Don't Let Her Stay: An unputdownable psychological thriller with a breathtaking twist

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 75,084 ratings

Price: 3.99

Last update: 12-22-2024


About this item

It seemed only five minutes ago that Richard went to the station to pick up Chloe, and now they were here. I was so excited. Finally, I would meet my stepdaughter for the first time, and Chloe would meet her baby sister Evie.

Richard was over the moon that his daughter wanted to come back into his life. ‘You’ll love her,’ he'd said, beaming. ‘She’s very sweet. She just had a wobble about me marrying again, but that’s over now.’

Well, she was going to find out she had nothing to worry about. I’d been fantasising non-stop about the two of us becoming close. I had visions of us baking together while Richard was at work, chatting about her boyfriends, her studies, what kind of job she’d like to do...

Anyway, let’s just say things haven’t quite worked out that way.

Whenever we’re alone, Chloe makes it clear that she hates me. But in front of her father, she’s a perfect little angel. Richard says I’m not giving her a chance, but he doesn’t see what I see. I don’t trust Chloe, and I certainly won’t leave her alone with Evie.

Because I know something isn’t right with Chloe, and I will do everything possible to protect my family.

Before it’s too late…


Fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst and Claire McGowan will be hooked by this totally addictive psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist!

What readers are saying about
Don’t Let Her Stay:

'
Wow!! I was hooked by the first page. The suspense in the last third of the book was almost unbearable. Don't miss this thrilling read!' Amazon reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'The ending was OMG!'Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This one
kept me guessing until literally the last line! Couldn’t put it down!' Netgalley reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ '10/10'

'
Rarely do I let a book keep me up this late. I just couldn’t put it down. Twists, turns, and tension throughout. I felt like I was holding my breath a lot. So I’m tired but it was worth it. Well done!' Amazon reviewer, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Top reviews from the United States

  • Frank/Theresa in Tennessee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Did she or didn't she?
    Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2024
    I started out not to like this story, but got hooked very quickly. I got yanked around from thinking one person was responsible to thinking they were't responsible at all. I thought I figured it out; but then proven wrong time after time. This read is a lot of fun and really keeps you guessing. It's not who you think it is.
  • Momof2shopping
    4.0 out of 5 stars good till the end
    Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2024
    Really good read, it kept me guessing the entire book and was short that you could finish in a day.
  • Kiwes
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Title Says It All. . .
    Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2023
    You already know when you have the perfect husband, the perfect baby and the perfect life that something turns out not to be quite perfect, right? What on earth could go wrong when a family has it all? Well, for starters, Joanne Atkinson didn’t plan on having an addition to her already perfect family, but Chloe, her stepdaughter, out of the blue, decides to contact her dad, Richard, for a much needed visit. They hadn’t spoken in almost two years.

    Joanne was excited to meet her stepdaughter because she knew very little about her and she figured it would be so much fun getting to know her and while she visited, Chloe could get to know her baby sister, Evie. Chloe was elated to have a new baby sister. She adored the little bundle of joy about as much as her parents did. She was going to prove what an awesome big sister she could be.

    Chloe’s suitcases weren’t quite unpacked when immediately Joanne sensed something was off. Could it have been a look Chloe gave her or a smile that didn’t quite reach her lips and forgot to advise her face of such? Umm, Joanne figured it was nothing, just the jitters in meeting her new stepdaughter. Richard was over-the-moon having his eldest daughter with him. So, imagine their surprise when she mentions that she quit college and her job and decided she was going to live with them forever. Whoa! Wait a minute? Pump your brakes! Who said anything about living here forever? Coming to visit and meet the family was one thing, Joanne thought. But it’s an entirely different matter living permanently with them.

    Joanne decided it was time for her to do something for herself and called her old job to see if she could work remotely for a couple days a week. Joanne hired a nanny to look after Evie so that she could get back to some adult things and rejoin the workforce of sorts.

