Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.
While this book started out strong and had a hold on me for the first 30% it took a wrong turn after that. I found myself skimming and it couldn’t really hold my attention. Sadly I had to out the book down.
However, the spooky vibes were there and if I had read the book in October maybe I could give this book one more star.

The ambience and creep factor was so well done, especially in the audiobook, that I honestly had to stop listening lying in bed in the dark. The ending kind of lacked a little for me, it just fell into the category that I have seen and read before. It was still gripping and I just wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen next.

This was atmospheric and creepy! But the second half did fall a little flat for me. It started to feel repetitive and at times silly. But the story was good & I would love to see what the author does next

Well that was more gruesome than I was expecting. This started out as a kind of spooky story involving grief, ghosts, and a plague of midges that kept me wondering where this story was really going. Unfortunately I didn’t like what it led up to. Certain actions still don’t make sense to me. The first half was great, but the second half felt rushed and unnecessarily gory. So 3 stars is my final rating.

Kelley Armstrong’s I’ll Be Waiting is a suspenseful ghost story about Nic, a woman struggling with CF and the recent death of her husband, and her attempts to contact her husband. With her BIL, friend, and a parapsychologist, she travels to a home once owned by her husband’s family to conduct a seance to reach her husband. As eerie events unfold, she feels she’s being contacted—by something not entirely human and something not entirely friendly. Blending psychological tension with the supernatural, the story delivers a chilling mystery.

🎬Pairing: There were several movies that made the mental list, but I think “Crimson Peak” (2015) is where I will settle. The creepiness factor, paired with the mystery, and certain aspects about the ghosts seem a fitting comparison.


🎵Pairing: “Unchained Melody” from Ghost. No explanation. Just gonna leave this here.


📖quote: “I rub my temples. Then I open the door wide. Making sure I have my cell phone in my pocket, I turn on the light, and I head down, one step at a time with my hand firmly on the railing.” I cannot tell you how many times I mentally yelled, “DON’T DO THAT”. STOP 👏 GOING 👏INTO 👏THE 👏CREEPY 👏BASEMENT👏



❤️ The way Armstrong builds suspense is incredible. From the very first page, there’s this creepy feeling that something isn’t right. As the tension slowly grew, so did my heart rate as I wondered what would happen next. The eerie moments—like feeling watched or hearing strange sounds—made the fear feel real.


Final Thoughts

💭Some parts towards the second part of the book dragged, and I felt like Nic was just spinning her wheels.
💭 I’m left with some questions about the ending.
💭 Overall, I liked this book even though it freaked me out.

Thank you for @netgalley and @stmartinspress and @kelleyarmstrongauthor for this ARC!

I've enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's writing for years and was thrilled to receive an ARC of "I'll Be Waiting."

This story follows Nic, a Cystic Fibrosis patient and newlywed who is grieving her husband, Anton. Nic and Anton were involved in a devastating car accident in which Anton passes away. Nic's tragedy is worsened when a bystander records and shares a very personal and emotional final exchange: Anton's last words, "I'll be waiting for you." Witnesses claim it wasn't a living person who makes this promise but rather, Anton's ghost.

Nic endures many visits to self-proclaimed psychics, only to encounter disappointment when these "mediums" are revealed to be con artists hoping to capitalize on her tragedy. Her loved ones find a professor who takes a more scientific approach to the paranormal, and they conduct a séance to contact Anton at a place once very dear to him, an old Lake Erie beach house.

Now cue the creepy.

Nightmares and flashbacks plague Nic. There are strange occurrences. Her past comes back to haunt her...

This title is creepy, atmospheric, and suspenseful. I struggled a bit with connecting with the characters. However, it was very easy imagining all of the spooky events and the writing in that regard is very strong. It was an enjoyable horror read and definitely one to pick up for the bleak fall and winter months when the dark creeps in a little earlier.

Thank you to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an early opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

An entertaining supernatural thriller that is perfect for fall. I enjoyed all the plot twists and suspense. I continue to enjoy this author’s works!

This book was good! I liked it but didn’t love it. I definitely see potential in it and look forward to seeing what else the author does.

