So I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell’s books! None of This is True and The Night She Disappeared are two of my favorite books.

To start, this book felt VERY choppy in the beginning. We didn’t get much time with any narrator, so switching around in three different perspectives was rough — especially when one was in the past. However, this did get easier over time.

To continue in a non-spoiler format, this book felt VERY tell, not show. I felt as if I just had to process the information and move on. I really did feel for the characters, but a lot of them felt like the same person, except for Ash. I guess that could be a part of the plot line, since our MMC (with 100 names) liked to swindle women, but it was just tough to have any character to resonate with or root for.

Nina was interesting to me because the entire book made her seem like someone who was falling for the trick, when she ended up acting like a boss bitch that takes charge at the 85% mark. That change up in character was totally unexpected and made me feel like the writing in the beginning didn’t really portray her correctly.

There was nothing really surprising or thriller about this read, which is unusual for a Lisa Jewell book. I had to push myself to keep going because the first 65% was honestly such a slog to get through (more because of the telling, not showing). I did enjoy the last 15% but once again, I didn’t feel like I cared when I finished it. I just kind of shrugged my shoulders and was like, “okay, that was a book”.

Overall, it felt messy, a little underwhelming and underdeveloped, but it still was an average read for me. Very boring, which isn’t normal for Lisa Jewell. I promise it was an okay read overall, there were just a lot of weird moments that stood out to me for the wrong reasons.

— SPOILERS AHEAD —

So I previously mentioned that the book was very boring and flat, but the moment he killed Tara was the moment the book became interesting. I needed more shocking moments like that instead of the MMC just running around evading his problems.

Also, the ending, while enjoyable, was utterly IRRITATING. Around 10 people cornered this man in a room to make him admit to his crimes and NONE of them thought to have the police just arrest him before it happened or to have them wait outside??? Also, OF COURSE he breaks away and “disappears”. I actually don’t mind endings like that, so I was fine with him disappearing and getting away with his crimes — it would fit the mold of the characters and make sense for this plot she set up in the beginning. Then the epilogue was made so Amanda could confront her demons and have the police show up to arrest him? It felt like it totally undermined the ending and was very out of character for Amanda. It was just weird that after everything he put her through and all that she had done for him suddenly became too much. For him to believe Martha and then Amanda and to be tricked by both of them was completely unbelievable on his part, since he had been swindling everyone for over 20 years.

It was also obvious from the first chapter that he was the cause of Paddy’s death. It felt like it had been handed to us the second they described Paddy’s death and then he walked in the door mysteriously. Definitely not as surprising as her other reads.

Loved this book! It quickly got my attention and kept it. It was a quick enjoyable read! I always love the way Lisa Jewell crafts her words.

This story proves you shouldn't take new people in your life at face value. A charismatic older man who says he's never been married or had children, who has a sob story he shares for the reasoning. Little do the women in his life know how truly narcissistic and murderous this man truly is. Thoroughly enjoyed this story and the character development is wonderful.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great novel, told in multiple timelines and POV that comes together nicely at the end. Silver fox Nick Radcliffe has mysteriously entered Nina Swanns life after her husband was murdered. Her daughter Ash senses something off with his sudden arrival and starts to investigate him.

Let me just say, THROW THAT WHOLE MAN IN THE TRASH!

Thank you NetGalley, amazing Lisa Jewell for the ARC ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell is captivating. Following the death of Paddy Swann, his daughter Ash and his wife Nina navigate life without him. Nick Ratcliffe, a supposed old friend of Paddy's, enters their lives, leading Ash to question Nick's intentions and his true past. Don't Let Him In relies on tension over mystery. The reveals were fairly predicable, however the character work and how the book makes the reader feel are exceptional. I hated reading from Nick's perspective, but I simultaneously could not look away as I wanted to find out more about his intentions. I read this book quickly and would say that it holds up for fans of None of this is True. While I wish this book was a bit less predictable and that there was more explanation to Nick's motivations, this was a solid read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy to review, all opinions are my own.

Wow this book was WILD! It took me a bit to get into it because I didn't really know who was who in the beginning the dual time line was also a bit confusing. Once I swift on though, I was hooked! This book reminded me of the Facebook pages called Are We Dating the Same Guy? It's absolutely wild to me that a man was able to get by with conning so many women. I loved that he for the justice he deserved in the end. I was routing for all of the women in this novel and I thought it truly displayed girl power and what women can do when they band together. Overall, I really enjoyed this and would definitely recommend the read!

Tom Ripley move over. Another scoundrel has won my heart and he’s a silver fox named Nick Radcliffe.
Not since The Family Remains have I been so taken in by an unreliable narrator. No one does a multiple POV story like @lisajewelluk and she’s proven once again that’s she’s the reigning queen of suspense. Each narrator was distinct and captivating. The moody seaside was the perfect backdrop to the story.
The whole story completely immersed me. Literally I finished the book in less than 48 hours (it would’ve be less if I didn’t have a child). Can’t wait for the audiobook!

