This is part of my Summer Reads series where I’ll be sharing book recommendations – a series of “not just cookbooks”.
This week’s Summer Reads pick is from UK author Lisa Jewell, and Andrea Mara, author of All Her Fault calls it “so devilishly clever […] A true masterpiece.” High praise indeed (if you love psychological thrillers, definitely check out Mara’s work too!). Jewell’s Don’t Let Him In was.one of my Summer Reads picks for 2025 and I’m so glad there’s another out for this year’s selection. The main character here is a return character from Don’t Let Him In, although they are both stand alone reads.
From the publisher:
Jane Trevally is walking her dogs on her country estate when a small white terrier appears, alone and with no sign of the teenaged girl he’d been staying with nearby. When the teenager is reported missing, Jane offers to return the dog to his registered owner, hours away in London. Arriving at a run-down house called Thornwood in the deepest backwaters of Hampstead, she is immediately on alert—because Jane has a dark history with this house.
The man who answers the door is not the man that Jane remembers from her past. He is cagey, and claims to know nothing about the missing teenage girl. Then, through the window of the house, Jane catches a glimpse of a haunted-looking woman.
Conjuring her memories from twenty-five years ago, Jane knows this unsettling house holds the key—to the missing teenager, to her own traumatic story, and to the dark secrets of the past.
Ok wow – like any Lisa Jewell book this is a compelling read – you’ll finish it in a couple of sittings. Unlike some of her other books, though, this is a bit more of a slow burn – more unsettling domestic drama with a slower pace (especially at the start) than jaw-dropping twists every few pages but in the end it’s just as unputdownable as a faster-paced thriller.
As well as the plot drawing you in (there’s a lot going on and you’ll wonder how on earth all the story lines connect – but they do!), this is a very character-driven story. Jewell has a knack for writing extremely unreliable narrators with complex personalities and lives, and its easy to get swept up in their stories and the choices they make – you’ll be on the edge of your seat as she slowly reveals each character and we come to understand their motivation.
The story is told from a few different points of view and flips back and forth in time, so part of the slow burn (at least for me) was situating the characters and figuring out how they connect. It took me a few chapters to feel like I knew who was who and how they (and their stories) were related but once I did, the pages flew by! The multiple timelines all end up crashing into each other in some unexpected ways, too!
This was a troubling read (in the best possible way!) that had my heart pounding – there’s a lot of “quiet action” that feels very disconcerting. And EXCELLENT summer read (or a cozy winter one!).
Trigger warnings: Emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault (not explicitly-described), alcoholism, child neglect (yes, it’s a dark read!)
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Disclosure: I received an advance copy from Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review. I am not receiving any compensation for reviewing the book. Neither the author nor the publisher reviewed this post prior to publication. All opinions are my own.
Buy It Could Have Been Her on Amazon (this affiliate link should bring you to the Amazon store in, or closest to, your country).
For free worldwide shipping, find It Could Have Been Her on Blackwell’s.
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