This was a really Gothic and atmospheric YA book that I definitely recommended to my younger sisters.

Whether you call it supernatural suspense or horror, Kelley Armstrong's "I'll Be Waiting" makes an impact. A fast-paced narrative grips you from the start, pulling you into a realm where the ordinary and the extraordinary collide. Where tension is immediate and each plot twist keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Unlike the slow burn of classic horror tales, where the buildup is paced and the dread slowly seeps in, Armstrong's story plunges headfirst into the action. Armed with a sharp mind and chronically ill body, Nicola Laughton navigates through a tense atmosphere where the supernatural feels eerily close to reality and fantastical elements make everything shocking and urgent.

This rapid pace doesn't just entertain; it mirrors the urgency woven into the narrative. The characters are not merely reacting to events; they are actively shaping the narrative, reflecting a shift in the genre from classic horror victims to empowered protagonists.

As the story unfolds, the blend of horror and thriller elements ensures that you're not just reading—you're experiencing the twists and turns as if you were right there alongside the characters. Armstrong’s ability to interlace classic horror themes with modern storytelling techniques creates a dynamic that feels fresh yet familiar.

By the end, you're left marveling at how seamlessly Armstrong merges the classic elements with the new. It's a journey that highlights the evolution of horror, from the slow, creeping dread to the fast-paced, multifaceted narratives of today. For those who love classic and contemporary horror, this book offers a thrilling ride that doesn't disappoint.

“I’ll Be Waiting” by Kelley Armstrong is a supernatural thriller about love, loss, and the unknown. Nicola Laughton, who has cystic fibrosis, defies expectations by living into her thirties and marrying Anton—only to lose him in a tragic accident. His final words, “I’ll be waiting for you,” haunt her, driving her to seek contact with his spirit. A séance at his family’s beach house stirs eerie events—unlocked doors, whispers, and unsettling visions—forcing Nicola to confront both supernatural forces and buried secrets from her past.

This book started out so strong, leaving me on the edge of my seat with tears in my eyes. I love how spooky this book feels and the sense of mystery that it wraps you up in. I also love the chronic illness representation. Although I’m thankful for a full closure ending, I think it could have been done a little better. All in all, this was a fun read! I recommend for those looking to explore themes of grief and the supernatural.

A truly outstanding read.

Kelley Armstrong delivers a fantastic exploration of grief, with a beautifully nuanced portrayal of chronic illness and disability. The pacing was spot-on—I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Haunting and atmospheric! What began as a ghostly tale of lost love quickly escalated into full-fledged horror, complete with chilling jump scares.

After a crash that killed Nicola’s (Nic) husband, Anton, and left her badly injured, witnesses claimed to have seen his spirit hovering over her body. Desperate to contact him, she turned to a spiritualist, leading her to a séance at Anton’s former family home—a remote, eerie estate perched on a cliff overlooking Lake Erie. Classic haunted-house elements set the stage, but as secrets unraveled, the supernatural dread deepened.

As Nic’s mental clarity wavered, the lines between the living and the dead blurred, and even the spirits couldn’t be trusted.

When I first picked up this book I had no idea it was by a Canadian author, setting in the cities I've lived in and with the main character named after one of my best friends! This book had me on my toes the whole time!

"I'll Be Waiting" is a spooky story centering on grief and loss.

Nic is a 37 year old woman who tragically loses her husband Anton and has a hard time coming to terms with that. She believes, as a chronic illness warrior, that it should have been her instead. Witnesses claim to have seen her husband's ghost hovering over her on the side of the road. She is then hounded by psychics and spiritualists all attempting to give her closure perhaps in the form of a seance. Nic has a secret. It wouldn't be her first seance and her past quickly comes back to haunt her.

This is a compelling idea but I think it may come across better as a movie. While the book is well written, it almost felt a little cheesy at times when it felt like the vibe was supposed to be more sinister. It kind of felt like it lost some of the steam in the second half.

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

If I could I’d give it 6 stars! Excellent mystery with lots of twists. Murder from the past haunts the present. Great characters and plenty of ghosts. Highly recommend this to YA and up.

