After her husband's tragic death, Nina Swann was not looking for love again when she met his old friend Nick Radcliffe. Suddenly she is swept away by the perfect man but her adult daughter Ash feels like there is something dodgy about Nick. Meanwhile, Martha is a florist whose charming husband Alistair has started disappearing for days. As Martha, Nina, and Ash are set on a collision course, they learn the truth that a perfect man can be a perfect liar in this dark twisted thriller.

I was completely hooked to Lisa Jewell's latest thriller which reminds me of the dark and twisted nature of The Family Upstairs though much slower paced. The constant looming dread as the women continue to fall for this man's charms kept me gripped to the pages wondering when they will figure out his lies. I was also fascinated at the look inside our con man's mind as he justifies his actions to himself. Sadly, the consistent tension petered out at the end instead of building to a big finish but I still think Don't Let Him In is a great summer thriller.

3.5 ⭐ rounded down

I enjoyed this and once I had a moment to sit down and read it, I flew through! However, there were some cons.

Ash Swann's father Paddy recently died, tragically at the hand of a troubled young man at a train station. Her mother, Nina, receives a gift of a lighter owned by her late husband from an old acquaintance named Nick Radcliffe. Nick inserts himself the lives of the Swann family quickly, but his presence leaves Ash doubtful of the relationship he's forming with her widowed mother and skeptical of his motives with their family as a whole.

I was intrigued. I wanted to know what was coming, of course I did! However, the more *thrilling* parts of this novel didn't come until I was over halfway through it. There was a lot of build up and that left me with so many theories (luckily I got to flesh those out with my bookstagram buddy reader, Melissa!! 💛) which was fun, but I was also left wondering like "ok but when is something going to actually happen" for a bit. The end left me really satisfied, though, which was nice!

This was a fine thriller, but I have many others I would recommend before it. Not a complete dud, but not a winner, either.

2.5 stars. I guess this book was fine for what it was. But I hated all the characters and wouldn't really call it a thriller. I felt like I was in Groundhog Day with the way the main character kept switching names and doing the exact same thing to multiple women. The story barely held together, and the ending was wholly unsatisfying.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

A woman finds herself drawn to a charming man who seems too good to be true - and of course, he is. What follows is a slow reveal of just how deep his lies go, and how many people are caught in his web.

This domestic suspense had me hooked. The tension builds as you watch this total con artist manipulate everyone around him - I wanted to scream at the characters to run. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say: I stayed mad the whole time in the best way.

This one just didn’t hit the mark for me. It’s being marketed as a thriller, but honestly, there’s nothing particularly thrilling or twisty about it. The story follows a con man who manipulates and takes advantage of multiple women, and while the alternating POVs (including a mix of first and third person) added some variety, the plot itself felt extremely repetitive. I kept waiting for a big reveal or shocking moment—but it never came.

There are a lot of characters, and not in a way that felt purposeful. It made the story more confusing than compelling, and I found myself frustrated by the dialogue and pacing. If you’ve ever experienced or read about toxic relationships, this will feel familiar… and not in a good way. I didn’t hate it enough to DNF, but it was definitely a slog at times. If you’re a die-hard Lisa Jewell fan, maybe give it a try—but if you’re looking for a twisty, edge-of-your-seat thriller, this isn’t it.

The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is that the pacing dragged just slightly in the middle, and a few plot points felt a bit convenient. But overall, it’s a chilling, well-crafted read that I’d absolutely recommend to fans of domestic thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and to the publishers for this arc copy

After reading Lisa Jewell's last book, "None of This is True", I was so excited to receive an ARC of her newest thriller. Unfortunately, this was not her best. This one features multiple women who are all manipulated by the same con man who is out to find women to bankroll his life. The premise wasn't particularly compelling, and once the story began, I didn't become deeply invested in it. The POVs featured are the mom, Nina, her daughter, Ash, and the con man. Ash figures out what the con man is doing, but is afraid no one will believe her because she had an "episode" a couple of years before. I wish Jewell had leaned into this some more; we barely grasp what happens, but it is ignored through most of the book, and then she mentions it again at the end of the book, like we are supposed to think the con man had something to do with it all to make it full circle? The women were all so stupid, and then once they figured out the con man's scheme, they all decided to gang up on him? It was just very unrealistic, the story and the characters. Lisa Jewell is a hit or miss author, and this one was a miss, but I will still read her next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books!

I was very unsure of how to rate this book. It was overall a very slow burn. I am usually not a fan of slow burns I get to anxious and need something to happen. The main character made me so mad! This is the second book recently that I have read that has had a main character that you just want to scream at and hate. I am realizing I like these books. This book was just that. As I was thinking of how to rate this I realized that even though I was struggling a little bit with how slow it seemed I also could not stop reading. I was going to go to bed but had to finish. Even though it wasn't a fast paced book or had any major twists and turns as most I could predict and put the pieces together it still sucked me in and I needed to keep reading and and finish.

LIsa Jewell never misses! Another incredible, edge-of-your-seat page turner that kept me interested the entire time. I loved how this plot went back and forth in time. Despite so many characters, it was easy to get invested in every relationships back story and loved Ash as our main heroine. While I loved Ash & Nina, I found myself wanting to scream at Martha this entire book. Overally really enjoyed this and will definitely recommend!

Okay, books like this just add to my already long list of trust issues 😂

I went into it thinking I had everything figured out in the first few chapters... yeah, no. I was so wrong. The story jumps between different couples and timelines, and at first, I was like “What is even happening?” But once the pieces started coming together, I was completely hooked. It all starts to click and things get a little messy.

