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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
'You Let Me In' is the fifth psychological thriller from bestselling author and Richard & Judy book club pick, Lucy Clarke, whose novels have been translated into 12 different languages. Having enjoyed her previous book, 'Last Seen,' which was chock-a-block full of secrets, lies and deception, I knew this was dead cert to be a fantastic follow-up.
Elle Fielding is a successful author with her first book hitting the bestsellers lists and making her lots of cash in the process. Now, she is under immense pressure from her publisher to make the follow-up just as compelling. Having spent a lot of her earnings remodelling her dream house on the cliffs, she decides to take a break to hopefully cure her writers block at a writing retreat and rent her home out on AirBnB to rake back some cash. When she returns she is refreshed and ready to finishing penning her second novel, but she soon comes to the realisation that something has changed. Despite her friends reassuring her that everything is normal, and it is just her imagination, Elle insists there is something seriously wrong. They put it down to the pressure of creating another bestseller. It doesn't take long for her to be lost to the piut of despair and paranoia sets in. Can Elle be correct that there is something not quite right? Or is it just her vivid imagination, the one that thought-up the plot of her bestseller?
Well, talking of bestsellers, this is a page-turning success and features all the traits of a great psychological thriller. We see the power paranoia has over an individual which is rather scary, if i'm honest. The plot is incredibly suspenseful, and the author does a sterling job of ratcheting up the tension right up until the conclusion. The writing is smooth and flows well, there are red herrings, twists and turns throughout that pull you one way then another at great speed! I found that the writing created a wonderful atmosphere that only superior authors can muster, and the main protagonist Elle is a well developed, three-dimensional character that you can't help but admire. I absolutely loved the creepy factor (the creepier the better, I think), I felt I was suffering with Elle through her ordeal, and her situation was brought vividly to life.
All in all, a riveting, satisfying and beautifully written novel that crime fans should not miss! Truly, a real page-turner.
Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Elle Fielding is a successful author with her first book hitting the bestsellers lists and making her lots of cash in the process. Now, she is under immense pressure from her publisher to make the follow-up just as compelling. Having spent a lot of her earnings remodelling her dream house on the cliffs, she decides to take a break to hopefully cure her writers block at a writing retreat and rent her home out on AirBnB to rake back some cash. When she returns she is refreshed and ready to finishing penning her second novel, but she soon comes to the realisation that something has changed. Despite her friends reassuring her that everything is normal, and it is just her imagination, Elle insists there is something seriously wrong. They put it down to the pressure of creating another bestseller. It doesn't take long for her to be lost to the piut of despair and paranoia sets in. Can Elle be correct that there is something not quite right? Or is it just her vivid imagination, the one that thought-up the plot of her bestseller?
Well, talking of bestsellers, this is a page-turning success and features all the traits of a great psychological thriller. We see the power paranoia has over an individual which is rather scary, if i'm honest. The plot is incredibly suspenseful, and the author does a sterling job of ratcheting up the tension right up until the conclusion. The writing is smooth and flows well, there are red herrings, twists and turns throughout that pull you one way then another at great speed! I found that the writing created a wonderful atmosphere that only superior authors can muster, and the main protagonist Elle is a well developed, three-dimensional character that you can't help but admire. I absolutely loved the creepy factor (the creepier the better, I think), I felt I was suffering with Elle through her ordeal, and her situation was brought vividly to life.
All in all, a riveting, satisfying and beautifully written novel that crime fans should not miss! Truly, a real page-turner.
Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I loved this. I guessed it was everyone twice over, kept changing my mind and changing it back and suspected absolutely everyone. Enjoyable book, a bit sad in places but not sad enough to make me cry (thank goodness). I'll read more Lucy Clarke.
