⭐️⭐️⭐️
3/5

Nick? Alistair? Who knows. I feel like this was a podcast a few years ago. Was not a fan of the main male character at all. This was not my favorite book of hers but it was still okay.

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

This was okay. Not a bad read, but I definitely wasn’t on the edge of my seat. The plot felt pretty predictable and slow, and overall it all ended up feeling a bit anticlimactic (I like drama, okay?) I did enjoy the alternating POVs and timelines, and even found the MMC oddly intriguing (but the sheer audacity of some men, my god 🙄). It was decent enough to finish, but definitely underwhelming.

Thank you so much to Atria for the eARC via NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell, and Atria Books for the eARC. Lisa Jewell never disappoints! The queen of the slow burn delivers again with a uniquely compelling storyline. Every moment kept me hooked, and the ending was absolutely epic. A superb read from start to finish!

Don’t Let Him In
By Lisa Jewell

The title says it all. Don’t Let Him In!

If I could have sat down and read this in one sitting I would have. Like all other Lisa Jewell books, she has you turning through the pages like no other. There are short chapters and after you read several you look up and you forget where you are. Those are the books you want. You need to pick this book up!!

Thank you Lisa Jewell and Simon & Schuster for giving me an advanced copy of Don’t Let Me In for the exchange of my honest review.

Publishing date: 06/24/25

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#lisajewell #dontlethimin #fivestarreads #arcreading #advancedcopy #simonandschuster

Thank you to Netgalley & Atria books for this advanced copy as well as the Macmillan Audio Influencer program for access to the audiobook. I alternated between the ebook and audiobook with this one.

This was fun - not my favorite of Jewell's but still an entertaining and propulsive read. If you love a con man story, this one is definitely interesting and I love how Jewell introduced us to the women who were swindled by this man - and also made them really relatable, well-fleshed out characters each with their own individual voice.

I definitely enjoyed my time with it but feel that it may be a tad forgettable over time as it didn't shock or surprise me in any way really. It was just a solid thriller.

A swindler works his way into the life of a widow but her adult daughter is immediately suspicious (despite being the one to suggest her mother reach out to him).

While it was a good story, it really made me sick the whole time because I know that there are people like that in the world, even if the villain in this book was an extreme case. None of the revelations were surprising and I knew the major plot points from the onset.

3.75⭐️

Nina receives a condolence card from an old friend of her late husband's and her life changes.
Her daughter, suspicious of this man who seems just too polished, too handsome and actually, too good to be true,
sets off her uneasy vibes. So she starts looking into his background only to find almost next to nothing about him, anywhere.
So off she goes on a personal man hunt and the story takes off with suspense, intrigue and riveting mystery.
Really good read in the usual Jewell classic style.

The moment Nick Radcliffe enters Ash Swann’s life, she knows something isn’t right. Her mother’s new boyfriend has an answer for everything and although he is doting and charming, he just seems too good to be true. So, Ash begins digging, and what she finds is just the first of many loose threads that will unravel Nick Radcliffe’s story.

I am a big Lisa Jewell fan—None of This is True was one of my favorite thrillers ever and completely revolutionized the genre for me. However, this particular novel wasn’t a hit for me. As always, Jewell built a world that was entirely consuming; set in the English seaside, I could picture the setting so exactly in my mind, no detail spared. However, I struggled with the pacing of the story as well as the dual timeline and multiple points of view. It was difficult to keep track of Ash’s and Martha’s stories while balancing Nick’s point of view and his recounting of the past. I never quite felt like I could find my footing and get a good grip on the stories the characters were telling. And while the pacing was consistent throughout, the plot unfolded too slowly to keep me engrossed in the story, and unlike other Jewell novels, I didn’t have difficulty putting this one down. Despite accessing Nick’s perspective and thoughts in occasional chapters, I never felt like I understood his motivations or his character on a deep level, and that definitely left me wanting more. I do think Martha’s character was the strongest of the story and her voice was developed beautifully. I never felt myself wondering the usual questions—How she could be so blind? So naïve?—I always understood and emphasized with her. It was truly incredible characterization by Jewell. And while I’ll certainly pick up her next book and continue to be a fan, this Jewell novel ultimately didn’t resonate with me as much as her others have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for granting me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nina is a recent widow, still healing from the sudden death of her husband. Ash is Nina's adult daughter. When Nina receives a gift in the mail from her late husband's former friend, Nick, Ash is suspicious. Her suspicion increases after Nina and Nick start seeing each other. Nick is captivating, charming, and too good to be true; so Ash starts looking into his past and what she finds is alarming.
Martha is a floral shop owner that has two sons from her previous marriage and an infant daughter with her current husband, Alistair. But, suddenly Alistair begins disappearing for days at a time without any notice. When questioned, Alistair always has a reasonable explanation, but things aren't adding up and Martha is becoming increasingly suspicious. But, the truth is more than she could ever comprehend.
Review:
4.5 stars
The twisted web of lies and deceit in this book pulled me right in and didn't let me go. If you have seen the documentary on the Tinder Swindler, that is exactly what this book reminds me of. This reads much more like a drama than a thriller, but is still so entertaining and unputdownable. It is like a dumpster fire that you cannot look away from. The things that this man did and the things that these women turned a blind eye to were astonishing. He charmed them to believe every word and lie he told them and it completely worked until it just didn't anymore. It was truly baffling how he was able to get away with so much for so long. There are some twists and turns sprinkled throughout that I didn't see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and don't think that I have read anything like it before. I would highly recommend picking this one up!
Don't Let Him In is available now!
Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell, and Atria Books for this ARC of Don't Let Him In, in exchange for an honest review!

