I struggled with this book to the point that I could not finish it. There were times I was very interested and other times it felt like a chore, and by the time I put it down I felt like I had no resolution for anything and couldn’t wait to read something else. I was excited and I will try again in the future to pick this up again.

A husband drinks himself into depression.Twin daughters create illusions. A twin sister chooses avoidance. And a Grandmother looks to spirituality. Everyone handles their grief a bit differently but when they all collide together, floors will split and doors will open to let him in.

Well This was a completely pleasant surprise.

Now don't get me wrong this might be a bit of a polarizing read but i absolutely loved every minute of it.

Chalked full of numerous instances of grief from loss of loved ones. Really showcasing how everyone can handle such hard and heavy times differently.

It's dark. It's demented. It's deep. But what I loved most about it was it's ambiguity. For real that ending left me questioning absolutely everything. Reality and illusions blurring together really sets you up with an unknowing that will leave you feeling some sort of uneasiness.

Seriously, was Black Mamba real or not?!? William you gotta tell me, I need to know.

And I absolutely adored the twin bond represented. Being a mother to twin boys myself,some scenes really hit home for me. And after reading this I'm so glad my boys never had imaginary friends.

Read if you don't mind:
•creepy kids
•imaginary friends
•supernatural
•twins
•high creep factor
•grief horror
•domestic horror
•shadows
•things that go bump in the night

A huge thank you to William Friend poisonedpenpress and netgalley for the free copy of Let Him In. I will defenitly be sleeping with one eye open tonight

Definitely enjoyed this, great read. Will be recommending to friends more than students, but overall good.

A creepy gothic type tale of twins, generational family home, and the imaginary.
Alfie and his small family struggle with the grief of an unexpected death of his wife and mother of his twins. Whom was also a twin.
Interesting play on twins sharing the same vision and dominance.
Last quater of the book theories start to unravel.
Well written and captivating.

This book had a great creepy ghost feel but also a bit cheesy..? Black Mamba made me laugh out loud with the name. The cover had me elated with how haunting it looked and I had high hopes on that alone, but sadly this one just didn’t hit for me.

"Let Him In" by William Friend delves into the chilling tale of Alfie, a young widowed father struggling to raise his twin daughters, who have become fixated on an imaginary friend.

Haunted by grief following the unexpected death of their mother, Pippa, Alfie is no stranger to the struggles of single parenthood. When his daughters begin to speak of a shadowy figure in their room, Alfie initially dismisses it as childhood imagination. However, as their obsession with this unseen presence grows, Alfie becomes increasingly alarmed.

Seeking help from Julia, Pippa's sister and a psychiatrist, Alfie hopes to rid his daughters of this malevolent force. But as strange occurrences escalate and Alfie himself is plagued by disturbing visions, he realizes that the situation is far more sinister than he ever imagined.

As the line between reality and imagination blurs, Alfie is forced to confront his own demons and the dark secrets of Hart House, where he and his daughters reside. With tension mounting and dark consequences looming, Alfie must unravel the mystery of the malevolent entity before it's too late.

"Let Him In" is a gripping psychological suspense that delves into themes of grief, family secrets, and the boundaries of reality. William Friend's haunting debut is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

👻🐍Book Review:
Title: Let Him In
Author: William Friend
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

I really wanted to love this one. I desperately need a terrifying book to read that will keep me up at night! The cover pulled me in, and I was looking forward to having my socks scared off. Alas, that was not the outcome of this book. I think it lost me at "Black Mamba."

Alfie has recently lost his wife, Pippa, the mother to his twin daughters, Sylvie and Cassia. Nine months after her passing, the twins start to have nightmares about a man being in their bedroom. Quickly, the girls begin to treat this invisible man as an imaginary friend and also seem to prefer him over their own father. They say his name is the Black Mamba and describe him as a snake.

Alfie reaches out to his sister-in-law, Julia, who is Pippa's twin. She is a practicing psychologist who seems to have her own past with this imaginary man. Julia and Pippa grew up in the same home, the Hart House. So the question remains: Is Black Mamba really haunting this home and this family?

Published: October 3rd, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This book was creepy! I wasn't sure if this was going to be YA horror or adult. I think it is a good mix of both. You might need a night light but not need to sleep with the lights on, ya know what I mean?
The mom passes away and we don’t know why until later on in the book. That question kept swirling around in my mind. I was thinking maybe if I knew the answer to that question then I’d know why the twin girls were seeing Black Mamba. Now that we’re talking about Black Mamba, y’all he kinda creeped me out. All the different forms he was able to take on for the girls was interesting to me.
All the creepy behaviors from the girls and the creepy events …. I LOVED IT! I liked the ending the best. That last little bit….made me think. Were the girls kidding or…is Black Mamba still around??