I saw the big twist coming but that didn’t affect my enjoyment much at all, mainly because there are a few turns along the way. This is a tense mystery with a wonderfully eerie setting and I raced through it. I mean it had my pet peeve (main character is an author) and I still really enjoyed it. Basically what I’m saying is that my picky arse had a surprisingly excellent time with this bb.
cw / sexual assault
plot:
the premise for this book is so so interesting. an airbnb rental gone wrong, a famous author struggling with her second book, a literal cabinet of secrets. for the most part, the plot was engaging and i was kept turning the page to find out what would happen next. all the weird stuff that kept happening in elle’s house was enough to keep me engaged. i also found all the different relationships between the characters interesting enough. however i was sort of disappointed with the lack of threat and risk inside of this book! it’s weird for me to read a ‘psychological thriller’ without their being a murder / attempted murder. i think that’s the biggest thing this book is missing. all in all, it’s just a simple tale of jealousy and rivalry that could happen to anyone. i want to be taken out of my mind when reading a thriller but with this one, i wasn’t.
characters:
this was my absolute biggest issue with the book. we follow elle who has trauma in her past and is now struggling to start her second novel. she’s a stereotype, in my eyes. she didn’t have any personality to be honest, and every time she spoke, it felt like words nobody would ever say. there wasn’t any moments where i left or felt as ease around elle. i never felt like rooting for her
fiona was a total bitch the entire way through, i had no sympathy for her. when we found out it was her, i was a little unconvinced. to do all that really creepy stuff (the facebook love, the message on the window)... why?? why not just confront her?? why become a psycho for like a couple weeks?? like why lol
mark was one of the only characters i like. while also a stereotype, he spoke truth
flynn seemed cute but i felt bad for him
writing style:
the writing is okay/good. there’s not much to say, it’s easy to read, not exactly experimental/lyrical but it kept me engaged and the writing tips at the start of each chapter were really nice! some of the writing just felt clunky to me.
ending:
wow ok, the ending. i felt it was a long time coming and i had a million and one theories! it was a really engaging book in that you wanted to theorise and guess what was going to happen but in classic thriller style, there’s always one secret the author keeps until the end to change up the entire book. lucy clarke did a great job with uncovering layer by layer and when it came to the end, i was pretty surprised. it wasn’t a throw the book drop the jaw kind of moment but it was still... a surprise. i did guess parts of the ending, but others, i didn’t.
however, parts of the ending made me so mad!! the fire!! the copy of the book at the end!! fiona getting revenge basically on elle. it was just like NO! it wasn’t fair. fiona’s character arc wasn’t believable. how could she be that angry at elle yet do the exact same thing?
also flynn & elle getting back together... not entirely on board
pace:
while overall, the pace is pretty good and each chapter brings something new to theorise and freak out about, it felt like it was a little slow & lacking in places.
enjoyment:
this always seems to be the case with me, that i have all this stuff to say, but that overall, i did really enjoy the book. i was excited to read it and i had a great time discussing it with my friend!
plot:
the premise for this book is so so interesting. an airbnb rental gone wrong, a famous author struggling with her second book, a literal cabinet of secrets. for the most part, the plot was engaging and i was kept turning the page to find out what would happen next. all the weird stuff that kept happening in elle’s house was enough to keep me engaged. i also found all the different relationships between the characters interesting enough. however i was sort of disappointed with the lack of threat and risk inside of this book! it’s weird for me to read a ‘psychological thriller’ without their being a murder / attempted murder. i think that’s the biggest thing this book is missing. all in all, it’s just a simple tale of jealousy and rivalry that could happen to anyone. i want to be taken out of my mind when reading a thriller but with this one, i wasn’t.
characters:
this was my absolute biggest issue with the book. we follow elle who has trauma in her past and is now struggling to start her second novel. she’s a stereotype, in my eyes. she didn’t have any personality to be honest, and every time she spoke, it felt like words nobody would ever say. there wasn’t any moments where i left or felt as ease around elle. i never felt like rooting for her
fiona was a total bitch the entire way through, i had no sympathy for her. when we found out it was her, i was a little unconvinced. to do all that really creepy stuff (the facebook love, the message on the window)... why?? why not just confront her?? why become a psycho for like a couple weeks?? like why lol
mark was one of the only characters i like. while also a stereotype, he spoke truth
flynn seemed cute but i felt bad for him
writing style:
the writing is okay/good. there’s not much to say, it’s easy to read, not exactly experimental/lyrical but it kept me engaged and the writing tips at the start of each chapter were really nice! some of the writing just felt clunky to me.
