Fantastically propulsive and a ripped from the headlines suspense novel! Jewell is a masterful storyteller - on a sentence level and when describing the interior lives of her characters. Everything is well-crafted here. Brava!

*Don't Let Him In* by Lisa Jewell is a gripping and suspenseful psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Known for her ability to weave intricate plots with emotionally complex characters, Jewell delivers a chilling narrative that explores trust, deception, and the consequences of allowing someone into your life—or your home—without truly knowing who they are.

The novel centers around a seemingly ordinary man who arrives at a woman’s house, claiming to have nowhere else to go. At first, his presence seems harmless, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that his arrival is no coincidence. The tension builds gradually as the characters' pasts and hidden secrets come to light, leading to a series of shocking twists and turns.

Jewell’s writing is sharp and engaging, with a strong sense of pacing that drives the plot forward. She excels at creating a sense of unease and paranoia, making readers question the motives of every character. The narrative is layered, revealing pieces of the story in a way that keeps you guessing and continually re-evaluating what you think you know.

The characters are well-developed, especially the protagonist, whose internal struggles and conflicting emotions are portrayed with depth and nuance. While the focus is primarily on the central mystery, Jewell doesn’t shy away from exploring themes of vulnerability, isolation, and the consequences of making poor decisions.

One of the strengths of *Don’t Let Him In* is its exploration of the fine line between being cautious and paranoid, showing how easily trust can be manipulated. The twists in the book are genuinely surprising, and the final reveal packs an emotional punch, making for a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, *Don’t Let Him In* is a fast-paced, compelling psychological thriller that will appeal to fans of suspenseful, character-driven narratives. If you enjoy books that slowly build tension and keep you hooked until the very end, this one is definitely worth reading.

Something brand new from Lisa Jewell? Yes, please! I will always drop anything & everything for the queen! Jewell is tha master of domestic suspense!

Thanks so much to Atria for the eARC!

This one hits shelves June 24, 2025.

Lisa Jewell is a must-read author for me, but this one missed the mark. I would not call it a thriller or a mystery, but more of a domestic fiction with a psychopathic main character. Of course, the writing was wonderful, but there are too many characters, and the timeline/POV could get confusing if you aren't paying close attention.
I also felt it was very predictable; there truly was nothing I was surprised about. Thank goodness for the epilogue, though!
Underwhelming, but worth it as it's a quick read and I do usually enjoy Lisa Jewell's books.

B O O K • R E V I E W
🚪Don’t Let Him In🚪
By Lisa Jewell
Summary 👉🏻👉🏻👉🏻
Rating: I Loved It!

Thoughts: As a huge fan of @lisajewelluk books, I can confidently say Don’t Let Him In is one of my favorites! The multiple POVs and dual timelines kept me guessing, and the twists? Completely wild—I did not see them coming! Every time I thought I had things figured out, I was hit with another “what in the world just happened” moment.

This book is fast paced, addictive, and full of suspense. I couldn’t put it down, and honestly, I didn’t want to! If you love thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you turning pages this book is for you.

Don’t Let Him In releases on 6/24/25, so there’s plenty of time to preorder this jewel! 💎😉

Thank you, @netgalley and @atriabooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Another twisted thriller by Lisa Jewell!

Shorty after her husband's funeral, Nina connects with Nick, much to her daughter's dismay.

Martha's husband Al is a loving father and husband, but he disappears for days and doesn't answer his phone.

Are Nick and Al who they say they are? What exactly is going on. Read to find out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Lisa Jewell’s Don’t Let Him In is a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. With a masterful blend of suspense and character depth, Jewell crafts a narrative that not only entertains but also delves into the complexities of human behavior and the past that shapes us.

The story unfolds through a captivating structure that alternates between past and present, allowing readers to piece together the backstory of the enigmatic and vile character referred to as “him” in the title. This technique adds layers to the narrative, revealing how past traumas and choices lead to the chilling events of the present. Jewell’s ability to weave these timelines seamlessly makes for a rich reading experience that deepens the sense of dread and urgency.

