3.5 stars!!! Terrifying Cover!!

Gave me a few chills, didn’t really care for the mysterious creature/apparition being called black mamba…..really grated on my nerves by the end of the book. Eh probably just me.

Story is told from alternating perspective of Alfie and Julia who is Alfies sister in law following the death of his wife Pippa. Julia is attempting to help her nieces cope after the death of their mother and them telling their dad about them seeing a man in their room. Hart house has a dark past that is slowly uncovered throughout the story as well. Enjoyed the story. Didn’t really have me thinking about the book or characters when I wasn’t reading though.

Thanks to Netgalley and poisoned pen press for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is more of a fairy tale-paranormal story. 7 year old twins wake their father in the middle of the night stating they have seen a man at the foot of their bed. At first it seems the girls have an “imaginary friend’”, but as time goes by, their father, Alfie believes the twins are describing a real being. Is it a snake, a spider or a bird? Julia the girl’s maternal aunt steps in to counsel the girls to a more personal level after all that is her profession. Julia is also a twin to Alfie’ deceased wife and had lived in the same home as a child. Julia has also seen questionable siting as a child. The ending of this story left me wanting more of an conclusion. Kept waiting for a bigger BANG.

"Let Him In" by William Friend, previously titled "Black Mamba," was a book that I picked up as a read-now copy on NetGalley. The novel is marketed as a horror story, and it does give off a somewhat eerie vibe from the front cover. It blends elements of horror with family drama and a touch of the paranormal, making for an intriguing premise.

The story revolves around Alfie, who is awakened one night by his seven-year-old twins, claiming to have seen a man in their room. They insist there is a shadowy figure, but Alfie can't find any evidence of it, assuming it's just nightmares. The girls have been through a lot, having lost their mother suddenly only nine months ago, so it's not surprising they'd have nightmares. However, their troubles take an unusual turn when they develop an imaginary friend named Black Mamba, who initially appears to be a coping mechanism before taking on a more sinister role as the story unfolds.

One of the more captivating aspects of the book is the religious faction that appears in the narrative. This group holds intriguing beliefs about death and the afterlife, which could have been explored in greater detail. The book touches on these beliefs, but it feels like an underdeveloped subplot that could have added a rich layer of complexity to the story.

However, the plot takes some questionable turns, such as the involvement of the girls' teacher and social services. The teacher's involvement in visiting the home seemed unusual because it appeared to overstep the bounds of what would be expected from a teacher's role in the UK. In my experience, teachers typically don't make home visits, and if they do, it's usually carried out by administrative staff or counselors, not classroom teachers. Furthermore, the teacher's reaction to the twins' stories seemed overly dramatic. While the twins' accounts were unconventional, it didn't appear that they were so strange as to warrant such a strong reaction from the teacher.

Spoiler Warning:
Now, regarding Pippa's death, it could have added a fascinating twist to the narrative. The book hints at the possibility of her death being tied to a cult, which would have been a compelling storyline, possibly connecting it to the mysterious events happening with the twins. Unfortunately, this aspect of the story is left unexplored and remains a missed opportunity.

The choice to name the imaginary friend "Black Mamba" may have been an attempt to create a creepy vibe, but it felt odd and didn't contribute to the story's overall atmosphere. Moreover, the ending left me unsatisfied, as it felt rushed and difficult to follow.

In summary, "Let Him In" had potential with an intriguing premise and well-written prose. However, the plot had holes, and some narrative choices left me confused. While the book has its merits, I likely won't be exploring more of this author's work in the future.

If you are a fan of biblical and religious references and the occult in your horror books, this book might be for you. I personally don't, so this was NOT a book for me. Regardless of all that, it had a few creepy parts, but I just couldn't get into the book in general. It was too slow and uneventful. Ending was confusing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC.

Okay, the premise of this book drew me in, but honestly this is one that I probably wouldn’t recommend as a physical/ebook to read. I ended up requesting the audiobook version and that was the only way that I was able to get through this book. I feel like this book just didn’t hit the mark for me and just didn’t keep my attention or really provide a spooky atmosphere like I was hoping. Overall, this is one that I’m just not sure I would recommend or would be first on my list to recommend.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to review.

Alfie lost his wife. 9 months later his twins start talking about seeing an imaginary friend. this book was terrifying but I loved every minute of it!

This is the perfect read for this Halloween.
The whole story was super creepy. It's not your usual horror story. Yeah, sure, there's a "thing" lurking in the house but it is so much more. The book deals with grief, family connections and religious trauma.
I've always hated twins in horror movies and books and surprise, surprise: I hate the twins in this book too.😅
The whole thing about the twin's imaginary friend and the question of is he real or are they just making him up gave me the creeps.
I'm not gonna lie, the middle part felt a little dragged for me but then THOSE last chapters happened and oh my gosh.
I can't stop thinking about the ending.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc.

I had such high hopes for this one, and was immediately intrigued by the cover and description. Unfortunately, this one really missed the mark for me, and those were about the only things I did enjoy. I was expecting a really spooky book, but I didn’t even find it creepy, nor did the book ever pick up for me. The first half dragged, and the rest of the story was just very odd, went in a direction I didn’t like, and I never had the wow factor.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Let Him In is one of the most compelling novels I've read this year--Friend has such a way with words that, even if I wasn't fond of the story or plot, I think I still would have liked this. This is a roller-coaster; it's scary, it's creepy, it's horrifying. It's so good. I really can't exaggerate how worthwhile this is.

