I have such mixed feelings about this one. One the one hand, a lot of the plot elements on their own are pretty interesting - a terminally ill woman’s husband dies tragically, her survivor’s guilt not the least among her resulting traumas; a mysterious tragedy as a teen left one girl dead and another confined to a mental institution; her gay brother’s ex-wife is best friends with his new husband, etc etc. I just think this book is trying to do too many things at once, and as a result devolved into the ridiculous in the last 2/3rds of the book. And this is coming from someone who regularly reads fantasy series, so if I cannot properly suspend my disbelief I think it’s safe to say it’s the book, and not me.

I’m still rating this 3 stars because I think it has potential, but some things could be addressed, in my opinion:

1. The middle third of the book feels like it drags on and on, and is a bit repetitive. I feel like we could have gotten the information in a more efficient way than it was delivered. I was super bored with the incessant inner monologue of “There Must Be a Logical Explanation For This.”
2. I realize the author needed a mechanism for Nic’s flashbacks, but having her dream them didn’t feel realistic. I’ve ever had a dream that’s a straight memory, or anything even remotely resembling anything factual that occurred in real life. This made me constantly question the accuracy of what we were being told, especially when Nic seemed to be experiencing lucid dreaming. I definitely thought she was only remembering what she wanted to remember. Also, it’s not always clear when she falls asleep and when she wakes. This may well have been intention to give the feeling of confusion and grogginess upon waking but it was distracting for to me try to figure out what Nic’s state of consciousness was at any given point.
3.. I figured out halfway through that Shania was probably behind the “haunting” and was somehow related to one of her teenage friends, but it still didn’t feel believable even after the explanation that she wouldn’t have known about one of her best friend’s siblings.
4. The climax and resolution is just too much, all at once. So now there are three ghosts - Anton, Patrice and this Lori person? It’s ridiculous, even for a book about books and seances. In the last 2 -3 chapters, I cannot count the number of times I muttered “Oh, come onnnn” to myself. Too much.
5. I really liked Nic at the beginning of the book, and even related to her sometimes snarky inner monologue, but sometime around mid-book she just became really unlikeable. I think the author was going for confused, disoriented and exhausted but she just came off as mean and spiteful. Enough so that when she was being tied up in the basement, I didn’t care that much and honestly had a few moments of “maybe she did do it.”

All in all, I really want to like this book. I wish we had more flashbacks of Anton, and I wish we had more of Nic being supported by her friends and family. There’s a compelling tragedy here, and I do think that could have been played up more in favor of ditching some of the sillier plot points.

Side note: seems as though the author enjoyed the movie Jennifer’s Body as much as I did. <wink>.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the pre-release copy. Below is my honest review.

I really enjoyed Armstrong's I'll Be Waiting, but it wasn't as near perfect as so many of Armstrong's books usually are. This one had some predictable twists, and there were some parts that dragged and felt a little repetitive.

Overall though, this one built good tension, set up an interesting plot, threw some entertaining characters at us, and threw some fun twists at us. I give it four stars and recommend it to Armstrong fans and horror fans. :)

Supernatural Horror, Haunted House,Seances, and a nasty spirit looking for payback.

Armstrong has created a spell-binding and chilling story that I raced through.

Nicola has CF. She has already cheated death by living into adulthood. And now, her husband is gone. In a tragic accident that leaves her broken and struggling to find evidence that he really is Waiting For Me on the other side.

As she goes to one psychic after another, she is always disappointed. Her friends think maybe she is sabotaging herself and she is wondering if she really knew her husband at all.

When a past transgression comes through in a seance, we all find out how well we knew anyone. Including Nicola…if that is her name…


Always a good time with this author.

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press October 01, 2024

3.5 stars.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this ARC.

I am a huuuuuge Kelley Armstrong fan, and while there have been books that weren't my favourite, there haven't been any that were downright bad. This falls into that category - not my favourite, but definitely not bad. I am coming to learn about myself, that perhaps the paranormal genre just isn't my top pick. Doesn't mean the book is bad, just that it isn't the one for me.

This book was mysterious, creepy, ominous and paranormal, while also being sentimental and full of grief. It felt like it had a strong build at the start, and I did really appreciate the main character and her difficult back story. However, it did feel repetitive at times, and towards the end, the plot became convoluted and somewhat unbelievable. I like a clear, logical ending, and this just felt a little over the top for my taste.

Overall, decent and quick read, and good for people who enjoy paranormal themes, horror lite, decent mystery.

