This was a little bit of a letdown, because Lisa Jewell usually delivers creepy stories with shocks and twists. This just felt like I was listening to a true crime podcast where I already know how everything is going to turn out.

As always, I did enjoy her writing. It flows quick and smooth, and I'm always able to jump right back into it. Sadly though, I found that this story started to feel like it was dragging its feet.

We have 3 POV characters in this story, one of them being "Alistair". And I gotta say, he might be the worst person who's mind I've ever had the misfortune of being in. So on that account, I'd say - perfection. His absolute disdain for people was so fascinating, as were his justifications and rationalization for his treatment of people in his life. The scariest part? We've all met someone who's at least a little bit like him.

Everything else was just agressively fine. A couple reveals were great but not particularly shocking, and the multi pov/time switches were a little disorienting.


A lot of other reviews I've seen seem to really disparage the women who get roped up in this guy's lies, but I think, out of everything, that was the most painfully realistic part of the story. In this day and age, you'd like to think that we can track and trace everyone and save ourselves from stranger danger and online scammers. Sure, maybe. But you also might be vulnerable and lonely and need to hear that you're worth loving and boom here comes this guy. And sure, maybe he's too good to be true, and yeah okay he keeps disappearing on you, but you know him and you love him and you have a kid together! and you've got all these big plans, and you just don't want to admit to yourself that you could fall for this.
But honestly, any one of us could. And that's as scary as anything else in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

In true Lisa Jewel fashion, she leaves ever chapter (nearly!) on a little perfect cliffhanger, which leaves it impossible to set this book down. I read this in 24 hours, and it felt very much like “You” with questioning of who this woman had married. The ending sort of left me a little unsatisfied, but it was a very fast and entertaining read regardless!

After years of being the perfect husband and father, Alistar begins traveling more often for work on extended stays without updates to his wife, Martha. Martha begins questioning Al about his whereabouts and his lack of communication, but there is always a perfect excuse. Simultaneously, after her husband’s death, Nina comes into contact with Nick, an old friend and coworker of her late husband. Although their relationship is seemingly innocent, Nina’s daughter, Ash becomes increasingly skeptical of Nick. As Ash begins to dig into Nick’s past, she finds trust where it is least expected, but fears her past mental health episode will make it hard for her mother to believe what she discovers.

Don’t Let Him In is a slow burn thriller but is such a wild ride, and honestly, may be my favorite Lisa Jewell novel yet. Multilayered with dual timelines, there is so much going on, but chapter by chapter everything is placed together.

A young woman’s instincts go on high alert when her mother starts dating someone new shortly after her father dies and the new man in her mom’s life seems too good to be true. Despite her own mental health challenges, the young woman decides her mother’s well-being is more important and starts looking into the boyfriend. What she finds are more questions than answers and every reason to be worried. Thriller author Lisa Jewell is back with another winning novel about how far someone will go to manipulate people in her newest book Don’t Let Him In.

Aisling “Ash” Swann is devastated by the loss of her father. Paddy Swann was the owner of three incredibly successful restaurants in England and larger than life. Ash was his little girl, and ever since the bizarre incident of someone pushing Paddy onto the tracks in front of an oncoming train Ash has been lost. She, her mother, Nina, and Ash’s brother, Arlo, are doing what they can to cope and move forward.

The loss of Paddy looms large, but the condolences and kind words from friends and restaurant patrons is overwhelming. Then an unusual package that comes in the mail: a lighter sent from someone named Nick Radcliffe who says he worked with Paddy in the early years, before Paddy opened his own restaurants. The lighter, Nick says, once belonged to Paddy, and he thought the Swann family might like to have it back.

Nina responds to Nick to thank him for the lighter, and soon enough Nick has made himself quite comfortable with Nina—too comfortable for Ash’s liking. Nick is sweet and caring and attentive; he doesn’t have any obvious flaws. It’s almost like he’s too good to be true. Alarm bells ping in Ash’s head, but she’s not sure whether she should do anything about them. She had a public breakdown at university. Who would believe her? Yet Ash can’t seem to let it go, and she starts looking into Nick.

In another quaint village not far away, Martha has just about had it with her husband, Alistair. He’s the best husband a woman could ask for: he dotes on their daughter, Nala, and he’s taken Martha’s sons from her first marriage under his wing. He takes Martha out on lovely dates and has even helped her in her florist’s shop. When Alistair is there, he’s completely present.

The problem is when he’s not there. Alistair’s work in the hospitality industry takes him away for days at a time. Martha doesn’t mind that Alistair travels so much, although she does miss him terribly when he’s not there. It’s just that when he leaves for a work trip, Alistair drops out of existence. No amount of texting, calling, or any kind of pleading from her gets him to respond until he’s good and ready to do so. He keeps promising to do better, yet Martha is starting to lose her patience. She loves Alistair and knows their life together could be one of those love stories for the ages. Except Alistair would have to stay put long enough to make that happen.

