I am "rattled." This was such a great read. The beginning felt a little slow, and I was very impatient wanting to know what was going on. But now that I have finished it, I am happy about the build-up. At first, it reminded me of Paranormal Activity; having read the whole story, this is one unique and unmatched piece of work. One of a kind psychological/folk horror. Shall I say...a folie à deux between the author and his reader.

The author made sure that no question was left unanswered. By the end, I could see what was coming, and after some time, I put together the whole plot--or at least the interpretation created by my imagination. And let me tell you...it is disturbing, in a fun way (if you like the genre). While reading the book, I felt a whole range of emotions--from curious to creeped out. The end of the book left me speechless...like the whole thing had been meticulously planned all along by two characters that we will deem to be innocent simply by their nature. But once you have finished reading and think back to the history of Hart House, you'll start connecting the dots. It's a puzzle waiting to be solved.

If you're looking for a light read that will make you laugh, this book isn't it. This book is perfect for horror and mystery fans like myself, who will find themselves unable to put it down two hours past bedtime. And then, maybe, you'll wake up extra early because you want to get some more in before going to work. If this gets turned into a movie--which it should--I'll be in line for the first showtime.

I LOVED this book and would be giving it more than 5 stars if I could! I admit I decided to read it because of the original and creative jacket cover. I don't usually read this genre of book but I am so glad I did.

It is a psychological thriller written beautifully, that has twists and turns in every chapter. It had a touch of the paranormal which kept me on the edge of my seat wanting more. I don’t want to give away anything other than saying it has all the elements of making this a potentially “Best Book of the Year”!

Thank you NetGalley, Publisher and William Friend, for allowing me to review this book.

Let Him In by William Friend
Publishing Date - 10/03/23
Rating (4/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for accepting my request to read this arc. This is a great debut! I read this one in one sitting this afternoon. A great read on this dreary rainy day! A haunting story that slowly builds suspense. If you love spooky, gothic, paranormal, suspenseful thrillers than this one is for you!

Let him in was truly chilling. The mystery behind the black mamba and twins was very daunting at times but entertaining. Overall great read. Thank you NetGalley

Listen, as a twin mom with an old house- this is way too creepy!
I had to take a lot of breaks to remind myself that I am not in the story and Black Mamba is not in my house.
My twins are a different kind of creepy, thank the lord, but twins can be spooky in general.

Thanks for the endless nightmares. I may never recover.

Alfie's twin daughters are grieving after their mother passes away, and their Aunt Julia tries to help. But so does their new imaginary friend.

I absolutely loved the writing style of this author! The descriptions really spoke to me. Overall, I did enjoy the book, but it was a bit repetitive and slow at times, while giving erroneous details and skipping parts of the story at others. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Let Him In
William Friend
☆☆☆☆
Releases 10/03/2023

A newly widowed father, Alfie finds struggles in raising his twin daughters. Especially when they start talking of an imaginary friend who has influence well outside of their imaginations. Living in a house with a history, is this new "friend" as made up as Alfie believes?

Let Him In is a creepy thriller with a slow build. Black Mamba was fantastically written, never letting you get quite comfortable as you progress through the story. While the ending seemed a bit rushed and left some questions unanswered, I still found that I enjoyed the entire ride.

#readandreview #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #thriller
#williamfriend #lethimin

"Let Him In" by William Friend follows the journey of single dad Alfie and his 8 year old twin daughters, Cassia and Sylvie.
After the death of his wife, the twin's mother, Alfie seeks help from Julia (his wife's twin) who is a psychologist to help him with the girls and their invented (?) friend Black Mamba. From there the story builds with a dark dread usually felt during nightmares, not from reading.
Friend builds tension throughout the novel that kept me on the edge of my seat!.
Friendship, redemption, and forgiveness are interwoven within the narrative, giving the story strong emotional resonance that left me contemplating the significance of these themes long after I had finished the book.

"Daddy there's is a man in our room" is what Alfie hears his twin daughters say when they awaken him one night. He assures them after checking each room that it was just a nightmare. This leads to them complaining nightly of the same for some time but Alfie attributes this to be part of their grieving process after losing their mother.
Nine months ago their mother Pippa died suddenly and unexpectedly at their home Hart House. When the twins start to call this "man" Black Mamba and claim he can change his shape, he calls his wife's sister and twin, Julia for help.
As thie children's attitudes and explanations of what is going on in the house continue to increase, Alfie and Julia know they must do something to save the girls and themselves. A fast and riving read.

maginary Friend or Manipulative Demon?
What seemed to be an innocent game at first turned evil very quickly. Sylvie and Cassia make friends with a shapeshifting ghost who their dad cannot see 9 months after their mother passed away. This book tells a story of how the demon manipulated two twin girls to gain control of their entire household in order to bring them all to his “home” through the red door with the white cross. William Friend tells a spooky story here of innocence to evil.