ending:
wow ok, the ending. i felt it was a long time coming and i had a million and one theories! it was a really engaging book in that you wanted to theorise and guess what was going to happen but in classic thriller style, there’s always one secret the author keeps until the end to change up the entire book. lucy clarke did a great job with uncovering layer by layer and when it came to the end, i was pretty surprised. it wasn’t a throw the book drop the jaw kind of moment but it was still... a surprise. i did guess parts of the ending, but others, i didn’t.
however, parts of the ending made me so mad!! the fire!! the copy of the book at the end!! fiona getting revenge basically on elle. it was just like NO! it wasn’t fair. fiona’s character arc wasn’t believable. how could she be that angry at elle yet do the exact same thing?
also flynn & elle getting back together... not entirely on board
pace:
while overall, the pace is pretty good and each chapter brings something new to theorise and freak out about, it felt like it was a little slow & lacking in places.
enjoyment:
this always seems to be the case with me, that i have all this stuff to say, but that overall, i did really enjoy the book. i was excited to read it and i had a great time discussing it with my friend!
“I am no trespasser, I remind myself. You let me in.”
Nothing has felt right since Elle rented out her house to a family through Airbnb. Since coming home from her vacation in France, she feels like she is being watched...
Some of the lessons I learnt whilst reading this book:
- drinking and driving after one or two large glasses of wine is okay apparently (sidebar: IT IS NOT)
- noting all your passwords in one location is a great idea (again: it is NOT)
- it might be a good idea to visit your doctor if your insomnia has gotten to the point where you’re going batshit crazy (it bugged me that she didn’t do this)
- it’s not a good idea to constantly post clues suggesting the location of your home on social media when you’re a famous author (or even if you’re not famous, for that matter!)
- don’t fucking walk home drunk alone on the beach at night
- if you have a glass room at the top of your house (pfft, don’t we all), maybe you should invest in some blinds or curtains
With all that being said, I did finish this 400 page book in less than 48 hours - it’s a page turner, for sure, but it is accompanied with a lot of eye-rolling. There are far too many red herrings and strands of the story that just don’t get any resolution. A lot of it is also very repetitive.
But it wasn’t all terrible. It was a breezy read, and I particularly enjoyed the setting on the coast of Cornwall. It was also shocking at times as I didn’t predict what the outcome was going to be! Some parts were kinda creepy - but that might just be because being alone in the house and hearing weird noises and freaking out about it is something I do on a regular basis, so I relate hardcore.
This book reinforces that most thrillers just aren’t for me. Only one or two of us in the book club actually liked it, so tomorrow’s meeting will probably just be spent ranting about the idiocy of the protagonist whilst indulging in our salted caramel brownies... can’t wait!
2 stars.
Nothing has felt right since Elle rented out her house to a family through Airbnb. Since coming home from her vacation in France, she feels like she is being watched...
Some of the lessons I learnt whilst reading this book:
- drinking and driving after one or two large glasses of wine is okay apparently (sidebar: IT IS NOT)
- noting all your passwords in one location is a great idea (again: it is NOT)
- it might be a good idea to visit your doctor if your insomnia has gotten to the point where you’re going batshit crazy (it bugged me that she didn’t do this)
- it’s not a good idea to constantly post clues suggesting the location of your home on social media when you’re a famous author (or even if you’re not famous, for that matter!)
- don’t fucking walk home drunk alone on the beach at night
- if you have a glass room at the top of your house (pfft, don’t we all), maybe you should invest in some blinds or curtains
With all that being said, I did finish this 400 page book in less than 48 hours - it’s a page turner, for sure, but it is accompanied with a lot of eye-rolling. There are far too many red herrings and strands of the story that just don’t get any resolution. A lot of it is also very repetitive.
But it wasn’t all terrible. It was a breezy read, and I particularly enjoyed the setting on the coast of Cornwall. It was also shocking at times as I didn’t predict what the outcome was going to be! Some parts were kinda creepy - but that might just be because being alone in the house and hearing weird noises and freaking out about it is something I do on a regular basis, so I relate hardcore.
This book reinforces that most thrillers just aren’t for me. Only one or two of us in the book club actually liked it, so tomorrow’s meeting will probably just be spent ranting about the idiocy of the protagonist whilst indulging in our salted caramel brownies... can’t wait!
2 stars.