My first read of the year was a captivating and suspenseful novel that kept me hooked from start to finish. The male main character (MMC) was a fascinating exploration of narcissism, love bombing, and manipulation, adding depth to the story. The short chapters and multiple points of view made the book incredibly engaging and easy to devour. While the twists were somewhat predictable, experiencing the diverse mindsets of the characters added a layer of intrigue and made the journey thoroughly enjoyable.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was very excited to get this ARC because I knew Lisa Jewell would pull me in.

I was going to give it a 3 but the twists at the end really got me, and it bumped it up to a 4 star. I did think it could have been edited down a little, but since it was a thriller, it was still fast-paced.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC of Don’t Let Him In.

Lisa!!!! What in the world did you put in this book to make it so addicting? I have been in such a reading slump lately and this pulled me right out. I absolutely devoured this book. I don’t even want to give away anything in the book so the only description I will give is, three women are connected by one man. Go into this book without any other details and you won’t regret it!!

2.75 stars

If you have watched The Tinder Swindler on Netflix, this was a book version of that show except he married the women and met them in real life.

I’m really bummed that this book was such a flop. I have really liked Lisa Jewel’s other work but this one just didn’t hit the mark. This book is definitely not a thriller. It’s more of a study on a narcissist who takes advantage of gullible women.

Summary:
After Paddy Swann is tragically killed, his wife, Nina, and daughter, Ash, are left grieving. When a mysterious package from Paddy’s old friend Nick arrives, Nina grows close to him, but Ash becomes suspicious of his motives.
Meanwhile, Martha, a struggling florist, juggles family life and financial stress while her husband, Al, is often away. As an emergency forces her to reevaluate her life, she begins to uncover unsettling truths.
When secrets about Nick and Al come to light, the lives of Nina, Ash, and Martha collide in a shocking and dangerous way, leaving them wishing they had heeded the warning: Don’t let him in.

My thoughts:
The beginning of the book is hard to follow because there are so many different POVs and they have nothing that really distinguishes them from each other. There really was no point in multiple POV’s because all the women were being treated the same by the male character and it just got so repetitive. The ending was so disappointing as there was no plot twist and it was so incredibly predictable.

I would pass on this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Obsessed and stressed! That’s the only way to describe the way I felt reading this book. It should come as no surprise that Lisa Jewell wrote another incredible novel. In addition to creating the worst character ever I think Lisa wrote my new favorite duo, Ash and Jane! Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC!

OMG, this was horrifying—in the BEST way! Don't Let Him In tells the story of Nina, a recently widowed woman mourning from the tragic loss of her husband, and her daughter, Ash, who is struggling after a mental breakdown and job loss. Just when Nina begins to rebuild, she meets Nick—tall, charming, with a perfect life and an undeniable affection for her. But things are never as perfect as they seem.

At the same time, we're introduced to Martha, a florist balancing her life with two teenage sons and a newborn daughter, all while dealing with her husband, Al, who's suddenly disappearing for days without explanation. As her suspicions grow, Martha starts to question everything she thought she knew about her marriage.

I found the story to be a bit slow and confusing at first, but once you realize what is happening - you'll be hooked! You'll find yourself on the edge of your seat and jaw on the floor at every twist and turn. And the scariest part? This could actually happen. The short chapters and multiple POVs make this impossible to put down, and I have no doubt it will be a massive hit when it releases!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

HUGE thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I found this book absolutely captivating. I will say I was expecting it to be a bit faster-paced, but it still kept my attention very well, which can sometimes be a hard job even for some of my favorites. The main reason I didn’t rate this five stars was that I noticed a lot of older characters using more modern slang and it threw me a bit. Overall, would definitely recommend this as long as you are aware of potential triggers.

I absolutely loved this book! I loved being hung to every word, craving to know what happens next, to know if this guy gets caught or not... it's a 5 🌟 from me!

Thank you so very much for the ARC opportunity!!!

Lisa Jewell delivers another delightfully creepy thriller! Don't Let Him In is told from multiple POVs surrounding the story of an attractive, charismatic man (Nick?) with multiple identities who lies and cheats and scams to get what he wants from women. One of the women's daughters catches on and goes on a mission to unravel Nick's psychopathic ways. She ends up uncovering things more twisted than she anticipated.

This was a page turner, and I'm sure it's going to be a hit following None of This is True. I love that Nick was one of the POVs so we the readers could get a true look into his mind and how he makes sense of the world. Sometimes Lisa Jewell's books are a little more dark and uncomfortable than I like, but this one was the perfect mix of unsettling and dramatic. It did seem very easy at times to track down people from Nick's past and very convenient how much they remembered and how willingly they gave up information to strangers. If you can suspend a little disbelief, the detective aspect of the narrative is fun.

