This was excellent. It created a great sense of unease and made me question what was going on from the onset and through out. A really enjoyable read.

I am sorry to say this audiobook and story was not for me. It didn't have the horror vibes that I expected from the synopsis, and there were many parts that absolutely dragged. I enjoyed the interaction between the father and the two girls and "Black Mamba" but this didn't work for me and I found myself confused many times. I think this is one of those audiobooks that require the physical text as a companion to follow along, unfortunately I wasn't approved for the ARC. The narrators did a fine enough job, but I struggled to follow it and stayed in a state of confusion throughout.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgally for my Gifted Copy.

Reminds me of a lot of horror movies I've seen before. Very typical plot but classic for a reason. Definitely uneasy.

It's pretty slow but creepy. I appreciate It's not too dark in the subject matter, It just dosnt make you feel ill reading it lol...but still pretty spooky.

Some parts drag....anything to do with the sister Julia and mom Pippa and their past, their mom, dad, aunt , etc....I DONT CARE.

The whole "black mamba" thing keeps reminding me of the babadook.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Friend & Dreamscape Media for an audio ARC of Let Him In, in exchange for an honest review.

Quoted Synopsis:

"Grief has settled in at Hart House. For nine months, Alfie has been caring for his twin seven-year-old daughters after the sudden death of their mother, Pippa. One night, Alfie wakes to find Sylvie and Cassia at the foot of his bed, claiming there’s a man in their room. Alfie finds no sign of a man, but it isn’t long before the girls start talking about an imaginary friend. What seemingly begins as a harmless coping mechanism for the two grieving girls quickly develops into something more insidious..

Alfie calls upon Julia—Pippa’s twin and a psychiatrist—to oust the malignant tenant from their lives, but he doesn’t want to leave. As his malevolent grip on the girls tightens—with increasingly dark and violent consequences—Alfie and Julia must contend with their own unspoken sense of loss, the haunting past of the house itself, and the true character of the force that has poisoned the girls’ minds."

I am feeling generous today and giving this title 3 stars. I listened to it last night so it is fresh on my mind and maybe it was over my head or I was missing something, but I was not a fan of this one.

It started out just fine. It was intriguing and kept my attention, but the way it all ended and was explained (or not explained) was extremely lackluster and disappointing. This book, in no way, shape or form, should be considered Horror. The only horrific thing about it was the last third of the book.

The pacing was done well and the writing style was also done well, it was just the conclusion that killed it for me.

I will not be promoting this book. I'm sorry - just not for me!

A wonderfully gothic and creepy debut! Let Him In by William Friend is truly unlike any book I've ever read. I saw this book being marketed as horror but I think it's more of psychological suspense. While it was arguably twisted and dangerous, it lacked a truly horrifying aspect for me. That aside, I honestly loved this one. The story balances family grief with a dark haunting. The plot was engaging and full of twists and turns. I definitely saw the ending coming but it was still a chilling final twist. The characters were so real, especially the twins. I love creepy twins in books and the author really nailed it with them. I can't wait to see what the author writes next!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

I was SO excited to receive an early audio copy of this one. I am really sorry to say that it was not my cup of tea. I was expecting so much more from the synopsis - spooky, haunting vibes that kept me on edge... but instead I was met with a more darn out and slow story that wasn't very spooky at all. 2/5 stars - the narrators were great.

A creepy gothic thriller perfect for spooky season!
This debut by William Friend follows recent widower and young dad Alfie as he navigates raising his twin girls after the loss of their mom. Soon the girls become obsessed with their new imaginary friend “Black Mamba”. Alfie and his sister-in-law Julia work to help the girls through their grief as well as their own, but it soon becomes clear that this imaginary friend may be more than just a coping mechanism…with more sinister intent than anyone could’ve imagined.
This left me with still so many questions in the end, which normally frustrates me as a reader, but in this case, I think that was an intentional move by William Friend. Hours later, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ending and can’t get it out of my mind. Chilling and suspenseful.
Narrators Jodie Harris and Jonathan Johns are great at bringing the breath-holding suspense to life.
Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is out 10/3!

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and William Friend for the advanced copy of Let Him In in exchange for my honest review.

I will keep this short and sweet and say this one just wasn't for me. I never really got drawn into the story, and it was written in a way that I often found myself quite confused. I also found the ending left something to be desired for me. I did enjoy the narrators for the audio however.

The dual narration for this was absolute perfection! The male and female narrators were equally great and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future. The book was creepy and well-paced. Readers who enjoy logical endings will be satisfied. This felt similar to a few books I’ve read in the genre but Friend did an excellent job adding his own spin on it. Overall, great book for fall. Spooky vibes, creepy kids, and haunted pasts. I think a lot of readers are going to enjoy this one and highly recommend to fans of horror and thrillers.

I loved this as a book and I love it as an audiobook. It is so creepy. The pacing is perfect and the setting is terrifying. We have a windowed father and his creepy twin daughters. They have the scariest best friend ever! And His wives twin has to come around to help with the creepy twins.
For whatever reason he can't get it together and things are falling apart. It was amazing.
The narrators did a great job!

Let Him In was an interesting idea that played out a lot less eventful than I was expecting. Alfie’s wife passed away and now his twin girls claim they are seeing a man in their room. They call him Black Mamba. According to the girls, Black Mamba can change into different animals and takes them on adventures. Alfie and his sister-in-law Julie have a hard time trying to figure out what is going on with the girls.

