Don't Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

Three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic thriller.

“Who are you? Who are you really?”

Nick Radcliffe 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. He’s just what Nina Swann needed in her life after her husband’s unexpected death. 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…

“Because there are things that don’t make sense, and I’ve been so patient, so very patient…”

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.

“You know that’s mad, don’t you? I’m your husband. We know everything there is to know about each other.”

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.

Kindle Edition, 368 pages

Expected publication June 24, 2025

 by Atria Books

2/5 stars

Lisa Jewell has long been one of my go-to authors - an auto-read whose unique plots and unexpected twists usually has me finishing within a couple days. Naturally, I dove into her latest release, Don’t Let Him In without reading any reviews or even looking at the blurb. I was anxious to experience the story fresh, trusting in Jewell's talent to deliver a gripping story.

The novel follows a man who appears charming and confident - someone who believes he's irresistible to women - but beneath that facade lies someone far more sinister. He preys on women from various walks of life, manipulating them with ease. As suspicions grow, the truth about him begins to unravel piece by piece, like a jigsaw puzzle slowly taking shape.

While the premise had all the ingredients of a compelling psychological thriller, the execution didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The pacing was so slow, there were many characters to keep track of and the execution - jumping between similar characters and multiple timelines - made it difficult to stay engaged. By the time the story picked up, I found myself emotionally detached from the characters and their outcomes.

Don’t Let Him In had promise, and I appreciated the clever setup of its central mystery. But overall, it didn’t captivate me the way Lisa Jewell’s previous books have. Longtime fans might still find elements to enjoy, but for me, this one fell short of the mark.

My thanks to Atria Books for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

Celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her forty-fifth birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins.

A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.

Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. Slowly she starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it, Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life—and into her home.

But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, with her life and her family’s lives under mortal threat.

Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?

Kindle Edition, 384 pages

Expected publication August 8, 2023

 by Atria

3.75/5 stars

I have been a long-time reader of Lisa Jewell, eagerly anticipating her latest book, None Of This Is True, set to release on August 8.

Alix and Josie, who share the same birth date, decide to celebrate their 45th birthday at a local restaurant. Little do they know that their chance meeting will lead to a dangerous relationship with deadly consequences. This twisted tale revolves around a local podcaster and her birthday twin. What initially starts as a promising new series takes an unexpected turn that neither of them anticipated.

None Of This Is True is a skillfully written psychological thriller that kept me captivated throughout. Josie is a prime example of an unreliable and unlikable character, while Alix is more relatable, albeit with some questionable decision-making. The story delves into dark and twisted themes of dysfunctional families, complicated relationships, and hidden secrets. It is narrated from the perspectives of both Josie and Alix, which left me feeling unsettled at times but also eager to uncover more.

The only drawback I found was the ending, which I won't delve into to avoid spoilers. Nevertheless, this book offers a refreshing departure from Lisa Jewell's recent works in terms of tone and style. She returns with her signature suspenseful storytelling and unique plotlines, making None Of This Is True a must-read for fans and newcomers alike.

My thanks to Atria books, via NetGalley for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review .

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone comes another riveting work of psychological suspense about a young couple’s disappearance on a gorgeous summer night, and the mother who will never give up trying to find them...

On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend.

One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favourite area for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.”

Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground?

Kindle, 416 pages

Releases Sept 7, 2021

by Atria Books

3.5/5 stars

Lisa Jewell is one of my go to authors, The Night She Disappeared releases in just a few short days. Some of her books have been fast paced, unputdownable and others have a slower pace.  This one fits the latter.

Told from 3 different POVs, Tallulah (teen mom), her mom Kim and unrelated Sophie.  I enjoyed hearing from Tallulah and Kim, for some reason I wasn't a fan of Sophie (no idea why really).  Tallulah was a good teen mom, juggling school, friends and doting on her son.  So when she disappeared one night we know something is up.

The book jumps between the characters and back in time (with back story) at times it felt long and distracted me from the disappearance. A lot of teen drama that gave this book a YA feel. I like YA so no big deal for me. Eventually it does reveal what happens that night.

The Night She Disappeared is a slow paced mystery with a creepy house, surrounding woods and  unreliable (and unlikable) characters.  A number of red herrings left me guessing but it was the ending that kinda fell a little flat for me.  For me this didn't have the emotional impact I am used to with a Lisa Jewell book but still an intricately woven mystery.

