🔥 Don’t Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders – Full Review
⭐ 4 out of 5 stars | Domestic Thriller / Psychological Suspense
🚨 Spoiler Alert!
If you’re hoping to go into this one blind, stop right here — I’m spilling all the secrets and twists!
😲 My Thoughts
This book? Kept me on the edge of my seat more than once! The first twist truly caught me off guard, and even though I definitely saw the final twist coming, I still enjoyed the ride. Sure, it felt familiar — like a mashup of thrillers we’ve all read before — but that didn’t stop it from being a fun, fast-paced read.
📝 The Plot (Spoilers galore!)
We’ve got Joanne, a real estate agent, married to Richard, and they’re living that newborn-parent life with baby Evie (just four months old). Richard has an adult daughter, Chloe, from his first marriage. Richard paints Chloe as sweet but... possessive — the type who doesn’t want to share daddy with anyone.
👉 Out of the blue, Chloe writes to say she wants to come stay during her college break to bond with Joanne and Evie. Sounds sweet, right? Joanne agrees, thinking this will be a great chance to connect.
👉 But no. Chloe moves in and the vibe turns creepy fast. Evie starts getting sick, and Joanne suspects Chloe of drugging the baby. Chloe plays mind games, gaslights Joanne, and somehow always convinces Richard that Joanne is overreacting. Meanwhile, everyone hints maybe Joanne’s losing it — after all, her mother had post-partum psychosis.
👉 Joanne tries to catch Chloe in the act — sets up cameras, sends drug tests — but Chloe is always a step ahead. When Joanne digs into Chloe’s past, she finds out: Chloe’s mom’s suicide was suspicious. Oh, and Chloe’s little sister Sophie? Died a few months before that.
👉 One day, with Richard out, Chloe drops a bombshell: She claims Richard is the real monster — that he killed Sophie and his wife for insurance money, and now he’s after Joanne and Evie too. Chloe says she came to protect them.
👉 Joanne buys in (because who wouldn’t after being worn down for weeks?). Chloe covers the house in gasoline. When Richard comes home, chaos erupts — Chloe sets the nursery on fire. Joanne escapes with Evie, Chloe saves Joanne, knocks out Richard, and as Richard stumbles out trying to explain something, Chloe shoots him dead.
👉 Twist alert: Richard dies before he can say it, but we learn later — he never even told Chloe about Evie. Chloe couldn’t have been protecting someone she didn’t know existed.
👉 Joanne, Chloe, and Evie start living together like one big happy (awkward) family. They visit Chloe’s grandma — sweet old lady at first glance — but once Chloe steps out, grandma warns Joanne:
“Chloe is evil. Don’t let her stay.”
😬 What Worked & What Didn’t
✅ Pacing — super fast, I flew through this one.
✅ First twist — legit surprising.
✅ Creepy vibe — delivered.
❌ Final twist — predictable.
❌ Feels familiar — if you read a lot of thrillers, you’ll spot the beats.
📌 Want to read it?
👉 Buy Don’t Let Her Stay on Amazon
📚 You Might Also Like:
✅ The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan
✅ The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
✅ The Daughter-in-Law by F. M. Hall
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