I really wanted to like this book based on the description. However, it was just an okay story. It seemed repetitive in several places. I really couldn't figure out what was going on during most of this story, especially when it was things with Black Mamba. At first I though maybe it was a demon or the spirit of someone who dies in the house. By the end I had no idea what or who it was. It felt like some of the back story and deaths in the house weren't really explained, yet they kept being brought up all through the story. The aunt's church was also strange and not really fully explained. It had some creepy moments, but not enough to make this a really good book.

An amazingly terrifying debut horror novel that fans of Jason Rekulak's Hidden Pictures will surely enjoy. This novel has all the hallmarks of a good horror story such as creepy twins, unexpected deaths, an imaginary friend, a haunted house, and a cult-like religious group. What more could we ask for? Friend's exploration of grief in its many forms is also written spectacularly well. I will be recommending this one for a long time.

I really really wanted to like this book so much, but it just wasn’t it for me. Although, I do have to say I did like the black mamba quite a bit.

The plot felt like it took forever just to develop, which is what I didn’t really enjoy. Which that also almost made me DNF this many, many times. I think I just went into the book expecting a lot more, which is why I came out of it a bit disappointed.

I read this book in a day and I never looked back! The twist and the plot were pretty easy to identify but the different POV's kept me intrigued to see how everything was going to unfold. A couple of the characters were so unlikable that it made it hard to feel bad or connect with them in any way. I do wish that the ending would've given a little more, I wanted to know how the characters dealt with the aftermath.


*I received a copy of this eARC via NetGalley*

William Friend's haunting debut, "Let Him In," unfolds as a creeping and gothic psychological suspense narrative. The story revolves around a young widowed father, Alfie, who is grappling with the task of raising his twin daughters, both of whom are obsessed with an imaginary friend.

One fateful night, Alfie wakes to find his twin daughters standing at the foot of his bed, distressed and claiming that a shadowy figure lurks in their bedroom. As he searches for any sign of an intruder and finds none, he assumes that the girls simply had a nightmare.

Their distress doesn't come as a surprise to him, considering that grief has taken up residence at Hart House. Nine months ago, the twins' mother, Pippa, passed away suddenly, leaving Alfie to shoulder the responsibilities of raising his daughters on his own. Initially, when the girls mention a new imaginary friend, it appears to be a harmless mechanism for coping. However, the situation quickly takes a darker and more insidious turn. The girls begin setting an extra place at the table for their imaginary friend, whispering to him, and insisting that he plans to take them away.

The central characters of Hart House and Black Mamba cast a looming presence over this tale, infusing it with horror, grief, and family drama. Their ominous nature will send shivers down your spine and keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the story.

The narrative proves to be an addictive page-turner, with the enigmatic character of Black Mamba and the secrets of Hart House at its core. Friend's creative storytelling immediately captivates the reader from the very first page, offering a balance of terror and entertainment that keeps you engrossed from start to finish.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oooo I really enjoyed this creepy little read! I'm a huge sucker for horror that mixes anything to do with kids, sleep disorders and the questioning of the supernatural. Let Him In is definitely more of a slow burn type of horror pacing, but that didn't stop me from finishing it in just a few sittings.

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press for my physical and kindle review copies! Highly recommend picking this one up if you're looking for a shorter horror story that packs a creepy little punch.

Oh man. I wanted to love this book so much. I will say this has some good creepy kids moments, and I liked the character of black mamba. However, I think this book had a hard time focusing down it's horror elements. I wish we'd had the imaginary friend and just gone with it rather than trying to introduce haunted houses and ghosts etc.

There was also a relationship in here I really didn't like and felt very unnecessary. The very end could have made it worth it, but unfortunately, took the safe route. Sadly didn't work for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This has all the makings of a psychological thriller/horror novel....A house with a history, a death in the family and the accompanying grief, strange kids (twins) , and an imaginary friend (or is it?) . It is a very atmospheric and suspenseful tale that keeps you wondering what is real and what is imagined. The somewhat ambiguous ending leaves much to the reader for their own interpretation. Overall 4 stars out of 5.

Allies daughters have a new friend. He thinks it is imaginary. This friend is very real and he wants the girls. Chilling read full of suspense and twists and turns. Great characters. Very creepy. Will Alfie save them or be to late.

After reading the synopsis for Let Him In, I thought this would be the perfect book to read during October and the atmosphere definitely provided all of the creepy vibes I was looking for but I’m not sure I ended the story feeling fully satisfied.

Alfie’s wife Pippa has recently died, leaving him and their twin daughters behind. Seemingly out of nowhere, the girls conjure up an imaginary friend - Black Mamba - who slowly but surely cements himself into the family.

I think a lot more could have been done with the story considering the plot had all the makings to be original and thrilling. While there were some chapters that I easily lost myself in, there were others that seemed repetitive and slow-going and that inconsistency meant it took a long time for me to finish the book as I wasn’t feeling inclined to pick it up that much.

If you’re expecting a horror that will get your adrenaline pumping you will be disappointed - I would describe it as a quietly haunting tale that closely examines grief.

