I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘I Let Him In’ by Jill Childs in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Louise is knocked off her bike by a car that doesn’t stop and she ends up in hospital with a broken leg and concussion. While she’s stuck at home she decides have the shabby walls of her flat repainted and hires Ed who’s been recommended to her. She feels an instant attraction to Ed which he reciprocates but something happened in her teens that she’s kept secret and now she’s told Ed he also tells her his secret, one that he’s kept hidden for many, many years.

I Let Him In’ is a novel with a gripping story about Louise who lets Ed into her life following her accident. It then reverts back to 2007 and tells of Ed in Helmand Province when he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Abdul, a young boy and one of the many casualties of the war in Afghanistan. I’ve read several novels by Jill Childs but this has to be one of her best yet as it’s had me hooked from the first page and I’ve been so totally involved with the characters and their lives that I didn’t see the final amazing twist coming. I’m full of admiration for someone who can write such a wonderfully descriptive and involving story that’s kept me reading well into the night and at times had me in tears. I can wholeheartedly recommend this novel that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and didn’t want to end.

A n immediate start that pulled you straight in and then,for me,kept me there
Good relatable characters and an ending I didn’t see coming at all
A good read

I wasn't sure what I was expecting from I Let Him In but I really enjoyed it. It had interesting characters that drew me in. There were quite a few unexpected twists all the way through and I did not see the ending coming.
Jill Childs is definitely an author that I am going to look out for in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Talk about sucking you in from the first page!! What a ride this book was. I loved every second. All of my favorite books are published by Bookouture and this one is up to par!!

This book was provided to me compliments of #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This one draws you in from the start. If you like a good mystery, thriller, suspense pick I let Him In up.

Hooked from the start! The opening scene was intense. It had all the ingredients that a good thriller should have…a woman on a bike injured in a hit-and-run, a controlling boyfriend, a suspicious past, and a shady character who suddenly appears in her life. I mean… what more can you ask for!

I love how Jill Childs tells the story from alternating POV’s. Lou tells her story parallel to Edward’s story and eventually the pieces of a puzzle begin to form a complete picture of how each story connects. Both Lou and Ed have a past that they aren’t proud of. Will they come clean to each other? With themselves? Will their pasts interfere with their future together?

I have to admit, the ending of this story was extremely unique and unexpected. I love the slight magical twist that the author manages to pull off.

All in all, this was a solid thriller with a surprise ending that will leave readers thinking of the realm of possibilities. 🪄

I received this ARC from Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

After a beginning that immediately pulls the reader in, the plot is beset with multiple long and boring scenes. To call it a mystery or a thriller is definitely misleading.

Women’s fiction? Sure. Yes, it has all the marks of chic-lit, but I would put it in the category of Christian lit as ultimately the story is about guilt and atonement and forgiveness.

This is a unique story that had me hooked from the start and led me up a totally different path to how I thought it would end. Cleverly written with relatable characters who both had skeletons in their cupboards, it opened up a realm of possibilities then ended with an unexpected, amazing twist.

At 36, Louise is happy enough with her cramped apartment, a job that has her travelling twenty five weeks a year and a string of not-too-serious relationships. When her latest boyfriend proposes and she breaks it off, older sister Jo worries that Lou will never settle down. Lou stays silent - she wants nothing more than to be loved but with the secret she is carrying, letting someone go is safer than letting them in.

Louise is struck by a hit-and-run driver whilst she was riding her bike. Now she's stuck at home recovering from her injuries. Louise hires Ed to do some decorating and it's not long before the pair strike up a friendship. They've both done terrible things in their pasts.

The pace is slow .As we learn more about Louise and Ed's pasts and more about the day of the accident, the story does get more interesting, it just takes a while to get there. The characters are well developed and believable. I wasn't expecting the book to end that way.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #Jill Childs for my ARC of #ILetHimIn in exchange for an honest review.

It's almost impossible to explain why this is such an amazing book without giving spoilers which I have no intention of doing! The story itself was engaging enough with the two main characters, Louise and Ed - both having their own deep secrets to reveal - or to keep the reader guessing - but there is also the question of whether there is romance or just something quite different in the connection between these two people that transcends that emotion. Both were highly likeable people and yet there was always that little bit of uncertainty as to whether all was as it appeared. I really enjoyed the book but I honestly, had no idea whatsoever where it was going to lead and the shocking revelation at the end took my breath away. I can't - and won't - say what it was but this turned the whole story around and left me thinking about it and I suspect I will be thinking about it for some time because it was so unexpected but very cleverly done. I believe this would make a brilliant film. A truly remarkable, and unique, book and I loved every minute spent in its pages. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a pre-release copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hooked from the start! The opening scene was intense. It had all the ingredients that a good thriller should have…a woman on a bike injured in a hit-and-run, a controlling boyfriend, a suspicious past, and a shady character who suddenly appears in her life. I mean… what more can you ask for!

