This was a 4 star!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the opportunity to #arc read this book. Kelley is an auto-buy author for me and I have been in love with her since the early 2000s.

This story caught my interest as soon as I read the back blurb - a spooky ghost story was definitely perfect for kicking off spooky season,

This story revolves around Nicola, a widow grieving her husband and torn between being skeptical and wanting to make contact with his spirit if possible.

I enjoyed the plot of this book but the pacing was a bit slow for me. But man, once things go going closer to the end it sure got me invested. I even had to stop reading at one point because it was scary and I’m a big baby haha.

The twists are well done and this book will have you second-guessing EVERYONE!

Make sure you add this to your TBR - it is a great ghost story!

Troupes: suspense, thriller
Spice NA
Plot 4/5
Pace 3.5/5
Character Personality 3.5/5
Character Growth 4/5
Writing Style 4/5
World Building 5/5

No one does horror thrillers quite so well as Kelley Armstrong—and the same sentiment rang true once again with her newest horror thriller “I’ll Be Waiting”. I really enjoyed Nic’s journey throughout as the plot thickened and twisted, turning from a suspenseful horror to one with paranormal aspects. Armstrong’s storytelling is top-notch with a well constructed plot and twists that kept me on my toes until the very last page. Overall, “I’ll Be Waiting” was a fantastic read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that likes the thriller/horror genre!

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC of this novel.
I enjoy Kelley Armstrong’s work very much. Her writing style makes for compulsive reading and this book was no exception.
The story is that of Nicola a young woman with cystic fibrosis who has lived to adulthood and marriage due to advances in treatment . Her husband and soulmate is tragically taken away in a car accident. What follows is the story of her and others attempts to contact dead loved ones and reconcile their earthly losses.
The first half to two thirds of the book were slowly evolving but riveting - a very good ghost story with lots of potential .
I have to say I did not enjoy the rest of the book which was filled with so many bizarre twists that I was left feeling like - “Whew what just happened here and WHY”. Definitely one or two too many twists for me. I found the ending disturbing but likely that was the point the author was going for.
I feel readers who like horror and paranormal fiction will really enjoy this book which is well written - it just wasn’t quite for me.

Kelley Armstrong is an author I enjoy, especially the Havens Rock series. It's well written and paced, but I wasn't a fan of these characters. This was good but just not my taste. I will continue to read Kelley Armstrong because she's a great author this book was just not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my review copy of this book.

"Ghosts don't haunt us. That's not how it works. They're present among us because we won't let go of them." (Sue Grafton)

That's exactly how Nicola Laughton feels. She lost her husband, Anton, in a horrible vehicle accident. She bent over him and heard his last words: "I;ll be waiting." It was more than she could bear.

Nicola always thought that she would be the first to die in this marriage even though she has beat the odds. Nic has CF (Cystic Fibrosis) since she was a child. She's bombarded with medications and treatments on a daily basis. But it never stopped her from becoming a successful software engineer. She just wishes to contact Anton once more.

After experiencing many, many charlatans, Nic seems to have hit on some success. She's contacted Dr. Davos Cirillo of Chicago, a lead researcher and parapsychologist, to set up a seance. It will be held in a B&B in Ontario which once was the home of Anton's grandmother. She's bringing her friend, Shania, and her brother-in-law, Jin. Everything is perfect.......until it's not.

I'm a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong. I must admit that I'll Be Waiting actually kept me waiting. The first half of the book was tightly written and engaging. The second half became tedious and repetitious. Noises, sounds, whispers.......again and again with empty air. None of these characters were even likeable.......not even Nic. Too many loose strings and corridors that went nowhere. It seemed that Armstrong handed the second half over to a ghost writer. (Pun intended) And then the ending was whipped into a frenzy at rapid speed. Not what I expected from the talented Kelley Armstrong. But I'll be actually waiting fro the next one with open arms.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to Kelley Armstrong for the opportunity.

This book is an addicting blend of dealing with grief, ghost story, and tense horror/thriller.

Nicola is a complex character. She’s lived longer than anyone expected with her CF, which I didn’t know a lot about before reading this book and thought was very respectfully represented. Now she’s unexpectedly a widow when she thought her husband Anton would outlive her and she is drowning in her grief – going from phony medium to phony medium trying to contact Anton after a news story made her tragedy infamous.

Her friends suggest one last seance with a respected parapsychologist during a getaway to Anton’s grandmother’s former home that has been converted into a vacation rental. One last shot to make contact.

But from the moment Nicola, her brother-in-law Jin, her friend Shania, and the parapsychologist, Dr. Cirrilo arrive odd things begin happening. As Nicola reflects on the past – on another seance gone terribly wrong – it becomes clear that Anton may not be the only spirit the group has brought back.

This story grabbed me early on and I couldn’t stop reading until I reached the stunning conclusion. It’s tense, well-written, and all of the characters are well rounded and come to life on the page. Nicola is clearly sitting on a secret that unravels through memories throughout the story. Shania seemed too good to be true and definitely has flaws underneath. And Dr. Cirrilo reminded me a bit of Joyce Reardan from Rose Red or an unrepentant Mr. Marrow from The Haunting.