I highly anticipate every SINGLE new release from Lisa Jewell and this one did not disappoint. The queen of domestic thrillers presents chapter after intriguing chapter from multiple points of view and instantly hooking and questioning how any of the characters’ stories connect until about 18% into the book. Once their worlds collide, HOLD ON, it gets wild. The amount of hate I held for the main character kept me captivated and very much anticipating karma to come for him. Twist after intertwining twist will have you devouring this book every spare second, if you don’t finish it in one sitting, that is. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

This was a great book that kept me turning the pages. Highly recommend. Nick Radcliffe lives quite the lifestyle with a demanding job, family, and kids. But no one really knows who Nick Radcliffe is until Ash the daughter of his current girlfriend does he own investigation into Nick and finding out who he truly is.

4.5/5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to Atria and the author for sending me an advanced copy to review!

This book was nothing like I was expecting!
A year ago, Ash’s father was pushed in front of an incoming train. Now, her mother has a new boyfriend and something about him just doesn’t sit right with Ash so she starts to do some digging…
This book is a rollercoaster ride of gaslighting and lies and secrets. And the crazier part is, this probably happens more often than we realize. The MMC is a smooth talker who knows how to manipulate women into doing whatever he wants.
This definitely isn’t the type of thriller I’ve come to expect from Lisa Jewell but it was a change up that just worked.

I definitely recommend giving this one a read when it comes out in June!

I really don’t even know where to start with this one. I was so excited to get this arc because I’ve heard so many good things about the author’s other books, however this one was just not it for me. First it took me so long to get into the book due to the all over the place timeline and introduction of many characters. Every character in the book lacked common sense so much that I felt like banging my head against the wall. It also just wasn’t a thriller at all, it’s more of a drama about a man who likes to lie. It also just was so long and drawn out that by the time anything interesting happened I was over it. Definitely will check out her other books still, but this one wasn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite thriller authors. Something about her books just pull me in and don’t let go

I had high hopes for this book but.. I don’t know, it fell short. The characters were good and it had a nice flow but there was no thrill, no suspense. I also kept getting confused on who’s POV was who’s since it doesn’t state it at the beginning of each chapter.

3 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a digital ARC of Don't Let Him In.

I gave this 3 stars, but wish I could round up to 3.5! I was captivated the whole time and finished this in two days. I liked this one better than her last, but I did not rate it higher simply because there really wasn't much mystery/thrill/suspense. Yes, there were a few plot twists, but overall I wanted more things that kept me guessing. I will say the characterization was very well done, as was the writing.

I very much enjoyed "Watching You" and "Then She Was Gone" by Lisa Jewell and had high hopes for this book. While it was not disappointing, I didn't love it at much as the other books I've read by her. I would give this release a 3.5/5 if I could give half stars. This was an easy read that flowed well. Many women, all strangers to one another, but all caught in the same web by the same perfect man with all the perfect words and excuses. It was a very similar story from woman to woman throughout the book and the suspense of him being caught kept me sucked in. The women in the web... well I often had to ask, which one is this again, because they all seemed very much the same in personality, character, etc. which kind of made it boring. I was hoping for a huge plot twist at the end, and while there is a twist it was mostly predictable and not anything breath taking. Worth the read just for the satisfying ending.

Lisa Jewell is one of my favorite thriller authors. Something about her books just pull me in and don’t let go. No matter what, I’m going to find her books to be well-written page-turners. That said, this was not my favorite of hers. It was fine! But I wasn’t blown away. There wasn’t some big twist in the end. The story and characters were solid, but there weren’t the twists and turns found in her other books. Very middle of the road Lisa Jewell for me. Still can’t wait to see what she does next!

I am super thrilled to have received an ARC of this book from NetGalley, Lisa Jewell and Atria books! Many thanks.

I’m pretty stingy with my 5 star reviews and early on I was a little worried about this book keeping my interest but I’m glad I pushed on.

There are many many characters and for a bit I struggled to keep up with who was who and who went with each family. It does become much clearer as the book goes on though and all comes together in the end.

This book had me feeling all the feels. Anger for the women, sadness and wanting justice for Jessica’s character, the naivety of Martha’s character and omg did I want to ring the neck of ‘Nick’s’ character.

It was a moderately paced book because so much was happening and I had to work hard to keep up. This was a good thing though because I tend to speed read through books that don’t hold my interest.

I felt like I was playing detective along with Ash’s character.

Highly recommend

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell: 2 stars 😢

After Ash's father, Paddy Swann, is killed after being pushed in front of a train, the family is absolutely devastated. Not too long after Paddy is laid to rest, Ash and her mother Nina receive a package of a keepsake that supposedly belonged to Paddy from his old pal Nick Ratcliffe. Ash was rightfully suspicious of Nick from the jump because Nick is not who he says he is at all. The women in "Nick's" life from the past a present become fed up and finally do something about it.

You are drawn in to this story because you will want to know what happens with Nick while he is playing these women.

I love me some Lisa Jewell but this was not it!

This story was not executed as flawlessly as it could have and went on for much longer than necessary. I could not keep up at first because too much was going on. I was disappointed the entire read.

I need someone else to read this and then come back to me because there is no way I read what I just read.

Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for this advanced reader's coy in exchange for my honest review.

Publication Date: June 24, 2025

#bookreview #lisajewell #dontlethimin #arc #netgalley