First, I want to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy of this book! Let Him In was creepy, but had me on the edge of my seat. It reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House meets The Shining. The story follows Alfie who is struggling with grief in his own way. As I was reading, I found myself captivated by the horrors of the unknown and how to process reality. It was the perfect combination of stillness, solitude and dread that seemed inescapable at times. A definite must read! I was able to devour this book in just several hours!

My thanks to both NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of this book dealing the horrors of losing a loved one, the confusion that death leaves behind, and the forces of darkness who try to take advantage.

Grief makes people do strange things. Fixate on things that can't be fixed, try to recreate moments that now only belong to one person. Ruin appetites, ruin sleep, ruin relationships. The worse thing that doubt can do is make a person doubt everything they have every held to. Their faith, their family their sureness of how they go through life, and make families doubt each other. This allows strange things to enter, to be made whole, to be given power, and demand cookies from young children. Let Him In, the debut novel by William Friend tells of a family ripped asunder by grief and secrets, and the strange force that has moved into their house, one the children call a friend.

Alfie is awoken by his twin daughters telling him that there is a man in their room. Alfie checks the room and the house, and finds nothing, thought the twins are pretty adamant about their description. Alfie is a man lost. Pippa his wife was killed ten months earlier, and he and his twins have been suffering in the family house that Pippa grew up in. Alfie allows the girls to sleep in his room, which they do, until suddenly they stop. A trip from Pippa's estranged mother brings cookies into the house, and the twins ask if they can have a cookie for their new friend. Alfie knows his daughters have no friends, having no need to talk to people outside of him and each other. Alfie asks their friend's name. Black Mamba, they reply. Soon the twins friend is talking about taking them away, and in desperation Alfie reaches out to Pippa's sister Julia, a psychiatrist who has been having doubts about her life since her sister died. As the two try to figure out what is happening, strange things start to appear in the house, and Alfie begins to question everything he knows, while trying to keep the secrets he has.

A nice gothic horror story with a mix of haunted house, and lots of trauma. The story is told from both Julia and Alfie's point of view switching off chapters with the name of the characters there to keep people from getting lost. The writing is good, a little florid, but a perfect mix of gothic feeling, with modern sensibility. With two narrators there is a bit of repetition, but the two narrators allow secrets to be shared with the reader, without the other characters knowing, which helps the story. The house is one that has been in the family, which gives a nice atmosphere to the story, and allowing for different plotlines to come together, some red herrings, some important. Readers might not like the detachment that Alfie seems to have in the beginning, giving a little learning curve to the story, but once the book hits, it moves fast grabbing the reader and not letting go.

A good story that kept me wondering as I read. I really liked the ambiance and the atmosphere. The character are interesting and also kept me in the story. A very strong debut, and makes one interested in what Friend might come up with next.

First I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the arc of this book! If you’re a fan of The Haunting of Hill House then Let Him In is the perfect novel for you. Yes it is a horror story but I loved how the author tackled the topic of grief and just how everyone processes it differently. I read this within hours of receiving the arc and it did not disappoint. 4 ⭐️

A promising Gothic tale reminding me of The Haunting at HIll House and The Others. A testament to the suspense, I finished this in three days.

Alfie and his twin girls are going through intense grief after the loss of their wife and mother, Pippa. Joining them in their mourning is Pippa's twin sister, Julia, and Pippa's mother, Marian. Alfie and the girls live in Hart House, Pippa and Julia's childhood home with a haunted past and carrying the trauma of Julia and Pippa's father's death as well as Pippa's. The story kicks off with the twin girls saying they saw a man in their room.

The story spreads out from there. While I found myself wildly guessing what came next, the story got a bit convoluted and lost towards the middle. I grew weary of the breadcrumbs Friend left of what happened in the house and to Pippa and her father. Everytime Alfie or Julia mentioned something they were hiding, I sighed knowing it would be several chapters before I found out what it was. That being said, the overall arc of Alfie and his grief and the twin girls navigating their new life without their mother and the eerie Black Mamba kept me interested.

I thought Friend tried to do too much with a ghost story, a psychological story on trauma and grief and a religious spin on horror. The religious aspects really threw me off as they felt out of nowhere and needed more development and weight. Not everything connected in the end with the religion present. Removing that would have connected more dots for me.

It captured the Gothic feel of an old house with a history and something terrifying in the basement and attic. I questioned what was real and what was fantasy and that's the heart of a horror story to me. That and the people. I enjoyed the characters though the ending with Julia and Alfie gave me pause. I do think there is something sinister about it (no spoilers!) and if my theory is right, then I am more on board.