I love how Jill Childs tells the story from alternating POV’s. Lou tells her story parallel to Edward’s story and eventually the pieces of a puzzle begin to form a complete picture of how each story connects. Both Liu and Ed have a past that they aren’t proud of. Will they come clean to each other? With themselves? Will their pasts interfere with their future together?

I have to admit, the ending of this story was extremely unique and unexpected. I love the slight magical twist that the author manages to pull off.

All in all, this was a solid thriller with a surprise ending that will leave readers thinking of the realm of possibilities. 🪄

Wow , if I could give this 10 stars I would. What an amazing book , just when I thought it would be your usual run of the mill story it all changed . Fantastic twist at the end , can’t recommend this book enough. Definitely the best book I’ve read all year . We’ll done Jill Child’s

I Let Him In by Jill Childs
Published: August 17, 2021
Bookouture
I received a copy of this book for free and leave my review voluntarily.

Jill Childs has always loved writing - real and imaginary - and spent 30 years travelling the world as a journalist, living overseas and reporting wherever the news took her. She's now made her home in London with her husband and twin girls who love stories as much as she does. Although she's covered everything from earthquakes and floods, riots and wars, she's found some of the most extraordinary stories right here at home - in the secrets and lies she imagines behind closed doors on ordinary streets, just like yours.

“I should never have let him in.”

After a hit and run leaves, Louise is laid up with a broken leg; her sister suggests taking the time to have someone paint her flat. Lou, struggling with the accident, her recent breakup, which is why she was on her bike that night, to begin with, and the disappointment in losing the chance to go to Chile for work, decides she will have her flat painted. Ed is methodical and mysterious. And together, they slowly start to reveal the skeletons in their closet. What would you give for a second chance?

I liked that the story starts immediately. There wasn’t any wasted time in the buildup. Immediately we are immersed in the accident and Lou’s internal struggles as she attempts to process that she may never know who hit her and left her on the side of the road.

The characters were all very well done. I enjoyed Lou and Jo and their relationship. The sisterhood bond was undeniable, as was a mutual love and desire to protect one another. My favorite character was Mia. She was beyond adorable and such a gem. Ed was a typical broody male character with an emotional twist.

I very much enjoyed how Louise’s flat was very much a character in the book. I thought that was clever, and Childs executed this perfectly. The transformation was vivid and innovative and reflected the situation well.

The plot was excellent, and the build-up was quite intense. The story took a completely different turn, however, in a direction I wasn’t expecting at all.

The twist in this novel is genuinely unexpected and somewhat shocking. I sat for several minutes after finishing the book, attempting to process what just happened. Overall, I don’t know how I feel regarding the twist leading up to the ending.

Part of me wants to romanticize what happened and allow the emotional power to take hold and cherish the way things happened. Another part wants to throw the book across the room and scream.

I was not expecting the ending at all. I am rarely able to sort any part of a twist out, but this one took me by complete surprise. Overall, it was a quick read, and I had a difficult time putting the book down.

I’m still unsure how to process the twist, but the plot was solid, and the overall concept was interesting.

This book had terrific characters. It had a great plot and some awesome twists and turns. I loved the relationships the characters developed. The story moves from suspense, to a story about friendship and delves into how our past can haunt us. The story moved at a good pace and was extremely well written. However, the end of this book was not what I was expecting. It felt rushed and choppy and it was not even remotely explained nor was it plausible in a book that was very down to earth. The ending of this dropped its rating for me as it felt like a sudden unfinished stop. Almost like “ well I feel like being done writing now so I’m cutting the story short and ending it with no explanation on how it happened”. It just wasn’t what I was expecting to happen with no explanation as to why or how.

Having read Jill Childs' The Mistress book, I was excited to read her next novel as I enjoyed reading her other novel.