Without knowing it, Ash and Martha have begun working their way toward one another. Neither they nor Nina, however, could ever imagine what they find. Now the question is, what do they do about it?

Author Lisa Jewell’s careful layering of this thriller will have readers flipping or swiping pages as fast as possible to find out what’s coming next. Unlike some in the genre, Jewell gives readers firsthand access to Nick’s mind. The result is as horrifying as it is fascinating, and Jewell’s expertise in building her characters will ring true even as it will shock readers.

Psychological manipulation and emotional abuse are nuanced matters. In the hands of a less experienced writer, the result would have come across as overdone or even caricaturish. Yet Jewell’s expertise shines to the level that at some points readers might, for a paragraph or two, find themselves feeling sorry for Nick—proving the mastery of Nick’s manipulations and Jewell’s handling of her craft.

Anyone who has watched a couple and wondered whether all that glitters actually is gold will want to read this one. Fans of the domestic thriller genre should absolutely put this on their TBR lists.

When I think of domestic thrillers, Lisa Jewell is usually in my list of top authors. And Don't Let Him in has joined as one of my favorites of hers. It's Dirty John meets the Tiktok Swindler but in the form of a thriller. The way she propels the story keeps me engaged from the first page. I'd say this was a slow burn but I was engrossed from the start. It will be hard for another book this year to top this.

What a treat!

This book absolutely exceeded my greatest expectations. The moment I picked it up to read, I could not stop.

While there were so many different stories of different characters inside the novel the author did an incredible job keeping them easy to understand and so so interesting to follow .

Every character in the book was so important and the way she interacted them was very different from most books I've read. She was able to embroider the stories from the past from the present all together to make an incredible Psychological Thriller.

In many ways this was also a detective story because until the very very end there was no way to know exactly what was going to happen. The characters all had different experiences yet fit all together in ways that no one could expect .

Without a doubt I give this book 5 stars ( and would give it more if I could) and thank Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the great privilege of being able to read this ARC and giving my honest review of it.

#Netgalley #Simon&Schuster

It was very confusing in the beginning. I had a hard time sorting out that the different chapters/ points of views from new characters were talking about the same man, just under a different alias. (I hadn’t read the synopsis of the book directly before reading, so reviewing that probably would have helped with my confusion).
Once I was able to keep track of all the names/ all the key players, I became more interested in the story because I thought there HAS to be some kind of twist coming up or something big that’s going to happen.
But as time moved along, I became more and more frustrated at the women in this book. We form a connection with them as readers and it was really hard to see them continuously being lied to and watch them so easily forgive the man. It was pages and pages of how a man consistently lies and manipulates women. And the women continue to fall for the lies. While the ending delivers a somewhat satisfying result, I unfortunately didn’t really enjoy the story overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

If you’re a fan of domestic thrillers and Lisa Jewell’s signature suspense, Don’t Let Him In delivers tense, well-paced drama with compelling female leads and a creeped-out con man at the center. The multiple perspectives and timeline structure heighten the tension, though the big reveal may feel familiar if you’ve read similar “charming predator” tales. The ending wraps things up neatly—good if you like resolution, less so if you crave more ambiguity.

Thank You, NetGalley!

I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC!
Don’t Let Him In follows Ash as she navigates life after her father's passing, encountering a seemingly perfect man who enters her mother's life. As Ash begins to investigate Nick's background, she uncovers more questions than answers.
The book features relatively brief, fast-paced chapters, multiple points of view, and plenty of intrigue! While some sections felt a bit slower and repetitive, overall, it was an enjoyable, twisty, and quick read!

An author that can make me absolutely LOATHE a fictional human being is a talented author indeed. But I did struggle reading this book because of just how much I hated the main character. I would want to throw my Kindle across the room. I would want to yell at the innocent characters that the main character snagged in his web of lies. Ugh. Gross. I'm glad to be done with this book and this character.

I’m conflicted on how I feel. I looove Lisa Jewell’s books but this one just wasn’t it for me. I felt like it was obvious from the beginning what was happening. Loved how fast paced it was and the ending was a good twist but overall just okay. 3⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the e-arc!

Jewell's latest is my least favorite book of hers to date, and was a huge disappointment considering how much I've loved a lot of her books. I found the story clichéd and just utterly exhausting to slog through. A charismatic sociopath is working multiple women at once, gaslighting them, lying to them, stealing their money, and just getting away with abysmal behavior. We've got enough of that in the real world, thank you very much. I just didn't find the writing or plot gripping and even the small twists were fairly well telegraphed and not that interesting. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital review copy.

