I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong's supernatural stories and this book will grab you from the beginning. I was invested in Nic from the sad start of her journey. It kept me up late, I had to finish it. I had it partly figured out and then the reveals kept coming and dropped my jaw. An excellent read perfect for spooky season!

Ahoy there me mateys! Do you like stories about séance and ghosts?  If so, this book is for ye.  Nicola is devastated when her husband dies and she becomes a viral story because bystanders heard his last words "I'll be waiting," Also Nicola has Cystic Fibrosis and, in her mind, was supposed to die first.

Though she knows that spiritualists are fakes, she can't help but want to connect to her lost husband because the grief is so strong.  After the latest charlatan, her friends stage an intervention.  They find her a supposedly reputable professor of parapsychology and will help set up one last séance.  But Nicola's downward spiral with mediums must stop.

This book was excellent fun.  Nicola is an unreliable narrator because of her deep grief and the memories it stirs up of the tragic event that happened when she was in high school.  What this means for the reader is a lot of uncertainty about what is actually happening in the house rented for the séance.  Personally, I kept trying to guess what was real and what was not.  Was her husband's spirit actually present?  Is the professor actually a skeptic?  Is Nicola really in danger?

I couldn't stop turning the pages and was so engaged that I finished this in one day.  Don't worry I won't spoiler the answers.  But this really is the perfect read for the spooky October season.  Arrr!

4,5 rounded up

"I'll Be Waiting had a strong start with an intriguing premise, but it quickly lost momentum toward the middle. Nicola’s grief after losing her husband was really well-written and made it easy to connect with her struggles. The seances and supernatural elements were interesting at first, but they soon became repetitive, dragging the story out and making it harder to stay engaged.

The pacing picked up toward the end, adding some suspense, but the story felt disjointed, and the conclusion left a lot of loose ends. While the atmosphere was solid, the twists didn’t deliver as much as I had hoped. Overall, it was an average read, with some good moments but not enough to make it truly memorable."

I love Kelley Armstrong. Her A Rip Through Time series is one of my favourites and her latest rom-com (yes, she wrote a rom-com) Finding Mr. Write is one of my best reads of the year so far. I know she writes a lot of dark stories (sometimes clearly in the realm of horror, sometimes more in the paranormal) and though horror is usually not my jam, I really wanted to give I'll Be Waiting a chance, because if I was going to love a horror story...it would be Armstrong's.

I have very much decided that horror is not my genre—even if it’s written by one of my favourite writers. So I’m not sure my review will really do justice to anyone who regularly reads the genre. That being said, I was very into the premise at the beginning…trying to figure out what the past events were, who Nicola really was and whether she’d actually get the closure she wanted with Anton.

Fast-forward to about three-quarters of the way through the book, and it not only started to get a little bit repetitive (with the seances and the things that were happening at night) but then the book went in this totally farfetched direction that kind of took me out of the story and was more gory than I needed it to be.

That being said, the writer was beautiful, Armstrong’s character development (as always) is spot-on and the tension is there. I think this genre is just not for me—and that’s not the writer’s fault.

3 STARS

First that you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I did read it before the publishing date but have forgotten to write a review. I read this books so fast while on a short camping trip. 10/10 would recommend as a good book while camping. Honestly I wasn’t sure what direction this book was going in for a minute but it did suck me in right away. I really like the characters in this book, though at times things seemed a little too perfect. Well the characters did. There could have been more flaws for the character to have. That would be the only thing I wished for. The twist with slowly giving background for what occurred in the past and how it affected the character later in life kept me interested. I couldn’t get the details fast enough but once it all came together it was so good.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read an ARC of I'll be waiting by Kelley Armstrong. This was a creepy ghost story, that was fast paced, and although I had to put it down (at night) I couldn't wait to find out how it would end.
As usual, Kelley creates striking and interesting characters. Nicola loses her husband Anton in a car accident. His last words to her was I'll be waiting, and that sends a grief-stricken Nicola to try and contact Anton's ghost. She attends séance after séance only to find out they were all fake. One last séance is set up and the setting is a former home of Anton's family. This is where the story becomes creepy. One of the first things that freaked me out was the description of midges; huge swarms of bugs that seem to hang around the house. And then there was the missing dumbwaiter! I hope I never hear one moving!!! The author does a fantastic job describing Nicola who has lived cystic fibrosis since she was a child. This is a standalone novel, and is perfect for the upcoming spooky season!

