Let Him In follows Alfie, a single widower father to twin daughters Sylvie and Cassia after his wife Pippa died in an accident in their home. Mysteriously, the daughters begin to see a shadowy being known as 'Black Mamba', addressing 'him' all the time and obeying 'his' words. Unsettled by grief and insecurity, he calls on Julia, his wife's twin sister, to diagnose his children but even she is haunted by a similar experience.

The chapters blend together into one prolonged, foggy dream that the reader emerges from sleep, uncertain if they had opened their eyes in the wee sunless hours of the morning while half-conscious and had glimpsed shapes shifting in the shadows. Much like a cliffhanger, when you reach the end you think you've risen back into the light where no monsters made of irrationality could grab you and the world has reset...until one blood-curdling detail seeds doubt once more. The tiny cast and limited locations forced the story to take a deep dive into Alfie and Julia's characters, the history of the Hart House where the family stays and unravelling the mysterious Pippa who, clearly, isn't present in the story and how she died. The atmosphere tetters between anxiety and fear as the adults try to ascertain the truth behind the girls' imaginary friend. With Julia's side plot as a child psychologist paralleling the plot and Marian, Julia's mother, spouting strange religious quips, the story spirals into a dizzying horror movie that plays on your mind.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. for the eARC of Let him in previously known as Black Mamba.
This book was chaotically written, the story line doesn’t flow. I was constantly asking “wtf!?” “How did we get here”. In the end my final thought was this book was written around a man who wanted to sleep with his dead wife’s identical twin sister.

I’m a sucker for a great cover and this one is unbelievable.

Never in my life would I have anticipated the fear that consumed me while reading . Let Him In, is an explosive debut. After concluding I pray I don’t have to wait too long for another book by this author.

My jaw may permanently live on the floor after this one.

There is something about children in thrillers that instantly creep me out . Now throw in the fact that they are twins with an imaginary friend? Yes, it’s the creepy kid trifecta .

This is a book you never want to spoil for the next reader so I’m just going to drop a little teaser below.

Teaser:

"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.

I'm not 100% sure how I felt about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed the creepy undertones and the idea of twin sisters manifesting a boogeyman, but on the other hand, I don't know for sure that that is what happened. Is this imaginary friend supernatural? Is it the girls' imagination? I feel like that question didn't get answered, not even in the end.

During parts of this novel, I almost DNF'd, because none of the characters are likable. The twins are just odd and seemed more like side characters, and Alfie is not very engaging either. The only redeeming person was Julia and she wasn't without flaws either.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an arc of this book in an exchange for an honest review.

Let him in by William Friend revolves around the family of Alfie, the deceased mother Pippa, the twin kids Cassie and Sylvie and the aunt Julia. The twins start to have an imaginary friend.

The story captured me from the very first page. It was really easy to get into the book, which I always appreciate. Everything is told in two POV's - Alfie and Julia. Those bring defintely a good view on both sides. A desperate father and the aunt, who tries to stay away from them. The scare factor is for sure there. The writing brought me goosebumps on my arms. The plot twist at the end was easy to predict, but still made it a good and fast read.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Alfie, still grieving the loss of his wife, caring for his twin girls alone must determine if his daunters' new imaginary friend is just make believe or something sinister.

Loved the concept, execution not so much.

The Haunting of Hill House meets Hereditary... with a little help from The Shining.

Alfie lost his wife and now deals with his female twins alone in Hart House, which carries a dark history within its walls. When the girls make up an imaginary friend called Black Mamba and start developing toxic behaviours and a creepy bond with their 'friend', Alfie needs the help of his sister-in-law. Between grief, nightmares and hallucinations, this novel explores dark themes with a remarkable writing that leaves you haunted.

It gave me the creeps! I'm a hardcore horror fan and this book really did it for me. The sinister bond between the twins and the spiritual theme that emerges throughout the novel are the real horror gems. I'm so glad I got to read this novel and I surely recommend it. Four solid stars!

The cover for Let Him In is 🥰 But I'm otherwise left confused about how I feel about this book.