For me, this book was simultaneously slow AND fast-paced? Not quite sure how that works, maybe I was just too impatient to find out what happens at the end. I liked how the author had me second-guessing the characters. Was the husband really as nice as everyone thought? Is the main character hallucinating some of this? Definitely a lot happening towards the end of the book. I did not see that twist coming!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Excellent ghost story! Nicola has been living with Cystic Fibrosis her entire life and thought she would die before her husband Anton. When he dies in her arms from a car accident, he says "I'll be waiting for you." Nicola has been going to spiritualists to understand his meaning. There is a lot going on and its well worth the read.

This book was riveting! It's been a minute since I've read a really good supernatural/thriller book. I'll admit, it felt kind of slow at first but as I pushed through it became more and more compelling and had me on the edge of my seat before I even realized it! So many twists, turns, and nail-biting moments. Had me feeling so many ways from spooked to angry to scared and even a few sweet and warm moments mixed in between, if you can believe it! Overall, an amazing read and I can't wait to explore more of Kelley’s books! :)

This is the perfect book to read when you want a good scare. There were moments when I was reading this at night when I started hearing noises in my own house and got a little paranoid. In "I'll Be Waiting," Nicola lost her husband in a tragic accident and now she is obsessed with being able to contact him again. She has done numerous seances but they have all turned out to be fake. She decides to have one more in the location where her late husband grew up. Only things do not go as she hoped.

What really makes this book interesting is Nicola's back story. She has Cystic Fibrosis and has already lived longer than expected. There is also something tragic that happened to her in the past. As the pieces of the story were revealed they absolutely hooked me as a reader wanting to know how things were connected. I am not a huge fan of horror but I love Kelly Armstrong's books so I wanted to try this. I enjoyed it even though this is not my typical genre. Readers who love horror won't want to wait for this book!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

I am really enjoying Kelley Armstrong’s new role in the horror genre. I love movies about ghostly hauntings, so I've been longing for more books like that to read. Another intriguing, suspenseful story that pulls you in. The story was getting quite creepy. I was reading the novel before bed and fully expected to have nightmares.

The book feels slightly long at first with how much is going on and getting very little answers with the past and present, but the characters and the story tie well at the end.

I never know if predictability in a novel is a good or bad thing. How do you know if or when an author intends for you to guess and even be correct sometimes. I feel like Armstrong must intend it, because I always guess something, in this case it was decently earlier on. However just when you think you cracked the code, you realize you only cracked 1 of 8 numbers. The mystery just keeps going and the surprises keep coming! You could argue there is more going on than necessary for the story, but if it makes sense, I do not mind.

The characters were interesting, but I feel like we either didn’t go too deep with them or I just did not connect enough with them. The exception being most of us know what it is to grieve someone. The end was good and satisfying, but I kind of wanted it to crush my heart a little bit more.

Thank you to Kelley Armstrong, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for a chance to read this book ahead of its release date in exchange for an honest review. Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author, and I am always happy to get a chance to read her books!

I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong is part ghost story and part murder mystery and an altogether good read. Nicola Laughton is struggling with Cystic Fibrosis, but with the help of a new medicine she and her husband plan a few good years together. When Anton is killed in a car crash Nicola ends up doing a seance with a professor of parapsychology and then the strange things start happening and the bodies show up. The characters and the location on Lake Erie all add to the pleasure of finding out if Nicole and Anton will be reunited.

This started out really interesting but there was definitely a lull in the middle, where I kept waiting for things to happen. However, it picked back up at the end and packed a lot into the last 15-20%. So, there might be some pacing issues but I was invested enough in the story to keep reading.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll Be Waiting is classified as a paranormal horror book. While I don’t feel it has much of a horror aspect(maybe more thriller or edge of your seat type of book) I enjoyed it. I did figure out the twist early on, really it’s kind of hard not to. I enjoyed the characters and the premise of story. It kind of reminded me of a bad 80/90s horror film. So if you like the cheesy old school horror films(that aren’t actually scary)you will enjoy this. I gave it four stars because it did keep my attention and I am on of those people that like the cheesy horror films.