I loved this!! I’ll Be Waiting is the perfect ghostly read for October.

I’m giving this a solid five stars as parts of it actually had me a little spooked.

Thanks to NetGalley & publisher for this ARC.

I think this was a case of, "it's me not you." Kelley Armstrong is an autoread author for me, and will also continue to be. I struggled to get into this one. However, it's an interesting concept. A woman, with CF who is not expecting to live long, suddenly loses her husband. Throwing her whole life off it tracks, and messing with her timeline of a short life, she resorts to seance to talk with her husband from the other side. This story got wilder and wilder as it went on, and the second half of the book left me skimming quite alot. However, Kelley knows how to write a twist-and this one is no different. If you enjoy paranormal horror, this one is definitely for you.

Kelley Armstrong’s latest work resonated with me on a deeply personal level, especially as I’ve been grappling with the loss of a loved one, much like the protagonist, Nicola. The way Nicola seeks closure, through self-proclaimed clairvoyants, struck a chord. The struggle to let go and the temptation to hold on to any shred of hope for connection is something I completely understand. It felt authentic and raw, and Armstrong captured that emotional journey beautifully.

As anyone who knows me would tell you, I’ve been a fan of Kelley Armstrong's writing for years, always admiring her creativity and the way she can hook me into her stories, regardless of the genre. This book was no different, especially in the first half. The focus on Nicola's grief journey was compelling, and I found myself wishing that this emotional thread carried through more consistently to the end.

However, the second half of the book felt long and dragged out. It leaned into paranormal elements, that felt somewhat abrupt and not completely necessary. I do understand that Kelley Armstrong is known for her paranormal writing but this left me with a "je ne sais crois" aspect to it that left me dissatisfied. I believe the story would have benefited from more hints of these supernatural forces earlier on, preparing the reader for the shift. While I enjoyed the suspense, I was most captivated by Nicola’s emotional arc and wished it had remained the primary focus.

Overall, Armstrong’s storytelling still shines, but this book left me divided. I adored the beginning for its raw emotional depth but found the latter half didn’t quite align with the story I had connected to. Still, for those who enjoy a mix of grief, mystery, and the paranormal, it's worth the read.

I was looking forward to reading this book and I loved it. It’s a supernatural story and I thought it was really enjoyable. I found a new favorite author and I can’t wait to read more.

I really like this book. I'm not one for horror books but this one has the right amount of spookiness. It is fast paced, the first chapter has you hooked. I love Kelley Armstrong's writing so much.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I've enjoyed Armstrong's other work, but this one was slightly different than the others I've read. I'm not mad at that. I don't think it's her strongest work, though. I guessed some plot elements about halfway through, and they weren't revealed until the end. I thought the cystic fibrosis angle added to the plot (and made me remember an old college neighbor that had CF - I didn't realize all that she had to go through just to breathe, something I take for granted). I liked it, though it's far from the scariest or creepiest thing that I've read.

I really loved this story. As a chronically ill reader, i like to see illnesses represented without making the character defined by it the whole time. The story shows ycus every two sentences on it. I really connected to this story as I’ve always wondered where we go when we die after losing a loved one, like the MC of the story.
I also have to add the warning not to read I’ll be waiting alone at a lake front cabin or lake house alone, like i did. Every creak and noise makes you wonder since the story feels so real and summerces you into all. this is one of my favorite reads of 2024 and a perfect spooky season read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

What should have been a private moment between a dying husband and his new wife ends up splashed across social media and the news. One spectator says they saw his ghost speak to Nicola and the onslaught of grifters and charlatans appear, all saying that they can connect Nic with her late husband. Months go by and still Nic can’t help herself and she listens to the fakes because maybe just maybe Anton is out there. Her friends say give it one last chance and then move on and Nic agrees.

The setup is perfect and isolated. The medium is a respected educator. It all seems to be under control, except Nic has done this before. Over two decades ago, she was known as someone else, reached out through magic to connect with the dead, and someone actually ended up dead. Is she doomed to repeat the experience because the past isn’t done with her yet.

