Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

With that cover, I really wanted to love this book more than I actually did. It seems to me the author had potential and a lot more to say, but wasn't able to complete it as it was all over the place. Grief, loss, and family issues tied together to make a story that feel left undone and unfinished to me. The book was a decent short read, but left a lot to be desired in my opinion.

I read this book and finished earlier today, but I can barely remember the details. I don’t think that’s because the author had a bad idea; I think it was because he had a bit of a difficult time pulling it all together.

Of course, I remember the big things that happened such as Black Mambo. It would have been helpful to learn a bit more about the “religion” (cult) that the older twins had been exposed to. It also would have been better if things hadn’t turned off in a snap, too.

All in all, I enjoyed this book, but only to a point.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Following the tragic loss of his wife, Alfie is left feeling disoriented, desperately attempting to support his twin daughters who have become fixated on a mysterious imaginary friend - Black Mamba...

This book is hauntingly dark; riddled with roots of grief and loss. I loved the characters, and really felt the raw emotion the family go through after loosing the woman that holds them all together.

This is a really eerie read. It doesn't have a lot of gore, and isn't a fast paced horror, but thats what makes it a gem. There's something about a figure lurking in the darkness, always just out if sight, which will forever chill me to the core. I always find the best horror movies are the ones where you never fully see the monster, and this book does that perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poison Pen Press, and William Friend for a ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really can't wait to see more from this author!

I am so thankful that my child is older and past the imaginary friend stage because this book gave me absolute chills! I loved how the author made us wait for clues, all the while giving us this sad backstory and scaring us left and right. Great book for spooky season!!

A creepy suspense novel surrounding a recently widowed father and his twin daughters... who just happen to live in a creepy old house where history tends to repeat itself.

The good:
- The precise: twins, folie e deux, aunt that lives in a church and is kind of cryptic, but maybe it's dementia.
- development of the twins and Alfie

The not so good:
- The ending. No spoilers, but it felt unsatisfying. For example, Marian - why and what does it mean?
- It just felt a little underdeveloped overall. I often found myself asking why, thinking it would unravel and make sense later, and then it didn't. Or it was kind of, but not in a way that made it feel worth it.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC! I had no idea what this book was going to end up being, but wow. I had goose bumps 90% of the time. There were times I was confused by the storyline, but otherwise a good book!

Warning: don't read this at night if you're prone to nightmares!

I feel like I'm left with some questions, but I also don't want to know the answers! This book was so creepy! Twin children in a horror story are automatically a little eerie, then add in "a man in my room", a possibly cursed home, and a crazy old lady, and you've created one terrifying story! I wouldn't be mad if this became a movie....it is unlike anything else! The author is very talented!

I'm so thankful to be chosen as an arc reader for this masterpiece by William Friend, published by Poisoned Pen Press, and gifted through Net Galley.

First I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to read this book in advance. I love the cover of the book; it gives creepy spooky vibes. The synopsis of this book is spooky...that's where the spookiness ends. This could have been a great book; a spooky, creepy book. The author hints at Pippa's parents' mysterious past, possibly messing with the occult. But the author doesn't go into any details. The author hints that Pippa's and Julia's parents moved to that particular house for a reason; something dark happened in the past. But the author doesn't go into any details. There is a mysterious "friend" but we never really find out from where he came, or why he is there. This book had so much potential but unfortunately, in my opinion, fell flat. I did like the ending; although it was pretty predictable.

I enjoyed this book but thought from the cover and description that it would be more intense. The ending was anti-climactic and abrupt.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great psychological thriller! Alfie is raising two twin girls who end up seeing a man in their room. We get to read different representations of guilt and grief which made the characters more relatable. I really enjoyed the characters and the writing style of this book.

This was a nice quick read. I would definitely recommend this book! Thank you NetGalley, William and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

A single POV would have made this horror novel great, but it is still very good, I think I read to many of them now and am looking for something totally original.

Alfie Hart is dealing with the grief of losing his wife and mother of their twin daughters when an imaginary friend complicates matters further. We are led down a path of atmospheric horror and suspense from the beginning. As in all true “Horror Stories”, sometimes the scariest thing is human nature. Alfie’s grief is complicated by his drinking and unintentional neglect of the children. We are also introduced to his mother in law and her overbearing nature. Julia, the deceased’s sister, is a therapist and tries to help the girls as they become more reliant upon “Black Mamba”. Is “Black Mamba” a figure of their imagination; a tool to cope with grief; or worse a sinister spirit that is tearing the family apart? This novel is great until the end. I feel like there is a real lack of resolution for the parties involved. I feel like this was a great novel for Friend’s first and I think there will be more to follow. At the end of the day, I would still recommend reading this, but know the end is a little lackluster.

If you love a slow building, unsettling and gothic story, this book is right up your alley.
What a debut! I love spooky children in stories and the twins in this book did not disappoint. This book takes creepy imaginary friends to another level, and it in some ways reminded me of “The Whisper Man” by Alex North.
I’m rarely scared when reading a book, but this one definitely gave me goosebumps towards the end, and that ending??? Do yourself a favor and pick this book up.
A big thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and the author, William Friend for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Alfie is a newly widowed father to twin daughters. One night the twins wake him up to tell him “Daddy there’s a man in our room”. Turns out this is the twins new imaginary friend, Black mamba. At first this seems like a normal coping mechanism, but soon things get more sinister. Alfie enlists the help of his late wife’s twin, a psychiatrist to help him out. There was a lot of potential in this book and I would be interested in reading William Friend’s new book. The book incorporated a lot of the horror tropes that I enjoy: twins, imaginary friends, creepy houses with dark past and psychological vs supernatural. I do feel like some of the plot points didn’t come together, and that it was rushed in the end. But nevertheless this will be a good read for any horror reads this October. Thank you so much for NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a fair review

𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸.