I found myself rooting for Ash throughout the book, despite her bratty demeanor at the beginning. As the story progresses, her character evolves, and her determination to investigate “him” was compelling and a little nerve wracking. Jewell does an excellent job of developing her female characters, making them relatable and complex, which enhances the emotional impact of the story.

The tension builds steadily, and just when I thought I had figured it all out, Jewell threw in unexpected twists that left me breathless. The pacing is spot-on, ensuring that I could hardly put the book down.

In conclusion, Don’t Let Him In is a thrilling ride that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a well-crafted psychological thriller. Lisa Jewell has delivered a standout novel that combines a chilling plot with profound character exploration. If you’re looking for a book that will keep you guessing until the last page, this is it!

Thank you to Lisa Jewel, NetGalley, and Simon and Schuster for this advanced digital copy of the book.

It's not a secret that he's a con artist but the more we uncover about this man, the more invested I got in today's story. The past is bad enough, the women that he has hurt and scammed and possibly even killed are enough. But then, is our narrator reliable? Always fun to wonder. I won't give any spoilers but this one was good and I couldn't put it down.

Don’t let him in
4 stars!
Damn! Don’t Let Him In is a solid psychological thriller with unreliable (?) narrators.

Synopsis: Recently widowed, Nina Swann receives a letter from a former colleague of her husband. A gentle romance is kindled. Ash, her daughter has a niggling feeling that something just not quite right. Is Nick Radcliffe all the handsome charm he presents himself to be?

What I liked: Page turner and twisty. Multiple POV narratives and timeline flashbacks.
What I struggled with: there are A LOT of women (Nina, Ash, Tara, Martha, Amanda, Emma, Jane…like it’s a lot) to keep straight in this story, and it feels twisty, difficult, and yet familiar over and over again - but that is kinda the point.

No mystery to solve here, just a desperate desire for comeuppance.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

you guys, i'm sorry, but i have to get something off my chest — there is NO WAY that our leading man’s physical appearance isn’t based on paul hollywood. i dare you to read this and not picture the king of bread. admit it, lisa! the jig is up!!

if you're into the absolute worst people doing the absolute worst things, this one is for you. it’s got more characters and timelines than you can shake a stick at. the twists were not as twisty as some of her previous work, but i still had a great time hate-reading about this man who definitely is not NOT based on a bizarro version of a certain great british baker.

i genuinely enjoyed this jam-packed little book. i say little, but i don’t mean it. it's 384 pages, but it read like it was half that size. plus, it *really* picks up around the 70% mark — everything after that is like the part of the roller coaster where you keep your hands in the air while you’re making a turn. and that ending? PHEW. talk about satisfying!

thanks to atria books for the digital copy of this book on @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Holy crap that was one hell of a book!!
You can trust my judgement on this one.. so so good. so suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat.

I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this book was a mess.. if you don’t pay attention to one line, you’ll miss everything that’s happening in that chapter for how many characters you need to keep track of. I lost track so many times I was laughing.. I have a hard time placing so many people in my head.. but the story was just whack.. everyone needed therapy in this book.. especially Nick Radcliffe and the 20 other people he plays in this book.

I have been a fan of Lisa Jewell for several years now but I do believe her two most recent books are by far her best, bringing her near the top of my favorite thriller author list.

This book starts out with what seems like just a couple of characters, jumping around in time and perspective (my favorite) in quick chapters. Yet soon you realize this web of characters is huge and interconnected by one major player. I won’t say too much because it would give away all the twists but it’s worth the slow burn to see how it all unravels as the characters connect the pieces.

I wasn’t totally blown away by the ending—seemed to be a long, enjoyable, slow burn building up to what I felt was a bit anti-climactic—but true to form, she ends with one last twist that was satisfying enough for me.