I think I have said this in a previous Kelley Armstrong review, but I have been reading the author for a long time and they still manage to surprise me. I’ll Be Waiting For You reminds me of a Mary Higgins Clark story in all of the great ways. I used to be a huge fan of Clark too and Armstrong has given us an old-fashioned scare with heart.

I usually get impatient with the beginnings of these types of books, but I didn’t here. Armstrong kept me engaged and interested from the first incident. The past is intermingled with the present perfectly. The characters are all interesting and there is even an interesting backstory for a triad.

The mystery itself is solid. Everything fits and connects exactly where it should. I love the ending. I do have to say that the insects remind me of Maine’s black fly season, so I was so cringed out during the insect scenes. Yup, Armstrong totally got me there.

I cannot say how much I enjoyed being thrilled by I’ll Be Waiting For You. Armstrong has done it again and given us another solid scare just in time for Halloween.

I've been a huge Kelley Armstrong fan for years. I've enjoyed every book of hers I've ever read in all genres, and this one also delivered for me. I loved the creepy Canadian setting in a lakeside home with a history connected to the main character, widow Nicola. She spent happy times in this picturesque home vacationing with her dead husband Anton, and the home also belonged to his grandparents at one time, making it extra special. Nicola has cystic fibrosis and she never expected to outlive her husband. In her grief, she resorted to seances trying to connect with him even though she'd experienced a few disastrous seances in her youth. I loved Nicola, the plotting, and the creepy atmosphere and I highly recommend this book to fans of paranormal, ghosts, and horror.

Kelley Armstrong is a favorite author for me. If I see she has a book coming out, then I'm grabbing it!

The story is based on three teenage girls trying to perform their own seance in the woods. It goes horrifically wrong with one girl ending up dead and another mentally hindered for the rest of her life. Years late, the 3rd girl, Nic, is trying to decide exactly what happened out there is the woods. Her husband passed away recently, and she's decided to hire a seer to try to get in contact with her deceased husband.

She goes for a week long trip with her friend Shania, her bro in law Jin, herself and the professor who is their leader for the seance. Things are being revealed that is sending Nic into terrifying nightmares...but is someone trying to tell her something through those dreams?

It kept me riveted throughout the entire thriller! Definitely will give you the creepy haunted house vibes that we look for in October!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong and St Martin's Press for allowing me this arc version in exchange for m opinion.

I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong brings us another supernatural tale perfect for fall. Narrated by Jennifer Pickens, listeners will travel to a haunted house. Get ready for things that go bump in the night, as Nicola tries to contact her lost love. But Nicola has secrets, and this isn’t her first encounter with the dead.

Nicola Laughton, who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child, never expected the norms life offers like falling in love and growing old. When she turned thirty, thanks to medical advances, she met Anton, who promised to love her until the end.

A tragic accident ripped him from her, as he told her he’d be waiting. Those last moments went viral and now spiritualist are hounding her, offering closure. To thwart their efforts, she agrees to have a seance with a parapsychologist. Her friends and family rent a beach house on Lake Erie. A home Anton’s family once owned.

The tale that unfolds delivered a creeptastic haunting with strange events, eerie sounds, and dead bodies. Armstrong built the story well, grabbing me from the onset. What unfolds is an atmospheric tale with supernatural events, strange sounds, and heart-pounding suspense. Nicola has secrets, secrets that make her more sensitive to things happening in the house.

Jennifer Pickens captured Nicola and the atmospheric tension of the story with her narration. I loved listening and found it enhanced the suspenseful, spine-tingling moments.

It was nice to see representation for someone suffering from a rare genetic disease. Armstrong brought attention to the disease and its conditions, while strengthening the character and her story.

I enjoyed Hemlock Island her first foray into horror, and I’ll Be Waiting, delivered a supernatural ghost story that will have you leaving the lights on. This one is perfect for fall. Grab your flashlight and your earbuds for this ghostly tale!

I was heavily anticipating I’ll Be Waiting and I went into it with high hopes that it was going to be a good spooky season read, and it did not disappoint!

