Atmospheric, spooky, creepy, and well written. I'll Be Waitingis a chilling ghost story.

Nicola Laughton felt she hit the jackpot when she married Anton. Nicola was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child and thanks to the advances in medicine, she has been able to live longer, have a job, and get married. After being happily married for only a short period of time, Anton dies in a car accident after uttering “I’ll be waiting for you” to Nicola.

Their final moments together were captured on film, and the psychics have come out of the woodwork with claims of being able to connect them once again. Hoping to get closure, Nicola, some friends/family, and a reputable medium gather at a Lake Erie beach house that Anton's family once owned. There she must not only look to the past when she attended a séance in high school, but to the present, try and cope with the things that go bump in the night.

I loved the atmospheric vibe in this book. The home on Lake Erie was the perfect setting for a séance. I enjoyed the creepy vibe but could have done without the insects. UGH! This book had a very strong beginning and an interesting premise. I was fully invested in the plot and wondered if Nicola would in fact get closure with Anton. But then the book lost some of its magic for me.

The middle and later part of the book goes into territory that I did not see coming. I am still trying to wrap my mind around how I feel about the revelations. I did enjoy the missing person story line and the not so welcomed blast from the past.

Although I found this book to be enjoyable, it did not wow me as I had hoped that it would. I had a hard time connecting with Nicola. I felt quite ambivalent towards her for the entire book. But I was invested in the possibility that she could be connected again with her dead husband. The chilling atmosphere was a huge plus of this book. I just wished the middle part of this book would move at a faster pace.

Atmospheric, chilling, and dark.

3.5 stars

Nicola is a grieving widow whose husband’s death became a viral story as a witness to their car accident relayed how, as he lay dying, Anton had said to her “I’ll be waiting”. It wasn’t supposed to be that way, Nic has CF and she was supposed to die first, not be left behind mourning a life she should have had. As she searches for contact with Anton in an attempt to prove to herself that he is waiting for her she eventually finds herself at a make or break weekend seance with a reputable medium, her brother-in-law and a friend from the grief group in an old beach home that once belonged to Anton’s family. From the start things seem to point to Anton’s presence but also to a malevolent spirit as well that may be tied to a tragedy from Nicola’s past - and then they find a body
Generally I don’t read horror but I have become accustomed to picking up any book that has Kelley Armstrong’s name on it and once again I was not disappointed. More a ghost story than what I think of as horror the suspense builds as we slowly learn about the tragedy in Nic’s past and start to see how it links to the current events that are gradually becoming more dangerous for Nicola while leaving her unsure who she can, and cannot, trust. I read this in one sitting, pulled along from page to page with a need to know what happened next. Was Anton truly the love of her life or was he more involved in the tragedy from the past than she wants to know? Highly recommended.

I loved it! I got really truly scared a few times but I still loved it! Nic walked in to each seance with both eyes open using logic to sort out the unexplainable but couldn't always find an answer. And the parallels to another seance she attended to as a teen kept me unsettled the entire book. Excellent author.

I'll Be Waiting is a Stand-alone supernatural thriller by Kelley Armstrong. As soon as I heard Kelley was coming out with a new novel, I knew I just had to get my hands on it and once again, I was not disappointed. As a Canadian, I love that this book took place in Ontario. I knew many of the locations she was referring to along with the annoying midges that plagued the characters throughout much of the book (I had the fortune of being scandalized by them myself on a camping trip to the Sand Hills one spring weekend).

It starts with Nicola Laughton, who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and was never expected to reach adulthood. Now as a middle aged woman, she is loving the life she has with her husband Anton. However, one horrible moment is all it takes in their car to end Anton's life and send Nic into despair. Anton's last words "I'll be waiting", leave Nic wondering if this was meant as a loving gesture or a threat. And what did he want to tell her those last few moments before he died - when he seemingly changed his mind?

Nic is now being hounded by spiritualists who claim they can bring her closure by contacting Anton's spirit. However, as the months go by and Nic only finds people trying to profit from her loss, she is spiraling further. Her friends decide to find her one last medium who they believe to be reputable to finally either allow her to contact Anton, or know that he is at rest and she must move on. They find themselves on the shores of Lake Erie in a secluded house that was Anton's family home at one time trying to do a seance to bring him back. But they may get more than they bargain for when the contact Nic is getting is more hands on than she bargained for.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter. The characters are very relatable and the language is easy and flows smoothly - almost as if I were thinking the story rather than reading it. I absolutely loved everything about the story line and can't wait to read Kelley Armstrong's next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Kelly Armstrong's 'I'll Be Waiting" offers readers another book with interesting characters and page-turning interest to discover what happens next. I enjoyed this stand alone book and it's gothic elements of an isolated location combined with a novel dark element represented by the insects swarming the area.