Seriously - Don't Let Him In. Lisa Jewell created a wonderfully creepy villain in her new thriller. I plowed through the book in one day. The premise is an intriguing one for me. A man serially enticing vulnerable women into exploitative relationships. Set in England, the Kentish seashore locale provides a lovely ambiance to the novel. Sure, it goes a bit fantastical at points, but so do those wonderful British mystery shows - and they are my comfort shows. So, too, are novels like this one. If you are looking for a diversion from reality and enjoy a good British thriller with a sociopathic polygamist - look no further; you have found your summer read.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-book version of this book in exchange for a review.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewel
Publication Date: June 24, 2025
Three and a Half Stars⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Lisa Jewell for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Lisa Jewell’s Don’t Let Him In begins with a gripping premise that immediately draws the reader in. Unfortunately, despite the strong start, the story didn’t quite live up to its potential for me.
I picked up on what was happening very early on (Not sure if it was supposed to be that obvious). The large cast of characters, many of whom felt underdeveloped or flat, made it difficult to stay engaged. I also struggled with the frequent shifts in perspective; the narration often changed, which left me confused about who was speaking and disrupted the overall flow.
There are still moments of tension and suspense that fans of Jewell will appreciate. With stronger character development and clearer narrative transitions, this could have been a standout psychological thriller.

Don’t let him in has the feel of a true crime con artist documentary. I kind of wish it was told more in that style but Lisa Jewell already used a podcast premise for her last book. The way it was written just didn’t engage me as much as I had hoped. Maybe because the main character is just so unlikable and there was just so much written from his point of view. It was a slow burn but just too slow for me. It was about 50% in before anything actually happened. I liked it ok but I didn’t love it. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

Lisa Jewell has a way with books. You know what’s going on by the title and description. And I want to know more anyway because she’s brilliant.

This guy who goes by many names cons women for a living. I’ll be honest, I don’t see so many women being so forgiving of a man who disappears for days at a time and lies about everything. They all keep forgiving and forgetting. It doesn’t make sense to me.

In the end I had so many people to root for, and that’s what makes a book stand out to me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I had a hard time putting this one down! It was engrossing from beginning to end. Seeing chapters from the POV of the central character was a chilling look into the mind of a total sociopath who sees women as nothing more than things to manipulate in order to get money. Martha’s POV was also interesting, as it shed some light into the kind of woman that could fall victim to such a man. It’s easy to assume that such a woman would be weak willed and weak minded, but Martha is a capable and reasonably intelligent person who simply put her trust in the wrong man. To me, seeing how easily she is swayed by his sweet words and promises is not evidence of her weakness, but instead a window into just how effective an abuser’s tactics can be. I thought the story was well paced – it's not action packed per se, but psychological thrillers often aren’t. The important part was it kept up the suspense throughout, which kept me turning the pages. I’ve seen people complaining about the ending, but personally, I thought it was perfect. 4.5 stars.

CW: gaslighting, abuse, misogyny

I received an advance copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down for NetGalley. This was wild but not my fave! I felt it was pretty predictable & this story has already been told. I was hoping for a crazy twist that would make this one different but it just never came.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I love when a story is twisty and keeps me guessing for a good portion of the book and I'm unable to figure it out early on! As the story unfolds, I found myself checking the % on my reader because I didn't want it to end and I also just needed to know what was going to happen next. Nick's story was engaging and I looked forward to what shenanigan he was going to pull next and how the various women in his life were dealing. A good summer thriller!

This book was a little difficult to follow until I got all the characters straight in my head - after that, it was un put down able! I love a good Lisa Jewel book and this did not disappoiont!

Straight from the headlines this book is equally terrifying and infuriating. It reminded me a lot of the Dirty John podcast, with its chilling portrayal of a man who is a master at manipulation and deception.
I really enjoyed this fresh take on a con man who targets women who “don’t think they need him, but do,” or so he believes. His arrogance runs deep, but he finally meets his match in Ash, the sharp and determined daughter of his next target.
The multiple POVs brought this story together in such a creative and compelling way. While I absolutely loathed Nick, I couldn’t help but be fascinated by his chapters, they offered unsettling insight into how he operated and who he truly was.
From start to finish, this was a fantastic, unputdownable read.

*Thank you to Lisa Jewell, Atria Books and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

A domestic thriller that was not that thrilling. I wanted to like this book more than I did. There are multiple POV and two timelines, both of which I enjoy. However, the woman in this book just all seemed too gullible. I know this type of thing happens, but to so many women by the same guy? Seems like unlikely odds. Overall, it was the same recipe with different characters. It could have been shorter.

WHATTTTT. Ok this is my favorite jewell book now!!! So twisty. The tension started on page one and the line was so blurred from what the truth was and what the deception was, I was shook. This was gripping and flawlessly executed.!