Thank you Netgalley for getting me this ARC copy of 'Let Him In'.

I will start by saying the cover of this book is *chefs kiss* It drew me to the book in the first place. First glance, it looks like a scary face but if you look closer you can see the picture within the picture.

I absolutely love the separate POV's, it makes the story go more in depth. I am not usually into horror books but after this one I think that is going to change. This was nicely written, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and still keeps you guessing. Would recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the digital ARC.

Release Date October 3rd

After the death of Alfie’s wife, their twin girls, Sylvia and Cassia, begin waking at night to what they think is a man in their bedroom. Alfie, suspecting this is a symptom the stress of the trauma they have endured comforts them and over some time the girls begin sleeping through the night again. When the twins inform Alfie of their new (imaginary) friend, Black Mamba, he again suspects the trauma plays a role in its appearance until Alfie begins to wonder if Black Mamba isn’t so imaginary after all.

Told from two perspectives, Alfie’s and his sister-in-law, Julia, Let Him In is a slow burn story heavy with the atmosphere of grief, guilt, and mystery leaving the reader often feeling as confused and uncertain as Alfie.

I really enjoyed this novel, though it is quite slow in pacing and won’t be for everyone. It can feel confusing at times but overall the book hit the spot for me and was left feeling uneasy when I was done.

When I saw the cover of this book, it instantly drew me in. I then read the synopsis and was very intrigued by the premise. The book is a slow burn but there are also some bug OMG moments which make the journey worth it. IT can get a bit confusing at times but just keep reading and it will come together. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend to others. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was an excellent read. It was very creepy with the twins talking about the Black Mamba/man that was constantly in their rooms, but no one else can see or hear him but them. It is like a slow dive into madness. There are many twists and turns. The ending was a total surprise when you realize what has happened.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Very creepy atmospheric book. Slow burn. A take to keep you reading deep into the night, with the light on!

Book : Let Him In
Author : William Friend

Thanks so much Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advance read in exchange for this review!

Let’s start with the cover! What an amazing cover. Spooky, creepy and mysterious.

This book has dual POV and is a slow burn horror which is what I love!!! I love when a book brings in those creepy vibes. The writing was superb and the characters had amazing dialogue and connection. I kept turning the pages trying to guess what was going to happen next with the characters.

I sat and read this book through and could not set it down. Gave me goosebumps to the very end. Solid four stars from me!This book is a must read should be on everybody’s TBR.

Alfie is recently widowed with two twin daughters. What makes that trauma worse is the twins are now seeing someone in their room called Black Mamba. Alfie enlists his sister in law who is a psychologist and also a was a twin to his late wife to figure out what is going on with his girls. Is it psychological or is it supernatural?

This had an interesting premise but don't think it was executed in a way that made sense for me. Supernatural, psychological or religion? I'm not sure which way to go or where the author wanted us to determine the final outcome. I still don't know what was the resolution of the plot....super confused. Maybe that was the intention or maybe I just missed what was intended. This is a hard one to review as I felt it had a solid story but I was lost on the ending.

I liked the creepy factor of Black Mamba and the twins were written perfectly. There was also a tad of history thrown in that totally had my attention but felt it was too quickly thrown in and not further flushed out. Would have liked to see more of that. This was a short book so maybe if it was longer the history of both Hart House and the family would have worked better and had me more immersed

Overall my rating was 2.5 because I may have missed what the author was trying to convey but jumped to 3 because the twins were written perfectly and had potential

Thanks to Netalley, author and publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and author William Friend for the ARC!

The first thing that pulled me in was the cover! It’s so creepy and sets the mood in a great way! The story has a Inception vibe to it that I really enjoyed. The characters kind of exist in the bubble of the story and I found it a bit hard to understand them because of it. We learn snippets about them, snippets that help move the story forwards. For me there was just something missing, something I can’t put my finger on. But that also added to the story. Maybe I just wanted to know a bit more from/about them.

I really liked the book and would recommend it, and I would read other books by the author at a later time.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. I absolutely was eating this book up, I don't know if I've been so invested in a psychological thriller, that I've read as fast as I did this book. I loved the atmosphere, the moments that had me looking around my room when it was dark, and the characters. It felt like I was watching a very good thriller movie. Absolutely loved every moment. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Shout out to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story centers around a Father and his young twin daughters. They're attempting to live their lives after the death of their wife/ mother. The twins begin acting strangely and claim to be seeing and communicating with a man (?) That they call " Black Mamba ".

The premise of the story is solid and the story itself was very readable, but ultimately fell a little flat for my tastes. There seemed to be so much opportunity for additional character development. I would've loved to have seen a more focused approach to the narration....to really get inside the head of one character. I really wish this had been longer. I wanted to better understand the motivation of the characters and therefore feel invested in their plight.

I would certainly read more from this author as I saw true potential in this debut.

