It's more of a preference than a true judgement of the book, but these sad, mourning the loss of a fellow teen friend or significant other and it's hard to get over aren't my favorite. When they have lyrical language or offer a nugget that's different from the others like [book:I Heart You, You Haunt Me|1832749], I usually fall head over heels. This one was average- it didn't offer lyricism or an approach that was wildly different though exploring the concept of mediums similar to [book:The Cure for Dreaming|20702018] and [book:In the Shadow of Blackbirds|13112915] did keep me reading when I would have skimmed.

Natalie and Leander's budding romance and their questions regarding a medium and the haunting of the Harlow Hotel was in the intrigue more than getting over a friend.

I requested and received this book for consideration for the Printz award. Thank you for sending the book!

I cannot provide a review or rating per the committee rules, so I will not be able to provide one here. I will rate it five stars, as I do for all Printz books, because I am required to do so for Netgalley's feedback system. Please note that this does not reflect my actual rating for the book.

Thank you!

I went into this book with zero context— I read the blurb quickly but then completely forgot about it by the time I began reading. I’ll be completely honest and say I mainly downloaded this book because the author has the same first name as me and that very rarely ever happens. I just had to trust another Mariko and go along for the ride!

As it turns out, I really enjoyed reading this novel, and I would describe it as the perfect YA. I think it’s suitable for all audiences; it was still very engaging to me as an adult and I think it could even be a good bridge book for middle-grade readers. While the topic of grief is at the forefront, and subject matter is heavy, the author does an excellent job of managing that pain and fear without tipping over into serious darkness.

I loved Natalie, and I loved that she just got to be Japanese American without her whole personality being Japanese American. While I love representation that tells our race/ethnicity specific stories, I also just love mixed Asian women getting to live full lives outside of their identities. I also appreciated Leander’s story and development, and I really admire when an author can throw their characters for a loop and have them come back stronger.

All in all, would definitely recommend to lovers of YA and especially for young folks who may either be experiencing the loss of a loved one or who want to better understand the experiences of those who have!

I’LL BE WAITING FOR YOU – by Mariko Turk

‘Natalie and Imogen are inseparable and wildly different—Imogen is infuriatingly humble and incredibly intelligent, while Natalie is brave, jumping into danger and new adventures. Still, one thing ties them together: their love of the supernatural.’

My Heart!

I can not tell you enough how much I Love this book!! The friendship between Natalie and Imogen is touching and heartfelt—moments that made me laugh out loud and times when I couldn’t stop the flow of tears.

Bonus, Natalie is a diehard Horror movie fan, especially Evil Dead II!

Highly Recommend!

Reading Age: 12 years and up
Grade Level: 7 and up

Thank you, NetGalley and Little, Brown And Company (Hachette Book Group, Inc.), for providing me with an eBook of I’LL BE WAITING FOR YOU at the request of an honest review.

I hate to say I was excited for this one since someone loses their best friend, but with author name drops like Emily X.R. Pan and Nina LaCour, I knew I needed to read it immediately. Add on to this the ghost hunting and stuff and it was everything I needed. And in most ways it was, but in some ways I was a bit disappointed.

The bit I was disappointed in is probably a me thing, but I still think it needs to be said. I get the whole bit about not believing that her friend came back, but for some, seeing those little bits and pieces of memories in some ways, whether or not they were coincidences, can help people to feel better. I don’t think it’s ok to make them feel like what they’re feeling is fake or bad. I don’t get that this was the intention, but I don’t want anyone to feel bad about actually believing. This is a touchy subject because everyone grieves differently and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. While it shined light on their way of thinking, I can’t help but to think it alienates those that find those “small instances from their loved ones in Heaven.”

Everything else was pretty cool. I liked the way the two teens were there for each other and got help with their issues before they got together. As teens that’s not something they would normally even think of, so I was very impressed with the way they first took care of each other. And I also was impressed with their investigative skills. They were more observant than most adults I know lol But I know they had been working on things like this for a while, but it was still impressive.

