Captivating. Twisty. Dark and dramatic. Whew, in a true immersive fashion, this psychological thriller left me wanting to question everyone that enters into my life. The character connections started clicking as the story was nearing the end, unraveling the crazy, woven depths a man would go to hide his secrets. I don’t want to have spoilers in my review so let me just say to read it and possibly be wary of trusting anyone?!
Thanks to Atria Publishing for the advanced copy. 

I just finished this book, and wow—so many characters, so many layered backstories. I genuinely loved them all. Each woman felt so real, even when I found myself shaking my head, wondering how they could be so clueless. But then it hit me: I had the whole picture, and they didn’t. That perspective shift made all the difference.  

The characters were each unique, yet shared this quiet thread of similarity that tied them together. It made their journeys feel interconnected in a really meaningful way.  

Now, the ending... that’s where I’m still stuck. *He* wasn’t portrayed as particularly clever throughout the story, and then suddenly, in that final scene by the sea, he makes this sharp move that felt out of character. The author didn’t explain the shift, and I wish that part had been tied up better. It left me hanging a bit.  

Still, it was such a fast, compelling read. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery wrapped in heartache and grounded in the messiness of real life.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to Atria Books and NetGalley for their generosity in allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A family is mourning the loss of their father and husband, a larger-than-life restaurateur after he was pushed into the path of a London Subway when a character from his past enters their present. As Nick Radcliffe, a former friend of Paddy’s, passes along stories and things of Paddy’s he gets closer and closer to Nina, Paddy’s widow. Ash, Paddy and Nina’s daughter has concerns about Nick and Nina’s relationship but is trepidatious to bring them up to her mom after a recent anxiety episode that has estranged them.

Martha, a small-town florist, thought she had it all. From her perfect husband, Al, to her thriving business, beautiful home, and children but suddenly her husband is around less and less and she can’t figure out why. It all comes to a head when an emergency brings their daughter to the hospital and she realizes she’s not meant to do this alone. 

This book does a wonderful job of weaving past and present storylines in a way that is captivating and easy to follow. Leading the reader to wonder what is going on with Nick’s suspicious appearance and Al’s mysterious disappearances. 

I have read a few Lisa Jewell books now and I tend to enjoy them quite a lot. This one was interesting to me, the premise of the book sounded so interesting, but it didn’t really keep my attention until about 60-70% of the way through. Most of the twists I guessed and I didn’t feel like the ending was twisty *enough*. That said, I wouldn’t say it was bad by any means, it was a solid thriller and a unique premise, which I did enjoy. I just wanted a few more twists that shocked me! 

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC ✨

This is the second Lisa Jewell book I’ve read, and I had high hopes! But unfortunately this one just didn’t hit for me. 

I had a few problems, but mainly, the writing in this book felt like script notes and not prose. It was blocky, robotic and served one function: what is happening in the scene? It had no soul, and even with obvious tonal changes between POVs, this book relied heavily on the “tell, don’t show” in laying out the scenes. I felt like I was reading the script notes, the scene laid out in almost clinical terms for the actors and directors to understand where they are in the story. 

The dialogue was word vomit every time, just breathless spewing, and it was totally unrealistic. Would people really just sit and listen to a long speech without interjecting ever? Without the character who was speaking pausing to notice something about the character they’re speaking to? It was bizarre. This on top of the robotic scene building solidified my sense that this book read like a script and not a novel. 

It all felt a little soulless, and not the good kind fitting for a thriller. 

Another problem I had was the sheer amount of characters. They all had names, backstories, and too many had POVs. It was really hard to keep them all straight in my head. 

I did enjoy the premise, however. This story had strong appeal to me, I thought there was promise. But the storytelling left much to be desired. I also hoped for a more thrilling climax to the story, but it was a little bit of a letdown there too. 

I hoped for much and unfortunately this wasn’t a win for me this time. 

2.5 stars. ⭐️⭐️💫

Boring

A fantastic thriller!
Ash is the daughter of recently murdered Paddy, a successful restaurateur that she adored. He leaves behind Ash, her brother, and his charismatic wife Nina. A year later Nine receives a box with a lighter in it from a man named Nick who knew Paddy back in their twenties, who wants to return her dead husband’s lighter. 
Martha has a loving husband and new daughter, two sons from her previous marriage, and her flower shop. She loves her husband, Al, but starts to become frustrated when he disappears on business trips with his phone turned off. What is her adoring husband doing?
This book weaves in and out of past and present, a page-turning thriller that you don’t want to put down. And just when you think you have things figured out, another slight twist to make you question everything.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC!