Let Him In by William Friend was an unsettling, thought-provoking story reminiscent of The Shining & The Babadook, revolving around two eerie twins who’ve lost their mother. The writer blends supernatural elements with emotional turmoil and creates an innovative take on the haunted house trope, filled with atmosphere, gloom and tension.

We’re privy to two perspectives and psyches: Alfie, father of the twins and Julia, aunt to the twins. The twins exhibit erratic behaviour and claim that there is a man who lurks in their room.

What I enjoyed about the events that unfold after this is that debut author William Friend blurs the boundaries between the real and the imagined using grief, guilt and trauma as a catalyst, leaving me uncertain about what was truly happening. The book was, at times, slowly and deliberately paced, and while I could appreciate why it was done, it might’ve been a little bit too slow for my tastes.

This read is not for you if you’re seeking more traditional jump scares and gore, rather, it’s a psychological, atmospheric experience open to interpretation for readers. I must say, the ending was quite satisfying in that regard! Congrats to William Friend for a great debut, and to the artist for the haunting cover art!

My thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and author William Friend for the opportunity to read this work, which will be published in October 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Well paced, spooky book about familial grief. Take a house with a sketchy past, dead parents and multiple sets of twins and you have a perfectly chilling tale.

Classic haunted house novel that will give you the creeps through the Halloween season. Alfie is recently widowed and left alone to care for his twin daughters after a tragedy takes his wife. The twins are struggling to cope and first start waking Alfie telling him there is a man in their room. He chalks this up to grief but soon they start talking about an imaginary friend. Alfie quickly reaches out to his sister in law, who is a psychiatrist, for help but Julia has her own secrets. Told by both Alfie and Julia, this story has plenty of scares and the ending leaves the reader wanting more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisened Pen Press for the ARC.

I started this book with high hopes. I got about a quarter of a way into it and I was still confused an bored. I'm sorry for the harsh review, but I ended up DNFing the book.

This was a fun, quick read. It scratched the itch of needing a good haunted house story. I liked the dual perspectives. I'm confused by the ending but I think it's intentional. Ambiguous endings aren't my favorite but it didn't take away from my enjoyment.

Interesting Paranormal Thriller! A grieving father discovers his twin daughters' strange behaviors. But what he thought as a harmless coping mechanism for the twins became more eerie and disturbing. Could it be the house is haunted? A strange bonds twins do? or maybe he's the one failing to cope and is now losing it? I'd definitely recommend it, It's an easy read, slow burn, intriguing story.

"Let Him In" by William Friend is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine and is the perfect book to read in preparation for the spookiest time of the year-Halloween! Alfie is trying to cope with the tragic loss of his wife and raise his young twin daughters on his own when the girls become fixated on an imaginary friend named Black Mamba. At first shrugging it off as a way for the twins to deal with their grief, Alfie and his psychiatrist sister in law become increasingly concerned when Black Mamba's character turns dark and they are forced to consider whether he is imaginary at all. The atmosphere created by the author's words is tense and claustrophobic, and the setting is perfect to set the scene for some seriously bone chilling moments. The story moves a bit slowly, but this just adds to the tension that boils over into an explosive and satisfying ending. This is definitely one of the creepiest books I have read in quite some time.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and William Friend for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book!

This will send shivers down your spine. Twins that share an imaginary friend can be deemed normal, but their father who is recently widowed has a feeling something is just not quite right.

From beginning to the end as the reader you have no idea if the imaginary friend is real or not. He's trying to find any way to get their father out of the picture and in the end does it actually happen? We may never actually know.

I was pretty satisfied with this debut novel. The premise gives great anticipation that kept me coming back for more. Dual narrators for the main characters helped create a well-rounded expression of typical reactions to the situations described. Although I did struggle to care about the parts of the story that took place outside of the main location, they were brief enough to get the action back on track. The story moves along at a fairly upbeat tempo with twists and turns I didn’t see coming, but the ending held some givens that made sense and a resolution that left me willing for more.

Let Him In is a spine-chilling gothic tale infused with grief and family drama. This sinister story creatively uses horror to show the different ways grief can affect people.

The tale is set within Hart House, a haunted house filled with dark secrets. Alfie, a grieving father, struggles to care for his twin girls, Sylvia and Cassia, after they mother, Pippa tragically died. The twins experience nightly visits from a man in their bedroom, but Alfie never finds any evidence. Eventually, the girls' night terrors die down, replacing the mysterious presence with their new imaginary friend, Black Mamba, a man who can transform into animals and whisk the girls away on fantastical adventures. This concerns Alfie enough to finally bring in Pippa's twin sister and psychiatrist, Julia, who fears something may be threatening the family tied to their own religious beliefs and past.

The disturbing atmosphere and gradual buildup of tension captivated me the entire time, and the ending left my jaw on the floor. It mostly a psychological thriller and leaves a lot of doubt for readers to draw their own conclusions. This is an absolute killer debut novel from William Friend, and the cover for this book is stunning. I recommend this book to anyone who liked The Babadook, Rosemary's Baby, Haunting of Hill House, and/or The Shining.

