipate than others. But, as a whole, I did not see the twists and turns coming.
Some of the characters I didn’t mind, while others I didn’t like at all. And honestly, in a thriller, if you like all the characters I think something is wrong. 😆 You have to have at least one character that you really dislike in a good thriller.

It is living rent-free in my head and I need to talk to someone about this book.

Well, that was stressful!! Soooo many trusting, gullible women... I wanted to scream!!!! The male main character, who basically thought he was invincible, gave me the ICK!

While reading, I found myself getting confused due to all of the different characters and relationships. I actually had to create a flowchart that I referred to while reading in an attempt to keep it all straight.

The storyline was unique and creative, but it did start to feel a little repetitive. The ending definitely frustrated me, and I'm still confused about whose point of view the Epilogue was written from.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

I’m afraid anything by Lisa Jewell is a favorite of mine. She is a great writer and brings every story to a beautiful narration. I’m always able to picture every scene, every character, every moment in my mind. Loved this.

i love lisa jewell, her books always do it for me and this one did it again!! it’s a psychological thriller that brings you through many twists and turns and keeps you questioning. so hard to put down because it was so fast paced and has short chapters. i love how eerie everything felt while reading it!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Don't Let Him In is the newest psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell. It offers a compelling and twisty narrative.

Here's the setup: Nina Swann, recently widowed, receives a gift from a man claiming to be an old long-lost friend of her late husband's. The man is Nick Ratcliffe… or is he? Ash, Nina's adult daughter, senses that Nick is not who he appears to be and begins to investigate his true identity. The story weaves in several subplots, including characters such as Martha, Tara, and Amanda.

If you enjoy short chapters, a fast-paced, plot-driven story, this book is worth a read. Please note that there may be triggers related to domestic violence in its various forms.

Don't Let Him In receives a strong four-star rating from this reader.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this ARC.