Kelley Armstrong delivers a creepy story that quickly hooked me as our main character Nicola Laughton desperately tries to reach her husband who died tragically in a car accident. Unable to move on, Nicola is desperate to make contact but finds herself repeatedly scammed. Nicola is determined to once and for all find out if Anton is reachable. This story had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't decide if all the characters were being upfront and how the past that Nicola has buried played into the story. The author did not let up on the tension and every time I thought I had a clear picture, things shifted. I struggled along with Nicola to determine what things could be reasonably explained and what could not. The paranormal elements felt well-placed and not overused. The ending was tense and allowed for a very satisfying conclusion.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC - much appreciated..

This is the first book I’ve read from Kelly Armstrong, and I quite enjoyed it! There’s plenty of occult, supernatural, and mystery elements that made it hard to put the book down.

The characters are fun, and believable. Nicola, the main character, is a recent widow that is grieving the loss of her husband. She has tried numerous seances to contact him. Her family intervenes, and convinces her to stop with the caveat that they’ll allow her one last seance, but only with someone of their choosing.

This kicks off the story, which leaves you questioning who you can really trust when ghosts are involved.

Kelley Armstrong always provides a good, solid read, with a touch of fantasy and adventure thrown in. Her work is always outstanding.

A friend and I read everything that Kelley Armstrong writes. My friend said I'll Be Waiting had Hemlock Island vibes so I had to read it. Great supernatural mystery! Will be purchasing for the library.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the chance to read the e-arc of I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong.

Nicola Laughton has a death on her mind all the time due to her cystic fibrosis diagnosis. But, it is the tragic death of her husband, Anton, that is at the center of the action in this novel. While the main plot centers around the aftermath of the car accident a year before, the heart of the story finds its way back to Nicola’s teenage years when another death occurred that still haunts her. Unable to let Anton’s final words, “I’ll be waiting” out of her thoughts, Nicola tries to reach out to him using seances and other things occult. The “final” try is given over to a paranormal psychology professor who may, like the other participants, not have Nicola’s best interests at heart. Taking place in Anton’s family home by the water, the atmosphere of the place is almost another character in the story. Creepy dolls, a locked basement, things going bump in the attic, night terrors and swarms of flying bugs add to the sense of dread.

The start of the book had me locked in, and I genuinely cared to see if Nicola was able to reach Anton, or at least achieve a level of peace. The center of the novel did get repetitive though, and I felt that the middle third did not satisfy me as much. I’ll admit to thinking of putting this book aside for a moment before the past and present started to cross in a thrilling way. While it took a while, the action and suspicions of who (or what) the big bad would be, managed to suck me back in and I found the last part of the book to be worth hanging around for. 4/4 star read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of ‘I’ll Be Waiting” in exchange for my honest review.

I’m convinced this story was made for me because the main character has Cystic Fibrosis AND red hair and freckles. What are the odds!

I knew very little about this book going into it, and I think that was the best way to go. This book is unique in so many ways and very enjoyable while at the same time, giving you the chills and having you repeatedly look over your shoulder. The characters were all unreliable in different ways and the story goes back and forth between the present day and an incident in the past that changed the FMC’s life forever.

This book was a lot of fun! I really didn’t expect anything that happened, especially the ending! I could picture all the scenes playing out in my head too while being on the edge of my seat, especially with the last 25% of the book.

If you like a good paranormal story that isn’t too intense, this is the perfect book for you. I was really impressed with it and because it represents CF so well, it’ll always have a special place in my heart. ❤️

I’ll Be Waiting is a step in a new direction for Kelly Armstrong as she successfully takes on the horror genre instead of her tried and true fantasy genre. In a spooky and twisted thriller, a widow trying to make contact with the spirit of her husband. Tired of all the fakers and charlatans, Nicola agrees to one last seance before putting her search to bed. In a beach house tied to her husband’s past, it quickly becomes clear that the seance participants have opened the door to something dark and deadly. Nicola is a unique character with a severe disease for an extra twist thrown into whole escaping danger scenarios. The story builds into a scary fight for Nic’s life with the expected chills and hints of gore. Nic can be a little annoying as she mistrusts everyone but misses the obvious answers. Overall the story is dark and eerie for a pulse pounding read. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

So this became slightly ridiculous and wholly over-the-top by the end, but I loved the build-up and the writing. The characters were fun too, though some of the twists weren't very surprising given who was well-developed and who wasn't. It was a fun popcorn read and a solid blend of thriller and horror, along with a meditation on grief and a potentially solid representation of a woman with cystic fibrosis where the plot doesn't remotely hinge around her disability.