    When Joanne mentions at dinnertime that she was excited to have found a nanny, Chloe got in her feelings and wondered why she didn’t ask her to watch her baby sister. Joanne wasn’t thrilled with that idea because she wasn’t exactly comfortable with Chloe, but Richard figured this would be the best for all involved. Hmm, and that, readers, is where our psychological thriller takes off!

    Oh my, my, my! I do declare we have ourselves some suspense here! Actually, being a seasoned reader, I figured this story out, but it didn’t matter one bit because I truly enjoyed it. However, having said that, what grated on my nerves was how dumb Joanne was. There were things that Chloe said and did that would have made me catch a case for real. This had to be a fictional story because there isn’t any way in hell Chloe would have said the things she did, but that’s beside the point. ????

    Anyhow, I felt this was a really good storyline. Most avid readers will be able to figure out most of it, but I have to say, the ending did have a twist. I enjoyed that. Overall, this was a really good book and if you like reading dramas and psychological thrillers, I’d highly recommend it.
  • Shanta'
    3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings
    Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2024
    I had a very hard time putting this book down. It kept me up all night 1 night so I had to stop reading before bed. The story is very well paced, I didn't get bored. But the characters were all unlikeable and so I felt agitation through the entire book. I think I felt a mix of tension from the events in the story and tension from disliking the characters so much. Because I'm so uncertain how I really feel about the book, I'm going to try another from this author (this is my first read of hers).
  • Elle G.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good book! Read it in one sitting
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2023
    I picked up this book on a whim yesterday and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. I thought this was a solid read with a great twist that I didn’t see coming. It reminded me of how I felt while I was reading THE HOUSEMAID by Freida McFadden. They are two completely different books of course, but this one evoked the same kind of shock at the end like the Housemaid did which was a pleasant surprise! I hope the author writes more books because I ate this one up. All three of our main characters are unreliable, fast paced, engaging, and twisty! I recommend it to those who enjoy thrillers, especially from authors like Frieda McFadden and Kiersten Modglin.

    ???????????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????? ????????
    ❥ Psychological Thrillers
    ❥ Unreliable Characters / Creepy Teens
    ❥ Great twists and turns

    ???????? ????????????????????????: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Edubbiey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying Read
    Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2023
    A naive and scatterbrained thirty-three-year-old woman finds a blissful life with her new husband and three-month-old baby girl in a large countryside home outside of London. The wife comes to accept that her husband's twenty-one-year-old daughter will live with them for a short period of time. The wife looks forward to bonding with her stepdaughter -- they'll soon be one big happy family.

    As time goes on, the wife learns some unsettling aspects of her stepdaughter's life. And for the matter, her husband's past life as well. The daughter tells her stepmother: "I think you're losing your mind just like your mother"; "You'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on"; and "Your baby doesn't like you."

    As the secrets spill out in the open, the wife becomes concerned for the safety of her infant. She'll do anything to protect her infant daughter's safety. Problem is she wonders whether she's actually paranoid or even insane as she's led to believe by her husband and stepdaughter. She struggles to find where the lie begins and where it ends.

    Whilst a reader may find it annoying the ditzy wife puts up with an insufferable husband and stepdaughter, that's the purpose of a psychological thriller. Themes for such a subgenre include mental illness, violence, and trauma, all of which contribute to the depth of the story. And the tone of the subgenre involves matters that are chilling, unsettling, foreboding, and moody. So whilst the reader may want the wife to act a certain way, the subgenre conventions require her to do things in a way that's unique for her character. The story wouldn't be a psychological thriller if the characters were not paranoid, crazy, violent, and trauma-bonded in some way. The author deserves plaudits for making the story fit with the subgenre conventions.

    I also found the plot and pacing to be satisfying. The story basically wraps up in three weeks after the stepdaughter moved in. So lots of fast-paced action was jammed in during that time.

    The writing was a skosh simplistic than I would prefer. But that didn't take away from the enjoyment the story. Well, I must admit the ending was quite bizarre. Just when you know where the denouement lies, think again.

    Addendum: I'd say this book is just as good as a traditionally published book. Wonder why the author did not have the book published through a publishing house.

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