I’ll Be Waiting, by Kelley Armstrong
2.5-3/5⭐️⭐️⭐️

TRIGGER WARNINGS-
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Murder, death, gore, possession

The start immediately catches your attention asap but it wanes almost as fast. Doesn’t draw you in until about page 90 and it’s way too overly descriptive and rambly. I don’t know if some things seem overly descriptive because I’m Canadian and I’m familiar with some of the areas mentioned or just because it’s too much. But then there’s the main character who has CF, and I feel the same thing-too descriptive. I’m not familiar with the ins and outs of CF, but I feel that even somebody without CF can figure out what the vest does, for example. You don’t need a full rundown of the hows and whys of it, if the reader wanted to know more they could Google it. The last 150pgs were where things really picked up and the plot got good. The little twist was nice near the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, for giving me an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love Kelley Armstrong, the first part of this book took me a bit, it was a bit slow for me. Nicola was an interesting character and I found that I actually quite liked her changing/flip floppy as it was done very believable, was she being paranoid, misremembering, or are things happening? I thought I knew where it was going and was pleasantly surprised that I in fact did not. As the book went on the star amount went up ending in my 5 start rating. Another great story, I loved the first horror novel and now the second.

I am so glad Kelley Armstrong is getting into the horror genre because... DAMN! I loved Hemlock Island and I'm not surprised that I loved I'll Be Waiting too! It's so rare I find a book that I can't predict the ending, but this was one of them! There are so many unique elements to this séance horror - it will keep you on your toes! Even the set up was interesting, and when we get to the actual horror elements it really sucked me in. I couldn't put it down and sped through the last 60% of this book in one sitting (when I definitely should have been sleeping instead).

The story is told through a combination of present day and dream/haunting flashbacks to a couple of key points in the past. It's laid out in a way that isn't confusing, and receiving bits and pieces of the past throughout the story was engaging and made me want to keep reading on (to solve the current mystery AND learn the answers from the past one).

As always, I will read anything Kelley writes (and I hope she continues with more horror books because they've been great)! If I could rate her horrors higher than 5 stars, I would.

I enjoyed this book and did not guess the culprit until two thirds of the way through the book. I did wonder why she made the brother have an ex wife. It just confused the narrative. I also thought she doubted her husband too quickly. I did enjoy reading about the house and how she overcame her health challenges. Overall a good story.

My Thoughts

After all the years she battled Cystic Fibrosis, thinking she would die at a fairly young age, Nicola Laughton beat the odds thanks to a medical science breakthrough.

Not only that but she was able to meet and marry a wonderful man named Anton Novak who she had briefly known when they were in school together 22-years prior to reconnecting as adults.

For only a few years the pair were blissfully happy and then the unthinkable happened her wonderful husband died in a car accident and Nicola was left with only memories of their short time together.

Now 8 months later still trying to find closure Nicola and several others meet a renowned professor to perform one last series of seances in a final attempt to contact Anton.

What happens next took the reader through a harrowing series of events before everything was resolved and everyone’s secrets were revealed.

Part creepy mystery part scary paranormal and all the way interesting, even with parts that bogged down in places and could have easily been left out of the story without hurting its final execution.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

I would like to note that I received this ARC with the mindset that I would provide an honest review.
Now that I have said that I can scream from the roof tops of my excitement for getting this arc. I started reading Kelley Armstrong’s books in high school through her Bitten series. Her Casey Duncan books quickly became a favored series of mine; especially, with the fact that this series often released around my birthday in February. So when I saw her name on this book, I knew I just had to try! I honestly did not think I would get it.

Nicola is a strong character first with her diagnosis of Cystic Fibrosis and then with the loss of her love, Anton. Though we will later learn that there is a lot more to her than what you think. I really like her character but I will say her decision making is a little wishy washy but then again, half of the plot would not occur without this.

This series gave me my first experience with a seance. It was a journey for sure but like with all of Kelley’s books, I enjoyed the journey that this book took me on. The mystery and “horror” were intriguing. I put horror in quotation marks because it was a little light on what I would dream horror in a book. It is very suspenseful and it kept me engaged throughout the whole book.

The first half of the book was definitely my favorite part of the book. As we reached the half way point, the plot started to repeat some and overall drag in some areas but once we moved past those scenes the book became more intriguing. Overall, I could not put this book down. I rated this book 4/5 stars and while I still love her other series more, I will definitely be buying this book to add to my shelf.

This book was fun and worth the read. I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy reading suspenseful stories and to those that just enjoy a story that leaves you wanting more.

Thank you so so much Kelley Armstrong, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for this fun read!

An amazing thriller/horror novel that keeps you guessing until the end, in more ways than one. For starters, its unclear whether the MCs experiences/past are truly paranormal or just suspicious, and the mystery aspect had me completely shocked at the twists!

Midway through the novel I was legitimately scared, and was having a blast try to see the next move. The ending was totally satisfying and I appreciated the quality of writing.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Well, this was a wild ride.

Nicola, living with cystic fibrosis, suffers the tragic loss of her husband not long after marriage.

In order to find closure from her loss, she forms a group to perform a seance.

A spooky read, while a tad farfetched, still enjoyable.