An interesting story, it took me a bit to get into it, probably due to the back and forth between the characters, but I certainly enjoyed it. A restaurant owner has passed away recently, and his wife, Nina, receives in the mail a package containing a zippo lighter that the sender, Nick said had belonged to her husband, Paddy. Nina responds with a thank you and the two begin corresponding then meeting in person, eventually Nick is a fixture in Nina's life, much to her daughter's dislike, she doesn't like Nick and starts trying to uncover where he came from. Meanwhile Martha who lives in a small town and runs a flower/gift shop, is married to Al, who is the father of her baby girl, she also has two teenage sons. Martha had her baby later in life, she was 45 when she gave birth and raising a baby and running a small business is proving difficult, even though Al has promised endlessly to help her, he disappears for long stretches of time leaving her alone to do everything, popping in almost periodically before taking off again. The story unfolds from the POV of Ash, Nina and the fellow, who we find out is living a lie, appearing to be something that he's not and he has no qualms about asking the woman that he convinces to let him stay with him for money, even when they are already at a financial breaking point. I did find the male MC to be one of the most detestable I have come across, mostly because his focus was on himself, he did not care about any of the people as long as he got what he wanted, and as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered to him. Overall a very good book and I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atria for the ARC.

Spectacular! Absolutely diabolical character and story, like a train wreck you can’t look away from. I loved this story and Lisa Jewell will forever be an auto-read author. Definitely recommend- 4.75 stars

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell was a wild ride. This was based on what’s happening all over the world and it had me good and mad at times. It’s skillfully laid out and leads you down a road of one man’s path of lies and deception. I don’t think he could tell the truth if he wanted to. I could not put it down and found it suspenseful and like always I enjoyed the way she wrote it.
Thanks Atria Books via NetGalley.
4.5⭐️

This story is told in multiple POVs and multiple timelines, weaving together a complex story where things intermingle. One POV is Nina and her daughter Ash are grieving the sudden death of her husband Paddy Swann. They receive a package from a man named Nick, who returns an old lighter that he said belonged to Paddy years ago. Nick and Nina begin a relationship shortly after Paddy has been buried.

Martha, another POV, is a florist in a small town. Her husband Al travels constantly for work and she feels like she’s raising their daughter and two older children from a previous marriage by herself. She begins to contemplate where Al goes while on these work trips. The story goes from there and we have to wonder if Al and Nick are who they say they are.

This was a twisty and complicated plot. With the multiple POVs and timelines, it does get a little confusing and hard to follow. I’m sure that was on purpose which makes it hard to predict what’s coming. It was a bit slow and I was able to predict the but v twist but I highly recommend this if you’ve enjoyed reading any of Lisa Jewell’s books in the past. This is a great representation of what she’s capable of writing.

Thank you NetGalley and Alta Books for an early DRC of this book. The opinion in this review is my own.

This had my mind on a SWIVEL the entire time 🤯

You really have to pay attention because there are several character storylines to follow. You’ll understand how they connect further into the story but WOW, don’t sleep on this one

Special Thanks: to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this digital advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I truly mean it when I say, no one does thriller like Lisa Jewell.

Ash Swann has just lost her father, Paddy. After moving back in with her parents, after what professionals dubbed a mental breakdown, twenty six year old Ash is back in her family home, working in a consignment boutique and trying to get back on her feet. Managing her grief is easier said than done, and she can't stop thinking about the tragic event that took her father's life. When an unexpected letter arrives in the post, accompanied by a lighter that once belonged to her father, Nick Ratcliffe claims to be an old friend of her restaurateur father. Before Ash knows it, Nick has infiltrated her life, and is courting her grieving and lonely mother, Nina. But there are discrepancies in Nick's story and he is really too good to be true. Ash doesn't trust this man who claims to have known her father, and so she embarks on a journey to uncover the truth.

Across town, Martha is a small business owner with a doting husband and three children. Her husband Al has always been the picture of perfection until recently. His disappearing acts are becoming more frequent and although her business is flourishing, Martha can't help but wonder why her business seems to be losing money. She can't ignore the feeling in her gut that tells her that Al is hiding something, and so she trusts her intuition and begins to uncover the web of lies that her husband has carefully spun.

An absolutely gnarly ride filled with lies, deception, and murder. Don't Let Him In is a gripping thrill ride, from beginning to end.

4 Stars!!!

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I was sucked into this book right from the start and finished it in one day. We follow multiple views from different women in different years, and the man who ties them all together, even if they don't know that. Without giving much away, this book was one hell of a wild ride, Lisa Jewell at her best.

Lisa Jewell is always good for a twisty read - she’s an automatic author for me. Don’t Let Him In was just as great as I expected it to be. I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter to see where the story was going to go. What a crazy ride it was! The multiple points of view / periods of time were really interesting features. The way the book unfolded was quite satisfying.

Holy crap that was one hell of a book!!!

You can trust my judgement on this one.. I am VERY hit and miss with Lisa Jewell books, so when I say that this one blew me away you know I really mean it!

The story follows a male con artist who leaves a path of destruction in his wake in the form of many wives, abandoned children and thousands of pounds in debt.

The chapters alternate between different time periods and women (which admittedly was confusing at first trying to piece together exactly who was who) but eventually you get the flow of things and the story begins to align.

You also get his first hand perspective which is a fun addition to the book, an entry into his inner thoughts, his truly terrible mind as he literally terrorizes people over and over again.