First, I loved that this was a proper haunting book. I enjoy books that are ambiguous or have explanations behind creepy occurrences that turn out to be not really a ghost, but this book had GHOSTS, and they meant business.
The idea of holding seances to reach Nicola’s husband who was tragically killed young was intriguing, especially adding in the events of the beginning of the book where Anton’s last words are captured and made viral.
The pacing was alright. I was decently bored at some points, but the end more than made up for it, especially with the massive twist.
Cystic fibrosis is not a condition I have ever seen represented before in a book, so I thought that was really interesting and enjoyed that addition.
The back and forth timeline we get from Nicola as she dreams of or is caught in a memory of the past was a great way to include relevant events so we got the full picture.

This was a great ghost story and genuinely creeped me out at times, which I love in horror. I’d be interested in reading more of the author’s work after this.

Thank you so much NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for this eARC copy.
Publication date 10/1/24

Newlyweds Nicola and Anton know that death is always lurking nearby. Her cystitis fibrosis is already overdue to kill her. However, neither expect the auto accident that kills Anton first. His final words to her, “I'll Be Waiting for you”.

Nicola misses Anton desperately and goes to medium after medium trying to speak to him again. However, all the seances are easily determined by Nicola to be fake. Her family tries to help by finding a legitimate parapsychology professor to conduct one last weekend of seances. If Anton doesn’t appear, Nicola agrees to stop wasting her money on frauds.

The weekend is held at a rural house where Anton’s relatives once lived. In addition to the parapsychologist, Nicola brings a young friend and her brother’s husband to act as skeptical observers. Nicola soon hears Anton’s voice. But other disturbing actions seem malevolent. Has calling for Anton brought forth other entities too? Why is Nicola having nightmares about an earlier traumatic experience revolving around a seance?

I'll Be Waiting begins as a mystery, quickly evolves into two mysteries, and then becomes a horror novel all in 336 pages. The mysteries are intriguing. What did Anton mean by his penultimate words of apology? What happened in high school to Nicola that led to a quick family move and a name change? Are ghosts real? Can a seance contact them? What else can seances summon?

Now that I’ve finished this book, I can see why it has such mixed reviews. Fans of mysteries will not want to suspend reality enough to enjoy the melodramatic conclusion. Horror fans will feel the mysteries drag the pacing down to a crawl. Readers will really have to like both genres equally to enjoy I'll Be Waiting. Luckily, I fit within that small box so I loved it! I hope you will too. 5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced review copy.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley but am providing an honest and unbiased review.

Firstly, If goodreads gave .25 stars, this would likely be a 4.25. I should begin by saying I'm not a huge horror fan, but I would never knock a star off for someone writing in a genre I'm not into- their aim is to write to an audience that isn't me. I can still appreciate good story-telling and writing, and could definitely see that here. What I will do is round up generously when I get pulled into a story and can't stop reading it when it isn't my genre, and that's what happened here. I would have given it a 4.25 on merits alone but 5 because a horror story that gets 4.25 deserves extra credit.

I hadn't read Kelley Armstrong for forever and never got into bitten, but I read the rip through time series and loved it, especially because she doesn't ignore the somewhat disgusting realities of 19th century living. So when I saw something of hers available as an ARC, I jumped at it. It wasn't until later that I realized it was horror, but I'm always game to rest my limits, and I'm really glad I did that here. Also I have to say that a horror author who has someone like me unable to put her book down is a good author.

I really did like this book. I knocked off about a quarter of a point for the slowness in the middle and another half because there was some predictability; I knew the villain in the story and guessed at quite a bit of it early on, but that doesn't mean it was not a lot of fun to read. 4.25 stars is a fast and engaging read and I'm definitely exploring more by this author.

There is some gore, but it's easy to skim over if you're not a fan. The beginning is great and so is the last 35ish percent, which I couldn't put down. There is a point about halfway at which I felt things were dragging, but that part is short and does set up some things that explain people's motivations and actions. And that's one of the things that I loved about this book is that the characters do make sense. From beginning to end, their actions never cause me to suspend belief. Which is weird to say in a paranormal horror book which is horror. It's not a mystery; sure there's a whodunit element to it, but there is also a slasher element and a supernatural element.

If you're OK with a paranormal story with some gore, even if you've never had the slightest desire to watch Saw or Chucky, give this a try. And explore more by this author because she knows how to tell a very good story.