A good man is hard to find, especially if you're reading Lisa Jewell's latest offering. Don't Let Him In is an entertaining novel about finding that special guy who may or may not be too good to be true. There are several women who are hoping that they have found the love of their lives, and some of their stories are told in flashbacks. Jewell wraps it up in a satisfying way. I really enjoyed this one!

A big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“𝗜 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗽𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱. 𝗧𝗼 𝗺𝗲.”

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 3/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 6/24/25

*Thank you @NetGalley and @AtriaBooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆: After her husband is murdered, Nina is contacted by his former friend Nick- and things become more than friendly quickly. Nina’s daughter Ash thinks something is off about Nick and she’s hellbent on finding out what. Across town Martha is a successful shop owner with a loving husband who begins to act strangely. Eventually, their lives all cross paths for a sinister reasons.

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
🎭Non-linear timeline
👣Long con
🎭Fast paced
👣Short chapters

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: A fast paced page turner! I found the layered stories/timelines to be a bit confusing at first but it didn’t take long for it all to click- maybe 10-15%. The MMC was so unlikable I was rooting for his downfall the whole time. Meanwhile I was rooting for the women in this story to come out on top. I found that the resolution to be very predictable and unsatisfying. This was second Jewell novel and while I was entertained, and compulsively turned the pages, I found this lacked the punch I was looking for.


TW: Domestic abuse, stalking

Don't Let Him In
by Lisa Jewell
Pub Date: Jun 24 2025

Lisa Jewell's latest book, Don't Let Him In was a very perplexing read! There are a lot of characters in the story, it's unbelievable how many of the woman were made to look as if they were clueless, had absolutely no common sense at all. The scary part is I can see how many woman could fall for this con...I can't say any more as I don't want to spoil the story.

I was hooked from the start. This is a great thriller!

Synopsis: Three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller. He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie. Nina, Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: Don’t let him in. But the past won’t stay buried forever.

Many thanks to #AtriaBooks #NetGalley & #Don'tLetHimIn for providing me with an E-ARC of this great thriller!

I usually enjoy Lisa Jewell’s twisty domestic thrillers, but Don’t Let Him In fell surprisingly flat for me.

The premise had promise — a mysterious man, a family with secrets, and that creeping sense of something being off — but the execution didn’t quite live up to it. The pacing dragged in the middle, and I found myself waiting for a payoff that never really came. The characters felt distant and underdeveloped, especially the protagonist, whose motivations never quite made sense to me.

I kept hoping for one of Jewell’s trademark reveals to pull everything together, but instead, the plot meandered and wrapped up with more confusion than closure. Some moments were genuinely eerie, but they were few and far between.

Not her best work — if you’re new to Lisa Jewell, I’d recommend starting with The Family Upstairs or Then She Was Gone instead.

I was excited to get an ARC of this book (thanks Atria Books via NetGalley!) as I’ve enjoyed Lisa Jewell’s books in the past but unfortunately, this one fell short.

There were too many characters in the book to keep track of, every time a new chapter (with a new POV) came up, I had to take a second to remember who this person was and what their story had been so far. The stories of each individual person had too much information that was not needed that I often found myself skimming the pages until something interesting happened. With so many characters, it was hard to really get to know any of them and due to that, I had no feelings either way about any of the characters. I don’t want to feel indifferent about characters of a story.

The story was predictable and early on it was easy to see the direction it was going in. I will say, the ending was quite satisfying and made it worth reading the book to the end.

I would say this is a good book for those that aren’t into thrillers but do like mysteries. I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller but definitely has some good moments of scenarios in the story that in the end turned out to be different than what they first seemed.

What a thrilling ride. Lisa Jewell has done it again. This book left me.wanting more. A fabulous story of lies and deciet that leaves you in shock. A 5 star read for me!

This was my first book of this Author to read. It was different for me but I loved it. I believe i will be reading more from this author in the future

I love Lisa Jewell. I have read books with a similar plot line before, however, this one is done really well. It’s dark and twisty and a fast read. This is a great summer thriller.

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell is a fast-paced page turner! This book had me thinking and questioning throughout the whole book.