The synopsis sounded promising and right up my alley. The "creepy twin" thing has obviously been done before, but as someone who is fascinated by the bond between twins, I didn't mind. The problem for me was that this book seemed all over the place, like it didn't know what it wanted to be. Is it supernatural? Is it grief manifesting? It's it a study on shared psychosis? Is it...God? Legit almost DNF around the 46% when God was referenced no fewer than 5 times, and MANY times before that. I thought to myself, "Has this religious propaganda disguised as a horror book just Trojan horsed it's self into my TBR pile? Is "Him" of Let Him In God?? I continued on, but was still left underwhelmed. This is a short read, at under 300 pages, and I don't think I could have trudged through more than that. I suppose it had promise, but again was just all over the place. We have multiple POV and in those chapters there are different time lines. It got to be too muddled for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I really wasn't sure how I felt about this book. There were parts that I loved. Where I was pulled so deeply into the plotline that I didnt move. Other parts seems to lag and leave me bored. I did however manage to get this read in one night.
While the story was extremely unique and unusual, I felt like it was missing something. The beginning pulled me in and kept me turning the pages. Until the sister was brought in and I got bored fast. The drawn out drama with the wives death and no one coping felt stale. It was drawn out for no reason.

This was an early copy provided for review by Netgalley.

My synopsis: 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!

I really enjoyed this story. There is a constant feeling of dread and trying to figure out what is really happening. Would recommend for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers and horror.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this book hooked me before I even read the synopsis. I really liked the idea/concept of this book, so I was a little disappointed that it wasn't carried out as fully as I feel it could have been, but it was still a really good book, and I didn't want to put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. I felt like all the questions I asked along the way while reading were answered. All in all, this was worth reading and I'm glad I got a chance to read it early!

Let Him In by William Friend is a gripping and suspenseful debut that explores the depths of grief, loss, and the power of imagination. The story revolves around Alfie, a newly widowed father of twin daughters who are obsessed with an imaginary friend. As the situation worsens, Alfie enlists the help of his sister-in-law, a psychiatrist, to rid their lives of this malevolent force. But as he delves deeper into the mystery, he finds himself questioning reality and confronting his own secrets. The novel is beautifully written, with intricate character development and a creeping sense of dread that builds with every page. Let Him In is a haunting and unforgettable tale that will leave readers on edge until the very end.

Theres a song that reminds of this book called Creepy Doll. You should look into it. I enjoyed this book and I am so grateful to have read the e arc.

This was a creepy, dark exploration of grief and how it affects us.
The book definitely executed the horror and spookiness well with the creepy twins vibe and the atmosphere described.
The writing was a tad slow for me at times, but still an enjoyable read overall.
I enjoy these kinds of endings that make you think about the book for hours after finishing it.

Thank you for letting me be an ARC reader!

3 stars

The writing style of this book was a bit hard to adjust to, and follow. I pushed myself through as the story was pretty good. It was a fairly creepy story, and it was worth it to push through and finish. If it was a bit easier to read and follow this easily would’ve been 4+ stars

I didn't particularly care for the execution and writing style of this book and confused me at times, however, it was creepy in a spine chilling way. I definitely couldn't read this at night and it was a fun time.

The creep factor was off the charts on this one - I couldn't read it at night 🙃

Grieving widow with young twin girls.. young twin girls who develop an imaginary friend, Black Mamba - a shape shifting man who takes the appearance of a black mamba, a fish, a black bear, a giant crow, a black cat - who takes them on adventures and instigates some nasty behavior.

This was a riot of a read.

I already posted my review on Goodreads and tomorrow I’ll be doing the same on TikTok. I liked the book, the execution was not perfect and sometimes it was hard to follow the character’s train of thoughts. But I was entertained, I was intrigued and I really wanted to know how it would end. The good thing about the book is that it makes you doubt, sometimes you think everything that’s happening is because of Alfie, or Pippa or the twins themselves, others you think there’s actually something paranormal happening in the house. That makes you want to keep reading because you need to know the truth. I was satisfied with the ending, kind of open, maybe for a second book, maybe not. And I liked that it didn’t end bad o good, but both.
Overall it was a good read.