I'm going to be honest and say that I was a bit confused after the first few chapters, enough that I went back and started over. And I am so glad I did! Once I had straight who was who, I was hooked and did not want to put the book down. I found the book fast-paced and there were more than a few "WHAT??" I enjoyed the short chapters and author Jewell truly created the most despicable man. He was such a master at manipulation and gaslighting! The book was well-paced and quite gripping.

Restauranteur Paddy Swann was pushed in the path of an oncoming train, leaving his twenty-something daughter Ash and wife Nina devastated. Shortly after Paddy’s funeral, the two women receive a surprise in the mail: a note and package from Nick Ratcliffe, an old friend of Paddy’s, and a nondescript lighter that once belonged to him decades ago. This unexpected gift draws Nick and Nina closer together, but Ash is suspicious of Nick from the start. Martha owns a florist shop and would like to expand, but there never seems to be enough money. She lives with her husband Al, who is always traveling for work, and their baby and 2 sons from a previous marriage. Are Nick and Al strangers or the same man?

This was pure Lisa Jewell. She created characters that I grew to care about, and a villain, that I loved to hate. This was a well written story of a man who knew what he was doing when it came to doing for himself. He was charismatic, and able to get people to believe whatever he told them, even when it seemed unbelievable. There were lots of twists, but with the plot of this one, they weren't unexpected. I don't want to give anymore away, so I will just say, even though some of the storyline seemed similar to other books I had read, the plot and characters had me listening to this one whenever I had a spare moment. Lots of tension, and moments that had me yelling at the characters. As a reader, I could see what was coming, the characters could not. A great thriller/suspense.

Lisa Jewell always knows how to write a captivating mystery/suspense book!!

What I liked:
-I was easily drawn into this one. It was intriguing right from the start and the premise was unique.
-The ending was good, I enjoyed how it all seemed to tie together. I also really liked that jaw dropping last twist in the last pages.

What I didn't like:
-It was a bit confusing at times because there are multiple timelines & scenarios all over lapping and its not very clear what is what. Of course it all has significance in the end and it all ends up tying together, but I wish that it was made clearer.

Overall, this one was eerie and suspenseful. I really enjoyed it and even thiough it was a bit different than Jewell's typical writing, it was still very well done and just as good as her other works I have read.

Really let down by this book.
Super repetitive, boring, not Jewell’s typical thriller.
I usually love all of her books and give them 5 stars but this wasn’t great.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read Don’t Let Him In before its release.

Lisa Jewell delivers another simmering slow-burn thriller with Don’t Let Him In—a cautionary tale about the people we welcome into our lives and how little we may truly know them.

This story brims with themes of family unity, deception, and the lies we tell ourselves. It’s the kind of book that stirs strong emotions—I can’t remember the last time I wanted to step into a story just to shake some sense into the characters.

Jewell is a master at crafting characters you’ll love to hate, the kind that keep you hooked, frustrated, and utterly obsessed. If you enjoy juicy, addictive, “water-cooler gossip” reads, this one is a perfect distraction and guaranteed to spark conversation.

This is a suspenseful thriller and it's quite a wild ride! There were so many different characters and stories that kept going between the years. I will say I was a bit torn at times because on one hand I was loving the book but I also got a bit confused at times. Don't Let Him In is such a very twisty addictive read! Lisa Jewell is such a great writer and I loved reading this book. It had me hooked from the beginning!

3.5 ⭐️’s
After Nina Swan’s husband dies in a tragic accident, she’s intrigued by Nick, a man that knew her late husband. He’s the perfect man, but Ash, Nina’s daughter, is not quite so sure. He is just too slick for her tastes. With so many unanswered questions, she decides to do some investigating, but is she prepared for the results? Martha is a hard working, self employed woman married to Alistair, the love of her life, but is it all a lie? With twists galore and a plethora of characters, this book is a bit far fetched and predictable (are there really that many naive people out there?), with an ending I saw coming a mile away, but had me wishing for something more. Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This book was insane! Told in two different time frames that link together. Do you really know who everyone is or do you not?

Ash just lost her father and her mother becomes smitten with a man who claims to k ow her dad back when they were younger. Ash doesn’t feel right about this and begins to investigate… discovering information about Nicholas, moms new boyfriend

Martha is a mother of 3 kid and a loving husband however her husband starts to act strange and Martha is becoming very worried about what her husband Al is up to…


Leave it to Lisa for this crazy story

This was a good suspense novel but not necessarily a thriller. I enjoyed it and the ending was satisfying.

This book was unexpected. I had never read a book from Lisa Jewell before. So I went in kinda not knowing what to expect. Was thinking more along the lines of mystery/thriller. So was a little confused in the beginning as to was kinda genre it was gonna fall into. But the more I read the more I got into the characters and wanted to know how they were gonna figure it out. So much more psychological thriller than just more spooky mystery. But I definitely enjoyed it and kept me invested in the characters throughout. Plan to read more her in the future.