I can almost hear the eerie music while the twins are talking about their friend. The house becomes a character in LET HIM IN, William Friend's debut contribution to my nightmares. Alfie's family, he and the twins, still live in Hart House, the house where his wife died. As he works through his own grief, he must help the twins, who now see a man in their room at night. Soon this night time visitor becomes an invisible friend who tells them what to do and takes them on imaginary trips.....cue the creepy music. Alfie asks his wife's sister....you guessed it.....twin sister, for help with the girls and their "friend". Now comes a HUGE twist.....but you'll need to read the book to find out what it is.....I have to go turn some more lights on.

For a debut book, this blew me away. The writing, the creativity, the unsettling creepiness.

A haunted house that harbors dark secrets and death. Alfie is raising his twin daughters after the sudden and painful death of his wife. His daughters talk of their imaginary friends, and the journeys that they go on, but little does Alfie know it’s something sinister.

The setting and pace for the story definitely keeps you immersed. But really with an undertone of tragedy of the heart. This story is definitely different than other books I’ve read. If you like horror with a deeper meaning than look no further

I enjoyed this book, and while I was expecting it to be...something else, I did like the way the book ended. I enjoyed the characters, and I saw a lot of myself in one of the twins which was interesting. I liked how some of the parts were left.. kind of open to interpretation which I thought added a fun twist in the book.

Creepy, gruesome, fantastic! I was compelled by the authors writing style, and loved the eery story line! Fantastic horror.

Holy moly batman this was the perfect spooky season read! I was lucky enough to get this ebook and audio review copy, and I loved it!

A really well written and thoughtful novel on the nature of grief, twinship, and conscience. A creepy, atmospheric read that only lets its secrets out a little at a time and never fully. Highly recommended, even to a book club with a few scaredy cats! Thank you for a great read!

Alfie and his twin daughters are the family now. His wife has died. He is awakened by his twins who tell him that there is a man in their bedroom. He gets up and checks out the bedroom to find that there is no man in the bedroom. He thinks his daughters had a nightmare. However, it continues to the point that the twins set a place for him to eat with them. They also whisper to him. They tell their father that has told them that he is going to take them away. Alfie calls his wife’s sister Julia who is also a psychiatrist. He hopes she can get the twins to give up this imaginary man. Alfie will have to confront his own shameful secrets, the dark past of Hart House, and even the bounds of reality—or risk taking part in an unspeakable tragedy.

The author wrote an excellent creepy horror and suspenseful novel .I thought the family dynamics were fascinating. There are secrets in their mother’s family background. It’s a the author does an excellent job composing the essential elements in a narrative. There are unexpected twists and turns. Both Alfie and Julia’s secrets and sordid pasts flow into the narrative shaping the characters in the novel. It’s excellent for a first novel.

“𝑫𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒚, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎.”⁣
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Rating: 2.5/5 ⭐️⭐️💫⁣
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Creepy AF premise, and I thoroughly felt creeped out the first couple chapters. But after a while I started assuming someone had a mental illness brought on by grief, this continued until the last few chapters when more was revealed. Not enough to give a conclusion or clear understanding of what the heck was happening though. For that this is rated lower, otherwise it would have been 3 stars.⁣
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Thank you @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

One night Alfie wakes up to his twin daughters standing at the end of his bed. They tell him there is a man in their room. Alfie searches the room and when he can't find anyone, he deems it a nightmare and gets them back to bed. The girls recently lost their mother so it's no surprise they would be having nightmares. When the twins can't stop talking about this figure, who they now call Black Mamba, their aunt Julia finally steps in to help. Julia is a physiatrist and tells Alfie this is completely normal. But is it? Cause weird things are happening and what once made sense no longer does.

But now Black Mamba is taking over their lives and making the girls act in ways they never have before. Alfie has had enough and tries to get rid of him while also struggling with reality. Is this a figment of their imagination or is something more sinister going on?

This was full on psychological suspense and I loved how uneasy it made me feel. The twins were excellent and came across exactly how creepy kids in horror movies do. I can't say I was a fan of Alfie or Julia, I wish there was a little more to their personalities. Throw in some religious cult background noise and you have a thriller making you question what is real and what isn't. While I loved the suspense and the twins, I felt there wasn't enough story here. It could have been longer with more info on the religious cult aspect.

5 star ending though!! I will absolutely be on the lookout for more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let Him In was a chilling story about Hart House where a dad, Alfie, lives with his two twin daughters, Cassia and Sylvie. His wife, Pippa, had passed away years ago and now her twin Julia, the girl’s aunt, comes and stays with the family when the girls start seeing a man in their bedroom. Julia is a psychologist and is trying to help the girls and Alfie as this imaginary friend, they call Black Mamba, starts to take over their life.
The story was captivating at times but also a little slow. There were also some elements that were a little confusing. It kinda had a gothic, cult-ish vibe as well that is not usually something I gravitate towards.
Overall, I would still recommend the read if you are into spooky, but not overly scary, stories with ambiguous endings. I know some people like stories where they have to draw their own conclusion but I personally like my stories to have an obvious ending. In this case I do think it would make a good book club book.

A house with a scary history, a sinister imaginary friend and too many sets of twins. This book was slow and repetitive. I considered abandoning it, but I kept reading to see if it would take an interesting turn, but it didn’t. I also thought that the widower seemed to get over his grief in a particularly tacky way. This wasn’t for me. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.