I enjoyed this at first, then after about the first 1/3 felt there was too much repetitiveness, dragging out events and dialogues. I spent a good portion confused and thinking wtf is going on?? However- there was a ton of symbolism that was very smartly done and that I picked up on over time. The end of the book felt a bit rushed, but I did enjoy the ending. I feel like I’ll be a book I think a lot about going forward, lots to digest and break down. Very interesting read, lots of mixed feelings

First a thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for give me early access for review.

I don’t really know what to say when it comes to this book, I think that the premise is super interesting however it didn’t really live up to it. Nothing really feels all that explained at the end, feels very unfinished. It also kinda feels like nothing really happens in it and none of the revels really had any emotional weight.

The characters are very one dimensional and they seem to lack clear motive.

There is though pieces of a really great story, the religion aspect seemed super cool and I definitely wish it was expanded on more. I also think that though the characters were kinda bland they had some promise. A lot of potential that just wasn’t reached for me.

Let's start with the cover. It definitely gives creepy vibes to draw you in. Based on that alone, I was drawn and had high hopes for this short paranormal book. However, what I expected and what I was given was a bit of a stretch. The reading journey honestly felt forced and often disconnected or nonsensical. I mean I loved the characters, I could connect with each of them on an emotional level and their descriptions were great. But, I think the story could have been extended a bit to build a better world around the characters and the history behind the story. I don't want to give anything away so I will just say the shadowy entity, its name and storyline around the house regarding it didn't feel like it made sense compared to the cover photo and title once I finished the book. The creepy twin girls were haunting enough to carry me though. After-all, when twin daughters wake you in the middle of the night saying "there's a shadowy man in our room", you are bound to feel the heebie-jeebies and I did. I just feel there was so much more I wanted. I think this is a great short read and I would completely recommend it regardless of my dissatisfaction, because I could be wrong and others may absolutely enjoy it more than myself. If you are like me and love all things paranormal, I feel safe encouraging you to read it. I also would encourage this author to give it another go, as I bet there's a great darkness he could dive into and his imagination seems to beckon out for exploration. I'd welcome the opportunity to read more of his work. Overall, the book was an emotional rollercoaster that evoked the imagination. Without a doubt, I would have no regrets rating it a solid 4.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and William Friend for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Let Him In by William Friend is a thriller/horror novel that follows Alfie, a young, widowed father of twins, as he navigates life after losing his wife (and mother of their children) only to gain someone… something… far more sinister.

This book is told from our two main characters POV, switching each chapter which I personally enjoy! Everything flows nicely, and in my opinion, is well-written. Friend makes you think a bit harder than an “easy” read would, without being too challenging or complex.. There is religious talk, which was honesty confusing at times (especially if you don’t have prior knowledge) but it is essential to the storyline. Even if you don’t have a religious background I doubt you’d have a problem.

There was a couple times that the writing felt repetitive and dragged for a bit, but I was still eager to finish the story. It was a good spook. I had to put my kindle down a couple times because I was reading in the dark and got started getting scared lol!

The characters are nicely developed, I grew quite attached to them. They’re so well written too, especially Black Mamba. I thoroughly enjoyed their progression- most notably the twins. It feels like we got to see them mature/ find themselves in the midst of grieving their mother, while going normal pre-pubescent changes, & on top of that, dealing with a “friend” that refuses to leave.

I wish we were given more of a set-ending, I have so many questions! Where/ what’s the rattle from? Which daughter actually saw Black Mamba first? Did Alfie end up making the connection to Pippa’s painting? What happened next?! I would have liked if Friend went into more detail about the religious aspects/ connection to the house as well as a few other blurry details.. I also would have loved to know more about Pippa and Julia’s strange childhood.

All in all, this is novel worth reading! I would love to see a movie adaptation of this book, I could easily visualize it as I read! Don’t go into it thinking this is the type of horror to genuinely terrify you, but it is perfectly spooky. With the use of children (twins at that), and a threatening imaginary friend, it’s a very unsettling read! Amazing for Halloween!

Stay tuned, “Let Him In” releases October 3rd, 2023!

A big thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me access to an advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review!