Overall this is a perfect spooky season read and will definitely become a mainstay reread for me for years to come. But it’s more than horror or thriller, it’s a gripping portrayal of dealing with grief while not wanting to let go of the person you love – even though you know they would want you to keep living, especially in Nicola’s case with her medical condition.

This book is a combination romantic ghost stories with a practical and healthily skeptical main character, too many suspects both ghostly and non, and horror movie twist. I adored and devoured it.

**Review of *I'll Be Waiting* by Kelley Armstrong**

I don’t usually gravitate toward horror, but as a fan of Kelley Armstrong, I decided to give *I'll Be Waiting* a shot—and I’m glad I did. Despite having to skim through some of the more intense scenes, I found myself thoroughly engaged in the story. The suspense kept me hooked, and even though I somewhat guessed the ending, the journey to get there was still incredibly satisfying.

I think horror fans will really appreciate this one, but if you’re not into blood and guts, you might want to pass. That said, I’m eager to dive into another one of her books.

*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This Novel will be released on October 1, 2024.*

#KelleyArmstrong #Horror #Novel #NetGalley #ARC-Book-Read #IllBeWaiting

Kelley Armstrong has never done me wrong, not even once. Fantasy, romance, mystery, all have been fabulous. So when I saw she has a new horror book, you know I immediately picked it up, and I am so glad I did.

Nicola lives with the ticking clock of Cystic Fibrosis, and she never expected to outlive her husband Anton. When he is killed in a horrible car crash and dies in her arms, his last words to her are “I’ll be waiting for you.” Despite being a skeptic, since that day she has visited multiple spiritualists, hoping for verifiable contact with him, but to no avail. She is going to try one last time, with a ‘reputable’ medium, and she and a couple friends rent a beach house once owned by Anton’s family for the séance. Things start to go wrong almost immediately, but is it Anton? Or is there something else, something dark, in the house? And Nicola can’t help but remember the first time she attended a séance, as a teenager, and the terrible events that happened then.

This is exactly my kind of horror/thriller. It kept me guessing and there were tons of reveals along the way that made me doubt what was happening, along with Nicola. I devoured this book; if I’d been watching it as a movie, I would have been screaming at each turn, with each jump scare. Even with all the misdirection, everything was tied up by the end in a very satisfying conclusion. I recommend this for anyone who wants a paranormal, haunted thriller. It’s intense, creepy, and perfect for a spooky season read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me this review copy in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

This was so unexpected and gripping. As she starts finding bodies and revealing more of her last, we learn that our MC isn't as innocent as she says.

#IllBeWaiting starts with bumps in the night and rachets up the tension from there. There are two timelines in the book, and they both feature seances gone wrong. The main character and supporting characters are well-developed. As the book progresses, tension accelerates to a hair-raising climax. Kelley Armstrong has created a solid ghost story.

Title: I’ll Be Waiting
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Horror Mystery
Publisher: Saint Martin’s Press ~ Minotaur Books
Pub Date: October 1, 2024
My Rating: 2.3 Stars
Pages: 335

Nicola Laughton was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when she was just a child. She is now in her thirties and was married to Anton. Sadly only months after they married he was killed in an automobile accident. He lived long enough to utter five words to Nicole
“I’ll be waiting for you.”

II have read several Kelley Armstrong stories but not her tales of ghosts. I am okay with paranormal and ghosts. Unfortunately this didn’t work for me ~ I am sure it was me not Ms. Armstrong as I know many readers love this!!!
I however, struggled with it – may have been bad timing on my part. I knowI like this author and definitely will read another story she writes.

About the author~ Kelley Armstrong spins tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Want to thank NetGalley and Saint Martin’s Press-Minotaur for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 1, 2024.

I'll be honest, the only thing I truly appreciated was the CF representation. I feel this book isn't for me but doesn't put me off of Kelley Armstrong's writing because it was genuinely well written, the story and subject matter just wasn't the most capturing for me.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this early review copy.
Such a great supernatural/horror book. I absolutely love Kelley Armstrong's books, and this is a different genre from her than what I'm used to reading. I love how she writes a variety of genres. I loved the characters and all the twists and turns the book took. It was fun trying to guess throughout the book what was actually happening during their seances or if things were being faked. I really enjoyed the many levels of skepticism I felt throughout the story along with Nicola. Who could she actually trust? What really happened in the past and in the current day? Can she really make contact with her deceased husband?

I'm giving it all the stars because I had a hard time putting it down. Poor Nicola has Cystic Fibrosis and is resigned to dying early, so she doesn't want to let go when her beloved Anton dies first, telling her as he dies "I'll be waiting." She goes to a fairly remote cabin with some people who want to help with a seance, and there are odd noises, a missing person, and multitudes of insects. These elements created a spooky atmosphere and I enjoyed how creeped out I got. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Nicola Laughton’s husband Anton died in a car crash just months after their wedding. As he died, he told her “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Nic has been preyed upon by fake spiritualists and is sinking into obsession and depression. Her friends find a professor of parapsychology to give her one last chance of contacting her husband.