I absolutely adored the final paragraph of this book. It gave me chills as did many of the lines about Black Mamba and his slow takeover of the family's world. Something is always unnerving about children saying they saw someone in their room. A really solid debut and an author I look forward to reading more from.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book seemed to have an interesting storyline and the title did pull me in.
I liked the characters and the way the chapters changed views of the characters.
I feel that the chapters were a little long and I found myself getting a little distracted because of the this, if the chapters had of been a bit shorter I feel as though I would of found I was able to focus more on the story itself and would of enjoyed it more as the story had good potential
Thank you to net galley and William Friend for allowing me to read this

I loved the cover of this book, the different character points of view in each chapter and the basis of the storyline. Family loss, a creepy family home with tragic history, the bond between twins and their imaginary friend. The author did an amazing job of describing the characters and situations which drew me in. However, I found myself confused throughout the story and still unclear what exactly happened in the end. Was the imaginary friend a supernatural force, a demon summoned by family or just the imagination of grieving children. I did enjoy portions of the book but it felt very choppy and disjointed throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read this ARC in return for my voluntary and honest review.

This is everything I want in a horror novel. It gives me chills, had me looking over my shoulder, keeping lights on, all of that good fun. I wish I had waited to read it until Halloween time but I'll try to do a reread then and every year after. It gave haunting of hill house vibes which I loved

Wow, just wow.

Can you believe this is debut? I couldn't because it is that good. It was gripping, spine chilling, goosebumpingly good. Once started, I tried reading it every second I could find some free time.

The story starts with Alfie grieving the death of his beloved wife, Pippa and getting hang of looking after his twin daughters alone when one night his daughters wake him up to tell him that there's a man inside their room. But upon searching the whole house, he finds no one inside the house and nothing out of place. Dismissing it as a nightmare, it is all forgotten until the man or whatever it is becomes a friend to his twins , "Black Mamba."

It becomes so real that he has to ask for help from Julia who is psychologist and Pippa's twin. What ensues is utterly horrifying chain of events one after the other which will send chills throughout the body.

I would have rated it 5 stars if it had not been for the end which was little disappointing to me and the confusion I felt as I couldn't figure out a lot many things. It is a part thriller, a part family drama and a lot parts horror which is done in the best way possible. I didn't really enjoy some religious or sacramental references but I didn't care for them. I couldn't make start or end of the why and what happened in the past and sometimes even in the present so that was my biggest confusion.

Even with that, I was really invested in the story and the characters as well. I definitely wanted to know if the Black mamba was real or just imagination. I had my own theory which was how the book ended but I'm not sure if my interpretation is in align with the ideas of the author.

I mostly read the book at the night to get the spooky feel. Few instances scared the shit out of me so much that I had to stop reading as I would start imagining someone standing in the dark parts of my room. I had to resume reading in the daylight. These instances had such a perfect timing, when the whole tone of the book relaxed and very casual and it will pounce on you like a wild cat when you least expected them, so in short perfectly and wonderfully done. It had that shocking factor but the descriptions were just too good and spot on.

The gothic feel of Hart house and the presence of Black Mamba throughtout was eeringly haunting and creepy.
Overall a great read.

Thank you netgalley and poisoned pen press for this wonderful ARC in exchange of an honest review.

#netgalley #lethimin #williamfriend

I really wanted love this book based off the premise but it fell flat. I wished for more explanation about certain things like with the grandfather and grandmother. It just didn’t hook me in. I also wasn’t fond of the ending and didn’t get the closure I was hoping for for the ending.

If you're looking for a disturbing thriller that only builds in suspense with "The Haunting of Hill House" vibes, then Let him in is your next read. Could we take a moment to appreciate the sinister yet remarkable front cover that just draws you in.

"Let him in" is a gothic thriller about Alfie, a young father raising his twin daughters following the untimely death of his wife, Pippa. One night, the twins rush into Alfie's room, claiming that there is a man at the foot of their bed, thinking this is just the children's imagination - all is forgotten. That is until the twins become obsessed with their "imaginary" friend Black Mamba, and their behaviour become problematic. Alfie reaches out to his late wife's twin sister Julia, who is a family psychologist, to help with the girls, and strange things begin to happen at the mysterious Hart House. - where there have been two unexplainable deaths.

This disturbing yet perfectly written novel is an absolute must-read. From page one, we are gripped and on the edge of our seats. There are so many raw emotions that we are forced to feel when reading "Let Him In." It begins with the family grief of losing their loved one, and you can't help but feel the sorrow that Alfie feels at this point in the story. For me, this created a really effective base for the story, and I knew things were going to get interesting very soon. Then, there is a lot of anticipation as to what is happening, W. Friend allows the reader to use their imagination, and you are left feeling very unsettled at points. Just when you think there will be a happy ending, all may not be as it seems, and I found the ending to be jaw-dropping. I did not see that coming.

I could really feel the tension building throughout this book, and it left me feeling nervous. The twins really creeped me out, and I was left wondering if they really did see their friend "Black Mamba" or if it was a product of their grief and imagination. The fact that Julia was a family psychologist and could rationally explain their actions had me unsettled. We've all been in a situation where we think we see something in the dark. This book brought me right back to my own personal experiences and had me desperate to read more. In my opinion, the characters are very well developed. You could see the unsettling bond between the sisters and Black Mamba and thid added to the suspense. I thought they all interacted very well together, and their relationships were realistic.

My only complaint is that at times, the story felt a bit repetitive, and I did not like where Alfie and Julia's relationship ended in this book.

