*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for letting me read the digital review copy*

As a lover a paranormal movies and books I was really excited to read this. Nic's husband Anton is mortally injured in a car accident and before he dies, he promises her that he'll be waiting for her. In the following months, Nic continually tries to contact Anton with the "help" of multiple different mediums. When they all end up being fakes, her family convinces her to give it one last try with a parapsychologist.

The beginning of this book hooked me immediately. I genuinely came to like all the characters in Nic's life fairly quickly and I really felt for Nic who not only lost the love of her life but is also battling with CF.

The middle dragged a bit with a lot of repetitive scenes but at the same time I was still immersed in the story because of the sèances and learning more about Nic's past.

It was really the ending that made this three stars for me. This started as a fairly realistic book about the paranormal and then took a sharp turn into over the top horror. While it did explain everything, it just felt very cartoonish.

The main character in this book, Nicola Laughton, has had a series of tragedies in her life. She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was a child. She lost both of her parents in a car accident that left her badly injured. Nicola survived the accident and CF, lived to grow up, created her own business, and got married.

Then tragedy struck again. She lost her husband in another car accident. Anton's last words were that he would be waiting for her. Nicola is desperate to contact him and has hired a series of mediums who all turn out to be fake. Her family and friends have finally convinced her to try one last seance, and then to give up trying to contact her dead husband. They will gather at Anton's family's old vacation house. It is on an island which is regularly cut off from the mainland.

Then a series of strange events and near misses begin to happen, including the disappearance of a local boy. Is it someone or something in the house? And is everyone on the island who they seem to be?

I received an e-arc of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

* Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

I'll Be Waiting is a horror/thriller/mystery about Nic, a recent widower with cystic fibrosis that is looking for answers in the paranormal about her recently deceased husband. In the hopes of finding out if he will really be waiting for her on the other side, she, along with her friends, embarks on a spiritual mission --- AKA a seance.

This was not my fave KA book (the Rockton series holds that title), but it was a good book. I'll Be Waiting is horror-lite, so if you're really into the spooky, don't expect anything groundbreakingly scary. In most of the "scary" scenes, I was not particularly disturbed. That's fine with me, though, I enjoyed how practical Nic was, and how when she had the opportunities to doubt herself the most, she found a strength from within that was genuinely inspiring.

Admittedly, I do think some things were glossed over in the story that I won't spoil here, but it was a fun, fast-paced book that I read in one day. KA is one of those authors that I always go back to, no matter the genre or premise, because you're guaranteed a well-written, fun book.

I was honestly so close to enjoying this sinister, spiritual, and spellbinding installment, which waltzes with haunted house and missing young man mystery themes.

It started strong: an unexpected and tragic accident results in the death of a beloved husband, leaving behind his 37-year-old wife who suffers from a terminal disease (cystic fibrosis). She has already battled death, extending her life by at least a decade. Her attempts to connect with her late husband Anton, after his cryptic message "I’ll be waiting," lead her to seek out charlatan spiritualists. She bonds with young Shania, who recently lost her sister, and they team up with her brother-in-law Jin to attend a special seance at a Lake Erie beach house, where she shared memories with her late husband. These parts of the book intrigued me the most.

I genuinely enjoyed the first half, with its building tension and the presence of entities in the house that might be Anton or something darker. The house itself, with its foreboding atmosphere, giant old-style furnace, locked attic room, creaking floorboards, and the voice of Anton repeating his love for his wife, along with creepy porcelain dolls, enhance the horror elements, making you bite your nails harder. The addition of the missing boy mystery and a past murder in the woods pushes the reader to form new theories about what is happening in this house! I was even ready to give this book five full creepy paranormal activity stars!

However, as I reached the second half, the repetition of events, boring seance sequences, and creepy house sounds, combined with Nicola's spiraling theories about new perpetrator candidates, tested my patience. I wished this book were shorter, with some repetitive and dragging parts edited or omitted, which would have helped return the balanced pace experienced in the first half.

The last third of the book, with its easily foreseeable revelations, turned into something far-fetched. The scenes involving the perpetrator were a bit long, making me wish the author would wrap things up faster so I could finish the book, write my review, and move on with my weekend.

The last action-packed paranormal parts felt a little exaggerated for my taste, but at least the author addressed all the loopholes in her own way, which is fair. By the end, there were no stones left unturned, and we understood the why, when, and how.

Overall, this book has great potential with an intriguing plot that gave me high hopes. Unfortunately, I had some issues with the story’s execution and Nicola’s constantly changing opinions and overly suspicious mind, which made me scream “Come on!”