They contact someone, but Nic isn’t sure it’s actually her husband.

I’ll Be Waiting is super spooky and kept me guessing throughout. I loved the way it combined grief horror with a mystery and a bittersweet love story.

Also, Nic has Cystic Fibrosis, which I haven’t seen in a horror heroine before. I really liked how much it added to her character and the tension of the novel.

I’ll Be Waiting is going to be on my favourite horror of the year list, no question. It’s a perfect read for spooky season.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my review copy.

I love Kelley Armstrong books and they always seem to have me stressing out and finishing the book in one sitting because I can't stop reading them! I'll Be Waiting fell a little short for me, I just couldn't quite connect to the characters and it felt a lot more drawn out than her other books. I found myself skimming some chapters just to get through them.

I think the premise of this book sounds phenomenal, but it just need a little bit of cleanup to make it an edge of your seat book! I definitely think I'm one of the few who didn't love this, so I'm definitely blaming this on a me thing.

Dang, this was SCARY.

When Nicola's husband Anton dies in a car accident, she becomes a viral sensation. Not only is she terminally ill with cystic fibrosis (at thirty-eight, time is rapidly running out for her), but a passerby claims to have seen Anton's ghost say to Nic, "I'll be waiting." In fact, Anton does say this before he dies, but the ghost element really gives the story wings and makes it go viral.

Nic spends eight months going to various seances, trying to make contact with her late husband. They're all unsuccessful: she discerns how they're all charlatans. Yet, she can't give the idea up, so she plans for one final seance, after which she'll call it quits.

This is where it gets scary. Nic and her friend Shania, from grief group, and Jin, a guy in a relationship with Nic's brother Keith, rent a house in the middle of nowhere with a parapsychology professor. They succeed in making contact—only, it's pretty certain that not just Anton is there, but some other dark entity...

Throughout the story, there are flashbacks to Nic's high school days, when she was known as Janica and had a seance with two friends. The one friend is convinced she's possessed, so when they have a second seance, this friend goes crazy and murders the third friend. We later find out that the friend was indeed possessed by her evil aunt. And apparently Shania is the friend's younger half-sister! Who apparently sought out Nic to get revenge on her now dead sister's behalf since Nic's testimony sent the possessed sister to a mental institution.

We also find out that Jin put tapes of Anton's voice to give Nic some comfort. She actually does make contact with him, though, and he says even though he's waiting on the other side, she doesn't have to rush to join him.

Anyway, a scary and pretty sad book. But I enjoyed it. The pacing is fantastic and overall, I liked the characters. I'd definitely recommend it!

I am not a fan of supernatural and horror stories. However, I have become a fan of Kelley Armstrong over the last five years or so. I'll be Waiting is a story with ghosts and seances which is not my cup of tea but I could not put this book down! I think Kelley Armstrong is a master storyteller and especially with intrigue and mystery. I'll be Waiting did not have the strong character development that I have come to appreciate from her. However, I didn't care the twists and turns kept me turning the pages and wanting to find out what had happened that fateful night so many years ago. I highly recommend picking this title up, even if supernatural stories are not your jam. You will not be disappointed. I eagerly await Ms. Armstrong's next book.

I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

Nicola never expected to live into adulthood and find love after being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. But that all changed when Nicola met Anton in her thirties and fell in love. With some advancements in medicine and luck, Nicola is still healthy and may have a few more years with her beloved new husband. But, this martial bliss is cut short only a few months later when Anton dies in a horrific car accident. Before Anton died, he tells Nicola "I'll be waiting for you."
Nicola is now a widow and has to deal with the tragedy and extensive media coverage. Also, she is convinced that Anton just might be waiting for her on the other side when a witness claims that they saw Anton's ghost hovering over his body.
Nicola has seen countless mediums, all frauds. She is beginning to lose hope. That is until she decides to hire a proper expert, a professor of parapsychology. With the help of the professor, Nicola was attempt to contact Anton one last time. To conduct the séance, Nicola will travel to Lake Erie to stay at a beach house that Anton's family once owned. She will enlist the help of her brother-in-law and a friend to be witnesses to the séance. And, she will bring Anton's ashes with her. No matter what happens, Nicola hopes that she will finally have closure. But, when she arrives at the house, strange things begin happen and Nicola's mysterious past begins to unravel.
I really really wanted to like this book. It had such a good premise. I thought it was going to be a supernatural book with lots of romance. But, it was completely different from what I had envisioned. The book began quite slow. I found myself having to force myself to read the book. It is only until it got to the last third that the story started to pick up the pace. Nicola spends a lot of the book reliving flashbacks from her childhood, and I found that it hindered the pacing of the story.
I found that this book reminded me a lot of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. I liked the idea of a house full of secrets of the past, and the possibility of Nicola being an unreliable narrator. But, I found that the story was sort of lack-lustre.
Overall, it was entertaining. It was not exactly the book I thought I was going to read, but sometimes these things happen.