My thanks to Atria Books for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Audio Review: The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell

Melody Browne can remember nothing before her ninth birthday. Now in her early thirties, Melody lives in the middle of London with her seventeen-year-old son. She hasn’t seen her parents since she left home at fifteen, but Melody doesn't mind. She’s better off on her own.

And then fragments of her past start to come back. At first her memories mean nothing to her but slowly, day by day, she begins to piece together the real story of her childhood.

But with every mystery she solves another one materialises, with every question she answers another appears. And Melody begins to wonder if she'll ever know the truth about her past ... 

Paperback, 377 pages

Published January 7th 2010

 by Arrow Books

3/5 stars

I have been a fan of Lisa Jewell for a number of years, she is a go-to author and now I am slowly making my way through her back list. Originally published in 2009 this book was re-released last month. I grabbed the audio from Chirp and did a combo read/listen.

The blurb above paints an interesting story with great potential.  Melody Brown is a book about a dysfunctional family that at times reminding me of The Family Upstairs.  Present day Melody is 33 years old with a 17 year old son, I liked the relationship, especially giving birth so young.  The story alternates between the past, though at times I was confused as to whether this was the past or Melody's memories resurfacing - that sounds similar but it does make a difference here.

For me this book was a bit of a struggle and I don't think it mattered the format.  It was hard to connect to the characters and just felt a little too choppy. Some parts were predictable and the ending was okay, but a little too neat and tidy.

This might not be one of my favourite Jewell books, it won't swayed me from continuing  my quest to read her previous books.

This book was part of my 2021 Reading off My Shelf Challenge.  

Audio Review: The Making of Us by Lisa Jewell

In a hospice in Bury St Edmunds, a man called Daniel is slowly fading away. His friend Maggie sits with him every day; she holds his hand and she listens to the story of his life, to his regrets and to his secrets. And then he tells her about the children he has never met and never will. He talks of them wistfully. His legacy, he calls them. 

Lydia, Dean and Robyn don't know each other. Yet. And they are all facing difficult changes. Lydia is still wearing the scars from her traumatic childhood and although she is wealthy and successful, her life is lonely and disjointed. Dean is a young man, burdened with unexpected responsibility, whose life is going nowhere. And Robyn wants to be a doctor, just like her father - a man she's never met. But is her whole life built on an illusion?

Three people leading three very different lives. All lost. All looking for something. But when they slowly find their way into each other's lives, everything starts to change ...

Published June 5th 2018 by Dreamscape Media LLC

Unabridged, Audiobook

Narrated by: Helen Duff

Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins

2.5/5 stars

In my quest to read Lisa Jewell's back list I purchased this audio from Chirp - to give them a try and it was too good a deal to pass up.  While I found the Chirp app and service great my thoughts in the audio sadly did not yield the same results.

I'll start with the fact I am a big Lisa Jewell fan, her latest books have been favourites of mine - dark and twisty, mysterious and kept me guessing.  Her earlier books are more chicklit/women's fiction, which are always nice to read.  However, in this case it just didn't work for me like it did for others.  Maybe if I had read the book verses listening it might be different but sadly I doubt it.

The Making of Us has multiple POVs with the narrator changing her voice for each. Each character is unique, their own story to share and while I understood the connection I wasn't drawn to any of them. Part I think was the narrators voices which helped to define a character trait that I'm not sure was the authors intent. 

I get having flawed and unlikable characters but when the story line doesn't interest me, well there is a problem.  Parts of the story were okay but it was drawn out too long for my liking and the voices just took away from the story, to be honest I'm surprised I finished this one.

Will I continue to read Lisa Jewell?  ABSOLUTELY!  She has a new book coming on later on in the year, The Night She Disappeared (that's Aug 5th for the UK and Sept for us in North America)

Review: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

The author of the “rich, dark, and intricately twisted” (Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author) The Family Upstairs returns with another taut and white-knuckled thriller following a group of people whose lives shockingly intersect when a young woman disappears.

Owen Pick’s life is falling apart.

In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just been suspended from his job as a geography teacher after accusations of sexual misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online, he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel—involuntary celibate—forums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn.

Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.

Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre Maddox disappears—and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.

With evocative, vivid, and unputdownable prose and plenty of disturbing twists and turns, Jewell’s latest thriller is another “haunting, atmospheric, stay-up-way-too-late read” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author).

Hardcover, 368 pages

Expected publication: October 13th 2020

 by Atria Books

3.5/5 stars

Lisa Jewell has been a go-to author for a number of years. Her books are uniquely themed they are mysterious, suspenseful and keep me guessing.