I will say I had some difficulty reading this book purely for the fact that his character angered me SOO much with his unparalleled audacity that occasionally I had to take breaks because I was so frustrated with his nonsense 😂😂

The ending was entirely satisfying and it is worth the rollercoaster of emotions you will feel whilst reading.

Thank you to the author and Atria Books for the EARC!

Publish date: June 24th 2025

I thought I would love this one more. All you really need to read is the synopsis to basically have read this book. There wasn’t anything new about this kind of story, it doesn’t really stand out in the sea of stories like this one so I was a little let down.

BRAVO!

These were the words that erupted from my gaping lips as I turned the very last page of Don't Let Him In, by Lisa Jewell.

You are going to have to read this one to believe it.

You will be by turns bemused and then outraged by the depravity of the male protagonist in this story.

We humans can be so gullible. We want it all: the fairy tale romance, the palatial mansion, a limitless reserve of cash, and a happily ever after ending.

There are several women in this story who will tell you a very strange and complicated story about a very dashing man who made each of them believe that she was the center of his universe... until he mysteriously disappeared as abruptly as he had entered their individual lives.

Invariably, he left his victims saddled with a massive legacy of debt, lies and heartbreak. As a reader, I felt great sympathy for each of this terrible man's hapless victims. Which of us hasn't been disappointed or emotionally conned by someone we thought truly cared for us?

Was this fiendish man ever going to be brought to justice?!?!

Lisa Jewell has penned an enthralling story - full of twists and turns and surprise reveals. I had a hard time putting this thriller down. Highly recommended!

My thanks to the author, Lisa Jewell, her publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
5 out of 5 action-packed and jaw-dropping stars!

“Don’t Let Him In” by Lisa Jewell is a complicated thriller that is filled with devastating betrayals. It is a collision course for many families all tied to one ruthless man who has scammed his way into their hearts and minds. Only Ms. Jewell can create quirky characters that you love, hate, and respect all at the same time. The story line of this book is one that you will think you’ve heard before but I promise with the twists and turns so well executed in this psychological thriller you will be surprised at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Altria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan of Lisa Jewell, Don’t Let Him In is just “ok” for me. I have found her previous works thrilling and suspenseful, but I didn’t find this to be much of either. There are quite a few characters and multiple names, so it’s a bit confusing trying to keep track of who is who. There are also multiple view points and timelines. Eventually everything came together and everyone’s storyline intertwined and tied in together. There are a couple surprise twists and I found most of the characters likable. All in all it was an entertaining and quick read.

Lisa Jewell, my favorite thriller queen, has done it again. Boy, this one was a roller coaster. I wanted to throttle the main male character (and to be honest, also some of the women). I can count on Lisa Jewell to make me uncomfortable and provide a perfect atmosphere of unease which is essential for a great thriller story. I won’t give anything away, but the way the story came full circle at the end was *chef’s kiss* I am so happy I was given this ARC to read! Thank you to Lisa, the publisher, and the NetGalley for this gift in exchange for my honest review.

Another fantastic and twisted story by Lisa Jewell. I loved the dual timelines and the multiple perspectives of the wives and other characters.

Very few thrillers have wowed me since Then She Was Gone, so I was incredibly excited to get an advanced copy of this one. I will say that this book is absolutely NOT a thriller. The first ~40% of this book was incredibly confusing to keep up with due to the POV shifts and the many, many character names. Unfortunately, every single woman in this book had the exact same personality (just with a different name), making it incredibly difficult to keep the storyline straight. Because of that, I kind of lost interest. By the time the twists came and went, I was just ready for it to be over. I'm sure others will like this, but it just wasn't for me. This format probably would work incredibly well in an audio format, but I read on kindle.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of Lisa Jewell, I was excited to read this ARC, but unfortunately, I found it a bit disappointing compared to her other books. The story started off slow and somewhat confusing, though it did improve as it went on. I enjoyed the quick & short chapters, but I struggled to connect with the characters, as they all felt a bit similar. While the author did an excellent job portraying a narcissist/swindler, the book didn’t quite deliver the thriller vibe I was expecting. Overall, it was still an enjoyable read, but it wasn’t a favourite.

I have yet to read a book by Lisa Jewell that hasn’t kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end– and this was no exception! This follows multiple characters through a few different and eventually overlapping timelines, entering with Ash soon after her father is killed. In the wake of her father’s death, an old colleague of his reaches out to share his condolences and memories of what he refers to as his old friend. Not long after, the same old friend, Nick, enters as Ash’s mother's new romantic interest. From there, all I can say is buckle up because I couldn’t tear myself away from the story that followed. Overall, I devoured this book and look forward to recommending it upon its release in June 2025!

Thank you to Atria Books, Lisa Jewell, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed the storyline and how everything played out. It was easy to piece things together, but that could’ve been intentional. Lisa Jewell is one of the best thrillers authors out there and I continue to enjoy what she puts out. The only critique is that for the book to be set current day (post Covid), I feel like things kind of didn’t happen to keep the readers in suspense. When Ash was trying to find who sold the pink box, I feel like she could have taken a photo and used the Google image search. I also feel like when a body was found, who you assume would be a previous wife, they could have done a DNA test with her child? Idk I don’t work in forensics so they may not be able to do that.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell is out June 2025!


This book was just okay for me. It was fast paced with short chapters and I finished it in 2 days. I felt the urge to keep reading to figure out what was happening. BUT I felt it lacked emotion. Like I was just being TOLD what was happening without really being immersed in the story.


If you like thrillers in general, or Lisa Jewell’s other books then you will probably enjoy this.