Don't Let Him In follows Nina and Martha, two middle-aged women who are in relationships with (seemingly) perfect men, Nick and Alistair. We see how charming both men are and how they've managed to integrate themselves into these women's lives. We also get a man's perspective -- who simply seems like a creep and freak. As those around Nina and Martha begin to ask questions and dig into the pasts of Nick and Alistair, unsettling secrets are discovered.

Ok….. unfortunately, this novel didn't quite reach my expectations. I really enjoyed 'None of This Is True' by Lisa Jewell, so I was excited to dive into this one, but the plot and characters never had me absolutely enthralled and on the edge of my seat.

There are SO many characters and timelines to the point where it's difficult to put the book down and revisit later (not that the book was unputdownable… it was that it was TOO putdownable and then extremely hard to pick back up where you left off). Once you get a few chapters in, there's really no mystery about what's happening and everything felt like a cliché. Maybe it's because I've read a good amount of mysteries and thrillers at this point, but since I "figured out" what was going on, I just found myself getting annoyed at the female characters' actions and responses to situations. Overall, I would recommend this book if you're a Lisa Jewell superfan, but otherwise, I would recommend some of her other books if you've never read something from her before.

I will always pick up the newest Lisa Jewell, she is one of my favorite authors. I absolutely love her writing and the way she creates the most unhinged characters. Don’t Let Him In was a very twisted domestic/psychological suspense packed with suspicious people. I did ultimately enjoy this book, but for me, because there were so many characters and timelines it did make it a little difficult to get fully invested in all of them. I typically love short chapters, but I wanted to spend more time in each vignette! The pacing started to pick up in the latter half the book and I neeeeeded to know how it all would end.

Look, Lisa Jewell is always going to deliver a page-turning thriller, and DON'T LET HIM IN is no exception. Even though it was pretty easy to make the connections between characters and time periods, the suspense carried through as Jewell slowly revealed how the women affected by a terrible man try to find the truth. I always feel Jewell's characters have strong voices, and that's true here, although I wish there had been even more focus on the women's perspectives and small but impactful pieces of the man's perspective.

Don’t Let Him In is a twisty, slow-burn domestic thriller that had me hooked from the start—even if it wasn’t my favorite Lisa Jewell, it still delivered a suspenseful and highly entertaining ride. The multi-POV, multi-timeline format took some time to come together, but once it did, the tension skyrocketed and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Jewell excels at crafting complex, lifelike characters, and here she gives us a manipulative con man so delusional he genuinely thinks he's a good guy—his perspective was disturbingly fascinating. I loved the cat-and-mouse dynamic and the ultimate unraveling of his web of lies. While I wished for a slightly more original plot, the emotional depth (especially Ash’s grief and hesitation to trust) and satisfying ending made up for it. If you enjoy slow-burning suspense with morally grey characters and plenty of gasp-worthy twists, this one is worth your time.

Holy moly 🤯🤯🤯 that ending had me SHOOK! Lisa Jewell did it again!! This book was one wild ride, with so many twists! Not a typical thriller, more domestic thriller but again she sucks you right in and has such well developed characters. This was quite the page turner and the last 10% was intense!! Don’t miss this one!

Lisa Jewell has done it again; I have yet to read a book by this author that I did not enjoy, and this one was no exception The premise of this book captivated me, as the existence of such men has always fascinated me, though I am grateful never to have encountered one personally. This story will undoubtedly make readers reconsider their approach to dating.

When Nina Swann receives a condolence card from a man who knew her late husband, she becomes curious to meet someone connected to her husband's past. What begins as a source of comfort gradually evolves into a relationship. Nick Radcliffe appears to be the ideal man—handsome, charming, and seemingly perfect. However, Nina's adult daughter suspects he may be too good to be true. As she delves into his history, discrepancies begin to emerge.

Martha, a florist in a nearby town, has infant daughter and a devoted husband. Yet, when her husband Alistair starts traveling more frequently for work and becomes unreachable for days at a time, she starts to question what is happening. As Nina and Martha seek answers, they remain unaware that their paths are on a collision course far beyond anything they could have anticipated. If someone seems too good to be true, they likely are—a warning that should not be ignored. Do not let him in.

This book left a profound impact on me. Dark, unsettling, and full of unexpected twists, it will make readers reevaluate the trust they place in others.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

✨ DON’T LET HIM IN ✨
Rating: 5⭐️ - I LOVED It

The QUEEN of DOMESTIC thrillers is BACK with her newest novel, DON’T LET HIM IN, and while it’s getting some mixed reviews, I LOVED it!

❤️ for my LOVERS of CON ARTIST thrillers, a CAST of PSYCHO characters, bingeable stories, and stellar audiobooks!

❤️ this one had me HOOKED from page one! I started this one on my kindle and it has multiple POVs and characters so this worked out well as it helped me get oriented to the different storylines before switching to AUDIO! These women and this total psychopath!! had me gripped to the page! The storyline felt predictable and there were no major twists and turns but was still a wild ride!

💔 this MAN - OMG! Total psychopath and some of these women were totally insufferable but it all went along with the plot!

❤️ the AUDIO was spectacular just like all of Lisa’s previous books!