Typically, I will give a synopsis of the story, but this one has so many moving parts that I'll let whomever is reading this read the publisher's version so I can hop right into my review. Based on the premise, I thought I was going to enjoy this book, but it really fell flat for me. The story felt sort of... elementary in how it was written, sadly. The characters were kind of annoying, the plot took too long to develop, and thus, it took me forever to read. Wish I could say more, but just generally unimpressed.

As always, a thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for a free copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc.

I sadly had to dnf this book as I just couldn’t get into the story. The characters weren’t interesting and I just couldn’t get pulled in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I am not sure how to review this. At first I was drawn into the story. The author presents little nuggets of information in the beginning that made me want to keep reading and find out what was going on. The writing wasn’t the best I’ve ever read but it is a debut novel and so I didn’t expect the most grand writing. As I kept reading and the percent complete kept going up, I realized I wasn’t going to get any sort of answers that I was looking for as to what was actually happening in this book. It has a theme of grief but I’ve read better books that tackle the topic in better ways. Nothing about this book was wowing me and so it was going to be a solid three star book. And then it ended. And I was baffled. The entire book felt like a grand waste of time. Perhaps I missed what the point of this novel was? The horror was very abstract which I can get behind but then the end just made me so angry that I got no sort of explanation. With mediocre writing and a very unsatisfying plot, I can’t recommend this book.

Let Him In is a chilling and suspenseful psychological thriller by William Friend. It is a debut novel, but it is written with the skill and confidence of a seasoned author.

The story follows Alfie, a recently widowed father who is raising his twin daughters, Sylvie and Cassia, on his own. When the girls start to talk about an imaginary friend named Black Mamba, Alfie is initially dismissive. But as the girls' stories become more and more disturbing, Alfie begins to wonder if Black Mamba is real.

As the story progresses, Alfie and the girls are drawn into a dark and dangerous world. They must confront their own fears and insecurities in order to survive.

Friend does a masterful job of creating a sense of suspense and dread throughout the novel. The atmosphere is heavy and oppressive, and the reader is constantly on edge. Friend also does a good job of developing his characters. Alfie is a flawed but sympathetic protagonist, and the girls are both creepy and endearing.

One of the things that makes Let Him In so effective is that it plays on our deepest fears. The fear of the unknown, the fear of the dark, and the fear of losing our loved ones are all present in the novel. Friend also explores themes of grief, loss, and the fragility of the human mind.

Overall, Let Him In is a well-written and suspenseful thriller that is sure to please fans of the genre. It is a dark and disturbing novel, but it is also rewarding and thought-provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book. I love a good ghost story and this one had a good back story and enough horror to keep it interesting. Loved the back story of the dad and the twins characters were also well established. Fun spooky read for the fall!

I was disappointed in this book. I was expecting a gothic horror, just perfect for the spooky season. Instead it was confusing and convoluted story that I still don't fully understand. I didn't care about any of the characters. I'm still not sure where Black Mamba came from or where he went. I'm not sure the connection of the past generations trauma to the incidents in this book. Let Him In is similar to The Whisper Man, but that one was done so much better.

This book had such promise! I just feel a little let down. Too many loose ends and I hate that in a book. Too many unanswered questions.

The book is told from 2 POV and neither of them were very interesting. I did finish the book and the wrting was very good but it just fell flat for me in so many ways and the pace was too slow for me.

I wanted so much more

3 stars - still a good rating and would recommend to anyone i think would enjoy it more than me

This novel was a very creepy read. The twins' friend keeps you on edge with you constantly considering it to be someone or something else. I cannot recommend this read more for horror or mystery fanatics.

So this book made me soooooooo angry. I did not enjoy this read at all....

I really disliked the two perspective characters because they were terribly selfish people and usually that isn't a problem with a horror book... BUT... the horror was soooooo stupid. The idea of a imaginary friend that does crazy things was very intriguing, but the author didn't take it to a place where the plot was actually creepy...

Also, the female perspective... I HATE HER... HOW COULD YOU BE PERVING ON YOUR SISTER'S HUSBAND WHEN SHE HAS ONLY BEEN DEAD FOR A YEAR.... EWWWWWWW also EWWWWWWWW...She basically replaced her... and everything was all better.

Yeah... not my jam at all.

Black Mamba on the loose! I’m assuming there’s a reason they had to change this UK book’s title for a US debut … maybe cause Kobe Bryant’s nickname? Who knows. But the new title is actually way cooler and the cover art is rad. This book had a lot of elements at play — and not all of them landed for me. I think eliminating some of them could have actually made this stronger. That said, this is a multiple POV story tracking a family struggling through generations of grief. It has young twins acting out under the orders of what they say is a mysterious, shape shifting being that visits them at a house with a troubled past and secrets, following the death of their mother. This had its very eerie moments — like “The Good Son” kind — and some of the writing was poetic and rich. The tension was good, and there’s some ambiguity that messes with your head in a serious way. But I needed more, clearer background on some aspects of the narrative. It’s a quick read and if you like spooky kids, demon-like entities, and a dad getting gaslit by children who speak in unison — give it a shot!