Lisa Jewell does such a good job of crafting characters that you instantly need to follow. I was completely sucked in by Ash and Nina, and their lives after the death of Ash’s father and Nina’s husband. As the story unfolded, I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster. This was a great read, and I couldn’t put it down!

4/5 stars

Thank you Atria Books for the advanced reading copy!

While this wasn't my favorite Lisa Jewell, I still love her writing style, pacing and storylines so much! I know that some people are sick of the con artist trope, but I really enjoy that and this was no exception!

As with many of Jewell's books, I wasn't sure where this was going at first at all. It was a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters, but I had hope that it would all make sense/come together in the end, and it did! There were a few predictabilities, which was -- in itself -- a surprise in a Lisa Jewell book, but also some big, surprising and great twists, too.

This one got a little bit redundant towards the beginning, and I wonder if people would be rating this higher if we had moved a bit quicker into the connections between characters. However, I enjoyed this one overall and found it to be a pretty easy-to-get-through read. I'll read anything by Lisa Jewell, and, and while this wasn't a top 3, it was still entertaining and surprising!

This book had me hooked from the beginning! I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days. I enjoyed the short, fast paced chapters and different point of views and was continuously trying to piece together how all the characters were connected. You are left shocked as more and more of their stories unfold. I love a good thriller and this one did not disappoint! Thank you Lisa Jewell, Atria books, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this so much! From the start, it gripped my attention and I read it in less than 24 hours. There are multiple POVs, and so many twists and characters, and I couldn’t get enough. I liked Ash and how she reached out when her gut was telling her something was off, and holy shit, did she find the off stuff. I loved the ending. I can’t wait to read this author’s next one!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

I don't know how she pens such stories; you can not put them down. I have never loathed an antagonist so much. This book could have been nonfiction because the characters' experiences were parallel to each other despite the constant name changes their beloved had. And the way the women are treated with such empathy is touching. There is no shame in being vulnerable to awful men like Nick/Ali/whomever.

Well done. A fantastic summer read.

So, when will the movie come out?

This is not typical of other Lisa Jewell books that I have read but it was definitely a psychological Thriller and an enjoyable read. One of the main characters is a despicable man who is not who he says he is, paired with naive women who fall for men's lies over and over again. It's fast paced with short chapters, making it very readable and hard to put down. You know there is going to be a lot of secrets to come out but you can't quite figure out what they are. Confusing as to who and what is happening when. A twisted tale of receipt, mother-daughter relationships. It has a very satisfying ending.

Thanks to Atria Books and Net Galley and to Lisa Jewell for an Advanced Reader Copy. I appreciate the advanced copy!

If Lisa writes it, I'm reading it.

I am a huge fan of Lisa and her writing. She has such a unique way of writing a twisty story, and keeping you invested. Don't Let Him In is no different. This story is full of secrets, betrayal, and a MMC that will give you the ICK in every way possible. His behavior is so shocking, that it's exactly the reason you keep turning the page - to see his downfall & figure out his motive. This book has a lot of moving parts and different characters - and that can take some getting use to, for sure. But it's worth it to hold on and keep reading, I promise.

This book in my opinion, was a little different than what Lisa normally writes - it's still a suspense, but the ending is something I'm not use to with Lisa - but I won't say I hated it. It tied up nicely, I was pleased with the conclusion! (and shocked.)

I think my only big complaint with this book was the beginning, getting into the groove of the storyline took a little getting use to but once you're in, you're locked in for the ride! And it's a twisty one.

This is another solid read from Lisa - it has short chapters, realistic story lines, and it's a bingeable read. Thank you so much Atria for sending me a early copy of this book to read & review!

Publication Date: Jun 24, 2025
Thank you @atriabooks & @netgalley for this advanced readers copy!

𝗬𝗢𝗨’𝗟𝗟 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗜𝗙:
• You want domestic suspense 👀
• You enjoy short chapters ⏳
• You like multiple timelines/POVs 👩👨👱‍♀️👩‍🦰
• You want a book with tension 🤯

📚 Nina Swann is intrigued when she receives a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband, who is looking to connect after her husband’s unexpected death. Nick is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too slick, too polished, too good to be true. Without telling her mother, Ash begins digging into Nick’s past. What she finds is more than unsettling…

💭 Lisa Jewell does it again! She is the queen of layering a captivating thriller together. I was intrigued by the storyline from the start, and had fun trying to connect the dots to make sense of the plot. At times I wanted to scream at the characters for being blind to Nick’s red flag behavior. But that being said, the book was very believable and I’m sure sadly relatable to many. The title says it all, don’t let him in... but do open this twisty, fun and mysterious book! ✨

⬇️ What’s your favorite @lisajewelluk book? 🫶🏻