The synopsis sounded really interesting; with the people receiving threatening letters and a new person moving in to the small community (after her boyfriend kicked her out), a murder, a quiet and mysterious neighbor. But unfortunately the letters were mentioned once or twice, no one was “let in” or “not let in” to justify the title stating “don’t let her in” … the mention of the ex boyfriend was mentioned to exhaustion, which made me feel as though it could have been made into its own book. The murder, the family next door and creepy neighbor could have been expanded upon to make them more mysterious and make the story interesting. I felt the book to be slow, not really sure what I was reading (it felt as though there were 3 completely separate stories in the book). There was a little twist at the end (which is why I gave it 2 stars). Overall I expected more “thrill” from the mysterious letters (and what they actually said, they never told us), and possible more sinister plot with them. I was let down with the book, which is disappointing.

This was a fun look into suburbia - we always seem to forget just how many secrets there must be hiding behind people’s closed doors. My issue with this was that the book’s title didn’t seem to match the content at all. Also, there was a lot made of the letters each resident received but they weren’t really a plot point, and had little to do with the title too! Overall though, I enjoyed this one - an easy read with interesting side plots of bad romantic decisions driven by women feeling like they’re running out of time, and adult female friendships. Would read this author again.

I really enjoyed this read, Joanne is a new to me author and I'm glad I found her! I love her fast paced writing, her character build up and descriptions. This book is set on Mandalay Close, sounds a nice, quiet place to move to but all is not what it seems!

I loved Lena, her friendly manner means she became a kind of doormat to her husband, leading him to cheat on her. Lena made her choice with their relationship and goes on her own discovery of love with surprising results. This story has multiple pov's, which I like in a book. It flows, keeps you gripped and when you know something isn't right with the people living next door to you, you get this feeling of wanting to know the reasoning and tie up the ends.

My suspicion of Prue was correct but that didn't take away from the story, just made me think about her more. How people live behind closed doors. Enjoyable read if you are looking for a fast paced, descriptive and thrilling ride!

I will be looking out for more from Joanne in the future!

#BlogTour

"Don't Let Her In" is the latest psychological thriller from Joanne Ryan. After a rough breakup, Lena moves into a house on a quiet street, hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she finds the quiet street is hiding some dangerous secrets.

The book is a quick, suspenseful read that kept me guessing until the end. It's told through the viewpoint of multiple characters (none very likeable). At times, the connections between the neighbors felt overly coincidental, making the plot seem a bit contrived.

All in all, "Don't Let Her In" is a light escape, perfect for a long plane ride or a day at the beach.

Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for sending me an advance copy of this book for review consideration.

Don't Let Her In got off to a really good start for me, I enjoyed the different POVs, apparently unrelated at first, the fast-paced story and the fact that the book literally kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for more to happen but then the narration became a bit flat, too much about the different characters' musings and too little action and developments. There were indeed twists and turns but not the kind that leaves you agape for a while and the ending felt really disappointing to me. I'm giving it three stars because anyway I felt like going on reading until the end, which is good. By the way, I can't for the life of me understand what the title refers to.

Lena is the newest resident of upmarket Mandalay Close; she left her cheating boyfriend for a fresh start. But on the day moves in, all of her neighbours receive threatening letters and it seems that someone wants to ruin her new life. Things quickly spiral out of control and Lena finds herself caught up in a web of lies, including her own.

This was an easy to read, fast paced thriller with likeable characters as well as those you love to hate. There were plenty of twists, although I did manage to figure out a couple of them, making it an interesting read that had me hooked.

My one complaint was that the ending was a little too 'happily ever after' for my liking!

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Format: Kindle (ARC)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐Enjoyed, would recommend

If you’re a fan of twisty mysteries, you will enjoy "The Secret of Mandalay Close." The story starts slowly but quickly picks up steam, throwing suspicion on a cast of secretive and not-so-friendly characters. Each resident of Mandalay Close receives a threatening letter, and newcomer Lena wonders if it's connected to her own fresh start after a messy breakup. Told from multiple perspectives, the novel offers a glimpse into the hidden lives behind the seemingly perfect facades of these neighbors. While some aspects, like a child's point of view, feel unbelievable, the overall story is entertaining and keeps you guessing until the surprising yet satisfying conclusion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ At last, a 5 star book!

Really enjoyed this one. Short chapters told from different viewpoints and it keeps you guessing.

Will now be reading more by the author.

The writing had a good balance of exposition and action, and I got through the book quite quickly. Though there were some pacing issues at the start, the story picked up and maintained its steam after the first twenty percent or so, and I thought it more than made up for its initial bumps. While not necessarily likable, the characters were interesting and had enough variety amongst them to not come across as one-note. I thought the inclusion of unreliable narrators was done very well, and it made some plot points in the book more effective than they may otherwise have been.

While the characters themselves were all quite different, I found most of them to not have very distinct narrative styles, and the fact that the 8-year-old had the same cadence and vocabulary as the 40-year-old man broke my immersion in the story a few times. There were several reveals that I saw coming, and several others that took me by surprise, so I would say that the mystery itself was satisfying and well-done. I think fans of small-town mysteries will find this an enjoyable read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

3/5 Who can you trust when everyone has something to hide?