Invisible Girl released last month in the UK and for us folks in North America it hits bookshelves in a couple of weeks.

I’ll confess that this got off to a slow start for me, I was a little confused with the cast of characters and how they fit together. But really I didn’t need to know the connections right away but just needed to sit back knowing the author would connect the dots.

So there is this family that obviously has secrets. To be honest I found them to be an odd bunch, they just had that vibe. The mom, Cate, is one of the view points. She made me nervous and paranoid.

Then there is the weird guy across the street, Owen Pick he lives with his aunt and yea he is a tad strange also and another POV. There were some things I didn't need to know about,  but alas it was needed for the story (like an online presence called incel - didn't know it was a thing).

Add a 17 year old girl named Saffyre (which is a cool name) and this makes for some interesting dynamics, she is final POV. It was hers that I enjoyed hearing from, as her past comes to light I couldn’t help but have motherly feeling for her. But her actions left me scratching my head at times.

So basically this book is about some odd characters that somehow are connected.
It wasn’t until the last half of the book where I was really invested, that had me doing a marathon read.

I'd call this a darker Lisa Jewell book, I was forewarned back in January when I had the awesome privilege of meeting the author.

While this might not be my favorite Jewell book, that honor goes to Then She Was Gone, though it might change as I continue reading her backlist.

This book was part of my '2020 Reading off my Shelf' Challenge - I was impatient and order via BookDepository.

Audio review: The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

For fans of Liane Moriarty and Jojo Moyes comes a riveting family drama with a dark mystery at its core, from the internationally bestselling author of The House We Grew Up In.

In the early hours of a summer morning, a young woman steps into the path of an oncoming bus. A tragic accident? Or suicide?

At the center of this puzzle is Adrian Wolfe, a successful architect and grief-stricken widower, who, a year after his third wife’s death, begins to investigate the cause. As Adrian looks back on their brief but seemingly happy marriage, disturbing secrets begin to surface. The divorces from his two previous wives had been amicable, or so it seemed; his children, all five of them, were resilient as ever, or so he thought. But something, or someone, must have pushed Maya over the edge…

With psychological nuance that gets into the heart of its characters, The Third Wife is a gripping story about a man seeking the truth behind his seemingly perfect marriage and the broken pieces left behind.

Paperback, 336 pages

Published February 23rd 2016 

 by Atria Book

2.5/3 out of 5

 

I become a die hard Lisa Jewell fan ever since reading I Found You back in 2016, while current with her new releases I am working my way through those I have missed.  I went the audio route with The Third Wife for a change.

 

Coming in at 9 hours and 22 minutes its a relatively quick listen and I am glad I went in that direction.  While the story was interesting enough, with a cast of 3 families, there were enough characters to make me suspicious of each as I tried to resolve the mystery.  But it was the story itself that I struggled with. It just seemed to perfect that Adrian could have such amicable relationships with his former wives and their children. Well I guess they didn't really, because someone definitely had other ideas.  

The Third Wife is story about relationships, growing up (and not just the children, but its never too late for an adult to grow up also) and secrets.  While this isn't a favorite Jewell book, I will still continue on my journey to read more.

This book was part of my '2020 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge'.

Review: The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

From the New York Times bestselling author and master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) comes another page-turning look inside one family’s past as buried secrets threaten to come to light. 

 Gifted musician Clemency Thompson is playing for tourists on the streets of southern France when she receives an urgent text message. Her childhood friend, Lucy, is demanding her immediate return to London.

 It’s happening, says the message. The baby is back.

 Libby Jones was only six months old when she became an orphan. Now twenty-five, she’s astounded to learn of an inheritance that will change her life. A gorgeous, dilapidated townhouse in one of London’s poshest neighborhoods has been held in a trust for her all these years. Now it’s hers.

 As Libby investigates the story of her birth parents and the dark legacy of her new home, Clemency and Lucy are headed her way to uncover, and possibly protect, secrets of their own. What really happened in that rambling Chelsea mansion when they were children? And are they still at risk?

 Jewell’s novels have been praised as “sure to please fans of Ruth Ware and A.J. Finn” (Library Journal, starred review) and her latest is no exception. The Family Upstairs will keep you guessing until the very last page.

 Kindle Edition, 320 pages

 Expected publication: October 29th 2019

 by Atria Books

****

Lisa Jewell has turned into one of my gotos even though I am a relatively new fan. With books like Then She Was Gone and I Found You she has cemented herself with unique plots, flawed characters and lots of twists and turns.