Ohhh I absolutely loved every second of this book.
I went into Let Him In By William Friend with zero expectations and boy was I pleasantly surprised.
This is the story of a widower and his two young twin daughters. One night he wakes up to find his girls standing by his bed telling him that there's a man in their room.
From there the story goes on a wild, yet subtle, ride that truly scared me. I think this will be a favourite of many this year.
For a more detailed (but still spoiler free review) please check out my youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C2iOczqy6c

This book is well-written and kept me on the edge of my seat pretty much the entire time I was reading. I just had to know what was going on in Hart House. After finishing, I don’t feel that I’m any closer to knowing what was happening than when I started. While it was a quick read, the plot was slow to come around. I’m glad that the book was as short as it is, because the suspense likely would have gotten annoying had it been much longer. The characters are nearly all mysterious and interesting, none of them particularly unlikeable, so that was refreshing. I think this is a very promising book and I know there is an audience that will absolutely eat this up. The author’s writing style is proper, but easy to follow. I certainly would check out another work by William Friend. I appreciated the opportunity to read a copy of this one before print.

I enjoyed this and would definitely pick up more by the author.

After finishing, I feel I have more questions than answers.

Thanks to Netgally and the author for the ARC!

Talk about a psychological paranormal thriller. The story follows a family that is being haunted by grief and perhaps an evil spirit, or is it? I felt like I was in a labyrinth at times, I did not know what was going to wait for me on the next page and I didn't know how I was supposed to interpret what was happening. One moment I was certain the father was causing everything, the next moment I'm sure it was a demon, the next moment its the twin,s or maybe its the house itself? This was a slow burn written in such a way to guide you through the maze. When you get to the end you realize that just maybe you had the whole picture. I will say that the ending is a bit of cliff hanger but I'm excited to see there is a follow-up! I will definitely be reading that!

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for an ARC of this book.

This looks to be a great selection for an October read. It's a slow burn, creepy and unsettling. A single father, still reeling from the death of his wife, is trying to raise his twin daughters when things start to go sideways. If it's not creepy enough to use children in this novel, the fact that they're twins--who already have their own unique relationship--further makes the reader question everything. Could the girls be doing a "twin thing" when they communicate the way they do? Could the man who visits them in the night be a coping mechanism for them as they deal with the loss of the mother? Or is there really something insidious in this house lurking around the children?

I found this to be compelling and it also scratched that haunted house/haunted kids itch. And I really enjoyed the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but I was totally haunted as I turned the final pages. Oh, and the cover art on this one is fantastic. I'll definitely look for this author's next book!

"Let Him In" by William Friend is an electrifying journey into the depths of ghostly terror and occult horror. Friend expertly crafts a chilling narrative that delves into the sinister intersection of grief, imagination, and the supernatural.

Alfie, a grieving father, is confronted with the unimaginable when his twin daughters claim to have encountered a shadowy figure in their room. What begins as a seemingly harmless manifestation of grief takes a nightmarish turn as the girls' imaginary friend becomes increasingly malevolent. Friend skillfully weaves a tale of escalating dread and psychological tension, leaving readers gripping the edge of their seats.

As Alfie races against time to protect his daughters from the clutches of this insidious presence, he is forced to reckon with his own haunting past and confront the eerie secrets lurking within the walls of Hart House. The atmosphere is thick with foreboding, and the boundary between reality and the supernatural blurs, giving rise to a sense of unease that lingers long after the last page is turned.

Friend's prose is as haunting as the tale itself, drawing readers into a world where the boundaries of the known and the unknown collide. The intricate web of suspense and the gradual unraveling of the mystery keep the reader spellbound, with each revelation sending shivers down the spine. The narrative is underscored by themes of loss, guilt, and the relentless grip of the supernatural—an exploration that adds depth and emotional resonance to the pulse-pounding horror.

"Let Him In" is a tour de force in ghost thriller and occult horror, a tale that transcends the ordinary and plunges readers into a realm of terror and intrigue. William Friend's mastery of suspense and psychological horror make this a must-read for fans of the genre, promising an unforgettable and spine-chilling experience.

Creepy. Creepy. Creepy. What’s creepier than creepy kids?! Creepy twins. This book had me by a hold from the start. Twists and turns slither at every page, in more way than one. Detailed yet to the point without dragging any parts out. Horror movie vibes in all the best ways possible. Love how it’s written with the back and forth point of view between characters. Must read for anyone who loves thrillers.

This was a great book. I loved how the author did just the two povs and it helped keep the story straight. The story follows a dad trying to raise his twins while also grieving for the lost of the girls mother.. One night the girls say daddy there’s a man in the room and the story just takes off from there. This story is unlike one I’ve read before and takes an imaginary friend to whole new levels. Filled with twists and turns with every page this is gonna be one that you want to read!
Special thanks to poisoned pen press and net galley for my early copy of this one!

Absolutely loved every second of this book. My expectations were blown out of the water and I felt myself not putting it down for long before I needed to pick it back up and read more.

Read. This. Book.

A page turner debut that will have you sleeping with your lights on. Creepy with so many “oh sh*t” moments not only from the imaginary friend “Black Mamba” but from the creepy twin girls.

Each character had their own issues and I need a support group to figure out the ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press looking forward to more of William’s novels.