The romance itself was a bit of the back burner. She hated him for a piece of the book but then they started getting closer once they started working at the hotel. It was your average enemies to lovers. And I actually didn’t mind the amount of time they spent together in this book. It seemed like it was more of a coming of age book and not actually a romance book. They came together when they needed each other and I loved that.

The writing style was ok tho. I think the characters were ok and the plot was really good. Definitely gave everything I love about a book. I can’t wait to read more by Mariko Turk. This author is definitely going on my authors to read.

Imogen and Natalie are the best of friends, even though Imogen’s on track for a life of Ivies and excellence and Natalie definitely isn’t. They spend two weeks every summer together at Estes Park, embracing their love of horror movies with visits to the Harlow Hotel, famous for its rumored ghosts and supernatural connections.

But one summer, Imogen just . . . dies, suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest in her sleep.

Natalie has to figure out how to move on without her best friend, and a year later, she believes she has. She’s even headed back to the Harlow Hotel for a ten day summer internship where she’ll complete her senior project: a videotaped audition for Ghost Hunters.

But Natalie’s in for a lot of surprises. Not only is the snarky new kid, Leander Hall, also completing his senior project at the Harlow Hotel, but she’s starting to question her long-held belief that ghosts aren’t real. After all, she keeps seeing glimpses of Imogen, and the hotel’s resident medium keeps saying things that she couldn’t have figured out on her own, could she?

Turk’s novel is a love story, a friendship story, a ghost story, and a mystery, all in one, and it portrays grief and the long process of healing from it in a way that will resonate with many readers.

There is some profanity and teen partying, so it’s probably most suited for high school students.

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

Will be posted at https://threeheads.works/category/blog/ya-books/ on June 3, 2024.

Books rarely make me emotional. I feel that I'm a bit of a hardened veteran when it comes to emotional trauma (I read The Bell Jar when I was 12) and can sometimes be a little desensitized to the suffering of fictional characters. That said, this book made my heart hurt.

I'll Be Waiting for You opens on a fairly normal scene - two young girls having a blast at a hotel in the summer. This pair are inseparable and are not looking forward to one of them leaving for piano camp the next day. As Imogen and Natalie walk back to their respective cabins after their last night together, they wish each other goodnight and make small talk about the rest of the summer. They have no idea that this will be their last night together.

One year later, Natalie returns to the Harlow Hotel to complete her senior project and submit her audition tape to the TV show Ghost Chasers. She might have to live with an annoying boy from her grade, but she won't let that stop her from putting together a great tape of some fake ghosts to get on that TV show. And ghosts definitely are fake...right?

I have never lost a best friend. Okay, well, I definitely have, but we were separated by silly arguments, never by death. The specific pain that Natalie suffers after losing Imogen is not one that I am familiar with, thankfully, but I have definitely lost those that I love before, and Natalie's grief feels familiar is a horrible yet comforting way. One of the strongest points of this book, for me, was the depiction of grief and how it can completely change a person practically overnight. Seeing Natalie work through her grief a full year after her best friend's death was very relatable and felt like one of the more accurate depictions of grief I've read in awhile.

The other major strength that this book has is the relationship between Natalie and Leander. The two definitely start out as enemies and rivals, but the development of their relationship is slow, careful, and realistic. You'll find no insta-love here, nor will you get the usual teen angst or toxic nonsense that marks a lot of YA fiction. Leander and Natalie have numerous healthy, respectful conversations that warmed my heart completely. Natalie's other relationships, like the one she has with her mom, also shine because of the ways that they talk and support each other. Not every character is healthy and perfect, but they all feel real, which can sometimes be a challenge in this genre.

If you enjoyed If I Promise You Wings, you will love this title. Natalie and Leander occupy a very soft space in my heart, and so does this book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. This is a story about 2 best friends; where one experiences death and the other is left in the aftermath left with grief, sadness, and sadness. Nat and imogen share their love of horror and reality horror. Imogen is the more reserve one but after one night of acting out their horror love imogen passes. Our story picks up a year later with Nat teaming up Leander trying to figure out if this psychic is real and if imogen is still trying to communicate with her.

I feel like this would be great for middle grade if it wasn’t for the cursing. To say this was ya i would have thought our characters were in middle school. I did love the way the story ended and with Natalie accepting imogen’s death and realizing her grief. Although this was not for me, i still think this was a well written novel.