Also, Lisa really said “here’s a character you’re gonna hate with your whole soul,” and she delivered. I wanted to throat punch them so bad, and I LOVED that. The characters were so well written that even when they were driving me nuts, I still got why they were doing what they were doing.
And the ending? Super satisfying. Needless to say... I ate this book up!

Lies, betrayal, and scheming ways are what sums up the life of Nick or Alistair or whatever his name is.

Three women learn the hard way about this man in a page turner until the end.

The perfect summer read.

This book was a let down. The plot was very repetitive and boring. I would not call this a mystery or a thriller because everything was so predictable and simple. There weren’t any twists that surprised me. There were also soooo many characters (women, kids, family members, side characters) that halfway through I gave up trying to remember who everyone was. Since there were so many characters no one was fully developed. Overall this was a huge letdown by this author and I definitely would recommend reading some of her other books instead.

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, Atria for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

This just ended up being a disappointment. For me, I spent the whole time trying to figure things out, and when I got to the actual reasoning for everything, it just didn't live up.

It took a minute to get into with all the POVs, timelines, and families, but once things started clicking, I couldn’t stop. I just needed to know how it all connected and what actually happened.

I was fully rooting for Ash—her arc was the best part. I related to her so much, and it was frustrating seeing how everyone treated her, especially her mom (who just annoyed me tbh).

It’s got that eerie, unsettling vibe where you feel like something awful is coming the whole time. Not action-heavy, but tense in a quiet, real way. Definitely one of those stories where it all unravels slowly and then hits you hard.

Why do I keep reading Lisa Jewell?

Like really? I had one, maybe two good experiences, but since then.....let's just say she leaves something to be desired. [Full disclosure the Family Upstairs and Family Remains are in my top 5 worst books...Hello Portrait of An Artist of A Young Man]

This book was so dull, I cannot even begin to describe it. If it were a color it would be beige. If it were a restaraunt it would be Panera. I honestly do not understand any of the tags for mystery OR thriller, It was like instead of Lisa Jewell being the author it was Captain Obvious writing the user manual for an HP Envy 4500 series printer.
This book all boils down to 1 wet limp noodle of a man,and endless dumb gullible women who continue to get scammed by him. Throw in a vegan mentally unstaible (yawn) daughter to "solve" the whole thing.
This book was insufferable and never ended....it kept going, and going and going--I can't compare it to the energizer bunny, but there was NO energy in this book. I am sad to say, this book was boring.
It also has sealed the fact that I will no longer "auto-buy" my girl Lisa Jewell-although she is hilarious and I have enjoyed many of her author talks.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to review this advanced copy of Don't Let Him In. I was not paid for my honest review.

4.5 Stars ⭐️

Wow! This was Such a Compulsive Read. I just got so into it and could not stop until I finished. Recommend going in Blind and think you will enjoy it more. Definitely, wanted to Shake the Women in this story many times, but this manipulation by men stuff actually happens. People are vulnerable when they think they love someone.

😬 Yes, suspending belief is required. This starts with Ash losing her father, Paddy to a tragic death where he is thrown into a train by a mentally ill man. Ash finds out her Mom, Nina is now dating a new man, Nick who may not be what he seems. This is a smart conclusion, but the path to his past is a very interesting one. I enjoyed finding out all about him.

Really, loved the Ending. Quite Satisfying. Suggest Picking this One Up.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book. I always leave reviews of books I read.

First, let me say, I really enjoy this author typically. However, this book was middle of the road for me. It had extremely good moments where I was in shock, and moments where I struggled to continue. Overall, I would recommend it, as it was a fast read for me, but I wouldn’t put it in my “top books” category. That being said, I will still continue to read books by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, & the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There were so many characters to keep up with and they were all getting screwed over by the same guy. The beginning set up an intriguing story but the more relationships the man got into, the more confusing it was. When you throw in the time jumps, it was even worse. There were a lot of stereotypical plot devices (mentally ill woman who is untrustworthy, man who is too good to be true, unlikely duo trying to crack the case) that most suspense novels have. I never see twists coming, and I wasn't surprised by most of these. The ending was also unsatisfying.

Holy Hell. I think this was my first Lisa Jewell novel somehow - but I was lucky enough to get an arc on NetGalley!!! This was a fantastic mystery novel. It was tense and kept me so hooked. I love how so interconnected everything was.

Lisa Jewell’s Don't Let Him In had all the ingredients of a solid psychological thriller - intrigue, hidden pasts, and a web of connected women circling a charming yet suspicious man. But while the premise was promising, the execution felt muddled.

The story opens with Nina Swann, a recent widow, receiving a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe - an old friend of her late husband’s - who wants to reconnect. Nick is charming, smooth, and seemingly flawless. Nina is drawn in. Her daughter, Ash, however, is not so easily convinced. Meanwhile, we’re introduced to Martha, a florist whose husband is acting increasingly shady, often absent with excuses that sound just a little too practiced.

As their stories begin to intertwine, a larger, darker picture begins to form. The book leans heavily on shifting timelines and multiple points of view, which, at times, feels more overwhelming than engaging. With so many characters and jumps in time, it took a while to get my bearings. Even once I did, I found it hard to connect with any of the characters on a deeper level. Despite the suspenseful setup, they all felt somewhat underdeveloped.

That said, the final quarter of the book does deliver some payoff. Jewell’s trademark short, punchy chapters pick up speed, and the perspectives start snapping into place. I was definitely more hooked by the end, eagerly flipping pages to see how it all would unravel.

Overall, Don't Let Him In is a decent thriller that will likely satisfy fans of twisty, fast-paced stories - but it lacks the emotional depth and character nuance that made Jewell’s other novels stand out. A compelling concept, but ultimately one of her weaker offerings in my opinion.