Lisa Jewell writes the best domestic suspense, and she's penned another hit with Dont Let Him In. The story starts off a bit confusing, but the confusion is necessary for the story to unfold perfectly, and it does. Everything comes together in a satisfying ending.

If you devoured the Dirty John podcast/TV show, you’ll plow through this book like I did (and also, Connie Britton could totally play Martha). I was trapped on a plane delayed on the tarmac for hours and yet I can honestly say I was thrilled because I got to finish the last 60% of this book in one sitting.

Ash and her mother Nina are mourning the loss of Ash’s father Paddy Swann when out of the woodwork comes the handsome restauranter Nick Ratcliff (I was picturing silver fox Pierce Brosnan).

In another picturesque village Martha’s husband Al is always away for work. He can never seem to respond to texts and money seems to always be out of reach…

This is my seventh Lisa Jewell book, it’s not my favorite one, but it is in the top three. I enjoyed the quick chapters and how Jewell is somehow able to weave an incredibly complex web and yet I never felt lost. I found the pace a little slower than some of her other books but as always, the last chapter/epilogue had me in a daze.

An extremely detail oriented and highly successful conman gets the best of a myriad of women, until the daughter of one of his would-be victims puts an end to all his tricks.

I strongly disliked this book when I read it many, many years ago. You may have heard of it? It's called <u>The Girl on the Train</u>. From basically chapter two of this hot pile of mess, I could tell this was pretty much the same novel with all the same tropes-several women are duped by the same man until suddenly, someone is bright enough to see him for who he really is. None of his felt truly suspenseful to me because at every turn, I felt I knew exactly what was going to happen. Only for my hunches to be proven 100% correct. Even the final "reveal" in this book's epilogue was not the least bit surprising! I honestly should have just DNFed this nonsense, but after reading and really enjoying <u>None of This is True</u>, I just had such high hopes that some redeeming quality was awaiting me. Joke's on me! Happy April Fools' I guess?

Lisa Jewell never disappoints. Our main character; Simon, if that’s really his real name… continuously
keeps us wondering what is he really up to. Good guy, bad guy, miss understood, I was never really sure. Just when you think you have this one figured out, the point of view switches and you are back to trying to figure out how it all pieces together. Don’t Let Him In is bound to fool you til the very end!

Another great thriller by Lisa Jewell! I have been a fan of hers for many years and was absolutely thrilled to receive this ARC. While the story was not as "twisty" as her past books, it was a slow burn with each thread unraveling over time.

This was a unique story in the way that we were inside the "villain"'s head for the majority of the story. It was a very interesting perspective to see his thought process in conning these women and his search for money and success. He told many of the same lies over and over again, and I truly have no idea how he was able to juggle all of these lives at once! But Lisa is such a master storyteller. I was rooting for his (still not sure what his actual name is) downfall the entire time while cheering on the women that were able to discover his past.

I loved how this story had themes of narcissism/sociopathy shown through the MC and his manipulation of vulnerable women. I was addicted to finding out more about his past and the things that led him to where he was.

One twist that I did see coming was Ash's past of having a "mental break" truly being caused by our MC "Nick" manipulating her through fake letters, and possibly leading to the death of her father? However, I do not mind when twists are expected if they are done well. Which this definitely was done well. I wish there may have been a little more of the shock factor that we see in Lisa's past work.

I will ALWAYS read what Lisa Jewell has to write, consider me a lifelong fan!

This book started out slow for me. Character development was spot on. It did take some time to get truly into the heart of the story. Flashbacks served as a great way to fill in natural questions and build up to the true story. Loved how in depth the characters were as this allowed me to want to know more and build interest in their perspectives.

Lisa Jewell brings us another engaging thriller with Don't Let Him In, a suspenseful story filled with deception, grief, and resilience. In this book, Jewell once again balances multiple perspectives and timelines, immersing you into the layers of a character's dark past. This is a bit less twisty than some of Jewell's previous works, but there's still a steady build with a deeply satisfying resolution. Ash's determined investigation, and the novel’s exploration of manipulation and strength, make for a compelling read. If you're a fan of Jewell’s storytelling and character-driven suspense, you will enjoy this dark and thoughtful thriller as well.

He's the perfect husband. The perfect father. The perfect business man. Plus, he's very handsome. But what is his real name? Which identity is real? House to house he jumps, never giving more of himself than he needs to, but leaving behind mess after mess. Ash is determined to dig into who he really is when he begins dating her mother.

Thank you Lisa Jewell and Atria Books for the eARC in exchange for a thorough and honest review. All thoughts here are mine and mine alone.

It can be very difficult to pull off a book with as many storylines and characters as this book had without leaving the reader confused, but Lisa Jewell does it with efficiency and ease. The voicing for each storyline made it easy to follow and stay engaged in the plot.

This book felt different than a typical thriller. It was not quite as grabby as some thrillers are, but I liked the pacing and execution of the plot. I definitely recommend this book to Lisa Jewell fans and people interested in a dark but not quite as twisty thriller.

The first half of the book seemed really repetitive, and I kept thinking when will there be some big action? Then it gets twisty, and the story quickly gets dark. The lies sure will make a web to get you caught! I thought the ending was so-so, but then there are more twists that make it even better! In the end, I really liked the whole story and how it all came together and wrapped up in the end.

I mean, can Lisa Jewell write anything other than a wonderful thriller??