Okay, so who do we have here in this Book? Let's mention the most important ones.

-Alfie Marvell is a young, newly widowed father living with his 'non-identical' twin Daughters Cassia & Sylvie at Hart House, No. 4 Allington Square, London.
-His late wife, Pippa, was an 'identical' Twin. It is something passed on from her mother's side of the family.
-His sister-in-law is Julia Harris a Psychotherapist and his mother-in-law is the religious Marian Harris.

Alfie and his girls live in an old gothic house across from Peter's Park, life has changed since the passing of his young wife. One night his daughters wake him and tell Alfie about their new guest.

At first he thinks nothing of it, but after some pondering a helpless Alfie asks for their Aunt's advice. Through her expertise Julia should be able to help the girls, right?
But what if the children do not need her kind of help?

And how exatly might "A Church of Christ", the congregation of which the Harris family is part of, help the children?

¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦ · ¦ ߹ ¦

Let me preface this by saying, WOW!
If this is William Friend's debut? Well done!!

I have always been wary of twins, even though we have a few on my father's side of the Family. So this was a nice element in the Book.

The writing was <s>nearly</s> perfectly wel-diddly-ell diddily ding dong done!

About half the time I didn't know if I was reading a psycho-thriller or suspense… OR if this was after all a horror story.
Don't get me wrong, the Book was awesome! It was just the right amount of creepy and eerie at moments.
Quite the way I like it.

Friend did an amazing job of making me mistrust my own conclussions while reading. <spoiler>IS Back Mamba real or not?
Are the Twins just going crazy after their mother died?
Is Hart House safe or should they get out of it asap?
OR is it just that Alfie and his Girls need counselling to overcome the grieve?</spoiler>

The End had me feeling light headed and in love with this Book! The characters were quite human and step by step most of them did show us, that they were not as flawless as they might have seemed at the beginning.

𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝗴𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫… 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠!

I want to first appreciate the art on the cover. It really enticed me and also it is so creative, so huge shoutout to the cover designer. Now onto the book, I really liked the way the author showed how grief affects us all differently. The book setting did give me the chills and I liked that the book was set to release in October just in time for Halloween. Personally, I found the pace a bit odd. It was slow at times and then would suddenly speed up making it a bit choppy. I did find out that this was a debut novel so that made me excited for the author's future works. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

Title: A Promising Thriller with Room for Improvement: "Let Him In" by William Friend

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review:

"Let Him In" by William Friend is a psychological thriller that presents an intriguing premise and explores the depths of human darkness. While the novel had its gripping moments, it fell short of fully capturing my attention and left me wanting more.

The story follows a complex protagonist, and Friend's writing effectively conveys the protagonist's inner turmoil and descent into obsession. The psychological elements were well-crafted, adding depth to the narrative and creating an atmosphere of suspense.

However, the pacing of the book felt uneven at times. Some sections dragged on, while others rushed through crucial plot points, leaving me wanting a more balanced and consistent flow. Additionally, certain aspects of the story could have been further developed and explored to enhance the overall depth and impact.

While the characterization showed potential, I struggled to fully connect with the characters on an emotional level. The motivations and actions of some individuals felt lacking in depth and believability. I yearned for more complexity and nuance in their development to fully invest in their journeys.

Despite its flaws, "Let Him In" offers a glimpse into the darker aspects of the human psyche and the destructive power of obsession. The exploration of psychological themes adds depth to the story, and there were moments of genuine suspense that kept me engaged.

I would recommend "Let Him In" to readers who enjoy psychological thrillers and are intrigued by narratives that delve into the complexities of the human mind. William Friend's novel offers a promising premise, although it may leave some readers wanting a more refined execution.

Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher for this opportunity.

#BookReview #LetHimIn #WilliamFriend #PsychologicalThriller #ThrillerReads #NetgalleyARC #Netgalley

THE TENSION. The creep factor in this book was incredible and the way the tension built up was impeccable,

I did find this one a little bit on the slower side (but that may have been more of a me issue rather than a book issue) but still enjoyed the story. This would make a perfect spooky season read. The atmosphere throughout the book sets the perfect tone for a hot cup of tea, a cozy blanket and maybe a thunderstorm on a chilly fall evening,

Will definitely be recommending this one to fellow horror readers!

3.5/5

I think feedback has to be in tonight and I didn’t have time today to write a whole review.

However-
I REALLY enjoyed this. Novella length but none of the writing was for the sake of the length. It was a lovely, original haunted house story kind of like Haunting of Hill House or The Shining.

The characters of Alfie and Julia are both strong and fully fledged. The twin girls were described so creepily as if they’d been creepy dolls.

I could see this made into a film or miniseries and it could be very popular. The ending where the reader really doesn’t know if Alfie is really Black Mamba is so well done that I was really 50/50 on that issue.

I really hope the author goes on writing because I’m quite a fan.

After reading 'Black Mamba' late last year, I was very excited to see another book by William Friend. Unfortunately, I realised that this is the same book but published under a different title. But all the same, I absolutely adored the story when I first read it and will definitely be reading anything else William Friend writes! My original review for Black Mamba is as follows:

Beautiful slow build of unease and terror, absolutely gripping read. The focus on family and intergenerational trauma tied in with the presence of Black Mamba was brilliant. All round fantastic as a horror novel that relies on growing dread rather than cheap scares.

I'm not sure why they changed the title but I must admit, I like the updated cover a lot!