This book gave me the chills. It’s insane to think that a man like Simon could exist but knowing that they do exist, freaks me out. Lisa Jewell really wrote such a good and realistic horror book and I love her for it.

Several women's lives are connected by one seemingly perfect man. He's a con artist and a pathological liar. And of course, it's going to catch up to him eventually. Knowing all of this ahead of time did not take any enjoyment out of reading this story. I would not consider this a thriller though there were some unexpected twists. I love Lisa Jewell and everything she writes and this was no exception.
Also posted on Goodreads

I’m usually a huge fan of anything LJ, but this one missed the mark for me! I usually finish her books in a few sittings, but this one took a long time to get through. The last 40% flew, but even then it wasn’t my favorite. Some nice surprises, a great job at parallel universe per usual…but this storyline was overall just kind of redundant for me. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t meet my expectations with how I usually feel while reading LJ! Thank you for the ARC copy, I’ll still read everything she puts on print!!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for this eARC!

Lisa Jewell is a fantastic thriller author and she didn’t let me down with this one. The characters are all connected and the twists are sometimes subtle but well written. Some parts were predictable but overall this was a solid fast read.

Look, Lisa Jewell knows what she's doing. The pacing on this was excellent, and while the mystery itself wasn't one of the most intriguing, I absolutely found myself engaged in the twists and turns. Fun!

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!

what a really well told story. ash is one of my favorite thriller protagonists that i've read about in a long time and i was also surprisingly very invested in martha's storyline as well (a common critique of dual POV/timeline thrillers is that i find one of them to be lackluster in comparison but not this one!) i thought the twists were also very well done and you're kept in the dark for just the right amount of time before it's fully revealed.

the only thing that's holds this back from being 5 stars is that it took me a long time to get through due to the very slow start. around 40 percent into the book, the story really gets going but before then it is quite slow and not as engaging as one might think. still a really solid and enjoyable read!

Wow!!!! I am mind blown by the ending… HOLY COW….. Crazy…. What a great way to end this and throwing in the twist that I never saw coming!

This was a fun psychological mystery! I was very invested and wanted to know what was happening and how it all connected. I love Lisa Jewell’s style of writing so it was so easy for me to read and get captivated by the story. I really enjoyed the different POV and interconnected timelines, it really helps bring everything full circle. I personally didn’t feel there were any big twists or revelations. But I still enjoyed it and think people should read it especially if they liked her other work.

So thankful to Atria and Atria Thrillers for the digital copy and the finished hardback!

I'm a sucker for a romantic con, so I was excited to dig into Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell. Unfortunately, this one was a disappointment. We know right from the jump who the "bad guy" is and what he's doing, so reading it, I was waiting for something exciting to happen to propel the plot. Instead, we bounce back and forth between the conman's current target and his past ones, with fairly bland manipulation tactics utilized against the women. Mostly, the conman bilking money out of spouses and lovers and disappearing to "work assignments" for varying lengths of time. Yawn. There's very little, if any, suspense. At times, it was difficult to keep track of who each woman was. Nor did I particularly care, as they were mostly insecure doormats without spines or brains. I wanted more from this after enjoying Jewell's None of This Is True.

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

Lisa Jewell delivers another gripping and suspenseful story in Don’t Let Him In. From the first page, the book pulls you in with an unsettling sense of tension and keeps you guessing until the very end. The author's writing style is fast-paced and atmospheric, making it hard to put the book down.

This is a perfect read for fans of psychological thrillers who enjoy unexpected twists and a chilling, page-turning experience. While some parts feel slower than others, the payoff is worth it, and the ending leaves you thinking long after you’ve closed the book.

Would highly recommend!

Don’t Let Him In was a fun, twisty ride! Lisa Jewell does a great job laying out puzzle pieces that slowly click into place. The twists kept me guessing, and I flew through it in just a couple of sittings. A quick, satisfying read perfect for thriller fans who love layered mysteries and a bit of suspense!

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell is a twisty suspense and is her most recent novel, released in June 2025.

Lisa Jewell’s writing style is always great. But this one was a bit of a struggle for me. There are a lot of characters and it’s a bit much to keep them all straight. The plot was easy to determine right off the bat and none of the twists were particularly surprising. And the end definitely didn’t satisfy me much.

I never like books that feel like they celebrate or normalize infidelity and, in a way, this one does. I mean, it’s basically the whole theme. It felt to me like it glorified the conning, the cheating, and the abandoning of his kids. I was definitely hoping for everything to be brought around in the end, for a big “he learned his lesson” ending, with vindication for the women and children involved, and I definitely didn’t feel satisfied in that regard, making this a miss for me.

Thank you to Atria books for the ARC copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. I honestly would have probably ended up DNFing this book had it not been something I got as a review copy. It read very quickly, which was something I was grateful for, but the short chapters with multiple timeline changes and perspective flips were hard to keep up with sometimes. Once I oriented myself, I found the characters to be stereotypically one-dimensional to a point of absurdity. I would hate to spoil this book for anyone, however the plot summary does a pretty good job of that all on its own. This book is basically the characters catching up to each other and figuring out what is going on while the reader already knows. I wanted more twists and turns because, for the most part, I just felt bored. I am really disappointed because I have liked every other Lisa Jewell book I have read but this is not one I would recommend to new readers or her old ones.