Will be on IG ASAP!

Only thing I can say is this book had you guessing all the way up to the end. Spooky vibes and family drama don’t always work, but when it does man oh man its very intriguing and interesting.

Don't read this one at night. This story had an equal amount of spine tingles and shivers to match with a story that you can't quite put down. The characters had some depth to them and the concern for the daughters was great. Unreliable narrators are not always my thing, but I think this story lends its hand to having the narrator make you question things. The ending left me with a few too many questions, but overall a great read for spooky season.

This book was spooky, creepy, and intriguing. Not for those who are easily flustered or scared, but a good read! I was a little let down by the ending, but not enough to hurt my overall enjoyment. I think this was well written and well paced.

I was really looking forward to reading this book and throughout the majority, I was not disappointed. It was spooky, well written and left me wanting more. The storyline was intriguing and had me gripped from the start. Unfortunately, for me, the ending vastly let down the story and I felt cheated and disappointed.

Okay but I do love a good gothic thriller that explores family grief and relationships and has a prominent sister relationship (aka we have always lived in the castle)

Let Him In is a nice blend of psychological/domestic thriller, horror, and paranormal with creepy twins. What more could you want? How about a gothic house overflowing with guilt and grief? If you like movies like The Shining or The Babadook, and atmospheric novels like Catriona Ward or Jennifer McMahon, this is a highly suggested novel for you. I’ll be looking out for more from this author.

Let Him In by William Friend - My Goodreads review reads as follows "Giiirrrllll you got knocked up by a demon 🤭" and I think I'm going to leave it at that. 

•Thank you to @poisonedpenpress

It took a moment to put this story together and wrap my head around what was going on. Books that start after a significant event require a lot more attention to detail. Well written, with a tad bit predicable .ending.

Sadly, I didn’t love this book. It was okay but I just didn’t get the chills I was hoping for and was a bit slow paced for me.

I was hooked from the very beginning "This morning, I heard the name Black Mamba for the first time.." ! This chilling horror novel follows Alfie, a widower, trying to raise his twin daughters after the loss of their mother Pippa. One night, the twins wake Alfie claiming a man was in their bedroom - evolving to an imaginary friend named Black Mamba. However, as the girls become obsessing over Black Mamba, Alfie enlists Julia, Alfie's late wife's twin sister, to help him determine if his daughters are acting out, or if there is something more sinister occurring in their home.

William Friend wrote an engaging, suspenseful, and creepy debut novel. It is a must read!

4 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, William Friend, and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beautifully written suspense horror about the mysterious legacies of Hart House, occupied by recently widowed Alfie and his twin daughters. Shackled with grief, and concerned for his daughters hyperactive imagination about a mysterious figure in the house called "Black Mamba", Alfie employs the help of his sister in law Julia(also a twin), who reluctantly uses her psychotherapy skills to help the twins.

Told through a two person POV. Let Him In encases a chilling tone throughout its slow build suspense. Hart House toys with its inhabitants by skirting a fine line between the supernatural and grief-stricken symptoms of reality.

For a debut, I really enjoyed this. It lulled me in the middle but then kept surprising me. Secrets kept rising to the surface. The family's own strange rituals came to light. The ending mesmerised me, and felt satisfying all the same. Chilling.

I got this book for free, in exchange for my honest opinion via NetGalley.

I'm a sucker for a great cover, and this one was incredible. Let Him In is an explosive debut from William Friend.

A grieving father left to raise his 6 year old twins is struggling to cope. One night, he finds his girls standing at the foot of his be. Naturally, upon looking, he finds no man anywhere in their house. Yet the girls remain convinced they saw him.

Alfie thinks the girls are suffering from night terrors due from losing their mother. However, after several months the girls stop waking up in the middle of the nigh, which Alfie thinks is a good thing. That is, until he realises the girls entertaining their nighttime guest. They refer to their new friend as, The Black Mamba, who is able to shape shift and takes them on wild adventures at night. Alfie then recruits his sister-in-law, who happens to be a psychotherapist. And they make a plan to figure out what is actually haunting the girls.

This book is a fast and fun read, and it's a fantastic debut novel. There's something about children in thrillers that creep me out. Then throw in the fact that they're twins with a creep imaginary friend? Yes, please! This is an absolutely chilling book that preys upon grief and tragedy.

The ending wasn't quite what I was expecting but I didn't feel let down either. All in all, this was a pretty good read for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Friend for allowing me to review! As always, my review is my own opinion and thoughts. This review will be shared to my Instagram @fictionluxblog shortly.