A new author for me and I look forward to reading her other works. There are parts of the story which you may be able to work out but also a few red herrings to throw you off too. Set in a small close, each property seems to have its own issues and it is written in such a way that you are trying to figure out what links who with whom and moreover why. Guessed parts of the outcome but not it all.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

Don't Let Her In by Joanne Ryan

First time read by this author and really enjoyed it , it kept me interested until the end.
Lena is a new resident of Mandalay Close after the end of her relationship with Gareth.
She looks forward to living a quiet life in her coach house apartment. Only some people are not going to allow that.
She is accused of writing and posting out a poison pen letter to the neighbours and almost from moving in she seems to have upset her neighbour Oliver and his family.
Twisty and keeps you guessing.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This gripping crime thriller follows Lena, who after a recent split from her partner moves into the coach house in Mandalay Close. She is looking for a new start, and to continue with her cleaning business.

On the first day she meets the neighbours next door, and although they aren’t the friendliest, she isn’t concerned. However, when she starts to get accused of vandalism she hasn’t been involved in, she tries to keep herself away from them as much as possible.

That is until the police arrive enquiring into a missing person and poison letters which people on the road have been receiving. When a body is found Lena isn’t sure who she can trust.

Who is the missing person? Who could be involved?

This crime thriller is a gripping read, although I did find the storyline to be quite slow it builds up throughout as the mystery deepens.
Lena seems like a lovely woman, and I did feel for her throughout as she can’t seem to get a break and find the happiness she desires.

There are a few additional storylines where you get to hear from the neighbours from Mandalay Close, and there are many secrets to be revealed.

Overall, a gripping crime thriller, where there is plenty of secrets to be revealed in Mandalay Close.

This is the first book I've read by Joanne Ryan and really enjoyed it.
It starts with main character Lena moving to a new neighborhood after getting her heart stomped on by her no good cheating partner of eleven years.
The neighborhood is a desired location but the neighbors leave much to be desired. They all seem to be dysfunctional and have their own secrets.

The story moves quickly and smoothly and has some good twists. It is mostly told from the POV of the main character but there are a few chapters told from the neighbors POV's.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be checking out others by this author.

Than you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for an advanced copy of this book.

First I want to thank NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Joanne Ryan for my ARC of Don’t Let Her In.

What an entertaining read! The story is set on a quaint cul-de-sac neighborhood with nosey neighbors. But everyone has secrets and everyone wants to keep them secrets. I thought the main focus was going to be on the poison pen letters that everyone was getting but it was way bigger! I like that it was told trim multiple POVs that all came together at the end of the book! I personally thought all the characters were well developed. There were definitely some you were meant to not like and it was made clear why. I liked the twists and turns that kept me guessing till the end. It was a great read and I can’t wait to read more from Joanne Ryan!

What a quick and entertaining read this was! I love a story set in a nosey cul-de-sac and this didn’t disappoint. Quite a bit of dysfunction in this little street I can tell you that!

I think the characters were well written. The ones you were not supposed to like, I didn’t like. It is told from multiple points of view and I like that. Learning what people were hiding and putting together how things and/or people were connected was enjoyable. There were some good red herrings and twists and turns throughout the story.

My one complaint is the police procedure. The author did some homework about procedure but got some big bits wrong. You can’t keep someone in custody without arresting them! Lena went voluntarily but then wasn’t arrested but kept in overnight. I mean if she tried to leave they could locked her up but still… And female police officers don’t use WPC! It’s so outdated. This is a huge bugbear of mine in books. The rest was quite good though.

Definitely a thriller I would recommend for a quick and entertaining read.

Talk about twists and turns. You think you have it figured out, then a piece to the puzzle flips the script! This was my first Joanne Ryan novel and it won’t be my last. The storyline is exciting and something new.

This had a lot more going on than I realised, and I was pleasantly surprised, actually.

I thought the main conflict and what everyone was going to focus on were going to be the letters and the fact that Lena was the only one that didn’t get one, but this issue was actually better used as a tool to introduce more intricate problems within the community, Mandalay Close.
There are around 8 lead characters, so it may be difficult for not-so-experienced thriller readers to follow, but it’s a fairly easy read, and the voices are distinct enough that I didn’t have an issue knowing who was where (and guessing some plot twists). I didn’t get bored at any moment!

The ending wasn’t rushed or anything, but there was a moment where I really thought the mystery of who sent the letters from the beginning was going to be left unsolved, but thankfully, no loose ends were left.
Honest, good writing from Joanne Ryan.

The setting of nosy neighbors is awesome!!!! It always intrigues me!!! As you read into the book it gets better and better with the twists and turns!

The POV is awesome and the multiple versions of each event is genius!!! Great read and will read more from thw author

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

Told in multiple POVs, Don’t Let Her In is a captivating and immersive read.
After splitting from her partner, Gareth, Lena moves out of their home and rents the coach house apartment in the quiet, respectable Mandalay Close. Almost immediately her next-door neighbours, Oliver and his family, have issues with Lena. Other neighbours in the Close have also received poisoned pen letters that Lena is suspected of writing.
The characters are interesting, well-developed and richly drawn. Oliver was menacing and threatening and I felt sympathy towards both Prue and Lena. The young Jolyon character was captured perfectly.
The plot moves quickly and has several twists and turns that will keep you guessing.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

I was gripped by this book right from the start, I have read a few books by this author, which I have loved so I was excited to read this one, it was such an enjoyable read, with a great twist.