The girls had all the creepy horror vibes you would want and it was them that saved the story for me. Alfie and Julie were mostly unlikeable characters that I had a hard time connecting with.

For a short book, there was a lot of downtime. I found myself waiting for something crazy and unexpected to happen but I just kept waiting, it never came.

The house they lived in was extremely interesting and had a complex history. I wish there was more about the house. If there was more time dedicated to the house and the twin girls this could have been something special, as it is, it's still a horror book that I would recommend as we get closer to the Halloween season.

I really liked the first half of the debut. The way the girls interacted with their dad and black mamba was creepy. I really like how it was going and how he was affecting the family. It had all the makings to make you really creeped out. There is a lot of focus on grief and the benefits of therapy which I thought was fantastically done.Unfortunately, the second half of the book fell flat for me. It seemed like nothing added up, and was not a spooky as the start. I really really liked the concept and I defintly will be reading from this author again!
The Audiobook version was great. The narrator kept me in the story and made it come to life.
2.5/3
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgally for my Gifted Copy.

So very slow! This is a glimpse of profound grief felt by different family members when one woman dies and leaves behind her loved ones floundering with their pain. An imaginary friend who gets more and more sinister has a lot of potential for greatness, with a creepy house having a dark history, religiosity, and the weirdness of twins together should have been packed with eerie, horrifying scenes. But there were none. Literally, if you remove the Black Mamba and the house's odd past, it would've been a chick lit book about grief, love, and healing. The cover was a lie, a broken promise of a horror book, but it was barely that. Barely.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

“Black Mamba is not a snake he’s a man.”

This book was pretty freaking creepy. I love the atmospheric unsettling vibes this book put into my brain.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one and the familial relationships. I don’t think all authors are all that good at writing books with kids in them without making the kids so annoying and unrealistic. This author did a great job creating the Black Mamba obsessed twins. These kids were perfectly written and def creeped me out whenever they talked about Black Mamba.

I wish we got to learn more and the church aspect and more about what exactly Black Mamba was (ghost? Demon? Imaginary friend? Etc)…I wonder if that was purposefully left up to the interpretation of the reader.

The ending seemed like it was up to interpretation as well, which I like in some cases but for this particular book I would’ve preferred something more concrete.

Overall it was a decent read that is perfect for spooky season.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Let Him In is a total creep fest! Creepy kids, creepy house, creepy family history! Listening to this audiobook felt addictive- anytime I turned it off, I kept thinking about it. This is one of the best BoogieMan stories I’ve ever read!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I really enjoyed this creepy, gothic thriller. For a debut I found it very engaging. I loved the ending. I hope to read more from this author.

Rounded up to a 3, Let Him In was good, but not one I would read again, and I have no real strong feelings about it. To me, that last part, is the saddest thing to say about a book when done. It did not evoke a reaction big enough to even be able to review it properly.

I expected a horror type book, and this was a slow burn, psychologically sad book about grief and loss. Using twins as characters, in a house that was isolated and shadowy, I had visions of The Shining. This was not that.

I appreciated use of dual narrators but overall it was a pretty slow journey to a place that left me without much emo.

This is a sinister slow burn. It is so creepy. Like, shivers down your spine, makes you pull the covers up to your chin because you felt a draft and worry you're not alone anymore, type of stuff.

It all begins with what initially seems like a coping mechanism by Alfie's two young twin daughters after the sudden death of their mother quickly turns into something much darker than he could have ever imagined.

The children seem to have created a shape-shifting imaginary friend who's always present, always watching. They call him "Black Mamba." It starts off fairly innocently until their mysterious new pal starts having requests...and his presence seems up be getting more powerful. His demands begin to increase and his unsettling company becomes more suffocating.

Although I enjoyed the story, I am not sure I would be quick to recommend the audio format. The narrators were okay. The man voice sounded a little robotic, but I liked that there were dual narrators - one to voice the male POV and one for the female. I think I may have enjoyed reading the physical copy myself more, though.

I was very pleasantly surprised with this book. It was actually extremely good. I was interested enough in reading it that I requested it, but I didn't truly think I'd love it. (Here lately, most "new" horror is pretty bland and not overwhelmingly great.)

But this book was very, very good. It hooked me from the first few pages and kept my interest until the end. It's a new book, but it's also classic, old-school horror at its finest. (Think "Rosemary's Baby" or "The Shining.")

The premise is this:

A single dad is raising his twin daughters after an accident took their mother. But after the accident, the twins start behaving strangely, claiming they see a man in their room and then suddenly developing a friendship with the imaginary "Black Mamba" -- a magic man who can transform himself into any creature under the sun.

As the stories about Black Mamba get progressively more elaborate, the twins' behavior becomes more violent and erratic, and the dad's control of the situation further deteriorates.

The book isn't full of gore or extreme horror, but it's psychologically chilling and hard to put down. I listened to the audiobook version, and I couldn't stop. I listened to it straight through in a single evening.

As for the technical aspects, the book was excellently done. It's fast-paced but not rushed, and the narrator was excellent. The audio was clear and easy to hear, and there were no blips, mistakes, or ill-put-together cuts in editing.

An easy four stars with a leaning towards five. Highly recommend.