Very interesting, I was looking for a good scare and I got it reading Let Him In. It clipped along and I thought the layout of the different points of view really added to the disorienting vibe as it went on. It kept me guessing and suspecting what would happen and didn't spoon feed the ending. I also enjoyed wondering at times about the narration and if it was going down the unreliable narrator route. I'd reach for another book from William Friend in the future, I'm sure of it.

So creepiest book I’ve read, by far. This one will keep me up at night for sure. Similar to Alex North writing style, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good creepy read.

The amazing cover on this book immediately drew me in. Viewed close up, it's an innocuous view of people under some trees, but from far away, yikes! Very creative.
This is not a scary book, but disturbing. It alludes to the horror within the house and creeps up and settles under your skin. The house has a history with other suspicious events occuring there in the past.
It starts out with twin girls Cassia and Sylvie bursting into their fathers room announcing 'There's a man in our room'. Both girls recently lost their mother tragically, leaving Alfie, their father, struggling to raise them both. He has some help from his wife's sister Julia, a therapist and psychologist. She was also a twin so understands the unique bond the girls have, but theirs is a bit different.
They've named this man 'Black Mamba' and claim he can change into any kind of animal or man. They set a place for him at the table, whisper to him, and state that he's going to take them away. No One else can see Black Mamba until Alfie thinks he sees something standing at the end of his bed, and Julia thinks she sees someone sitting in a chair. But it was late at night and they must have been dreaming, right?
Nothing is clear and the author leaves it up to you, the reader, to determine what is going on. Are the girls playing make believe? Is there something in the house? Is possession at play? Where did Black Mamba come from? These are all unanswered questions. Some readers might not like that but I like that it leaves the interpretation to your imagination. The ending, for me, confirmed what I thought was going on, but others might see it differently. A great first book effort to William Friend! I imagine this as a super creepy movie that will stick with you for months to come.

Enjoyable read from cover to cover. The cover itself drew me in to this book and I'm glad I was able to give it a go pre-release

Another book about twins and their strange connections to each other. In this book, the twins and their father are grieving the loss of their mother, while their meddling grandmother and psychologist aunt look in on them.
It takes a while for the story to really go anywhere interesting, and just when you're about to give up, hints of the occult show up. I would have liked for more of that to be elaborated on.

I enjoy this book. The ending left me wondering if the girls were suffering from a mental health problem, trying to move past the loss of their mother in a disturbing way or if there really was something "other" going on. The only thing I was have liked more of is a better understanding of the family church and religion. I found it very interesting.

Alfie is raising his twin daughters after the death of his wife. Soon after her death, the twin girls become friends with the shadowy figure in their room. Alfie thinks it's an imaginary friend until the twins start asking him to give their friend a treat and setting an extra plate on the table for him. Not knowing what to do with the extremity of the situation, Alfie asks his late wife's sister, Julia, for help but Julia has her own secrets she's keeping from them. In order to get rid of the shadowy friend, Alfie and Julia will have to face some secrets in their lives.

I give this book a 3 star rating. While the writing was good, the style was confusing. There was no differentiate between past and present day which made it confusing to the readers. If it was in audio form, the flow of the writing style can work but in written form, it was very hard to tell the difference.

There seemed to be a lot of words and yet, not much was going on. However, when it did happen, wow! It was creepy and very descriptive. Every time the twins were mentioned, all I could picture were the twins from the movie The Shining. And with that imagery in mind, this was a book I wouldn't read before bed!

Let Him In by William Friend is a haunting story that centers on Alfie, a single father of twin daughters who are haunted by a shadowy entity known as 'Black Mamba' after their mother's tragic death. As Alfie grapples with grief and insecurity, he turns to his wife's twin sister Julia, a child psychologist, for help. However, Julia is also haunted by a similar experience, which adds to the mystery and intrigue of the story.

The book's chapters flow seamlessly, creating a dream-like quality that leaves the reader questioning whether they're awake or asleep. The limited cast and locations allow for a deep dive into Alfie and Julia's characters, as well as the history of the Hart House where the family stays, and the enigmatic Pippa's untimely demise. The story oscillates between anxiety and fear as the adults strive to uncover the truth behind the girls' imaginary friend.

The author skillfully weaves in Julia's side plot as a child psychologist and her mother Marian's religious beliefs, adding to the overall creepiness of the story. The book is a spine-chilling horror movie that will leave readers on edge, unsure of what's real and what's not. Just when you think the story has reached its conclusion, a blood-curdling detail plants a seed of doubt that lingers long after the book is finished.

I love the premise of this book and had high hopes going in. I definitely got creepy vibes from it, but the overall story was a bit confusing to me. I think if the author went back and “tidied up” some areas of the book and had a clear cut ending, this book could be fantastic.

Having twins myself I don’t know what consumed me to request this book. Although it was glorious. Lately I’ve been gravitating towards romance and women’s fiction but thrillers and scary stories will always have my heart. This book is such a thrill ride. Terrifying in ways I’ll never get out of my head being a twin parent myself. The ending did leave me a bit confused but overall I truly enjoyed it.