Alfie and his twin girls are learning to navigate life after his wife/twins' mom, Pippa, has passed away. Alfie reaches out to his sister-in-law, Julia, who is a therapist to help the girls learn to cope. As Julia steps in to help the girls, it seems as though the past is repeating itself within the halls of the home.

The book was pretty slow and never sped up for me. I continued to read as I was interested in the characters and the story line, but it drug on. It leaves you questioning what actually happened, but I'm satisfied with the ending.

The author did an excellent job creating characters that you become invested in. The descriptions help to paint images in your mind of what the author intended characters to be like.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Let Him In by William Friend from Poisoned Pen Press/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

This book put me in mind of Aleister Crowley. (Not in _the_ mind of, though. Perish the thought.)

If you don’t know of whom I speak, then skip reading Let Him In by William Friend and instead spend some time reading about England’s Own Occultist. Here’s a link to a serviceable overview: https://allthatsinteresting.com/aleis...

If you are familiar with Himself to any degree past the whole Led Zeppelin/Boleskine House connection, then this book will probably feel to you like it did to me.

Derivative.

C'est la vie.

DESCRIPTION
“Great fun...the suspense slips its slow coils around you.” —Daily Mail

William Friend’s haunting debut Let Him In is a creeping, gothic psychological suspense about a young, newly widowed father struggling to raise twin daughters obsessed with an imaginary friend.

“Daddy, there’s a man in our room...”

Alfie wakes one night to find his twin daughters at the foot of his bed, claiming there’s a shadowy figure in their bedroom. When no such thing can be found, he assumes the girls had a nightmare.
He isn’t surprised that they’re troubled. Grief has made its home at Hart House: nine months ago, the twins’ mother Pippa died unexpectedly, leaving Alfie to raise them alone. And now, when the girls mention a new imaginary friend, it seems like a harmless coping mechanism. But the situation quickly develops into something more insidious. The girls set an extra place for him at the table. They whisper to him. They say he’s going to take them away…

Alfie calls upon Julia—Pippa’s sister and a psychiatrist—to oust the malignant tenant from their lives. But as Alfie himself is haunted by visions and someone watches him at night, he begins to question the true character of the force that has poisoned his daughters’ minds, with dark and violent consequences.

Whatever this “friend” is, he doesn’t want to leave. 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.

After Alfie’s wife dies, he needs to raise his twin, seven-year-old girls. One night they appear at his bedside saying a man was in their room. After a thorough search, no one is found. Eventually, the girls no longer talk about the man in their room.

But then something far worse shows up. Black Mamba.

At first, he seems harmless but the twins' behavior starts to change and Alfie reaches out to his wife’s twin sister Julia, a family therapist, for help.
Friend nails the creepy twin vibe. The story switches between Alfie's and Julia’s points of view with many descriptions of the girls' behavior. There aren’t any big “jump scares” but a low level of anxiety weaved throughout.

Where this book falls short is in figuring out what type of story it is. The author wants to make it religious, supernatural, and psychological and it is too much. He touches on all three but never delves deep enough into any of them to make the ending satisfying. Instead, I was left with questions.

Overall, Let Him In is a decent horror book. There is an underlying creepiness throughout. It is a little slower moving than some but Friend really builds the anxiety. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a more slow burn or creepy twin story.

A very creepy slow burn and atmospheric story of a grieving widower and his sister-in-law trying to make sense of death, not only for themselves, but also for his young twin daughters. Have the children created an imaginary friend to help them cope, or is it something far more sinister? At the peak of the slow burn build that keeps you guessing and doesn't let you go, you spiral violently downward through absolute dread. The ending is not what it seems, but is family, loss, or love ever what they seem?

I highly recommend this book. I always hear reviewers say that a book scared them, but I've read a lot of horror and have yet to be outwardly scared. I finished this book late last night in bed in the dark. In the gripping spiral of dread towards the end, my dog sneezed and I absolutely jumped out of my skin. So, hats off to the author for giving me an actual jump scare.

Let Him In grabs your attention from the start with just the right amount of “spookiness” to it. Good read that plays with your mind and makes you keep guessing is “he” an imagination or is “he” real. A great debut for William Friend.

Thank you to Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and William Friend for my ARC I’m exchange for an honest review.

From the description to the cover, I was extremely excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book. This debut novel combines my absolute favorite things in the horror realm: spooky twins, imaginary friends, and haunted houses! It had me hooked in from the start and I felt drawn to the grief storyline as it unfolded. After all, being awoken in the middle of the night by a child is frightful enough... but if it's not your child... Highly recommend Let Him In and cannot wait for more from this author.