Lisa Jewell returns with a masterfully crafted psychological thriller that threads deception through everyday intimacy. Centered on three women—Nina, a grieving widow; Ash, her intuitive daughter; and Martha, a florist with growing doubts—their lives become entangled with Nick (also known by other names), a smooth-talking predator whose charm masks chilling manipulation.

Jewell’s skill lies in her ability to build suspense in ordinary settings: living rooms, kitchens, and everyday routines are infused with sinister undertones, making the tension feel disturbingly real. Her narrative structure—shifting timelines and interwoven perspectives—keeps the reader on edge, steadily revealing the disturbing layers beneath each character’s world.

Nick is both compelling and horrifying, a villain so convincingly normal that his betrayal cuts the deepest. Meanwhile, the emotional weight Jewell gives to Nina’s grief, Ash’s protective instincts, and Martha’s growing unease fuels the novel’s tension and emotional resonance.

Don’t Let Him In is a gripping and thoughtful thriller that explores trust, identity, and the signs we overlook. Ideal for fans of domestic suspense and psychological drama, this novel is both unsettling and deeply human—another standout in Jewell’s already impressive body of work.

Follows a series of women whose lives have been touched and destroyed by the same man. Told from multiple points of view, The story builds tension slowly. The pacing dips slightly in the middle but overall, this was an emotional, twisty read that kept me turning pages late into the night.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell is a chilling psychological thriller that explores the dark undercurrents of grief, trust, and emotional manipulation. The story centers on Nina Swann, a widow still reeling from the sudden death of her husband, Paddy. When a charming stranger named Nick Radcliffe enters her life claiming to have known Paddy, Nina is drawn to his warmth and attentiveness. But her daughter Ash senses something isn’t right. As Nick’s presence grows more unsettling, the novel begins to unravel a web of deceit that spans multiple identities and victims, each more disturbing than the last.

Jewell masterfully uses a multi-perspective narrative to deepen the suspense, weaving together the lives of Nina, Ash, and Martha another woman unknowingly entangled in Nick’s schemes. Through these shifting viewpoints, the reader sees how grief can make people vulnerable to predators who exploit emotional fragility. Nick, who operates under several aliases, is a terrifyingly believable villain: polished, persuasive, and utterly remorseless. Jewell doesn’t rely on cheap twists; instead, she builds tension through psychological nuance and the slow, creeping realization that danger often wears a friendly face.

With Lisa Jewels books I am always struck by her ability to balance emotional depth with relentless suspense. Don’t Let Him In isn’t just a thriller it’s a study in how silence, denial, and misplaced trust can allow manipulation to flourish. The novel’s pacing is deliberate, its atmosphere claustrophobic, and its message haunting: sometimes the greatest threat is the one we invite in. Jewell’s storytelling is both elegant and unsettling, and I’ll definitely be reaching for more of her work.

Fantastic book! Couldn’t out it down. I am not usually a fan of slow burns, but this was the exception.

Oh what a twisted tale of deception, betrayal and revenge. I quickly became engrossed in this drama and couldn’t put it away. Three average women seeking everyday things like love and security. One man connects them in a tale that’s become more common than it should be. Women who think this could never happen to them are naïve. Love is blind and the heart wants what it wants. Their stories are woven together with an ending you won’t see coming. Yes, there was some predictability but I still enjoyed the book! I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read an Advance Reader Copy of “Don’t Let Him In” by Lisa Jewell, published 06/24/2025, provided by Atria Books (via NetGalley). These are my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

This was such a quick and easy read, but one that kept me hooked the whole way through. It actually took me a while to unravel the mystery which hardly ever happens for me and I loved that surprise factor. Lisa Jewell offers a fresh, unsettling look inside the mind of a predator, and it gave the story a chilling edge that felt new and different. I absolutely loved this book!

One thing I found refreshing was the honesty regarding marriage and adult children.

Wow, this was A LOT. It was hard for me to get into in the begging, the multiple povs got a little confusing for me but i was on the edge of my seat regardless. Fast paced, twists & turns nonstop.

I loved this read. It was compelling and kept my interest the whole time.

The switch between timlelines and characters was smooth and helped moved the story along.

I’d recommend this book to all.

Sadly, this one wasn't for me. While I appreciated the multiple POVs, and typically enjoy being in the head of an antagonist, I found Simon predictable and flat as an unlikeable character. I held out hope for a good, twisty ending, but even that didn't leave me entirely satisfied. Though, the final pages did feel like a good resolution to the story (i.e. no loose ends). I've heard great things about Lisa Jewell, however, and do plan on giving her other books a try!

Not my fav book by LJ, as it was kind of slow, which was a bit of a shocker! I still will recommend her to everyone, but this was a bit of a miss.