I am such a fan of Kelley Armstrong and this book didn’t disappoint. This book is a wild ride from start to finish. If you are a fan of the supernatural and love haunted houses, spirits and seances you will eat up this book.

Nothing beats a good horror novel, and Kelley Armstrong delivered it with "I'll Be Waiting". With an unreliable narrator leading us through this story, readers are kept in constant suspense, wondering if everything and everyone is what they actually seem. Past horrors are uncovered through piecemeal flashbacks, and new relationships are constantly being questioned making the actual moments of terror even more intriguing. Was that real, or was it just a creaking floorboard? Instead of leaning on constant jump scares, there is just a general unease throughout the novel, and a heaping dose of skepticism from both the characters and the reader. This leads to a climax of epic horror movie proportions. The last 10% of the book had me in a chokehold desperate to see how this would all play out. This definitely jumps to the top 5 of my favorite ghost story novels and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for their next spooky read!

Another great book by Armstrong. She has a talent for making magic feel real, even when viewing it through skeptic eyes. This was story about dealing with the grief of losing a loved while holding out hope for a connection to them on the other side. With a healthy dose of mystery and suspense, this book will keep you hanging on the end.

I have been a long time fan of Kelley Armstrong and this story did not diminish my love of her writing or world building. I was unprepared for the immediate twist this story took, I should have known better than to think we’d ease into the story. Kelley has a way with creating a spellbinding narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Nic was CF (cystic fibrosis) as a child and never expected to live as long as she did or make the memories she was capable of having. Her husband, Anton was always in her corner, those two grew up together. What she didn’t expect was to be the one who survived a horrible accident. Imagine a terminally ill woman, who accepted her fate long ago, having to hold her dying husband. That is how we start this story! The emotional damage was immediate and I needed to find out what came next. Desperate and unable to let her husband go, Nic turns to the occult to stay in contact with her husband.

You get hints of a mysterious thriller with paranormal elements. Secrets are revealed, closure and growth start to unfold before you. This story captivated me. It was able to shed light on CF as well.

This was an absolute page turner! It had me at seances and ghosts! I absolutely loved her characters, and the book was scary and creepy! This was definitely right up my alley! The author knows how to hook a reader and keep them engaged, and the plot was riveting! If you like paranormal novels, definitely give this book a read!

First off thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read the free eGalley!

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited to see she had a new book coming out. I was even more excited when I was chosen to read and review it. With that being said, I may be a bit biased, but this book was so so very good! From the way it was written, to the characters, to the storyline, and to the very last word! I stayed up until 2 in the morning to finish it, because I just couldn’t stop reading! This book would be a great read for many people from young adults to adults.
This book is a horror/thriller that brings witchcraft, ghosts, evil spirits, mystery, and so much more! The main character Nicola Laughton is a newly widowed woman with Cystic Fibrosis. She never expected to live as long as she did. Much less to get married and then outlive her husband, Anton Novak. Her last moments with her husband are now posted everywhere online because of bystanders hearing his last words and then finding out she has CF. After his death she gets many calls from mediums saying they can help her contact Anton. She keeps saying she’ll stop trying to contact him, especially knowing how dangerous it can be from past experience. Still she says one more. She hires a parapsychology college professor and rents out a lake house Anton’s grandmother used to own and they used to rent once or twice a year. She invites her brother-in-law and a new friend who’s mourning the loss of her sister to come along. She keeps experiencing things but not everything she can explain away. Is it her husband’s spirit or something more sinister?

I would highly recommend finding a well-lit corner to curl up and read this book. The further your get sucked into the story the more unhinged it gets questioning what is real and what is just a ghost story. Armstrong writes in a way that will make you question every creak or hushed noise you hear and either send you searching for answers, like the main character Nic, or diving under your covers.
Right from the first chapter you crash into the life of Nicola Laughton. No stranger to tragedies and hardships on her life as someone who has Cystic Fibrosis , she also has a darker past that is literally coming back to hunt her. When she loses her husband, she begins a dark spiral that unearths a part of her life that she would rather forget.
Its easy to debunk the myraid of mediums and charlatans that plague Nic with claims that they can reach her dead husband and she's ready to let sleeping dogs lie. When she's convinced to try one last time in order to give her closure, she is fine with the noises and whispers until she stumbles on the first body. Now she must decipher what's real and what's stranger than fiction.
If you have an active imagination, I would recommend reading this book, just not at night in the dark!