In this book we follow two story lines. Paddy Swann dies leaving behind his wife Nina and his daughter Ash, who has recently come back home to live with her parents. When Nina moves on with a past acquaintance of her father's, Nick Radcliffe, Ash is unsure about how she feels about this and him. Story line number two... Martha is a florist and divorcee with a new second husband and a new baby. He is the perfect man, but his demanding career keeps pulling him away and he is increasingly distant.

Watch as Jewell weaves these two stories together and more. She will have you guessing at every turn! Great writing with seamless shifting points of view. I often do not like stories that have so many shifting viewpoints, but Jewell executes this really well and I was easily able to follow it once I got into the book about 10-15% into the book and began to see the story unfold. I would definitely recommend this to fans of mystery, psychological thriller and Jewell's other works.

Thank you to Net Galley, Atria Books (Simon & Schuster), and the author for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

I was so excited for the opportunity to read and review one of my favorite authors. "Don't Let Him In" is based on The Tinder Swindler if you haven't heard of him like me give that a search. A daughter trying to ensure her mother isn't hurt while dating for the first time after her father passes away. The daughter finds more than she ever imagined in her search to find out who the man her mother is really dating because something is off about him. "Don't Let Him In" has multiple point's of view, multiple time lines but don't be scared off because they all tie in together. I absolutely loved the ending but can't give that away. Women watching out for women ensuring no one else gets hurts. Helping other women see they are worth more than a man who isn't fully invested in their relationship. There are so many layers to the man, the swindler, who shocks me in defending his actions multiple times. Lisa Jewell never fails to hook you into the story and leave you needing to know the ending.

I recently finished reading Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell and I have mixed feelings about it. While the book had its moments, overall I found it a bit boring and predictable. The plot unfolded in a way that felt very blah, with few surprises.
That said, there was something about the story that kept me reading. Even though I could often guess what would happen next, I still wanted to see how it all played out. There was just enough curiosity to make me stick with it until the end.
This might be a better fit for readers who enjoy slower paced stories with not much suspense.
Thank you Netgalley and Atria publishing for this arc copy!!

4⭐️ | Suspenseful, layered, and quietly chilling 💐🔪

Don’t Let Him In is a classic Lisa Jewell slow-burn—unfolding like a puzzle you’re desperate to solve but afraid to finish. Told through the perspectives of three women whose lives begin to tangle around one too-charming man, this story builds tension in that way Jewell does so well—quietly, emotionally, and then all at once.

Nina’s grief makes her vulnerable. Ash’s intuition makes her bold. Martha’s creeping doubt makes her relatable. And as their stories converge, you’ll find yourself whispering the title like a warning: don’t let him in.

It’s not full-throttle thriller, but it’s moody, unsettling, and addictive in that “one more chapter before bed” kind of way. A perfect pick for fans of character-driven suspense and messy, real-world tension.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc! I absolutely love Lisa Jewell and this book was just amazing. I love the short chapters and made for a quicker read. This book really hooked you early on! I highly recommend everyone put this on your summer TBR!

3.5 rounded up💫 or maybe a true 4…I’ve gotta noodle on it a bit more🤔

One thing’s for sure - I love me a full cast audiobook🎧!! Especially for books like this one where there’s so many moving parts! Multiple POVs + multiple timelines that jump back and forth often!

This was super bingeable with short chapters and a con man/cat and mouse(ish) story - I just really wanted to know what would happen next.

I wouldn’t really call this a “thriller” though…less thrills and chills, more psychological suspense. It could’ve been a smidge shorter and there was really no BIG reveal that I kept waiting for.

All that to say I still really enjoyed it - it had really good insight into the mind of not only con artists but also those who they manipulate, and I was engaged from the start!

“Don’t Let Him In” is a siren song disguised as sweetness. Lisa Jewell takes what seems normal... a grieving widow, a protective daughter, a busy mom... and twists it into a trap spun by one man with too many masks. And once you realize it’s a trap, oh baby, you’re already knee-deep in emotional quicksand wondering how the hell you got there.

