Don't Let Her Stay

Nicola Sanders’s second novel, Don’t Let Her Stay (2023), is a psychological thriller following the story of new mother Joanne Atkinson as she adjusts to parenthood and navigates unexpected challenges after her husband’s estranged and troubled 20-year-old daughter, Chloe, moves into their home. This novel explores themes of isolation, gaslighting, and denial as Joanne fights for her own and her infant’s safety against a domestic threat. Don’t Let Her Stay experienced immediate critical success upon release and was nominated for a 2023 Goodreads Choice Award in the best mystery and thriller category.

This study guide follows the 2023 v2.3a paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the novel’s treatment of emotional abuse and death by suicide. This guide also references the novel’s use of stigmatizing and offensive language and stereotypes regarding people with mental health conditions.

Plot Summary

Narrator Joanne lives in a large countryside house with her husband, Richard, and their four-month-old daughter, Evie. With Richard at work all day, Joanne is often bored, exhausted, and lonely. She returns to her real estate job remotely a few days a week to give herself something to do.

Richard’s estranged 20-year-old daughter, Chloe, who cut contact with Richard when he married Joanne, comes to stay with them for a few weeks. Chloe’s mother, Diane, died when Chloe was 11, which has impacted Chloe’s mental health. Joanne is excited to welcome Chloe into her home and finally get to know her, but Chloe is standoffish. In front of Richard, Chloe is polite to Joanne, but when they’re alone, Chloe behaves coldly and critically toward Joanne. She complains to Richard when Joanne criticizes her and swears she’s done nothing wrong. Over dinner, Chloe volunteers to work as a nanny for Evie, but Joanne protests because Chloe is not gentle with the baby. Ultimately, Chloe and Richard force Joanne to allow Chloe to be their nanny.

Joanne finds Chloe’s behavior increasingly strange and concerning. Chloe contradicts Joanne’s memory of events, confusing her. When Joanne shows Chloe how to feed the baby, Chloe has a strong negative reaction to the baby and begs Joanne not to tell Richard. Hoping to bond with Chloe, Joanne agrees. When Joanne catches Chloe trying to give Evie medicine late one night, however, she goes to Richard, who thinks she is overreacting.

Chloe sabotages a work meeting but makes it look like Joanne dislikes Chloe or is experiencing mental illness. One day, when Chloe is out, Joanne snoops in her room and finds a baby photo. Chloe catches Joanne and tells her to take Evie and leave. She threatens Joanne with a doctored photograph that makes it look like she cheated on Richard and threatens to show Richard the photo unless Joanne lets Chloe stay. Joanne reluctantly agrees. Joanne sends the medicine bottle she caught Chloe with to be tested for tampering. She also hides security cameras around the house, hoping to prove what Chloe is up to.

Chloe continues to sabotage Joanne, whom Richard believes is experiencing paranoia and having memory problems. Both of these are symptoms of post-partum psychosis, which Joanne’s mother also experienced. When the medicine test results come back normal, Joanne begins to wonder whether she really is experiencing post-partum psychosis. However, she knows the blackmail photo is real and Chloe is not trustworthy.

Chloe finds the security cameras, and Richard throws them away, furious and distrustful. He doesn’t know that Joanne has a few extra cameras stashed away. Later, Richard reveals that Diane died by suicide when he was out of town and she was alone with Chloe. He insists that Joanne go to her doctor about her presumed symptoms of mental illness. The doctor prescribes her anti-anxiety medication.

Joanne does some research and discovers that Diane’s death was ruled suspicious and Chloe had a little sister, Sophie, who died a few months before Diane. Chloe claimed the phone lines were out and someone else was in the house the night her mother died, but the allegations were dismissed due to a lack of evidence. Richard interrupts her reading and confirms the report, explaining that he never mentioned Sophie because it was too painful. Richard gets nervous when Chloe enters the room and stops talking.

Joanne feels sorry for Chloe and decides to get closer to her. She invites Chloe out, but when Chloe tells her that Richard is having an affair, she gets angry. At home, Joanne quits her job, no longer wanting to keep Chloe as a nanny. Richard denies the affair but defends Chloe. Joanne talks to a journalist who reported on Diane’s death. The journalist is suspicious of Chloe and says Richard is afraid of her. The journalist also reveals that Chloe was hospitalized in a psychiatric facility after Diane’s death, which he suspects Richard negotiated to get the police to let her go.

Joanne asks Richard about Chloe’s hospitalization, which he confirms but asserts is not cause for concern. He is upset when Joanne suggests that Chloe killed Diane and Sophie. He suggests that Joanne is experiencing mental illness and implies he may have her hospitalized against her will. He leaves for a business trip.

Joanne installs more security cameras and a lock on the nursery door. When she finishes with the cameras, Chloe is holding Evie hostage in the nursery. Chloe, distraught, says Richard is planning to return and kill Joanne and Evie, just like Diane and Sophie. Chloe says Richard had her hospitalized because she suspected him. She vows to kill Richard. Joanne smells gasoline.

Richard arrives home early. He and Joanne try to calm Chloe, but she locks herself in the bathroom. While Richard tries to break into the bathroom, Joanne finds gasoline all over the house. Joanne talks to the housekeeper on the phone and realizes Chloe could be telling the truth. Joanne tricks Richard into the nursery and locks him inside the room. Richard calls out that he believes Joanne about Diane and Sophie. Confused, she follows Chloe, who has Evie, to the basement.

Joanne finds a text from the reporter, informing her that Richard’s business is failing. She now believes Chloe. Chloe explains that she wanted Joanne to leave Richard so he couldn’t hurt her. She says that he kills for life insurance money when his business is in trouble. Joanne and Chloe watch Richard escape and fetch a shotgun on the security camera app. He calls out to Joanne that he believes her about Chloe and has no intentions of hurting her. Joanne doesn’t believe him.

Chloe goes upstairs to distract Richard so that Joanne and Evie can escape. As Chloe starts a fire in the nursery, Joanne gets in the car and drives away, but she comes back to save Chloe. Joanne knocks Richard unconscious and finds Chloe. The women run back to the car but Joanne struggles with the gate code. Richard staggers outside and tries to tell Chloe something. When he drops the gun, she picks it up and shoots him dead.

Months later, Chloe is living with Joanne and Evie. They visit Chloe’s maternal grandmother—Diane’s mother—Helen. Helen sends Chloe away and tells Joanne that Chloe is evil, clever, and manipulative. She laments that Richard was so in denial that it got him killed. She warns Joanne not to let Chloe stay.