I can't believe I am giving a Lisa Jewell book a three star rating but..... I spent the majority of this book trying to keep everyone straight and figure out where I am in history. A chapter starts "4 years before" then another chapter has no reference of time, and then it's "2 years earlier"
When an author is known for the unreliable narrator, the red herring, the twisty ending, you have to pay attention to the details, and this book was packed with details.
Most likely I was overthinking, super sleuthing the book, but all the bits and pieces felt important. I can't wait to discuss this book with my fellow readers and see what they think!
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Don't Let Him In is a domestic thriller about a terrible and very manipulative man. I was a bit disappointed with the plot, and was hoping for something more unique. I didn't really care for the many POV's and think this one would have been told better if there were fewer POV's. I felt like this one stagnated a bit in the middle and I found myself getting bored around the mid mark. Lastly, I hated the ending of this one. Sorry, but this was just not for me.

Jewell is becoming one of my favorite authors and ak think this is my favorite of hers that I’ve read so far.
This had my heart racing and tapping my kindle.
Damn this was good!

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell is a gripping and layered domestic thriller that kept me hooked with its suspenseful pacing, well-drawn characters, and cleverly intertwined timelines. The tension simmers beautifully until a satisfying payoff—though I wish a few scenes had leaned deeper emotionally—still, I couldn’t resist turning the pages.

Lisa Jewell takes psychological thrillers to the next level. Her books mess with your mind to the point of true fear. Her writing is spectacular and she effortlessly moves from one character's point of view to the next. She is an auto-buy author for me.

I absolutely love this book! I loved everything about this book from the title to the characters to the plot and ending. It is a binge worthy read. Before reading this book, I was beginning to think that a 4 or 5 star read was not possible anymore. I thought that I would have to lower my reading standards because I was reading a lot of books that were either bad or not very crafty or cleverly written. Of course, that is until I picked up this Jewell book, and I was blown away!!!

This book checked every criteria I had and exceeded it.
Book Cover and Title= 10
Plot= 10
Writing Style=10
Characters =10
Moved or Wowed= 10
Atmosphere =10
Ending = 10

The plot and storyline were entertaining and well executed. The characters were well developed and brilliantly written. I could see and feel the emotions and surroundings of these characters. and it felt very lifelike. The title says it all Don't Let Him In! I know this guy, the handsome charmer that slides his way in through the lives of multiple women. It was awesome to read how this story developed and the role each character played. This book is just brilliantly written and by far the best book I have read this year! Hands down! I can't believe how well the characters were written, especially the character or Nick. I think I have even run into this man 😆. I 101 percent recommend this book

This book was sooooo confusing! It was so hard to keep up with whose perspective it was and what time period it was. I kept getting lost which made me care less about what was actually happening in the story and by the end I was just ready for it to be over.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a little backlogged with my ARCs but working diligently to get caught up. This book made me question everything about my own relationship! I felt deeply for all the women who had no idea what they were getting themselves into and hatred for the man behind it all. The scariest part for me was how real the whole story felt, as I’ve seen many like it on the news. I would definitely recommend if you like psychological thrillers and domestic mysteries!

Don’t Let Him In is the latest release from Lisa Jewel and it is just as intoxicating and suspenseful as all her previous books. This author writes shocking stories that grip the reader from the get-go, and Don’t Let Him In is no different.

Nina meets Nick after losing her husband in a horrific accident. Their relationship develops in a series of twists and turns, lies and truths, dark revelations and puzzle pieces that slowly connect bit-by-bit. The story is told in dual perspectives that unfold different aspects to the plot. There is gaslighting, characters you love to hate, drama and a complex plot with layers of deceit.

This is a fast-paced, unputdownable, domestic thriller that is filled with tension, mystery and volatile emotions. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but the way it all comes together in the end is worth it. This is yet another entertaining story from this beloved author.

Lisa Jewell is never a miss. This one I feel is predictable if you're already familiar with these type of stories & men who have multiple marriages. However, even knowing what is going on for the most part, I was hooked & so intrigued by all the characters & the lives they led.

I am usually a big Lisa Jewell fan but this one did not do it for me. It was very slow moving and I could see where the story was going from the beginning. Not a lot of big surprises or guesses going on. I just became frustrated with the characters overall.

Don’t Let Him In follows three women whose lives are upended by the same deceptive man. First, there's Nina, a recent widow who finds herself drawn to a charming old friend of her late husband's. Her daughter, Ash, is immediately suspicious and starts digging into his past. At the same time, we meet Martha, a florist who is getting more and more worried about her husband's frequent "business trips." As the women's paths cross, they slowly uncover a terrifying truth about the man who has wormed his way into their lives, realizing they all fell for the same lie.

This was a solid four-star read for me. The way the narrative hops between three different women all ensnared by the same incredibly manipulative man gives it a real Dirty John vibe, and Lisa Jewell does a great job of building that sense of dread. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, but if you've consumed any true-crime media lately, you can pretty much see where the story is heading from a mile away, so the "twist" doesn't feel all that surprising. Despite that, it’s a quick, addictive read and perfect to throw in your beach bag.