Meet Nina, fresh off losing her husband Paddy in a freak train platform tragedy. She’s vulnerable, hopeful, and desperate for connection. Enter Nick Radcliffe with a lighter from Paddy’s past and a charming smile you immediately do not trust. But Nina does. And that trust? It’s the opening move in a long, slow heist of her life.

Ash, her daughter, is the first to flinch. She clocks Nick immediately. Too polished. Too present. Too into her mother’s grief. Ash is the one woman in the room who refuses to look away. Watching her shift from quietly suspicious to full detective mode is chef’s kiss. If this were a horror movie, she’d be the one yelling, “Don’t go in there!” while everyone else pours the guy another drink.

And then there’s Martha. Sweet, overworked, drowning-in-kids Martha, who just wants to keep her flower shop alive and her marriage from crumbling. Her husband, Alistair, is loving... until he’s distant. Thoughtful... until he’s unreachable. Every time he disappears for “work,” you can feel the dread settle like fog. You know something’s off. You just don’t know how bad it’s going to get.

But here’s where Jewell kicks it up a notch. It’s not just these three. There are other women. Past girlfriends, casual flings, whispered regrets. Women Nick bent around his little finger until they snapped. The damage isn’t just personal. It’s patterned. This isn’t a one-off villain. This is a man who’s made a full-time job out of psychological warfare.

The story moves between perspectives and timelines, and yeah, it’s a lot at first. But once you find the rhythm, the unease builds like a slow drumbeat under your skin. Every chapter adds weight. By the time it all converges, you’re not just reading. You’re bracing.

Nick is terrifying. Not in a jump-scare way. In a real, deeply human way. He’s the man who learns your favorite wine, says all the right things, helps with your grief... and quietly starts to erase you one boundary at a time. He’s a monster in a tailored coat.

Jewell doesn’t need flashy twists to keep you hooked. She writes trauma like it’s lived-in. She makes you sit with the discomfort. She makes you ask why we forgive, why we overlook, why we let someone in just because they seem like what we need.

This book? It’s not about a mystery. It’s about waking up inside someone else’s game and deciding whether to burn it down or play smarter. A solid four stars for gaslighting, grief, generational trauma, and turning a group of women’s slow-burn screams turning into battle cries.

Whodunity Award: For Building a Villain So Smooth You Almost Miss the Blood on His Hands

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the early read. I started this for the thrill. I stayed for the ache.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book so much! This is Lisa jewell’s best one yet! Carefully plotted without going off the rails and kept me at the edge of my seat! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this in advance!

Don’t Let Him In:⁣
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A million thanks to @atriabooks and @simon.audio for my gifted copy! #AtriaPartner ⁣
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Say it again with me: “cause these men ain’t what?” Shit. This man ain’t shit. ⁣
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The amount of gaslighting and lack of financial awareness these women had is remarkable, honestly. The fact that any loans or any cards are being taken out in someone else’s name without their knowledge is wild knowing reports and alerts are in the world. But I digress. ⁣
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This was a fun cat and mouse type situation. I didn’t know exactly who was who, who to trust, or what was going to happen next. I do know Ash was a real one and I would 100% wanted them to be my voice of reason. ⁣
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Audio is full cast. I got so confused between chapters on which story we were on, but the audio being full cast totally helped. 100% recommend the audio.⁣
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Overall, a solid Lisa Jewell read. Not my favorite, but not the worst! Out Tuesday! ⁣
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QOTD: Last 5 star?

I didn’t feel like this book was much of a thriller. The different perspectives and time flashbacks kept it interesting. However, I felt like it was pretty predictable up until the very last chapter. Overall, I would say this book is worth the read just not my favorite.

This book was okay! It was really obvious what was going on, but if you like thrillers, you might enjoy seeing how they got to the end! I like the numerous perspectives!

Lisa Jewell packed a little bit of everything into this one. I don’t want to give too much away, but I finished it in 24 hours because I had to know what was going on. My mind was reeling with theories the entire time.

I loved how the story unfolded through multiple POVs, with each woman adding new tension and raising more questions. It was so gripping to watch their lives slowly intersect, all circling around one unsettling common denominator. The tension builds with every chapter, and by the end I was completely invested and a little bit haunted.