Don't Let Him In is a slow-burn thriller that unfortunately felt a little boring to me. I was really expecting some giant twist that would make the book so much more interesting. But the twist never happened. Lisa Jewell definitely wrote a great villain that I would never want to meet in real life, but overall this wasn't the book for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

What did i just read!
This book was a fast page turner for me. A slow start but then quickly picked up the pace with lots of twists and turns. the story is told from multiple pov. I did find some of the characters frustrating and times and wanted scream at them and tell them to wake up!
The plot is well thought out and Lisa Jewel does well at pulling you in. The book is centered on Nick and 3 different women. The tangled web of lies and deceit will keep you flipping pages.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and Lisa Jewel did not disappoint. i highly recommend reading!

A top-notch creepily queasy psychological mystery.

After the death of her father, celebrity chef Paddy Swann, Ash and her mother Nina, are adrift in their large house on the English South Coast. Ash feels directionless since Something Happened in London and she moved back home, so when her widowed mother starts seeing Nick, an old colleague of her father’s, she feels resentful and out of place,

There are two other narrative threads: in one, we follow Martha, a creative florist, and her family and the other is told from the perspective of a man who is getting ready to leave his wife. Naturally all the threads are interlinked but I don’t want to spoil the plot as it’s both surprising and yet also inevitable.

The author does a terrific job of keeping the unsettling off-balance feeling going, even as the plot moves towards its conclusion and the twists run their course. Highly recommended for those who sometimes wonder what their partner is really thinking.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Honestly, this one took me forever to get through because I just wasn’t riveted enough to want to keep picking it up. Eventually, on a night when I couldn’t sleep, I powered through to finally finish. The back half of the book picked up a bit, but it still just moved so slow, with chapters that oftentimes felt repetitive (and some were, but just from a different POV that really didn’t offer much) and other chapters we could have done without. The book ending was lackluster and kind of disheartening, but the epilogue did at least give it a more satisfying wrap-up (though I still don’t really get HOW, because it wasn’t realistic at all). But anyways, not my favorite Lisa Jewell book, but still a fan, of course.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This was tough to get through. I had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters. I almost felt like I needed a whiteboard mark up of everyone. I do not think I’d recommend this one.

This was a great read! I loved how the story was set up with multiple POV’s, past/present timelines, and a strong villain. I had no idea how certain parts and characters of this story would connect, but once I started to figure everything out, I thought it was very well done. I really enjoyed the last couple of twists towards the end too! Lisa Jewell never disappoints!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Delighted to include this title in the June edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

This wasn’t super twisty, but I enjoyed the roller coaster train wreck. Thank God, I’ve never met anyone like that in my life.

I like an alternating POV, which this had, and added bonus of alternating first/third person. There was more repetition than I’d like. Not my favorite Lisa Jewell by a wide margin..

There are always tons of crazies in the world, and this book just cemented that fact.
You’ll hate “him” throughout the entirety of the book, but I couldn’t put it down!

I recommend Lisa Jewell to anyone who wants a fast-paced, well thought out thriller! There’s a reason she’s considered one of the best!

Definitely would buy this book for myself or my friends.

I usually love Lisa Jewell’s books, but this one didn’t deliver.

There are too many characters and subplots, and the central mystery lacks suspense—it’s more of a “here we go again” situation. With so many characters, none are developed enough to care about. Ash, Nina’s daughter, plays a key role in uncovering the truth, but her backstory is told in vague, rushed bits. Aside from being vegan, there’s little depth to her.

The supporting characters blur together, and the victims’ perspectives are so underdeveloped that it’s easy to fall into blaming them.

It’s possible that watching The Other Mrs. Jordan—a real-life account of a polygamist scammer—right before reading this made the book feel less compelling by comparison.

This was incredible work told from multi POV, that kept the narration but clear but also insanely infuriating. The con artist of all con artists even conned himself into thinking he was happy and in love. With twists abound, Lisa Jewell does it yet again. Incredibly well done.

Don’t let him in by Lisa Jewell.

The story centers on three women and their relationship with a man who seems to be perfect. Until he isn’t.

Nina is a woman struggling after the death of her restaurateur husband when she meets Nick. Nick says he knew her husband and being in a similar business can help her with her restaurants. Her adult daughter, however, finds him too perfect, too polished, moving too fast, and a lot suspicious.