Louise a travel journalist has a bike accident. While at recovering at home, through a friend, she meets Ed Spencer, a former veteran who served in Afghanistan through another friend. Louise has a feeling that the accident wasn't just an accident but that someone else had wanted to kill her. Louise and Ed develop friendship with each other and soon, Louise confides him a dark secret she has been hiding for many years. And Ed too has his own secrets.

Though the book started slow, it picked up its momentum by the middle of the book. The plot line of the story was interesting and the story is mainly told from the perspectives of Louise and through the middle of the book, was told from the perspective of Ed, sharing his time in Afghanistan, so it was interesting to get into the character's head to see what they think of each other. Though it is not fast paced, there were some twists. The ending was completely unexpected and baffled me that I actually did not expect that type of ending! What a twisted ending it was!

Overall, it was a good thriller book--not fast paced but it will keep you hooked until the end. Worth three stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC--the review is based completely on my honest opinion.

This novel is certainly not what you expect. Lou's terrible accident and the sweet love story of two soulmates draws you in immediately. Who did it? And why?
Slowly arises the question what if...? What if Lou and Ed hadn't done what they did? The solution given in this novel is heartbreaking and quite surprising, but unfortunately unbelievable.

Oh my goodness! I had no idea what or where this book was going, but it certainly didn't go like I had thought it would. I won't ruin it, but all I will say is stick with it, and you will be shocked and amazed where it leads. Great job!

This book very quickly sucked me in, and I raced through it! We start by meeting Lou, who is going through a break-up and gets involved in an accident which leaves her house-bound and forces her to take a break from her job.

Lou is dealing with a traumatic incident in her past, which she has never shared with anyone before and which constantly hangs over her life, making it hard for her to form long-lasting relationships.

After her accident, her sister recommends she gets someone in to redecorate her London flat. When she gets a recommendation, she decides to go for it and books painter Ed. But all is not as it seems with Ed - there is something oddly familiar about him, and there is a connection that brings them both together in a way they've never experienced before.

As we learn more about the pasts of both Lou and Ed, and more about what really happened that day of the accident, the story gets more and more gripping and tense. I couldn't wait for all the pieces to fit together.

But then.. the end! Arh what can I say without spoiling!? I'm afraid I didn't like it at all. It just didn't make any sense. I absolutely loved the book until that final reveal. And whilst I did sort of enjoy some of how it all wrapped up, what we were being told happened just didn't make sense, and there was no attempt to even try and make it make sense! I felt a bit cheated to be honest! I mean fair enough if that's the way the book is going to go... but I think there needed to be some attempt at explaining how and why.

Devoured it in space of few hours! Clear your diaries because once you start reading I Let Him In you’re getting nothing else done!

I’m normally not a fan of romantic subplots but this one really did it for me. Edward is a charming character and I think I started to fall for him too!

Jill Childs has done it yet again. A favourite author of mine, this story is one of her best. A must read.

My first book by Jill Childs and I really enjoyed it.

Louise is a busy travel journalist until one evening she is knocked off her bike resulting in a broken leg and Louise is forced to put her travels on hold for a while. However being at home all the time with not much to do means she starts thinking about the past and about the guilty secret that she never tells anyone. To take her mind off things she takes her sister Jo's advice and decides to get someone in to paint her flat with the added benefit of a bit of company for her while her leg heals. She didn't count on it being Ed, who from the moment she meets him she feels a connection unlike any other. But Ed has his own secret to hide. Will they be able to confide in each other and possibly both begin to heal or will both secrets be too big for either of them to overcome?

This story was really good and I got into it pretty quickly. I actually found myself reading in advert breaks when watching tv programs which I haven't done with any other book recently, I just constantly wanted to know more and more of what was happening. My heart really ached for both Louise and Ed, carrying around such big burdens and thinking that they don't deserved to be loved. The Afghanistan army scenes were so well written I felt like I was there on patrol in the dust and the sand! I found the last part of the book very confusing but it worked well as Louise was just as confused and so I really felt that, there were definitely points where I was thinking, " What the heck is going on?!!" but at the same time I read really quickly because I couldn't wait to find out what was really happening. Straightaway after finishing the book I felt a little disappointed by the ending but after letting things sit for a while (and thinking about it while doing other things) my feelings completely changed and I actually feel it was a very beautiful ending. Ultimately I feel a little sad now saying goodbye to Louise and Ed!

I highly recommend this book, the twists and turns were good and the ending was lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Jill Childs for my advanced reading copy. Due out 17th August 2021.