Great book. I was having a hard time with the main character, Veronica. She was difficult and hard to like, but in the end it all made sense. A little “twist” at the end that I did not see coming really made me like this book. I’m someone who likes all the ends tied up nicely and Emily Bleeker did this very well.

This is one of those books that have to be reviewed without saying much about the story-line. Veronica is a mother who is struggling to connect with her baby after her husband died. Through her story, the author tackles the theme of postpartum depression. Needless to say, it was hard to read about this condition. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for women who experience it. At the same time, the author helped in making it possible to understand PPD from the POV of someone going through it. I could understand and sympathize with Veronica’s struggles and I found myself getting emotional a couple of times as the story progressed.

Apart from postpartum depression, there is also another heavy theme of grief. Veronica lost her husband and through her support group, we also meet other characters who are coming to terms with their personal losses. These themes made this an even heavier read.

The mystery in the story was interesting and well developed. At first, I had no idea where the story was going. However, at some point I had my suspicions about one of the major twists and it actually turned out that I was right. However, there is more than just 1 twist in the narrative so I couldn’t have predicted everything. In particular, the final twist really surprised me.

The pacing of this book does take some getting used to. It is really slow at the beginning but picks up around quarter way and the remaining chapters are fast moving and thrilling. I think what I appreciated most about the story is how well the author managed to portray the themes, especially about loss and postpartum depression. By the time I turned the last page, my heart was completely broken by Veronica’s sad story.

Thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This is a book full of suspense and lots of twists..
Veronica has lost her husband in a car crash, she is also suffering from sever post natal depression, she cannot even hold baby Sophie, her mother is taking care of all Sophie’s needs, however Veronica is expressing her milk and feels she is contributing to her child’s care.
Her mother has arranged for her to attend a therapist, it’s here in the waiting room that she makes a connection with Gillian and Mark.
When her baby and then her mother both go missing, Veronica is a suspect, the police are not listening to her, her story doesn’t quite add up. She feels she most take action herself to find her baby and enlists the help of her new friends,
I found some bits of the story unbelievable, but a great twist at the end and an overall good read.

This was a twisty, turny, wild ride that left me wondering who was a good guy, who was the bad guy and was there even such easily defined categories.

The book focuses on Veronica who lost her husband recently and almost lost her baby. She's having a tough time bonding with the baby and even picking her up. We see Veronica through appointments with her shrink, meeting people in the waiting room and even through the loss of her baby.

If you enjoy thrillers of any sort you will probably enjoy this. Hold on though and clear the decks because you'll want to just continue reading until this book ends.

This was a slow book for me that just couldn’t hold my attention. I wasn’t connected to any of the characters and never lost myself in her story. I did enjoy a few of the twists, However, it wasn’t enough to keep me reading for hours to finish.

I feel like I’m in the minority here, but I just did not enjoy this book. It sounded like a great story, but I found myself getting bored, not paying attention, and never reaching for it to continue reading. I didn’t connect with the characters, and the story just seemed to add random details in for convenience. It picked up for about the last 10%, but overall it was a miss for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This gripping novel details the struggles of a mother searching for answers. Her husband has died and now her child is missing and her monther seems to be against her. Which truth is real?

i really wanted to like this book and it grabbed me at the begging; however, it lost me in the last third. The book had two or three twists too many. Rather than be surprised by revelations in the story, I felt myself getting more and more frustrated. This could be because I figured out one of the major twists early, so I constantly waited for the shoe to drop. I also found myself annoyed by the ending. The author tried too hard to wrap things in a neat bow and make a connection that wasn't necessary to tell a compelling story. The book could have been helped by a stronger edit to create a tighter story.

When I first started reading this book I thought sure this is a good book and all but it just seems all very unrealistic but about half way through it really changed for me. This book had me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put it down.

Suspend your disbelief, and then suspend it a little bit more. I've enjoyed Bleeker's other novels, which are more relationship-based rather than psychological twisters. No point going into the plot details since it would spoil the story to reveal more than the initial pretense of a woman suffering from post-partum depression after the death of her husband. It all felt a little too overwrought for me to enjoy it completely.

The Waiting Room was the first book of Emily Bleeker's that I've ever read and I enjoyed it. I'll definitely read more books from her in the future.

*Received from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
I am a huge fan of Emily Bleeker and she has yet to disappoint. This latest book was a fast, emotional, heart racing, did not see that coming, could not put down, type of book. The story focuses around new mom, Veronica and her baby, Sophie. This amazing, nail biting book starts off with Veronica waking up and finding that her baby is gone....frantically trying to get in touch with her husband to see if he has the baby, only to find out that he has been killed in a car accident; and baby Sophie is safe. The rest of the story makes you feel for Veronica as she battles with the loss of her husband and postpartum depression and a new peculiar friend, Gillian, who makes you wonder what her intentions are. Veronica's mom moves in with Veronica to help with the baby, as Veronica is no longer able to feed her, hold her, or take care of her. Some chapters seemed to be a little too long for me and I found myself getting frustrated a couple of times with the relationship between Veronica and her mom; however, there was a BRILLIANT twist that I did not see coming and O.M.G. after my audible gasp, I had to get through the rest of the book in one sitting. This one will not disappoint. Highly recommended! Give us more, Emily! I'm waiting for the next best thing!

Now that’s how you do it! This book is an instant FAV! The Waiting Room is a brilliantly written psychological thriller by Emily Bleeker which boasts twisty turns and a plot that you won’t see coming. I mean WOW! Seriously, WOW! I usually can figure out 95% of the plots in most books but this one blew me away. The scaffolding laid which revealed a genius ending was beyond words. I read it then immediately purchased the audiobook because I really needed to listen to the book unfold via audio as well.