I decided to give this book a neutral three stars. It didn’t meet my expectations, but it’s still a good piece of paranormal fiction that will interest genre lovers. The first half was truly gripping, enough to keep me from putting it down and adding it to my “DNF” list, but I wished it had been executed at a faster pace and with less far-fetched elements.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this paranormal mystery’s digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This review is my opinion and my opinion only. This story is so much more than a supernatural ghost story. Kelley Armstrong knows how to make you feel deeply for her characters and you go through the emotional ride with them. Her quality of writing is exceptional.
I’m going to be very general in describing this novel because 1) I won’t do it justice and 2)Inhate posting spoilers. This novel is about Nicola. She was married to Anton before the accident. She was having a hard time getting over Anton even with going to group therapy. She started to go to “ psychics” trying to connect with Anton again. As a final attempt with her friends, she rented Anton’s old family home and hired a parapsychologist who is also a university professor.
He agreed to do several seances through the week to see if they can contact Anton. But come to find out, that one of Nicola’s friends is not who they say they are, and blood is spilled. What happens and why? YOU MUST READ THIS STORY!
I highly recommend this book!

I'll Be Waiting is probably Kelley Armstrong's best book since her Otherworld Series! This book will make the readers cry and laugh, taking them on a ride from one extreme to another. Ms. Armstrong shows just how masterful she truly is in this genre, going back to the books that helped make her such a household name: ghosts and mediums, i.e. Jaime from the Otherworld who gets involved with Jeremy the Alpha of the Pack! Readers can expect to go on a journey of self-discovery as the main female character has a pivotal decision to make about the status of her living situation, and will feel every emotion she feels, every high, and every low. Very few books have made this reviewer want to cry, I'll Be Waiting, made me want to bawl, and I can't wait to see if Ms. Armstrong turns this phenomenal book into a new series.

This book put me through the rounds.... and not in a great way...

I was SO close to DNF at the 30% mark. The book just seemed to drag for me. It did pick up a bit for me around the 40% mark and I was enjoying the story and the mystery that was coming out about Nic's past, as well as some of the strange things happening around the house. Then around the 75% mark I started getting annoyed, Nic kept going around and around with these questions and suspicions, some that made no sense to me at all. I felt like the person she ended up suspecting was the most farfetched option and maybe that's what the author was shooting for, but it missed. At the same time... I don't know, Nic, maybe look in the house around you sis?

I loved the idea of the seances but they ended up getting really repetitive. There were too many of them and most anticlimactic since they ended before they could begin. I felt like there was a lot of focus on the dolls in the house as well for no reason at all.

What redeemed this for me was the ending, it was what I wish the whole book would have been. Shocking, fast paced and paranormal with a touch of horror. I didn't hate the book but there are much better options out there if you're looking for something creepy and spine tingling, which is what I feel like this book was shooting for.

Whoa… that was intense.
Going into this book, I expected the paranormal aspect, but I didn’t expect all the debunking they were going to do. So just when you think the story is going to go one way, think again. And just when you think you know these characters, nope. You don’t.

The betrayals in this book were shocking and I actually didn’t see them coming. The sickness and grief the FMC goes through makes you feel for her, but her attitude at some points makes you wanna throttle her.

Fortunately, by the end, you’re at peace with these characters and all their flaws.
Also, never invite me to a séance because yeah. That’s a big nope for me.

I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong

To preface my review, horror is not a typical genre for me so I might get creeped out easier than folks who read/watch it frequently. And yes, this book gave me all the creepy feels. I flew through it hoping to calm my racing heart sooner than later, which of course had me finishing tge book right before bed... As all books I've read by Kelley Armstrong are, this was well written and chock full of her unique combination of suspense, logic, and self awareness. Great book. Emotional at times, horrifying at others, engaging always.
#bookreview #2024 #netgalley #horror #haunting

I will be the first to tell you I am a Kelley Armstrong fan, while I wouldn't say that makes me biased, I seem to be the right audience.
Horror however is one genre that normally kicks me out of reading, but I'll be Waiting gave me the creepy crawly vibe right to the end.
We have ghosts and ominous creaking, a history of bad juju, representation done in a great way, and a ton of Canadian Easter eggs. For adults who loved 'are you afraid of the dark' and sleepless nights of ghost stories. This one is for you!

Thanks to St. Martins Press ans Netgalley for the advanced copy. All my opinions are my own.

Well, she did it again. She made me question everything I thought I believed and made me cower in the dark like a child. For most horror connoisseurs, this will likely be light fare, but for a big old wimp like me? It was terrifying.

