Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

 

Which genre often takes you out of your comfort zone?  Thrillers also take me out of my comfort zone, but I love it.

Nina Swann lost her husband a year ago.  She receives a card from Nick Radcliffe, an old friend of her husband.  They connect and Nina feels like she may have a second chance at love.  Her daughter, Ash, feels, that something is wrong and starts digging into Nick’s past.  Is he who he says he is?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The story has three primary points of view – Ash, Nina, and Martha.  Martha is a florist with the perfect husband, Alistair, who seems not so perfect as he keeps disappearing.  Other points of view, also pop up include Nick’s and other various people that he interacts with.  It could be confusing at times, but I thought it was very intriguing.

·       This novel was a bit repetitive and slow in the middle, but I couldn’t put it down for the last 1/3 of the book.

·       I really liked the ending.  Everything came together at the end and there were a few surprises left.

·       It’s a disturbing story about love and trust.  What happens in your life if your lift partner is not the person you think they are?

·       The villain in this novel was one of the best villains I’ve ever read.  One that seems like the nicest guy you’ve ever met until you let him into your life.

·       I don’t want to give too much away on the plot as I really enjoyed it!

Overall, Don’t Let Him in by Lisa Jewell was an intriguing domestic thriller that kept me reading too far into the night.  Can you trust the one you love?

Book Source: Thank-you to NetGalley for a review copy of this novel.

 

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell

 

Title: None of This is True

Author:  Lisa Jewell

Narrated by:  Kristin Atherton, Ayesha Antoine, Louise Brealey, Alix Dunmore, Elliot Fitzpatrick, Lisa Jewell, Thomas Judd, Dominic Thorburn, Nicola Walker, Jenny Walser

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 20 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio.  Thank you @simonandschuster #BookClubFavorites for the free books!

Have you read any good thrillers lately?  None of This is True was a great thriller read for October that kept me riveted during long drives.

Josie Fair and Alix Summers meet when they both are celebrating their 45^th birthdays at a local pub and discover they are birthday twins.  Josie learns that Alix is a podcaster and listens to her podcasts.  They run into each other again and Josie tells Alix she thinks she would make an interesting subject for Alix’s podcast as she is about to change her life.  As they get to know each other, Alix discovers that Josie has lived through some terrible times and her story does have the makings of a great podcast.  As the title informs the reader, is Josie’s story true?  What is truth, and what is fiction about both Josie’s and Alix’s lives? 

This thriller keeps the reader guessing throughout the novel.  I guessed some of the reveals, but other items took me by surprise.  I needed an audiobook that could keep me engaged on long car trips and this was it.  I almost hated arriving at my destination as I wanted to know what was going to happen next!   I don’t want to spoil the story by giving away too many details, but this was a great thriller story and audiobook.

None of This is True is a stellar audiobook production with great sound effects and a full cast to put together the pieces of the podcast.  Especially listening to this as an audiobook, it was so fun to hear all of the interview clips and parts of the podcast rather than just reading them.  It was an immersive experience.  It was one of the best audiobook productions I have ever listened to.  I highly recommend it if you’re looking for an engaging audiobook.