Don't Let Him In

I've been a fan of Lisa Jewell, who I've had the pleasure of meeting, for many years and several of her books I have loved (Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs, I Found You, The House We Grew Up In, None of This is True ...).

But Don't Let Him In wasn't her usual engaging and tense read. 

This 450 page book is a very slow burn, repetitive story about toxic relationships a male sociopath has with several women. The reader understands his MO right away - he gaslights, steals from and manipulates the women in his life - but despite evidence of his treachery, the women stay with him. 

Told in different time frames and a large cast of characters (both were hard to keep track of), this book is filled with the scheming and manipulation of a narcissist. That's it. But it was how these middle-aged women were portrayed as gullible, weak and in need of a man to succeed, that really burned my biscuits. 

Repetitive, predictable, underwhelming and longer than it had to be, this was a frustrating and disappointing read for me. Confusing with its characters, icky with its portrayal of women and its repulsive main character and lacking the big, twisty ending we've come to expect from Jewell, it hurts my book nerd heart to say that this book was a big miss for me (but I highly recommend her backlist).

Disclaimer: Thank you to Atria Books for the complimentary digital and paperback arcs of this book which were given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 2 stars

Author: Lisa Jewell

Genre: Suspense (?)

Type and Source: Trade paperback and ebook from publisher

Publisher: Atria (Simon and Schuster)

First Published: June 24, 2025

Read: June 9-16, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell, three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller.

He’s the perfect man. It’s a perfect lie.

Nina Swann is intrigued when she received a condolence card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her late husband, who is looking to connect after her husband’s unexpected death. Nick is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease. But to Nina’s adult daughter, Ash, Nick seems too slick, too polished, too good to be true. Without telling her mother, Ash begins digging into Nick’s past. What she finds is more than unsettling…

Martha is a florist living in a neighboring town with her infant daughter and her devoted husband, Alistair. But lately, Alistair has been traveling more and more frequently for work, disappearing for days at a time. When Martha questions him about his frequent absences, he always has a legitimate explanation, but Martha can’t share the feeling that something isn’t right.

Nina, Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: Don’t let him in. But the past won’t stay buried forever.