First; I want to thank Mr. Friend for allowing me to be a part of his pre-release reading group for Let Him In. I am the aunt of a set of identical twin girls and I truly do believe they have their own language (most of the time unspoken). This book took me on quite the adventure. Although I found the book darkly entertaining, it was a little slow one minute and then hard to follow the next. To clarify, I thought some parts were underwhelming with respect to description, where others could have been dialed back. With that said, it was still very much worth the read and I truly enjoyed the book. Best wishes.

After Alfie's wife dies leaving him with twin girls, the twins developed a imaginary friend, or is he??
I enjoyed this book and hope to see more from this author.

I was immediately drawn to this book by the cover. It looks creepy and really draws you in - wondering what thriller or horror lies within.

Like some of the other readers of this book, I was often confused throughout the book and definitely left confused at the end. I really can't even tell anyone what the ending was, because I truly did not understand.

It seemed like the author hinted at everything happening, but never clarified what was actually happening. I didn’t know if it was supernatural, or if nothing was actually happening and the characters were just crazy. Maybe I missed something.

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts are my own and are unbiased. #NetGalley

I received a copy of Let Him In from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was interested in this book just based on the amazing cover, and I was glad that the book did not disappoint. I sped through this spooky novel. All the old British horror tropes were there - creepy twins, checked-out widower dad, old house, mysterious apparitions, weird cults and eccentric old ladies. It could have been cliche, but I found the writing subtle and beautiful, which helped make these tropes seem new. The atmosphere of the novel sets the tone throughout. I found this book to be just as much an exploration of grief as a horror story.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this novel caught me first. It’s hauntingly beautiful and is perfectly suited for this novel. This book was brilliant. Well rounded characters and a plot that flowed.

Alfie finds himself as a single father to twin girls when his wife dies tragically in their home. After this his twin daughters Cassia and Sylvie start exhibiting strange behavior and blame their new friend. Their friend named Black Mamba. A man that only they can see but has the ability to talk to them and change into any animal form from a snake to a monkey or a big bear to snuggle with. But when Black Mamba starts requesting violent behavior Alfie and their Aunt Julia must work together to help the girls. And Julia, a therapist, also knows she has to help Alfie who is losing his ability to cope either due to Black Mamba or the secrets of the Hart House, secrets that Julia knows well- she and Alvie’s wife Pippa grew up in this strange, possibly cursed home.

The author tells his story alternating between Julia and Alfie’s point of view and does a fabulous job of keeping the reader unsure of what is really happening and what is imagined. A phycological thriller well-done. This was a pleasure to read and being a first novel I can’t wait to see what Friend writes next.

I think this started out with some good creep vibes but overall got convulted. Some of the chapters seemed to drag out and nothing happened, but it was not horrible. I think the author had a direction they wanted to go then maybe got distracted with a few other ideas which made the book seem disconnected.

Reading Let Him In felt like I was slowly revealing a painting, and every inch yielded new and more horrifying clues. A perfect haunted house book for spooky season!

A truly unputdownable story until the very end! Thoroughly creeped out and still thinking about this book.

This had a good premise but it just didn't work out in execution. The first few chapters were a little slow, then things got confusing and I wasn't sure what was going on.

This story was a solid book. I enjoyed how the story progressed especially toward the end. While I thought it was going to be a horror book I would say it is closer to a psychological thriller. I caught myself not knowing what was real and what was fake which is a major selling point for me as a reader. I rated this book three stars largely due to a large confusion I held for the first half of the book which took away from the story. It wasn't so confusing that I wouldn't still suggest this book as a light read but It did throw me off. All in all the second half of the book was what made this story stick out to me as a great read.

I am still not sure how I feel about this book. It felt all over the place yet it also felt like a story that’s been told before. The entire story felt rushed and would have benefited from more character development versus just scene description. I feel dialogue would have only been 1/4 of this already short book and this ultimately made the story lacking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not really entirely sure what to say about this book. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't necessarily enjoy it either. I feel like the idea of the story was great, but the execution left me wanting. There were also a couple moments where I had to flip back because I thought I had missed something in reading, only to realize I hadn't and things flipped back and forth without warning.
Overall I rated it a 3/5. As I said, I didn't hate the book and I'm not upset I read it, but I just feel like it could have been so much more.

This is a beautifully written slow burn horror that entrances you and leaves you wondering. If you like tidy books that give you all of the answers, this is not the book for you. The twins begin to bring <b>him</b> up several months after the death of their mother. Alfie was already struggling to cope with losing the woman he loves and being unprepared to raise the girls on his own. He once again calls on their aunt, a psychiatrist, for help and this time she agrees to speak with the twins and finds disturbing parallels to the past. Is he an imaginary friend? Or is he something else...something real...something malevolent? Is it a manifestation of grief, loss, and fear of how things are changing in their lives? Is it related to the house with it's dark past that survived an attempt to destroy it? Is it related to the family's religious upbringing with beliefs in a shadowy realm and demons? Secrets are revealed, the past is explored, and lines are crossed before he is finally gone for good. Or is he?

What...did I just read? I love horror, spooky stories, and things that we can't truly understand. But as much as this book built up the tension and the creep factor, it feels completely unresolved. In one word, I feel bereft after finishing this one. I still don't understand what the heck happened or why. It's just bizarre. Due to how much Black Mamba was infiltrating this family, the noises they were hearing, the things they were seeing, the connection to this church, etc. I was expecting for some explosive outcomes that would rock my world. I was left with no conclusion and what I can only say was a let down. Was it mental health and grief that was causing all of these things? Is the family truly being haunted by a demon? Is Alfie an imposter and this some sort of body snatchers-esque tale? I'm giving this one two stars because I feel like the basis of this book, and a lot of the lead up to the final couple of chapters, had me hooked. And then it fell apart.

2.5 stars

I was looking for a scary read and this one delivered! The cover and title really called to me so I am happy I requested this one. Can't go wrong with creepy twins and an imaginary friend when you want to feel creeped out.

"There's a man in our room..." Alfie's twin daughters tell him one night. Of course he assumes his girls have had a nightmare. Not unexpected after the tragic passing of their mother. But when their imaginary friend becomes increasingly prevalent, Alfie calls on Julie, his sister in law and psychiatrist, to help. As the lines start to blur over what's real and what's pretend, the imaginary friend's presence becomes increasingly ominous and horrific.

Pretty creepy overall and a quick read. Where this book fell flat for me was with the conclusion. Was it all made up or real? Manifestation of grief? Psychological trauma? A ghost? A demon? There were elements that fit with all these explanations. Maybe it was the author's goal to make the reader question the true reality and put pieces together, but it got a bit jumbled for me overall and I was left confused.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5 stars to be accurate.
While I was engrossed in the book, mostly because parts of it reminded me of the movie Hide and Seek, I don't think it lived up to its potential.
The build-up was as solid, captivating, and creepy as all good ones should be. But it's the last fifth of the book where it fell flat.
It was a missed opportunity to get creepier and lead up to the ultimate resolution.
This was my first William Friend and the cover drew me in before I read the synopsis, which drew me in further. I don't think it will be my last from this author.
I received a copy via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

I don’t think I understood this book. It left me feeling completely confused. I didn’t know if it was about manifestations of grief, if it was paranormal/supernatural, god or demons? We’re the characters mentally ill? It was all over the place. So again, maybe it’s me. Somehow I missed the bigger picture, the metaphors, the subtle nuances that would bring it all together.

All that being said, it was a short read that kept my attention most of the time and I don’t regret reading it. 2.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley.

Honestly, I’m not sure if I liked this book or not. It was creepy which was great but it didn’t really keep me interested & I did not like the ending. I’m still giving it 3 stars for the creepiness.

Thank you to netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC to me in return for an honest review.

Let Him In tells the story of a young father struggling to parent his twin daughters after their mother suddenly passed away. He recruits the help of his sister-in-law when the girls start to see an imaginary friend "Black Mamba" who is making them act and behave unusually. The story pans out in dual perspective between the father and aunt as they try to rid the girls of the imaginary friend before realising the issue may go deeper than they assumed.

This is one of the only books I've read recently that I think stands to be a bit longer than t actually is, at a short 208 pages the author has to fight to fit in his story and mythology into a tight time frame. With a lot of this book revolving around the family, it would have been worthwhile to have some pause to develop the relationships, especially before the third act where some advances seem to come out of nowhere. In fact the entire third act feels like a race to the final page and not in a good way.

I can't say however that this book was bad by any means, and as a debut horror novel it shines in a lot of areas. The author does a good job in instilling a dread in the reader about what might happen if black mamba fully takes control of the household and whilst the length seems short in areas, the fast paced nature makes for a quick page turner that can be devoured in an afternoon.
The idea of black mamba and the mythology is quite unique and not something I've seen to often in books, in some areas it reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House. I wish this could have been developed further as there was something quite special in the content.

Overall I'd have to rate this book a 3/5 stars, I'll be interested in what Friend writes next as this could be the start of a promising horror career.

Thanks to NetGalley for this fantastic ARC!!
4 & 1/2 stars!! The cover is what drew me in, but man that story held me!! I absolutely loved this book. It had such a great creep factor and it needled its way into my thoughts where I’ll be honest I had a hard time sleeping.
This is a new favourite of mine.