The Waiting Room

Well! This is one of those books where I instantly went to look it up once I’d finished reading - unfortunately due to it being an ARC there is nothing out there yet and I am left wanting! I enjoyed the three parallel plots of the novel and, though I did find flaws in at least one of the plots, it was original and unpredictable right to the end (which is unusual for this genre). Certainly I did not agree with everything the protagonist said or did but it was definitely an engaging read. I am now waiting for someone I can discuss the ending with!

Rating: ★★★★ ¾

I really don't like that cover which took a little point off the 5 star.

"I couldn't find the words to say goodbye to someone that I had only just begun to say hello to."

I devoured this book in one day. The waiting room was deeper than I expected. It's more than just Kat's first love and romance. It was more than just the instalove/instacrush. It was dealing with grief. Of losing a parent. Of how to let go. How can someone move on from a love one's death?

Will she be able to heal from the trauma of her father's death?

The book goes back and forth between the present and past, which is kats memories of her father's death. The transition is flawless.. Then theres Kat's mom who still hasn't grieved properly. I absolutely disliked how Kat's mother treats her, its as if she doesn't her kat whenever Kat gives her opinion. She only hears what she wants to hear while pushing what SHE WANTS to her daughter. IT JUST ISN'T FAIR.

The flirtation between Ian and Kat is so cheesy that it makes you smile and cringe at the same time. I absolutely enjoyed Ian's personality. He is funny, flirtations, and he just makes you smile. Plus he's HOT.

That ending, that ending felt like a cliffhanger and I need answers.

The Waiting Room was an interesting YA book about a girl named Kat who goes to a waiting room while she is in a coma. It's a place you go to wait while someone/something decides if you go back or pass on. While there she helps rid herself of some personal baggage like guilt. The story is unique and holds your attention. I did not get into the flashbacks, I usually love them in a story but these felt disconnected. The end is a massive cliffhanger so prepare yourself.

I absolutely loved this book, I adored the premis, in fact I couldn't put it down. So why the 4 stars and not 5? I absolutely hated the ending. It made no sense at all, and was almost as though they needed an ending so they just put something in to surprise but that wasn't thought out. Such a shame.

Kat was in a car crash, and it was so bad that she entered the Waiting Room - an area between life and death, dressed by her imagination, but inhabited by her guardian angel, Ian. Ian is there to guide her and keep her safe while she either lives or dies. She is somewhat disappointed when she wakes up in the 'real world', but soon finds out that her pain medication takes her back to the Waiting Room every night - which doesn't really make sense because a pain medication wouldn't take you to the point of death, but that notwithstanding it's a great concept.

The further dimension is that Kat's father was killed in front of her when her whole family were captured in a remote village in Africa. Her mother closed down and Kat at 11 had to cope with her grief, and her mother's too.

It has excitement, romance, mystery and a lot more besides. The only thing it doesn't have is a good, logical, ending.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4490879332

The Waiting Room by Sydney Cole has readers hooked from the first chapter. This story has a lot of dramatic elements as the character flips between her life on earth and her in-between spirit world. Cole takes readers through a journey of overcoming childhood trauma through facing fears of guilt, loneliness, and grief. I would recommend this book hands down.

I devoured this book in one sitting.

It tells how Kat and her mother are moving to a new town after Kat's father was killed.

Both are full of grief and are dealing or not dealing with it in their own ways.

An accident occurs and Kat ends up in The Waiting Room, where she awaits her fate will she live or die?

Lots of flashbacks happen which I didn't connect with sadly.

I did like Ian, he was an interesting character.

I kept reading because of course I wanted to know the outcome of the story.

One reason the book is not getting lots of star ratings is because when I came to the end of the story, I feel the ending was omitted. There really was NO ending, cliff hanger perhaps?

I would recommend this story since there is action and lots of emotions, growth on Kat's part and it is far more than a teen romance which I thought the focus of the story would be before I started it.

3. 75 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

review posted at Netgalley, GoodReads and Wordpress.

Kat and her mom move from Florida to Colorado in her senior year of high school. Kat’s dad was killed when she was younger and her mom never grieved properly. Kat goes to a party and on the way back to her new house, she wrecks the car. Is she dead? Is she alive? She meets a guardian angel named Ian and he tells her she’s not dead “yet” but she’s in what’s called “a waiting room” to decide if she’s ready to die or fight to stay alive. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this release in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written with a unique premised plotline and well developed characters. It was fast paced, twisty, dark and unpredictable. I couldn't put it down.

This book was very interesting. I never quite knew where the author was going. In some ways, it was a fantasy, in other ways it was a romance, in other ways it was semi-historical. There were just a lot of facets to this book.
My favorite part was the Waiting Room. The in-between. I have read other books like this and I liked the author's take on the space.
Enjoy!