I'll Be Waiting for You is an emotional story about friendship, grief and ghosts as Natalie's best friend, Imogen, suddenly died the year prior. Mariko Turk handled the emotions so well - it was tough but worth it to be with Natalie during her grief and learning more about herself and Imogen. Setting the story at a haunted estate while Natalie and the eventual love interest Leander worked on their senior projects was intriguing and fun. There were aspects of the story that dragged a bit for me (particularly with the medium), but I ultimately enjoyed I'll Be Waiting for You immensely. My favorite part was the end when Natalie climbs up the tree and reflects on what she thinks happened.

This is a wonderful story about grief and finding ones self.
Natalie and Leander navigate the haunted hotel while also navigating their complicated feelings about life and each other. Dealing with grief at such a young age is hard. Turk writes the characters wonderfully and as if it would be someone dealing with it at that age.

I just love when unexpected reads become five-star favorites.

Not only did this book explore grief and friendship in such an interesting way, but it also made me adore Natalie, who is just so relatable and funny. She also uses comedy to cover her real feelings (Same, girl), but her use of it makes her voice and dialogue so engaging to read, especially whenever it was with Leander, who I also loved as the love interest.

I also loved how there was no definitive answer to 'Are ghosts real?' question. Natalie teeters back and forth all throughout the story before coming to a comfortable middle at the end, where she accepts her rational and irrational beliefs. I liked that message, and it felt organic for her to come to that over the course of the story.

Overall, this was such a heartfelt, funny read that had me shed a couple tears by the end (The humming bird statue got to me. You'll know if you read it), and I hope more people pick it up when it officially releases!

THOUGHTS

This book was lovely. It's sentimental and spooky and heartbreaking. And I loved it.


PROS
Normal Teen: There is almost always a dichotomy in YA books between the quiet, shy, studious and/or unpopular girls who don't party and the flirty, popular, drugs-and-drinking girls who do... and this book refuses that. Because Natalie isn't a cardboard cutout stereotype of a girl. She's friendly but not necessarily "popular." She used to drink socially and isn't self-destructive about it. She likes to go out to party but not necessarily at the expense of her studies, even if she isn't top of the class valedictorian material. She's just a normal girl engaging in life. Just because she goes to parties doesn't mean she is over-the-top and wild, and I appreciate that. Because that's much more real than most YA books dare to present.

Ghostly Influences: I just really enjoy a book that digs into a niche interest, okay? Natalie is super into ghost hunting shows (for the dramatics, of course; she doesn't actually believe in ghosts), and I like that this book really dives into that interest. Natalie has a lot of passion for the ghost hunting industry, its tips and tricks, and that passion shines through this narrative in a really energetic way.

Is it? Or Isn't It?: This is a book centered around grief and ghosts and loss and the afterlife, and I appreciate that it explores all of these themes without definitive answers. People engage with ghosts as a coping mechanism, a channel for grief, and that isn't looked down on in this book. More than anything, this book speaks to the lingering "ghosts" of those we love in our lives all around us after their passing, whether those are material ghosts or not, and I like that toeing of the line, that sober rumination.


CONS
Wishy-Washy Relationship: I understand that Natalie's really going through something here, but she treats her love interest Leander pretty poorly. You can't just ghost somebody (pun more or less intended) because you're going through something tough--especially when that person is so concerned about your well-being. Natalie got on my nerves with how cagey she was with Leander. It isn't his fault if you need space. I get she's young, but please!

Too Forgiving: Which kind of leads me into this second critique. So many YA books that balance romance and grief make a way-too-perfect male love interest. Because there is no way a teen boy would be so forgiving after getting left on read for days. He might understand and come around, but that's just super rude. Obviously, it is the dream to have a super-sympathetic love interest like this, but is it realistic? Absolutely not.

Condensed: This book takes place over just a few days (ignoring the opening chapter that takes place a year before), and Natalie goes through a major transformation in these days. And it just feels like the whole plot moves too quickly. She's really going through it, and all of the internal reckoning she does doesn't feel like it could fit in a handful of days. The timeline is too short, in other words, for all this self-processing to make sense.


Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8/10
Those who loved Ashley Schumacher's Amelia Unabridged will adore this new book that dabbles in grief and lingering possibilities. Fans of Kirsten Miller's Don't Tell a Soul will like this new, haunted locale.

“…Nothing is truly lost.” - Imogen

I’ll be waiting for you follows Natalie as she returns, a year after her best friend Imogen’s untimely death, to one of the most important places to their friendship - a haunted hotel. Instead of working on her senior project with her best friend, she recruits the help of a boy who no one likes because he speaks the truth through the school paper. Together, Natalie and Leander explore the hotel, learning the stories of the guests, both breathing and dead, for the good of their projects. However, when a medium on the hotel’s payroll tells Natalie that Imogen is reaching out from the other side, will Natalie be able to stand on her beliefs that ghosts aren’t real, that her best friend is truly gone? And will she be able to hide any of her other feelings for Leander, besides disdain?

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, reading majority of it in a single sitting. My only qualm is that it felt like it wasn’t finished. The last chapter didn’t really hold that sense of finality. Thus, when I turned the page, and found the authors note, I was saddened and slightly confused. Perhaps that was the point because it was supposed to mirror Imogen’s death and the shock that Natalie felt, but if that was it, it didn’t do a very good job. Everything else was literally perfect. 4.5 ⭐️’s

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and, of course, Mariko Turk for sending me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"I'll Be Waiting for You" by Mariko Turk is a YA exploration of grief, friendship, and the complexities of belief, wrapped in a story that alternates between heart-wrenching and hopeful. If you are a fan of gorgeous YA contemporaries centered around overcoming grief and the power of belief and love, then you will absolutely adore this book.

The story revolves around Natalie and Imogen, best friends who share a passion for the paranormal. Their annual summer trips to the haunted Harlow Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, were a cherished tradition until tragedy strikes and Imogen dies suddenly. A year later, Natalie finds herself back at the hotel for her senior project, grappling with her grief and the memories of her lost friend. The story focuses on Natalie figuring out that she isn’t as “moved on” as she thought.

Turk skillfully captures the nuances of grief, portraying Natalie's journey towards acceptance and healing with sensitivity and authenticity. Through Natalie's senior project on paranormal activity, you will witness her struggle to reconcile her beliefs with the harsh reality of loss. The portrayal of grief is both beautiful and profound, offering you a deeply emotional experience without feeling overwhelming. There was a concept explored in the book about “metaphorical ghosts,” and I absolutely loved this idea. This idea helps you think of “ghosts” in a new way with how even when those you love are gone, they can still “haunt” you and be a part of your life, which is such a beautiful idea.

I also really enjoyed Natalie’s characterization. Throughout the book, she deals with her grief as well as her own inferiority complex where she doesn’t think she’s smart enough to pursue her own interests (acting) because she isn’t like her best friend. Imogen is smart in the “traditional” way and because Natalie perceives herself to be inferior to her best friend even though she is smart in more unconventional ways, she’s too scared to reach out and try something new. This really helped develop her character as she learns to both move on from her grief and to move on from her own inferiority complex. She felt extremely relatable, and if you are someone who has ever had the “smart” best friend, then you will definitely be able to connect to Natalie. I do wish that Imogen was developed a bit more, but the flashbacks definitely did help flesh her out more so she wasn’t as one-dimensional; I just wish we were able to experience her perspective.

The romance is sweet and developed nicely in the book. While not exactly enemies-to-lovers, it starts with feelings of annoyance that develop to friendship and romance. It was a bit fast though, but that is to be expected in a plot that takes place in just a few days. I really liked Leander’s backstory and the focus on when the power of belief can sometimes have consequences, like how some take advantage of others who just want to experience a feeling of hope and relief.

Overall, "I'll Be Waiting for You" is a touching and moving read that leaves a lasting impression, showing you the importance of holding onto hope, even in the darkest of times, and the power of moving on while still holding on to “metaphorical ghosts.” I absolutely loved this book, and I can’t wait for more from Turk.