A love a good Joanne Ryan book and this one did not disappoint. On the day Lena moves in, letters begin to arrive for all her new neighbours. Letters that promise to expose everyone’s deepest, darkest secrets. Every house has received one except for Lena’s. Someone clearly wants to implicate her, to ruin her new life and turn everyone against her. She’s made an enemy, but who, and why? Everyone seems so nice, so trustworthy. So normal. But everything is not as it seems….so many twists and turns and a fantastic conclusion!

Do we ever know what goes on behind closed doors ?
After her boyfriend cheats on her Lena moves to Mandalay Close but the other residents try to force her out. Lots of characters but I found Oliver to be really nasty. Short chapters so it is easy to become engrossed and read "just one more" , A book I would definitely recommend.
Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read an ARC in return for an honest review

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Don't Let Her In' by Joanne Ryan.

Read and reviewed for NetGalley, Joanne Ryan, Boldwood, Book And Tonic, The Bold Book Club and Rachel's Random resources.

Publication date 18th April 2024.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read 'Keep Your Friends Close' which I would also highly recommend.

This novel consists of 33 chapters. The chapters are short in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

'Don't Let Her In' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Joanne discusses/includes domestic abuse and gambling addiction.

This book is very well written and had me hook, line and sinker from beginning to end. The descriptions were so in depth and vivid that it felt like I was standing next to the characters throughout.

This is another great read from the very talented Joanne Ryan and I am looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next!! i have previously read Joanne's 'Keep Your Friends Close' and while I enjoyed reading it I must say that this is definitely the better of the two books!! In this book we meet Lena who has recently found out that her boyfriend Gareth had cheated on her. They break up and Gareth and Lena ends up having to sleep in the spare room until Graham threatens to move his new 18 year old girlfriend in while Lena is still living there if she does not move out!! Lena, who owns her own cleaning business, ends up renting a small home known as the Coach House in Mandalay Close. It is a lovely street where the neighbours seem to keep themselves to themselves. That is until her new neighbour Oliver accuses her of throwing the dirt and weed she had pulled up from her drive all over his!! Lena denies doing it but she ends up having the police visit her questioning her about the damage on Oliver's car and poison pen letters that him and several other neighbours have received. With her left with nothing after the split from Gareth, her neighbours accusing her of all sorts and her best friend Kate asking her for money even when she has not paid her back the £500 she owes he from last year can Lena's life get any worse? What is Oliver's problem with her? What else is happening behind closed doors on Mandalay Close? Do we truly know our own neighbours? Well, pick up your copy of this gripping book to find out for yourself!! With a storyline filled with secrets, suspense, accusations, lies, twists and so much more this is a book that I just could not put down!! Joanne does a fantastic job using multiple protagonists from the perspectives of Leah, her neighbour Simon, Oliver's 8 year old son Jolyon and another neighbour Prue and weaving the chapters together perfectly to give the reader a bigger picture of what different characters are thinking and feeling without giving too much away whilst also adding more secrets and twists into the mix!! This storyline does include domestic abuse and violence which Joanne does an absolutely fantastic job of sensitively weaving it into the storyline while highlighting the red flags. She coveys the heartbreak, desperation and struggle that victims of domestic violence struggle with and after being in an abusive relationship for many years I am a huge believer that difficult topics such as abuse do need to be highlighted in books to help warn others of red flags and domestic violence while not highlighting the fact that someone is reading about this topic. Hopefully that makes sense but a huge congratulations to Joanne on writing about this difficult topic!! There were several things going on in the book from cheating to poison pen letters, threats to domestic abuse there is plenty of action to keep you turning the pages!! There is a range of characters who are all strong and realistic but many of them were unlikeable. When I dislike several characters in a book I normally tend to struggle with the storyline but in this case they all worked perfectly well with the storyline and I really enjoyed it! I did like Lean and although I don't agree with one of the things that she does I felt a huge amount of empathy for her for the way she was being treated by people that she had been nothing but nice to!! Sadly, this is something that happens so much in the world where people take advantage of other peoples kindness and it makes the storyline even more realistic. I was rooting for Lena from the start to finish and was hoping that things would work out for her although whether they do or not is for you to find out yourself when you grab your copy! I absolutely devoured it in one sitting of a few hours as every time I said I would just finish the chapter then get on with something else there was always an event happening in the book which meant that I just had to know what was going to happen next!! Joanne's evocative writing skills ensures the street, characters and atmosphere all come to life so it feels like you are in the storyline with the characters feeling their anger and fear. I was not expecting the twists so a HUGE congratulations to Joanne! I have read hundreds of thrillers so it is getting harder and harder to surprise me but Joanne took me on a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns where I didn't know who I could trust and by the end I think I had suspected each and every character!! A thoroughly good book that will make you wonder what your neighbours are up to and if they truly are who they say they are!! Well done Joanne on another success and here's to your next one!!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the first chapter of Joanne's 'Keep Your Friends Close' which I have also read myself and would highly recommend.