Overall, it is a very thrilling read, and I highly recommend "Let Him In

thank you netgalley and publishers for giving me an arc of this book! I was very excited when i saw that i was approved. the beginning of the book was very hard for me to get into, and it was hard for me to continue to read. I am a sucker for books that switch perspective often. It helps me get more into a book. the book gradually got more and interesting. It did get a lull towards the middle/ end of the boom, however the last 10 pages sped back up. the ended sure had a twist that i wasn’t expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I did not love this, but I REALLY liked it!!! The gothic vibes were ON POINT. Creepy atmosphere? CHECK. The characters were complex (though I found them unlikeable); the scary parts really did scare me. I always love a good theme of addressing generational trauma and breaking toxic family cycles also, and this book has that as well. And that cover? Fantastic!!!
HOWEVER. I hated the ending. I absolutely can see what the author was trying to do, but I wish it was different personally. I don't mind a little mystery, but RESOLVE SOMETHING. ANYTHING PLSSSS. Overall it was a good read! I am definitely interested in reading this author's other works!

Sigh......another book using the tired theme of twins secretly communicating and having an imaginary friend. In spite of this, I enjoyed reading this book until I got closer to the end. This had to be the most confusing story, especially the ending. I really had a difficult time figuring out what was really going on with the friend, the twins, the grandmother, the grandfather, the mom, the aunt - it was like everyone was controlling the twins, but no one was in charge. And with all of those perspectives, I still don't understand what happened. The story was good until that point, then I feel like it fell apart.

This ARC was provided by the publisher and NetGalley, the opinions expressed herein are strictly my own.

I thought this story had a lot of potential, but it didn't hit the mark for me. The storyline was all over the place and didn't connect the way I was hoping it would.
Alfie just lost his wife, Pippa, and is left to raise their twin girls, Cassia and Sylvie, alone. Cassia and Sylvie begin crawling in bed with their dad because there's a man in their room. Are the girls just having nightmares or is something more sinister going on?

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I found that it had a lot of the same undertones as the Insidious movies. It was a relatively quick read for me and I liked the different points of view throughout the story, I feel like it added a layer that otherwise would not have been there if we only got Alfie’s. There were definitely some creepy aspects but it was not as scary as I was anticipating. I wish there had been more of a resolution to Black Mamba but I felt like that part of the story fell flat. The relationship between Alfie and Julia also felt unnecessary to me. Other than that this book was well written and a quick read for me. It is definitely a good story for spooky season!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for the digital ARC copy of this book.

I had heard good things about this book and I really wanted to like it. The premise was good, but this book left me confused. Alfie can’t see Black Mamba but at one point he glares at him? The twins are constantly speaking in unison and there was several points where I didn’t know who was talking.

William Friend's Let Him In surprised me in a number of ways. The story centers around Alfie, his twin daughters, and his sister in law, Julia, as they mourn the passing of Alfie's wife. Like any good horror story, the themes of grief and guilt are superbly woven into the tropes of specters. Friend does an incredible job at creating a stiflingly creepy atmosphere through the seven year old twins and their "imaginary friend," Black Mamba. These are easily the creepiest twins that I've encountered since The Shining.

What works very well for Let Him In is the way that Friend makes the haunts of Hart House ambiguous throughout the narrative? Is Black Mamba real or just a fantasy that the twins have made up to grieve the loss of their mother? The book will likely keep many readers guessing as it unfolds its delightfully unsettling story.

A frightfully good story that looks at grief and psychological trauma while also delivering some pretty good scares. I was happily turning the pages and arguing with myself about whether what was occurring could be paranormal or the products of troubled minds late into the night when reading the book.

Unfortunately, when it came to the ending, I have to admit to feeling a little left out in the cold. Sticking the landing in these kind of thrillers is so tough, and I felt like Let Him In *just* missed the mark. It might just be my own personal taste, but I can't deny wishing the ending played out differently.

Well worth a read, but go into it knowing you might not agree with where you wind up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me an eARC of 'Let Him In' in exchange for an honest review. That being said, my honest review is that this book is pretty incredible! It is a brilliantly written exploration of grief, trauma, parent-child relationships, and the specters that hang over the people left behind. It does act as a bit of a slow burn, with tension that builds throughout the smallest bits and pieces of the book and comes together well towards the end. In my eyes, this is not a bad thing, though I know this style is not for everyone! I commend William Friend for putting such clear care into the way the tension is built. That being said, as I read this book, I think I started mostly feeling sad instead of scared or unsettled. Towards the end, there was a bit more of this unsettling feeling, but throughout a lot of it, the family and grief story is written so well that it the horror can struggle to come through at times. I think that this book is absolutely worth a read for anyone interested in the themes of grief, loss, death, and familial relationships and absolutely worth a read for horror fans in general.

This was an overall great book. Kept me on the edge of my seat for about 98% of the time!! It really sucked you in and made you believe in the monster. But, the ending fell flat. I let out a sigh of disappointment when I realized that was the end of the book.