Overall, this was a well-crafted horror novel, with hints of paranormal elements, and I would highly recommend it for anyone seeking a thrilling read. This captivating story is guaranteed to evoke a strong range of emotions—from spine-tingling chills to edge-of-your-seat tension and heartstring-tugging suspense! I had some difficulty falling into the book, and as I read on I thought the plot could have progressed faster at points. I was also unable to buy into an important plot element when it was revealed.

All in all, a solid horror story. I could see this being made into a movie one day.

As someone who has been dealing with cystic fibrosis her whole life, Nicola never expected to outlive her husband, Anton. But after a car accident, that's just what happened, and Nicola is left reliving Anton's final moments on the side of the road, whispering "I'll be waiting for you." Several months later, Nic is still haunted with grief, and has turned to spirit mediums to try to reconnect with her late husband. In an attempt to cut her off from the unhealthy relationship with fakes and cons, her friends and family convince Nic to try one last time, with a very scientific seance before calling it quits. That's how she ends up at Anton's grandmother's lake home with an American scientist, her brother-in-law, and a new friend from a grief counseling group. However, there's something from Nic's past that keeps popping up and potentially interfering with their attempts to reach Anton...

It's rare to find a horror novel featuring a character with a terminal illness that doesn't immediately become the center of the story, and it's lovely to see Nic portrayed as much more than her illness (it's more of a character trait than a definition). I loved the way Nic and her friends and family approached the seances (with a bit of dry humor and skepticism, even as they took part in the rituals), as well as the mix of easily explained and unexplained phenomena in the book. It does go a bit off the rails toward the end of the book, though that's the case in a lot of horror novels. All in all, this one was pretty decent. (However, reader beware if you don't like bugs. Bleh!)

Armstrong is an author who hit my radar in the last year or so, and she certainly writes a compelling mystery/thriller. When I saw this novel had a supernatural/paranormal angle, I was excited to see what she'd do with it.

Nicola lost Anton, her husband of three years, very suddenly in a tragic accident. His final words to her, "I'll be waiting for you," are overheard by a bystander who then takes it to the press. Nic becomes the target of "legitimate" spiritualists wanting to help her contact Anton. She gives several of the mediums a chance, but proves each of them to be a fake. In a last ditch attempt, she allows one more medium, a professor of parapsychology, an opportunity. He's a skeptic by nature but also had unexplainable encounters in his previous cases.

The lake house owned by Anton's family is a perfect setting and checks off plenty of creepy elements - a locked basement door, footsteps in the unoccupied attic, thick swarms of bugs outside, a nonfunctional dumbwaiter, and disembodied voices to name a few. My horror loving heart was all in, and my eyes widened in excitement during the séance scenes.

Characters are well-crafted, diverse, and sometimes surprising. Nic has cystic fibrosis, and I came away from this novel better educated on the genetic disease. Chapters alternate between something that happened with Nic and two friends in high school, earlier times with Anton, and present day, several months after the accident.

I had an inkling of what was happening in the house, but was only partially correct in the end. Around the 60% mark the story takes an unexpected, disjointed direction. Some reviewers mentioned the gory scenes near the end are disturbing and felt out of sync with the first half of the book. I agree with it feeling out of place, but the gore wasn't an issue for me. Be warned if that's something you prefer to avoid in your reading.

Recommended for fans of things that go bump in the night, atmospheric mysteries that veer from expected paths, and darker paranormal elements.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book. Book was fine, really good if you like the genre! I would read more from this author.

Kelley Armstrong delivers yet another gripping and chilling story that kept me hooked from start to finish. The characters were richly developed, and I found myself fully invested in their journeys. True to her style, Armstrong weaves in plenty of unexpected twists and turns that kept the suspense alive throughout the novel.

This book is perfect for readers who enjoy a mix of eerie, unsettling moments and nail-biting suspense, paired with a compelling backstory. Nicola’s struggle with a chronic, life-threatening illness was both heart-wrenching and inspiring, showcasing her resilience and determination to defy the odds.

The explosive finale was a standout for me—I didn’t see it coming, and it had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page. If you’re looking for a thrilling and thought-provoking read, this one is a must! I can’t wait to dive into more of Armstrong’s work in the future.