Overall a gripping, mysterious and dark psychological thriller filled with twists!!!

285 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with Kindle Unlimited and £9.99 in paperback, at time of review, via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Secrets and lies aplenty in this story of neighbours and what goes on behind closed doors
Lena moves into her new home following the breakdown of her marriage, after meeting her new
neighbours they seem to dislike her for unknown reasons and are determined to force her out
of the street - things go dark pretty quickly in this fast moving engaging thriller

This was a good psychological thriller, It’s a page turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns throughout.. although I had guessed how this would end. The characters were great, and story itself was gripping and suspenseful and the style of writing was perfect.
I have enjoyed all the books that I have read by this author, I’m looking forward to the next one out. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys reading this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Have never read any other books by this author but will certainly look out for them! What a great read, exciting with great red herrings!! From the first page I was hooked and I don't normally enjoy books written in first person but this was so well done! Only have one gripe........the ending just ended with a few unsolved bits and pieces! There may be a follow up in the pipeline? Excellent read!
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book

I enjoyed this book, and rated it 4 stars. It was engaging and fast reading.
Lena is a newly separated woman, leaving her long time boyfriend, after discovering he was cheating.
She finds a new apartment in a quiet community, and starts over again. When she meets her new neighbors on both sides, she finds one couple to be unfriendly, and another woman to be just the opposite. However, as time goes on, Lena discovers exactly how isolated from her neighbors she really is.
Following a murder of one neighbor, Lena becomes a person of interest.
The finale unveils a tangled web of characters, with a few twists thrown in.

Joanne Ryan has written a
gripping thriller!
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I finished this book and I have questions, I can’t tell you my questions because it will give the book away.

It was an intriguing story and I was invested heavily into what was going on. I started this as an audiobook but it did get a bit confusing when different narrators were narrating chapters and characters they hadn’t before. And I am not going to lie, the chapters that had Joleyn I couldn’t listen to without cringing. Reading the book however, in this case, was so much better (and I am a huge advocate for audiobooks) but I loved the book so much more when I read it. I didn’t want to put it down.

I guessed who the mysterious man was in Lena’s life and I think we were meant to, so when the penny dropped we experienced Lena's shock rather than our own.

Oliver was such a detestable character. He was vile, so vile and the way he treated his family, people and behaved in general, my blood was boiled!!

I had no idea what direction this book was going to go and I was there to enjoy the ride. Ryan is a new author to me, and I would definitely read a book by her again. Her writing created so many emotions for me. I ranged from shock to anger so quickly. I loved all the little twists that were littered throughout. It created so many misdirections and I was enthralled.

Looking forward to the next time I get the chance to read her book again.

I first discovered Joanne and her books when I had the good fortune to be invited to review her previous book called 'Keep Your Friends Close'. Since then I have been waiting for her next book to be released. Well ladies and gents the wait is over because Joanne's second book is called 'Don't Let Her In' and it was released on 18th April 2024. I couldn't wait to dive in and so without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for what proved to be an interesting afternoon of reading. Overall, I really enjoyed reading 'Don't Let Her In' but more about that in a bit.

This was one of those books that grabbed me from the start and didn't let me go until after I read the very last word on the very last page. I started reading and found it nigh on impossible to put the book to one side. My Kindle wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn't bear to miss a single second of the story. I can't say that I especially warmed to any of the characters but that could be because I have read a lot of crime fiction and as a result I believe nobody and suspect everybody. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. All too quickly I reached the end of 'Don't Let Her In'. I found 'Don't Let Her In' to be a gripping, tense and at times rather dramatic read, which certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

'Don't Let Her In' is extremely well written and then some. Joanne certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proves to be one heck of a story and then some. For me, this was a slow burn type of book which suited the story that Joanne was telling. Joanne describes her characters so vividly and realistically that they seem just as real as you and I although I have to say that I would keep them all at arm's length as there was something distinctly 'off' with each of them. I loved the way in which Joanne perfectly captures the air of suspicion that exists in small communities when a newcomer moves in and how such communities can be a bit claustrophobic. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Don't Let Her In' and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Joanne's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Of course they're going to blame you - you've literally just moved in and the residents all start getting letters trying to expose them and their secrets!