The Family Upstairs is a fast-paced book that delivered on all levels I love. While this one was a little darker with an almost Gothic feel I struggled to put it down. With its (sorta) mansion style home and told from a number of POVs I was introduced to a cast of characters where not many were likable but they were well developed making the story all the more intense.

There are a number of characters, predominately in the back story, and it wasn’t hard to follow along. Again I found a unique plot that kept me guessing, with lots of twists and turns just reinforced my feelings about Lisa Jewell, definitely an author I highly recommend.

My thanks to the publisher (via Netgalley) for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Ten years after her teenage daughter disappears, a woman crosses paths with a charming single father whose young child feels eerily familiar, in this evocative, suspenseful drama from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell.

 Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her.

 And then she was gone.

 Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters—and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away.

 Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she’s tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

Kindle Edition, 368 pages

 Expected publication: April 24th 2018

 by Atria Books

*****

Well that was one humdinger of a story!  I read this in just over a day, once hitting the half way mark I knew someone else had to cook supper last night. 

I was draw right in here, it's every parents worst nightmare - that of losing a child. When there is no closure just existing as time speeds by wondering, hoping for a miracle.  With this story alternating in points of view gave me different  perspectives, getting to know the characters better.  The characters are flawed and believable, the story was engrossing and kept me flipping the screen.  The chapters weren't overly long, hence just one more chapter and before I knew I was too absorbed to slow down.

Then She Was Gone is more than a story of Ellie's disappearance, it's about mental health, insecurity and forgiveness. Written with feeling I couldn't help but feel Laurel's pain and heartache. The author's writing style is one I enjoyed, as the plot flowed and the voices changed it was done smoothly not disrupting the energy of the story.

Lisa Jewell is not a new author to me, I enjoyed I Found You and look forward to searching out more of her books.

Thanks to the publisher (via Netgalley) for an advanced copy of Then She Was Gone, which releases on the 17th of April.

Review: I Found You by Lisa Jewell

A young bride, a lonely single mother, and an amnesiac man of dubious origin lie at the heart of New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell’s next suspenseful drama that will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty and Paula Hawkins.

In a windswept British seaside town, single mom Alice Lake finds a man sitting on the beach outside her house. He has no name, no jacket, and no idea how he got there. Against her better judgment, she invites him inside.

Meanwhile, in a suburb of London, twenty-one-year-old Lily Monrose has only been married for three weeks. When her new husband fails to come home from work one night she is left stranded in a new country where she knows no one. Then the police tell her that her husband never existed.

Twenty-three years earlier, Gray and Kirsty are teenagers on a summer holiday with their parents. Their annual trip to the quaint seaside town is passing by uneventfully, until an enigmatic young man starts paying extra attention to Kirsty. Something about him makes Gray uncomfortable—and it’s not just that he’s playing the role of protective older brother.

Two decades of secrets, a missing husband, and a man with no memory are at the heart of this brilliant new novel, filled with the “beautiful writing, believable characters, pacey narrative, and dark secrets” (London Daily Mail) that make Lisa Jewell so beloved by audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

Hardcover, 352 pages 

Expected publication: April 25th 2017 by Atria Books

****

Lisa Jewell is a new author to me, I've heard nothing but good things about her books - full of suspense and intrigue.  I jumped at the chance when netgalley promoted I Found You.  Right from the beginning I was captivated with 2 different storylines and a jump back to 1993 kept me reading.

The synopsis outlines the story nicely, the characters were interesting, flawed and somewhat believable.  That being said I would have loved to know more about Alice, while I was given snippets of her background I had more questions about why she seemed so desperate for love. Same thing with Lily, while I could understand her situation she seemed to change into a different person once she meets Alice and Frank and I didn't really feel the progression taking place.

As the story unfolded I had a hard time putting my kindle down.  The mystery surrounding 'Frank' is what kept me going especially as the back story started to take shape.  While I thought I had solved the mystery it twisted and turned around.  It was after Frank's past was revealed and the mystery solved that it floundered for me.  While the last pages brought closure it wasn't done in a matter that appealed to me.  It almost seemed rush and didn't match the smooth flow this book had.

Why am I giving this book 4 stars if I had a few issues?  Because I did enjoy reading it (only took 2 days) the author created a mysterious setting that had me wanting to find out what was going on.  I would recommend this one and read more by this author.

Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.