Martha is a single woman with two young sons who meets Al, a man whose job requires him to travel frequently. They marry and expand their family while she continues to run her florist business. Al continues to travel frequently for business, but never seems to be available when she calls.

And then there is Tara. Tara’s husband, Jonathan, swept her off her feet and married her within a very short space of time. He also is away on business often. Tara has adult children and is fairly well off, and trusts her husband implicitly.

There seems to be something off with each of these men and their relationships with the women. All of the women appear to be strong and independent, but are actually quite vulnerable. All of the men seem to be hiding something.

Don’t let him in is psychological thriller told from the perspective of each of the main characters; revealing little tidbits of information as though unraveling a ball of yarn or peeling layers off an onion. I enjoyed trying to figure out what was happening, where things were going, and if/how the characters were connected.

I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

I’m not personally a thriller reader but this one had me hooked every twist and turn was great. Fast paced and very enjoyable. I definitely got the chillls from this one but nothing too scary. Perfect in my opinion for those don’t like to be spooked.

I love Lisa Jewell! What a good book, full of suspense and mystery! It was a quick read for me, and I really enjoyed the thrill ride it took me on!

I love Lisa Jewell’s books and I loved this book so much!

I couldn’t put this one down! I just wanted to know all about Nick Radcliffe. I hated him but was intrigued with his story and the women in his life. I loved the multiple POV’s and the multiple timelines. The pacing was fast, the plot was entertaining and the ending was perfect!

Truth, lies, deception. Playing the long game. Successful con artist.

This book starts following the lives of Nina Swann and daughter Ash as they lose their husband/father and are grieving this loss. Nina receives flowers with a mysterious card from her late husband’s old friend from his early restaurant days. Nick continues to contact them after the death of the husband/father until he has a good line of communication…

Martha is a business woman who is married to Alistair. Alistair travels often for work in the hospitality industry. Martha is often alone and Alistair contacts her sporadically which, frankly, begins to anger her.

These two men have giant red flags that Ash and Martha and out to investigate. Nina helps investigate some but isn’t suspicious of Nick initially. This story follows multiple viewpoints and different timelines. This story uncovers these men’s lies and deception, and works to sort out the real truth.



Many reviews have said that they found this book hard to follow. And it does have a lot of characters. The main characters include Ash, Martha, Nina (who is somewhat a main and side character), and Nick. Aside from these four, I would say you don’t need to follow each woman outside of these very closely. Take a listen/read and follow the lies and deception, but all in all I don’t think you need to get the specifics down of most of the women outside of these main three. With that in mind, I enjoyed this story.

At times, I felt the male viewpoint was a bit long and he talked about so many women (hence me only keeping track of a few) but in his discussions you really see how the deception is forming and why he has been believed this long. But overall I enjoyed the ride and the lengths Nick went through to keep his long game in play.

Amateur Sleuths
Lies, cons, and deception
Grief
Murder

Thank you to Lisa Jewell, NetGalley and the publisher Atria Books for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This felt very phoned in. I would not at all be surprised it if turned out this was written by AI. I didn't feel like I was reading a Lisa Jewell book. Typically her books are twisty and engaging, but I felt like I read this story before. There was nothing original about it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Lisa Jewell knows how to write her books. From the very beginning the details hooked me. Nina receives flowers with a belonging of her Paddy Swann, her deceased husband and addressed by a friend of Paddy's, Nick Radcliffe. Nick is a charming handsome man and soon him and Nina Swann develop a connection. Ash, Nina and Paddy's daughter feels something is off and begins to do some digging into Nick. What she finds is far beyond what she imagined.

The details and dual timelines really helped add to the suspense. At the same time Martha is starting to pick up on the fact that her husband Al is staying away longer and longer and she begins to question him. She puts a tracking device on his belongings without him knowing. What Martha discovers is too much to handle.

There were moments where the pace slowed but that was minor. The back and forth and slow burn kept the suspense and urge to find out how it was all going to come together. Lisa Jewell did well at holding the interest.

Listen to this on audio. Do not read it with your eyes. The audio experience is fantastic.

Lisa Jewell knows how to write a wild story. Are they sometimes too out there? Yes. But they always entertain me. I was hesitant to read this after seeing some low reviews, and now I'm a little sad this one is over. Can't say much about this story without spoiling it. I loved how everything played out and the ending. Jewell's writing was so good it made me anxious and nervous for the characters. The changing POVs were a bit confusing to follow in the beginning, but they really added to the story with the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.