This book releases June 24, 2025. Make sure to grab it—I devoured it in just a few hours.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this digital review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really like this book! Lisa Jewell can do no wrong. She’s the queen of mystery. I did want SOMETHING else from this book, I don’t know what. But it didn’t feel super surprising to me,

I flew through this quick paced suspenseful novel. So many characters to keep track of, I initially had to keep a running list of who was who and how they were all connected. This is a story of a man living multiple lives, and lies, and conning multiple women. I could not turn the pages fast enough in this one to see how it all unfolded and how many fake families and fake lives this man had! Trust me, it adds up! I also loved the empowered women who investigate and reveal his secret. The only critique I have is that I wanted a little more of Ash’s back story, especially of her meltdown the prior year. Regardless, this is a great “finish in a single sitting” book!

Lisa Jewell does it again with a great thriller that will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can. She captives you from the first chapter and doesn't let up! Nina is a recently widowed and starts to date a man that knew her ex-husband....or at least that is what he claims. Ash is the loving daughter that gets a weird vibe about the new boyfriend and starts to do some digging on his past. Martha is a woman with two teenage boys and now a newborn with her husband of just a few years. When her husband starts to do strange things and disappearing, she starts to look into his whereabouts without telling him. As the story unfolds these three women are more intertwined then they realize and will soon be on a crash course to each other.
Lisa Jewell just writes these characters so well that you start to feel for the woman and just want to punch the husband/boyfriend. You can't help but feel empathy and rage for them as they uncover dark secrets.

Do yourself a favor and get this book as soon as it comes out!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an Arc in return for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early! Lisa Jewell hit it out of the park again! I didn’t know how she would top her last book but, here we are, with another gem of a story on our hands! Jewell has an uncanny ability to take us into the twisted mind of an unreliable narrator like no other author I have ever read. Readers will find themselves drawn into Nick/Alistair/Jonathan’s story while also completely loathing him. The tension continued until the very last paragraph.

This book was challenging to follow with all of the moving parts between characters and times. I am glad that I finished the book because I did not see the character in the end being the bad person.

Actual review: 3.5 stars

I honestly don’t know what to feel about Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell. On one hand, it kept me hooked, but on the other, I felt kind of frustrated throughout. The story is told in alternating timelines and perspectives, so we know right away who the bad guy is. That takes away the mystery of who did it, and instead, the story focuses on watching this guy, who seems perfect on the surface, slowly reveal his dark side. It's not so much about solving a mystery, but more about seeing how everything unravels.

I did like how Jewell structured the story. It’s told through the eyes of different women who live with this charming guy—a guy who’s a loving husband, great father, all-around "perfect" man... except he does a lot of shady things. The tension builds as these women start noticing his suspicious behavior, but it’s so frustrating because they all seem to ignore the red flags. The whole time, I was just thinking, how can they not see this? Like, he disappears for days and nobody thinks to ask questions? It felt a bit too naive, and that really bugged me.

What’s also frustrating is how these women come across. They’re smart, they seem capable in their lives, but they just keep falling for this guy’s act. I get that he’s manipulative, but I couldn’t help but wonder: Does it really take a seemingly perfect husband and father to blind you to the obvious signs of trouble?

If you’re looking for a thriller, this isn’t quite that. It’s more of a domestic suspense with a personal investigation vibe. It kind of gave me None of This Is True vibes—another Lisa Jewell book where an outsider invades someone’s life and starts obsessing over it. There’s something about that theme of someone from the outside coming in, disrupting things, and you can’t help but feel a little on edge the whole time.

All in all, it was a decent read that kept me interested, but I wouldn’t call it my favorite thriller. If you like stories about con men, manipulative behavior, and a slow-burn investigation, this one’s worth picking up, but it’s not the most intense read out there.

"Don't Let Him In" had me hooked from the very beginning. There were twists throughout the whole book and I was intrigued with every page. I definitely recommend reading this book.