I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Synopsis From Publisher/NetGalley.com
Ever since her husband’s death collided with the birth of her daughter, postpartum depression has taken hold of Veronica Shelton. She can’t sleep, can’t work, and can’t bear to touch her beautiful baby girl. Her emotional state is whispering lies in Veronica’s ear: You’re a bad mother. Your baby would be better off without you. But not everything can be reasoned away by Veronica’s despair. Can it?

After all, the break-in at her house happened. The disturbing sketches she found in her studio are real. So is the fear for her daughter’s safety—especially when Veronica comes home to a cold, silent nursery and a missing baby.

As she turns from victim into primary suspect, Veronica realizes that only she can find her daughter. Authorities aren’t helping. They’re only watching. Veronica’s concerned mother has suddenly vanished from her life. And a new friend seems to be keeping secrets from her too. Now, reality is waiting for Veronica in a dark place—because someone’s mind games have only just begun.

Veronica Shelton suffers from a severe case of postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter, and she lost her husband to a drunk driver in a car accident. Her postpartum is so bad that she can't even touch her baby and stays to herself. Her mom takes care of the baby and basically tells Veronica she needs to get help or she's leaving. 

Veronica becomes friends with two people she meets in the waiting room of her counselor's office, Gillian and Mark. Veronica goes out from a night with Gillian and she's a little drunk when she gets home. She decides she's going to go into the baby's room and touch her.  Veronica wakes up the next morning and the crib is empty, and the whole story takes a turn that keeps readers glued to the pages.

The characters are very believable, real and likable and the storyline is captivating. I won't lie here - you will cry at the ending because you won't be able to help yourself.  Veronica learns a lot of life lessons; she learns how to have compassion for others and she learns to forgive and how to live.

Bleeker takes readers on a ride with this story. I actually finished this book a week ago and I'm still trying to grasp everything that happened. There are several surprises in this story that readers won’t even see coming, so be prepared. The Waiting Room is an exciting psychological suspense type of story and Emily Bleeker definitely knows how to build up the tension in a story without ruining it. The book was very hard to put down once I started reading. 

I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy of this book from Lake Union Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for my post.  I was not required to post a positive review, but have chosen to do so because it was such a great story!

Another novel that people are loving is The Waiting Room by Emily Bleeker. Emily popped up on my literary radar with her first book, Wreckage, and since then she’s written several other novels which constantly earn four and five-star reviews.

I am really intrigued by the plot and the potential for this book to be super intense!

Ever since her husband’s death collided with the birth of her daughter, postpartum depression has taken hold of Veronica Shelton. She can’t sleep, can’t work, and can’t bear to touch her beautiful baby girl. Her emotional state is whispering lies in Veronica’s ear: You’re a bad mother. Your baby would be better off without you. But not everything can be reasoned away by Veronica’s despair. Can it?

After all, the break-in at her house happened. The disturbing sketches she found in her studio are real. So is the fear for her daughter’s safety—especially when Veronica comes home to a cold, silent nursery and a missing baby.

As she turns from victim into primary suspect, Veronica realizes that only she can find her daughter. Authorities aren’t helping. They’re only watching. Veronica’s concerned mother has suddenly vanished from her life. And a new friend seems to be keeping secrets from her too. Now, reality is waiting for Veronica in a dark place—because someone’s mind games have only just begun.

The Waiting Room was recently published and its available to read right this minute, so get it now!

Emily Bleeker managed to write a suspenseful mystery that left me filled with hope and compassion and mostly forgiveness. It was a slow build until the disapearance, but then it went by so fast and could not put it down. There are things that I personally am taking away after reading this book that make me so glad that I read it. Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley provided me with an ARC for an hobest review

I received this book "The Waiting Room" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
Veronica wakes up and Nick her husband and Sofie her daughter are gone. Where did they go? Why is there no note? This book definitely kept me guessing, very suspenseful. There are a lot of twists and turns and kept me wanting to see what would happen. I never saw that ending coming - it really took me by surprise. I enjoyed reading this book.

I wouldn't categorize this as women's fiction like it says-- that makes me think of beach romances. This is an amazing piece of fiction for anybody who wants to read it, not just women.

Veronica is trying to put her life back together after suffering loss. She is trying to be human again after having her world ripped apart. Part of that is seeing a therapist and forging relationships with the people she encounters along the way. But nothing is ever what it seems.
I loved this book. This is my 4th book read by this author and I devoured this one like the others. Emily Bleeker has a way of writing stories that captivate you. They are so real I get lost in the story every time. The characters and their emotions are real. This one spoke to me on multiple levels. Having loss someone I loved dearly in a tragic way as well, the grieving and pain felt by Veronica, I know that pain. Then the forgiveness and trying to let go of some of that anger, I know that too.
This book spoke to me as a woman, a mom, a human being. It reminded me we are all struggling and connected and sometimes we have to break so we can build ourselves up to be who we need to be to continue this journey.

We meet Veronica and Nick, a happily married couple whose lives are thrown into chaos when their infant daughter, Sophie goes missing. Veronica wakes to find both her husband and daughter gone. Veronica suffers from PPD, (post partum depression) This book had so many twists and turns. I loved it, especially the characters of Veronica, Mark and Gillian.
This book was my first of Ms. Bleeker’s but it certainly will not be my last.