Martha, Nina, Ash, and…Nick. Or not Nick. The man was a sociopathic liar and unhinged. I loathed him so much.

There was a lot going on, and everything revolved around Nick and his many lies. I got confused at times, which was what was supposed to happen, so Lisa Jewell did a great job.

This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be the last.

Thanks to Atria Book for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book definitely could truly happen, however, for me it was hard to get in to. It felt slow in the beginning and even though things picked up towards the middle, the end of the book was a bit anti-climactic for me. It really reminded me of the tinder swindler This left me wanting a bit more overall. I have liked other Lisa Jewell books more than this.

Lisa Jewell strikes again with a thriller that’s as tense as it is emotionally sharp. Don’t Let Him In follows three women whose lives are all touched (and twisted) by the same charming, manipulative man. What starts as separate threads slowly weaves into a chilling story about trust, obsession, and the damage one person can leave in their wake.

Every chapter pulls you just far enough forward that you have to read “just one more.” Jewell’s trademark gift for character depth really shines here; even in a dark, twist-heavy plot, the emotional core feels real and human. The tension builds until it’s almost unbearable, and when the pieces finally click into place… wow.

If you love thrillers that balance psychological suspense with rich character work—and keep you glued to the page until the last reveal—this one absolutely delivers!

Don't Let Him In weaves a tale of three  women. Nina is a widow who has recently been contacted by her deceased husband's friend. They begin to form a connection, but Nina's adult daughter Ash thinks that something isn't adding up with Nick and starts digging into him. Martha is a florist who lives with her husband, Al. Al has been taking a lot of work trips and acting out of the norm recently. These women seem like they have nothing in common, yet they do. As this story spins it's convoluted tale between these women's lives, you soon realize their connection. It's this one very conniving man. This book annoyed me to no end. I often wondered how these women could be so obtuse to let Al/Nick do what he did and not realize it. I was rooting for Ash to find the evidence she needed to put a stop to him. For me, the book didn't finally pick up and get good until the last 30% when I couldn't put it down. There were a few surprises at the end that I wasn't expecting.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell 📚🔍

Let me start by saying I usually love Lisa Jewell. Her writing style, the tension she builds, the character work, all amazing. She is one of my go-to authors for a guaranteed page-turner but this time I struggled.

The setup is juicy: grieving widow Nina starts dating Nick Radcliffe, a man with a suspiciously perfect exterior. Her daughter Ash is not convinced and starts digging into who Nick really is. From there, we get multiple timelines, overlapping POVs, and a tangled web of lies. It should have been great, but the constant timeline jumps and character crossovers left me flipping back pages to remember who was who. I wish each chapter had clearly called out whose POV we were in and when.

Nick himself is a lot! A master manipulator, stalker, bigamist, scammer, narcissist, murderer… pick a lane, bro. It felt like every villain trope got thrown at the wall at once. On the other hand, the women in this story were written with nuance and believability, and I found myself wanting to shake some sense into them while still rooting for their escape.

What I did enjoy: the short chapters, fast pace, and the underlying tension that Jewell always delivers. This would make a killer Netflix movie without question 🎬 As a thriller, it did not hook me the way I had hoped. It felt less like edge-of-your-seat suspense and more like a slow-burn domestic drama.

If you are a Lisa Jewell fan, it is worth reading for her signature character work. Just know going in that the plot is messy and the villain is over the top. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy to honestly review.

Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell pulled me in from the very first chapter and didn’t let go. It’s one of those books where you keep telling yourself, just one more chapter, and suddenly it’s 2 a.m.

The story follows three women—Nina, her daughter Ash, and Martha—whose lives get tangled up because of one man. On the surface, he’s charming, but you can feel from the start that something’s not right. The way Jewell flips between their perspectives kept me hooked, especially as you start realizing their stories are all connected in ways they don’t see yet.

I loved how real the characters felt. None of them are perfect, and you can’t help but want to shake them sometimes for ignoring their instincts—but that’s also what makes it so believable. The tension builds slowly, and by the time everything collides, I was flipping pages like my life depended on it.

This one’s creepy, twisty, and a little unsettling in the best way. If you like psychological thrillers with strong female leads, secrets, and that constant what’s really going on here? vibe, I’d definitely recommend it.

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review! I did enjoy this book, but not as much as the other Jewell novels. Her writing style always shines through but the plot felt a bit flat. It was too based on the “tinder swindler” to have held my interest completely.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I really loved the plot and the need for vengeance for the women in this story. What was holding me back from loving it was the jumping back and fourth with the different wives and from past to present. It was a little hard at times to remember who did what, with whom, when. The last 30% of the book however was fantastic. I could not put it down, the anxiety and anticipation of wrongs being righted had me in a chokehold. Overall good story, just didn’t like the pacing.