You may ask, "Why read it then?" But when Kelley writes it, I read it. One of my favourite things about Kelley's writing is that it's never just one thing. It's not just a horror novel but a tragic love story. Its characters that are as complex as they are flawed. The characters are multifaceted and beautifully throughout. For a stand-alone novel, you feel like you've known Nicola for years. The reveal of her past and the less than PG things that happened in it was masterfully done. If you're a fan of horror or like dipping your toes in like me, check this out!

This was such an amazing, wild ride that I loved every minute of! Not Armstrong's usual book for sure and maybe that is also what made it so much fun. I loved being kept on the edge of my seat, not always knowing what was happening and wavering back and forth between what I thought to be true with what was actually true. This was just so engaging and I couldn't get enough. Truly, another wonderful read by this author.

This book was absolutely phenomenal! I had no idea what was coming next, and I loved every moment of it. Normally, I can see exactly where things are headed, but in this book, I was completely thrown for a loop. The characters were incredibly written and the plot just kept the twists coming. What a wonderfully written book! I definitely would read anything else that she wrote and thoroughly recommend any horror or thriller lover to read her as well.

I went through different stages of enjoyment with this book. I loved it at first, thought it was a nice, quick read. But about 60% of the way through I started to get annoyed with Nic's narration because she asked endless questions, sometimes talking in circles which I found somewhat hard to follow. I also thought the multiple séances were a bit dull and repetitive, with them ending almost as soon as they started. And for a so called expert, Dr. Cirillo seemed like he didn't really understand ghosts/spirits/whatever. Seemed like he was changing definitions to fit what was currently happening. But the ending brought me back to really enjoying it and I was actually surprised with the reveal.

This book grabs you and does not let you go! You are continually drawn back into the plot as you move through this book. I stayed up far longer than I should have because I could not put this book down! Recommended if you like spooks and haunts!

I’ve read several books by this author and she knows how to hook you. Highly recommend if you like books about ghosts, possession and hauntings. This was such an amazing read, loved these characters and this story and I had a blast reading it! Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read an ARC of I’ll Be Waiting!

I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong is her second horror novel. I loved that one so much! Trying to reach the ghost of her late husband while being tired of having to work with fake psychics, Nic asks the help of Doctor Cirillo to finally lay Anton to rest. As any Armstrong novel, the plot was clever and well thought out, and the mystery surrounding Nic’s past was intriguing. Between the past and the present, the story was interesting, leaving me guessing until the end! I love the fact that Kelley Armstrong is writing among many genres, and I can’t wait for her next horror novel!

good ghost story and dealing with the loss of someone. Loved the séance and what happened in the past was also dealt with both of their pasts. Loved the family and figuring out what really happened in the woods.

Full disclosure- when I first started reading this, there was a moment I did think I'd have to put it on the shelf and come back to it later. The first part is extremely sad, and since I lost my brother less than six months ago, I thought this might be just a little too close to home right now.... but i powered through the sad part and was glad I did. I felt horrible for Nic at times, wanting desperately to believe there was SOMETHING after death, especially since she was essentially staring her own mortality in the face. There were some creepy moments in this one, but nothing unbearable. I 100% did NOT see the end coming, not right up until it happened. I have really enjoyed mysteries and thrillers with a supernatural twist lately, so this was the perfect book for me right now. I enjoyed it from the beginning to the end, especially the parts of Nic's teenage years. The ending was the best that I think the author could write, all things considered. I really loved her writing style, the web she weaves with words. I've not read anything by Kelley Armstrong before, but do plan to keep an eye out for future titles!

"I'll Be Waiting" reminds me a bit of Jane Austen's "Persuasion." An attraction exists, then is seemingly gone, only to reappear years later. That's what happened to Nic and Anton, except their happy ending didn't last for long. Despite both of them thinking she would probably die first of cystic fibrosis complications, it didn't happen that way.

Nic gets caught in a cycle of wanting to hear from Anton "from beyond the grave," as they say. She even seeks help: just one more psychic, please. Finally someone who appears to be the ideal psychic appears. Nic will stop her endless search after she hears his opinion.

And that's when the book gets really exciting. Is anyone being honest with Nic? Are any of these other people really who they say they are?

"I'll Be Waiting" is well-written and Nic--who has her own big secret-- seems likeable. The "woo-woo" parts will scare the pants off of you and make you feel as if you're there. I thought it was a lot different from Kelley Armstrong's "Rip Through Time" series, which I really enjoyed as well.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader's copy of "I'll Be Waiting."