I LOVED this book. I’ve quite literally recommended it to all of my coworkers already. The way that everyone’s stories tied together along with the strong female main characters… I was SAT.

Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and Queen Lisa Jewell herself for this ARC. I will be singing this book’s praises until release day!!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of Don't Let Him In in exchange for my honest review. This one was such a wild ride and I loved every minute of it!

The description from the publisher describes this novel perfectly without giving any spoilers away:
"three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller".

And kaleidoscopic is spot on. I really don't think I could have summed it up any better with its twisty turns and variety of character perspectives. 🙂

The type of villain in this story easily exists in real life, which added an extra terrifying layer to the story. This one also hit close to home for me. I know many women who are similar to some of the women in this novel and it really allowed me to empathize with them in a way I wasn't able to before. Truly how easy it is for some to be gaslit, brainwashed, and manipulated.

Ms. Jewell is a solid storyteller and executed this dizzying puzzle perfectly. She truly never disappoints. Seriously, don't miss picking this one up this summer!

First 5⭐️ read of 2025!

Publishing Date: June 24, 2025

I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of Don’t Let Him in by Lisa Jewell in exchange for an honest review.

Don't Let Him in is a story about the loss of Nina’s husband Paddy to a tragic accident and grief that her and her daughter Ash are sharing. After the accident a gift appears for Nina from “Nick”, an old friend of Paddy’s who sends his condolences. As her mom becomes more friendly with "Nick", Ash becomes more skeptical. Ash does not trust this man and starts to investigate him. By doing so she finds out that “Nick” has a lot of hidden secrets, some that could even be dangerous.

Lisa Jewell has a way of weaving different storylines together to create a nice, puzzling mystery. She has a gift of storytelling that makes the pages of the story come to life. Don’t Let Him in is a light, fast mystery read that makes you want more. Unlike her other works, this book has less suspense. From the beginning of the story, you find the main conflict, however it leaves you wondering how the story will play out. The different storylines are easy to follow and form an entertaining web of connections. The ending in my opinion had closure and I loved the final twist!

Normally I love Lisa Jewell and have read so many of her other books but this one did not do it for me. Honestly, I wanted to rate it 1 or 2 stars but being from LJ, I rounded way up to 3.

I wouldn’t really call this a thriller or a mystery. The whole plot was laid out pretty early on and nothing really shocking or twisty happened. Just a crappy man getting away with things and women suffering from that.

This book will probably be 4-5 stars for others but for someone like me who mostly only reads twisty or dark thrillers, this wasn’t my cup of tea.

What a wild and crazy ride this was. Nina, dealing with her father’s death meets Nick, an old friend of her father’s. When he starts dating her mum, she grows suspicious of him. Martha, a lovely mother of three (one a newborn baby) from a small town who owns a flower shop thinks her his ban is having an affair. And man, does this story spiral and twist and is freaking amazing!

Lisa Jewell never disappoints. This was another page turning thriller, and I liked the subtle feminism of the story. I did think it was a little predictable, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the plot immensely.

Wow! What a way to bring everything together! Make sure you’re not distracted while reading Lisa Jewell’s new novel or you might miss clues to what’s going on. So many twists and turns have your mind leading in all sorts of directions! Little things that I was confused on in the beginning, totally made sense by the end! Her new novel does not disappoint!

Lisa Jewell always offers up an entertaining read and this book was no exception.
The story is mainly from Ash’s pov, Ash is struggling since the recent senseless death of her larger than life father. She’s living at home with her mom and working part time in a local secondhand store.
A few months after Paddy’s death, his widow Nina receives a lovely package in the mail from Nick.
Nick claims to be an old friend and former coworker of a Paddy and has found an old zippo lighter he said belonged to Nina’s dead husband.
Nina starts a friendship with Nick and while Ash wants what is best for mother she does not trust Nick and begins to investigate him along with her Fathers “crazy” ex girlfriend Jane.
There are a LOT of characters to keep track of and multiple Alaiases for our villain. I feel like some of the back stories were filler and not needed to further the story along.
I figured out all the twists early on so I felt it was pretty predictable. It was a good palate cleanser after reading a heavy novel right before this.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this novel.

This is a solid Lisa Jewell story about desperate women who are easily manipulated by a smooth talking psycho. The book swings back and forth between multiple time frames and people - be patient as, of course, it all comes together eventually. The women are all frustrating in their inability to see the character for who he really is, but the interconnecting stories are ultimately satisfying in the end.

Not exactly a flattering view of either men or women. Nor is it much of a "thriller" but really more of a soap opera about a sociopathic con artist and the women dumb enough to fall for a pretty face and ignore a multitude of red flags. You'll want to shake everyone in the book except Ash, who is the only female with a brain.

Lisa Jewell always does a good job of making improbable storylines work and this book is no exception. She is also good at creating disturbing psychopaths who ruin people's lives for no real reason. An entertaining read!

This book was good—a suspenseful and engaging book. It was not my most favorite of Lisa Jewell but it still kept me intrigued throughout.

Feel like an outlier cause there’s so many amazing reviews for this book, but it didn’t do it for me. Although I liked the short chapters, I found the alternating POVs to be confusing for longer than usual, and just wasn’t generally as captivated. I found myself picking it up more just to finish and move on to the next book. Nevertheless, it did have several twists - a strong suit of Lisa Jewell's - that would pull you back in at points.