The people of Mandalay Close are a very odd and apparently close knit community - I still wouldn't want to live there mind - and someone is watching!

I was hooked from the opening pages and literally binged it in one sitting. It's a pacey thriller that's told from various POV, with red herrings and twists galore.

It's an easy read that's enjoyable, entertaining and full of surprises.

A unique twist on welcoming your new neighbor!!! Trying to escape her broken heart will bring her into a neighborhood where she will NEVER fit in. But whose choice was that? A great story line full of mysteries to keep readers guessing at what exactly could be going on.

Don’t let her in by Joanne Ryan is a very entertaining murder mystery thriller, with some nasty characters and some very eccentric characters. The storyline is a crash course in how not to kill your neighbour, whom you mistake for another villain, who wants to kill you.
Lena has just moved into Mandalay Close, after her marriage breaks up.. Someone doesn’t like her but she doesn’t know why. She is accused of murder but she isn’t the murderer but who is?
I found this very entertaining and full of clueless characters who made me smile. I look forward to reading more stories by the author.
Highly recommended

Wow what a read. It is a true saying that you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors but in this street there are more secrets and lies than most. When Lena moves into the street after her marriage breakdown she wants a quiet life but on meeting her new neighbours they seem to take an instant dislike to her and are determined to get her to move but she never imagined the dark turn it goes to. Don’t miss this!!

Thanks to Netgalley and TheBoldBookClub for this copy of "Don't Let Her In."

In this suspenseful, fast, and twisty story, we meet the residents living on Mandalay Close.

They all have huge secrets and one of them doesn't want Lena to move into the carriage house apartment on the development. But how far will they go to drive her away?

Don’t let her in proves the point - don’t move into anywhere named Mandolay Close, Lena has just moved in after leaving a cheating boyfriend and is eyed with suspicion after neighbors receive mysterious letters and blame her. What on earth is going on behind these closed doors? All seem to have some sort of secret they are driven to protect. Lena jumpstarts a feud with Oliver a neighbor and the tension and danger accelerates quickly. The plot moves quickly and I enjoyed the book. Joanne Ryan is a respected author and this is a great addition to her collection of psychological thrillers.

I managed to find the time to read this book in 24 hours.
I really wanted to enjoy it as the premise sounded great, however, sadly it did disappoint
The title makes no sense to the story and unfortunately the whole book up to 78% was nothing happening and then the last 10% was again, nothing happening.
I am sorry but this book was not for me. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion

Wow! Joanne Ryan knocks another one out of the park! This one hooked me early on and kept me flipping pages long into the night. Fabulous characters that kept me super invested in the story. Doubt and deceit run amok. Totally loved the creepy vibe.
Thank you NetGalley, Joanne Ryan and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Lena moves into Mandalay Close after she breaks up with her boyfriend of 11 years. She unfortunately did not move into Sesame Street as the neighborhood seems to be full of secrets and neighbors with something to hide. The day she moves in they all start getting letters threatening to expose their secrets, and since she didn’t get one and is the newcomer, everyone assumes she was the sender. What they don’t know is that Lena does have secrets of her own but she wants to keep them in the past and just try to get on with life after her breakup.
There’s lots of POV and a lot going on to keep up with but it moves along at a good pace. My only complaint is that the letters never really get addressed-who sent them or what they were about? Still have no clue. Other than that, fast, engaging, twist filled read.
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

When several neighbours who live in Mandalay Gardens receive some strange handwritten letters in their postboxes. Who has delivered them and for what reason?
When Lena moved into the cul-de-sac she was after a fresh start from her cheating husband but as the letters arrive for her neighbours Lena is the only one not to receive one.
The story is told by multiple POVS and give you an insight to her new neighbours.
But which one has a secret that they would do anything to keep?

A twisty tale indeed! Lena moves into a new home after discovering her partner has been cheating on her and just as she does, every household in the close starts receiving threatening letters - except for her, making her the obvious suspect.

It seems that everyone has secrets and someone is out to expose them all. Told from multiple POVs in the different houses, this really does remind us that you never know what is going on behind closed doors!

I would have liked more to have been made of the letters and less about Lena’s ex, but overall this was a solid and very enjoyable read.

3.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Joanne Ryan and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.