Don’t Let Him In will be released June 24 2025. If you like thrillers put this one on your TBR.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars! I hit the lottery when I was gifted a digital advanced copy. This comes out in June 2025 so it had my full attention since Lisa Jewell is one of my top favourite authors. I devoured in 2 days.

Lisa Jewell does it again, she pushes the envelope on a dark domestic thriller, then executes it so masterfully. Creepy characters come together in this well crafted and layered plot. Multiple POVs with dual timelines that all merge together at the end. Short, punchy chapters that leave you on edge makes this one a great page turner. The ending all came together and I was not expecting those twists there at the end! Highly recommend for those who enjoy thrillers, and especially for Jewell fans out there.

Expected release: June 2025

Special thanks to NetGalley & Atria Books for this complimentary digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Not my favorite Lisa jewel book. Didn’t feel like one of her normal thrillers and it was very predictable. I liked ash but that was probably the only character I liked.

I love this author so much and was so excited to read her next release early. I’ll definitely be recommending this to others and I thought the way the plot lines intersected was so clever and unique.

Oh wow! This one was so good. It follows the death of Paddy Swan a restauranteur. His wife Nina brings a new beau Nick into the home and Nina’s daughter Ash is wary of Nick. We also meet Martha who has been in a relationship with Al for four years. Martha has built a life with Al and has a baby with him. We also meet Tara which is a flashback to four years ago. Her husband is concerning on many levels. The men in these ladies lives is charming and convincing with a lot of stories about where her goes when he disappears. How he makes money, and his need for money that he needs from them. Ash starts to investigate Nick and is quite the detective. As the story comes together, it becomes clear that every one of these ladies has been conned and fell for the wrong guy. How does it all come out- that you will need to read to find out!

Lisa Jewell is so hit or miss, and I truly thought this would be a complete miss. The first few chapters of this book felt disjointed and I found myself going back to see if I had missed something. By the halfway point of the book, everything started to come together. There was a lot of repetition that seemed unnecessary, and in some parts it dragged, but the ending made up for it.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn’t put this book down since the moment I started it. The book follows a man who wears many different masks to con women and take all he can. That is until he meets his match in the Swann ladies. The story is told through many different POVs and I kept reading to see what was going to happen. I was in suspense for most of the book. There was no big “twist”, but I still highly recommend reading this newest book by the Queen Lisa Jewell!

Applause! Applause! I read a lot of mystery/thriller novels and was starting to think I’d never find another great one again. Imagine my happiness when NetGalley gave me a chance to read and review Don’t Let Him In. The despicable main character may have been created by Lisa Jewell’s imagination, but I absolutely hated him. When a novel involves me emotionally I know I’ve found another exceptional author to follow. Lisa Jewell is now on my favorite authors list.

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! This book was so well put together. The thought behind how to organize all the characters and events, yet put the book in an order to make sense is chefs kiss! I was worried I would get confused with so many characters, but it made the book that much better! Highly highly recommend!

4 ⭐️ I’’m a Lisa Jewell fan so I was pumped for this book! It did not disappoint and had me hooked!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Read this one in two sittings - very entertaining even if it wasn’t my favorite of hers. Definitely darker than some of her others and MC’s obsession was sort of enough to give you the chills at time. Saw some of the twists coming, wasn’t liking how the last 20% was resolving, but really liked the epilogue and thought it was well-deserved. Took a second to get into since there are a ton of characters and story lines, but it’s pretty easy to see how they’re all going to come together.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Review live now on GoodReads and StoryGraph

Wow wow wow! This book does jump back and forth years which took a minute for me to catch on but I feel this makes the story of this book much more compelling! The ending definitely shocked me! I would recommend this book

The executive editor described this book as kaleidoscopic - continually shifting or rapidly changing. I think this sums up Don’t Let Him In perfectly.

I’ve been a fan of Lisa Jewell since Then She Was Gone in 2018 and have read (almost) everything she’s written since.

From the first page, I could not put this book down. There were twists and turns at every corner. The main male character was incredibly unlikeable. I loved the way everything fit together like a puzzle. But what I loved most was the mother-daughter relationships and the unbreakable bond and lengths at which a daughter will go for their mother.

I’m delighted to have received an eARC of Don’t Let Him In.

4⭐️

Absolutely loved this book! I was gripped by this from the early chapters and finished it in a day. I wondered if I should be taking notes on the characters or years mentioned but found it was unnecessary the more I read. Although the story jumped around a bit in time, there was enough context to follow along. I especially loved the second half of the book that read as more of a detective mystery book while the intensity also increased.

I loved “None of this is true” and this new book from Lisa Jewell was just as satisfying, if not more so than her last.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Jewell, and Atria publishing for the DRC in exchange for my honest review.